Star Instructor, Master Baek

“Hmm? Why are you still in one piece?” Ak Yeon-Ho asked me as soon as I entered the inn.

I sat down across from him and glared at him. “Why are you upset that I came back safely?”

“No, what I mean is… The Headmaster looked like he was going to break every bone in your body.”

Myeong Il-Oh, who was sitting next to Ak Yeon-Ho, added with a shocked expression, “You came back unharmed after a private meeting with the Yaksha, I mean the Sword Addict of the Azure Dragon Academy… Baek-hyung, how hard did you fight to get away from him?”

I gave him a confused look. “No, why are you so sure that we fought?”

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“Because you provoked Nam-Goong Su, the Star Instructor?”

“Don’t put me in the same category as that guy. I’m a very gentle and peaceful person by nature.”

“Wow, you are completely shameless…”

Pretending not to hear Ak Yeon-Ho’s snide comment, I grabbed the cup of wine Myeong ll-Oh poured for me and drank it down. I then refilled Myeong ll-Oh’s almost empty glass as a thank you, while saying, “You called him the Sword Addict? Is that the Headmaster’s nickname?”

“What? Didn’t you know that?” The walking talking gangho history textbook Myeong Il-Oh’s eyes lit up as he explained, “The Sword Addict (劍癡) Mae Geuk-Lyom is a sword master who made his name in real combat and has worked as an instructor at the Azure Dragon Academy for more than thirty years after his sudden retirement from the gangho. In the past, he was famous for being a man of his word and for being absolutely uncompromising in his dealings with evildoers. Even now that he has become the Headmaster of Azure Dragon Academy, he is known to be so strict that naughty students who repeatedly break school rules call him the God of Death.”

Wow, not only was Myeong Il-Oh’s broad knowledge very reliable, he also knew a lot of entertaining facts.

Myeong Il-Oh lowered his head to set the mood and whispered, “There’s even a saying that it’s better to be locked up in the Murim Alliance prisons than to be captured by him… He’s just that scary. And if you doubt my sources, I can confidently say that this information came from an Azure Dragon Academy graduate who was actually locked up in the Murim Alliance prison.

At this point, I couldn’t help but point out the elephant in the room, “What on earth did that Azure Dragon Academy graduate do to get locked up in the Murim Alliance prisons?”

“Don’t you know? The famous Thousand-Mile Phantom Thief is a graduate of Azure Dragon Academy. Rumor has it that when he was a student, he practiced his movement techniques by running away from the Headmaster. Then, one day, he finally found his calling…”

“……” *Should I really get a job at this school?

After hearing Myeong Il-Oh’s incredible story, Ak Yeon-Ho took one look at me and concluded, “You know, you should just be thankful that you weren’t beaten up.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“By the way, Myeong-hyung, do you know why the Headmaster is so strict about inappropriate behavior between men and women? What’s wrong with teenagers having relationships?”

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Huh? What’s with this random fact? Why does the face of a certain person suddenly come to mind? No way, it can’t be…

Unfortunately, I was too late. Myeong Il-Oh began his explanation, “I think the event that caused this happened about thirty years ago? There was a huge incident that turned the academy upside down. Two students fell in love, but their parents did not approve of their marriage. In the end, they quit school and eloped.”

“OHMYGAWD THAT IS SOOOO COOL!”

“Eh? Anyway, it was then that the Sword Addict swore that he would capture and kill the runaway male student…”

“Okay, okay, let’s stop talking about unrelated things,” I interrupted, not wanting to hear more about Dad’s glorious exploits from anyone other than the man himself. I hurriedly filled Myeong Il-Oh’s cup with wine to distract him and changed the subject, “What did you say about the practical exam again?”

“But he was just getting to the fun part…” Ak Yeon-Ho complained with puppy dog eyes.

I rolled my eyes at him and said, “Did you come here just to hear some old stories? What about the practical test? You’d rather listen to stories and drink while our competitors are training their asses off to pass the test? Huh?”

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?” Ak Yeon-Ho looked at me suspiciously.

I shamelessly ignored him and asked Myeong Il-Oh, “So, can you tell us how the practical test will be conducted?”

Although we had been distracted for a brief moment by the story of the headmaster’s past, the practical test was still our main concern at the moment.

Myeong Il-Oh leaned further forward and whispered in a low voice as if we were a group of conspiring schemers, “Based on last year’s exams, this year’s practical test will be divided into two separate graded parts.”

He extended two fingers, folded one, and continued, “First, we have to face one of the current instructors. We don’t have to win, but it would be much better for us if we did.”

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“…Can we choose the instructor to fight? Or will it be decided for us?” I rubbed my hands together eagerly, intending to choose Nam-Goong Su as my opponent.

As if he had read my thoughts, Myeong Il-Oh laughed, “I’m sorry, but our opponents are chosen by the Principal.”

“Hmm…”

The Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva Noh Gun-Sang. The only interviewer I couldn’t read or predict. It seemed like he wanted to see me and Nam-Goong Su fight, though, so maybe… Not that I looked down on the other instructors, but I just wanted to announce the birth of a new star instructor by publicly beating up Nam-Goong Su.

“What’s the second test?” I asked.

Myeong Il-Oh folded his second finger and said, “The second is a demonstration lecture. We have to give a short lecture to the students in the field we applied for. During this time, we must make a strong impression on the students and teachers present.

If the duel was to test the martial arts level of the instructor, then the demonstration lecture was to test our teaching ability.

Just because someone is good at martial arts, doesn’t mean they’re any good at teaching.

There were many martial arts geniuses who couldn’t give clear instructions to their students, or insisted that their own method was right when it didn’t suit the student.

As for me? Of course, I was confident. After all, I’ve given so many lectures in the Blood Cult that I can tell at a glance which kids are working hard, which are lazy, whether they’ve eaten properly, or whether they’ve been out drinking or having fun the night before.

The title of “Blood Cult Devil Instructor” was not given to me for nothing.

How wild can a bunch of orthodox sect goody-two-shoes get, anyway?

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Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

“…I’m asking this just in case, but is it okay if I yell at or hit the kids during my demonstration lecture?”

Two people immediately freaked out.

“Are you crazy?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m being extremely serious…” I clarified.

“……”

“……”

Both Ak Yeon-Ho and Myeong Il-Oh stared at me in disbelief as if they couldn’t tell if I was joking or not.

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Looks like the answer is no. Eh, I guess Blood Cult style ‘education’ is mostly unacceptable to members of the orthodox faction. This means that ‘gentle’ interrogation, insulting parents, creative ridicule, and brainwashing to kill emotions are out of the question….

“Hyung-nim, do you know how frightening students are these days? If you hurt them, they’ll immediately report you to the Murim Alliance for abuse. “

“The helicopter parents are even worse. Not only are they overprotective, some of them are martial masters.”

“Isn’t that a bit extreme? No wonder the children of the orthodox sects are so weak and soft-hearted…”

It was one thing to be nice to little kids like the ones at Baek Academy, but we were talking about teenagers over fifteen, right?

Anyway, it seemed that lectures in the orthodox faction were quite different from what I was used to, but that shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

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“To make matters worse, this year we also have to please the students. Rumor has it that 50% of our final grade will be determined by student votes. In particular, we’ll have to watch out for the members of the Student Council and the Club Union, the two most influential student groups at Azure Dragon Academy,” Myeong Il-Oh said, returning to serious mode.

“The Student Council, huh…”

I remembered the two kids looking down at us from the roof of the dormitory. Their qi was excellent for their age, and the girl even used the Lion Roar to make a school-wide announcement.

“You two there! By the authority of the student council, I declare that both of you pass the… Ugh, Mmph!”

“Vice President! Have you lost your mind?”

So that was the Student Council.

As if he was reliving the same experience, Ak Yeon-Ho said happily, “The Vice-President of the Student Council declared that we both passed the exam.”

“Uh… Yes, I heard that loud and clear.”

“What did I say before, Hyung-nim? Half of the students are on our side,” Ak Yeon-Ho grinned like an idiot.

Myeong Il-Oh immediately shattered his dreams. “Don’t forget that the other half of the students are male. They might hate you two just because you’re popular with the girls.”

“They can’t be that petty, can they…?” Ak Yeon-Ho mumbled in disbelief.

However, I agreed with Myeong Il-Oh. “He’s right. If two pretty boys suddenly appeared and stole the hearts of all the women, I would absolutely despise them.”

Although there were many advantages to being good-looking, it also meant that one was often the target of envy. In addition, the more attention one received, the easier it was for a small scandal to ruin one’s image.

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“People like us also have to think about how to win over the boys,” I concluded.

“Yes, people like us…” Myeong Il-Oh agreed quietly, secretly putting himself in the same category as me and Ak Yeon-Ho, though he didn’t finish his sentence to avoid being emotionally damaged by any overly blunt people present.

“Do you have any ideas?”

As if he was waiting for me to ask this very question, Myeong Il-Oh smiled theatrically. “Before we go into battle, we should first reconnoiter the enemy camp, no?”

“What does that mean?”

“If we want to understand the students, we have to go to where they usually hang out.” Myeong Il-Oh took out a thin booklet from his bag. With sparkling eyes, he continued, “And I just happened to hear that the Student Council is holding an outdoor event today.”

CHITTER CHATTER.

When we arrived at the venue, the place was already crowded with people. At the entrance, a banner reading “Azure Dragon Academy Winter Semester Festival” fluttered in the wind.

Ak Yeon-Ho whispered in my ear, “This place is much more crowded than I thought. There are a lot of ordinary people here as well.”

“Yeah.”

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“Haha, it said in the brochure that the public was free to attend, just like a normal citywide festival,” Myeong Il-Oh added.

The three of us then proceeded to explore the festival. Vendors had set up stalls selling snacks and accessories for girls, while school clubs were also running their own businesses or giving martial arts demonstrations.

“You don’t see this every day! The Tang Clan’s special aphrodisiac! All yours for only…”

I was speechless. Was it okay to use the name of the Tang Clan to sell such a thing?

“Is it okay?”

“Haha, isn’t it more fun that way? This event has been going on for decades, and as long as there aren’t any major incidents, the academy doesn’t really restrict the students’ activities.”

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As we walked around, some of the students recognized us.

“Look, over there. Aren’t those the super handsome new instructors?”

“Wow! You’re right!”

“Wanna go say hi to them?”

Okay, a lot of people gawked at us, but none of them actually got close to us. It wasn’t like they weren’t trying to, though.

“Excuse me, instructors…” A girl approaching us said, shyly tucking her hair behind her ears.

SWOOSH. WHOOSH.

A pair of identical twin boys quickly appeared to her left and right, grabbed both of her arms, and held her down.

“Ahh, eh, WHYYYYYY!”

“I’m sorry, but you’re coming with us,” the left twin said.

“I-I just wanted to talk to them!”

“Engaging in immoral relationships is against school rules,” the other twin replied.

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“How was I engaging in immoral relationships? I just wanted to say hello to the new teachers…” The girl struggled to pull her arm out, but her joints were locked and she couldn’t move.

“We’ll hear your excuses later.”

“First, to the Student Council.”

The grim-faced twins said at the same time.

“Let go! LET ME GOOOOO!”

With a look of irritation, Ak Yeon-Ho watched as the girl was dragged away by the twins. “The Student Council is scary…” he muttered.

The stinging gazes of students wearing yellow armbands that read “Discipline Committee (善導部)” could be felt everywhere as they patrolled the venue.

Every time some so much as flashed a forlorn glance at us…the gloomy twins would suddenly pop up and warn them.

There are all kinds of weirdos in the world. Hmm? Isn’t that Kwak Du-Yong?

As we continued to explore the festival, we realized that we weren’t the only new instructor applicants walking around. I spotted a face I recognized in the distance, tapped Ak Yeon-Ho on the shoulder and said, “He’s here too.

“Who… Oh, the fatass?”

The fatty we had humiliated twice was making a ruckus at a food stand while surrounded by more food than he could eat. From the redness of his face, I could tell that he was hammered.

“Hahaha! Back when this Master Kwak was studying at Vermilion Phoenix Academy…”

“Wow!”

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“That’s amazing!”

Several students gathered around him, cheering him on even as they made him pay for all their food and drinks.

“Kids these days are scary.”

“Yeah…”

We clutched our wallets tightly and fled the scene.

Just like that, the three of us snacked and drank until sunset, greeting and observing the passing students. This is such a peaceful place, I thought as we were about to retire to the inn for the night.

Reality immediately proved me wrong.

Suddenly, a blood-drenched student went flying into the pop-up stall right in front of me, smashing it to pieces.

“Ugh…”

A tall boy stood over the fallen student and barked, “What did you just say, punk? Why don’t you repeat yourself, huh?”

The boy took a swig from a gourd bottle with one hand, then smacked the injured student’s cheek with the Dao he held in the other. Luckily, the blade was still sheathed.

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The moment he opened his mouth, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. From the way this guy strutted around and glared at people, he was definitely what they called a “delinquent”.

MURMUR MURMUR.

“Is that guy at it again?”

“Fuck…”

After recognizing him, some of the students quietly slipped away from the scene.

However, I froze as if nailed to the spot, and it wasn’t because I wanted to intervene in the students’ fight.

“…Crazy Demon?” I couldn’t help but exclaim in shock when I saw the boy’s face.