The Sea Race Teacher

As he watched Mu Hong, the acting homeroom teacher, depart, Bukjin felt a strange surge of solemnity. In truth, Mu Hong’s martial prowess wasn't particularly high. For her to set off alone to rescue Pung Sanang and the others required immense courage—a testament to her loyalty and the bond she shared with her friends.

It was the bandits of Bukhwang Mountain who had sold Pung Sanang. And the one who had purchased her was undoubtedly the man called 'Eternal Big Brother' whom Bukjin had spotted that night on the mountain. He was the individual the bandits had seen off with such groveling respect. The power lurking behind him was certainly no joke.

In his past life, Bukjin had seen several movies centered around human trafficking. Any organization that ran a professional business of buying and selling people was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bound to have a massive backing. 'Can Mu Hong really face a giant criminal syndicate alone?' Bukjin thought the odds were slim.

In movies, the protagonist would take on dozens of villains with a single gun and gallantly rescue the heroine. However, those cinematic heroes were always former special forces operators with incredible skills, possessing professional knowledge and techniques beyond the imagination of an ordinary person. If one were to evaluate a movie protagonist's skill by the standards of this world, they would at least be at the peak of the Martial Warrior rank or perhaps even a Grandmaster.

Furthermore, Mu Hong wasn't exactly the type to devise meticulous plans or possess great patience. If she set out alone, she was more likely to find misfortune than success. 'Does Mu Hong even understand her current situation? She must... but she won't turn back. This is the Murim. There are things you must do even when you know they are impossible—just to protect your loyalty and your friends.'

Standing before the school gates, Bukjin’s mind grew heavy with complicated thoughts. He entered the academy but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skipped his classes, heading straight for Juk-won.

"Young Master, are you... are you really giving this to me?"

With a tense expression, Wang Chung stared at the Blue Bird Sword Bukjin had produced. His eyes welled up with tears of overwhelming emotion.

"Young Master, why are you so kind to a lowly servant like me? I, Wang Chung, swear eternal loyalty to you! Even if it were my own flesh and blood, if my son ever dared to disrespect you, I would snap his legs myself!"

"Oi, knock it off."

Bukjin wasn't moved in the slightest. In fact, he gave Wang Chung a light kick. "Get lost and stay in your corner. You don't even have a son, so why are you spouting such nonsense? If you actually had a kid, I wouldn't say anything... Good grief. A man who isn't even married swearing oaths on his son's life? Tsk, tsk! I can see right through your dark ulterior motives, so stop the useless chatter!"

Hearing this, Wang Chung immediately broke into a sly, fawning grin. "As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expected of the Young Master! Not only are you handsome and possessed of peerless martial arts, but your eye for people is impeccable! You've seen right through me, hehe. By the way, Young Master, is there anything special you'd like for dinner tonight?"

Bukjin was momentarily speechless at how quickly Wang Chung could flip his attitude. Ignoring the butler, Bukjin walked into the villa. Wang Chung followed close behind as Bukjin spoke.

"What happened with the task I gave you last time?"

Wang Chung answered promptly. "I have already placed requests with several large adventurer parties heading toward Bukhwang Mountain. While they hunt there, they will keep an eye out for the Ghost Rat leader you mentioned, A-kwang. If there is any news, they will certainly relay it to us."

Bukjin nodded. He considered A-kwang, the Ghost Rat he had enslaved on Bukhwang Mountain, to be quite special. 'That fellow is no ordinary rat. He definitely hasn't died.'

Bukjin sat down in a chair in the living room. On a whim, he opened his [Storage] and downloaded a bottle of Peach Blossom Liquor.

He popped the cork and began to drink. The suffocating feeling he'd had since meeting Mu Hong began to lift slightly. 'I can't let myself be trapped in this frustration. It's already out of my hands,' Bukjin told himself.

'In the end, I'm just a traveler passing through this world. The more I get emotionally entangled in its affairs, the harder it will be. If I keep getting involved and forming bonds, it won't be easy to leave when I finally find a way back to Earth.'

Bukjin steeled his heart. 'But that bastard who pretended to be So-ryeong and stabbed me... I will find him. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'

He had a premonition that the person who had lured them into the trap on Bukhwang Mountain wouldn't stop at just one attempt. In fact, after speaking with Mu Hong, Bukjin began to notice details of the incident he hadn't considered before. For instance, during the ambush, there was someone who had suddenly displayed incredible skill while attacking Cho Heun. That person was clearly a high-level expert.

Thinking back, that man didn't resemble any of the leaders of the Vile Adventurer Alliance. Nor could the nameless expert who had fought Ban Oe-min be found at the adventurers' base. This meant that although they had wiped out the bandits, they hadn't actually killed their true enemy yet. The foes were likely still watching Bukjin and the others from the shadows. They might even be reorganizing their forces to strike again in a new way.

'Is it Jo Pacheon and Baek Hae-geum?'

Bukjin hadn't asked Cho Heun about the enemies while they were at the temple. Cho Heun hadn't said a word either. It was as if the two of them had entered a silent pact. However, Bukjin knew Cho Heun would never let this go quietly. Cho Heun was determined to settle this grudge. If he wasn't, there would be no reason for him to push himself to practice leg techniques when his wounds had barely begun to heal. He wasn't practicing just to walk again; it was proof that he hadn't let go of his resentment toward the enemy.

A wolf with broken claws will use its teeth to get revenge. Cho Heun likely hadn't given Bukjin any hints because he didn't want to drag him into a brutal slaughter. After his conversation with Mu Hong, Bukjin became even more certain of this.

Bukjin continued to drain his cup. Cheong-cheong and Cheon-cheon stood behind him, their soft hands carefully massaging his shoulders.

"What are your specialties?" Bukjin asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Cheong-cheong replied, "Young Master, I am skilled at playing the flute."

The corner of Bukjin's mouth twitched.

Cheon-cheon added, "Young Master, I am skilled at playing the pipa."

Bukjin's lip twitched again. 'Nice! Very good specialties!'

He thought he should find an opportunity to see their talents for himself. It would be rude not to give them a chance to use such skills. 'Hehehe.'

Feeling festive, Bukjin kept drinking. Originally, he had planned to get properly drunk and then use the liquid courage to test out the 36 Forms of the Donghyeonja Bedchamber Arts he had learned. However, he ended up getting completely wasted, eventually losing consciousness and passing out. His plan ended in failure.

The next day.

The weather was exceptionally clear. By the time Bukjin woke from his deep slumber, the sun was already high in the sky. He scrambled out of bed and rushed to the classroom. When he stepped inside, he was surprised to see a familiar figure standing at the podium.

A man of average build with green hair, green eyebrows, and leaning on a staff.

"Senior Hae?" Bukjin blurted out in surprise.

It was Elder Hae, the Sea Race expert who had presided over the Jesujeon Sword Technique sequence during the Night of the Sword Oath. 'How is he teaching a class for Grade 2, Class 9?'

"Ho ho, Bukjin. Is the student hailed as the top genius of the second year really showing up late on my very first day? You're not giving me much face as your new acting homeroom teacher."

Elder Hae gave a sly smile and waved him in. He didn't seem angry at all; in fact, he spoke with an almost eerie level of kindness. "Hurry up and take your seat."

Bukjin sat down, looking dazed. 'What's going on? Elder Hae is our acting homeroom teacher? Did he really take over Dean Cho Heun's position?'

Bukjin knew Cho Heun had temporarily stepped down from his duties, but he never imagined his replacement would be a senior from the Sea Race. The Sea Race were outsiders. As far as Bukjin knew, there was no precedent in Unmong City for a non-human expert to be hired as an academy teacher. 'The 3rd Academy really took a bold step! But is this even allowed?'

"Now that Bukjin has arrived, I'll stop the idle chatter and officially begin the lesson," Elder Hae said, beaming with pleasure.

"..."

The students stared blankly. It had already been half an hour since class started, and they seemed shocked to realize that everything Elder Hae had said until that moment was considered 'idle chatter.' 'He gave up on us the moment Im Bukjin arrived?!'

The students were still young, but they were quickly realizing just how cold society could be. Because in the next moment, they witnessed an even more absurd situation.

Elder Hae spoke in a tone so kind it was almost indescribable. "Our dear Bukjin, what would you like to learn? Just say the word. Sword techniques, footwork, Hyeongi... what do you want to learn most?"

It was as if his eyes saw only Bukjin. The other students were merely background decorations. Bukjin stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Making a choice like that is for children. I want to learn everything."

The more he knew, the better. Bukjin’s goal was to have his smartphone's storage packed to the brim with martial arts.

"Excellent!" Elder Hae gave him a big thumbs up. He seemed genuinely delighted. "You have ambition. Very well, I shall teach you everything you desire. For today, I will first teach you a secret technique for cultivating Hyeongi. It is a 3-star cultivation method called Fish-Dragon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Transformation. It is the perfect technique for you right now. Since you've reached the Martial Warrior rank, the Advanced Mystic Energy Refinement will no longer be effective."

Bukjin’s mind snapped to attention. In this world, Hyeongi was the root of all power and the foundation for performing any martial art. For Bukjin specifically, a powerful supply of Hyeongi translated directly into data capacity. It was the most essential resource for downloading various apps and performing system updates.

In fact, when Bukjin had tried to learn the Reverse Blood Frenzy Technique after the battle at the stone fortress on Bukhwang Mountain, he had been forced to postpone his training because his Hyeongi reserves were insufficient. That incident had served as a stark reminder of just how vital his internal energy truly was.