Such Overwhelming Power

In front of the door to Class 9, 2nd Year.

"Im Bukjin! Don't you dare try to talk your way out of this later. Draw your sword! Let's settle this fairly!"

Bing Ryun, a student from Class 6, issued his declaration of war as if Bukjin's opinion didn't matter in the slightest. Bukjin was currently blocked by a crowd of students about half a classroom's distance away, unable to pass. It was a frustrating situation.

On his way to the classroom, Bukjin had acted with extreme caution, constantly scanning his surroundings. He had managed to reach the front of the classroom safely, only to be intercepted by this group waiting at the door.

"Sigh..." Bukjin let out a long breath.

"Bing Ryun, if this were about settling a grudge, I'd have no choice. But as far as I remember, I never bullied you. In fact, you were the one who acted all high and mighty while claiming to be my friend. Honestly, your reputation is just as bad as mine. And now you're saying you're taking revenge? Do you really think that makes any sense?"

"Haha! All the wrongs I committed in the past were because you forced me to do them... Im Bukjin, are you talking such nonsense because you're scared? Fine. Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crawl between my legs! If you do that, I'll let you go for today!"

Bing Ryun looked down at Bukjin with a expression of pure contempt. He spread his legs wide and pointed to the space between them.

In the past, Bing Ryun had gone to great lengths to suck up to Bukjin. He had even volunteered to serve Bukjin as his 'big brother.' But now that the Jeon-cheon-hu family had fallen, he was the first to try and draw a line between them. Furthermore, Bing Ryun had already promised his goddess, Mok Simwol, that he would kill Bukjin.

Bing Ryun's plan was simple. He intended to provoke Bukjin into a fight. Then, he would kill him while making it look like a mistake made in the heat of combat. He knew he might be expelled for it, but he had decided that it didn't matter as long as it was for his goddess.

Hmph. A guy like Im Bukjin would never be able to endure the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs. Im Bukjin! What are you waiting for? Attack me! Let your shame drive you to draw your sword and charge like a madman! Once you lose your life to my 'mistake,' everything will be over!

Just then, Bukjin sighed again and spoke.

"I have a very good suggestion. To be honest, both you and I are basically trash. So, how about we set aside our grudges and feelings and start living as new people from today onward?"

"Shut up! You're the only trash here, you crazy bastard! Are you going to crawl or not!"

Bing Ryun's patience had reached its limit. Bukjin realized that no matter how much he played the fool, it wasn't going to work.

"Crawl? My ass!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Bukjin's face contorted as he began to curse.

"Bing Ryun, you stupid piece of shit! A guy like you dares to insult me? I guess I have no choice but to reveal my hidden trump card...! Did you think Im Bukjin was such an easy target? Haha, let me tell you clearly. I still have a fiercely loyal guard by my side, handpicked by my father! He is a powerful expert who has reached the Great Master Realm (Daejongsa)! I didn't intend to expose him, but since it's come to this..."

Bukjin waved his hand dismissively as he reached this point.

"Wang Chung! Hurry up and show this brat the bitter taste of reality!"

However, no answer came. A flustered Bukjin looked behind him.

"Wang Chung? Huh? You son of a...?"

Bukjin turned his head. Wang Chung, who had been sticking to his back like glue the entire time, had already vanished without a trace.

Dammit, you useless bastard! What happened to all that talk about loyalty?

In truth, Bukjin had already set up a plan with Wang Chung before heading to the classroom. If someone came looking for trouble, Wang Chung was supposed to step forward and act the part of a bodyguard. Wang Chung had even pounded his chest in front of Bukjin, swearing he would stay by his side even if it meant getting beaten up.

The students were still naive kids who hadn't entered society yet. Bukjin had judged that they could easily be fooled by a threatening adult. But Wang Chung had already run away.

Bukjin's vision went dark.

How do I get out of this crisis? Do I really have to fight?

Although he had perfectly mastered the Close-body Triple Link basic sword technique through his smartphone the previous night, in his past life, he was just a boy who played games ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in his room all day. Naturally, he had no experience fighting others. He had lived in a law-abiding society that discouraged violence. He was psychologically unprepared for a situation where blades were flying.

The students surrounding Bukjin were laughing, their faces filled with schadenfreude.

"Hurry up and crawl!"

"Yeah! After you crawl through, lick the dust off our shoes until they're clean!"

"What are you staring at? I said crawl!"

"You piece of trash!"

"Do you still think you're the young master of the Jeon-cheon-hu?"

The students who had come with Bing Ryun were joining in, shouting insults at the top of their lungs. Seeing this, Bing Ryun became even more triumphant.

Clang!

Stepping forward, Bing Ryun gallantly drew the longsword from his waist.

"Hey, your father is a runaway loser, and you're a coward. If it weren't for the academy rules, you'd already be dead by my hand—"

Before Bing Ryun could even finish his sentence, something extraordinary happened.

Whoosh!

A flash of white sword light erupted.

Tang!

Bing Ryun's vision blurred. He felt a numbing sensation travel from his hand through his entire arm. Immediately after, unable to hold on, Bing Ryun dropped his longsword.

Feeling a burning pain in his chest, Bing Ryun lowered his head to look. There, the tip of a silver blade had pierced through his clothes and was touching his skin. Crimson blood was trickling down the blade, soaking his garment. It looked like a slowly blooming red flower bud.

And the person holding that longsword was none other than... Im Bukjin!

W-what just happened? Did I... did I lose? I was beaten by that piece of trash? How could he have such unbelievable skill...?

Bing Ryun's heart hammered against his ribs. He stared at Bukjin with a look of utter disbelief. Meanwhile, Bukjin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked even more flustered than Bing Ryun.

Huh? What just happened?

Bukjin's expression was one of total confusion, not knowing what to do. However, to the shocked Bing Ryun, it looked entirely different.

To Bing Ryun, Bukjin's face showed not a single shred of emotion. He looked like a cold-blooded assassin. Specifically, Bukjin's eyes were completely unfocused, appearing as if they were devoid of life. Even the surrounding students felt as though they were looking at a heartless corpse.

Dread. Terror. The Bukjin reflected in their eyes was the image of a cold-blooded killer who had taken countless lives.

W-were we really trying to fight a guy like that?

"S-stop... L-let's just talk this out..."

Bing Ryun's resolve had already crumbled. His desire to sacrifice everything for his goddess had long since vanished. That was only possible if he was still alive. Bing Ryun's legs lost their strength. He felt like kneeling and begging for his life. But he didn't dare move a muscle.

This was because Bukjin's sword was still aimed at his chest. Bing Ryun was terrified that if he moved unnecessarily, Bukjin might misunderstand and push the blade touching his chest just a little bit further. The sword was pointed directly at Bing Ryun's heart. If it moved even a fraction of an inch forward, he was a dead man.

The surrounding students were all in a state of shock. In particular, the expression of Jeong Ha-seok—who had been enjoying the situation the most and laughing the loudest until a moment ago—was completely frozen.

W-what is going on? Bing Ryun is a 3rd-grade Warrior... Even if he just reached the 3rd grade, he's definitely a 3rd-grade Warrior. And yet, he was beaten by the guy who's dead last in Class 9—no, dead last in the entire 2nd year?

Not a single student present had clearly seen what Im Bukjin had just executed. Bukjin's strike had been faster than anything they could imagine. It was like a bolt of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lightning. No one could react in the moment the flash erupted before their eyes. By the time they regained their senses, Bukjin's sword was already at Bing Ryun's chest.

Just what kind of nonsensical skill was this?

"I-Im Bukjin, calm down..."

"Murder is forbidden within the academy..."

"Y-yeah, let's just talk."

Bing Ryun and his group were so startled by this absurd situation that they couldn't even approach. They stood frozen in place, opening their mouths only to try and pacify Bukjin. If Bukjin lost control and killed Bing Ryun, causing a massive incident within the academy, they wouldn't be able to escape responsibility either.

But would Im Bukjin even be afraid of committing murder? That's right, the guy is insane... There's no telling what that foul-tempered bastard might do if he has an episode!

The hearts of the watching students felt like they were about to leap out of their chests. It was then that Bukjin, the cause of all this commotion, slowly came to his senses.

Wait, just now...

The moment Bing Ryun had drawn his sword to point it at him, Bukjin's body had felt a powerful sense of threat. In an instant, his body had moved beyond his control, reacting before his brain could even issue a command to attack Bing Ryun. The draw, the counterattack.

It was the forms of the Close-body Triple Link!

These three forms—Thrust, Break, and Strike—were the core of the Close-body Triple Link. While they looked simple, executing them was extremely difficult. These three forms had to flow instinctively like water; if they were bound by rigid formality in actual combat, the technique was as good as dead. In that case, it wouldn't display any power at all.

The secret to operating the forms perfectly was to repeat them thousands, even tens of thousands of times. One had to raise their level until the body reacted instinctively in a combat situation. Only then could the maximum effect be achieved.

The move Bukjin had just shown was as swift as a ray of light. This meant that the three forms had already become instinctive within Bukjin's body. And the power of the sword technique executed in such a way was terrifyingly strong. Its might far surpassed anything Bukjin had imagined.

Oh my god! To think the training I did on my smartphone would be this powerful!

Bukjin's heart swelled with excitement. When he was training last night, he had understood the Close-body Triple Link to be a basic, entry-level sword technique. But his body was now at a level where he could execute the technique with total freedom. At Bukjin's current level, the power shown by the three forms of the Close-body Triple Link was simply immense.

He had suppressed Bing Ryun—a 3rd-grade Warrior, even if he was a novice—in a single move as if he were handling a toy. Bukjin was confused as to whether he had underestimated the power of the Close-body Triple Link, or if he had underestimated the training method using the smartphone app. Regardless, he felt like he was walking on air.