Ubermensch – Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Bang! Bang!

Every time Mason swung his arms and legs, there was an explosion, and those who were hit, as well as those swept away by the flying people, had to fly at least tens of meters.

Even if you were told to throw a shot put, you wouldn’t be able to throw it like that.

However, what really shocked Ma Useok was not Mason’s strength.

‘He’s not even using any special martial arts techniques……’

Mason’s punches and kicks were crude. No, they were beyond crude, to the point where it was questionable if he had ever learned martial arts.

Nevertheless, Mason……

‘……He’s showing that kind of power while holding back?’

Rather than punching, he was sending people flying like soccer balls with pushing blows.

Of course, Ma Useok was also the leader of a faction in charge of a labor union.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t produce that much destructive power.

But while he had to use his full strength to exert that much power, Mason was able to exert that much power even if he swung carelessly.

And that was only with external strength, without any internal energy!

‘The martial world is truly vast. Such a master, and he’s new to the scene!’

Bang!

Mason’s sweeping strike hit the last person, and he crashed to the floor, breaking through the wall of the inn with his back.

“Ah, that was tiring.”

Mason said, dusting off his hands.

“They’re annoyingly tough, makes it hard to hold back.”

And at the same time, the inn building collapsed with a rumble.

It was because of the walls and pillars that had been broken while sending the martial artists flying.

The waiter cried out with a mournful face.

“What’s the point if only the people are safe! Our shop is ruined!”

“Uh…… Sorry…… I’ll compensate you……”

Mason fumbled and pulled out his money pouch.

“How much should I give you?”

When he took out a few gold ingots, the waiter snatched the money pouch, leaving the gold ingots.

“This will be enough, sir.”

Seeing him smiling brightly, Mason let out a hearty laugh.

“If it’s enough, then it’s enough.”

Ma Useok said with a displeased expression.

“No. What do you mean by paying for the entire shop?”

“I broke it, so I have to pay for it. They probably don’t have any money.”

“That waiter is probably richer than a county magistrate. This is an inn right in front of the Forbidden Zone, and those Beggars’ Sect bastards only bring in foreign and fusion dishes, saying not to fill your stomach with cheap stuff, so they rip people off.”

Mason looked at the back of the waiter’s head with a dubious expression.

‘Should I ask for half of it back?’

Ma Useok said.

“Now you really have no choice but to follow me, right?”

The martial world was a place where grudges and relationships were intertwined. Now that he had taken Ma Useok’s side and beaten up his enemies, Ma Useok’s enemies would consider Mason an enemy as well.

“Hmm…… I guess so?”

Ma Useok said.

“Let’s go using Lightness Skill. More pursuers might come……”

Seeing Mason just blinking his eyes, Ma Useok asked.

“……Do you know how to use Lightness Skill?”

Mason shook his head.

“Ha……”

Ma Useok looked at Mason’s massive physique. If he were small, he could carry him and run, but it was impossible to use Lightness Skill while carrying such a large body.

“……Then let’s hurry. It’ll take at least ten days to walk to the union headquarters.”

“Wait a minute.”

Mason tossed aside the debris and went down to the basement of the inn. He came back up, wearing the Golden Lion Armor and carrying the Lion’s Great Hammer.

Ma Useok blinked.

“What on earth is that enormous armor for?”

“It’s a gift I received.”

“Why don’t you just throw it away? Armor is inefficient against monsters.”

“A gift…… from a dead friend.”

“Ah.”

Ma Useok seemed to have a lot to say, but he didn’t say anything more.

“Then let’s go.”

He said, turning around.

“Watch your step.”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

While walking along the road, various monsters attacked Mason and Ma Useok.

However, Mason was a superhuman, and Ma Useok was a master.

Mason and Ma Useok admired each other’s fighting styles.

‘Brute force.’

Mason smashed enemies with an unimaginable divine power. He was unharmed even when hit by enemy attacks, and his movements were agile despite his massive physique.

Mason also admired Ma Useok’s fighting.

‘Precision.’

Ma Useok was famous for using domineering and powerful martial arts among martial artists. But that was only by the standards of martial artists. From Mason’s perspective, he could feel precise and controlled power in each and every one of Ma Useok’s moves.

‘Precise, but…… precarious.’

The problem was not the technique. It was the internal energy.

For example, Players, especially melee Dealers, if they had 100 strength, they would allocate 50 to defense and 50 to attack. However, martial artists used a special system called internal energy, and instead of pouring 100 into attack at the moment of striking, they often became completely defenseless.

The same went for defense. Unlike ‘Tankers’ like Sung Kijun or Andrei, they dodged or deflected most attacks with skill.

Only when it was truly unavoidable did they use defensive techniques.

In Ma Useok’s case, he used a defensive technique called Copper Skin and Iron Bones, which hardened his body, and at that moment, he would devote 100 of his strength to defense.

Seen in a positive light, it was using energy efficiently without waste…… but seen in a negative light, it was close to a stunt that threw away stability.

‘No. Perhaps from their perspective, Players are too rigid in how they use their strength.’

One thing was certain, these ‘martial artists’ were a step above Players when it came to the technique of manipulating core energy.

Perhaps this energy manipulation technique was what Nodens was interested in.

‘The problem is that the most important part, the internal energy cultivation part, has been lost.’

While Mason was lost in thought, walking through the ruined city, they were walking deeper and deeper into the heart of the city.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

Two armed men were visible in front of a broken gate. They were the gatekeepers of the ruined palace.

Ma Useok spoke familiarly to them.

“It’s me, Ma Useok.”

“Oh. Chairman. You’re safe.”

They looked suspiciously at Mason, who was standing next to him.

“Who is this person? Heavy armor and heavy weapons. Is he an honor guard?”

“He’s my benefactor. His name is……”

Ma Useok realized then.

“What is your name……?”

That he still didn’t know Mason’s name.

Mason shrugged and said.

“I’m Ma……”

And Mason realized belatedly.

That he shouldn’t use the name Mason in other dimensions.

“Oztalon.”

“That’s a strange name. Is it an alias or a nickname?”

“Hmm…… I guess it’s a kind of nickname.”

The gatekeepers didn’t think much of it.

“Please come inside.”

The ruined palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace was the royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty, and in the democratic era, it was the presidential office. And at this moment, it was the gathering place for those who resisted the times.

But now it looked like a guerrilla camp.

Everything that should be there was there. Except for one thing: order.

Without any rules or regularity, everything was scattered in a messy and chaotic manner. In one corner, they were butchering monsters to prepare a meal, and in another corner, men and women were tangled together, drinking alcohol. In yet another corner, they were sharpening weapons, and those practicing Lightness Skill on a tightrope and those practicing spear techniques were yelling at each other, saying they were in each other’s way.

It was chaos. A fervent chaos.

“Which one do you want to see first?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“The 20th President of the Korean Provisional Government. Or the General Chairman of the Korean Labor Unions.”

“What’s the relationship between the two?”

“The General Chairman is stronger in martial arts.”

“No, I’m asking who’s higher up between the two. The head of the organization.”

“Isn’t it obvious that the stronger person is higher up?”

Mason made a disgusted face.

Martial artists were using the term ‘respect for the strong’ even in places where it shouldn’t be used.

“Who’s easier to meet?”

“The General Chairman of the Labor Unions. I have something to report to him anyway, so let’s go together.”

Mason sighed.

The place he headed to was a forest on the outskirts of the building.

As they moved away from Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was at the center of the noise, a quiet and calm atmosphere gradually returned.

Gyujanggak. A group of people were standing at the old library.

They were delighted to see Ma Useok.

“Ma Construction! You’re safe!”

“Of course! The Construction Workers’ Union is full of tough guys. We wouldn’t get caught by those weakling prosecutors!”

Mason made a dubious expression, seeing Ma Useok bragging.

‘Weren’t you being taken away……?’

Anyway, Mason cleared his throat.

Then, people’s attention turned to Mason.

They were first surprised by Mason’s massive size, and second by his enormous heavy armor.

“Who wears heavy armor in this day and age……”

“He said it’s a friend’s memento.”

“……It’s always the most reliable defense. Yes. Yes.”

Ma Useok said.

“This is Oztalon. He’s the one who helped me. He’s an eccentric martial artist who achieved physical transformation through external strength, and he’s taking his first step into the martial world after 100 years of closed-door training.”

“A master of external strength who trained for 100 years in seclusion?”

“And he’s new to the scene?”

People looked dubious. Because just a glance was enough to tell he was suspicious.

But before they could say anything, a low voice came from inside.

“Don’t keep the guest waiting.”

It wasn’t a loud voice, but it pierced through the surrounding noise and reached their ears clearly. It was a voice imbued with internal energy.

The people let Mason and Ma Useok go.

“Go inside and greet the General Chairman.”

Gyujanggak, like other places, was in ruins. However, apart from the parts that had been damaged by time, the inside was neatly organized.

And inside, a woman in white clothes was reading a book. It was a face Mason knew well.

“Kacha……?”

It was clear. Yekaterina. No, Freyja.

When Mason unconsciously took a step forward, an intangible energy blocked his path.

It wasn’t pressure. It was a clear barrier. A wall made of Qi was rejecting Mason.

The woman with Yekaterina’s face asked with a wary expression.

“Kacha? Who is that?”

At that moment, Mason realized.

She couldn’t be Kacha. Even if they were the same actor, if they were on different stages with different scripts, they couldn’t be the same person.

Mason finally understood why those who traveled through various dimensions had to use aliases.

It was to avoid confusion.

“I am Seo Wangmo (Queen Mother of the West). Seo Wangmo, the General Chairman of the Korean Labor Unions.”

It was because he shouldn’t treat someone who wasn’t Yekaterina as Yekaterina.

“……Yes. I see.”

Mason looked at Seo Wangmo with a bitter expression.

Just as she was Seo Wangmo, not Yekaterina, Mason……

“……Oztalon. My name is Oztalon.”

……was someone who could no longer be called Mason.