WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 84: Monster Academy Student (3)
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“Wow! Academy Director, you’re much sturdier than you look.”
“...”
At Mumu’s words, Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong was inwardly dumbfounded.
Yet after personally experiencing the child’s absurd, overwhelming strength, Do Jeong-myeong realized it held not even a trace of arrogance.
‘...A monster. This child is a monster.’
Mumu existed entirely outside the bounds of common sense.
Do Jeong-myeong had never seen anyone reach such a level through pure physical strength rather than internal energy. With nothing more than a light flick of his finger, Mumu had sent one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice flying nearly to the dormitory grounds within the city.
Had Do Jeong-myeong failed to regain composure midway, they might have been thrown clear beyond the city walls.
‘Hoo.’
Do Jeong-myeong did not show it, but had suffered an internal injury. The impact that tore through the chest had caused it.
It was ridiculous.
‘Just how strong is this child at full power?’
Mumu had said he held back.
That was what made it so difficult to judge. If Mumu possessed a dantian and knew how to wield ki, Do Jeong-myeong could have estimated the child’s level with certainty. Yet there was no way to tell.
Still, if Mumu unleashed that absurd strength from the finger flick at full power...
‘Difficult. This is difficult.’
Even if Do Jeong-myeong fought with everything they had, they could not be certain of blocking it.
Do Jeong-myeong stared at Mumu. After apparently adjusting that artifact or whatever it was, Mumu had returned to normal.
Then, wearing that innocent expression, Mumu asked,
“Have I proved it now?”
Even after experiencing it firsthand, Do Jeong-myeong still could not believe what had happened.
Mumu’s strength was that outrageous.
“...Did you truly reach this level through strength training alone?”
“My strength?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. I suppose you could say that.”
Mumu had trained physical strength to endure the weight of the Ki-Restraining Bracelets, and before he knew it, had reached this point.
A thought suddenly came to Do Jeong-myeong.
Mumu had obtained strength beyond all common sense through strength training alone. If Mumu had properly learned Martial Arts from childhood, just how far might he have gone?
Would he not have become the greatest talent in the history of the martial world?
‘What a shame.’
Do Jeong-myeong even thought Mumu might have become the youngest Immortal Master-level master if he had built a foundation in internal energy and trained Martial Arts from a young age.
Now, Mumu was at a considerably late age to properly begin Martial Arts.
Clearly, it was late.
Yet Mumu’s body had already surpassed its limits.
‘...I want him.’
What would happen if this child learned Do Jeong-myeong’s speciality martial arts?
A desire Do Jeong-myeong had never felt before welled up anew.
After pondering for a moment, Do Jeong-myeong spoke with a kind expression.
“Child.”
“Yes?”
* * *
Underground holding cell.
Someone lay there, wrapped head to toe in bandages, breathing as though dead.
It was Sa Mu-heo.
Even without the Golden Gate Locks sealing his seven great gates, every bone in his body had been nearly shattered. He could not even move.
The sight was utterly miserable.
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu approached him with eyes as cold as ice.
Step. Step.
Stopping before Sa Mu-heo, Dan Pil-hu looked down at him and spoke.
“They really did a proper job on you.”
Seeing him like this improved Dan Pil-hu’s mood somewhat.
Secret Agent No. 2 had informed him that Secret Operatives Nos. 1, 5, and 7, who had been watching Sa Mu-heo, had all been killed. Dan Pil-hu could not contain his fury.
He had spent so much effort nurturing them since his days in the Martial World Association’s shadow agency.
And they had died at the hands of this bastard.
“Sa Mu-heo.”
“...”
At Dan Pil-hu’s call, Sa Mu-heo only moved his eyes to look at him.
There was no life in those eyes, as if Sa Mu-heo had lost everything and fallen into despair.
Dan Pil-hu jabbed Sa Mu-heo in the chest.
“Urgh.”
It was not an ordinary jab. Life energy had been poured into it.
The surrounding warriors tried to stop Dan Pil-hu’s sudden action, but Dan Pil-hu raised a hand and stopped them instead.
“Stay where you are.”
“Vice-Master, but the interrogation is still...”
“Who said I was about to kill this bastard?”
The warriors immediately stepped back.
Once they had moved away, Dan Pil-hu pressed down on Sa Mu-heo and whispered into his ear.
“I promise you this. No matter what conclusion they reach about your punishment, you will die by my hand. Everyone connected to you will die by my hand as well.”
“...”
“You will beg me to kill you.”
Despite Dan Pil-hu’s murderous warning, Sa Mu-heo’s eyes remained unchanged.
Had Sa Mu-heo already endured the worst pain possible, making such threats meaningless?
‘Hah. Look at this bastard.’
Dan Pil-hu wanted to tear him apart right then.
But he could not.
The interrogation was not over. They still had to learn why Sa Mu-heo had done this and whether someone else stood behind him.
Dan Pil-hu had also heard that investigators from the imperial Censorate would arrive soon. Until then, Sa Mu-heo’s punishment would be postponed.
‘Enjoy the rest of your life.’
Dan Pil-hu intended to kill Sa Mu-heo painfully with his own hands.
Then again, perhaps he could vent a little more anger before leaving.
Just as Dan Pil-hu considered it...
Creak!
The iron door of the holding cell opened, and a middle-aged physician entered with a young assistant.
As they entered, one of the guard warriors said,
“It is time for treatment.”
Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Was treatment really necessary for a bastard like this?
Shaking his head, Dan Pil-hu gave Sa Mu-heo a look that promised they would meet again, then left the holding cell.
Creak!
After Dan Pil-hu left, the physician lit a fire and placed something like incense into it, apparently intending to perform moxibustion.
Before long, smoke from the incense filled the entire holding cell.
The eyes of the guard warriors soon grew hazy and unfocused.
Even when the young assistant waved a hand directly before their faces, they stood there blankly as if they could see nothing.
Sa Mu-heo, whose nose and mouth were covered with a slightly damp cloth, narrowed his eyes.
Step. Step.
The young assistant approached Sa Mu-heo with hands clasped behind the back.
Clicking the tongue, the young assistant said,
“Tsk, tsk. I did not know Master Heo was so loose-lipped.”
Sa Mu-heo’s eyes trembled at the voice.
It belonged to Kang Mu-i.
The academy’s second-ranked third-year cadet and the future master of the House of the Eight Villains.
Kang Mu-i wore someone else’s face, but Sa Mu-heo recognized the identity at once from the voice alone.
‘Fast.’
Sa Mu-heo had expected contact, but not such a bold visit.
Rustle.
Kang Mu-i placed a hand over Sa Mu-heo’s vital acupoints and spoke.
“I heard you were captured after saying you would reveal everything just to preserve your miserable life. What a truly pathetic thing to do.”
Murderous intent dripped from Kang Mu-i’s voice, and Sa Mu-heo swallowed.
Kang Mu-i had likely come to deal with him personally.
After all, Sa Mu-heo might reveal everything under interrogation here.
“You are prepared, aren’t you?”
Kang Mu-i began to apply force through the hand.
Sa Mu-heo spoke.
“I had no choice.”
“What?”
One of Kang Mu-i’s brows rose.
“No choice? You could have taken your own life if it came to that. You talk far more than you look like you would.”
“I have no excuse... But someone had to bear all of this.”
Kang Mu-i stared at him and asked,
“Bear all of it?”
“The variable cleared the charges that were meant to be pinned on Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu. Someone must replace him, or the academy will keep digging deeper.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If no one is made to stand as the one behind it all, they will continue the investigation. That cannot happen. The fire attack, the beginning of the Grand Plan, has already gone wrong, so the authorities cannot be allowed to act aggressively. Otherwise, it could interfere with the next plan.”
“So you intend to take responsibility and bear it all yourself?”
“...Yes.”
Kang Mu-i snorted at Sa Mu-heo’s words.
It sounded reasonable, but it could only be an excuse to preserve his life.
No matter how deeply they investigated, could they make a corpse speak?
As if sensing Kang Mu-i’s thoughts, Sa Mu-heo spoke with meaning.
“That person’s secret manual is on the third level of the Underground Martial Archive.”
Kang Mu-i relaxed the force gathering in the hand.
Kang Mu-i understood what Sa Mu-heo meant.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. But even if you reach the third level of the Underground Martial Archive, you cannot simply take the secret manual. There is a hidden mechanism device.”
It had taken Sa Mu-heo eight full years to learn this secret.
Sa Mu-heo had never believed that the secret manual of the person called the Overlord of the Force of Evil would be left somewhere anyone could learn it.
Kang Mu-i spoke in a low voice.
“Strange. Why does this sound to me like Master Heo is trying to bargain for a chance to live?”
“I swore to sacrifice my life for the Grand Plan. I do not have even the slightest thought of that.”
Sa Mu-heo’s voice was filled with resolve.
Kang Mu-i stared into Sa Mu-heo’s eyes, then let out a faint breath.
“How can I believe that?”
“I endured even this miserable humiliation to inform the future master of this, and to die bearing all responsibility. If you truly cannot believe me, you may take my life now.”
“...”
Kang Mu-i’s murderous intent soon softened.
Sa Mu-heo inwardly felt relieved, though he did not show it.
To dispel Kang Mu-i’s suspicions, Sa Mu-heo revealed the secrets of the mechanism device he knew.
After learning the secret, Kang Mu-i could not hide the satisfaction.
‘So that is how it is.’
Kang Mu-i had to obtain that secret manual.
Having gotten what he wanted, Kang Mu-i suddenly asked Sa Mu-heo something else.
“One question. Who did this to Master Heo?”
A strange light appeared in Sa Mu-heo’s eyes.
It was faint, but the fact that Kang Mu-i did not know who had reduced him to this state meant the academy was controlling that information.
‘Then again.’
Sa Mu-heo had been reduced to this by an academy cadet.
It might have been stranger for the academy to immediately make that fact public.
Sa Mu-heo thought this worked out well.
“Future master, please heed this one piece of advice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The one who did this to me is someone you know well.”
“Someone I know well?”
Kang Mu-i frowned.
Kang Mu-i had already been curious who could have defeated a Master who had reached the true peak of mastery.
No matter how Kang Mu-i thought about it, no one capable of subduing Sa Mu-heo came to mind.
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Meok Chong-un, called the foremost among the Six Stars of Heaven, were both absent.
Then who could have done this?
“Who?”
“The academy cadet you said you wanted to take under your wing.”
‘!?’
Kang Mu-i’s eyes narrowed at those words.
Kang Mu-i understood at once.
“Mumu?”
“Yes. It was him.”
“That cannot be.”
Kang Mu-i looked unable to understand.
Kang Mu-i had met Mumu personally in the Old Teaching Hall and tested his strength.
Mumu had certainly been interesting enough to make Kang Mu-i want to take him under his wing, but not enough to defeat Sa Mu-heo.
“He should not be that strong.”
“I cannot be certain whether it is the power of an artifact, but that strength overwhelms me. He is the true variable in the Grand Plan.”
Kang Mu-i’s expression turned strange.
Come to think of it, Mumu had been among the academy cadets who interfered with the fire attack.
At the time, Kang Mu-i had only considered Gu Yang Seo-rin a variable.
But if Mumu was truly a hidden master capable of reducing Sa Mu-heo to this state, Mumu was a greater variable than even the successors of the Four Immortal Masters.
‘I thought he was quite interesting.’
Was Mumu not someone who would walk the same path?
Kang Mu-i clicked the tongue in disappointment and asked,
“...What exactly do you mean when you say you cannot be certain whether it is an artifact’s power?”
“He possesses an artifact.”
Sa Mu-heo had thought of nothing else since the defeat.
Was it truly Mumu’s own strength, or the power of an artifact?
Yet no matter how much Sa Mu-heo considered it, it was impossible by all common sense for Mumu to push him this far through physical strength alone.
“So the strength that subdued Master Heo may be the artifact’s power.”
“Yes.”
“You fought him yourself. You must have thought of some way to guard against it.”
Sa Mu-heo moved his eyes up and down.
Naturally, he had thought of nothing else.
Whether the truth was the former or latter, Mumu had to manipulate the artifact on his wrists to fully display his strength.
“Either neutralize the artifact, or deal with him before he can manipulate it.”
That was the conclusion Sa Mu-heo had reached.
* * *
After finishing the private meeting with the Academy Director, Mumu was leaving the main building when he encountered several people.
One of them was Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu.
“Vice-Master?”
Dan Pil-hu had apparently been waiting for some time. He approached Mumu with a broad grin.
“You admirable little fellow.”
“Did you come from the holding cell?”
“Yes. This is all thanks to you.”
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu was sincerely grateful to Mumu.
Without Mumu, everything Dan Pil-hu had built could have collapsed in an instant because of a false accusation.
All the care Dan Pil-hu had taken until now seemed to have paid off.
Still, there was one thing that bothered him.
“Have you finished meeting privately with the Academy Director?”
“Yes.”
“Then you must have discussed your strength.”
Dan Pil-hu had been certain that would be discussed.
They would not simply leave alone a monster academy cadet whose strength surpassed even the academy’s masters.
Dan Pil-hu gently took Mumu by both shoulders.
“Do not worry. You cleared my name, so do you think I would simply stand by and let the academy throw you out?”
“Ah!”
“I will make sure you can remain somehow...”
“That has been taken care of.”
“Hm?”
Dan Pil-hu furrowed his brow.
What did Mumu mean, it had been taken care of?
“What do you mean?”
“The Academy Director said I could keep attending the academy because I have not learned Martial Arts.”
“Is that true?”
Dan Pil-hu was puzzled by the unexpected result.
It was difficult to understand how that rigid Academy Director could so easily reach such a conclusion.
Dan Pil-hu lowered his voice and asked,
“Did that bastard Academy Director, no, did the Academy Director perhaps offer some other condition?”
“Ah. The Academy Director asked whether I would consider becoming a disciple.”
“What?”
There it was. There had to be something.
Dan Pil-hu fidgeted uneasily and asked Mumu again.
“Did the Academy Director ask you to make them your assigned master?”
“No. The Academy Director really asked whether I would consider becoming a disciple.”
“Urgh.”
Dan Pil-hu’s head began to hurt.
The Academy Director was even greedier than Dan Pil-hu had expected. Who would have thought they would not merely ask to be appointed as Mumu’s assigned master, but would try to tempt Mumu into becoming a direct disciple?
‘Damn it.’
Dan Pil-hu wondered if he should have been greedier himself.
Unless someone was a fool, who would refuse such an offer from Do Jeong-myeong, the academy’s highest authority and one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice?
Dan Pil-hu’s mouth had gone dry, and he cleared his throat before asking,
“Ahem. So, did you say you would become the Academy Director’s disciple?”
“No.”
“Hm?”
“I said it was fine.”
“You refused? Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“And the Academy Director said nothing after being refused?”
The Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong whom Dan Pil-hu knew had a stubborn side and was not someone who would give up easily.
The fact that Do Jeong-myeong had openly told an academy cadet to become a disciple meant they wanted Mumu that badly.
Mumu scratched his head and said,
“I said it seemed enough to learn Martial Arts as a hobby at the academy, and the Academy Director’s nostrils flared for a while before saying all right.”
“...”
Dan Pil-hu felt he understood why the Academy Director had given up so quickly.
Footnotes:
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