Seeing Through the Soul
Upon hearing Bukjin’s words, Im Taeheo couldn't contain himself. He reached out and rapped Bukjin over the head, scolding him like a misbehaving child.
"A true swordsman must know the virtue of humility! How is it that your head is filled with nothing but thoughts of bragging and seeking validation? When I, Im Taeheo, served as a soldier on the Northern Front, I cut down three hundred enemies a day with my strength alone! The foes I felled were all renowned masters—vanguard commanders, generals, assault leaders, and scouts of the Aurora Empire! It was because of me, and me alone, that the famous White Bear Legion of the Aurora Empire was forced to retreat three hundred li! I even earned the title of One Sword Pitying Immortal! But none of that matters! Have you ever seen me boasting about such things to anyone?!"
"..."
"Student Im, you have no need to worry. No one can take away the merit you have earned. Once the investigation is complete, a reward will surely be bestowed upon you."
Only then did Bukjin feel relieved and satisfied. Shortly after, the carriage came to a halt at the entrance of the 3rd Academy.
Bukjin, Ak Hong-hyang, and the teachers all stepped out of the carriage. Im Taeheo, however, remained inside. He took the still-unconscious Cho Heun and drove the carriage toward the Temple of the Lord of Swords in the central plaza to seek treatment for him.
Standing before the gates of the 3rd Academy, Bukjin turned his gaze toward Ak Hong-hyang. Sensing his eyes on her, she adjusted the mask covering her face.
"Senior Brother Im. You've worked hard. Go and get some rest."
Bukjin nodded. He had sworn to fix Ak Hong-hyang's face, but he knew that in a situation like this, words of comfort were meaningless. He resolved to prove his words through his actions.
After parting ways with the others, Bukjin returned to the Bamboo Garden.
"Oh! Young Master! You've finally returned! Thank the ancestors! Praise the gods!"
Upon seeing Bukjin, Wang Chung came running toward him, tears streaming down his face.
"Cut the act!" Bukjin said, giving Wang Chung a light kick to the backside. "I want a bath. Go and prepare the hot water immediately!"
Despite being struck, Wang Chung looked refreshed and beamed with a smile.
"Everything is already prepared. Those two cute maids who attended to your bath last time are standing by! How does that sound, Young Master? Are you satisfied?"
At those words, the image of the two young girls who had massaged his shoulders during his last bath flashed through Bukjin’s mind.
Ahem! If those two girls keep trying to seduce me... I might actually have a chance to use those 'techniques' I recently learned!
Even though nothing had happened yet, Bukjin was already feeling excited. He shot Wang Chung a look of approval and said, "Well done! You're finally learning how to handle things to my liking. The maids from last time, you say...?"
Bukjin tried his best to play the role of the hedonistic young master. But then, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Student Im! I have been waiting for your return!"
It was a young man. He had long, flowing black hair and appeared to be about twenty-five years old. He wore spotless white robes and possessed skin as pale as snow. Though he had a slender build, his perfectly upright posture exuded a sense of immense strength.
With thick eyebrows and piercing eyes, the young man walked slowly toward Bukjin. His stride was perfectly measured, as if marked by a ruler.
As Bukjin watched the young man approach, he felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a hundred iron-blooded soldiers were marching toward him in perfect unison.
"Who are you...?" Bukjin asked, startled.
The young man's face felt strangely familiar, but Bukjin couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.
"My name is Im Ji," the young man said solemnly. "You may not know me, but I believe you know my younger sister. My sister is Im Jin."
Wait, Im Jin's older brother? No wonder he looks familiar... He looks just like Lord Im Gun-hyeon!
A wave of anxiety washed over Bukjin. He suddenly felt a desperate urge to kick Wang Chung again.
Wang Chung, you useless idiot! Why did you have to blabber about maids in front of a true gentleman like me! This man could be my future brother-in-law... How am I supposed to explain this?
Outside the 3rd Academy, on the third floor of a tavern on 3rd Street.
Having regained his composure, Bukjin sat by the window, observing Im Ji with an intrigued gaze. Though handsome, Im Ji was strangely cold—an icy youth who gave off the impression of a mechanical human. Whether walking, standing, or sitting, he maintained a perfectly rigid posture and angle, as if he were a man who never allowed himself to relax.
Im Gun-hyeon, the Lord of Unmong City, had two sons and one daughter: the eldest son Im Ji, the second son Im Oh, and the third daughter Im Jin. These three were known as the Two Dragons and a Phoenix—geniuses who possessed both stunning looks and peerless talent.
In the Pungeo Province, where Unmong City was located, four young people had emerged over the last twenty years, displaying such overwhelming talent that they drove all other geniuses of their generation to despair. Those four were:
First, Wei Myeongshin. Second, Im Ji. Third, Im Oh. And fourth, Im Cheongseon.
Wei Myeongshin was currently in White Cloud City, while Im Ji and Im Oh were serving in the Imperial Army. The whereabouts of Im Cheongseon remained a mystery. These four geniuses were spoken of like legends within Unmong City, and Bukjin had heard plenty about their names and exploits. Naturally, he was quite curious about the man sitting before him.
Why would one of the two greatest geniuses of Pungeo Province come to see me? Is it because of Im Jin?
Bukjin wondered if the man was about to throw a bag of gold at his face and tell him to stay away from his sister, or perhaps threaten to break his legs if he ever approached her again. If that were the case... Bukjin was more than willing to accept the offer. If he were offered ten thousand gold pieces to break up with her, he would gladly take the money and run.
While Bukjin was busy observing Im Ji, Im Ji was also observing him.
Im Ji had heard of Bukjin before. As a rising star within the military of the North Sea Empire, Im Ji—like all young soldiers—deeply respected and worshipped the 'War God' Im Geun-nam. One of the ten great generals and the only one of commoner birth, Im Geun-nam had earned the title of the Empire's God of War through nothing but his own strength and his two fists.
Before his fall, Im Geun-nam had been invincible in terms of individual combat prowess. Furthermore, his leadership and battlefield tactics had never once failed. He was an undefeated commander. Since Im Geun-nam also hailed from Unmong City, Im Ji admired him all the more as a hero from his own hometown.
Because of this background, Im Ji was well aware of Bukjin. Until today, he had considered Bukjin's existence to be the only blemish on the legacy of the hero Im Geun-nam. However, the moment he faced Bukjin in front of the Bamboo Garden, his perspective shifted entirely.
The room was strangely quiet.
"Have you killed anyone?" Im Ji asked calmly.
Bukjin, leaning his arm on the table with his left hand over his right and his chin resting on the back of his hand, sat in a very relaxed posture.
"Yes."
"Was it many?" Im Ji asked again.
Bukjin replied, "Yes. Quite a few, actually."
"Was it your first time killing?"
Bukjin was inwardly shocked by the question. Given Im Ji's status as the eldest son of the City Lord, it wasn't surprising that he knew about the events at North Hwang Mountain. However, the fact that he knew it was Bukjin's first time taking a life was unsettling.
"Um... Brother-in-law... I mean, how did you know?"
Bukjin had almost called him 'Brother-in-law' out of habit.
"Because your heart is wavering," Im Ji said. "You are decisive when you kill, but right now, your mind is adrift."
Bukjin was even more surprised because Im Ji was absolutely right. When he was at the Stone Fortress, he had been exposed to such a dangerous environment that he had maintained his mind and will in a state of extreme focus. By unifying his body and mind and purging all stray thoughts, he had felt no burden when it came to killing.
But since returning to Unmong City, the danger that had been strangling him had vanished. As the tension bled away, Bukjin felt strangely uncomfortable and dazed. Before his transmigration, Bukjin had been nothing more than a shut-in gamer. Back then, the idea of killing was unimaginable; he was the type who was afraid to even kill a bug.
Several months had passed since he arrived in this world. Since returning to Unmong City, memories of the events at the Stone Fortress—the blood, the piles of corpses, and the hundreds of people he had killed with his own hands—had begun to haunt him, bringing a wave of fear into his heart.
He couldn't help but wonder if any of those he had killed were innocent people or those forced into becoming adventurers against their will. He thought about their families and the grief his actions might have caused. These thoughts swirled around him like a Heart Demon, refusing to fade.
In the past, Bukjin had been a typical internet troll, hurling insults at other players and killing their characters without a second thought. But after experiencing the reality of slaughter where life and death intersected, he realized that he had only been bold in a game. In reality, he was just a coward who was all talk.
Through the countless killings, he had realized that he, too, was just a person made of ordinary flesh and blood, and that human life could be extinguished far too easily. In the movies he had watched on Earth, the protagonists cut down their enemies with confidence and remained unfazed, but now he realized that no one is born a hero.
Bukjin thought he was doing a good job of hiding his complex thoughts and mental state. He never imagined that Im Ji would be able to see right through him at a single glance.