I've Been Played!
"I've been played!"
Bukjin unleashed his Cloud-Dream Flying Rain footwork, descending from the Bamboo Garden with movements as light as a feather. Since he knew exactly where Agwang had planted the poison landmines, he was able to navigate the terrain with perfect safety.
One of the figures struck by the Four Dragon Arrows had his mask ripped off. The face revealed beneath was so utterly mangled that it was unrecognizable. The faces of the other attackers were in the same gruesome state. Bukjin summoned his Virtue Sword, decapitating them and stabbing them through the heart to ensure they were truly dead.
From a short distance away, a group of elite assassins watched the scene from the shadows. Seeing Bukjin’s cold-blooded efficiency, a chill ran down their spines.
"He’s a student at a junior academy... he can’t be more than fourteen or fifteen, yet his methods are so ruthless!"
Having finished his grim task, Bukjin raised his sword and called out to the darkness.
"To my friends hiding and enjoying the show! I think it’s about time you came out, don't you?"
The leaves of the bamboo forest rustled in the wind, and moonlight danced between the stalks. Soon, two figures dressed in black stepped out from the thicket. One was tall and thin, while the other was short and stout. Both wore black robes and bronze masks fashioned into the likeness of malevolent demons.
The two assassins didn't say a word. Instead, they began to radiate a sinister, oppressive killing intent. There wasn't a hint of vitality coming from them; they felt like ghosts that had just crawled out of the underworld.
"Who are you?" Bukjin asked, pointing his Virtue Sword forward. "And why do you keep attacking me?"
The two assassins offered no reply. Without even appearing to take steps, they glided across the ground, closing the distance to Bukjin at a terrifying speed. They held strangely shaped swords in their hands—bizarre, asymmetrical weapons rarely seen in the martial world.
"If you won't answer, then die."
Bukjin raised his Iron Wall Bow once more and channeled the secret art of the Ten Suns Dragon Arrow. Two steel Four Dragon Arrows were fired in rapid succession. They tore through the night sky with the speed of a lightning bolt—so fast the naked eye could barely track them.
By the time the assassins saw the flash, the arrows were already inches from their faces. Startled, they desperately raised their bizarre swords to deflect the projectiles.
BOOM! BOOM!
A massive impact, sounding like exploding gunpowder, echoed through the air. Blood sprayed into the night. The two assassins were blasted back nearly thirty feet before slamming violently into the ground. The hands they had used to block were completely shattered, exposing white bone, and their strange swords had been reduced to splinters. The force imbued within those steel arrows far exceeded anything they had imagined.
However, they were professional killers. Despite their horrific injuries, they didn't let out a single scream. Instead, they scrambled to their feet, attempting to flee. Bukjin's strength was far beyond the intelligence they had gathered.
"Mission failure!"
Bukjin watched them with a cold smirk.
"You can come as you please, but you don't get to leave the same way!"
He raised his bow again, nocking two more Four Dragon Arrows. The bowstring was pulled taut and released, sending the arrows screaming through the air. Two silver streaks of lightning pierced the darkness.
The assassins seemed to have anticipated this. This time, they didn't try to block. They activated their footwork, twisting their bodies at impossible angles to dodge. It was a highly sophisticated technique. However, the moment they shifted direction, the two Four Dragon Arrows also banked sharply, curving like the horns of a ram. They traced a bizarre arc through the air and slammed into the assassins' left legs.
CRACK! CRACK!
Their legs exploded as if hit by grenades. A mist of dark blood and bone fragments sprayed in every direction. The assassins, who had been running at full speed, let out pained groans and tumbled across the ground, their momentum sending them rolling through the dirt.
Bukjin had used Ram's Horn Arrow, one of the three great secret techniques of the Ten Suns Dragon Arrow. It was a method that caused the trajectory of the arrow to curve sharply like a ram’s horn, making it impossible for an opponent to dodge or block. This was Bukjin's first time using the Ram's Horn Arrow in live combat, and he was quite satisfied with the results.
"Even these third-rate hacks dare to try and assassinate me?"
With his increased strength, Bukjin felt much more composed when dealing with enemies. He activated his footwork and dashed toward the two assassins. He intended to take them alive this time. These two were clearly much stronger than the previous lot and likely held significant rank. He needed to interrogate them for information.
In truth, Bukjin had sensed the presence of these two powerful assassins from the moment the initial ten had attacked. He had ignored them while dealing with the others specifically so he could capture them later.
But just as Bukjin reached them, a strange, blurred figure suddenly lunged out from the shadows. The figure's hands moved in a blur, instantly ending the lives of the two crippled assassins. Without a pause, the mysterious shadow bolted toward the academy's exit.
"You!"
Bukjin recognized that eerie silhouette immediately. It was Phantom Form, the assassin who had previously disguised herself as So-ryeong and stabbed him.
"I won't let you get away this time."
Bukjin raised his hand, and the Virtue Sword flew back into his grip. Leaping into the air, he activated his Floating Light, Fleeting Shadow, Wolf-Treading Step and began the pursuit.
"Last time you got away because I didn't have a proper footwork technique, but things are different now! I'm going to cut you down with my own blade!"
"If I don't catch you today, you can call me your grandson!"
With a cold sneer, Bukjin pushed his footwork to its limit. The Floating Light, Fleeting Shadow, Wolf-Treading Step was faster than any technique he had learned so far, making it perfect for a chase. It felt exactly like the legendary Qinggong techniques he had read about in Wuxia novels back on Earth.
Fixing his gaze on Phantom Form to ensure she wouldn't slip away, Bukjin prepared to switch his gear.
Uploading Virtue Sword to the [Storage] app...
[UPLOAD COMPLETE]
With the sword stored, he gripped his Iron Wall Bow and slung his quiver of Four Dragon Arrows over his shoulder, leaping across rooftops as he pursued his target. Phantom Form's movements were incredibly bizarre—she moved with the agility of a monkey, making it difficult to track her through the dense urban landscape. Bukjin wanted to fire an arrow several times, but the power of his shots was so great he feared collapsing buildings and causing collateral damage. Besides, she was still just outside his effective range.
Fortunately, his relentless pursuit was slowly closing the gap. Finally, she entered his range.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Hand-arrows whistled through the air.
"Hehehe! Im Bukjin, you can't hit me with such toys!"
Phantom Form turned her head and sneered. She still wore the face of So-ryeong. The innocent, naive face of the young girl was now twisted with a wicked, murderous aura. Her footwork was erratic, moving up, down, left, and right in unpredictable patterns. Even though she must have consumed a vast amount of Mystic Energy during the chase, her speed hadn't dropped in the slightest.
After about fifteen minutes of high-speed pursuit, Bukjin finally managed to close the distance to within thirty feet.
"Ultimate Vision."
Bukjin activated the final secret of the Twin Flying Hand-Arrow Technique. Instantly, his perception sharpened, and his speed doubled. His form seemed to flicker and vanish.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
He continuously fired bolts from the Twin Flying Bows mounted on his arms.
THUD!
One of the bolts struck Phantom Form's right arm, drawing a spray of blood.
"I will kill everyone around you! I will definitely—!"
Phantom Form shrieked in a voice as shrill as a crow's. She seemed to have activated some sort of forbidden technique that burned her life essence for a temporary burst of power. Her speed suddenly skyrocketed, widening the gap between them again. As she fled, she kept turning her head to scream provocations at him.
As the chase continued, Bukjin began to feel that something was off.
"That woman has incredible footwork and speed... there's no way this is her top speed. She's definitely leading me somewhere. She lured me out of the 3rd Academy on purpose... Is there an ambush waiting?"
A sense of foreboding washed over him, making his skin crawl. Bukjin skidded to a halt. His natural instinct for self-preservation cleared his mind and forced a decisive choice.
Standing still, he didn't say another word. He simply turned around to leave. He decided that as long as there was even a shred of risk, he couldn't afford to be careless. But he was already too late.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The sound of air being torn apart echoed in rapid succession. Three arrows screamed through the void toward Bukjin. They were incredibly fast, and the power behind them was monstrous. The arrows left ripples in the air as they flew, looking as if they might tear through space itself.
Bukjin pushed his Fragrance-Stealing, Jade-Breaking Step to its absolute peak to dodge.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The arrows slammed into a stone wall next to where he had been standing. The wall exploded, crumbling into a heap of rubble. Only then did Bukjin realize where he was. In his focus on the chase, he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings. He had unknowingly entered an old, desolate ruin in a remote corner of Unmong City.
Under the moonlight, the area was a grim landscape of decaying buildings and collapsed ruins.
"Damn it, I've been played!"
Without looking back, Bukjin turned and began to bolt in the opposite direction.
"Didn't you say you'd be my grandson if you didn't catch me today?"
Now it was Phantom Form's laughter that pursued the retreating Bukjin. He replied without even turning his head.
"Falling into a stupid trap like this is exactly what would make me your grandson!"
Bukjin believed that things like pride or vows could be thrown away and picked up whenever he felt like it. But if you lost your life, you couldn't pick up anything ever again. He was incredibly sharp when it came to such situational judgments. He thought that throwing one's life away for a moment of heroism was the height of stupidity.
Phantom Form seemed momentarily stunned, perhaps not expecting Bukjin to be even more shameless than an assassin like herself. Then, she began to feel a sense of urgency.
"Not only is his growth rate terrifying, but his judgment is cold and calculating. If I let him live, he will become a truly fearsome enemy. I cannot let him escape!"
Phantom Form increased her speed, hot on Bukjin's heels.