Chapter 124: Saekma (色魔) Bang Ho-win (1)

(T/N: In previous chapter, I translate (고수 Gosu) as master. However, I just realized that it was wrong. The term refers to warriors of Murim who have already exceeded some degree of Mugong. That is why, starting from this chapter, I have changed Master to Expert.)

-The New Murim League officially responded to China's claim!

On the news playing on the tablet, I could see my handso… Not so handsome face.

In the video, I was criticizing China's Murim Hohyanghoe for their attack on Geom-hee, Ha Sunyoung. I said many things related to the attack before finally coming to the main topic.

-However, New Murim League, which is filled with martial arts (武) and chivalry (俠) will give you the opportunity to prove your ‘mugong’. If you want to claim mugong’s ownership, please do it in Murim's way. If you can prove your ability in the upcoming ‘Great Rift’, we will gladly acknowledge your ownership of the martial arts and give up all rights we hold.

It was a truly peaceful yet ruthless suggestion that was welcomed by everyone.

There would be no direct conflict between the two sides, so there wouldn’t be any useless trouble. Moreover, with the method I proposed, the national disaster called ‘Great Rift' would also be cleared with the help of Murim people. And, by revealing their martial arts to the world, it would be easier to determine who the real martial artist is.

In other words, we, the New Murim League, declared that ‘we will meet your demands, but we will not step on Chinese soil. And let's solve it in the Murim's way.'

Since the news had spread to every corner of the world, China could no longer say ‘Ah we don’t know, we still want you to come to our land.’

Plus, since the Great Rift would occur in six months, I had earned some time to prepare a countermeasure against the upcoming fights.

In the meantime, we had asked Ryu Gyeongsoo to thoroughly increase the surveillance level so that our guild members, including Ha Sunyoung, would not be attacked by the Murim people belonging to that faction.

Of course, even without my words, the Ministry of Defense was already highly alert due to the previous invasion. All in all, it was quite a relief.

‘Bang Ho-win.'

In many ways, he is a headache.

I can't use most of my ‘Protagonist Hunter’ abilities against him. I don’t know what skill he uses, how good the skill is, the back story, and what episodes would take place.

And when I think about it more, it is only natural.

He wasn’t a protagonist. So, the ability to grasp the protagonist's correction wasn’t needed. No matter how strong he is, there must be a way to kill him.

‘….and it’s not like I can’t use my ability at all.'

When I was busy simulating the fight between me and Bang Ho-win, I could feel a presence approaching me.

“I am here.”

It was Celeste. She is back from the rank re-evaluation test. She is still wearing the white ether suit that stuck to her body, resembling a bike-riding suit. It had a ‘B’ letter attached to the shoulder. 

When I recall that Celeste had just turned twenty, I am struck with the realization that she is probably the fastest growing body strengthening-type hunter in history.

As I looked at the ‘B-rank _ promotion _ commemorative _ expressionless _ selfie’ picture that she had sent me, I said,

"Congratulations on your promotion. If it’s like this, you could get an A-rank within 3 years.”

Celeste shook her head.

“It will be much faster than that.”

“How much faster do you want? Considering your age right now, you're already overwhelmingly fast.”

Superpower was a field that was determined by 99% talent and 1% effort. The higher the ether absorption rate, the higher the growth rate and the limit of growth one had. Celeste is an amazing superhuman. Her ether consumption rate occupied the top 0.01% among superhumans. Moreover, she trained her superpower to the limit, enduring the pain and after-effects of receiving ether injections. 

But in the end, there was a limit even for superhuman growth rate. No matter how many times she ran faster than others, she couldn't run faster than her own speed limit. Even if she gained an ‘enlightenment’ just like a mugong practitioner, it was almost impossible to use mugong with energy other than naegong (internal energy).

“I heard… you gave Taylor sunbae-nim a gift when she gained SS-rank.”

"Uh? Uh…. yeah, I think i did that."

After Taylor became a SS-rank hunter, she asked me why I wasn't present on her evaluation announcement day to congratulate her.  Because I felt guilty and was scared that she was going to hit me, I couldn't refuse her request.

“Can you give me a gift too?”

"Becoming a B-rank is an incredible feat at your age. So of course, I will give you one. What do you want?”

Celeste’s eyes twinkle as she said.

“I want to learn Simbeop and Bubeop.”

(T/N: Simbeop: Literal translation: Heart’s law.

Bubeop: Chinese Martial arts term refers to a footwork technique.

If there’s someone who knows the use or the correct translation please leave a comment below or preferably come to our discord server and tell us about it.)

* * *

“It's impossible.”

Ha Sunyoung sighed.

“And Bubeop is…. with the tip of the toe… what is it? Hey, easy words.”

“You need a really fine control in order to use it. It is possible to use it with ‘essence', but it is difficult to use it with ‘ether'.”

Ye Sa-hye gave further explanation to Celeste.

Naegong basically moves along the gimaek (氣脈) and hyeolmaek (血脈), and distributes evenly throughout the body, allowing someone to move it delicately. However, the energy source of superpower, ether can only move in the hyeolmaek. It can’t move through the gimaek.

(T/N I need an explanatiooooonnn….. I’m not a big Murim fan~ help me guys.)

“…Is it really impossible with hyeolmaek alone?”

Celeste asked.

“It's more difficult than drawing a square and drawing a circle simultaneously with one hand. Do you understand?”

Celeste nodded.

She was aware that one hand could only draw one shape at a time. Therefore, in order to draw different shapes, she needs to use both of her hands. However, drawing different shapes with both hands at the same time was also a difficult thing to do. So, it was ridiculous for someone who didn’t know about naegong to circulate another energy in both gimaek and hyeolmaek. (P/N Naegong = internal energy, how it works is similar to ethers of superhumans, but for Murim warriors. Basically their source of power)

When Celeste became crestfallen, Ye Sa-hye quickly said,

“It wasn’t something that was completely impossible. Master could show you how to do it with only hyeolmaek.”

“Hey! Why did you tell her such a useless thing?”

Ha Sunyoung protested. However, she was already late.

“So, it is possible as long as I try hard enough?” 

"······Ugh. Yes, it is possible, it is possible! But… I've heard that in the first place, ‘ether injection’ itself is very painful. The only way to learn Simbeop is to create it by yourself while enduring the pain of ether injection.”

Ether injection was indeed a painful process. Celeste became dizzy just by recalling how painful the process was. However, she couldn’t just let this opportunity slip through her hands.

‘I can’t help it since it is the fastest way to become stronger.'

Since Celeste’s body was already filled with ether, it was impossible to build her Simbeop using naegong of essence energy. However, it was still possible to accelerate her ‘absorption rate’ further.

Once someone gets an ether injection, they shouldn't get another one for at least 1 – 3 months, because they have to wait until the ether is completely assimilated into the body.

If she successfully learns Simbeop, it may be possible to get an injection without any delay.

“…I'll try it.”

"Okay!! Okay!! Dammit!! I don’t think a B-rank hunter would die from the shock, so let’s try it. I’ll let you know how painful it is.”

Ha Sunyoung severely warned her, but Celeste did not hesitate.

‘…I need to do anything I can to grow stronger before the Great Rift occurs.’

Celeste was aware. With her own strength, she wouldn’t be able to kill the man who ran away after cutting her father’s arm.

Afterall, Bang Ho-win was a man who couldn't be killed even with the cooperation of her father who was a SS-rank hunter and numerous other S-rank hunters. 

But still, with the opportunity of revenge clearly in front of her, she couldn’t just sit back and suck her finger.

‘I can overcome this pain.'

That night, Celeste yelled in pain as she learned about Simbeop from Ha Sunyoung. She howled in pain for nearly the entire process before passing out. 

Ha Sunyoung's expression grew darker as she looked at Celeste who had fainted before letting go of Simbeop.

“What are you going to do?”

Yoo Seodam, who came to look at the progress of the training, asked.

“…we have to fix the Simbeop.”

"Pardon?"

Yoo Seodam was left speechless when he heard Ha Sunyoung’s answer.

Both swordsmanship and Simbeop was something that couldn’t be fixed that easily. It takes over tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years of cultivation before reaching the swordsmanship and Simbeop we see nowadays. It can never be changed easily.

However, for some reason, Yoo Seodam had faith in Ha Sunyoung’s words and felt like it was something that could be done.

Because, in the first place, Ha Sunyoung was someone who created her own mugong by combining only the best parts of numerous mugong in Murim…. In a way, she was a genius that surpassed even the Supreme Dharma. While she was clearly weaker than Seol Jungyeon in terms of mugong skills, her mugong development ability was literally leaps and bounds above Seol Jungyeon .

“But it's impossible for me alone. You need to help me.”

“What are you talking about….”

“We need to remove the gimaek from the Simbeop that originally has to circulate on both gimaek and hyeolmaek. In terms of mathematics, we need to make a new formula by subtracting the ‘sign'.”

In the formula of ‘1+1=2’, removing ‘+’ means the formula would be invalid and become an indefinite sequence of numbers and symbols. And currently, Ha Sunyoung's goal was to remove all the signs while still retaining the shape of the formula. 

Yoo Seodam was flabbergasted. It was truly a crazy idea. 

Ha Sunyoung was also aware of the fact that it was such a crazy idea. With a bitter expression on her face, she said,

“It’s because, when I see her, it keeps reminding me of my past self. Anyway, all I have left is time. With the help of you and your magic… it might be possible.”

In fact, Yoo Seodam had succeeded in creating a new ‘form’ by incorporating magic formula into superpower, and even now, numerous superhumans were able to control their ability more finely thanks to mathematics.

And since mugong was closer to magic rather than superpowers, he felt that there was nothing that was impossible.

“Let’s try it.”

* * *

Inside the dark hotel room, a man and a woman were entangled with each other without any piece of clothing on their body.

Whilst the woman was busy exploring the man’s body like a broken puppet, the man was staring at the screen in the air without giving any attention to the woman.

The man was someone who had gained notoriety in Murim under the name of Saekma, Bang Ho-win.

(T/N: Saekma means a lecherous person.)

He was an expert who utilized Saekgong as a means to exploit the spirit of female experts to build his own naegong. However, as his own level became higher and higher, he couldn’t build more of his naegong with the spirits of ordinary experts anymore.

(T/N: Saekgong: Lecherous technique.)

That was why he really coveted the woman on the screen.

She was Seol Jungyeon, an expert that has reached the state of Hyunkyung, the strongest woman in the world as well as the most beautiful woman in the world. And because one's appearance was affected by Yin energy, if he could absorb Seol Jungyeon ……

“Oh, uh…!”

Suddenly, the woman on top of him trembled. As all of her vitality leaked out, she became a mummy and collapsed on Bang Ho-win. In the first place, it was impossible for a woman who had just begun learning mugong to endure even one round in front of Bang Ho-win, who had reached the state of Hyunkyung.

She was clearly not strong enough.

The stronger the woman, the more beautiful their appearances would become. At the same time, when the woman was stronger, Bang Ho-win would be able to extort the woman’s spirit longer and also enjoy the sweeter taste of spirit.

He was in a hurry to build his power one again. That was why he kidnapped female criminals and made them learn some random, crappy martial arts. 

It had been 4 years since he lived with only tasting the crappy taste of weak women. He couldn't stand it anymore.

“Remove this and bring a new one.”

When Bang Ho-win said so, a man who was hiding like a shadow in the corner appeared. He had dark hair and dark eyes which were darker than even his own shadow. It would be difficult to feel his presence if he had not moved his head.

“Salute.”

Smiling Shadow, he was the man who appeared on TV and represented China on their claim of mugong. He peeked at Bang Ho-win while removing the dead woman's body.

“What about the offering I ordered the other day?”

The offering he meant was ‘Geom-hee'.

"….Sorry. I will prepare it faster.”

“Tsk. It was way too slow. Do it right!”

Smiling Shadow smiled at him and lowered his head. If Bang Ho-win did not have Supreme Dharma’s ‘relic’ in his hands, he would never have followed him. With such thoughts, Smiling Shadow quietly disappeared into the shadow, and Bang Ho-win's gaze turned into a deep obsession as he stared at Seol Jungyeon on the screen.

‘Soon….'

Bang Ho-win tried to feel the power in his body as he clenched his fists. It was still difficult to move directly because of the wound he had suffered four years ago. He had not fully recovered. However, as long as he could successfully bring that woman to China…

At that time, Bang Ho-win’s eyes widened as he watched the news on the TV.

-The New Murim Alliance responded to China's request!

The one who spoke on the news wasn’t Seol Jungyeon but a man with black hair and white eyes.

-Your opinion is valid. However, we question the identity of those who claim themselves to be true Murim people after they ordered some people to trespass Korea and secretly attack. Wasn't Murim all about martial arts and chivalry? 

At the same time, the screen showed the identity of 3 Murim experts who had attacked Geom-hee. The news also explained that all of them were members of China’s Murim Hohyanghoe.

Bang Ho-win gritted his teeth.

On top of being caught, they also leak the information about Murim Hohyanghoe. Bang Ho-win didn't expect them to be completely loyal to him in the first place… but he also didn't expect them to open their mouths that easily.

-However, New Murim League, which is filled with martial arts (武) and chivalry (俠) will give you the opportunity to prove your ‘mugong’. If you want to claim mugong’s ownership, please do it in Murim way. If you can prove your ability in the upcoming ‘Great Rift’, we will gladly acknowledge your ownership of the martial arts and give up all rights we hold.

Despite being the victim of both the sneak attack and mugong ownership dispute, the New Murim League still proposed an extremely modern and justified solution. The entire world would be rejoicing at their wise proposal.

With the public opinion on the New Murim League side, it was now impossible for China to avoid the arrows of criticism. It also means that their ‘Mugong Claim’ plan couldn’t be executed anymore. Moreover, they couldn’t force Seol Jungyeon  to come to their land anymore… If China’s government becomes extremely pushy and employs some restriction towards the New Murim League, there’s a chance that another nation would attack China using the ‘Great Rift’ as the pretext.

-That’s why…..

The man on the screen stared at the camera lens as if he was looking straight at Bang Ho-win and said.

-Saekma, Bang Ho-win. Stop hiding and manipulating things from the shadow!! Show yourself!! 

Then, another news came up one after another. 

It was a statement from the United States regarding the disputes between the two Murim groups.

-In case of Superpower Intellectual Property Right, a hearing is a must to determine who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong. However, in the case of mugong, exceptions will be made. The authorities do not recognize the old Murim's laws, where everything is decided by force. However, we acknowledge the modern New Murim League's laws that target monsters. Therefore, we demand China to show some evidence that backs their claims as the true owner of mugong!

Wooong!!! Crash!!!

Bang Ho-win clenched his hand and the remote control in his hand crumbled. At the same time, a shockwave burst from his body breaking all the glass in the room.

‘That face…. I remember it…..'

Even though he wasn't present back then, he was aware of the face of the man who brought together Murim people under one banner and killed the Supreme Dharma.

‘Yoo Seodam!!!'

Bang Ho-win gritted his teeth. He was convinced that Yoo Seodam had figured out the danger that awaited Seol Jungyeon in china. That was why he said all of those things in the news.

However, he chose the wrong opponent.

Back then, the Supreme Dharma they fought was alone, moreover, he was severely weakened. However, Bang Ho-win believed that he was different from Dharma. He had numerous subordinates under him, he also had backing of China with him.

‘Do you want me to fall for your trick?'

Yoo Seodam wanted to keep Seol Jungyeon as far as possible from Bang Ho-win. But… it was useless. The fact that he knew where Seol Jungyeon would appear was enough for him.

He took out a half-cracked sword he had hidden in his arms. It was a memento that was hidden by The Supreme Dharma. It was a mystical sword that could cut a dimension and allow Murim people to return to earth from Murim.

Even though his level of existence was too low to use it right now, it doesn’t matter. Because as long as he succeeds in capturing Seol Jungyeon and sucks her spirit, he would be able to use it as much as he wants.

“I will personally come for you.”