Learning Martial Arts Through a Beating
Bukjin put on a look of utter bewilderment after hearing Cho Heun’s offer. Wait, this isn't a bad deal at all, is it? Should I ask for money? Hmm... no, that’s not realistic. What do I need most right now?
After a moment of deep deliberation, Bukjin’s eyes suddenly sparkled. "It is truly humbling that you would offer such a thing, sir. However, I do have one request. As you know, I currently have no proper place to stay and am struggling just to find my next meal. What I desire isn't anything grand. I simply wish for a single room within the academy grounds—somewhere I can stay, just enough to shield me from the wind and rain."
Living in a tent had made Bukjin realize that the elements were his greatest enemy.
Cho Heun let out a boisterous laugh. "If that is all, then there is no problem at all! Very well. I shall grant you the Bamboo Garden, located to the east of the second-year training grounds, as your temporary residence. As long as you are a student of our 3rd Academy, you may stay there in peace."
Bukjin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Did I hear that right? The Bamboo Garden? Back on Earth, a place like that would be considered a luxury villa!
Right next to the area where Bukjin’s tent had been pitched for the past few days was a lush bamboo forest specially cultivated by the 3rd Academy. Within that forest stood four detached villas, each roughly thirty-five square yards in size. They were named after the Four Gracious Plants: Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo.
From what Bukjin knew, those four villas were reserved for VIP guests or high-ranking officials of the academy. They were heavily guarded, quiet, and incredibly secure. In a place like Unmong City, it was the kind of high-end real estate Bukjin could never hope to acquire on his own.
As expected of a Grade Dean! He’s got some serious pull! Giving me a whole villa as a reward!
Even though he was only getting the right to use it rather than full ownership, it was more than enough. "Thank you! Thank you, sir!" Bukjin bowed quickly before Cho Heun could change his mind.
Cho Heun was still deeply moved by what he perceived as Bukjin’s noble character. "To find a youth like you in times such as these is a great blessing. I have truly seen you in a new light today. Continue to work hard and devote yourself to your studies! If you encounter any difficulties or need anything during your training, do not hesitate to come to me."
Cho Heun’s favorability toward Bukjin had already hit its peak. Bukjin hadn't expected his random choice to yield such a beautiful result. Compared to gaining the favor of the Grade Dean, the "bad" items he had picked didn't seem like much of a loss at all.
Standing to the side and watching the whole scene, Jeong Sam-seok stood with his mouth agape. Am I the only one who knows this kid’s true face? That little brat... his head for schemes is terrifying!
Jeong Sam-seok correctly deduced that Bukjin had intentionally picked the two worst items just so he could use his silver tongue to manipulate Cho Heun. The Grade Dean was the most powerful position in the academy, second only to the principal. Furthermore, since the principal of the 3rd Academy, Im Tae-heo, lived a life of leisure soaked in alcohol and had zero interest in administration, the Grade Deans were the ones who actually ran the show. In short, Cho Heun held absolute power over the second-year students.
With Cho Heun as his backer, Bukjin would have nothing to fear within the 3rd Academy. This turn of events was also a massive shock to the people waiting outside the gates to ambush Bukjin. The move he had just pulled was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop. Even Jeong Sam-seok couldn't help but inwardly admire Bukjin’s brilliant maneuver.
A short while later, Mok Simwol, Oh Sobang, and Ak Hong-hyang stepped forward to select their rewards. With that, the 3rd Academy’s Academic & Martial Arts Competition came to a close.
The biggest winner of the competition was undoubtedly Bukjin. While the other three were exceptional students who deserved recognition, Bukjin’s actions and presence had been so overwhelming that he had monopolized everyone’s attention.
The ones feeling the most bitter were Oh Sobang and Mok Simwol. Oh Sobang had tried to trap Bukjin only to end up humiliated. On top of that, he had lost twenty gold coins—a significant sum even for someone from a well-to-do family. As for Mok Simwol, she had lost her chance to shine, failed to take first place, and her plan to skip a grade to the third year had been completely ruined. The losses they suffered were beyond words.
Of course, Bukjin didn't care about any of that. When he held the fifteen gold coins of prize money in his hand, he felt like he was walking on clouds. Ah! This is what I live for! He felt like singing a song at the top of his lungs.
Night fell. The Bamboo Garden was silent and elegant. Within the blue-brick walls lay a beautiful garden, complete with a miniature mountain and a pond. To the west, a single paulownia tree stood tall. In the center of the garden was a small training ground, where eighteen types of weapons—including swords, spears, hand axes, and chain-sickles—were neatly displayed.
Further in stood a two-story pavilion containing four rooms and three living areas. It was a perfect, pristine residence. Inside a quiet room on the second floor, Bukjin sat with a serious expression, fiddling with his smartphone.
Within two hours of the competition ending, Bukjin and Wang Chung had moved all their belongings into the Bamboo Garden. It felt like going from a beggar on the street to a king in a palace. Wang Chung was currently busy cleaning every nook and cranny of the pavilion.
Bukjin was busy organizing the spoils of the competition. He pulled out the two items he had chosen.
"Rejuvenation Powder is a medicine for treating wounds. It feels like the ointments I used back on Earth, though I'm sure the effects are much better. But in this world, it’s just a slightly better version of standard Geumchang medicine. That’s probably why it was considered the worst of the four pills I saw yesterday... And as for this Peerless Sword Body..."
Bukjin opened the martial arts manual and began to read. Once he finished, he sat in silence for a long time. The core concept of the manual was incredibly simple:
"Master the most difficult technique to crush your opponent with absolute power!"
Although the word 'Sword' was in the name, it wasn't actually a sword technique; it was a body-tempering art. The fundamental realization was to treat one's own body like an unrefined blade, constantly forging and tempering it to remove impurities until it became high-purity steel. It was a martial art designed to make one's flesh and blood incredibly resilient and one's bones as sharp and hard as a top-tier sword.
The ultimate stage of the Peerless Sword Body was called the 'Sword-Man.' It meant that if one mastered the art to its limit, their very body would become a legendary blade. It sounded incredibly cool.
The problem, however, was the process of learning it. The primary method of training this martial art was to be constantly beaten. The more vicious the beating, the better the tempering. The harder the hits, the faster the progress. The more it hurt, the better the effect. In short, it told the practitioner to get beaten to the point of death, but not quite die.
Naturally, this had to be accompanied by the circulation of Mystic Energy. There was even a technique to being hit; one had to start with light strikes and gradually increase the intensity. But no matter how much 'technique' was involved, a beating was still a beating.
"What kind of dog-shit martial art is this?! Whoever created this must have been hit in the head one too many times!" Bukjin exploded in frustration.
He finally understood why Cho Heun and Lee Cheong-hyeon had looked at him like he was the world's biggest idiot when he chose this manual. The Rejuvenation Powder wasn't the issue; this martial art was. What kind of unscrupulous teacher would even pick this as a reward?
Bukjin was about to toss the manual aside, thinking it wasn't even worth considering. But then, a thought occurred to him. Wait. Unlike other people, I just have to charge my phone and keep the app running for it to train automatically. I don't have to put in the time and effort like normal people. Maybe I can learn this easily through the phone too?
A smile spread across his face. He pulled out his smartphone and began taking photos of the manual. Once he was finished, he waited a moment and then opened the App Store. Sure enough, a new app had appeared: [Peerless Sword Body - Basic Edition].
Huh? This feels different from the other martial arts. If this is the 'Basic Edition'... does that mean there are Intermediate and Advanced versions too?
Bukjin decided not to worry about it and tapped 'Download.'
4GB of data is required to download this application. Your current remaining data is 4.5GB. Would you like to proceed with the download?
Bukjin stared at the screen in shock. 4GB just to download the Peerless Sword Body app?!
It was the most data-intensive app he had encountered since getting the phone. This meant the smartphone evaluated the Peerless Sword Body as being on a completely different level than the Close-body Triple Link. Generally, the higher the smartphone's evaluation, the more powerful the martial art.
After a brief hesitation, Bukjin tapped 'Yes.' Immediately, a green progress bar appeared on the screen. At the same time, the Mystic Energy inside his body began to be rapidly sucked into the phone.
"Ugh..." Bukjin groaned. He felt his physical strength and energy being drained away. About seven minutes later, his face was pale and his entire body felt numb. He looked utterly exhausted.
The download for [Peerless Sword Body - Basic Edition] was complete. Letting out a heavy sigh, Bukjin tapped 'Install.' The installation took about fifteen minutes. Once it was done, an icon depicting a person merging with a sword appeared on his home screen.
Bukjin tapped the icon to run the app. As expected, an ink-wash silhouette that looked exactly like him appeared on the screen. The silhouette was standing on a stone floor, taking a stance as if preparing to be hit. Suddenly, a faint hammer appeared in the air and began striking the silhouette’s back.
It looked exactly like someone using a flyswatter to smack a fly on the floor.
Thwack! Thwack!
Sound effects that sounded painfully real echoed from the phone.