WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 10: Martial Talent (4)
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Yeonmok Sword Manor's youngest young master, Mok YuCheon.
He had no choice but to mature earlier than his peers.
Having learned that his mother was nothing more than a courtesan, Mok YuCheon had faced reality at a young age.
At first, he had despaired.
No one acknowledged him as a young master of Yeonmok Sword Manor.
He was merely an illegitimate child born of lowly blood.
It was misery itself.
As Mok YuCheon spent his childhood in despair, only one escape remained to him.
‘...Become strong.’
The world was fair.
His blood might have been lowly, but his martial talent was exceptional.
No, he had been born with it.
Martial Arts were the only means for someone with nothing to distinguish himself.
He believed that if he became strong enough that no one could disregard him, everyone would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
‘I’ll be acknowledged.’
And it had truly happened.
Impressed by his outstanding martial talent, the Manor Lord, who had once ignored him as an illegitimate child, gradually began to favor him. Even the retainers acknowledged him.
His brothers, who had looked down on him and his mother, could no longer treat him carelessly.
‘Perhaps...’
Perhaps he, the one mocked for being lowborn, might become the Manor Lord.
Hope had slowly filled him.
Recently, however, that hope had turned into unease.
‘What will happen when the Manor Lord passes away?’
The Manor Lord had not named anyone as his successor.
At this rate, the wastrel eldest young master or the cunning second son, Mok EunPyeong, might become the Manor Lord.
If that happened, First Madam, who saw him as a thorn in her side, might try to kill him.
‘Aaargh...’
Things had become complicated again.
He had expected effort to change everything.
Yet it felt as though he had run into another wall.
Even so, there was nothing he could do.
Unlike his half-brothers, he had neither the means nor the money to scheme or build a power base.
There was only one thing he could do right now.
Continue honing his Martial Arts.
Thus, he had immersed himself in training again today to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.
Then the face he least wanted to see, no, the face he hated most, appeared at the training ground.
‘Mok GyeongUn.’
Why was this bastard here?
Setting aside the fact that he was mediocre, this was someone who had never shown any interest in training Martial Arts.
The sight of him was enough to sour the mind Mok YuCheon had only just cleared through sweat.
“Get out of the training ground.”
Mok GyeongUn had been beaten senseless once before. If he had any sense, he would understand.
Yet unexpected words came from his mouth.
“Do you want to become the Manor Lord too?”
“What?”
For a moment, Mok YuCheon was dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about?”
“You heard me. I asked whether you want to become the Manor Lord too.”
Mok YuCheon raised his voice.
“I don't know what scheme brought you before me, but stop spouting nonsense and get out. Unless you want to crawl away like last time...”
“Well, I thought you'd want this.”
With those words, Mok GyeongUn took something from his robes.
Mok YuCheon's eyes widened.
“You... How did you get that?”
“Do you want it?”
Mok GyeongUn asked, waving the martial arts book before him.
Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method.
It was the Breathing Technique and internal energy circulation method that only the Manor Lord of Yeonmok Sword Manor could learn.
There was no way Mok YuCheon, who bore the Mok Family's blood, would not recognize that martial arts book.
‘How did that bastard get it?’
Mok YuCheon could not understand the situation.
The Manor Lord was still bedridden and had not awakened, so how did Mok GyeongUn have the martial arts book of the Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method?
Then his thoughts suddenly grew complicated.
‘Could it be?’
Had Father given this bastard the martial arts book of the Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method?
No.
That could not be.
Regardless of their birth, the two children his father thought most pathetic were the eldest, Mok YeongHo, and the third, Mok GyeongUn.
It was because both lacked martial talent and made no effort despite it.
Had his father not said it directly to him?
[If only your brothers were half as much like you.]
Those words had not been spoken for nothing.
Mok YuCheon glared sharply at Mok GyeongUn.
“Where did you get that? Don't tell me you stole it behind Father's back.”
Mok GyeongUn snickered.
“That isn't what's important.”
“It isn't important? Father would never give a martial arts book to someone like you.”
“Who knows? If the Manor Lord felt inclined to, he might have given it to me.”
“Nonsense!”
Mok YuCheon raised his voice.
‘Urgh.’
Behind them, Guard Go Chan's expression twisted as their ears rang.
Mok YuCheon must truly hate Mok GyeongUn. He had even infused internal energy into his voice, enough to make one dizzy.
Mok GyeongUn, on the other hand, showed no great reaction beyond a slight frown.
A strange light appeared in Mok YuCheon's eyes.
‘No reaction at all?’
The Mok GyeongUn he knew would have made a great fuss.
Yet he had endured it.
Had he trained diligently in Martial Arts during the time Mok YuCheon had not seen him?
Then why did he seem even weaker than before?
After wondering over it, Mok YuCheon spoke again.
“Is there any proof that it's real?”
“Proof?”
Mok GyeongUn snickered, then casually held out the martial arts book of the Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method.
Mok YuCheon frowned.
What was he plotting?
After hesitating for a moment, Mok YuCheon accepted the martial arts book.
It was not because of greed. He was also curious whether it was genuine.
‘Huh?’
The manual was thin.
When he opened it, he found only two pages inside the cover.
A Cultivation technique's verse formula could be brief, but it could not possibly be just two pages long.
Was it fake after all?
He read the verse formulas on the first page.
The instant he did, Mok YuCheon became certain.
‘...It's real.’
Because he had perfectly mastered the foundational arts, he could tell.
He naturally turned to the second page and examined the remaining verse formulas. Seeing where the rest had been torn away, he swallowed in disappointment.
‘Ah...’
For a moment, thirst seized him.
As a martial artist, he could not help yearning for stronger Martial Arts.
The Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method and Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula, Martial Arts exclusive to the Manor Lord, were the secrets of high-level Martial Arts.
If he learned them, he could reach the complete Expert realm, then perhaps rise to an even higher realm of Martial Arts based on that foundation.
“Why isn't there anything after this?”
Mok GyeongUn smiled and tapped his head with a finger.
Understanding the meaning, Mok YuCheon's eyes narrowed.
‘This bastard...’
Had Mok GyeongUn always been this shrewd?
He had memorized about ninety percent of the original, then shown only this remnant, just enough to prove it was authentic. That ensured no one could obtain the secret manual except through him.
It seemed he had even prepared for the possibility of it being taken from him.
‘Is this really his idea?’
Mok YuCheon glanced at Guard Go Chan standing behind Mok GyeongUn.
But the guard's wary demeanor made that seem unlikely.
If so, then it really was Mok GyeongUn's idea.
‘...He's changed.’
What had happened in the past two years?
Since that incident, they had neither clashed directly nor spoken to one another.
Mok GyeongUn had been afraid and avoided him the entire time.
Yet the Mok GyeongUn he saw for the first time in two years was very different from before.
“What exactly are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Putting aside how you got this, what are you plotting?”
“Does it look like a scheme to you?”
Smack!
Mok YuCheon threw the martial arts book to the ground and stepped right in front of Mok GyeongUn.
“Do you think this is normal? You spent two years avoiding me and our brothers, watching our every move, and now you come here with this and talk about becoming the Manor Lord?”
“Hm. I thought you wanted to become the Manor Lord. Was I wrong?”
“What?”
“If you don't want to become the Manor Lord, then this offer is rather meaningless.”
Mok YuCheon was dumbfounded by those words.
An offer?
What was he talking about?
As Mok YuCheon wondered, Mok GyeongUn picked up the martial arts book from the ground, dusted it off, and spoke.
“If you don't want to become the Manor Lord, you don't need this either, do you?”
“...”
Mok YuCheon could not answer.
Even if he did not want to become the Manor Lord, he still wanted to learn Yeonmok Sword Manor's high-level Martial Arts.
That was only natural for a martial artist.
But he hesitated because he could not discern Mok GyeongUn's true intentions.
This was clearly bait.
“...What are you plotting?”
“If you're not interested, then I'll be going.”
With that, Mok GyeongUn tucked the martial arts book into his robes and turned to leave without hesitation.
Mok YuCheon stopped him before he had even taken more than a few steps.
“Stop!”
One corner of Mok GyeongUn's mouth rose.
As expected, he had taken the bait.
He had only spoken with this fellow moments ago, but he felt he roughly understood what kind of person Mok YuCheon was.
He was quite rigid, the sort who acted according to his own convictions.
People like that did not simply take the bait.
Mok GyeongUn had to set the stage like this.
Without turning his head, Mok GyeongUn spoke casually.
“I thought you weren't interested?”
“...It's not about interest. What exactly are you plotting?”
“You keep asking the same question.”
“Shut up. Answer what I ask. Why do you keep asking whether I want to become the Manor Lord?”
“Why?”
“If you have that book, you could quietly learn it in secret and seek the Manor Lord's position for yourself. Why bring this here and ask me whether I want to become the Manor Lord? What are you really after?”
Mok GyeongUn shrugged at the question.
Then he turned slightly and said,
“You may not believe me, but I have no particular interest in becoming the Manor Lord.”
“What?”
Mok YuCheon glared at Mok GyeongUn suspiciously.
He had no interest in becoming the Manor Lord?
Was he supposed to believe that?
“Ha...”
Mok YuCheon let out a hollow laugh.
Right.
It was absurd.
The very act of obtaining that martial arts book, coming to see him, and saying such things was a trap.
He did not know Mok GyeongUn's intentions, but he had clearly devised something underhanded.
After all, Mok YuCheon hated him because of what had happened two years ago, and Mok GyeongUn feared and hated him just as much.
Then Mok GyeongUn approached him.
“You don't belie...”
Before he could finish...
Thud!
Mok YuCheon's fist shot forward and struck Mok GyeongUn squarely in the face.
Mok GyeongUn was shoved backward and fell flat on his back.
Trickle...
Blood ran from his nose.
He should have looked pained, yet as he lay there, the corner of Mok GyeongUn's mouth quivered.
‘It's different.’
That was what Mok GyeongUn felt.
Setting aside the man with the black sword, he had personally experienced the abilities of Guard Go Chan, Guard Gam, and others.
Through that, he had learned the difference between Second-rate and Advanced martial artists.
Now, having directly experienced the fist of Mok YuCheon, a genius who had reached the beginning stage of the Expert realm at merely sixteen, he understood the gap in strength firsthand.
He now understood why Go Chan had said Mok YuCheon was several times stronger.
This was not strength he could overcome through luck.
‘My body can't react.’
He had seen it in that brief instant, but his body could not keep up.
Unless he drew considerably closer to this level of strength, he would find it impossible to face Mok YuCheon.
‘...What?’
Mok YuCheon, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes with his fist still extended.
He had thrown the punch to shut Mok GyeongUn's mouth.
He knew Mok GyeongUn, who was only Third-rate, would naturally be unable to block it.
But there was one difference from the Mok GyeongUn he knew.
‘He didn't close his eyes.’
He had stared straight at Mok YuCheon's fist.
When faced with a punch one could not block, it was normal to flinch and close one's eyes in fear.
Yet even until the moment he was struck, he had continued looking directly at the fist.
‘He wasn't afraid?’
Mok GyeongUn?
As Mok YuCheon wondered, Mok GyeongUn raised his upper body.
He wiped the blood flowing from his nose with the back of his hand and said,
“That's a fierce punch.”
“Fierce?”
Mok YuCheon scoffed.
Strictly speaking, it had not been a proper punch.
Convinced that Mok GyeongUn was plotting against him, he had only thrown a punch to frighten him.
“You'd better not get up. If you do, the next one will be strong enough to make that punch seem laughable.”
Mok YuCheon warned him.
And he truly intended to follow through.
But Mok GyeongUn snickered.
“I think it's natural for you to doubt me.”
“It isn't doubt. It's certainty. I don't believe anything you say.”
“Is that so?”
“Then I'll make you regret coming here to plot against me.”
Mok YuCheon clenched his fist.
Since things had come to this, he needed to make it clearer than he had two years ago.
That way, Mok GyeongUn would never try anything like this again.
As he made up his mind, Mok GyeongUn smiled.
“Then I have no choice but to give it to First Madam or Elder Brother Mok EunPyeong.”
“...What?”
“You are free to believe me or not, but if you choose that, I have no choice but to give the martial arts book to one of them to obtain what I want.”
Mok YuCheon froze.
He knew exactly what those words meant.
Mok GyeongUn continued.
“When the Manor Lord passes away, the retainers will ultimately raise whichever member of the Mok Family has learned the martial arts book as the Manor Lord. What do you think will happen if Mok YeongHo or Mok EunPyeong becomes the Manor Lord?”
“...”
“Do you think they will leave you alone?”
Mok YuCheon was left speechless by the words that struck at the heart of the matter.
He had been frustrated because he could not predict what would happen in the future.
That was why Mok GyeongUn's words could not help but lodge in his mind.
Mok GyeongUn rose to his feet and continued speaking.
“I don't know, but I doubt they would leave alone a promising successor who had received the Manor Lord's favor and shown greater potential than themselves or their children.”
‘...’
At Mok GyeongUn's words, Guard Go Chan could not hide their inward alarm.
‘Why is he provoking him even further?’
This was not persuasion. It was practically a veiled threat.
If he provoked Mok YuCheon like that, it was no different from asking to be killed. What was he thinking?
Sure enough, Mok YuCheon's face flushed red.
“...Are you threatening me?”
“You're not deaf, at least.”
“What?”
It seemed this would end with him getting beaten.
Filled with anger, Mok YuCheon moved to strike again.
Then Mok GyeongUn spoke in a cold voice.
“This is a matter of life and death. Does a threat not sound like a threat to you?”
Mok YuCheon's hand stopped.
He was furious, but he could not ignore Mok GyeongUn's words.
Since the Manor Lord had not clearly named a successor, the one who learned the secret manual was exceedingly likely to become the Manor Lord under the current circumstances.
And if it fell into someone else's hands...
Clench!
The outcome he feared would come to pass.
Mok GyeongUn approached him with light steps, gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in a low voice.
“Looks like you finally understand the situation. Who holds the sword hilt, I mean.”
Mok YuCheon's eyes trembled.
‘This bastard...’
Was this really the Mok GyeongUn he knew?
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