When a Man Must Not Back Down
"This isn't just for today," Sim Bi said, his chest squared and his expression clear with confidence. "Today is merely the small beginning of a grand journey. Our goals—the goals of us three—have only just begun to take shape."
There was an inexplicable power in his voice. Do Manseong and Yi Do looked on with faces flushed with agitation, as if the three of them were sharing the exact same dream.
"Two years ago, before I even entered the National Imperial Junior Academy, I met Manseong and Brother Bi," Yi Do began, his voice steady. "I can never forget that day. It was the moment our fates began to shift."
"Indeed. It was a meeting that rewrote our destinies," Do Manseong added, breaking his silence as he reminisced. "Back then, Yi Do and I were the outcasts of our families—the so-called 'discarded children.' Our talent and potential were mediocre at best. We were destined to rot away managing some minor family business until we died. No matter how hard we struggled, there was no hope, no opportunity to change our lot in life."
"That's right. But then Brother Bi appeared," Yi Do continued. "He guided our training. He taught us how to become the kind of geniuses our families couldn't ignore. He showed us how to win the trust of the elders and build our reputations. Step by step, we began to seize control of our fates. Eventually, we succeeded in entering the Imperial Academy and became the most outstanding talents among our kin, securing our positions as heirs... All of this was possible because Brother Bi changed our destiny. He is our elder brother, our teacher, and the person we trust most in this world."
Do Manseong nodded in agreement. "And that is why we decided to help him change his destiny today. The Board of Education is prejudiced against social gangs and private academies; they look down on them with quiet contempt. This is wrong. It is an injustice that must be corrected. And Brother Bi is the one who will prove it."
As Do Manseong finished, Bukjin couldn't help but interject. "Ah, so you two were planning to use me from the very first day you arrived at the estate? You intentionally caused friction in front of me to make everyone believe that Do Manseong and Yi Do were rivals who would never work together. Is that it?"
"Precisely," Yi Do replied. "The day Manseong picked a fight with you and I stepped in to 'protect' you was all a performance to establish our discord. Honestly, did you really think a student ranked 12th was worth our genuine attention or scorn? We simply needed a convenient pawn to execute our plan."
Damn it! Bukjin felt like cursing out loud. I don't care if they're targeting Im Jin, but why did they have to mess with an innocent soul like me? You absolute beasts!
"Harassing you was just a tiny part of a very long play," Do Manseong added. "Since our time at the academy, we've made sure everyone saw us as rivals—as incompatible as water and fire. Did you think deceiving someone like Im Jin would be easy?"
The students listening to the secret history of Do Manseong and Yi Do were in a state of total shock. The two had been acting for two long years. The sheer scale and duration of the deception were staggering. But what truly terrified them was the boy from the gang, Sim Bi. He had laid the groundwork two years ago and prepared everything leading up to this moment. To plan so many moves ahead... Sim Bi was a monster of strategy. Even an adult with vast experience would have struggled to pull this off.
In the North Sea Empire, where martial prowess and strength were revered, the students' gaze toward Sim Bi naturally shifted from fear to a twisted form of awe and respect. By raising the two greatest geniuses of the Imperial Academy, Sim Bi’s capabilities were already beyond question.
"You're trying to eliminate me from this trial because you have ambitions for the main tournament. Isn't that right?" Im Jin asked, blood still seeping from her wound. It was clearly a serious injury, yet she didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"You intend to seize victory in the finals, capture the attention of the elite academies in Pungeo Province, and climb the social ladder one step at a time. Am I wrong?"
Sim Bi no longer hid his ambition. He nodded calmly. "The laws of the Empire permit such things."
"Fine. 'Permitted by law,'" Im Jin said coldly. "But unfortunately, I also have a reason why I must advance to the finals."
"Does that mean... you won't withdraw of your own accord?" Sim Bi sighed. "How unfortunate. It seems I'll have to take matters into my own hands."
If Im Jin hadn't been so absurdly strong, Sim Bi wouldn't have resorted to such underhanded methods to wound her first. To him, Im Jin was like a massive, immovable boulder blocking his path—an obstacle that couldn't be cleared through conventional means. He had intended to show his true strength eventually, and now was the perfect opportunity.
Gripping his Tae-a Treasure Sword, Sim Bi stepped forward. Im Jin opened her mouth to speak, but Bukjin beat her to it.
"I'll go first."
Bukjin drew the Deokhaeng Sword from his waist and stepped in front of Im Jin. Sim Bi’s eyes flickered with a faint light of contempt.
"Do you really think you have a place in a situation like this?"
Bukjin’s mood soured instantly. It was a blatant insult.
"Your name was Sim Bi, right?" Bukjin gripped his sword and smirked. "Kid, you've got a big mouth for someone so small. 'A place in this'? Stop flapping your gums and prove with your sword that you're even qualified to say that to me."
Sim Bi laughed coldly.
"Brother Bi, let me punish this fool who doesn't know his place," Yi Do offered.
Sim Bi smiled and shook his head. "There’s no need."
Today was a day Sim Bi had prepared for a very long time. It was his debut, the day he would shock Unmong City. He wanted to deliver the finishing blow himself.
"If you're so eager to display your inadequacy, I shall grant your wish."
Sim Bi walked slowly toward Bukjin. An invisible pressure began to swirl between them. With every step Sim Bi took, the sand on the ground began to hover in the air, as if defying gravity.
"No. You're no match for him," Im Jin warned suddenly.
Bukjin didn't even turn his head. "Haha, let me give you a lesson today. There are times when a man must never, ever back down. I'll prove that to you right now."
With those words, Bukjin struck first.
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light erupted. Bukjin became one with his blade, charging forward with explosive speed. The energy infused in the sword was unlike anything he had displayed before—a record-breaking momentum that surpassed all his previous feats.
THRUST! BREAK! STRIKE!
The three forms of the basic technique exploded in succession. Sim Bi maintained a calm smile. His Tae-a Treasure Sword moved with fluid grace, creating a wall of sword light in the air like a peacock spreading its tail.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bukjin’s strikes were all rebuffed by the shimmering wall. A powerful recoil traveled from the Deokhaeng Sword into Bukjin’s wrist. The force was vastly superior to the Heaven-Earth Severance Do Manseong had used earlier. The ache traveled past his wrist and up his entire arm.
However, Bukjin could handle this much. Catching his breath, he didn't hesitate to trigger his ultimate move.
"One Sword, Six Shadows!"
"What?" Sim Bi’s composure wavered.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The metallic resonance of clashing blades rang out five times. Sim Bi had only managed to block five of the six flashes of light. The Big Dipper Descent had produced six distinct shadows, and one of them pierced through Sim Bi’s defensive wall.
"Haha, it seems I underestimated you."
Sim Bi began to move with an eerie, rhythmic step. His figure blurred. He swayed violently in place before twisting his body in an impossible direction, narrowly evading Bukjin’s blade.
"Nether Ghost Steps?!"
Shock and joy flashed across Do Manseong’s face. "Brother Bi finally succeeded in mastering the 2-star footwork!"
Yi Do cheered as well. "As expected, Brother Bi is a monster!"
Moving like a bolt of lightning, Sim Bi closed the distance. Their longswords collided once more. The two figures crossed paths in a blur of motion.
Shhhk!
In the moment they passed, Bukjin unleashed every sword form he knew. But Sim Bi’s Tae-a Treasure Sword was still full of hidden variations. It writhed at an impossible angle like a living silver serpent. A cold light erupted from the tip of his blade, flying straight toward Bukjin.
"Oh no..."
Bukjin felt a premonition of disaster. But in that split second, a sharp, intense intuition he had never felt before flashed through his mind. His brain instinctively calculated the most rational movement for the situation.
Just as Bukjin had exhausted his forms and had no strength left to pivot, a strange, warm power surged from deep within his body. Miraculously, that power moved his frame, shifting him exactly three inches to the right. Sim Bi’s sword sliced through empty air.
But Sim Bi’s reaction was terrifyingly fast. The Tae-a Treasure Sword shifted its axis and transformed again. It all happened in the blink of an eye. No one present, save for Im Jin, could truly grasp the complexity of the exchange.
The flat of the Tae-a Treasure Sword slammed savagely into Bukjin’s ribs.
Boom!
Bukjin felt the massive impact rattle his entire being. He was sent flying backward, skidding across the ground before stumbling to a halt. His left side, right where his ribs were, felt numb.
Yet, no bones were broken. His skin wasn't cut. There was no bleeding, and surprisingly, it didn't even hurt that much. If anything, he felt a strange sense of refreshment.