A Pervert and a Psychopath
"Hahaha! The reason I'm laughing is..." Jo Muyang started to answer naturally, only to realize something was horribly wrong.
A silver blade was already pressed against his throat. Jo Muyang’s expression froze instantly. He watched as the figure in front of him—the one currently being skewered by the merchant group's swordsmen—slowly began to fade away.
The image of Bukjin, who was being stabbed right before his eyes, dissipated into the air like wisps of smoke. The swordsmen who had thrust their blades looked at one another, utterly bewildered.
"Hmm? Keep laughing. Why'd you stop?" Bukjin asked, a sly, treacherous smile playing on his lips.
"You..."
Only then did Jo Muyang realize he had been played. Though he couldn't fathom how it had happened, he understood that his overconfidence in his own brilliance had led him straight into the trap of the cunning boy before him. The boy had closed the distance and suppressed him without him even noticing.
'How can he be this devious?'
Jo Muyang had assumed that while Bukjin was talented, he was merely an inexperienced brat who hadn't yet tasted the bitterness of the Murim, where schemes and deceptions ran rampant. He carefully twitched his fingers, attempting to activate the mechanical device strapped to his arm without Bukjin noticing.
"Stop right there. I wouldn't move if I were you," Bukjin said, instantly detecting the minute movement.
"You saw it, didn't you? This sword in my hand cuts through steel like it's tofu. It’s best not to move recklessly. If I get startled and my hand slips, your head might just go rolling across the floor."
Jo Muyang took a sharp, nervous breath. He was genuinely terrified. While he doubted a warrior of Bukjin's caliber would make a clumsy mistake, at this range, if Bukjin even twitched, the probability of his throat being slit was a clean hundred percent.
"Young Hero Im, please, calm down. Let's talk this out," Jo Muyang said, forcing a smile. "It seems there has been a misunderstanding between us."
"Misunderstanding, my foot."
Bukjin raised his hand and delivered a stinging slap to Jo Muyang's face. The man's left cheek began to swell rapidly. Stars danced before his eyes, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
Jo Muyang nearly lost his temper, but he managed to swallow his rage. Maintaining his forced smile, he said, "If hitting me helps ease your anger, then I shall endure it. My previous actions were indeed wrong."
Smack!
Bukjin slapped him again.
"And what exactly was wrong about them?" Bukjin asked.
"Huh?" Jo Muyang was flustered. It seemed like a difficult question for him to answer.
"Uh... I, I shouldn't have fired hidden weapons at you," Jo Muyang answered tentatively.
Smack!
The response was a slap so hard his ears rang.
"You think the problem is whether you fired hidden weapons or not?" Bukjin asked, his voice rising as if he were getting angrier the more they spoke.
"I..."
Before he knew it, both of Jo Muyang's cheeks were puffed up like steamed buns. His face, which could have been called handsome before, was becoming an unrecognizable mess.
Smack!
Bukjin delivered another blow. "What? Do you feel wronged? Hurry up and tell me what you did wrong."
Blood was now trickling from Jo Muyang's nose. He let out a silent, furious roar in his mind, but his outward voice remained calm. "I... I... Whatever Young Hero Im says is wrong, must be wrong."
Smack!
Bukjin threw another slap, looking genuinely offended. "Look at the attitude on this guy!"
Jo Muyang's vision began to blur. His teeth felt loose, as if they were about to fall out at any moment.
"I-I was wrong! I beg for your guidance, Young Hero Im!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, gritting his teeth.
"Go ahead and ask," Bukjin commanded.
"Huh? Ask what?" Jo Muyang asked, confused.
Smack!
Bukjin slapped him again in frustration. "Hurry up and ask me who I am!"
Jo Muyang felt like his sanity was crumbling. "W-Who are you?"
Upon hearing the question, Bukjin finally looked excited. He cleared his throat with a loud cough and spoke in a booming voice.
"Listen well, everyone! I am..."
Bukjin felt that the moment had finally arrived to reveal the magnificent title he had agonized over, using every single one of his brain cells to conceive.
"I am the Heaven-Reversing... Ah, no. That title sounds a bit childish. Let me think of something else..."
Bukjin, who had been speaking with such confidence, suddenly stopped and sank back into thought. He habitually raised a finger to stroke the bridge of his nose. He pondered for a moment, but no better title came to mind.
'Phew, this is all Jo Muyang's fault.'
His anger flared up again. With a sudden look of fury, he began slapping Jo Muyang's cheeks repeatedly.
"If you were curious about my identity, you should have asked sooner! You damn bastard, you've completely ruined the mood!"
"..."
Jo Muyang had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life.
"Hand over the antidote," Bukjin said in a threatening tone.
"W-What antidote are you talking about?" Jo Muyang’s mind was going numb; he simply couldn't keep up with Bukjin's erratic shifts in temperament.
Smack!
Bukjin slapped him again. "The antidote for the paralysis poison on your hidden weapons!" he roared.
Jo Muyang’s spirit was finally starting to break. He hurriedly reached out his hand to pull out the antidote. But then, Bukjin slapped him yet again.
"No. Don't you move."
AI-Shinshin app to deceive Jo Muyang's eyes.
AI-Shinshin: Screen Mirroring
If he made a mistake and allowed Jo Muyang to slip through his fingers, all that effort would go to waste.
'What should I do?'
Bukjin found the answer to his problem quite easily.
Crunch! Crack!
Bukjin immediately broke Jo Muyang's arms and legs.
"Aaaagh!" A scream like a dying pig erupted from Jo Muyang's throat.
Collapsing to the floor, Jo Muyang felt a surge of monstrous rage alongside the agonizing pain radiating from his shattered limbs. For a moment, he lost his reason and was about to scream curses. But then, he heard Bukjin muttering to himself.
"No, I heard that true masters of hidden weapons can fire them using their neck, waist, or even their hair and mouth. Breaking his limbs might not be enough... Maybe I should just kill him and search the corpse for the antidote?"
Bukjin’s monologue snapped Jo Muyang back to his senses. He forced a smile and pleaded desperately.
"W-Wait! Just a moment! I can only fire weapons using my knees, arms, and fingers! I can't use any other part of my body! I haven't trained that far yet... Please, you have to believe me!"
"What?" Bukjin asked, looking surprised. "You can use your fingers too?"
A look of extreme horror dawned on Jo Muyang's dazed face. But Bukjin didn't even give him the chance to feel fear. He immediately raised his foot...
Crunch! Crunch!
Bukjin stomped down, crushing all ten of Jo Muyang's fingers. Cold sweat poured down the man's body from the overwhelming pain. Yet, Jo Muyang couldn't say a word to Bukjin. He had realized that the boy known as 'Young Hero Im' was completely out of his mind.
To Jo Muyang, Bukjin was a pervert and a psychopath. He realized that trying to deal with such a lunatic using normal logic was nothing short of suicide.
"The antidote?" Bukjin asked.
"I-I have it. There's a small leather pouch under my belt. Inside is a small red bottle. That's the antidote for the Sinsang-chwi..." Jo Muyang answered breathlessly, gasping for air.
Bukjin pointed his sword at one of the nearby swordsmen from the merchant group. "You! Over there! Come here, take the antidote, and cure the others."
The swordsman, feeling he couldn't hesitate for even a second, ran over. He whispered a quiet "I'm sorry, Young Master" to Jo Muyang before reaching into the belt and pulling out the small leather pouch. Inside were various colored bottles, small manuals, hidden weapons, and secret needles. The swordsman pulled out the small red bottle and opened the cap. A sweet fragrance wafted out.
"L-Let them smell that scent. The paralysis will wear off..." Jo Muyang explained the instructions in a frantic voice, fearing what might happen next.
The swordsman hurried over and first let the leader of the Byeokran Gang inhale the scent. In his eyes, the gang leader was the person most closely related to Bukjin among those present. Next, he cured Bang Sobaek and Heo Da.
After a short while, those who had inhaled the fragrance regained their physical functions. Bang Sobaek stood up, kicked the merchant group's swordsman aside, and charged toward Jo Muyang with his sword drawn, aiming for the man's throat.
Jo Muyang looked utterly terrified. Just then, Bukjin swung his Jeongi Sword.
Clang!
Bang Sobaek's blade collided with Bukjin's sword, and he was pushed back five steps.
"You...!" Bang Sobaek glared at Bukjin with a furious expression. "Why are you protecting a piece of trash like him!"
"This guy is my prisoner. I decide what happens to him."
At that moment, Heo Da ran over and held Bang Sobaek back. He judged that nothing good would come from clashing with Bukjin. Moreover, Bukjin was the benefactor who had saved their lives. But the true reason was that Bukjin's strength, which had so easily and swiftly dismantled Jo Muyang, was unfathomable.
It felt as though the skill Bukjin had shown during the Academic & Martial Arts Competition trials was merely the tip of the iceberg. Heo Da instinctively felt that someone like Bukjin was the truly terrifying kind of person. In his eyes, Bukjin was the type of man one should never, ever provoke.