Burn Him to Death!
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?” Bukjin replied, his voice dripping with annoyance as he listened to Jeong Sam-seok. “A shameful record? It’s not like I’m going around bragging about it, am I?”
“You…”
Jeong Sam-seok found himself speechless once again. Was this really how a sane person was supposed to respond?
“Im Bukjin, do not forget. You have already been expelled from the 1st and 2nd Academies. If you are expelled from our 3rd Academy as well, imperial law dictates that you will be barred from receiving an education at any academy ever again!” Jeong Sam-seok roared, his voice thick with fury.
Creeeak! Snap!
The veins on Jeong Sam-seok’s clenched fists bulged as his patience reached its absolute limit. At this rate, he looked ready to snap and deliver a fist-sized lesson to Bukjin’s face. It was only then that Bukjin finally set down his smartphone.
He stood up slowly and began to retort in a low, defiant voice.
“Expel me if you want! What do I care? Do you even know who I am? I am the only son of the War God! Do you understand what that means? I, Im Bukjin, am the man who will one day inherit the title of the All-Weather Lord! Even if I don’t know how to do a single thing, delicacies and beauties will be waiting for me, and guards will protect me. I’ll have so much money that my hands will cramp just from counting it all while I sleep in every single day. So why on earth would I suffer through martial arts training? Training? Absolutely not! Not in this lifetime. I, Im Bukjin, would rather starve to death on the streets than endure the miserable grind of training like everyone else!”
Bukjin’s agitated voice echoed through the classroom. Inside the sacred and solemn halls of the 2nd-grade classroom, bathed in the beautiful early summer sunlight, sixty students sat with their mouths agape, staring at him in a daze.
Even Jeong Sam-seok, a veteran teacher with fifteen years of experience, was rendered speechless by the sheer, unadulterated shamelessness of the son of Unmong City’s most prominent family. The words Bukjin had spat out in that short burst continued to ring in everyone’s ears.
Clutching his chest in shock, Jeong Sam-seok leaned against the podium for support. Right then—
SLAM!
The classroom door was thrown open with violent force.
“Young Master! Young Master! Disaster has struck…!”
The silence was shattered by heavy, ragged breathing. The man who burst in was a scrawny individual in his fifties with a thin, rat-like mustache. He stumbled into the room, his face pale with urgency.
“Steward Wang?” Bukjin asked, looking bewildered.
He recognized the middle-aged man as the butler who managed the War God’s estate.
“Young Master, it’s a catastrophe! How could this happen?!”
Steward Wang rushed toward Bukjin, wailing incoherently. He collapsed at Bukjin’s feet, grabbing his legs and sobbing uncontrollably.
“What the hell! Get off me! You’re getting snot all over my pants! You useless old man!” Bukjin shouted, shoving Steward Wang away with a look of pure disgust.
“Catastrophe? What catastrophe? Speak clearly, or I’ll break your legs!” Bukjin snapped, his expression fierce.
In truth, Bukjin wasn’t just being a jerk for the sake of it. His current identity was that of an arrogant, ill-mannered noble brat. If he didn’t play the part perfectly, he risked drawing suspicion. If people began to doubt him, they might drag him to the Temple Square for questioning. Since his life was on the line, he leaned into the 'villain' act with everything he had.
“Young Master, something terrible has happened to the Master. An official dispatched from the Imperial Court just arrived with a contingent of soldiers to read an imperial edict. It stated that the Master defied orders on the front lines, acted recklessly, and fell into an enemy ambush, resulting in the loss of fifty thousand troops. He has been branded a criminal and is currently a fugitive. Our manor has been seized, and all the servants have been dispersed. The Master’s title has been revoked…”
Steward Wang wailed as if he were at a funeral. Im Bukjin was rocked to his core.
“W-Wait a minute. What? You useless fool! Stop crying and tell me straight! Was my name mentioned in the edict?!” Bukjin demanded urgently.
From what he could tell, his family was ruined, and they were facing total extermination. As things stood, Bukjin was now the scion of a traitorous household. He could be dragged before the Emperor and executed at any moment. If that was the case, he needed to run—and run fast.
Steward Wang sobbed as he replied, “Yes, your name was mentioned. The edict called you the ‘scoundrel among scoundrels’ and stripped you of your noble status, demoting you to a commoner. It also said that given your past behavior, the Empire wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—you would surely destroy yourself within the walls of Unmong City anyway…”
Hearing that, Bukjin let out a secret sigh of relief. He thought that the 'damned Emperor' actually had a bit of a heart. He never imagined his reputation as a 'worthless scoundrel' would actually save his life at the most critical moment. As long as he wasn't going to be executed, he had nothing to fear.
“Young Master, what are we going to do?! Young Master, the Im Clan is finished!” Steward Wang slumped to the floor, clutching Bukjin’s legs as his cries filled the quiet classroom.
“Why are you panicking?! We still have my sister!”
Despite the dire situation, Bukjin maintained his composure. He still had his sixteen-year-old sister, Im Cheong-seon. She was a once-in-a-century genius, often described as the 'peerless talent the entire Empire is waiting for to come of age.' Not only was she incredibly skilled, but she was also famously fierce.
The best example of her temperament was Bukjin’s own body. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that half the reason Bukjin’s soul had ended up in this body was because of Im Cheong-seon.
Three days ago, before the current soul had inhabited this body, Im Cheong-seon had rushed back from the Imperial War Academy in the capital after hearing that her brother was ruining the family name. She had tied him to a pillar and started beating him senseless. Bukjin had suffered severe injuries and eventually fainted from the sheer shock and pain. Afterward, a priest from the Temple had come to heal his physical wounds, but his spirit—the original soul of this body—never recovered. That was how the soul of the Im Bukjin from Earth had been able to take over.
In a way, Im Cheong-seon’s violent personality was the reason he was here. And because she was so formidable, no one in Unmong City had dared to lay a finger on Bukjin until now.
Suddenly, Steward Wang seemed to remember something and began to stammer hesitantly.
“About that… there is something I haven’t told you yet. I heard news around the Hour of the Monkey this afternoon. They say… that while the Young Lady was rushing home from the Imperial War Academy, she was ambushed by a pack of vicious beasts. Her current whereabouts and status are… unknown…”
“What?”
Bukjin’s face went blank.
“A-And Young Master… this news has already spread throughout all of Unmong City. As I was running here to tell you, I saw countless people who held grudges against you drawing their swords and heading toward the 3rd Academy. They’re probably blocking the school gates by now…”
Bukjin’s lips began to tremble. A moment later, something happened that left every student in the classroom speechless.
Under the same brilliant early summer sun, Bukjin suddenly shook off Steward Wang, who was still clinging to his legs, and began to neatly straighten his school uniform. He smoothed his messy hair, massaged his face into a forced smile, and marched straight up to Jeong Sam-seok at the podium.
He bowed deeply with the utmost politeness and spoke.
“Teacher, I want to train!”
The look in Bukjin’s eyes was one of pure, innocent longing. His face was filled with a desperate yearning to cultivate—though it was clearly manufactured. He even radiated the aura of a model student who was dying to immerse himself in the martial arts.
Jeong Sam-seok stared at him, utterly flabbergasted.
Good heavens… how can a person be this shameless? Is this really the same brat who just said he’d rather starve to death on the street than train? Just how thick is this kid’s skin?
As these thoughts raced through Jeong Sam-seok’s mind, a sudden commotion erupted outside the classroom. It sounded like a swarm of students.
“I heard the War God’s manor has already been seized! That damn Im Bukjin is finished! The time for revenge has finally come! Come on, everyone who wants a piece of him, get in line! If you’re late, you’ll miss your chance!”
The sound of approaching footsteps, like a crashing wave, reached the doors of Class 9. Goosebumps erupted all over Bukjin’s body.
Dammit! No way… it can’t end this quickly!
Jeong Sam-seok’s expression hardened. He quickly moved toward the door to block the incoming mob. Bukjin had earned the resentment of countless students. If no one stopped them, he would surely be beaten to death today by those seeking vengeance.
A moment later, Jeong Sam-seok’s booming voice could be heard outside, but his efforts seemed almost futile. The ragged, furious breathing of the students outside sounded like they were exhaling fire.
“Im Bukjin! Get out here right now!”
“Let’s push our way in and beat him to death!”
“Im Bukjin! It’s time to pay for your evil deeds!”
“Your father, Im Geun-nam, committed an unforgivable crime and fled! Your family are traitors to the Empire!”
“Teacher! Don’t block us! Even if it’s you, we can’t hold back anymore!”
“Drag that scoundrel out! Burn him to death!”
The voices of the agitated crowd surged forward like a tide. The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, looking as if a bloodbath was about to erupt at any second. Even Jeong Sam-seok, standing firm against the mob, seemed to be struggling to quell their explosive rage.