WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

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Chapter 27: Attention (3)

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Attention (3)

"Kid. How about this old man takes you on as a disciple?"

Dan Pil-hu, Vice-Master of Changcheon Martial Academy, had taken a liking to Mumu. Building a body like that without ever training in martial arts was something truly remarkable. Even if he was past the age most considered ideal for cultivating internal energy or other martial arts, a body trained to that degree left plenty of room to overcome that disadvantage and grow fast.

If it's this Dan Pil-hu teaching him, the story changes completely.

He had the wealth and the connections. With those behind him, he was confident he could make up for every gap in the boy's foundation.

If I do this, this child could become my turning point.

Dan Pil-hu was the Vice-Master here at Changcheon Martial Academy. But that title had only ever come from his career being recognized, nothing more. Unlike the Six Stars of Heaven, who held the rank of Special Master Grade instructor on the strength of their martial arts being acknowledged, he had been invited to Changcheon Martial Academy for having served as head auditor of the Martial Alliance. His task had been to lay the groundwork for the newly established organization's rules and internal structure. And in truth, he had contributed a great deal toward that. But that was as far as it went.

[Why is that? I was the one who laid the foundation of this place. So why is the position of Academy Director going to someone else instead of me?]

He had wanted so badly to become Academy Director. He had built the groundwork meant to turn this place into not just the finest martial academy, but the finest force-of-justice organization there was. And yet the seat that came back to him was Vice-Master. The reason was simple. It came down to the results achieved during the academy's first year, when the institutional framework hadn't even been properly settled yet. The current Academy Director, Heavy Sword Great Hero Do Jeong-myeong, had produced outstanding talents during that time, the Emerald Orchid Sword Hero Oh Yoon and the Little Sword Sage Geum Seo-il, both hailed as the finest rising talents of their generation.

[With your outstanding administrative skill, assist the Academy Director well.]

That was what Southern Blade Imperial Uncle, one of the founders, had told him, and it was then he realized his eye for talent, his fitness to be a teacher, had never been recognized in the slightest. As the years passed, that only festered deeper into resentment. He too was a martial artist, and he was confident that if he'd become Academy Director, he could have made Changcheon Martial Academy's reputation even more unshakable.

This kid could do it.

Never having trained in martial arts, yet possessing the finest bone structure he'd ever seen. Conditions like this were rare. Ordinarily, only those cadets past the midpoint of their second year with top results earned the right to choose a dedicated master, but if he didn't stake his claim now, some other master might snatch the boy up first. That was exactly why he was making such an unconventional offer. Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu smiled and said,

"Kid. Chances like this don't come easy."

At those words Mumu tilted his head. This made four times now. Four times someone had asked him to become their disciple.

Why do people keep doing this?

Jang Po-kwae, and now Jin-hyeok's two masters, all of them wanted him as a disciple. He couldn't understand why any of them cared so much. And it wasn't even a casual "want to learn?" to someone they had no interest in, it was being offered like some grand favor, like taking him on was doing him a kindness. Reading the unimpressed look on Mumu's face, Dan Pil-hu spoke up.

"Ah, ah, ah. I never properly introduced myself. This old man is Dan Pil-hu, the Vice-Master responsible for running this Changcheon Martial Academy." "Vice-Master?" "That's right. Vice-Master." "Oh! Sorry for the late greeting. Hello!"

Now that he knew who this was, Mumu bowed his head in greeting.

Yes. There it is.

Something had felt off, and now he knew what. Of course someone had to know who he was before they could show any real interest. Being offered discipleship by a man as important as the Vice-Master, he ought to take it as a great honor...

This kid?

Something was strange. After the polite bow, Mumu's gaze wasn't on him at all, it went straight back to Kang Seo-ryong, lying collapsed on the ground. As if his business here wasn't finished yet. What kind of reaction was that, so brief and dismissive?

Don't tell me this kid doesn't even know who I am.

Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu's brow furrowed. He might not have been on the level of Academy Director Heavy Sword Great Hero Do Jeong-myeong or the Six Stars of Heaven or a handful of other famous masters, but he too had once carried a fair reputation in the martial world. The name Flashing Blade Shadow Guest Dan Pil-hu should have been known to everyone. With that, Dan Pil-hu asked him plainly.

"Kid. Do you happen to not know me?" "Huh? Didn't you say you're the Vice-Master?" "Have you never heard the title Flashing Blade Shadow Guest?" "Nope." "......"

Mumu's expression made it plain he really had no idea.

Well then.

Even so, shouldn't a cadet enrolled at Changcheon Martial Academy at least know who the Vice-Master was? This kid wasn't only lacking in martial arts, it seemed he genuinely knew nothing about the martial world at all. It was hard to even say his pride had been wounded, the whole thing was too strange for that. He had met countless examinees and cadets over the years, but never one quite like this. That was when Mumu spoke to him.

"Forget being your disciple, just give that guy to me instead."

Look at this kid.

One of Dan Pil-hu's eyebrows lifted slightly. Even now, in the middle of all this, the boy's attention was fixed entirely on Kang Seo-ryong. Dan Pil-hu gave a faint smile and said,

"And what would you do if I gave him to you?" "He tried to kill Jin-hyeok, who's my family. I should do the same back to him."

Quite the honest answer. In a situation like this, most would be careful of the Vice-Master's reaction. Yet here he was, standing before a senior figure of the academy, openly declaring he meant to take revenge.

An interesting kid, this one.

If anyone else had said such a thing, he would have scolded them on the spot. Told them they showed the makings of the deviant paths. But strangely, even with those words coming out of Mumu, there was no trace of malice in him at all. His voice, his eyes, nothing but pure innocence. Kids who grew up in the martial world were usually cunning as foxes by this age, and this boy was nothing like that. Dan Pil-hu spoke to Mumu as if troubled.

"So you mean to kill him? That's a problem." "Why? He did something wrong." "Even so, this is a martial academy of the force of justice, one that values chivalry above all. No matter how wrong someone's been, you can't just go killing people at will. If you did that, you'd become no different from him." "What if he had tried to kill your family, Vice-Master?" "......"

At that question, Dan Pil-hu found himself, for a moment, at a loss for words. This kid had a way of catching people off guard and putting them in an awkward spot. Staring at Mumu for a long moment, Dan Pil-hu finally spoke.

"......Interesting. Very interesting. Fine. I'll be honest with you. If this Vice-Master were in your shoes, I'd probably make him pay the price quietly, where no one would ever find out."

That was not an answer a Vice-Master of Changcheon Martial Academy should ever give. But this kid was different from the others. So he figured it was better to make him face reality some other way.

"Where no one would find out?" "If you've got even a little sense, you'll understand that causing trouble here won't do you any good going forward in your time at the academy." "......" "But if you go around making a show of taking revenge the way you're talking now, it'll blow up into something bigger. Even if you weren't the one in the wrong." "So you're saying make him pay where no one finds out?"

At Mumu's words, Dan Pil-hu gave a thin, knowing smile.

"That's worldly wisdom. If nobody knows, who's going to make it a problem?"

At his words, Mumu fell silent. He really did seem like a fairly simple, honest kid. Having spoken words so far from chivalry without a second thought, Mumu probably thought Dan Pil-hu looked pretty extraordinary right about now. But if he was going to take on a disciple, better cunning than naive. No matter how talented someone was, if they couldn't handle the consequences of their own actions, they were worthless in the end. Dan Pil-hu softened his expression and said,

"Ha ha ha ha. Guess I said something rather heavy there. Forget what I just said. It's best to follow the rules as much as you can while you're here."

Tak!

Dan Pil-hu pointed his toe at Kang Seo-ryong, still collapsed on the ground.

"This Vice-Master personally witnessed this boy causing trouble before the enrollment ceremony has even taken place, so he'll pay dearly for it. Expulsion, most likely." "Expulsion?" "That's right. If that happens, you won't have to worry about any comeback for a good while. Will that satisfy you?"

At those words, Mumu made a sullen face for a moment before nodding. Just as this man said, he couldn't force payment out of Jin-hyeok's tormentor in a way that would cause trouble for finishing the academy.

"Good boy. Now, shall we go back to what we were talking about before?" "Which part?" "Become this Vice-Master's disciple." "Disciple?" "A privilege like this isn't handed out to just anyone. If you become this Vice-Master's disciple, I'll make certain you finish among the top three." "Top three?" "That's right. You know what that means, don't you?"

At Changcheon Martial Academy, finishing as Top Graduate, Second-Ranked, or Third Graduate came with enormous honor and wealth. It could even lead to an official post in the imperial court. That was why everyone wanted one of those seats.

Well? Doesn't that get your attention?

Anyone offered a condition like that couldn't help but be tempted. Even a kid as untouched and pure as this one. That was when Mumu opened his mouth.

"Top three...... if I become your disciple, mister... I mean, Vice-Master, I could finish in the top three?"

Got him. There it is.

Of course. He had figured this offer alone would be impossible to turn down. Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu smiled with satisfaction and said,

"I told you, chances like this don't come easy. Normally, unless you post top results by the middle of your second year in the main building, you can't choose a dedicated master at all. But this Vice-Master is making this offer because he thinks so highly of your talent."

In other words, he should count it an honor. At his words, Mumu tilted his head and said,

"Wouldn't that go against the rules, though?" "Ha ha ha, I'm taking that into account and still choosing to accept you. This Vice-Master will bear all responsibility, so don't worry about a thing and just..." "Nah, if that's the case, I'm good." "Right, I'll... wait, what?"

Dan Pil-hu, who had been about to bask in his own generosity, scowled at Mumu's words. He'd worked so hard to reel him in, and now he was fine without it?

"My father told me not to cause trouble for other people. I don't think I should make you responsible for something because of me, Vice-Master."

Mumu always kept Yu Yeop-kyung's teachings firmly in mind. At this, Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu was so dumbfounded a cough burst out of him.

"Hack, hack. Didn't I tell you that's not something you need to worry about? All you need to do is receive this Vice-Master's teaching, and..." "That's part of it, but there's another reason too." "Another reason?" "I already belong to a school." "What?"

He'd never heard anything like that before. A kid who hadn't even properly trained in martial arts, and he claimed to belong to some school? And it wasn't as if the examiners would have said something so careless without cause.

"I heard you trained entirely on your own. What school could you possibly belong to?"

At that question, Mumu smiled brightly and answered,

"The Muscle Training School." "......"

Dan Pil-hu nearly snorted out loud. Of all the things to think of, the Muscle Training School. Refusing to become his disciple was baffling enough, but making up an excuse like that on top of it was downright insolent.

Hah.

Dan Pil-hu couldn't decide whether to play along with this or scold the boy properly. If this kid were the cunning, scheming type, he would have been furious, demanding why he'd spout such nonsense when being offered a chance this good. But talking with him, the boy really was hopelessly naive.

......Better to coax him along, then.

Finding a blank canvas with conditions this good inside Changcheon Martial Academy wasn't easy. Dan Pil-hu softened his expression as much as he could and said,

"The Muscle Training School...... never heard of that one before. Then can you tell me who you studied under?" "The Muscle Training School has no master. I'm my own master, and my own disciple." "......"

So in the end, he'd simply trained himself, that was all this amounted to. At Mumu's answer, Dan Pil-hu's patience was gradually running out. There was such a thing as being pure to a fault, and this had gone past that point. But with the summit so close in sight, he decided to hold on just a little longer.

"Kid. Reaching this level through muscle training alone, as one martial artist to another, that's remarkable, admirable even. But there's a limit to what that alone can do." "A limit?" "Why do you think martial artists cultivate internal energy and learn ways to subdue or kill an opponent effectively? All of it is to become stronger." "But muscle training too..." "Enough joking around now. Simply training the body alone brings no real realization."

Swish!

Dan Pil-hu stretched out his hand and swept it toward a small tree. A sharp ki weapon cut through the air, and the tree was sliced clean through.

Chwak!

The tree tilted and toppled over, and Mumu looked on in amazement.

"How did you do that?"

At the question, Dan Pil-hu shrugged and said,

"This is what's called a ki sword. When you cultivate internal energy and deepen your realization of the blade, you can give that sharp edge physical form like this." "That's amazing." "Amazing, is it? Nothing so surprising about it. If you become this Vice-Master's disciple, you could learn to do this yourself, easily. But with muscle training, it's not even worth considering."

This was all meant to prove that martial arts weren't studied for nothing. He'd explained this much and demonstrated it directly, and if the boy still insisted on muscle training or whatever nonsense after all that, he could only conclude the boy wasn't simply naive or pure, just plain foolish. Dan Pil-hu stepped closer to Mumu and rested a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"If you receive this Vice-Master's teaching, you could reach this level too, without question. No, I'll make sure you grow even stronger than this Vice-Master himself."

By now, surely his sincerity had gotten through. But Mumu tilted his head slightly, an expression of confusion on his face, and said,

"Um...... there's something I'm curious about." "Ask away." "I hope you won't be offended." "What could a single question possibly offend me over? Ask whatever you like." "Really?" "Yes. Anything at all." "Good, then. I was wondering why you keep asking me to be your disciple when your muscles look kind of weak and frail, Vice-Master." "......What?"

For a moment Dan Pil-hu doubted his own ears. He'd wondered what the boy might ask, and now he was being told he looked weak? This went beyond dumbfounding, straight into outrage. Enough was enough, this wasn't just naive, this was a boy with absolutely no sense of the martial world, plain and simple.

"Hah......"

Dan Pil-hu closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead. There was no point talking any further. A kid like this needed to learn through the bod...

Kuh-drrrk!

Hm?

At the strange sound, Dan Pil-hu opened his eyes. And a bizarre sight unfolded right in front of him. The muscles in both of Mumu's arms swelled first, then his clothes tore as his upper body ballooned in size.

!?

The swollen muscles writhed and surged like something alive and breathing. Faced with muscle development so absurd it defied belief, Dan Pil-hu was left speechless. It made even the body of Ju Gang-in, one of the Six Stars of Heaven said to have reached the extreme peak of external energy at Changcheon Martial Academy, seem frail by comparison.

How could a body suddenly change like this......

He had never in his life seen muscles like these. The sheer overwhelming mass of them was enough to steal the breath from anyone just looking at it. Just then Mumu suddenly drew his right arm back. As he clenched his fist tight, his forearm twisted violently and his bicep swelled up like a solid mountain.

"W-what is this kid about to do?"

Feeling the danger, Dan Pil-hu backed away to put distance between them and hastily drew up his force of ki. Then, right in front of Mumu, he unleashed an Ultimate Technique carrying a ki sword.

Flashing Blade Style, Fourth Form, Sevenfold Flash!

But,

Chwa chwa chwa chwa chwak!

The instant the repeated bursts of ki sword touched Mumu's chest, they scattered into wisps like heat haze, dissolving with a hiss. Dan Pil-hu's eyes went wide at the sight, unable to believe it. It wasn't even internal energy shielding the body, so how could pure muscle cancel out a ki sword like that?

"What in the world is..."

His words weren't even finished yet. Mumu drove his fist straight at Dan Pil-hu's face.

"Gah!"

Fwoooooooosh!

A pressure wave like a storm tearing loose slammed through the air in front of him, flipping his eyelids and lips inside out. Something like a thunderous roar struck his eardrums from behind.

"......"

A cold bead of sweat rolled down Dan Pil-hu's forehead. Mumu's fist hung there, right beside his head, close enough to touch. Never in his life had he been gripped by the sheer terror that a blow grazing past him could have taken his whole face clean off. He swallowed hard, and behind him he heard a splintering crack.

Boom!

At that, Dan Pil-hu slowly turned his head.

!!!!!

There, the underbrush and the earth itself had been overturned, and a swath of trees spanning some ten-odd jang, laid out in a fan shape, lay snapped clean through.

......No way.

This wasn't the result of deep internal energy channeled through a fist. Had the mere pressure of a punch done all this? Every scrap of common sense he'd carried until now shattered in that instant. To him, standing there speechless, Mumu gave a bright, innocent smile that clashed completely with those monstrous muscles and said,

"You should train your muscles, Vice-Master. You can do it too."

......This?

End of Chapter 9: Attention (3) © Hanjungwolya #156l5

차석 (Second-Ranked) refers to the same ranking concept used consistently across chapters, matching the glossary-locked term; used here alongside Top Graduate and Third Graduate in the ranking triad "top three" (삼석).

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