Not a Coward, Just Tactical

Im Jin had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. However, her mere presence by Bukjin’s side had resolved more problems than words ever could. It was largely thanks to her that Bukjin had been able to conduct the auction so successfully and instill a sense of trust in the other students. Thus, Bukjin felt it was only right to repay her.

He was well aware that the ten badges he had handed over to Ak Hong-hyang and Im Jin were worth an astronomical sum. Nevertheless, he was a man of principle. While he knew when to be stingy and shrewd, he knew even better that recognizing a debt of gratitude and repaying it was far more important.

Im Jin looked at Bukjin, contemplating for a moment, before accepting the six badges without further protest. Bukjin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Im Jin wasn't the type to play mind games; she accepted the gift with grace. With that, Bukjin was left with ten badges in his hand—more than enough to advance to the finals. His mood soared. It was now the afternoon of the final day of the selection trials, and the sun hanging over the distant lake was growing more intense by the minute.

"Now that I think about it, I really should thank classmate Sim Bi," Bukjin said with a grin, turning his gaze toward the boy. A sudden chill of foreboding washed over Sim Bi. True to form, Bukjin continued without a shred of shame. "If classmate Sim Bi hadn't schemed to gather so many students by the lakeshore just to deal with the Fairy Im Jin... my auction might not have gone so well today. I really must offer my thanks to you and your ancestors."

Is... is this guy even human? Sim Bi’s face turned ashen. The other students were equally speechless.

What a ruthless bastard!

As expected of Unmong City’s greatest scoundrel!

Do Man-seong and Lee Do felt a sudden, violent urge to murder Bukjin. Originally, they each held one badge, which would have been enough to secure their spot in the finals. But now, after Bukjin’s frantic auction spree, nearly twenty students possessed three or more badges. This meant their chances of advancing had completely evaporated. To make matters worse, they had already submitted their badges to Yeo Nak-yeon. Had they kept them, they could have pooled their resources to ensure at least one of them—Sim Bi, Do Man-seong, or Lee Do—made it through. But the reality was a tragedy.

Sim Bi lowered his head, his body trembling slightly. Do Man-seong and Lee Do glared at Bukjin as if he were the man who had murdered their fathers. Watching the three of them, Bukjin felt a surge of excitement. He wanted to throw a few more barbs their way just to see them squirm.

Suddenly, Im Jin reached out, grabbed Bukjin’s shoulder, and yanked him backward with surprising force.

"Watch out...!"

Whish!

Hardly had the words left her mouth when a streak of black light grazed past Bukjin’s face. Im Jin reacted instantly, raising her sword with her left hand and unleashing a sword light as brilliant as starlight.

Bang!

The standard-issue longsword of the Unmong Guard in her hand shattered instantly, shards flying in every direction. Im Jin’s figure staggered, forced back a dozen steps. Her face turned deathly pale. The surrounding students screamed in terror. No one had expected such a sudden turn of events. Even Bukjin stood there dazed, not yet grasping what had happened.

"Hehehehe..."

A grotesque laughter leaked from Sim Bi, who still had his head bowed. An indescribable, bone-chilling aura began to radiate from him, centering on his body. A black light shimmered from both of his hands—a light so sinister and eerie that it filled anyone who looked at it with a profound sense of dread.

"This is bad! That’s the power of the Sama!" shouted Wang Hyeong-yeo, the genius ranked 4th in combat power. He stared with wide, terrified eyes. "Get back! Everyone, get back! We have to call the teachers! That’s... that’s Demonic Possession!"

Demonic Possession! It was a word that inspired both taboo and terror, carrying a threat as lethal as a plague. Upon hearing Wang Hyeong-yeo’s cry, the students scrambled backward in a panic. Lee Do and Do Man-seong, however, remained frozen in place, their faces masks of utter despair. The person they had admired, trusted, and vowed to follow to the death had fallen into the abyss of the demons.

"...This is all because of you."

A cold, cursing voice drifted from Sim Bi. When he finally lifted his head, dark, charcoal-colored patterns had surfaced on his skin, crisscrossing like the markings of a demonic beast. His eyes were stained a blood-red, with an ominous crimson light leaking from his pupils. It was a wicked, frigid energy—something no normal human could possess. It was the aura of the Sama.

Witnessing this, a flood of information rushed through Bukjin’s mind. In this world, divine beings truly existed. The North Sea Empire worshipped the Sword Lord, the primary deity of the realm, and temples dedicated to Him were scattered across the land. Other regions and nations worshipped their own gods—the Goddess of the Earth, the Goddess of Victory, the God of War, the Moon God, and so on. While there were many deities, they all shared one commonality: only the gods of light and order had followers. The Evil Gods of the void, chaos, and malice were universally reviled by all living things.

Every living creature was hostile toward these wicked gods because they brought nothing but slaughter, death, and suffering. While a tiny number of cultists existed, they were like rats in the walls, hunted down and purged the moment they were discovered. This was why Bukjin had been so worried when he first arrived in this world. If people realized he was from another dimension, they might view him as an invader from the Void—a servant of an Evil God. They would have dragged him to the Temple of the Sword Lord and burned him at the stake. In this world, the descent of an Evil God meant total annihilation. Consequently, any follower of such a being was burned alive without exception.

Yet, the state Sim Bi was in now was unmistakably the sign of someone who had either borrowed power from an Evil God or practiced their forbidden arts.

"It's all because of you."

Murderous intent flared on Sim Bi’s patterned face as he glared at Bukjin with glowing red eyes. Even more bizarre was the change in his voice. Originally, Sim Bi had the voice of a boy going through puberty. Now, his voice had transformed into that of a young woman, thick with a seductive yet chilling yin energy.

"I only wanted to advance to the finals. I sought to achieve such a simple goal, yet you hindered me at every turn and reduced my plans to nothing. You have finally forced me to reveal my true self... Im Bukjin, you piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of filth I could never tire of killing. Do you have any idea what you've done? Now, the only thing left for you is to pay for your sins with your life."

Sim Bi’s voice possessed a strange quality that shook the heart, much like the voice of an Asura Maiden.

Wh-what is going on? Bukjin was utterly bewildered. Is he some kind of hermaphrodite?

Sim Bi raised his hand and fired a palm strike toward Bukjin. A burst of black light surged forward with terrifying momentum. Startled, Bukjin instinctively drew his sword and thrust it forward.

Boom!

Bukjin barely managed to shatter the incoming black light with the ultimate technique of Sword 17. However, the recoil sent him flying backward like a kite with a broken string. He slammed into the ground, landing hard on his backside. A sharp pain shot through his body as if his bones were being crushed, and his vision ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠momentarily went dark.

He’s not on a level I can handle. The gap in strength is too wide.

After just one exchange, Bukjin could tell. Earlier, he had been the one overwhelming Sim Bi, but now the tables were completely turned.

Is Demonic Possession really this terrifying?

In an instant, Sim Bi’s figure vanished like a shadow, reappearing right in front of Bukjin. He thrust his palm out again. Without a second to think, Bukjin rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Bang!

The ground where Bukjin had just been lying was gouged out in the shape of a massive palm print.

Good grief! Is he a human excavator?! Bukjin realized that if he ever got caught by those monstrous hands, he’d be turned into mincemeat. Even with my Peerless Sword Body, I couldn't tank a hit like that!

A cold sweat broke out over his skin. He was feeling a brush with death unlike anything he had experienced before. Sim Bi’s power in this demonic state was several times more horrifying than before. The strength he was displaying was undoubtedly at the Master Rank. Abandoning any thought of fighting back, Bukjin scrambled to his feet and immediately turned tail to run.

Flash!

But the possessed Sim Bi flickered again, appearing in front of Bukjin in the blink of an eye. Bukjin felt a premonition that he wouldn't be able to dodge this time. At that moment, a flash of light appeared before his eyes, and Im Jin stepped in.

A fierce sword light erupted, and a massive wave of Hyeongi rippled through the air. Sim Bi’s strike collided with Im Jin’s longsword.

KRA-BOOM!

A thunderous roar, like a volcanic eruption, echoed as a massive cloud of dust billowed in all directions. Using the counter-force of the collision, Im Jin quickly leaped backward, putting distance between them and moving to a safe spot. Simultaneously, she pulled Bukjin along with one hand.

"So, how does it feel to be alive?" the beautiful Im Jin whispered, her voice so low only Bukjin could hear.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah. It feels great. I'm still very much ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enjoying being alive," Bukjin answered hurriedly. I definitely didn't run away because I was scared or intimidated. I was just... creating an opening for Im Jin. Yeah, that's it. Bukjin tried to console himself.

"Both of you... die."

Sim Bi shrieked in that eerie voice and unleashed the Ghostly Steps of the Underworld, closing the distance ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠between them in an instant. It was a moment of extreme crisis. Then, Bukjin felt—though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination—the aura of Im Jin, who was still holding onto him, transform into something fierce and overwhelming. And then, something miraculous happened.