WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 40: Western Wind Poison Leg (1)
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Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom had lain in an infirmary bed as though dead.
He finally opened his eyes in the afternoon, two days later.
The two disciples who had watched over him like guardians at his bedside called out in relief.
“Master!”
“Master!”
Shin Ui-gyeom looked at them. One glance at the gaunt, worried faces of his eldest disciple, Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong, and his second disciple, Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo, told him how much they had suffered.
‘They know I lost.’
Otherwise, they would not look like that.
Shin Ui-gyeom let out a deep sigh as he looked at them.
“No one has died, so why do you both look so miserable?”
-Grit!
Howling Sword Yeong Chu-seo clenched his teeth at the question. He barely restrained his anger before speaking.
“Master... your... right arm...”
He could not bring himself to finish.
Shin Ui-gyeom looked at him and spoke as though it did not matter.
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Are you making such a fuss because I can no longer use my right arm?”
“M-making a fuss? Your left arm was only fractured, but the bones in your right arm were completely crushed, and every muscle was severed. A swordsman has lost the use of his arm, so how could we possibly...”
“Ahem!”
“M-Master?”
“If you become a martial artist and walk this path, it is a fate you must eventually accept.”
“A fate? Even if it was a match, that bastard went too far...”
“Have I not repeatedly told you that anyone who gains the power to harm others must accept that they, too, may one day be harmed?”
“That is...”
“The people who have died at this master’s hands, and those left crippled for life, number in the triple digits.”
“But weren’t they people who pursued deviant paths in the truest sense?”
“Chu-seo, whether they pursued deviant paths or not, killing someone means you must be prepared to die yourself.”
“...Master.”
Yeong Chu-seo finally fell silent beneath Shin Ui-gyeom’s rebuke.
He was furious, but he knew his master’s words were not wrong. No matter how enraging this outcome was, death and crippling injuries were far from rare in a martial artist’s duel.
Still...
“...It is unbearable. Young Chun is gone, and now even you have been reduced to this state, Master. We are so powerless that we cannot do anything.”
Martial March Battle Sword Yeong Ga-dong spoke bitterly.
Shin Ui-gyeom let out a heavy sigh and looked out the window.
He did not blame Mumu for what had happened to his body. It was no different from the karma of roughly seventeen years ago coming back to him.
Yet as a master, it pained him deeply that he could not comfort the wronged soul of his youngest disciple, Young Chun.
-Clench!
Yeong Ga-dong clenched his fist tightly.
“Master... even if it means dying by Mumu’s hand, I will deal with that Kang Mu-i...”
“No.”
“What?”
“If you have made a promise as a martial artist, you must keep it.”
“But if we cannot even avenge our youngest brother, then your honor, and the honor of our Eastern River Sword School...”
“Do not concern yourself with immediate honor. If you have the energy to rejoice and despair over such things, hone your own Martial Arts instead.”
“You mean we should endure hardship and wait for our chance at revenge...”
“No.”
“What?”
“Forget... revenge.”
“Forget revenge? Master, even if you lost to him...”
“Do you think it is only because of the promise?”
“But haven’t you said that a martial artist of your level could reverse victory and defeat depending on the situation?”
At that question, Shin Ui-gyeom opened his Ki sense and examined the surroundings.
There was no one nearby besides them.
Once he confirmed it, Shin Ui-gyeom spoke in a low voice.
“Listen carefully. Forget what happened to this master and what happened to Young Chun. That child has already gone beyond the realm of humans.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
“Do you not understand what this master is saying?”
“I do. We already know that child is strong from your match with him...”
“He is far beyond what you imagine. That child is truly invincible.”
“I-invincible?”
The two disciples could not hide their shock at Shin Ui-gyeom’s words.
Their master had always said that though there might be someone who was the strongest in the world, no one was invincible. Being invincible meant being an absolute existence that could not be defeated by anything.
“That is a being you must not touch. Never provoke him.”
“Master, how can you say such a thing...?”
“Chu-seo, carve these words deep into your heart. You must never provoke him.”
“Then are you telling us not to avenge Young Chun, or even try to overturn your defeat as your disciples?”
“Do not. I told you this is not a realm that effort can overcome. Do you think humans can stand against a natural disaster or calamity?”
“A natural disaster?”
“His strength has already reached the realm of natural disasters.”
‘!?’
The warning was so serious that the two disciples found themselves speechless.
Just how much power did Mumu possess for their master, one of the Four Immortal Masters said to stand at the pinnacle of the current martial world, to fear him this much?
There was one thing neither disciple knew.
Though Shin Ui-gyeom had learned that Mumu carried the bloodline of the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, he had not told them.
The reason was simple.
‘...The moment they learn the truth and provoke him, disaster will follow.’
* * *
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu’s office in the main building of Changcheon Martial Academy.
“This is troubling...”
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu stared at a carrier pigeon with a troubled expression.
The assistant who had brought the carrier pigeon asked curiously.
“Is there a problem?”
“A problem... Yes, it is a problem.”
Things were getting far too big.
As Mumu’s strength was revealed, the snowball that had started rolling from the summit had somehow become a massive avalanche. Events were moving in a strange direction.
“All eyes at the academy are fixed on that child.”
“You mean Mumu?”
“Yes.”
“That is only natural. A supreme master has appeared, one who defeated Great Hero Shin, the Eastern River Sword Sage and one of the Four Immortal Masters. Of course everyone would be paying attention.”
“It has reached a tiresome level.”
A considerable number of cadets had apparently gathered around Mumu.
They wanted to enter the Muscle Training School and receive Mumu’s teachings. There even seemed to be a few masters among them.
The entire academy was moving as though swept up by a great wave called Mumu. At this rate, the academy could not perform its normal role.
“Perhaps it is no longer possible.”
Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue.
He had tried to conceal Mumu’s strength somehow and see him through the academy. It had all been for his own sake, but that was no longer easy.
Mumu had defeated even one of the Four Immortal Masters. No, it was not simply a matter of defeating one. His martial prowess was on an entirely different level, beyond what Dan Pil-hu or the academy could contain.
In truth, Mumu had nearly lost all reason to remain at the academy.
‘Do I need to take exceptional measures?’
There was only one way for Mumu to stay at the academy.
Whether it would be approved was another matter.
Just then, another carrier pigeon flew through the window.
-Tap!
The assistant caught it and checked the code attached to its ankle.
“Hm? It seems to have come from the city gate.”
“The city gate?”
Dan Pil-hu took the message and unrolled it.
After reading its contents, Dan Pil-hu exclaimed, “What!” and sprang to his feet.
The assistant asked in confusion.
“What is it?”
“...Elder Gu Yang-gyeong has come to the academy.”
“Elder Gu Yang-gyeong? Who is... Gu Yang-gyeong? W-Western Wind Lone Angle Gu Yang-gyeong?”
Once the assistant realized who the name belonged to, they could not hide their shock.
Gu Yang-gyeong.
He was Western Wind Lone Angle, one of the Four Immortal Masters.
* * *
“Ugh. They won’t come all the way here, will they?”
In the garden near the Special-grade training hall, where the lockdown had been lifted, Mo Il-hwa spoke in a hushed voice.
Jin-hyeok nodded.
“I don’t see anyone for now.”
After hearing that, Mo Il-hwa glared at Mumu beside her.
“Look at all the trouble you’ve caused us.”
“...Um. Sorry.”
Mumu scratched his head and apologized.
The reason they had moved like secret operatives and hidden here was simple.
It was because of Mumu.
Mo Il-hwa snapped at him.
“Why did you say you would teach people strength training? Look at the mess it caused.”
“I didn’t mean to...”
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but you should have thought about it. If someone called a new Grandmaster for defeating the Eastern River Sword Sage says they will teach something, people will swarm like ants.”
“I didn’t think so many people would crowd around me.”
Mumu was suffering just as much.
At first, only Do Yang-woon and several floor leaders from Northern Heaven Residence had trained with him. Then word spread that he had defeated the Eastern River Sword Sage, and a few people came to Mumu saying they wanted to enter the Muscle Training School.
So Mumu gladly agreed.
[The Muscle Training School welcomes anyone.]
Those words set it all off.
In just two days, that handful of people had somehow grown into several hundred. Even masters from the academy had come in secret to ask if they could learn strength training.
“Ugh. Why did you say something like that? Tsk, tsk.”
Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue.
At first, they had been stunned to hear that Mumu had defeated the Eastern River Sword Sage. Mumu’s strength had surpassed anything they imagined.
The aftermath was even worse. It had become difficult just to be near him.
Mo Il-hwa smiled sweetly.
“Let’s travel separately from now on. I’ll go around with Jin-hyeok, so eat alone and attend lectures alone.”
“Uh...”
“Our great hero Mumu has no problem going around alone, right? Of course you don’t. You’ll be perfectly fine.”
“...Y-yeah.”
Mumu looked dejected.
Jin-hyeok sighed at the sight.
Mumu had not changed at all, yet ever since Jin-hyeok learned Mumu’s true identity and Mumu defeated the Eastern River Sword Sage, everyday life itself seemed to have become tangled.
‘Miss Mo is only teasing him, but at this rate, it may be only a matter of time before he is expelled from the academy.’
Mumu now stood shoulder to shoulder with the Four Immortal Masters, the pinnacle of the current martial world.
Who at this academy could teach him?
Even as a cadet, Jin-hyeok could see Mumu had surpassed the level the academy could handle.
“Mumu. You might get expelled from the academy at this rate.”
“Expelled?”
“Yes. There is no master at the academy who can teach you. Even if you say you want to learn Martial Arts, the masters will be the ones walking on eggshells around you.”
Who would want to teach someone who had defeated the Eastern River Sword Sage?
They might even refuse, claiming Mumu would ruin the atmosphere of the lectures.
“Um... really?”
“Isn’t that where things seem to be headed?”
Come to think of it, Mumu’s life at the academy may have already been nearing its end from the moment he learned about his biological father.
‘Am I really going to be kicked out?’
Mumu scratched his head.
He wanted to stay at the academy a little longer.
At first, his goal had been to achieve fame like his older brother, Jin-hyeok, and search for his birth parents. Now, though, his reasons had changed.
The everyday life he shared with friends, something he had never experienced during his exile, was pure joy to him.
‘What a shame.’
If the academy told him to leave, it did not seem like there would be any way to remain.
‘...If that happens, should I ask Brother Jin-sung to take me to the Imperial Palace?’
He needed to go to the Imperial Palace anyway.
Seo Yong-chu, the Towering Giant and Grand Guardian of the Mighty Conqueror Council, knew of his mother. A successor of Heavenly Kill Valley at the Imperial Palace supposedly knew Seo Yong-chu’s location.
One way or another, Mumu was destined to leave this place.
He looked at Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa.
If he left the academy, he would have to part ways with them. That made him sad.
Mumu opened his mouth.
“Guys, if...”
-Whoosh!
Before he could finish speaking, someone appeared using a movement skill.
A girl with dark blue hair held a fan engraved with antique patterns. She wore clothes that left one leg fully exposed.
It was Gu Yang Seo-rin, the dorm head of Western Wind Residence and a second-year cadet.
“Found you.”
“Huh? Senior Gu Yang?”
Jin-hyeok stared at her in surprise.
Gu Yang Seo-rin smiled and approached Mumu.
“What are you doing hiding here?”
Mo Il-hwa stared at her in amazement.
“No, Senior. How did you find us?”
Gu Yang Seo-rin had not been among the crowd that wanted to enter the Muscle Training School.
Yet she had suddenly found them in their hiding place.
Gu Yang Seo-rin took out an unusually shaped device and showed it to them.
“What is that?”
“You could call it a Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent[1] tracker.”
“Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent? You mean the powder whose scent can trail for ten thousand li?”
“Oh? You’re smart. That’s right.”
“Don’t tell me you put that on Mumu?”
“That’s right.”
“Why would you do that?”
Mo Il-hwa looked dumbfounded.
She knew Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent was used to track dangerous enemies. Why would Gu Yang Seo-rin sprinkle it on Mumu?
“You could say I marked him as mine.”
“What?”
Gu Yang Seo-rin shrugged off Mo Il-hwa’s question. Then she walked over to Mumu, linked arms with him, and curled her red lips into a smile.
“Do you want to date your older sister?”
‘!?’
[1] Ten-Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent: A tracking powder named for its ability to follow a scent over “ten thousand li,” with one li measuring roughly 400 meters.
Footnotes:
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