WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 80: Controlling Strength (1)
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-Whiiiir!
The sound of the Ki-Restraining Bracelets turning rang clearly in Sa Mu-heo's ears.
His eyes immediately sharpened.
'An artifact!'
Master Yang Baek-jeon of the Discipline Bureau had defended Mumu, claiming the Ki-Restraining Bracelets were no more than training tools, like sandbags.
Sa Mu-heo had never believed that for a moment.
He knew Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu had intervened during the matter.
Unlike Sa Mu-heo, whose vigilance rose in an instant, the bodyguard warriors were enraged when they heard Mumu say he would find out through strength.
'What? By beating us up?'
'This little brat dares say that to us?'
The warriors on either side moved quickly.
The warrior on Mumu's right tried to twist Mumu's right arm behind his back with a grappling hold, while the one on his left seized Mumu's left arm and kicked at his calf to force him to his knees.
-Smack!
The moment both of them grabbed Mumu's arms at once...
-Click!
The adjustment screws on both Ki-Restraining Bracelets turned to four.
-Creak! Crack!
'What?'
'His arms...'
Starting with his deltoids, Mumu's biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles all swelled at once. The muscles across his upper body rapidly expanded.
The sudden change caught them off guard, but they still tried to force Mumu's arms behind his back with their grappling holds.
Yet...
'This bastard's arms...'
'They won't move at all.'
It was like clinging to an old tree and trying to bend it.
They were putting every ounce of strength they had into it, yet Mumu did not budge.
"Move aside."
Mumu shook them off.
It looked like nothing more than a light shake of his arms.
-Thwack!
"Urgh!"
The two bodyguard warriors were flung away and staggered backward.
They were shocked by Mumu's strength, but their pride was hurt even more by being shoved aside by a mere academy cadet. Their faces flushed red.
"That's enough playing around, brat!"
-Shing! Shing!
Both drew their swords from their waists at once.
As if taking that as a signal, the other warriors in the courtyard drew their weapons as well.
Watching from afar, Secret Agent No. 2 had no idea what to do.
'What on earth did he say to make them act like that?'
They had asked Mumu to lure Sa Mu-heo out, but the mood had suddenly turned strange.
The atmosphere had felt cold from the moment Sa Mu-heo threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Why did Mumu provoke him?
Secret Agent No. 2 had seen Mumu's monstrous strength firsthand, but his opponent was a supreme master who had even killed old Hang Yeon, once called one of the Ten Great Masters of the force of justice.
Sa Mu-heo was on an entirely different level from the academy cadets Mumu had faced so far.
'What should I do?'
Just as Secret Agent No. 2 wondered whether this situation could be used somehow, the bodyguard warriors in the courtyard rushed Mumu all at once.
Every one of them was Advanced.
Then...
-Clang! Clang!
"What?"
The eyes of the first two bodyguard warriors to unleash sword techniques at Mumu widened.
Their swords were reinforced with Force of ki, but the moment they struck Mumu's muscles, the blades broke as if they had hit solid rock.
"What kind of body does this brat have..."
"Don't be so surprised by something like that."
"What?"
"Your forehead is wide."
-Flick!
"Agh!"
-Whirl! Thud!
Mumu flicked a bodyguard warrior in the forehead.
The warrior spun around three times on the spot, then collapsed unconscious with foam spilling from their mouth.
The other bodyguard warriors could only stare in disbelief.
'That was... a forehead flick?'
'What is this?'
Mumu had clearly flicked a finger lightly.
Yet the warrior had been sent flying as if Mumu had used some Ultimate Technique.
Mumu looked at the thumb and middle finger he had just flicked apart, then nodded.
'This should be enough.'
Unlike the masked figures from last night, these people were only suspects. There was no evidence or confession yet.
He could not kill them.
If that had been his intention, he would not have bothered controlling his strength.
"W-What are you doing? Subdue him, even if you have to cut off his limbs!"
-Swish!
At one warrior's shout, the others, who had hesitated in shock, charged Mumu together.
They were used to fighting as a group. Their paths did not overlap as they attacked him from different directions.
Mumu drew both hands to his waist.
He looked like someone gathering strength for a feat.
"You bastard!"
"You're facing all of us!"
"You think you can endure this?"
"Hah!"
-Clang! Crash! Snap! Clang!
Four bodyguard warriors attacked Mumu's vital points in coordination.
Not one of their attacks pierced his muscles.
Instead, every weapon shattered the moment it touched him.
'!?'
It was absurd.
Did he truly possess an indestructible golden body?
At that moment, Mumu, who had endured their attacks with his muscles, drew in a breath and let it out like an arrow being released.
'A string of flicks.'
In a flash, he flicked the bodyguard warriors who had been startled by their broken weapons.
-Flick!
"Ugh!"
One bodyguard warrior took a hit to the forehead, spun through the air like the last one, and crashed to the ground.
Another took the flick to the chin. Their brain must have been rattled, because their eyes rolled back before they passed out.
One warrior hurriedly blocked Mumu's flick with an arm.
-Crack!
"Aaargh!"
Their arm broke from the blow, sending them flying backward.
The last warrior threw themself back wildly to avoid the flick.
"Then a kick."
-Thud!
"Ugh!"
Mumu's kick struck their neck, driving their head straight into the ground.
Mumu carefully folded his leg and set his foot back down.
'It didn't burst.'
Controlling his strength enough to avoid crushing their neck or blowing off their head had taken some effort.
Of course, blood was still flowing from the warrior's cracked head.
'W-What the hell is this brat?'
'Is this some kind of joke?'
They wanted to believe it was a joke.
Experienced Advanced masters had all been taken down by Mumu's playful flicks.
It was so absurd that they could not believe it even while seeing it with their own eyes.
Still, they understood one thing for certain.
'...We can't beat him.'
They fully realized they were no match for Mumu.
Sa Mu-heo, who had been watching, made a dismissive gesture at the bodyguard warriors.
He was telling them not to interfere.
The remaining bodyguard warriors dragged away the fallen ones and retreated.
Sa Mu-heo's gaze at Mumu was completely different from before.
'Whether it is the artifact's power or not, it was no coincidence that he has kept getting in our way.'
It seemed a firm decision had to be made now.
This boy was a variable in the grand plan.
No, if left alone, he would become a serious obstacle.
[He seemed like an interesting one. It would not be bad to bring him under my command.]
Kang Mu-i.
That person who would become their master had taken an interest in the boy.
Otherwise, Mumu should be dealt with for certain, but there was no harm in giving him a chance.
The boy had nothing to do with the blood debt from seventeen years ago.
He had been troublesome, but was he not the adopted son of a former government official?
His family background alone made him worth winning over.
Sa Mu-heo opened his mouth.
"Yu Mumu."
"Yes. Have you decided to tell me the truth now?"
"The truth... yes. Is that truth what you wish to know?"
"Yes. I only want to use my strength when I'm training my muscles too."
"..."
What a ridiculous joke.
Was it confidence, or was this simply his nature?
Sa Mu-heo gave a quiet snort and spoke.
"You are an amusing one. But this truth you wish to know, I do not know it at all. I have no idea what you are talking about."
"So you are denying it after all."
With his hands behind his back, Sa Mu-heo stepped down from the wooden veranda and continued.
"Still, if you can make me one promise, I may be able to tell you what you wish to hear."
"One promise?"
"Yes. It is not a bad condition for you either."
"...Hmm. If I make this promise, you will tell me the truth?"
"Yes."
Life energy gathered at the index finger of Sa Mu-heo's right hand behind his back.
Whether he fired his Finger-Flicking Art or not depended on Mumu's answer.
"What is it?"
At that question, Sa Mu-heo brought out his left hand.
"Join us."
"Join you?"
"Yes. If you join this master, there would be no reason I could not tell you the truth."
"Hmm."
Mumu tilted his head.
Seeing him appear to be considering it with such an innocent expression, Sa Mu-heo spoke.
"Every person has a fate given to them. Everyone walks toward that fate. Yet even fate can change according to the choices one makes in life."
"That is a difficult thing to say."
"It is not difficult at all. Last night's misfortune may have only been the beginning. A hell worse than anything you imagined may be waiting for you."
Mumu answered Sa Mu-heo's words.
"You speak as if it is certain to happen."
"You are not as foolish as you look."
"..."
"You will only have one chance. If you take this hand and walk the same path as me, you can escape the hellfire of that hell."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes."
"Then if I join you, you will tell me the truth and help Vice-Master clear the false accusation against him?"
The expressions of the watching bodyguard warriors darkened.
That person had graciously given Mumu a chance, yet he was spouting such nonsense.
'Insolent bastard.'
'I am itching to see some finger force.'
They wanted to see Sa Mu-heo's Ghost-Slaying Ten-Finger Art for the first time in a long while.
No one could rival their lord in finger force.
'You are as good as dead.'
Every bodyguard warrior thought the same.
Sa Mu-heo slowly curled the fingers of his outstretched left hand and said, "You seem too young to know how cruel the world can be. Then I will speak plainly. Your fate and the fate of those precious to you depend entirely on your answer."
"Those precious to me?"
"Can you stake your own life, along with the lives of your brothers and parents, for the sake of one Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu?"
Killing intent slowly flowed from Sa Mu-heo's body.
He looked ready to act at once, depending on Mumu's answer.
At the blatant threat, Mumu scratched his head, sighed, and spoke.
"No matter how I hear it, that sounds like a threat. Is that right?"
Sa Mu-heo smiled coldly.
"That is right."
"So if I do not join you, you will kill my whole family?"
"Not only your family. It may be a cruel reality to tell a child who has not even reached manhood, but I can erase every being you love from this world."
The bodyguard warriors inwardly laughed at Sa Mu-heo's terrifying threat, powerful enough to make their flesh tremble.
It seemed he was coming down rather hard on a young brat, but that was reality.
If Mumu let this chance slip away, he would lose everything he had.
Then Mumu cracked his neck.
He spoke.
"Ah. I was going to keep listening if I could, but you are taking your nonsense so seriously that I cannot listen anymore."
"Nonsense?"
One of Sa Mu-heo's eyebrows rose.
Mumu said to him, "Isn't a threat something you say to someone weaker than you?"
"What did you just..."
"I will make you the same offer. From now on, I will keep beating you until the truth comes out of your mouth, so please do not die."
"Insolent..."
-Boom!
Before Sa Mu-heo could finish speaking, Mumu moved.
The instant he kicked off the ground, the floor cracked upward and Mumu's body shot toward Sa Mu-heo.
At the same time, Sa Mu-heo flicked the finger he had held behind his back.
-Bang!
A solid white beam shot toward Mumu's face.
Mumu knocked it away with his fist.
-Bang!
The instant the finger force bounced upward from Mumu's fist, Sa Mu-heo extended all ten fingers toward him.
Blue beams shot from every finger.
It was the essence of his Ten-Finger Art.
Ten blasts of finger force from the Ghost-Slaying Ten-Finger Art flew precisely toward Mumu's vital points.
-Tense!
Mumu flexed every muscle in his body.
He intended to ignore the attack and rush Sa Mu-heo.
Yet the moment the ten blasts of finger force touched his muscles, blood burst from Mumu's body and he was driven back.
-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Splash!
Mumu frowned as he was pushed back.
For the first time, the muscles that had not been harmed by swords, internal force strikes, or even the Inner Heavy Hand Method were wounded.
Sa Mu-heo gave a small laugh at Mumu's reaction.
"Do not put me on the same level as the brats you have faced until now. Artifact or not, do you believe mere muscles can block ki manifestation?"
Ki manifestation.
It was power created by condensing ki beyond simply giving it form.
Only those who had reached the very peak of the Master realm could use it, and it was generally several times more powerful than ordinary formed ki.
Sa Mu-heo aimed five fingers at Mumu.
"You rejected your only chance to live. Die here, then."
-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five blue beams extended from Sa Mu-heo's fingers toward Mumu.
Mumu exhaled and crossed his arms.
The five blasts of finger force made of ki manifestation tried to pierce through the flesh of his crossed arms.
Then...
-Click!
-Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Unlike before, the finger force striking Mumu's crossed arms could not fully penetrate his flesh.
Sa Mu-heo's eyes narrowed.
'Ki manifestation cannot pierce his muscles?'
-Creak! Flex!
As Sa Mu-heo stared in confusion, Mumu's upper-body muscles took on an even more solid form. They glowed red and began releasing steam.
Sensing the strange change, Sa Mu-heo shot toward Mumu and raised ki manifestation in all ten fingers.
'I need to finish this quickly.'
Ki manifestation was stronger when wielded directly than when released.
'Ghost-Slaying Ten-Finger Art, fifth technique, Ghostless Heaven-Shattering!'
Ten blue blasts of finger force traced brilliant paths as they swept over Mumu's body.
Sa Mu-heo was about to overwhelm him in a single rush.
'!?'
-Booooom!
Mumu's fist buried itself in Sa Mu-heo's abdomen.
The instant the fist struck, Sa Mu-heo hurriedly raised a Rebounding Ki Manifestation, but the unimaginable force still drove him back seven steps.
-Skrrr!
The bodyguard warriors' eyes widened.
They had never seen Sa Mu-heo, of all people, pushed back so far by a single punch.
Blood ran from the corner of Sa Mu-heo's mouth.
-Drip.
Sa Mu-heo wiped it away with his sleeve.
His technique had struck the boy's body first, but Mumu had ignored it and thrown his punch anyway.
'...His brute strength is monstrous.'
The impact had spread through his entire body, leaving him stiff for an instant.
At this level, Sa Mu-heo might be in danger if he did not fight seriously and with all his strength.
"Not bad... but things will be different from now on."
Sa Mu-heo finally settled into a proper form.
Mumu spoke as if nothing had happened.
"That is a relief. I hit you gently, but I was worried you might die."
Footnotes:
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