WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 74: The Variable (3)
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Until moments ago, the situation had been unfavorable with only Jin-hyeok and Hae Ryang present, but the arrival of the Western Wind Residence girls changed everything.
'I'd heard the rumors, but wow.'
Hae Ryang let out an inward exclamation as he glanced to the side.
Jin-hyeok was highly skilled himself, but the three girls who had appeared later were on an entirely different level.
Gu Yang Seo-rin and Ma Yeon-hwa, in particular, had surpassed the level of ordinary academy cadets.
Ma Yeon-hwa's dazzling dual sword art created black and white trails as it pressured the masked figures, its momentum so fierce that...
-Clang!
"What?"
The masked figure's sword, which had been blocking her techniques, broke cleanly in two.
That was not all.
-Slash! Slash!
"Urgh!"
Without missing that brief opening, Ma Yeon-hwa slashed the masked figure's elbow and side.
Her command of the techniques itself was exceptional.
Still, there was something unsettling about every technique she used. Each one felt designed solely to kill her opponent.
-Swish!
"What? You bitch!"
"Who are you calling a bitch?"
Gu Yang Seo-rin's movements were unbelievably swift.
True to her reputation as the fastest cadet in the academy, she dodged the masked figure's saber techniques with rapid footwork, closed in right before them, and kicked their chin upward.
-Thud!
"Ugh!"
As the masked figure flew into the air from the blow to the chin, Gu Yang Seo-rin sent a lightning-fast roundhouse kick at their heart.
The masked figure was struck in the chest, flung backward, and rolled across the ground.
"Hmph. That was nothing."
"Damn it!"
The masked figures ground their teeth at Gu Yang Seo-rin's smug expression as she fanned herself.
-Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
-Clang, clang, clang, clang!
A masked figure frantically deflected Tang So-so's concealed needle weapons with a leaf-willow saber.
But needles were not her only weapon.
'An opening!'
-Whoosh!
Tang So-so threw concealed weapons with her left hand, then swung the whip at her waist, caught the masked figure's leg, and yanked hard.
-Smack!
"Argh!"
Once the masked figure lost their balance, she fired a barrage of concealed weapons directly at their face.
In panic, the masked figure had to cast aside all dignity and use Lazy Donkey Flowing Movement, rolling wildly across the ground to evade the needle weapons.
One needle still lodged itself in their left wrist.
"Urgh!"
As expected of the Tang Clan, the concealed weapon had been coated in poison. The area around the wound turned black, and the masked figure immediately cut off their arm above the wrist.
Hae Ryang clicked his tongue at the sight.
'Amazing. No wonder they're second-year and third-year seniors.'
They were far stronger than each of the masked figures.
If things went well, they might be able to subdue them all.
Yet Go Heon-beom, who was even stronger than the masked figures, still had not moved.
'Why isn't Go Heon-beom stepping in?'
If Go Heon-beom joined the fight, the situation could change.
But after issuing orders, Go Heon-beom simply watched the battle with hawk-like eyes instead of taking action.
'...Those two are the problem.'
Ma Yeon-hwa and Gu Yang Seo-rin were the ones Go Heon-beom found most troublesome.
They were handling the masked figures with room to spare.
No, even their breathing and every movement showed that they were holding something back.
'They aren't showing their full strength.'
They were not fighting at full power.
That meant the two had already surpassed the level of rising talents.
Gu Yang Seo-rin was the descendant of one of the Four Immortal Masters, so that was understandable. Ma Yeon-hwa, though, was quite unexpected.
'That girl... Every sword technique is domineering, and every sword movement targets only vital points that will kill someone in an instant.'
It had little to do with the methods taught at the academy.
Go Heon-beom was beginning to wonder about Ma Yeon-hwa's origins.
She was even more intriguing than Gu Yang Seo-rin.
-Swish!
Ma Yeon-hwa's eyes turned toward Go Heon-beom.
After defeating one masked figure, she had chosen Go Heon-beom as her target.
Ma Yeon-hwa also understood better than anyone that the strongest person here, the mastermind behind this incident, was Go Heon-beom, who had served as both instructor and dorm parent.
'Go Heon-beom is the most dangerous.'
Once Go Heon-beom fell, subduing the masked figures would not be difficult.
-Pow!
Ma Yeon-hwa kicked off the ground, twisted her body, and unleashed a sword technique at Go Heon-beom.
Black Dragon and White Phoenix moved as one, creating a domineering sword force as they rushed toward Go Heon-beom.
'Demon Linked Twin Fangs Sword Formula, fourth technique, Early Evil Twin Fangs!'
-Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Its momentum resembled a savage lion rushing to devour Go Heon-beom in a single bite.
Facing the flawless technique, Go Heon-beom's expression hardened as they leaped backward.
Then Go Heon-beom drew the sword at their waist.
-Shing!
'Evil Chastity Sword, Scheming Wave-Guiding Strike!'
A sword force like rolling waves rose from Go Heon-beom's sword.
It blocked the savage lion's fangs.
-Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Blue sparks scattered in every direction as their swords collided.
'Hah. Well, look at this.'
Go Heon-beom's eyes sharpened while blocking the technique.
The sword techniques were impressive, but Go Heon-beom had believed internal energy would give them the advantage. It was surprising that Ma Yeon-hwa's attack carried nearly equal force.
'This girl has skill comparable to an ordinary academy instructor.'
The academy instructors were martial artists too, so there were naturally differences in their skill.
If Go Heon-beom divided them into high, middle, and low ranks, Ma Yeon-hwa seemed nearly comparable to a low-rank instructor.
'She hasn't even reached manhood, yet she is already this strong. In a few years, I won't even be a match for her. But right now...'
-Clang!
Go Heon-beom knocked Ma Yeon-hwa's sword upward and searched for an opening in her technique.
As Go Heon-beom sent a sword strike at her shoulder, Ma Yeon-hwa twisted her body and kicked at Go Heon-beom's face at the same time.
'I knew it.'
Go Heon-beom's sword changed course, aiming to sever Ma Yeon-hwa's ankle.
At that instant, something flew in and struck the sword's tip, knocking it off course.
-Clang!
'A fan?'
It was Gu Yang Seo-rin's fan.
Looking toward where it had come from, Go Heon-beom saw Gu Yang Seo-rin pressing a masked figure's neck down with her knee, her lips twitching.
She had helped Ma Yeon-hwa even in the middle of that.
-Slash!
'What?'
Go Heon-beom hurriedly bent backward and used a Body-Lightening Technique to retreat.
Had Go Heon-beom been any slower, Ma Yeon-hwa's sword would have cut through their throat.
Go Heon-beom grimaced and touched their neck.
"What a shame, senior."
"It was."
Ma Yeon-hwa smacked her lips in disappointment, then used her sword tip to lift the ring of Gu Yang Seo-rin's fan from the ground and tossed it over.
-Smack!
Gu Yang Seo-rin caught it lightly.
Watching them, Go Heon-beom clicked their tongue and muttered, "I shouldn't have let my guard down just because you were children."
"Children? That isn't something a coward who committed arson just to kill a few children should be saying."
Ma Yeon-hwa said this as she pointed Black Dragon's tip at Go Heon-beom.
It was not wrong, so Go Heon-beom shrugged and gave a cold smile.
"Well, that is true. But it is time to end this little game."
"A game?"
-Swish!
At that moment, figures emerged from the brush to the west.
Their arrival was so sudden that no one had sensed them, but Tang So-so's face brightened at once.
"Ah!"
Fortunately, they were not masked figures.
The three newly arrived people were...
"Master O Jeong-dan?"
"Master So Bo-ryang? Master Bae Man-ok?"
They were three instructors who taught Changcheon Martial Academy's second-year and third-year cadets.
Everyone was about to relax at the sight of such dependable allies.
Then one of the middle-aged instructors called Master O Jeong-dan raised an eyebrow and said, "This has gone a little differently from the plan."
'The plan?'
Jin-hyeok frowned.
Something was wrong.
If ordinary instructors discovered suspicious masked figures fighting academy cadets, they should naturally have helped the cadets.
Yet the first thing these people mentioned was a plan.
Then Go Heon-beom spoke.
"There was a variable."
"These are the variable? Is that why the Fire Demon's smoke did not rise from all four places?"
"Yes."
Hae Ryang grimaced at their ominous conversation and muttered, "Damn... I don't think they're allies."
"This is bad."
-Crack!
"Argh!"
Gu Yang Seo-rin snapped a masked figure's neck beneath her knee and rose to her feet.
The situation had changed.
Go Heon-beom alone would have been one thing, but four experts at the level of academy instructors put them at a disadvantage.
They had not even dealt with all the masked figures yet.
Jin-hyeok looked at them with disappointment in his eyes.
"Are you masters part of this too?"
None of the three instructors answered, as though they had no interest in his question.
Instead, unbelievable words came from their mouths.
"We will change the plan."
"Instead of academy instructors who dealt with the arsonists, academy instructors who dealt with the culprits who killed cadets would not be a bad story either."
"I was thinking the same thing."
'!?'
Jin-hyeok's face hardened.
He had learned that they were allies of the arsonists, but they were calmly plotting to kill them and create a new scheme.
Who were these people, to commit something like this?
'I'm finished. Why did someone from the Hao clan have to go seeking glory?'
Hae Ryang's face went pale as he regretted his decision.
He had tried to help Jin-hyeok, only to end up losing his life.
Even if he wanted to run, there was no way to escape from experts on the level of academy instructors.
"Heh heh heh. Are you afraid?"
Perhaps Hae Ryang's fear showed, because Go Heon-beom sneered.
Hae Ryang spoke carefully.
"You would not spare us even if we begged, right?"
"The dead tell no tales."
'...Silencing us forever.'
They had learned the secret, so there was no reason to keep them alive.
-Shing! Shing!
The instructors drew their unique weapons.
A vicious killing intent poured from them.
Not only Hae Ryang, but everyone tensed at the prospect of their joining the battle.
Then someone's booming shout rang out.
"Jin-hyeok!"
Jin-hyeok's eyes widened.
It was Mumu's voice.
'Young master Mumu?'
'Mumu?'
Hae Ryang and Tang So-so recognized the voice at once and looked at each other.
It was only one person's shout, but the instructors seemed to think more intruders might be coming. They all charged toward the group at once.
At that brief moment, Mumu's words flashed through Jin-hyeok's mind.
【If anything happens, call me.】
'Damn it.'
Mumu had said that, but this was more than a crisis.
What if Jin-hyeok called Mumu and put Mumu in danger too?
As Jin-hyeok hesitated, Hae Ryang looked up toward the forest and shouted with all his strength.
"Young master Mumu!"
The masked figures and the instructors behind them looked dumbfounded.
'Hah!'
Rather than shouting for help so other academy instructors might hear, why was Hae Ryang suddenly calling for young master Mumu?
'Idiot! Why drag Mumu into this too?'
Jin-hyeok was flustered.
But Hae Ryang's shout was more than enough to provoke their enemies.
-Pow!
So Bo-ryang, one of the instructors, charged at Hae Ryang.
They intended to kill him in one strike.
At that moment...
-Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Crash!
Someone tore through the brush from above and landed in the center of the group.
They had only landed, yet the ground split and caved in beneath them. Everyone's gaze turned there.
"Young master Mumu!"
Hae Ryang shouted, his face brightening.
So Bo-ryang, who had been about to kill Hae Ryang, furrowed their brow.
'This is Mumu?'
Was there any academy instructor who did not know Mumu's name?
The strange freak who had passed the entrance examination through pure physical strength alone.
But Mumu looked completely different from what they had heard.
-Whoosh!
Mumu's massive, red-hot muscles gave off steam, and there was something deeply ominous about his appearance.
Mumu's oppressive presence was enough to raise their guard.
'...This one is dangerous.'
'We need to deal with him first.'
-Pow! Pow!
So Bo-ryang and Bae Man-ok shot toward Mumu at the same time.
'So fast!'
They were incredibly quick.
Two Master-level experts closed the distance in an instant and attacked from both sides.
Their sword and saber aimed for Mumu's neck and waist.
"Watch out!"
Tang So-so cried out in alarm.
Then...
-Clang! Crack!
"What?"
"How?"
The expressions of the two people swinging their sword and saber at Mumu froze.
Their weapons had failed to pierce Mumu's immense muscles and instead snapped cleanly in half.
For a moment, the attackers and everyone watching stood stunned.
Mumu tilted his head and said, "What are you doing?"
Footnotes:
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