Poison Mines
Suddenly, a notification from the Messenger app rang out from Bukjin’s smartphone.
Before Bukjin could even finish reading, the message was quickly retracted and vanished. He didn't get a chance to see the rest of the content.
Huh? Bukjin looked bewildered. Why did she retract the message?
A moment later, Geomseol Mumeong sent a revised message.
Bukjin’s face darkened. I knew it! She’s definitely a crooked merchant! She sold me a weed used to feed animals in the Divine Realm for 500 gold taels?!
Oh? Is that how it works? As Bukjin pondered this, he felt that Geomseol Mumeong’s words rang true. Earlier, when A-kwang had snuck into his room, there had been no sound or presence, yet Bukjin had clearly felt the rat's existence. And once he used his mental power, he had pinpointed its location instantly.
"..."
It seemed she hadn't found a way to fix the face yet. A short while later, A-kwang returned. Under Bukjin’s command, the rat was forced to activate its stealth state again. Bukjin focused his mental power, and sure enough, a translucent A-kwang appeared in his vision. The rat's stealth really was ineffective against him. Only then did Bukjin breathe a sigh of relief.
"Get out of my sight! Go guard the garden!" Bukjin said fiercely. "You wicked creature! You don't even know the grace of the one who raised you! I will definitely think of the most terrifying torture in this world to punish you. Try to run away if you can! I'll turn you into minced meat the moment you do!"
"Squeak!" Hearing Bukjin’s words, A-kwang put on an adorable, pleading expression before scurrying back to the garden, looking visibly anxious.
After A-kwang left, Bukjin began fiddling with his smartphone again. He navigated through various apps, drafting a new training plan.
An hour later.
Bukjin had dinner while being attended to by his two beautiful maids, Cheong-cheong and Cheon-cheon.
"Wang Chung! Our family's financial situation hasn't been great lately, so make sure to practice some frugality," Bukjin said. "We cannot afford to increase our spending in the current situation."
Hearing this, Wang Chung asked in shock, "Are we out of money again?"
However, Wang Chung didn't dare ask any further. Ignoring him, Bukjin reached out and took the soft, white hands of Cheong-cheong and Cheon-cheon, who were sitting beside him. He began reading their palms as he spoke.
"You two don't need to worry. This young master will never mistreat you. Even if there's only one piece of meat left in the house, I'll make sure you get your share."
Wang Chung pouted at those words. He thought that such shameless talk was exactly like his young master.
"Thank you, Young Master," the two beautiful maids replied with shy smiles.
Bukjin then asked them, "By the way, do you two know how to read?"
"Young Master, we both know how to read. Are you looking down on us too much?"
"Of course! We were raised in the maid training center, where we learned literature, instruments, painting, poetry recitation, and singing!" the two maids answered.
Bukjin clapped his hands in delight and laughed. "That's perfect! I have a mission for you both. Starting tomorrow, you two will teach A-kwang how to read and write. If he doesn't learn well, you have my permission to hit him. And you must give him homework every single day and make sure he completes it. Hahaha!"
This was the 'harsh punishment' Bukjin had devised. In his mind, nothing in this world was more agonizing than daily homework. A-kwang, who was hiding in the garden, happened to overhear this, and his eyes welled up with tears.
After that, Bukjin exchanged a few more jokes with the maids before getting up and returning to his room. He sat quietly on his bed and began cultivating his Mystic Energy.
In the blink of an eye, four hours passed. The night grew deep and silent.
"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony for the finals."
After completing twelve full cycles of his Mystic Energy, Bukjin finally stepped off the bed and walked to the window. Looking at the bright moonlight outside, he sighed inwardly.
I was originally planning to just coast through the finals... but since I got scammed by Geomseol Mumeong and lost all my money again, I have no choice but to work hard, get a high rank, and take the prize money...
Right then.
BOOM—!
A sudden explosion echoed from outside the Juk-won.
What's going on? Startled, Bukjin looked toward the perimeter of the villa. He saw numerous figures with glinting sword light; it was obvious at a glance that they hadn't come with good intentions.
"Gah! There's poison!"
"Traps are set! Be care— Argh!"
"What kind of formation is this?!"
Cries of confusion and alarm rang out. At that moment, Wang Chung threw on a coat and rushed out of his room, shouting, "Young Master! Get up! Assassins! Assassins!"
Cheong-cheong and Cheon-cheon, who had been sleeping in another room, also woke up in a panic, threw on their clothes, and ran into the living room. Both were trembling with fear, their faces pale.
Bukjin shouted, "Wang Chung! Defend the living room!"
Executing the Cloud-Piercing Rain footwork, Bukjin’s body became as light as a feather as he soared upward, reaching the roof of the Juk-won in an instant. Standing on the high vantage point, he surveyed the situation below.
He spotted six men in black who had infiltrated the grounds. Two of them were staggering, engulfed in green smoke, before their strength failed and they collapsed. The remaining four, their blades shimmering with a cold blue light, were charging toward the villa.
Whish—! Whish—!
Bukjin raised his hand and fired silver arrows.
Clang—! Clang—!
However, the assassins were no pushovers. The arrows Bukjin fired were deflected by their swords.
They're experts! They were at least in the Martial Warrior Realm. Bukjin was surprised after testing their skill. Right then—
POP—! POP—! POP—!
Three more strange explosions rang out in succession. Bukjin noticed that one of the four Martial Warrior experts charging toward the villa was exceptionally fast. However, after only a few steps, the assassin stepped on something, and a burst of green smoke exploded from beneath his feet.
Engulfed in the green smoke, the Martial Warrior screamed and covered his nose. But he had already inhaled a significant amount of the gas and began to stagger.
Is that...? Bukjin was stunned. The green smoke looked very familiar. He expanded his mental power to investigate. He saw A-kwang, moving like a ghost, hiding in the bamboo grove while clutching his stomach with both paws. Furthermore, the rat was currently in its stealth state.
A-kwang was watching the assassins with a flustered expression, but what the assassins had stepped on were the droppings the rat had just produced. A-kwang’s waste acted like landmines, exploding upon contact and releasing poisonous green smoke.
Are these humans here to steal my poop?!A-kwang watched them, looking utterly confused.
No way! Bukjin was floored by the scene. The waste A-kwang produced while in stealth was also invisible to others, just like the rat itself. Moreover, the droppings were like poison bombs. The three Martial Warrior assassins who had inhaled the smoke tried to circulate their Mystic Energy to resist the toxin, but they soon began foaming at the mouth and collapsed.
The remaining three assassins realized the situation was dire. They surged their Mystic Energy and leaped into the air, charging directly toward Bukjin on the roof.
"Summon Sword!"
Bukjin reached out, and the Virtue Sword was instantly downloaded into his hand. He also leaped into the air to meet the enemies.
"Viewing Flowers Under the Moon!"
Sword light flashed in the sky. It was a form from the Flowers Before the Moon Sword style. Bukjin had used this technique before at Bukhwang Mountain, but now that he had reached the 2nd Grade Martial Warrior Realm and achieved the Black Iron Sword Bone stage, the power he displayed was on a completely different level compared to when he fought the Great Alliance Leader of the evil adventurers. It was impossible to even estimate how many times stronger it had become.
Amidst the sound of phantom waves, the moonlight-infused sword light transformed into beautiful petals fluttering in the void.
Thwack—! Thwack—! Thwack—!
Blood sprayed in the air. The figures crossed paths. Bukjin and the three Martial Warrior assassins landed outside the Juk-won walls simultaneously. A moment of profound silence followed, as if everything had suddenly stopped.
Drip—! Drip-drip—!
The sound of blood hitting the ground echoed. A light breeze blew, rustling the bamboo leaves. The three assassins wavered. Then, a massive amount of blood erupted like a fountain. All three assassins had been sliced in half; they collapsed to the ground and drew their final breaths.
Holding the Virtue Sword, Bukjin approached their corpses. All three had been severed at the waist. Under the moonlight, red blood flowed like a river. The assassins were dressed in black and wore metal masks. At a glance, they were the very definition of professional killers. Bukjin used his sword to flick off their masks. Upon seeing their faces, a chill ran down his spine.