The Identity of the Mysterious Expert
Jo Pacheon stared at the silent Bukjin and sneered. "If you manage to defeat me in this Academic & Martial Arts Competition, I will personally cripple my own martial arts and kneel before you to beg for forgiveness. However, if you lose, you must do the same—sever your own Hyeongi cultivation and kneel in apology. Well? What do you say?"
Bukjin burst into laughter. "And why exactly should I bother betting with you?"
"Are you afraid?" Jo Pacheon countered.
Bukjin looked at him as if he were staring at a particularly dim-witted child. "I have no need to prove my courage to a creature like you. The real issue is whether you truly believe you're even on a level where you're worthy of making such a wager with me."
"Is 'level' really the issue here?" Jo Pacheon asked with a condescending smirk. "Fine, let's sweeten the pot. I'll add 2,000 gold to the stakes. How about that? Haha, didn't you always have a certain... fondness for money?"
"Hahahaha!" Bukjin threw his head back and laughed toward the ceiling. "What? Do you really think I'm the kind of man who can be moved by mere coin?"
The onlookers whispered among themselves, thinking Jo Pacheon was making a fool of himself. After all, Bukjin was the "hot-blooded youth" who hadn't budged an inch even in the face of a titan like Bang Jin-yu. They couldn't imagine such a person changing his mind for something as trivial as money.
Then, abruptly, Bukjin stopped laughing and nodded. "You're right. I do love money. You're surprisingly perceptive."
The crowd nearly toppled over at the sudden reversal. Bukjin continued, sounding almost impressed. "Someone once said... sometimes it's your enemy who understands you best. Truly wise words. There's no shame in coveting wealth. A true gentleman loves riches and uses them to achieve his goals."
The people wondered who this mysterious 'someone' was, but they couldn't deny that the logic—shameless as it was—had a certain ring of truth to it.
"I'll take that 2,000 gold into consideration," Bukjin said, putting on a show of deep contemplation. Then, his voice sharpened. "I'll accept your wager, provided we add one more condition to the terms you proposed."
"What condition?" Jo Pacheon asked.
In an instant, Bukjin's expression turned heavy and cold. His eyes widened, looking as if they held the swirling fury of a thunderstorm. When he spoke, he enunciated every single syllable with lethal precision.
The words struck Manseung-ru like a physical thunderclap. Jo Pacheon’s eyes shook violently, a flash of genuine shock crossing his face. The spectators, who had finally begun to relax, turned pale once more. A chill ran down their spines, and their hearts began to race at the sheer weight of the declaration.
The loser dies!
Bukjin wasn't just looking for a victory; he was turning the competition into a life-and-death struggle.
'He's betting his life on this?'
'The boy is insane!'
'Is there really a need to push things that far?'
Jo Pacheon fell into a stunned silence, unable to grasp Bukjin's true intentions.
"What's the matter, Jo Pacheon? Are you afraid?" Bukjin mocked, his face a mask of cold derision. His gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced through Jo Pacheon.
"Fine!" Jo Pacheon shouted, the blood rushing to his head in a fit of pride. "I accept your terms!"
Having given his answer, Jo Pacheon bowed toward the room marked with the character for 'Heaven' and raised his voice. "Lord Bang! You heard the terms of our wager! I ask that you act as a witness to this competition and ensure that justice is upheld!"
After a brief silence, a voice rang out clearly from within the room. "Very well. This old man shall be your witness."
Jo Pacheon exhaled a long breath, then turned back to Bukjin. "And what about you?"
Bukjin chuckled, then turned and bowed toward the Seventh Prince. "Your Highness, I believe our meeting tonight was a stroke of fate. You mentioned that you think highly of me, did you not? If so, may I, Im Bukjin, ask a favor? Please, act as the witness to my side of this wager and safeguard the fairness of our duel."
Lee Yak-so, the Seventh Prince, smiled. He found it difficult to categorize the boy standing before him. With a curious expression, he nodded. "Very well. I shall be the witness for your side of the wager."
With that, the pact was sealed. Beyond Bang Jin-yu and the Seventh Prince, every guest in Manseung-ru had heard the terms. These were people of immense status and wealth in Unmong City; their presence as witnesses carried significant weight. They had come for a banquet, but they had ended up witnessing a life-and-death contract. Every second spent in Manseung-ru tonight was proving to be unforgettable.
"Heh, Im Bukjin. You're jumping into the fire with your own two feet," Jo Pacheon said with a sinister, triumphant grin. "Your petty tricks and shallow wit will mean nothing on a battlefield like the Academic & Martial Arts Competition. I will show you personally how pathetic you are in the face of absolute strength! Prepare yourself for death!"
With those final words, Jo Pacheon turned and left. In that moment, Bukjin’s mind flashed back to the events at Bukhwang Mountain.
'Just wait, Jo Pacheon. I'll make sure both you and your master meet a truly miserable end.'
The drama finally seemed to conclude. The Seventh Prince and his entourage prepared to depart. As he passed the room where the mysterious expert sat, the Prince hesitated for a moment, glancing toward the door, but ultimately decided to keep moving and exited the building.
Cho Heun and the others had already returned to their original room. Once the area was clear, Bukjin walked toward the room of the mysterious expert. He bowed politely and spoke.
"I am deeply grateful for the assistance you provided me tonight. I, Im Bukjin, would like to offer my formal thanks in person, if you would permit it."
"Is there a need for that?" the expert’s cold voice drifted out.
Bukjin thought for a moment before answering. "I believe there is."
"Has your resolve changed, then?" the expert asked.
"It has not," Bukjin replied.
"Then there is no need for us to meet face-to-face."
Bukjin flashed a friendly, persistent smile. "No, I really think there is a very great need for it."
After a long silence, the voice spoke again. "Fine. Enter."
Bukjin opened the door and stepped inside. Countless curious gazes tried to follow him into the small room, but the door slammed shut far too quickly, cutting off their view.
'Who on earth is sitting in there?'
The question burned in the minds of everyone left in Manseung-ru, but none of them dared to approach and find out for themselves.
Inside the small room of Manseung-ru.
A young man who appeared to be about twenty-five years old sat by the window, his back perfectly straight. He was dressed in pristine white robes from head to toe, without a single speck of dust on them. He looked like a statue carved from ice.
A frigid aura emanated from him, warning anyone against approaching. His sharp eyes and deep gaze were devoid of emotion, giving him the atmosphere of a machine made of metal.
This was the brightest star among the empire's younger generation, the eldest son of the Im family and the older brother of Im Jin—Im Ji, the Blood Hand Asura!
Seeing him, the last shred of doubt in Bukjin’s mind vanished. Until tonight, he hadn't imagined that this young military officer possessed the terrifying strength to defeat Baek Hae-geum, one of the Three Great Swordsmen of White Cloud City, so easily through a wooden wall. Im Ji was a far more powerful and reliable connection than Bukjin had ever dared to hope.
A wave of regret washed over Bukjin. If he had known Im Ji was this incredible, he would have been much more aggressive during their last meeting—he would have clung to the man's leg and never let go. But who could have guessed the eldest brother of the Im family was such a high-level powerhouse?
"Brother... I mean, Great Hero. Thank you for resolving the situation on my behalf tonight," Bukjin said with a sheepish grin.
"'Great' Hero?" Im Ji said, scanning Bukjin from head to toe. "What part of me exactly do you find 'great'?"
"Huh?" Bukjin was momentarily flustered.
Im Ji pointed to the seat across from him. "And weren't you just about to call me 'Brother'?"
Bukjin felt a chill. 'Does he have mind-reading powers too?'
"Just what kind of person are you?" Im Ji asked, studying Bukjin intently. "The rumors say you're a lecher, yet you rejected a peerless beauty like my sister even when she threw herself at you. They say you're a coward who fears death, yet you defied Bang Jin-yu to his face, insulted Baek Hae-geum, and even signed a life-and-death contract with Jo Pacheon. They say you're obsessed with money, yet you bought an incredibly expensive sword for your butler. Some say your martial arts are weak, yet you single-handedly decimated an entire fortress in a single night. They say you're stubborn, selfish, and only care for yourself, yet you risked your life for a mere waiter boy at a small inn. Finally, some speak of your cruelty, yet you spared Jo Muyang and haven't killed anyone except for bandits."
Bukjin's face stiffened. He asked loudly, "Have you been running a background check on me?"