WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 81: Controlling Strength (2)
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‘...How can this be?’
Secret Agent No. 2, watching the situation from afar, doubted their own eyes.
A Master who could even wield ki manifestation had not only been pushed back by a single punch from Mumu, but was bleeding.
No matter how absurd Mumu's monstrous strength was, this should have been different.
His opponent was a powerful man who had killed even Hang Yeon, who had once been one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
‘Was that why?’
Thinking back, Secret Agent No. 2 had found it remarkable that Mumu had emerged safely after entering the hidden underground archives beneath the Changcheon Secret Archives.
At the time, they had thought several strokes of luck had overlapped, but perhaps that was not the case.
There had been the Infernal Thousand Calamities Ten-Thousand Transforms Formation, Hwang Won's injury, and even Hang Yeon, the man in charge of the archives, entering inside. Yet Mumu had emerged without a single wound.
Perhaps, despite being watched all this time, Mumu had been hiding his true strength.
‘Is he a monster?’
Secret Agent No. 2 clicked their tongue.
Then, while staring blankly at Mumu, they suddenly came to their senses.
This was no time for that.
At this level, there was no need to bring in other cadets to stall for time. No matter how skilled Sa Mu-heo was, all his focus was on Mumu. He would not easily notice Secret Agent No. 2's concealment technique.
‘This is my chance.’
Srrrk!
Secret Agent No. 2's figure vanished into the shadows as though melting into them.
* * *
‘Hitting gently?’
Sa Mu-heo's eyes sharpened.
Was this bastard trying to provoke him and throw his emotions into disarray?
Still, he was not so emotional that a remark like that would make him lose his temper.
‘So he was holding back.’
That was how Sa Mu-heo interpreted Mumu's words.
He would not let his guard down any further.
In a life-and-death battle, countless people lost their lives because of a minor variable or needless carelessness.
His gaze shifted to the Ki-Restraining Bracelets on Mumu's wrists.
‘An artifact.’
That sound Mumu had made when he crossed his arms.
[Click!]
After that sound, the quality and hardness of Mumu's muscles had changed completely.
His body had turned red, and steam had poured from his upper body. That meant his muscles had developed to an extreme degree, speeding up his blood circulation.
‘Is that what created this monstrous strength, something entirely different from internal energy?’
That was the only conclusion he could reach from what he saw.
Mumu's muscles had become hard enough to withstand even ki manifestation. A clumsy attack would only give Mumu an opening to strike back.
‘A troublesome artifact. It excels at both offense and defense. If this so-called restraint means the artifact's power was not even at its maximum, this will become bothersome.’
Then how should he deal with him?
Only an instant passed, but Sa Mu-heo's thoughts raced.
‘The Inner Heavy Hand Method, speed and ranged attacks, and vital acupoints that cannot be trained.’
Three methods came to mind first.
Mumu's muscles were so strong they brought the indestructible golden body to mind, so striking inside his body would be most effective.
But that required getting close.
‘The risk is too great.’
Even moments ago, Mumu had ignored the damage he took and thrown a blow anyway.
He believed that if he could land even one punch, he could turn the situation around.
And in truth, that one blow had dealt Sa Mu-heo a severe shock.
‘Speed or ranged attacks.’
Mumu's movements were extremely simple.
He had not learned any Martial Arts at all. Everything depended on physical ability produced by overwhelmingly developed muscles.
‘But speed and ranged attacks are meaningless if they cannot deceive him or deliver a decisive blow, even with less risk.’
Then there was only one way.
He had to combine several tactics instead of relying on a single method.
‘If his tactics are simple, I will use speed to target his vital acupoints.’
The Inner Heavy Hand Method and internal force strikes would leave openings in his own defense when used, so Sa Mu-heo decided to refrain from using them.
The instant he reached that conclusion, he kicked off the ground and shot toward Mumu.
Pat!
He circled Mumu at a speed close to Extreme Swiftness, intending to steal his attention while targeting places that could not be trained, such as his armpits, groin, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Wooooong!
Sa Mu-heo's ten fingers became dyed in blue ki manifestation.
Mumu had endured ki manifestation with his muscles, but weak points were weak points.
They were places that could never be trained.
Srrrrrk!
Sa Mu-heo's figure blurred like a ghost as he circled Mumu.
Gasps escaped the bodyguard warriors.
They could not even properly see where Sa Mu-heo was.
‘My lord is finally showing his true skill.’
Then Mumu would not have the same luck as before.
Everyone watched tensely as Sa Mu-heo circled Mumu in a blur, searching for an opening.
That was when Mumu muttered,
“I think Master Hwang Won did this last time too.”
‘Hwang Won?’
Sa Mu-heo's eyes narrowed as he circled Mumu.
Among the Six Stars of Heaven, Hwang Won was said to be the greatest in movement skills.
Of course, he could not compare to Meok Chong-un or Sa Mu-heo himself.
His martial prowess was also arguably the lowest among the six.
Then Mumu spoke.
“Stop going around in circles.”
The moment he finished speaking, Mumu suddenly drove his fist into the ground.
What was he doing?
Kwang!
The ground split apart the instant his fist struck. The entire courtyard sank inward, and shards of broken earth burst up in every direction.
“Gasp!”
“What the?”
The bodyguard warriors hurriedly blocked the debris flying toward them from all sides.
There was no Force of ki in it, so it was not difficult to block, but the ground had shattered in an instant and obscured their vision.
‘A clever trick.’
Sa Mu-heo was already in the air directly above Mumu.
The moment Mumu struck the ground, Sa Mu-heo had leapt into the space directly above him, the eye of the storm.
Mumu raised his head and looked at him.
“As expected, you came from above.”
“You overlooked one thing.”
Sa Mu-heo thrust all ten fingers toward Mumu.
Ten fingers dyed in blue ki manifestation.
He was a Master capable of launching ki manifestation with the Finger-Flicking Art.
‘No matter how monstrous his strength is, he does not control ki. He has no way to respond from a distance.’
Soft Thread Finger Flick Art.
It was the technique that had made him a master of the Ten-Finger Art.
At this distance, he could freely control ten Finger-Flicking Art strikes for a short time.
Papapapapapapapapang!
Ten Finger-Flicking Art strikes carrying ki manifestation shot from Sa Mu-heo's fingers toward Mumu.
None flew in a straight line. They curved through the air in every possible direction, aiming for Mumu's vital acupoints.
‘Try dodging these...’
Mumu's biceps and forearm muscles twitched.
Then Mumu threw a powerful punch into the air.
Paaaaang!
A massive blast of wind erupted from his fist with a shockwave.
Its force was explosive.
Papapapapapapapapang!
‘!?’
Sa Mu-heo's eyes widened.
The Soft Thread Finger Flick Art strikes rushing toward Mumu were not merely deflected by the explosive wind pressure. They went out like candles.
And the wind pressure had not only swept away the Finger-Flicking Art strikes.
‘Damn it!’
Sa Mu-heo gathered all his Force of ki and crossed his arms, unleashing Rebounding Ki Manifestation.
Paaaaang!
Yet an overwhelming force struck his entire body and hurled him upward.
The impact was so powerful that his vision went black for an instant.
When he regained his senses, his body was floating high enough to see the surroundings beyond Changcheon Martial Academy's walls.
Sa Mu-heo was momentarily dumbfounded.
‘A shockwave?’
Some masters who had reached a certain realm could create wind with a palm or fist technique.
They called them Palm Wind and Fist Wind.
Yet Mumu had achieved this with pure strength, not ki.
And having taken the blow directly, Sa Mu-heo was left speechless by its power.
‘This defies all common sense.’
It did not matter whether it came from an artifact or muscle strength.
If he fell like this, he would lose to Mumu.
Sa Mu-heo bit down hard on his lip.
‘Aberrant Blood Demonic Art.’
It was the only secret art that could let him contend with that monstrous bastard.
But if he used it, all his life energy would be exhausted and he would die.
There was one secret method to guard against that.
The original Aberrant Blood Demonic Art was an extreme byproduct of combining the Reversed Blood Great Art and Blood Demon Art. Yet if he altered only some of the blood flow used in the Reversed Blood Great Art,
‘...I can preserve my life by losing only around half my life energy.’
Losing half his power was regrettable, but better than losing his life.
Sa Mu-heo moved to strike the blood pressure points and chi in his chest.
Tatak!
The moment he struck two blood pressure points and chi,
Pak!
Someone grabbed his wrist.
“You?”
It was none other than Mumu.
Mumu had jumped up to Sa Mu-heo's height and seized his wrist.
‘When?’
He had been stopped before he could even unleash the Aberrant Blood Demonic Art?
Mumu spoke to the startled Sa Mu-heo in a disappointed voice.
“That is exactly what the arsonists did yesterday.”
“What?”
“They pressed their chests a few times with their fingers and got stronger. So you really are on the same side, even after you denied it.”
With that, Mumu wrapped his legs and arms around Sa Mu-heo's body.
Sa Mu-heo cried out in alarm.
“Y-you, what are you trying to do?”
“Muscle Drop.”
‘!?’
The instant those words left his mouth, Mumu held Sa Mu-heo tight and plunged toward the ground.
Sa Mu-heo tried to break free, but Mumu's muscles were far too thick. It was useless.
They crashed down together.
Kwaaaaaang!
They drove straight into the manor courtyard.
The force of their fall shattered not only the entire courtyard, but even the walls around it.
Sa Mu-heo lay sprawled flat in the huge crater, groaning.
“Ughhhhh...”
Even though Mumu had wrapped around him, Sa Mu-heo had taken the full impact of the fall.
He had protected his body with internal energy, yet he could not move.
It felt as if bones throughout his body had cracked.
Mumu looked down at him, clenched his fist, and said,
“Do not pretend you're hurt. This is only the beginning.”
‘Only the beginning?’
“What did you say earlier? That if I refused to join you, you would kill all my older brothers and family?”
“Th-that was...”
Kwang!
“Urk!”
Before he could finish, Mumu drove his fist into Sa Mu-heo's abdomen.
Blood burst from Sa Mu-heo's mouth as he screamed.
The pain was so overwhelming, as if his organs were screaming, that he briefly lost consciousness the moment the blow landed.
“Cough, cough... y-you...”
“Yes. Since your resolve is naturally strong, you will keep your mouth shut over something like this, right?”
‘!?’
Then Mumu stomped on Sa Mu-heo's right arm.
Bang! Crack!
The shattered bone pierced through flesh and burst out.
Was it true that pain could become so severe a person could not even scream?
Only the sound of air escaping his lungs came from Sa Mu-heo's mouth.
But the veins bulging from his forehead and his flushed red face showed clearly how much pain he was in.
“Since I am hitting you gently, it is bearable, right?”
Sa Mu-heo's eyes widened as though they would split apart.
Was this bastard joking?
Calling this hitting gently was...
“Die!”
At that moment, one of the bodyguard warriors ambushed Mumu from behind.
“Hm?”
Mumu reflexively swung his hand back.
The bodyguard warrior's head struck Mumu's hand and spun around.
Kwadududuk!
“Ah... I was trying so hard to control my strength.”
Sa Mu-heo's eyes shook wildly at the sight.
Mumu was not joking.
He had truly been trying to inflict pain while controlling his strength as much as possible.
‘Is this bastard trying to finish me off?’
A chill ran down Sa Mu-heo's spine.
For the first time in his life, he felt fear.
There was no malice in Mumu's expression or eyes, nor was he showing anger.
That made it even more frightening.
“Shall we try again? This time, your left arm.”
“I will talk, so now...”
Sa Mu-heo hurriedly surrendered and tried to reveal the truth.
Bang!
Before he could, Mumu stomped on Sa Mu-heo's left arm.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Mumu spoke in a gentle voice to the screaming Sa Mu-heo.
“Ah. I believe someone said earlier that they would erase all the people precious to me from this world.”
‘!?’
Sa Mu-heo stared at Mumu with trembling eyes.
This was clearly Mumu taking out his anger on him.
* * *
Secret Agent No. 2 gritted their teeth as they searched Sa Mu-heo's manor for a long time.
They had hoped to find evidence here, but nothing decisive appeared.
It seemed Sa Mu-heo had concealed everything thoroughly.
‘Damn it!’
The time they had gone to such lengths to buy had been wasted.
The battle had apparently been fierce enough to shake the manor itself. At this rate, academy warriors and masters would arrive soon.
Mumu might even be blamed instead for causing a disturbance.
‘They need to find another way...’
Then a cry close to a scream came from outside.
“S-stop! It was me! I... Aaaagh!”
‘!?’
Footnotes:
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