Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

“…You want to change the class you’re teaching?”

“Yes, I’d like to overhaul the entire curriculum.”

Noh Goonsang stared at Pung Jinho, bewildered. Is this really the same Pung Jinho I’ve known for so long? He looks like he’s had a brush with death itself!

Gone was the shiny, rosy complexion of yesterday. Pung Jinho’s face was now ghostly pale, drained of all color, with lips that had turned a disturbing shade of blue. While he had never been a particularly likable figure—either as a martial artist or a teacher—his current state was so pitiful that it would elicit sympathy from just about anyone.

Feeling slightly worried, Noh Goonsang asked, “Are you feeling alright?”

“…What? Oh, yes, I’m fine,” Pung Jinho said absentmindedly, even though his head was bobbing around in disorientation and cold sweat was beading on his brow.

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“But you’re sweating like crazy.”

“No, really, I’m fine…” Pung Jinho insisted, though the memory of the parasite writhing inside him was still fresh and sickening, and the lingering terror gnawing at him was hard to hide.

Obviously concerned now, Noh Goonsang pressed, “Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you this morning?”

“Uugh…!”

Suddenly, Pung Jinho clapped a hand over his mouth, barely managing to choke back the urge to vomit.

“For heaven’s sake! You’re definitely not alright! If you’re going to throw up, pray step outside!” Noh Goonsang recoiled, his voice tinged with both shock and disgust.

“Haa… Haa…” Pung Jinho panted, forcing himself to take deep, steady breaths to calm his churning stomach. Within moments, he felt completely drained, and tears of exhaustion and fear blurred his vision.

Damn it… My life is now in that bastard Baek Suryong’s hands.

Earlier that morning, Baek Suryong had made Pung Jinho swallow a parasite—a cursed creature born of the Blood Cult’s dark arts. If that wasn’t bad enough, the excruciating pain that Baek Suryong had inflicted upon him over the next hour was so intense that even now, the mere memory of it sent violent shivers coursing through his body.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if this parasite will obey my commands. How about a little experiment?”

“Keuaaah, aaah! S-Stop!”

Noh Goonsang looked at Pung Jinho with a grave expression. “If something’s troubling you, why don’t you tell me about it? I might be able to help,” he offered sincerely.

Pung Jinho squeezed out a strained smile and shook his head weakly. “Thank you for the offer, but… it’s just a minor health issue.”

How could he possibly explain anything about the Blood Cult to Noh Goonsang? He had no choice but to bow to Baek Suryong’s will until the day he died.

Pushing his dread aside, Pung Jinho returned to the matter at hand. “Anyway… Principal, may I please change the subject of the course I’m teaching?”

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“Well…”

Changing an entire course on the last day of registration was practically unheard of. However, as the principal of the Azure Dragon Academy, Noh Goonsang had the authority to approve such a request.

Observing Pung Jinho with renewed curiosity, Noh Goonsang probed, “I can approve the change…but are you doing this because of Mr. Baek? I heard that you two arrived at school together this morning.”

“……”

Just a few days prior, Noh Goonsang had summoned Baek Suryong and Pung Jinho to his office and reprimanded them harshly.

“Enough! I’ve confirmed that you two were at the brothel that day, but I don’t care about the specifics. What’s important is that you’ve brought disgrace to the Azure Dragon Academy!”

“Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll conduct a thorough review of your lectures over the next two weeks. Whoever scores lower will have their class canceled.”

Since then, the rivalry between the two had become the talk of the academy, with some instructors speculating that one of them would be forced to resign.

Most people bet that Mr. Baek would be the one to go, but…

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This morning, the two men who had been at each other’s throats had shown up together. That alone was surprising, but now here was Pung Jinho, asking for permission to change his class curriculum.

Noh Goonsang mulled over this new development. How should I interpret this? Did Pung Jinho back down first?

Given the circumstances, that seemed the most likely explanation, yet it was hard to believe. Pung Jinho had over twenty years of teaching under his belt and wielded considerable influence, both within and beyond the academy.

Even I hesitate to offend him… yet this year’s rookie instructor Baek Suryong managed to reduce him to this? I knew that there was more to Mr. Baek than meets the eye, but still…

Noh Goonsang couldn’t help but be impressed. This was more than just martial skill at work. For example, Pung Jinho was no match for him in terms of martial prowess, but within the academy, the man’s political clout far outweighed his own.

How on earth did Mr. Baek do it? Something must have happened between them…

Noh Goonsang examined Pung Jinho, looking for clues, but not even a master could detect a parasite writhing in someone else’s stomach. In the end, convinced that some significant event had taken place, he decided to play ignorant for the time being.

Forcing a smile, Pung Jinho said, “I’ve… come to an understanding with Mr. Baek.”

“Is that so?”

“I apologize for worrying you, Principal. I wasn’t thinking clearly. There’s no point in picking a fight with a new instructor.”

“Hoho…”

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“Now is the time for all of us instructors to unite and work together toward a common goal. For the sake of achieving good results at the Heavenly Martial Festival… I plan to cooperate fully,” Pung Jinho recited, the words Baek Suryong had drilled into him tumbling out mechanically.

“…Impressive,” Noh Goonsang gasped in amazement.

This isn’t just a victory… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Baek Suryong has completely subdued Pung Jinho! Hmm, Mr. Baek must have known I’d figure this out. Maybe that’s why they arrived together in the first place.

Pung Jinho stared down at the floor, his gaze distant and unfocused. Noh Goonsang is just the start. I’m sure the more astute instructors will also start seeing Baek Suryong in a new light as well.

Noh Goonsang continued, “Hoho, I’m glad to hear you say that, Mr. Pung. Indeed, this is a time when we must all unite and strive toward a common goal.”

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“…Yes,” Pung Jinho murmured weakly.

For a fleeting moment, Noh Goonsang felt a pang of pity for Pung Jinho, but it vanished as quickly as it came. He knew all too well the kind of man Pung Jinho was.

He’s a rotten apple that needs to be tossed out for the academy’s sake.

However, given Pung Jinho’s connections and influence, it was beyond Noh Goonsang’s power to sack him. The fact that a newcomer had managed to do so was both astonishing and, frankly, humiliating.

Noh Goonsang let out a hearty laugh, “Isn’t Mr. Baek’s arrival the biggest blessing the Azure Dragon Academy has seen in years? Don’t you agree?”

“…Yes.”

“Hoho, I knew it the moment I first saw him at the instructors’ interview.”

Noh Goonsang went on and on, endlessly praising Baek Suryong, until finally he noticed how much paler Pung Jinho’s face was becoming. Mercifully, he shifted the conversation back to business.

“Alright, let’s return to what we were discussing earlier. Tell me, what kind of class are you planning on teaching?”

“…I’m thinking of introducing a new course that gives opportunities to the new instructors,” Pung Jinho said, his tone flat and lifeless. Of course, that was because it wasn’t Pung Jinho’s idea, but Baek Suryong’s, and Pung Jinho was just parroting the lines he’d been fed.

Noh Goonsang leaned forward, intrigued. “Opportunities for the new instructors? What do you mean?” he asked.

“What if we let the new instructors take turns teaching a class? As you already know, the new instructors we hired this year are all exceptionally talented. From Miss Jaegal Soyeong, who was the top recruit, to Mr. Ak Yeonho of the Shandong Ak Clan, Mr. Myeong Il’oh of the Myeong Clan, and Mr. Jin Euihyeop… they’re all very skilled.”

“Mmhmm.”

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Though overshadowed by Baek Suryong, the new instructors this year were indeed highly skilled and dedicated. Yet, until yesterday, Pung Jinho had barely paid them any mind.

“However, they currently have little to no teaching experience. Thus, to help them gain experience quickly, I wondered if we could let them teach a class jointly…”

“That’s wonderful! As expected, youngsters are just so creative!”

“…Youngster?” Pung Jinho echoed, the word slipping out before he could stop himself. He was well past middle age and certainly didn’t think of himself as young.

Noh Goonsang burst into hearty laughter, waving off his own slip of the tongue. “You’re younger than me, aren’t you? That makes you a youngster.”

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“…Okay. Anyway, I propose we give the new instructors a chance to take turns teaching a class.”

Usually, as the current faculty was more than capable of covering the regular curriculum on their own, new instructors only got to teach if a senior instructor was unable to or if they had a rare specialization, like Jaegal Soyeong.

“…As for the course name, how about ‘Overview of Martial Arts’? The course will be listed under my name, but the new instructors will teach the class on a rotating basis.”

In other words, Pung Jinho will only act as the face of the course to attract students. What a clever idea. Wait, doesn’t this mean Mr. Baek will end up teaching two classes in his first semester? Noh Goonsang mused. It was clear that this had been part of Baek Suryong’s plan all along.

Just as Noh Goonsang thought he’d heard it all, though, Pung Jinho dropped another bombshell.

“Also, I was thinking of asking Mr. Ak Yeonho and Mr. Myeong Il’oh to be my assistant instructors.”

“Huh!”

The mention of Baek Suryong’s closest allies caught Noh Goonsang off guard, and he couldn’t help but click his tongue in surprise.

This guy! He’s planning to take over the entire Azure Dragon Academy!

Nevertheless, instead of feeling resentment, Noh Goonsang marveled at the move. Unlike the man before him, he understood that Baek Suryong’s motives for gaining influence at the academy were completely different.

The young instructor’s sole objective was to win the Heavenly Martial Festival, and that was something Noh Goonsang could respect.

He smiled, nodding in approval. “Alright, go ahead with it.”

“…Thank you.” Pung Jinho bowed his head, feeling a pang of self-loathing for having been reduced to a mere puppet of Baek Suryong.

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“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Baek Suryong clicked his tongue as he saw his two younger brothers racing toward him, panting. “Why are you two making such a fuss?” he asked.

“Listen! We just came from the Principal’s office, and guess what, Mr. Pung…”

“We’ve been assigned as assistant instructors for his new class!”

“Calm down and explain one thing at a time.”

“So, the thing is…”

As he listened to their excited, jumbled explanations, Baek Suryong couldn’t help but chuckle.

Hehe, everything’s going according to plan.

Instead of killing Pung Jinho, he’d decided to use the man’s influence to secure as many advantages as possible, starting with setting up this new course.

I can’t teach all the students by myself, so we need to train more good instructors.

Fortunately, Noh Goonsang seemed to grasp his intentions perfectly.

“By the way, Hyung-nim, where are you headed?” Ak Yeonho asked, noticing that Baek Suryong had put more effort into his appearance than usual.

Baek Suryong grinned. “I’m off to teach a class.”

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“…Oh right, today’s your first Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts class…”

“You won’t teach the students anything too strange, will you…?”

“If it’s unorthodox martial arts, does that mean you’ll cover things like assassination techniques, pickpocketing, and… bedroom techniques…?”

“Do you have a death wish?”

The three of them bantered as they walked together.

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“See you later, then.”

“Good luck with your first class.”

“Don’t go too hard on the students.”

After parting ways with the two, Baek Suryong headed straight to the classroom. As he entered, he was met with a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Hyonwon Kang. Yeo Min. Geo Sangwoong. Ya Suhyeok. The four most notorious delinquents of the Azure Dragon Academy were sitting quietly in the front row. Any other instructor would have been shocked to see this lineup, but here they were.

Next to them, looking like he’d stumbled into the wrong room, Wiji Cheon sat with his shoulders hunched, clearly out of place.

And behind them… huh, to think that those two are here too.

Baek Suryong noticed the infamous twin enforcers from the Student Council, the Azure Dragon Twins, seated together in the middle of the room. It seemed that beside the ones he’d recruited, a few other students had signed up out of curiosity too.

Finally, his gaze fell on Dokgo Jun, who was sitting at the very back with crossed arms, keeping his distance from the others.

With a smile, Baek Suryong greeted the class, “Nice to meet you all. I’m Baek Suryong, and I’ll be teaching Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts this semester.”

Standing at the front, he made eye contact with each student and exchanged a gentle, friendly smile with them.

However, the words that followed were anything but friendly.

“For our first lesson, I’m going to beat you all within an inch of your lives,” he declared happily.

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

Baek Suryong didn’t give the students any time to think. In an instant, he filled the room with a suffocating wave of killing intent and warned, “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better give it your all.”

With that, he leapt right into the fray.

His first target? Dokgo Jun.

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