The Price of Victory
Thwip!
A familiar sound, like something being skewered, echoed through the air. Jo Pacheon felt a sudden, icy sensation boring into the right side of his chest.
"W-what is this...?"
Jo Pacheon looked down to find a blade protruding from his chest. And the hilt of that sword... was gripped firmly in Bukjin’s hand.
"H-how did this happen?"
Jo Pacheon’s mind went blank. Who did I just stab? Why is Im Bukjin suddenly standing right in front of me?
Boom!
Bukjin had no intention of giving him a chance to recover. He lashed out with a powerful kick to Jo Pacheon’s chest. The Doran Sword, which had been buried in the boy's flesh, was ripped out with a sickening squelch. Using the momentum of the kick, Bukjin flipped backward, putting distance between them.
He had learned one vital lesson from the countless games he’d played in his past life: once you land a critical hit, back off immediately to avoid the inevitable counter-attack.
"Gah!"
Jo Pacheon let out a pained groan as he was sent flying. Baek Hae-geum, his face contorted with fury, let out a thunderous roar and blurred through the air to catch his falling disciple.
"You mongrel! How dare you...!"
He closed the distance to Bukjin with terrifying speed, thrusting a palm forward. His Hyeongi surged, whipping up a violent gale. To Bukjin, it felt as if a massive mountain was collapsing directly onto his head. A crushing weight of pure intimidation shackled his body, leaving him unable to even twitch a finger.
Bukjin’s eyes widened as he watched the killing blow approach. This is bad. This is really, really bad! he screamed internally.
The strike Baek Hae-geum had unleashed was something Bukjin could never hope to block. Fortunately, Jeong Sam-seok moved at the exact same moment. Vanishing from his spot like a wisp of smoke, the master soared into the air with incredible speed.
Suspended in the void, Jeong Sam-seok radiated an aura that threatened to cleave space itself. Three sharp streaks of sword qi, fast as lightning, were fired toward Baek Hae-geum. However, Baek Hae-geum didn't even try to dodge. The moment Jeong Sam-seok attacked, three figures appeared out of nowhere to intercept the sword qi.
"Instructor Jeong, do not act rashly."
"The rules must not be broken."
"The Sword Saint is merely trying to save his disciple."
They were all elder swordsmen. One of them was Myeong Nak-cheon’s master. With them blocking the way, Jeong Sam-seok’s momentum was forced to a halt.
Bukjin felt the cold breath of death on his neck. Baek Hae-geum’s palm was descending through the air, carrying enough power to shatter Bukjin’s body into a thousand pieces. Driven by a murderous frenzy, Baek Hae-geum showed no mercy. He could not, under any circumstances, allow Bukjin to defeat Jo Pacheon.
He had gone to great lengths to prepare this duel just to humiliate Jeong Sam-seok. The thought of Jeong Sam-seok possessing a disciple more brilliant than his own was utterly intolerable. To ensure his success, Baek Hae-geum had already recruited three elder swordsmen he was close with before the duel even began. He had crafted a death trap that Bukjin was never meant to escape.
Die! Baek Hae-geum screamed in his heart.
But just as Bukjin was about to lose his life to the Sword Saint’s hand, the unexpected happened.
A hand, as white and delicate as fine jade, appeared beside Bukjin. Powerful Hyeongi erupted from the beautiful hand, manifesting dozens of palm prints that soared upward to meet the attack.
Thousand-Thousand Jade Leaf Palm!
Im Jin?! The name flashed through Bukjin’s mind.
As he suspected, the one who had intervened was Im Jin. Unmong City’s greatest genius had never taken her eyes off Bukjin for a single second. The moment his life was in danger, she had struck. She moved with a mystical speed that no one—save perhaps Jeong Sam-seok—could have reacted to, appearing at Bukjin’s side in an instant.
Boom! Bang! Crash!
Countless bursts of light exploded above Bukjin’s head. A massive storm of Hyeongi swirled in every direction.
"Hold on to me tight," Im Jin’s clear, melodic voice whispered in his ear.
You're helping me again.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Bukjin wrapped his arms around Im Jin’s slender waist. A massive explosion rocked the area, and the two of them were sent tumbling across the ground together.
"Jin-ah!"
"Jin!"
Several shocked voices rang out. His head spinning, Bukjin felt several powerful presences rushing toward their position. Relying purely on his hearing to judge the situation, he reacted instantly, letting go of Im Jin and leaping backward to create space.
Too many eyes were watching. It wouldn't do to be seen clinging to her. However, the moment Bukjin tried to pull away, Im Jin’s arms tightened around him.
W-what?
Bukjin panicked. As Im Jin pressed her body against his, he could feel the softness of her skin through her clothes, and his heart began to thud against his ribs. It was then that her voice drifted into his ear again.
"Honestly, bigger isn't always better."
With that, Im Jin gave him a light push, and the two of them rolled away in opposite directions. Five figures landed beside them almost immediately. Four of them were already shielding Im Jin: Im Gun-hyeon and his wife, Yeo Nak-yeon, and Im O. The fifth figure was Cho Heun.
The dean’s reaction had been incredibly fast. "Bukjin! Are you alright?!" Cho Heun looked at him with a tense, worried expression, as if he were looking at his own son.
"I'm fine."
Bukjin turned his head to look at Im Jin. Though her hair was a bit disheveled, her face was calm. She didn't seem to have a scratch on her. Bukjin finally let out a sigh of relief, but a startling thought suddenly occurred to him.
How is that girl with the split personality so strong? She collided head-on with Baek Hae-geum and didn't give an inch!
Whoosh!
Jeong Sam-seok landed beside Bukjin. He scanned his disciple with a sharp gaze, and once he was certain Bukjin wasn't seriously injured, he turned a gaze as cold as ice toward Baek Hae-geum.
Not far away, Baek Hae-geum stood with a dark, brooding face, supporting the heavily wounded Jo Pacheon. The surrounding elders and students watched with bated breath, sensing that the situation was far from over.
"The blood on your head isn't even dry yet, and you're already so cruel! This was supposed to be a mere spar, yet you inflicted such a grievous wound! You clearly intended to kill him!" Baek Hae-geum snarled, glaring at Bukjin as if he wanted to tear him apart.
"The crime of intentionally trying to kill an opponent is unforgivable!"
Bukjin felt a surge of hot anger at the man’s words. Just as he was about to snap back, Jeong Sam-seok placed a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to stay quiet.
"If he had intended to kill Jo Pacheon, he would have pierced the left side of his chest, not the right," Jeong Sam-seok said calmly.
It was true. The heart was on the left. A strike there would have meant instant death, beyond the help of even the most skilled physician. A wound to the right side was a different story—far easier to treat.
"Hmph! Regardless of the circumstances, the rules of the duel state that one must only subdue the opponent. Im Bukjin’s actions were excessively cruel and utterly beyond the pale! Jeong Noe, hand him over. He must be punished."
Baek Hae-geum spat the words through gritted teeth as he lowered Jo Pacheon to the ground. Jo Pacheon was coughing up blood, half-conscious from the agonizing pain. His limbs were cold, his vision dark. He was far too weak to continue any form of combat.
"Im Bukjin’s sword did not take Jo Pacheon’s life. It stopped exactly at the level of subdual you mentioned," Jeong Sam-seok said, enunciating every word clearly.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Baek Hae-geum shouted in a rage. "Are you going to protect this thug even after he’s maimed his opponent?"
Jeong Sam-seok replied, "Cease your useless schemes. I will not stand by while anyone lays a finger on my disciple in my presence."
"Ha! A bold statement!" Baek Hae-geum sneered. "I wonder if you can actually back it up."
"Instructor Jeong! Your disciple is far too cunning and his methods are far too brutal! He deserves to be punished!" Yuk Jeong-do, an elder swordsman from Cheongpung City, stepped forward to declare.
"Indeed! For a mere child to show such cruelty! If we do not discipline him now, he will surely become a menace later!" Myeong Won-san added. He was Myeong Nak-cheon’s grandfather. Soon, several other elder swordsmen joined in, voicing their support for Baek Hae-geum.
"It seems I have been in seclusion for too long. You all seem to have forgotten the weight of my name when I was called the Sword Immortal," Jeong Sam-seok said, a chilling light flashing in his eyes.
One of the elders gave a cold smile. "Is that so? Instructor Jeong, are you threatening us now?"
Myeong Won-san added with a calm smirk, "Instructor Jeong, surely you haven't forgotten where we are?"
The moment they finished speaking, a woman’s voice, cold as a winter frost, rang out through the area.
"It seems to me that you are the ones who have forgotten where you are."
Im Jin stood up, brushing off the hands of her family members who were trying to hold her back. Known as the Small Phoenix, she stepped toward Bukjin, radiating an intimidating aura and a gaze as sharp as a blade. She looked at each of the elder swordsmen in turn before speaking in a frigid tone.
"Anyone who dares to try and punish my partner within the walls of the Im family estate will have to face my sword first."
The faces of everyone present paled instantly.
Im Jin?
The Small Phoenix of the Im family?
But why is she dressed like a man...?
Ah, she was in disguise!
Myeong Won-san and the other elders who had sided with Baek Hae-geum were caught completely off guard. Their dignity was crumbling by the second. Jeong Sam-seok and Cho Heun had heard rumors about what had happened between Bukjin and Im Jin at the training grounds, but they never imagined their feelings ran this deep. They certainly hadn't expected Im Jin to announce their relationship so boldly and take Bukjin’s side in front of such a massive crowd.