Beyond the City Walls
Leaving the city? Bukjin suddenly felt a prickling sensation running down his spine. It felt as if someone were lightly tapping his back with a small hammer. In truth, he had expected something like this. Training via the smartphone apps had a direct physical impact on the host. It followed the same principle as the incredibly comfortable sensation he felt whenever he cultivated Mystic Energy through the phone.
However, the sensation was merely a rhythmic tapping, not painful in the slightest. It seemed the Peerless Sword Body app automatically calibrated the agonizing pain of the actual technique into something a normal human could endure. Every time the hammer on the screen flew around and struck the ink-wash silhouette, Bukjin felt a corresponding tingle in his back. It was strange at first, but as he adjusted, it became quite refreshing—almost like receiving a professional massage.
"Mmm... I must be imagining things. I'm not some pervert who enjoys being hit," Bukjin muttered, trying to steady his mind.
After a moment, he launched two specific apps and closed the rest before putting the phone away.
Middle-grade Mystic Energy Refinement
Peerless Sword Body (Beginner Edition)
"Ah... Ooh... Agh!"
Strange, somewhat suggestive groans began to echo continuously from Bukjin's room. Outside the door, Wang Chung stood with his ears perked, listening intently. After listening to the peculiar noises for quite some time with a grave expression, the butler's face suddenly lit up with a look of profound realization.
The Young Master is truly the Young Master, Wang Chung thought. His habit of chasing women hasn't changed a bit. When I saw him spit venom at that top-tier beauty Mok Simwol and send her packing without a second thought, I feared he'd become a different person. I suppose I didn't need to worry. He's still the same lady-killer. And it's already been nearly an hour... Young Master, you've certainly grown stronger.
Wang Chung crept toward the stairs with a cautious expression.
But when did he bring a woman back? To sneak one in without a single sound... Could she be someone of extraordinary status? Wang Chung's imagination began to run wild.
Throughout that entire day, Bukjin remained in a state of full-body soreness and tingling. The suggestive moans never ceased to drift from his room. Wang Chung, who was privy to every sound, started the day with a knowing smile, transitioned into wide-eyed admiration, and eventually reached a state of existential shock, reflecting on his own life choices.
"H-He's too strong. Is it because he's been holding back for so long? It's been almost a full day! Has his stamina increased alongside his martial arts? But at this rate, even the Young Master will collapse... No, I must find an opportunity to speak with him. The young require moderation. If he doesn't learn restraint now, he'll suffer for it later." Wang Chung made a firm internal resolve.
The next morning, the sun rose brightly after a night of light showers. The air was crisp and refreshing. As soon as Bukjin arrived at the academy, he was summoned to the second-year faculty office. A meeting was already underway, and Ak Hong-hyang, Oh Sobang, and Mok Simwol had been summoned alongside him.
The medical techniques of this world far surpassed those of Earth. Furthermore, those who cultivated Mystic Energy healed at a rate far beyond that of ordinary people. Despite the brutal beating they had received from Bukjin, Oh Sobang and Mok Simwol were already showing signs of recovery. Aside from a slight paleness, it was hard to tell they had been severely injured on the sparring stage just a day ago.
Bukjin was the last to arrive.
"Bukjin is here. Come, take a seat."
The Grade Dean, Cho Heun, beamed at him as he entered, looking for all the world like a proud father. Bukjin took his seat. Mok Simwol gave him a small nod as if nothing had ever happened between them. Bukjin found her audacity speechless. Ignoring her entirely, he turned to the girl sitting across from him—the beauty of Class 8, Ak Hong-hyang—and gave her a bright smile and a nod.
Ak Hong-hyang looked flustered for a moment, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks as she lowered her head. Realizing her reaction might be impolite, she quickly looked up again, nodded back, and tried her best to maintain a composed expression. Despite her gentle appearance, she was a woman of firm boundaries and impeccable manners. She had been raised under strict discipline, and thanks to her mother's teachings, she possessed a healthy sense of self-worth and self-love. She was someone who always acted with propriety, knew the right path, and valued herself.
Normally, she was serious and rarely shaken. But the person smiling at her right now was Bukjin. Ak Hong-hyang thought she had never seen a boy as handsome as him in her entire life. Bukjin's radiant smile possessed a lethal charm that was devastating to a teenage girl's heart. Moreover, he had just taken first place in the mid-year competition, capturing everyone's attention with his monstrous talent. Bukjin was like the rising sun—brilliant and undeniable.
Bukjin found her shy yet polite efforts quite amusing. Then there was the other student, Oh Sobang. He seemed to be starring in his own private tragedy; no one was paying him any attention.
"I've called you here today to relay the details of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition selection trials," Cho Heun said, opening a window to gaze at the distant mountains. "The Education Committee has already approved your participation. This afternoon, you will leave the academy under the guidance of Teacher Jeong Sam-seok. You will head to the Green Wilderness, located about a hundred li south of Unmong City, where you will participate in the trials for ten days."
Leaving the city? Bukjin felt a jolt of anxiety. The trials are held outside the walls?
He began to worry. There were many people outside the academy walls currently sharpening their blades for revenge against him. Stepping outside the school was dangerous enough; leaving the city entirely felt like walking into a trap. As if sensing his concern, Cho Heun continued.
"The selection trials are hosted by the Unmong City Education Bureau and executed by the Education Committee. Six major institutions, including the City Hall and the Military Affairs Office, will be cooperating. A total of sixty second-year students from various academies will participate. Every student will be under the protection of the Education Bureau. No outside force is permitted to threaten or harm the students during this process. Any act of interference will be considered a violation of Imperial Law and will be strictly punished. Furthermore, you will be escorted by elite teachers from each junior academy, so you need not worry about anything other than the trials themselves."
Phew... Only then did Bukjin relax. The North Sea Empire placed immense importance on education. Consequently, departments related to education held powerful executive authority over other administrative branches. Moreover, since the empire's countless nobles and rising powerhouses had all been cultivated within these academies over the last few centuries, educational institutions had amassed a unique and formidable influence. Their potential was limitless. In the provinces and cities of the North Sea Empire, the prestige of the Education Bureau was on par with that of the military. Within Unmong City, their power was comparable to what the Jeon-cheon-hu Manor had once wielded.
"I hope all of you gathered here will work hard and prepare thoroughly for these trials. Our 3rd Academy's second-year hasn't produced a student who passed the trials to reach the main event of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition in years. I truly hope to see a student break that record this time."
As he finished, Cho Heun's gaze lingered on Bukjin. To the Dean, Bukjin was his greatest hope. He believed that if anyone from the 3rd Academy was going to make it to the finals this year, it would undoubtedly be him.
After a few more words of caution and encouragement, Cho Heun informed the four students that they would be departing in half an hour. Bukjin returned to the Bamboo Garden, summoned Wang Chung to prepare his travel gear, changed into clean clothes, and made his way to the departure point.
"Young Master..." Wang Chung started to say something with a worried face, then hesitated.
"Don't worry. You don't need to fret over my safety," Bukjin said, leaving quickly without looking back.
Wang Chung's expression remained complicated as he watched him go.
The event was called the Outdoor Selection Trial, or the Field Trial for short.
Sigh, I'm worried because the Young Master is just too handsome, the butler fretted. I hope the girls from the other academies don't swarm him and cause a nuisance... If he's not careful, he might not be able to show his true skills because of all those women...
In front of the Faculty Office, all the participants had gathered. The trials for the three different grades were being held in different locations. Once the four second-year representatives were assembled, Teacher Jeong Sam-seok led them out at a brisk pace. Outside the school gates, they boarded a carriage provided by the academy. The carriage quickly left the school grounds and began to roll down the city streets.
Listening to the various noises of the city and the laughter of people outside, Bukjin caught a glimpse of just how prosperous and developed Unmong City truly was. However, he kept his eyes closed and leaned against the carriage wall, pretending to sleep as they traveled. Mok Simwol tried several times to find a topic of conversation to engage him, but he ignored her completely.
The distance from Unmong City to the Green Wilderness was a total of one hundred li. The academy's carriage was pulled by a magical beast known as a Swift Beast. To Bukjin's eyes, the creature looked like a dinosaur from Earth, with hind leg joints that angled outward like an ostrich's. Its speed was incredible, and it could run long distances with a stability that no ordinary horse could match. In Unmong City, Swift Beasts were only assigned to high-end carriages.
Furthermore, a Mystic Gate Formation was active on the carriage. Small, vortex-like wind currents shimmered along the formation's lines. Thanks to the array, the carriage's speed increased even further while vibrations were kept to a minimum. Bukjin felt as though the ride quality rivaled that of a luxury sedan on Earth.
It's clearly a car pulled by a beast, so why do they call it a carriage? Bukjin wondered, finding the terminology illogical. Shouldn't it be called a 'Beast-riage' or something?