The Shameless Genius Who Knows Nothing of the World
It happened the very moment Sim Bi, his body wreathed in a terrifying aura, reached out with his blackened, demonic hands to seize the two of them.
Boom!
Sim Bi was suddenly hurled backward with violent force, as if he had slammed into an invisible, intangible wall. A sickening, bone-chilling sound—crack, snap!—echoed through the air. His arms twisted at grotesque angles, the white of his fractured bones piercing through the skin.
'What just happened? That energy just now...' Bukjin was utterly bewildered.
"Brother Bi!"
"Brother Bi! Are you alright?!"
Do Man-seong and Lee Do had spent a long time by Sim Bi's side. Despite everything, they still seemed to care for him. The two rushed forward to catch Sim Bi as he plummeted toward the ground. But in the next heartbeat, horrific screams erupted from their throats.
A malevolent light flared from Sim Bi's blood-red pupils, coiling around Do Man-seong and Lee Do like hungry serpents. A wet, slurping sound followed, as if something were being violently siphoned. In an instant, the two men were drained of every drop of blood, their bodies shriveling into desiccated husks of bone and skin.
'He's... he's a monster!' Bukjin's eyes nearly popped out of his head. The scene was beyond evil, a nightmare made flesh. The surrounding students, witnessing the horror, began to scream in pure terror.
The faint-hearted among them immediately smashed their own stone plaques. Silver light erupted from the shattered stones, forming protective barriers that enveloped the students.
Having gorged himself on the life force of his two companions, Sim Bi grew even more ferocious. A wild, chaotic energy pulsed incessantly from his form. He turned his head, his crimson gaze locking onto Bukjin with murderous intent.
"Die."
Sim Bi lunged toward Bukjin.
"Dammit! What did I even do to make you so hell-bent on killing me?!" Bukjin felt goosebumps erupt all over his body. 'This world is too dangerous! I want to go back to Earth!'
Just then, Im Jin's expression hardened with resolve. She moved to strike at Sim Bi, but in that split second—
Shhh-shik!
The sound of something tearing through the air echoed from the distance. A streak of silver light flashed past. It slammed into Sim Bi's body, sending him flying backward. It was an arrow. A single shaft with a silver fletching had pierced Sim Bi's left chest.
The force of the impact carried Sim Bi nearly thirty feet, pinning him against a massive boulder. The experts of the Unmong-wi and the teachers leading the students had finally arrived.
Seven figures were charging across the wilderness at incredible speed from about a hundred feet away. They cut through the tall grass like scythes, rushing toward the lakeshore like loosed arrows.
Sim Bi's face contorted with a mixture of agony and rage. However, he knew he had to leave immediately. If he were caught by the Unmong-wi experts and the academy teachers now, he was a dead man.
"Im Bukjin! I will remember you."
Sim Bi violently wrenched the arrow from his chest. He glared at Bukjin with eyes full of venom and screamed a curse that chilled the air.
"We shall meet again! The believers of the Divine Ruins are everywhere! The Great Lord of the Void Realm will punish you heretics! Hahaha! I will surely return!"
Sim Bi let out a sharp, wicked laugh. He turned and fled into the depths of the wilderness in the opposite direction. He ran on all fours like a beast, his speed unnervingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the students' sight.
Whoosh!
The seven figures reached the lakeshore. Two of them didn't stop, accelerating even further to pursue the fleeing Sim Bi. The remaining five began to secure and tend to the students.
"Jin, are you alright?" A middle-aged woman of noble bearing, a lead teacher from the National Imperial Junior Academy, rushed over with an anxious face to check on Im Jin.
"I am fine, Auntie." Im Jin had already returned to her usual calm demeanor. She wrapped herself in the red cloak the woman handed her, taking a deep breath as she pulled it tight.
"Fine? I can't believe you were actually injured... To think there was someone capable of wounding you. What on earth happened here?" The woman, Jin Ran-ui, looked profoundly shocked. Her eyes turned sharp and suspicious as she glared at Bukjin, beginning to interrogate him about the situation.
Just as Bukjin was stammering, unsure of how to respond, Jeong Sam-seok stepped in front of him, blocking the woman's path.
"Teacher Jin, my student is also injured. I'd appreciate it if you refrained from provoking him."
The middle-aged woman let out a sharp huff of annoyance but said nothing more.
"You little troublemaker. Are you alright?" Jeong Sam-seok turned to inspect Bukjin. Suddenly, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"You... have you already broken through to the 7th-grade Warrior rank?"
Jeong Sam-seok's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets. He had checked Bukjin's condition when they left the territory this morning. At that time, Bukjin's Hyeongi intensity was at the 7th level, which meant his overall combat power was slightly below the peak of a 4th-grade Warrior. But now, only half a day later, the aura radiating from Bukjin clearly surpassed that of a 7th-grade Warrior.
'H-how is this possible?'
"Well, it's a bit complicated to explain..." Bukjin answered awkwardly.
He could feel Jeong Sam-seok's genuine concern and warmth. At the same time, Bukjin realized he had underestimated his master's strength. Seeing him rush to the lakeshore just now, Jeong Sam-seok's speed was not at all inferior to Jin Geom-nam, the Unmong-wi commander, or the other high-ranking officials like Lee Cheong-hyeon and Yeo Nak-yeon.
While Bukjin shared a brief conversation with Jeong Sam-seok, Yeo Nak-yeon and the others spoke with the students, gradually piecing together what had transpired.
"He sold the badges?"
"Is such a thing even possible?"
Soon, every eye was fixed on Bukjin. He shoved his hands into his pockets and struck a dignified, aloof pose, remaining silent. In truth, he simply couldn't think of anything to say. 'Please don't ask. If they ask, should I just say I found 80 badges because I was lucky?'
Whoosh!
Two figures appeared in the distance. The two who had pursued Sim Bi were returning. They were the experts Lee Cheong-hyeon and Jin Geom-nam.
"That demonic believer escaped."
Lee Cheong-hyeon, Yeo Nak-yeon, the Imperial Academy teacher Jin Ran-ui, and Jeong Sam-seok exchanged grim looks and shook their heads.
"He was a Sama worshipper serving the Divine Ruins. To think he deceived all the Education Bureau's screenings and hid among us for so long... Someone must be held accountable for this," Lee Cheong-hyeon stated firmly.
"The Temple and the Unmong-wi will conduct a thorough investigation. The selection trial is over, so let us first escort the students safely back to the territory," Jin Geom-nam added.
Since the two had been busy chasing Sim Bi, they were still unaware of the "Badge Auction" incident.
A short while later, inside the territory.
"Everyone, I'm sure you've all heard the details by now. How on earth are we supposed to report the results of this trial? Please, give me your opinions."
In the meeting room, Lee Cheong-hyeon sat with his arms crossed, his face clouded with a deep frown. Jin Geom-nam, Yeo Nak-yeon, and the teachers from each academy looked at the final score sheet, feeling a profound sense of existential dread.
According to the records, 1st place was Im Jin, who submitted a total of 13 badges. Her victory was something everyone had predicted. However, the name in 2nd place—'Im Bukjin'—was giving everyone a massive headache.
The number of Star Badges Bukjin submitted was 10. Normally, a single student securing 10 badges would be considered an extraordinary feat. But the current situation was far from normal. It was shocking.
Bukjin had found a total of 80 badges on his own over the course of nine days. If he hadn't auctioned off 60 of them, and if he hadn't gifted 10 badges to Im Jin and Ak Hong-hyang... if he had submitted them all, he would have set the highest score in the history of the selection trials.
'That rascal completely upended the entire competition by himself.'
As a result, Bukjin's actions hadn't just complicated the trial; they had altered the fates of many students. He had turned the Academic & Martial Arts Competition selection trial, which the Education Bureau had prepared with such care, into a complete circus. Currently, every student in the top 20 was a beneficiary of his auction. Ak Hong-hyang was ranked 19th with 4 badges. Such a situation had never occurred in history. The officials and teachers were nursing massive migraines trying to figure out how to write the final report.
The core of their debate was how to officially record Bukjin's performance.
"Im Bukjin's score should obviously be based on the 80 badges he acquired himself. Every student who participated in the trial can testify that he found them through his own ability. What we are testing in this trial is the individual capability of each student. Therefore, objectively speaking, Im Bukjin possesses the skill level required to obtain 80 badges."
Jeong Sam-seok spoke with a triumphant expression, as if asking everyone if they finally realized how incredible his student was. In fact, he was so proud his shoulders were practically touching his ears; he felt like dancing.
'Eighty Star Badges! My little rascal has brought me such joy!'
It was a joy, but also a shock. 'Could it be that Bukjin really didn't know what 80 badges signified?'
Eighty badges wouldn't just shatter the records of Unmong City; it was a score that could break the records for the entire Pung-eo-haeng-do province. Jeong Sam-seok believed that regardless of how it happened, having a student from the 3rd Academy break records and make history was the most valuable outcome. If all 80 badges were recognized, Bukjin's name would shake the entire province. And with fame, money would naturally follow.
Internally, Jeong Sam-seok lamented Bukjin's short-sightedness. 'You fool! To sell off all those badges just for some quick cash!'
He decided that once they returned to the academy, he would have to give the world-ignorant Bukjin a very strict lesson on values—specifically, what to choose and what to sacrifice.
*Note: Total badges acquired by Im Bukjin: 80 (60 sold via unauthorized auction, 10 gifted).