WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 45: Kidnapping (1)
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Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong.
He was one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice, and his martial prowess was already widely renowned.
The Four Immortal Masters stood at the peak of the present martial world.
Apart from them, the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice were naturally considered the strongest martial artists alive.
Even among the Ten Great Masters, Agong was always counted among the top five. Yet he simply could not believe what he was seeing.
‘...How could this happen?’
A head wearing a fierce demon mask lay on the ground.
Agong had personally fought its owner.
Their strength had been evenly matched.
The masked figure possessed enough martial prowess to replace one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
Agong had even marveled that the Imperial Palace had raised such a supreme master.
And yet...
‘A slap...’
A single slap had spun the head of a master with such tremendous martial prowess around like a top, twisting his neck and killing him instantly.
It was a sight too absurd to believe, even as he watched it.
He had been so dumbfounded that his mouth had fallen open without him realizing it.
‘...A monster.’
Even the term “supreme master” was not enough to describe this being.
If this person could kill the wearer of the fierce demon mask with one slap, then Agong himself would be no more of a challenge.
Cold sweat ran down Agong's forehead.
He swallowed hard and parted his lips.
“W-who exactly are you, sir?”
Agong had thought that only the Four Immortal Masters, the beings at the peak of the martial world, could be monsters of this caliber.
No, there was one more.
But that person was so unbelievable that it was difficult to believe the feat ascribed to him.
Could a mere cadet really have defeated two of the Four Immortal Masters?
If that was true, then perhaps this person was one of the Four Immortal...
“Waaaaaah!”
Cheers erupted from every direction.
King Jin's private soldiers and the wandering martial artists had deployed a circular formation and were fighting desperately.
“The enemy leader is dead!”
“Drive out the rest of them too!”
Their morale soared at the sight of the allied fearsome middle-aged master effortlessly disposing of the supreme master who appeared to lead the enemy.
The Gale Force Unit of the Flying Horse Brigade, on the other hand, lost all spirit after the deaths of their Squad leader and Deputy Chief Brigade Leader.
“W-what is that monster?”
“He killed the Deputy Chief Brigade Leader with one slap?”
“This is impossible. How are we supposed to continue the mission with just us?”
“How are we meant to kill King Jin against a monster even the Deputy Chief Brigade Leader couldn't handle?”
“We need to retreat.”
Calls to retreat rose from all around.
Then it actually happened.
The most senior member of the Gale Force Unit gave the signal.
“Pheeeeeee!”
At the sound of the horn ringing across the battlefield, the masked members of the Flying Horse Brigade's Gale Force Unit, who had been panicking after losing their leader, stopped fighting at once.
There were around three hundred masked figures.
More precisely, excluding those who had died in battle, there were 247.
Their training had taught them how to respond in countless situations.
In this situation, they had only one choice.
Scatter.
“Papapapapap!”
The large group used movement skill to flee in every direction.
‘I shouldn't let them escape.’
Mumu believed it was always better to leave no future trouble behind, so he was about to pursue them.
Then someone called out to him.
“Master Yu!”
It was King Jin, Hong Myeong-in, Hong Na-yeon's father.
Still visibly excited and unable to believe what had happened, Hong Myeong-in approached Mumu and offered a Fist-and-palm salute.
“Master Yu, I don't know how I could ever repay this favor. This Hong sincerely thanks you.”
Mumu clasped his hands and bowed his head.
He was about to go after the fleeing enemies again when King Jin stopped him.
“If you are planning to catch those fleeing people, there is no need.”
“...”
“If you are concerned about whoever is behind this, it is already obvious who sent them. They may have targeted my daughter and me, but they were only following orders from above. Please show them mercy.”
Mumu looked at King Jin in confusion.
It was strange to ask for mercy for people who had tried to kill King Jin.
Even Yu Yeop-kyung, who valued the way of a gentleman, had said that enemies who sought one's life had to be dealt with decisively.
Yet King Jin wanted to spare them.
It was unexpected.
Unlike the officials and royals Mumu had heard about before, King Jin seemed capable of showing leniency.
Still, this was not unconditional mercy.
“That's right, Master Yu. As Father said, if we spare them, it may actually benefit us in the long run.”
Hong Na-yeon approached and spoke.
When Mumu tilted his head, she explained.
“Even if we kill them, those behind them will know that we responded. It would be better to let them go. Mercy is one reason, but they will also learn that an untouchable supreme master is on our side.”
King Jin smiled warmly at Hong Na-yeon.
His daughter had understood his intention perfectly, and he was proud of her.
King Jin placed practical gain above pointless bloodshed, so he judged this to be the better choice.
Besides...
‘They won't dare act rashly.’
This was projecting strength where there was none.
In military strategy, it meant raising one's momentum as though one possessed something one did not.
The fact that even the assassins they had sent were allowed to leave after only their leader and a few others had died would raise countless questions among their enemies.
They would wonder if King Jin was hiding another trump card.
“Hmm.”
Mumu nodded to show that he understood.
Of course, he only did so because he could not speak, but the fierce-looking Skin Mask made his manner seem arrogant to those watching.
‘...Even though King Jin is a feudal king who rules an entire fiefdom, this fellow acts so arrogantly toward him.’
Agong was inwardly astonished.
He did not show it, though. There was nothing to gain from provoking a monster like Mumu.
What interested him more was Mumu's identity.
So he approached and spoke.
“Ahem. I must offer you my thanks, sir. My fellow martial artists call me the Double-Saber Wanderer King.”
“Double-Saber Wanderer King? Are you Great Hero Agong?”
Hong Na-yeon was the one startled by that.
As a cadet of Changcheon Martial Academy, she knew the names of most famous martial artists.
At her reaction, Agong scratched the bridge of his nose and grinned.
“Haha, this is an honor. To think Your Highness knows a mere wandering martial artist such as myself.”
“He is a man with whom I share a close friendship. Treat him with respect.”
“Yes, Father.”
Agong was quietly pleased by their attitude and looked toward Mumu.
There was no change in Mumu's expression.
Normally, his innocent face made others think he harbored no ill will. But the face he wore now, covered by a Skin Mask, looked fierce and arrogant.
“Ahem.”
Agong had introduced himself first, yet Mumu stood there without expression. Feeling awkward, he cleared his throat for no reason.
Hong Na-yeon knew why Mumu was acting that way, and she felt strangely apologetic on his behalf.
She hurriedly changed the subject.
“Master Yu, shouldn't we tell the Censorate escort group where we are?”
Mumu nodded.
He had rushed here without saying a word after hearing that King Jin had been attacked.
He mouthed, ‘I'll be right back. Please wait here.’
Then...
“Boom! Fwoooooosh!”
He shot into the sky.
Everyone's eyes widened, including Agong's.
They had already wondered where he had appeared from and how. Now, seeing him leap into the air and kick off empty space, they could not hide their amazement.
‘Soaring Through the Void... He truly stands on an entirely different level.’
Agong marveled as he watched Mumu shrink into a dot and vanish.
Mumu no longer seemed human to him.
In a low voice, he asked Hong Na-yeon, “Your Highness, is Master Yu truly an instructor at the academy?”
King Jin seemed to agree.
“I can't believe that someone like him is only an ordinary instructor.”
He was simply too monstrous.
At that level, even the Six Stars of Heaven or Do Jeong-myeong, the Academy Director and one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice, might not be able to face him.
Agong cautiously voiced his suspicion.
“Could he perhaps... be one of the Four Immortal Masters?”
A monster of that caliber might be one of the Four Immortal Masters hiding their identity to help them.
King Jin looked startled.
“One of the Four Immortal Masters? You mean those people called the peak of the martial world, like Imperial Uncle?”
“That is right, Your Highness. That is what I believe. Is it not, Your Highness?”
King Jin and Agong both turned toward Hong Na-yeon.
She fell into thought.
She had intended to keep Mumu's identity hidden to prevent matters from growing larger, but she had not expected anyone to mistake him for one of the Four Immortal Masters.
In the end, Hong Na-yeon decided to tell them the truth.
“I wanted to keep quiet so things wouldn't grow complicated, but just in case, only Father and Great Hero Agong may know. You must keep this absolutely secret.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
“I will.”
After hearing their promise, she revealed Mumu's identity.
“He is wearing a Skin Mask, but he is not actually an academy instructor.”
“Then, Your Highness, he must be...”
“No. He isn't one of the Four Immortal Masters either.”
“What?”
Agong furrowed his brow.
Not an academy instructor, and not one of the Four Immortal Masters? Then where could such a monster possibly be...
“He is a new cadet at our academy.”
“A cadet?”
King Jin looked utterly unable to understand.
Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong's eyes trembled.
“Could it be... Master Yu is the monst... who defeated Eastern River Sword Sage and Western Wind Lone Angle, two of the Four Immortal Masters...”
"That's right. He is Mumu, Peerless Herculean Strength."
‘!!!!!!!’
* * *
“Boom!”
Mumu crashed down onto the ground.
Even before he descended, he had sensed that something was wrong. His gaze wavered.
The scene before him was carnage.
The bodies of Censorate officials lay scattered everywhere.
What had happened while he was away helping King Jin?
Mumu walked toward the dead.
Only a short while ago, they had been celebrating their safe arrival at the imperial capital.
They had chattered about how it was all thanks to him.
Their images flashed vividly through his mind.
‘Uncles...’
None of them were alive.
Mumu barely restrained his anger and looked around.
The deaths of the Censorate officials pained him, but the person he was looking for was his older brother, Yu Jin-sung.
His gaze sharpened.
‘He's not here.’
Among the bodies, Yu Jin-sung was the only one missing.
No, there was one other person missing.
‘Kang Mu-i.’
Veins bulged across Mumu's clenched fist.
* * *
“Clatter, clatter!”
A group of around ten people rode toward the imperial capital.
Every one of them wore a bamboo hat and a yellow mask, making them look deeply suspicious.
Two of their horses carried an extra person each, their captives slung facedown behind the saddles like baggage.
One of them was Yu Jin-sung.
Apparently injured, he was covered in blood and unconscious.
The person on the horse ahead was uninjured, but black iron restraints bound his wrists and ankles.
It was Kang Mu-i.
“Hehehe.”
The yellow-masked figure riding with Kang Mu-i smiled with his eyes.
His name was Yeong-jeon.
He was the heir to the Moak Estate, one of the factions within the House of the Eight Villains.
His original target had been only Inspector Censor Yu Jin-sung, but during the abduction, he had discovered Kang Mu-i, another future Master.
“You are quite fortunate, young master, to have been found by me like this.”
“Hoo...”
Kang Mu-i let out a sigh.
Yeong-jeon snickered.
"Don't worry. Would that person really kill you when the two of you are practically siblings?"
Kang Mu-i scoffed.
Then he spoke.
“Do you have any idea what you people have done?”
“You've got some nerve puffing yourself up for someone who's been caught this whole time.”
"Then again, you don't understand what I'm saying anyway."
“You seem quite nervous about that person, but don't overdo it. Otherwise, I will strike your blood pressure points and chi...”
“Do you think I am acting like this because of that guy?”
“What?”
Yeong-jeon frowned.
Kang Mu-i spoke to him seriously.
"Since you belong to one of the factions within the House of the Eight Villains, I will warn you out of mercy. If you want to live, release that Inspector Censor bastard and me right now, then run with every last ounce of strength."
‘!?’
Footnotes:
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