As Expected, You Are Wise
The Red Blood Hall had crossed countless battlefields. Among the Wicked Dao Alliance’s combat units, being labeled the weakest simply meant they were given the most trivial assignments. In terms of raw combat experience, they could confidently claim to possess a wider range than even the elite squads. Yet…
“What the hell is this?”
Gi Eungso swore he had never witnessed anything like it in his life.
“They were just ignorant villagers a second ago…”
“Why did their bodies suddenly…?”
It wasn’t only their leader, Gi Eungso. Every single Red Blood Hall warrior stood frozen in shock. Just moments earlier they had been brimming with confidence, certain of victory. While the other side did have a few experts, the majority were ordinary civilians. They had even laughed at them, mocking how the fools would flee with lumps all over their bodies.
But now—
“What the hell are those muscle freaks?!” Eungso howled.
In the span of seconds, ordinary people had transformed into hulking monstrosities. Nearly two meters tall. Muscles like solid rock, thick and dense. Even he, a Peak-realm master, couldn’t help but admire such physiques. And it wasn’t just one or two. Every single villager—over sixty of them—had changed into that form.
“What is this?”
“This can’t be real!”
The transformed villagers themselves were equally horrified. They frantically groped at their own bodies with disbelieving eyes. Yet the steel-like hardness beneath their fingers told them the truth: these muscles were no illusion.
What on earth had just happened?
Both friend and foe stood united in shock, their gazes converging on a single figure.
Elena. She was the only one capable of such a miracle.
“...”
Elena remained silent for a moment, calmly surveying the crowd staring at her. Then she spoke, her voice soft and clear.
“I told you all quite clearly, didn’t I? That you were not useless.”
Her beautiful voice, delicate and trembling with grace, spread across the battlefield.
“This is the proof. This is the power that had been sleeping inside each of you.”
“What?!”
“I have awakened your hidden potential. You are no longer weak or worthless!”
Elena declared with gentle conviction.
“Go now. Show them the strength you possess. Do not worry about injury. I am right here with you.”
“...Yes!”
The villagers answered with powerful voices. Their shock lasted only a moment; their resolve came swiftly. Hadn’t they already chosen to follow her at the risk of their lives? Now that she had granted them power, all that remained was to fight with everything they had.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Charge!”
“Protect the Saintess!”
The newly muscled villagers surged forward like a tidal wave.
The Red Blood Hall warriors, who had been momentarily stunned, recoiled in horror at the sight.
“Y-you bastards!”
“These monster bastards!”
Monster. The word slipped out unbidden—the sight was simply that overwhelming.
If they held back now, they would die. Sensing the lethal crisis, the Red Blood Hall fighters swung their weapons with everything they had. Qi-infused blades and spears crashed into the leading villagers.
Clang!
The sound was like striking solid rock. No—harder. Not even a scratch appeared on the surface of those bulging muscles.
“Huh?”
The Red Blood Hall warriors stared in disbelief. The villager simply looked back at his attacker before swinging a fist like a sledgehammer.
“Gwaaak!”
The struck warrior flew backward, taking several of his comrades with him. Similar scenes were exploding across the entire battlefield.
“Graaaah!”
One villager, unable to contain the overwhelming power surging through him, roared like a wild beast. He charged a nearby tree, ripped it from the ground as if it were a mere weed, and swung it like a club. Ordinary Third-class fighters were sent flying like autumn leaves.
“You bastards!”
“How insolent!”
As their allies fell, the more elite Second-class warriors finally stepped forward.
“Did they swallow some drug that explodes latent potential?”
“Even so, they’re just beasts with extra strength!”
The Murim world did possess medicines that could suddenly empower ordinary people. But such drugs had short durations and horrific side effects, which was why they were forbidden. Besides, they only increased raw power—they didn’t grant the refined instincts of a true martial artist.
“Real martial artists wouldn’t fall for something like—?”
The Red Blood Hall warrior who had been executing his technique with confidence suddenly froze. His opponent had evaded the form with eerily precise movements.
“Y-you… know martial arts?”
“N-no, I don’t.”
The villager shook his head, genuinely confused by his own actions.
The buff Elena had cast granted full level-20 capabilities. It didn’t merely enhance physical stats—it also bestowed the combat intuition and skills appropriate for that level.
“I-I don’t know what this is, but take this technique that just popped into my head!”
“Since when do peasants know forms like this?!”
As the villagers unconsciously activated warrior skills, the Red Blood Hall elites fell into complete disarray.
Of course, not everyone was being overwhelmed. When the two vice-leaders of the Red Blood Hall struck, blood sprayed through the air.
“Khak!”
“Hmph! As expected, they can’t withstand Sword Qi!”
Sword Qi—the hallmark of First-class masters. Before a blade that could slice through steel, even reinforced muscle had its limits. Thin but unmistakable wounds appeared.
And then the wounds regenerated.
“What?”
“This is insane!”
The two vice-leaders who had attacked with Sword Qi recoiled in horror. They had no idea a powerful survival buff had been layered on top of the physical enhancement.
But the real shock was still coming.
“Please stop harassing innocent civilians.”
Lee Cheongryeo had closed the distance at some point. A First-class master equal to themselves had entered the fray.
The two quickly countered with Sword Qi, but something felt terribly wrong.
This… this woman.
She’s suddenly gotten much stronger!
Two First-class experts were being pushed back by one. Though she was famous as the Sword Princess, she was still from the younger generation. They should have held the advantage in experience.
“What the hell is happening right now?!” Gi Eungso roared.
Scanning the battlefield, he realized anomalies were erupting everywhere.
Even if their potential was triggered, why are these peasants fighting so well? And why has that damn Sword Princess become so strong?!
He barely clung to his fracturing composure.
If I step in, it’s over. If they can only be cut by Sword Qi, I can take their heads in a single strike. The Sword Princess hasn’t reached the Peak realm yet.
Eungso believed that once he entered the fight, the situation would resolve itself. But in his distraction, he had overlooked one critical detail.
“Hey. Is your brain made of tangled noodles?”
“...Geumgang!”
The fact that the enemy also possessed a Peak-realm master.
“You pathetic fool. Dragging all your subordinates here was a decent move, but the moment something unexpected happened, you panicked and failed to even assess the enemy’s strength. That’s exactly how you operate.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Already on the verge of losing his mind amid the chaos, Eungso flew into a rage and charged Geumgang.
Fist Condensation and Blade Condensation collided violently.
It was similar to the fight back in the village, yet different. Even without Lee Cheongryeo’s interference, Eungso was being pushed back.
Realization dawned on him. His eyes widened in horror.
“Don’t tell me—?”
“Yes. Our Lord has drawn out our potential as well.”
Elena’s area-wide buff had naturally included both Lee Cheongryeo and Geumgang.
“The villagers probably couldn’t handle inner energy, so it manifested as extreme muscle development. But for inner energy practitioners like myself or the Sword Princess, our qi has been directly amplified.”
“Th-that’s…”
Eungso’s face went pale as he quickly assessed the battlefield. His subordinates were being utterly trampled by mere villagers. His two vice-leaders were struggling against just the Sword Princess. He himself was facing a clearly empowered Geumgang. And above all—
That Western woman is still standing there!
The monster who could heal the dying, restore lost martial arts, and awaken the potential of dozens.
“...Nameless supreme expert of the West. The next one who comes for you will be far stronger than me! Everyone, retreat immediately!”
He could no longer afford to be stubborn. Having tasted the terror of total annihilation, Gi Eungso abandoned all pride. He fled in panic with his remaining men.
“What? You’re running away again after saying ‘we’ll settle this later’?!”
“Don’t Murim people have any pride at all?”
The villagers tried to give chase, but Geumgang stopped them.
“Enough. Pursuing them any further might be fine for us, but it would be dangerous for all of you.”
“But if we let them go, they’ll just bring more people!”
“If we annihilate them here, the Wicked Dao Alliance will declare all-out war.”
The Red Blood Hall was one of the Wicked Dao Alliance’s official combat units. Wiping them out would be seen as a direct declaration of war against the entire faction.
“They won’t care that this is orthodox territory. They’ll send an army to Sichuan—not just a single unit or expert. The leader of the Wicked Dao Alliance himself might even get involved.”
“The strongest in the Murim—the leader of the Wicked Dao Alliance—would come personally?!”
“Look. Our Lord already understands this perfectly. That is why she neither chased them down nor stepped forward to annihilate them.”
Geumgang gestured toward Elena. She hadn’t taken a single step from her original position.
“She knew from the very beginning how this would unfold. As expected, you are wise!”
“...Yes.”
Elena gave a short, polite reply to Geumgang’s fervent praise before asking,
“Then shall we proceed to Sichuan now?”
“Indeed. Though reaching Sichuan won’t mean everything is over. Settling down will be difficult, so first let us find a place where we can all stay together.”
Geumgang answered vigorously and began walking. The great migration resumed, but this time it felt entirely different.
“My legs don’t hurt at all!”
“Power is overflowing from every inch of my body!”
Their newly muscled bodies made travel far easier. Their pace toward Sichuan quickened considerably.
Yet Elena’s expression remained grim.
…Damn it, what the hell do I know? I don’t understand any of this!
She had simply frozen in shock, and now she screamed inside her head.
Why did the skill apply like this?! Did the effect change? But Geumgang and Cheongryeo didn’t undergo any physical transformation! What the hell is going on?!
The skill Elena had originally used was never meant to alter appearances.
I barely managed to spin it like it was all according to plan, but if things had gone even slightly wrong, everything would have been exposed. Fucking hell!
Though she raged internally, her outward demeanor remained perfectly serene. As she walked in silence, they arrived in Sichuan before she knew it.