The Brilliance of the North Sea Empire
“Junior Brother Im!”
Spotting Bukjin, Ak Hong-hyang ran towards him with a joyful expression. Bukjin smiled and spread his arms, ready to embrace her. But Ak Hong-hyang stopped just short of him, controlling her emotions. Though her face was hidden by a mask, her trembling voice conveyed immense relief and joy.
“Junior Brother Im! You’re safe! I’m so glad nothing happened!”
Bukjin awkwardly lowered his outstretched arms.
‘Wouldn’t a hug be okay in this situation? Shouldn’t she be crying in my arms or something...?’
“You fool. You didn’t, by any chance, kill everyone in the fortress, did you?”
Im Tae-heo flickered forward, instantly appearing before Bukjin, and examined his condition as he spoke. Before coming here, Im Tae-heo had first visited the prison, where he found Mu Hong, the boy, and a dozen other surviving prisoners hiding. Mu Hong had then relayed the general situation that had unfolded in the prison.
Everyone in the relief force had witnessed the horrific scene in the prison. It was an unbelievable story. They simply couldn’t believe that a mere second-year student from a junior academy possessed the skill to kill all those experienced and ruthless adventurers.
All the wicked adventurers, including Leader Oh, had been found with their heads severed and hearts pierced. Such brutal methods were astonishing, even to the Unmong-wi, who had seen much death and blood, sending shivers down their spines.
Cruelty and coldness. Only a demon from the wilderness could commit such savage acts.
As the relief force continued to move through the fortress, they grew increasingly shocked and horrified. Everywhere they went, they found the corpses of wicked adventurers. Moreover, they had all died in the same way: decapitated and stabbed through the heart. Most of them had even been poisoned first before being killed. Some of the Unmong-wi who examined the bodies were even poisoned themselves, realizing that the stone fortress had become a fortress of death and poison.
They concluded that whoever had cleared the stone fortress was as cruel as a god of death.
‘Bukjin released the poison? That’s impossible!’
Since the poison still lingered everywhere in the fortress, the relief force discussed it and decided that everyone except the high-level experts would wait in a safe, poison-free zone. Thus, only a small group, including Jin Geon-nam and Im Tae-heo, proceeded with antidote pills in their mouths, searching until they reached the great hall.
Looking at the charred doors of the great hall, the experts fell silent at the utterly gruesome sight. For some unknown reason, witnessing the carnage even evoked a slight sense of pity for the wicked adventurers. They had died too cruelly.
And the more they witnessed such horrors, the greater their concern for Bukjin grew. They had heard from Mu Hong that Bukjin intended to face all the wicked adventurers alone, using only his own strength. Therefore, they were deeply worried about his safety.
‘This scoundrel doesn’t know his place!’
Such thoughts were not unreasonable. The wicked adventurers, deeply entrenched in Bukhwang Mountain, were the worst of the worst, whom everyone wanted to eradicate. Yet, even the power of the government had failed to achieve it. For a mere second-year student, still so young, to claim he would clear out the wicked adventurers alone was like an ant trying to fell a giant tree.
But the result…?
All the leaders, including the Great Leader Lei Wuji, were dead.
Bukjin emerged from behind the stone chair with an awkward expression. Those who confirmed Bukjin’s safety breathed a sigh of relief, while a question arose in their minds.
‘Did he kill all these wicked adventurers by himself?’
Thus, Im Tae-heo’s question to Bukjin was one that many people were equally curious about.
After a moment of thought, Bukjin replied with a serious demeanor, “Killing them wasn’t a crime, was it? I won’t be thrown in jail or anything, right?”
Jin Geon-nam answered, “These are all criminals who broke the law and had bounties on their heads. They committed crimes worthy of death, so killing them cannot be considered illegal.”
Bukjin’s eyes gleamed as he asked, “Are they all wanted criminals? So there’s a bounty on them?”
“…”
Jin Geon-nam suddenly lost the urge to answer.
“The city hasn’t placed a separate bounty on them yet.” Another Unmong-wi replied.
Bukjin looked at the speaker and, through his armor and aura, recognized him as a high-level expert, a captain of the Unmong-wi, just like Jin Geon-nam.
“Ah, I see… Yes, I killed all of them.” Bukjin replied listlessly, having lost interest.
“These trashy bastards all deserved to die a thousand, ten thousand times over. I thoroughly cleaned up this place, which you could call their stronghold. Killing them was the only way to redeem them.”
Bukjin answered without any enthusiasm, as if he found it no longer amusing. The relief force, observing Bukjin’s demeanor, felt their minds go blank for a moment.
“...How on earth did you accomplish this?” Im Tae-heo asked.
“Oh, it’s a long story… First, it started with me coming here to save Dean Cho Heun…”
Bukjin, suddenly presented with an opportunity to boast, became excited and began to recount his heroic tale. But the moment he remembered Cho Heun, Bukjin stopped speaking and urgently said,
“That’s right! Dean Cho Heun is inside the Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons right now! We don’t know what state he’s in! Let’s go get Dean Cho Heun first! I’ll explain on the way!”
And so, everyone began to move towards the Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons.
As they moved, Bukjin excitedly recounted his heroic tale in perfect detail. Im Tae-heo and the others, listening to Bukjin’s words, grew even more bewildered. Bukjin’s process of clearing out the wicked adventurers had been too smooth, almost impossibly so. Even Ak Hong-hyang, who had been haggard with worry for Bukjin, momentarily wondered if her concerns had been unfounded.
“You mean you understood all the types of poisons and how to use them just by reading the Detailed Explanation of Ten Thousand Poisons once?” Im Tae-heo asked, mystified.
“Of course! As everyone knows, am I just any ordinary genius? It’s an undeniable fact!” Bukjin declared proudly, without a hint of embarrassment.
Im Tae-heo and the others fell silent again. They had always considered Bukjin a boy with mental issues, but looking at the current situation, they began to wonder if he truly was a genius.
‘Could it be that there’s only a paper-thin difference between a madman and a genius?’
A moment later, they arrived at the Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons. Guided by Bukjin, the relief force smoothly navigated all the traps and reached the house outside the Cave of Ten Thousand Poisons. It was noon, and the sunlight was strong.
Inside the house, Cho Heun, who had lost both his arms, was still in a deep sleep. His Hyeongi was very stable, and his pulse was normal. He seemed to have passed the critical stage and entered a recovery period. With this, the entire commotion could be said to have finally ended.
“That’s right! What about Baek Geum-un, Han Bul-bu, and Dean Ban?” Bukjin, who had been boasting, finally came to his senses and asked urgently.
Ak Hong-hyang replied, “Junior Sister Baek and Senior Brother Han fortunately escaped Bukhwang Mountain and arrived at the academy. Junior Sister Baek’s injuries were light, but Senior Brother Han’s were a bit severe, and he was unconscious. But he’s receiving treatment, so there won’t be any major problems. The one in the most critical condition was Dean Ban. Dean Ban had already been sent to the temple and was receiving treatment. According to the High Priestess, it would take three days and nights of treatment for him to recover.”
‘I see!’
Having heard the full situation, Bukjin could finally relax. With everything settled, Bukjin and the others began their journey back to the city, escorted by the Unmong-wi.
On the way back, the Unmong-wi looked at Bukjin as if he were a monster. Even the academy teachers regarded Bukjin as a stranger. Bukjin, who had been infamous as Unmong City’s greatest scoundrel, had performed an impossible miracle. He had single-handedly annihilated all the wicked adventurers and destroyed their stronghold. Of the hundred or so wicked adventurers in the stone fortress, not a single one had survived Bukjin.
The most inexplicable thing was that Bukjin had not a single scratch on his body after accomplishing such a tremendous feat. Bukjin had single-handedly destroyed an entire fortress without a single injury!
The party quickly descended the mountain and arrived at the mountain entrance. Boarding the carriage returning to Unmong City, Bukjin suddenly remembered something.
“That’s right! Captain Jin, these bandits have been entrenched in Bukhwang Mountain for a very long time, killing and plundering many people. In the process, they must have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth… If you happen to find a treasure vault later while cleaning up the site, you must share it with me!”
Jin Geon-nam replied, “No problem. According to imperial law, anyone who assists in clearing out a rebel stronghold and beheads the enemy leader can receive half of the enemy’s accumulated wealth as a reward.”
Hearing his answer, Bukjin was overjoyed.
The carriage quickly entered Unmong City. Bukjin looked at the familiar sounds from the streets, the smiling faces of the pedestrians, and the neatly arranged and orderly scenery, feeling a surge of emotion in his heart.
Just by crossing the city walls and going outside, a completely different world unfolded. Inside Unmong City was very peaceful, but outside the city was chaos itself. Unmong City was like a fence brightly illuminated by the light of order, protecting everyone, while the stronghold of the wicked adventurers was a lawless land rampant with evil and slaughter.
Bukjin felt that the North Sea Empire, which had established imperial systems and maintained a stable feudal dynasty in a ruthless martial world where only one’s skill mattered, was extremely superior. At the very least, it protected innocent citizens from a brutal reality. This was the first time Bukjin had acknowledged the North Sea Empire.
“The events that unfolded in Bukhwang Mountain this time are grave and have far-reaching implications. Therefore, until the government has made all its judgments regarding this matter, you must keep all your actions a secret for now. This is also for your protection, so I hope you understand.” Im Tae-heo slowly said to Bukjin.
“What did you say?” Bukjin asked without realizing it.
“Does that mean I won’t have a chance to boast about my heroic deeds?”