The Young Master Finally...!

After returning to his bedroom on the second floor, Bukjin immediately dove back into researching his smartphone. He activated the Wi-Fi function again and began scanning for available signals. As expected, Wang Chung's signal appeared on the list this time. What’s more, the signal strength was at its absolute maximum—five full bars.

However, a new problem arose. When he tried to connect to Wang Chung's signal, a prompt appeared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠asking for a password. It was a secured connection.

'What’s going on here?'Bukjin wondered, tilting his head. Even if he asked Wang Chung directly, the old butler likely wouldn't have a clue what the password was. This "password" was generated by the mysterious power of the smartphone through some unknown set of rules. Since Wang Chung didn't even know the smartphone existed, there was no way he could know the Wi-Fi password.

After a moment of contemplation, Bukjin decided not to call for Wang Chung. Instead, he summoned Agwang to the room. The giant rat entered, looking incredibly tense as he scurried to a corner and stood still. In his paws, Agwang held a small chalkboard. He looked exactly like an elementary school student waiting to be scolded for failing every single question on his homework.

Bukjin manipulated the screen to attempt a connection with Agwang's signal.

The moment the connection was established on the screen, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from Agwang's body. The rat stood dazed for a second before setting down his chalkboard and staring at his paws with a look of utter bewilderment. Then, he began to squeak joyfully, his cries sounding as if he had been born anew.

"Hm?" Bukjin's eyes sparkled with interest. 'He suddenly got stronger?'

Moreover, the energy radiating from Agwang felt strangely familiar. It felt almost identical to Bukjin's own energy.

"How do you feel?" Bukjin asked.

Agwang, trembling with excitement from the overflowing power, grabbed his chalkboard and began scribbling furiously.

The grammar was awkward, but the meaning was clear. Bukjin nodded. "Try punching me."

Agwang hesitated for a moment, but after Bukjin gave him a few words of encouragement, he finally threw a punch. The small fist cut through the air with a sharp whistle, causing the atmosphere to ripple as if it were about to explode. It was a level of power that far surpassed Agwang's original strength.

Bukjin raised his hand to catch the blow.

BOOM—!

A massive shockwave surged through the bedroom, causing the entire room to shudder violently. It was an incredibly potent force. Bukjin couldn't help but marvel at the result.

Originally, Agwang belonged to the Bristle Rat species, which was considered a relatively weak type of magical beast. However, after undergoing a mutation and consuming the Ripening Divine Medicine—a supreme treasure of the Divine Realm—he had become a creature far removed from an ordinary rat. Even so, Agwang's maximum output had previously been capped at 3,000 jin of force. But the punch he just threw carried at least 6,000 jin.

In other words, connecting to Agwang via Wi-Fi had effectively doubled the rat's strength.

'Is this... the true power of the new Wi-Fi function? Back on Earth, turning on Wi-Fi meant sharing data with others. In this world, it means I can share my own strength with others.'

It was completely different from the mind-reading or thought-manipulation abilities he had initially imagined, but this function was arguably even more formidable.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!" Agwang stared at his own paws in disbelief, his eyes brimming with excitement. Bukjin could empathize with how he felt. He remembered the surge of confidence he felt whenever he broke through to a new realm during his own training—that feeling that he could accomplish anything.

"Young Master, did something happen?" Wang Chung's voice drifted in from outside. The violent collision of energy just now had clearly startled him.

"It's nothing, so mind your own business!"

"Understood!" Wang Chung replied and quickly scurried away.

Bukjin turned back to Agwang. "Keep going. Throw more punches at me."

Agwang unleashed a rapid-fire succession of five or six punches. This time, Bukjin was prepared, catching every blow cleanly. No more massive shockwaves rocked the room.

"Every single punch carries about 6,000 jin of force. It's remarkably stable," Bukjin muttered. He could also clearly feel his own internal state. He felt a portion of his physical strength being partitioned off and flowing elsewhere—specifically, about 500 jin of force, or one ji-ryeok. However, while his physical strength was being shared, his Hyeongi remained untouched. It was possible that because Agwang was a magical beast who didn't practice martial arts, the Hyeongi couldn't be shared. Or, perhaps the Wi-Fi function was simply limited to physical strength for now.

Bukjin ran through various theories in his head before turning off the Wi-Fi. The moment he did, Agwang visibly deflated.

"Squeak?" Agwang looked at Bukjin with a confused, questioning gaze.

"Now you realize how lucky you are to be on my side, don't you?" Bukjin said, putting on an air of extreme arrogance. "Since you started following me, you've eaten well, slept well, been pampered by beautiful women, and even learned to read. You've eaten divine herbs and even awakened supernatural powers. Look at yourself. You're a completely new rat! As long as you're with me, you don't have to worry about being hunted by adventurers or wandering through treacherous valleys looking for scraps. Have you ever even dreamed of such a luxurious life?"

Hearing this, Agwang immediately prostrated himself on the floor, pressing his forehead to the ground in a gesture of absolute submission.

"You felt it just now, right?" Bukjin continued. "I can grant you power. Do you understand what it means to become strong? If you continue to follow me faithfully, I can bestow that power upon you whenever it's needed."

Agwang scrambled up and began writing feverishly on his board.

Bukjin roared with laughter internally, but he kept his expression serene and benevolent. "To be honest, I might have called you a slave, but I've often thought of you as a friend—even a brother. I've never actually forced you into hard labor, have I? You know this better than anyone."

Agwang nodded his head vigorously. In truth, the rat had grown quite accustomed to life in the Juk-won villa. He had even grown fond of Wang Chung, Cheon-cheon, and Cheong-cheong, and no longer harbored the hostility he once felt.

"Good. You may go now. Go and send Cheong-cheong to my room," Bukjin commanded.

"???" Agwang's eyes widened in shock. 'At this late hour...? Has Master finally made his decision? With Cheong-cheong Noona...?'

Agwang gave Bukjin a knowing, wide-eyed grin before grabbing his chalkboard and scurrying out. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

About fifteen minutes passed, and Cheong-cheong still hadn't arrived. Bukjin, who had been sipping tea while waiting, began to frown. 'What's taking her so long?'

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Young Master, may I come in?" Cheong-cheong's voice sounded uncharacteristically shy from behind the door.

"Come in."

Cheong-cheong cautiously opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. When Bukjin looked up at her, he nearly spat out his tea.

'W-What in the world...?'

Cheong-cheong had entered the room wearing nothing but a single, thin, incredibly short towel wrapped around her body. Her white, lustrous shoulders, her collarbones, and her elegantly long legs were all on full display. Her hair was slightly damp, making it obvious to anyone that she had just finished bathing.

"Cheong-cheong, what is the meaning of this...?"

"Young Master, you can do whatever you wish. I am leaving everything in your hands," Cheong-cheong said, her face flushed a deep crimson.

Only then did Bukjin realize there had been a massive misunderstanding. He had summoned her to test the new Wi-Fi function, not to experiment with the Thirty-Six Techniques of the Bedchamber he had found on Bukhwang Mountain.

Facing her, Bukjin felt his own face begin to heat up. 'I'm a healthy man! My body is going to react ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠naturally when a woman looks like that in front of me! Is she trying to tempt me into a crime? No, I can't! I'm someone who needs to return to Earth. I can't go around forming deep entanglements. If I get someone pregnant, I might grow too attached to leave!'

Bukjin fought a desperate battle to control his impulses.

"Cheong-cheong, you've misunderstood. Go back, change into proper clothes, and then return. I have something to discuss with you," Bukjin said, turning his head away to suppress his instincts.

"Pardon?" Cheong-cheong's voice was laced with an unmistakable hint of disappointment. Pouting, she turned around and left the bedroom.

A short while later, Cheong-cheong returned wearing her usual blouse and skirt and knocked again. Bukjin had no intention of letting the awkward atmosphere linger. As soon as she stepped inside, he activated the Wi-Fi and connected to her signal.

"Ah..." A soft moan escaped Cheong-cheong's lips as her beautiful face turned red once more.

Outside the door, Agwang and Wang Chung, who both had their ears pressed against the wood, felt their hearts skip a beat.

'The Young Master finally did it!'

'Does the Young Master prefer to undress them himself?'

Meanwhile, Cheon-cheon, who was watching from a distance, had her lips pouted out like a crane's beak. 'Why did the Young Master choose Cheong-cheong over me?'

Inside the bedroom, Bukjin clearly felt Hyeongi flowing out of his body the moment he connected to Cheong-cheong. In data terms, it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠roughly equivalent to 1GB of energy. Being able to share his Hyeongi with others via the smartphone was incredibly convenient.

Furthermore, he could sense the change in Cheong-cheong's aura.

'A 1st-grade Master Rank? I only shared a tiny fraction of my Hyeongi, and Cheong-cheong—who was a 1st-grade Warrior at best—suddenly has the power of a Master? What about her physical strength?'

Startled, Bukjin began to examine Cheong-cheong's body closely. Since she was fully clothed, he couldn't see any physical changes, but he could sense that her internal vitality and blood flow had increased significantly.