In an outlying area not far from the Golden Degree Palace within the Imperial City—
Around the palace, there were many engravings. Inside was an old man drinking to the sound of the rain.
A sharp-looking middle-aged man dressed in blue silk filled the empty glass and spoke to the old man.
“This truly is a great plan. Breaking the embankment didn’t even strike my mind.”
“The heavens helped us. Strategy and tactics are more important than power.”
“You are right, elder.”
The middle-aged man who had learned new things about the old man while preparing this could not hide his amazement.
Even a stable river would move like a tidal wave if they collapsed an embankment. Who would be able to survive that?
If they survived that, then they would be someone who could perform miracles.
“Soon, we will get good news.”
At the middle-aged man’s words, the old man shook his head.
“Even a perfect plan can have things go wrong. Prepare for even the smallest of oddities.”
“Oddities?”
“Don’t I always tell you? Heaven is fair to all. They have a chance to escape the flooded waters, so we mustn’t give them a chance to rest and continue to push them.”
Hearing the old man’s words, the middle-aged man bit his tongue. As expected of this man.
Within the Imperial Palace, a bloody political arena was taking shape. This man had the appearance of an ancient god who had been here since time immemorial.
‘I feel bad for the princess and the king. To make such a person their enemy…’
The monstrous old man never let his guard down. The princess would fall into their hands, one way or another. The middle-aged man stood up and said.
“I will do as you said.”
Kwakwakwang!
Byeok-woong was shocked as he saw the river splitting in two and flowing back into itself.
This was something that went against all human senses. How could a mere human overcome a natural disaster with just a punch?
But it had actually happened. Even if the Four Great Warriors were here, they would have looked to save themselves first.
‘W-what is that monster?’
And such a man wasn’t widely known?
He heard that this man was a master from the academy. At his level, however, calling him the Fifth Great Warrior or something would be more fitting.
“I-it is the River God!”
“River God!”
At that moment, the young sailors around him fell to the ground. For them, this was as if the River God had descended to help the people.
Actually, even if it wasn’t that, there was no way anyone could look away. Mumu’s power wasn’t something a human could possess.
‘Insane!’
Kang Mui was also incredulous at the absurdity of this sight. He knew Mumu was a monster who had defeated two of the Four Great Warriors but wasn’t this too much?
To split a river.
‘… It is impossible.’
He had harbored the faint hope of taking advantage of this chaos to escape. He thought that he would find a chance if Mumu was occupied.
But this monster was beyond that. He could never run.
Ba-dump!
Hong Na-yeon, the princess, was watching this as she felt her heart beginning to pound. How could a human hold such strength?
Calling it overwhelming wasn’t even fitting anymore.
‘… Strong. So strong.’
She had been a desperate child who had entered the academy intending to help out her father. Her desire for this was still unquenched.
However, seeing Mumu blow away the torrent of water made her feel something change in her heart as her face flushed red. Honestly, it would be impossible for her to reach such power even if she practiced with all her heart.
How reassuring would it be if a man this strong could protect her all her life?
Clench!
She felt enough greed to want to put her hands on him. It might just be a woman’s instinct to desire a strong man.
As the river moved back, Mumu landed on the now-exposed ground.
Tak!
Mumu, who had landed on the dry riverbed, clenched his fist and lifted it up. Mumu’s gaze turned towards the river that was slowly weakening its flow.
Although the power of one punch was strong, this was a temporary solution. Realizing this, Mumu came up with another solution.
Clench!
Mumu’s wrist looked like a black iron bar. His powerful forearms rippled back and forth due to the contractions of his muscles.
-kwaaang!
Mumu’s fist struck the exposed river bed. At that moment, something even more shocking happened.
Grrr!
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had started, and the whole surface began to crack.
People who had been caught by surprise at this were falling down due to the suddenly-moving ground. Byeok-woong was no exception as he staggered to stay on his feet.
Byeok-woong retreated faster than anyone else by using footwork as he witnessed this absurd sight.
‘… This makes no sense.’
The riverbed that Mumu had punched now had a large hole in it. It was so deep that no one could see the bottom of it.
‘H-he is no human.’
Byeok-woong’s body had trembled from the start of this. He realized that the man wasn’t human.
Even if he tried his best, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg. How was this monster not known?
This was his biggest question.
-swishhh!
He noticed the river moving before his eyes. The river, returning ferociously, was now being sucked into the hole.
‘Ah!’
An exclamation of surprise escaped from Hong Na-yeon’s mouth.
As the river water was sucked in, its force weakened instantly.
As a result, the river’s force flowing down to them was also weakened.
Pang!
Someone flew up from the giant pit, sucking down all the water.
It was Mumu. He had jumped up and then turned towards the place where the flow was weakening.
Paaang!
The ferocious flow slowed to a near-halt, and the water level felt shallower. Because of that, Mumu was able to save his brother from drowning.
Pak!
“Puah!”
“Are you alright?”
“You, what was that?”
Although he had nearly drowned, Jin-sung had clearly seen Mumu’s actions and was shaken by them. He couldn’t help but wonder about the extent of Mumu’s strength.
How did his father even find this child?
Mumu smiled in slight confusion before saying.
“I should get to saving the others now.”
Some more imperial guards and officials were drowning aside from Jin-sung. Jin-sung, who had forgotten them due to the shock, nodded.
Right.
Pak! Puang!
“Euk!”
Mumu once again jumped with his hand around Jin-sung’s waist.
The force of it pushed Jin-sung’s eyelids and lips back.
Papapal!
Byeok-woong used his footwork with all his might. His terrified expression was painfully obvious on his pale face.
‘Monster… He is a monster…’
Byeok-woong realized this and knew that thing was something he should never touch.
How could he deal with someone that could stop natural disasters? Running away was the only answer.
‘I need to get as far from here as possible.’
If he wanted to survive, he needed to get somewhere outside that man’s range. Anything less would be dangerous.
‘To think that such a monster hadn’t shown himself until now.’
Even if he had great luck, it wouldn’t be effective now.
He should never have taken this opportunity to earn money and relax his body. Running into a monster of a caliber he had never seen in all his days as an active warrior was a horrible feeling.
‘Damn it.’
It looked like he would need to stay hidden for a while. He felt bad for his contractor, but this was a monster that he couldn’t take on.
Kwang!
Byeok-woong, who was moving, was suddenly thrown back. He tried to correct his stance and protected himself with internal energy.
Chak!
But then his body began to tremble.
‘T-this…’
The man in front of him was Master Yu from the academy.
Did he already save all the drowning people?
Byeok-woong was so shocked that he had to gasp for air. He had tried his best to use his footwork to run but had gotten caught anyway.
‘I-I need to run.’
Byeok-woong twisted his body as he attempted to make another attempt to run.
Bang! Shhh!
Before he realized it, Master Yu, or Mumu, had appeared in front of him with a stern face. Byeok-woong, whose path was blocked, was now unsure of what to do.
He had to do something to create a path of escape, but he wondered if any attack would work.
Shh!
At that moment, Mumu rolled his finger and thumb and placed them on Byeok-woong’s forehead.
‘A flick?’
He only realized it for a moment.
Kwang!
A simple flick to the forehead was enough to send Byeok-woong’s body bouncing back as he felt tremendous pain as if someone had hit him with a stone hammer.
Kwakwakwang!
How many trees did he break?
Byeok-woong crashed through an innumerable number of trees until his body stopped on the rain-soaked ground.
“Ughh.”
His forehead was bleeding as he struggled to recover from the shock.
With a snap of the fingers and a simple flick, he who was once part of the top twenty warriors of the realm ended up like this.
The opponent wasn’t human.
‘H-how could this monster come here…’
Why did he end up touching this man? He would have refused the mission if he had known how strong the opponent was.
He was now feeling resentful of the person who sent him here.
Bang!
Mumu appeared in front of him again in an instant.
He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. He had tried to protect his body with internal energy, but the constant crashing into the trees had broken his back and spine.
Clench!
Mumu grabbed him by the head and lifted him up, filling him with fear.
Mumu then said to him,
“The hand you were waving at me earlier. Was it your right hand?”
‘!?’
Byeok-woong’s eyes trembled. Why was this man asking that?
No!
Pak!
Mumu immediately grabbed his right wrist. And…
Crack!
“Kuaaak!”
Without a hint of mercy, Byeok-woong’s right arm was broken as he screamed in pain and fear.
Seeing an old man in his 70s screaming in pain would weaken anyone’s resolve, but not Mumu.
He only responded dryly.
“It’s only getting more annoying, like moths coming to a fire. So let me ask you one question. You will answer me truthfully unless you want your back to be broken utterly.”
“Ughhhhh.”
“Who ordered this?”
Outside of the Golden Decree Palace in the Imperial City.
At the pavilion at the back of the palace, the old man was still seated, drinking. He was waiting for the moment when the measures he had set would finally bring him the princess, Hong Na-yeon.
‘King… you shouldn’t have kept such a treasured thing outside. Your foolish choice has…’
Kwaang!
‘!?’
The old man spilled his alcohol from the shock.
What was that?
The entire backyard felt like it was shaking. Did an earthquake happen?
As the old man was puzzled, a stern-faced middle-aged man came striding toward him with something in his hands.
‘Byeok-woong?’
That horrible-looking existence was Byeok-woong.
‘!!!!’
The man was speechless for a second.
How could Byeong-wook, who was supposed to be days away from here, be here in the hands of an unknown man in such a crippled state?