Why Are You Laughing?
"Why are you laughing?"
As Jo Muyang asked the question, a barrage of hidden weapons came flying. Who would have guessed he’d launch an attack in the middle of a sentence?
Whish—!
Three hand-darts streaked toward Bukjin at high speed. Jo Muyang had waited for the perfect moment to strike, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. He clearly believed that feigning weakness to lower his enemy's guard was the ultimate setup for an ambush.
But who was he standing in front of? This was Bukjin, a gaming veteran who had never lost a psychological battle against countless players back on Earth. Even the formidable Jo Pacheon had fallen for his schemes; there was no way Bukjin would be caught napping. He had been prepared for a sneak attack from the very beginning.
In an instant, the Jeong-i Sword appeared in Bukjin's hand. With a swift flick of his wrist, he unleashed three streaks of sword light.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The three hand-darts were snapped clean in half and fell to the ground. Bukjin hopped down from the wall, wearing an expression of pure, unadulterated fury.
"You son of a bitch! How dare you insult this young master by—"
Bukjin had spent quite a while agonizing over how to respond when Jo Muyang asked for his identity. He had even come up with a cool-sounding title: the 'Heaven-Defying Evil God.' And yet, the bastard had attacked him before he could even get the words out!
But before Bukjin could finish his sentence, a loud thud echoed from behind him. Turning his head, Bukjin saw the leader of the Byeokran Gang rolling off the wall. A hand-dart was buried deep in his buttock. The man lay there in a pathetic heap, staring up at Bukjin with eyes full of resentment.
As it turned out, one of the darts Bukjin had deflected had flown back and lodged itself right in the gang leader's rear. The impact had paralyzed his entire body, causing him to tumble down.
"Tsk, tsk. What a useless fellow." Bukjin clicked his tongue as he walked over and yanked the dart out of the man's cheek... his lower cheek.
"Aaaagh!" the Byeokran Gang leader screamed.
"Oops. Did that hurt? My bad."
However, the gang leader was already too paralyzed to move. He decided his best course of action was to simply close his eyes and pretend to be dead.
Watching this, Jo Muyang didn't say a word. He simply flicked his wrist again.
Whish—!
Six hand-darts shot toward Bukjin simultaneously. Two of them were specially crafted, infused with Mystic Energy. These two darts traced bizarre, curving arcs through the air, spinning as they closed in on Bukjin from both his left and right flanks at once. It was a vicious, high-level technique.
But Bukjin’s eyes gleamed. He clearly tracked the trajectories of the two darts closing in from his sides. In that moment, a realization struck him. It was a crucial element he had overlooked when applying his Earth-based gaming logic to martial arts.
AD! An Attack Damage Carry!
If he could take down an opponent from a distance, there was no need to engage in messy close-quarters combat. Back in his previous life, the true masters of the games he played were those who picked ranged characters, maintained their distance, and whittled down the enemy's health until they could flip the entire game on its head.
Ranged characters usually had the disadvantage of being 'squishy'—easy to kill if they were caught out of position—but that wasn't a problem for Bukjin. In this world, he was a swordsman. He was a swordsman with physical durability and defense high enough to handle a brawl without breaking a sweat. Adding ranged capabilities to his repertoire would make him truly unstoppable.
With this thought in mind, Bukjin fully unleashed his mental perception. The trajectories of every dart flying at him from every direction became crystal clear.
Bukjin executed the Tuhyangjeolokbo. His figure flickered left and right as if he were teleporting through space, surging forward with explosive speed. He evaded every single dart and closed the distance to Jo Muyang in a heartbeat, thrusting his sword toward the man's chest.
Suddenly, a swordsman leaped out from behind Jo Muyang. At that same moment, the sound of flapping wings filled the air.
Bukjin instantly transitioned his movement technique to Unjungbiu, soaring into the sky. Switching his sword to his other hand, he delivered two lightning-fast slashes to either side of Ak Hong-seol, who was hanging unconscious from the tree.
The Jeong-i Sword was a masterpiece obtained from the Trial of the Sword. It lived up to the name engraved upon it by the master craftsman, Beom Jo-ang. Its razor-sharp edge sliced through the thick iron chains as if they were soft tofu. Bukjin caught the falling Ak Hong-seol and landed gracefully on the ground.
Seeing this, Jo Muyang’s face twisted into a venomous scowl. He violently swung both arms.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
He seized the opening to fire three more darts. But Bukjin’s mental perception was still wide open. He could sense everything happening within a thirty-foot radius with absolute clarity. His sword moved in a blur, producing three bright sparks. All three darts were shattered and fell to the earth.
Just then, the swordsmen of the Cheonrihaeng Merchant Alliance charged at Bukjin once more.
"Jesujeon Sword Technique."
Bukjin held Ak Hong-seol with one arm and swung his sword with the other. The faint sound of crashing waves echoed through the air. Five swordsmen had rushed him, but all five were sent flying, neutralized by a single strike. The swords in their hands were snapped in two.
Immediately after, Bukjin swung the arm holding Ak Hong-seol, tossing her in a different direction. The unconscious girl flew straight into the arms of the Byeokran Gang leader, who had just recovered enough strength to start pushing himself up.
Crash!
The gang leader, who had been struggling to stand, was knocked flat on his back again as he barely managed to catch Ak Hong-seol.
Bukjin executed the Tuhyangjeolokbo again, slipping through the swordsmen's encirclement in an instant to charge at Jo Muyang. The merchant's complexion paled. A sense of impending doom finally washed over him.
This is bad! That boy in the school uniform is no amateur! His movement techniques and swordsmanship are both top-tier!
Based on his experience, Bukjin was an incredibly difficult opponent to face head-on.
Screech—!
Arrows began to rain down from all directions, whistling through the air. Archers hidden throughout the manor had opened fire. Bukjin pushed his mental perception to the limit, sensing every movement around him. He pushed his Tuhyangjeolokbo to its absolute peak, constantly shifting his position to weave through the arrows as he closed in on Jo Muyang.
This was Bukjin’s combat philosophy: Cut off the head, and the body will fall. He knew that if he could just subdue Jo Muyang, the rest of the problems would solve themselves.
However, Jo Muyang was surprisingly fast. He seemed to have mastered an excellent footwork technique of his own, constantly repositioning himself while unleashing a relentless stream of hidden weapons—hand-darts, flying daggers, and even poisoned needles.
He was the first true master of hidden weapons Bukjin had encountered since coming to this world. According to the martial arts movies Bukjin had seen back on Earth, a true master of the craft didn't just use their wrists; they launched weapons from their shoulders, waists, knees, and even their toes. Some could even spit needles from their mouths. Jo Muyang fit that description perfectly.
However, his primary weapons were the hand-darts and daggers. It appeared he had mechanical devices hidden inside his sleeves that used springs to launch the projectiles. Bukjin used the Jeong-i Sword to parry every incoming weapon, rapidly narrowing the gap between them.
Suddenly, a cold sneer spread across Jo Muyang’s face. He looked as if he had finally found the perfect opportunity to finish Bukjin. He raised his hand, and a dart much larger than the previous ones shot out from his sleeve.
Clang!
The moment Bukjin raised his sword to block it—
Pop!
The dart exploded into several fragments. Immediately, a pale green mist billowed out from the shards. Bukjin was instantly engulfed in the emerald cloud.
"Heh... hehehe..." Jo Muyang began to laugh coldly.
The green mist was none other than a paralyzing poison called 'Divine Elephant's Stupor.' A single breath of it was enough to paralyze an ordinary person instantly. Legend had it that this poison could knock out even a massive elephant.
A moment later, Bukjin stumbled out of the green mist.
"Ah! You cowardly... No, I can't..."
Bukjin collapsed onto the ground. Jo Muyang finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Kill him immediately," Jo Muyang commanded.
Bang Sobaek and Heo Da, who had been watching the entire scene from the sidelines, were plunged into total despair. When Bukjin had been showing off his incredible martial prowess earlier, they thought they finally had a glimmer of hope. They never imagined Jo Muyang would use such underhanded tactics. They hadn't expected him to have poison gas hidden in his sleeves.
Bukjin was just a student with little combat experience. There was no way he could have been prepared for this.
It's over.
Another one falls...
In the eyes of Bang Sobaek and Heo Da, Jo Muyang looked like nothing less than a demon incarnate. At his command, several of the merchant alliance's swordsmen rushed forward, their blades aimed at the fallen Bukjin.
Bang Sobaek and Heo Da squeezed their eyes shut, unable to bear the sight of Bukjin being butchered. A cruel smile played on Jo Muyang’s lips. He had ordered an immediate execution rather than capture because he didn't want to know Bukjin’s true identity. He judged that a young master of such caliber must have a formidable background.
But since the boy had crossed him, he had to be pulled up by the roots. Jo Muyang reasoned that since the boy hadn't revealed his name yet, no one in the manor knew his true origins. If he killed him now, there would be no repercussions. As long as he cleaned up the mess properly, the boy would simply vanish without a trace. He even planned to kill the Byeokran Gang leader to ensure total silence.
In Jo Muyang’s plan, not even a ghost should know what happened in the manor today. He felt a surge of excitement. The thrill of murdering a combat genius in secret was even more intoxicating than conquering a young girl. Unable to contain his exhilaration, Jo Muyang began to laugh.
Just then, a person standing right next to Jo Muyang asked him a question.
"Why are you laughing?"