Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

As Baek Suryong entered the cafeteria for lunch, he immediately spotted Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh energetically waving him over.

"Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Over here!"

"Here! Come quickly!"

"This is so embarrassing…" Jaegal Soyeong muttered, hiding her face behind her hands, clearly mortified by her friends' attention-seeking antics.

Tray in hand, Baek Suryong made his way over and joined them at the table. He had a pretty good idea why they were so excited, but he decided to humor them, asking, "What's got you two so worked up today?"

Both men immediately leaned in, practically bursting to share the news.

Ak Yeonho asked, "Hyung-nim, did you see the announcement at the main gate this morning?"

"It's the Namgung Clan! We're going to the Namgung Clan Residence for new instructor training! It's my first time visiting such a famous martial family!" Myeong Il'oh added excitedly. Usually, Ak Yeonho was the more talkative one, but today, he was bouncing like a kid before a school trip.

Ak Yeonho raised an eyebrow. "Myeong-hyung, didn't you mention that you visited my family before?"

"I-I did? Oh, uh, well… Anyway, I've never visited the Namgung Clan before," Myeong Il'oh stammered, scratching his head awkwardly to brush off his slip-up.

Ak Yeonho chuckled. "Of course. The Namgung Clan is the world's top martial family, after all. Compared to them, the Ak Clan is nothing, right?"

Baek Suryong recalled what he knew of the Namgung Clan. With a legacy spanning centuries, With a history spanning centuries, the clan had steadily risen to become the undisputed leader among the Five Great Clans. In particular, following the Blood Cult's defeat and the orthodox sects' loss of sponsorship and protection fees, the Namgung Clan had swiftly entered the martial arts academy business and monopolized the market.

This strategic move was nothing short of brilliant. Now, decades later, the Namgung Clan's influence stretched across the world like a vast spider web. By producing an impressive number of top instructors, they were able to place Star Instructors in all Five Great Academies, and even their branch families scattered around the world had established countless martial arts academies under the Namgung name.

Lowering his voice, Myeong Il'oh said, "They say you can't even open an academy these days if you're not in the Namgung Clan's good graces."

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"Well, there's someone among us who provoked a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan during his interview," Ak Yeonho added, chuckling as he glanced at Baek Suryong.

Myeong Il'oh nodded, snickering. "Yeah, the whole city was buzzing about how a country bumpkin picked a fight with a Namgung Clan young master…"

"All right, that's enough," Baek Suryong said, waving his hand dismissively, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Why are you guys suddenly heaping so much praise on me? You're making me embarrassed."

""We're not praising you!"" Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh retorted in unison, shaking their heads in exasperation at their friend's shamelessness.

"Mr. Namgung Su put a lot of effort into arranging this training for us," Jaegal Soyeong suddenly added. As the top scorer in the instructor exam, she was placed under the guidance of Star Instructor Namgung Su. Because of this, she had been working overtime every day, and dark circles were beginning to form beneath her eyes.

"Namgung Su? What does he have to do with this?" Baek Suryong asked, recalling the unusually happy-looking Namgung Su he had met earlier that morning.

"Actually…" Jaegal Soyeong glanced around suspiciously, then leaned in, whispering, "I heard that the Namgung Clan was planning to exclude the Azure Dragon Academy from this year's training."

"What?"

"Why?"

Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh blinked in bewilderment.

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Baek Suryong, on the other hand, furrowed his brow. The reason why the Namgung Clan wanted to exclude only the Azure Dragon Academy from the Five Academies' new instructor training was clear as day to him.

"So basically, they think that we're not good enough to join their little game, right?" he asked.

"No way…"

"What the hell…?"

Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh's expressions hardened. It was already known that the Azure Dragon Academy wouldn't be invited to the Heavenly Martial Festival starting next year. Excluding them from the new instructor training was just another way of marginalizing them.

Their earlier excitement faded.

Baek Suryong continued, "Namgung Su must have worked hard to convince his family otherwise. Am I right?"

Jaegal Soyeong, who was well acquainted with such matters due to her connection to the Jaegal Clan, another of the Five Great Clans, huffed in frustration. "Yes. Namgung-oppa… I mean, Mr. Namgung sent many letters of appeal to his family, refusing to give up even after being turned down several times. As far as I know, the Namgung Clan's main reason for excluding us was that it was too dangerous."

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"Dangerous?"

"Apparently, fights break out every year during the new teacher training. What begins as debates over educational philosophies quickly escalate as emotions flare, culminating in duels. Naturally, injuries occur, deepening the rifts between the academies."

"Then why exclude only us?"

Jaegal Soyeong hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The instructors from the Azure Dragon Academy were constant targets for other academies, and their training scores were poor. The only exception was when Instructor Namgung Su took part…"

Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh's faces clouded over, and their excitement faded. Attending the new instructor training wouldn't be any fun after all if it meant becoming a prime target for bullying.

On the contrary, a sly smirk spread across Baek Suryong's lips.

This is just perfect. I've been thinking about how I should go around picking fights at the Namgung Clan without causing trouble, but it seems like I won't have to do much at all?

"So, it's called training, but it's actually a battle royale? And since we're the easiest targets, they'll just come after us on their own?" he muttered excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hyung-nim?"

"Why are you smiling like that again?"

Seeing Baek Suryong's ominous smile, Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh exchanged uneasy looks. From experience, whenever their friend smiled like that, trouble always followed.

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"Yeah, I can't forgive them," Jaegal Soyeong spat.

She couldn't tell her peers, but she had accidentally read some of the letters exchanged between Namgung Su and the Namgung Clan. Although Namgung Su didn't show it, he was often openly mocked and looked down upon because he was teaching at the Azure Dragon Academy.

I can't believe they were so mean to him!

Personally, Jaegal Soyeong wasn't particularly fond of Namgung Su, but after witnessing how tirelessly he worked firsthand, she didn't think he was someone who deserved to be treated that way.

This year will be different. The Azure Dragon Academy's new instructors will achieve good results in the training. I'll stake my career on it.

Namgung Su had put his entire career on the line to ensure they could attend.

Jaegal Soyeong looked earnestly at Baek Suryong, who was probably the reason for Namgung Su's confidence. "Baek-oppa, please make those bastards regret looking down on us.

Baek Suryong nodded seriously. "Certainly."

Ak Yeonho and Myeong Il'oh chimed in.

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"We'll show them."

"Yeah, let's give them a reason to remember us."

The change in morale at Azure Dragon Academy sparked by Baek Suryong wasn't limited to the students. Even the instructors, worn down by rumors of their academy's decline, felt their spirits rekindled.

This is good. Looking at his changed peers, Baek Suryong smiled contentedly. He was already looking forward to the upcoming new instructor training.

Grinning, he added, "But before that… we have to do a good job with the midterms first, right?"

"""Right."""

At his words, they all nodded. The new instructor training schedule would only be set after the first round of midterms at the Five Academies was over. For now, they needed to rein in their excitement and focus on those upcoming exams.

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Baek Suryong scanned the group with a meaningful smile. Not counting himself, the three people here would make great assistants for his planned midterm exam, and it would be perfect if he could recruit just one more…

"By the way… can you guys help me with the Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts exam?" he asked.

Since it was his first midterm since joining the Azure Dragon Academy, Baek Suryong had something very special planned for the kids.

At last, the Azure Dragon Academy midterm examinations began.

"Midterms suck. Why do we need to have midterms?" Grumbling, Hyonwon Kang dragged himself to the day's final exam location.

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Geo Sangwoong clicked his tongue. "You sound like someone who didn't study."

"And you did, Senior?"

"The mountain rises, and water flows…"

"If you're that smart, why are you cramming last minute just like us?"

"It's not the same… for me, the difference is between merely passing and passing with flying colors."

"Whatever…"

Turning away from the pretentious Geo Sangwoong, Hyonwon Kang turned to the juniors. "How about you guys? Did you study?"

"Yaaawn…"

"No…"

"……"

Ya Suhyeok and Wiji Cheon shook their heads, while Yeo Min simply groaned. All of them were sleep deprived from their last minute cramming.

Seeing their suffering, Hyonwon immediately felt better about himself. "You guys probably never studied in your lives, huh?"

"Please don't lump us in with you…"

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"Senior, don't you have any self-awareness?"

"Hey! Why are you all treating me like I'm the biggest idiot around?"

"There is dumb, and then there is dumber…"

"What did you say?!"

The White Dragon Manor students squabbled as usual while heading to the exam site. Somehow, despite all their troubles, they managed to scrape by on most of the theory exams and character evaluations.

"At least the last one's a practical exam," Wiji Cheon remarked.

Everyone nodded, grateful to finally turn their attention to the type of exam they felt most confident in.

When they arrived at the exam location, the central training ground, they noticed it was eerily empty. For some reason, Baek Suryong had scheduled the Defense Against Unorthodox Arts exam in the evening, after most of the students had retired to their dorms.

Shuddering, Hyonwon Kang wondered aloud, "Why is Mr. Baek holding the exam this late? Just how badly is he planning to beat us tonight?"

"Yeah, it doesn't feel like a simple spar," Geo Sangwoong added.

"Hey, look! Dokgo Jun's here!" Hyonwon Kang exclaimed.

Seeing Dokgo Jun, the Student Council President, arriving in a dignified manner along with other students, Hyonwon Kang straightened up and approached him.

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"Ahem. Good evening, Mr. Student Council President," Hyonwon Kang greeted.

Dokgo Jun stared at him, puzzled. "What are you saying? You're weirding me out."

"Ahem, since we're both presidents now, that makes us equal, right? Let's get along."

"……" Dokgo Jun shook his head, giving Hyonwon Kang a look of pity.

Finally, when all the examinees had gathered, a familiar voice rang out from the shadows.

"Welcome," Baek Suryong greeted.

The students looked up to see their teacher standing atop a building overlooking the training ground.

"Before we begin, allow me to introduce my assistants for today," Baek Suryong continued, snapping his fingers.

Instantly, four masked figures in black martial arts uniforms descended from the four cardinal directions of the training ground.

"These are the Four Heavenly Kings who'll be helping with your exam today."

Embarrassed by the cringy title, the supposed 'Four Heavenly Kings' looked away and coughed.

Fools. At times like this, it's better to be shameless. Unfazed, Baek Suryong scoffed and continued, "The rules are simple. There's a wooden box at the center of the training ground with name tags for all of you. Put them on."

Baek Suryong paused to give the students time to find and wear their nametags. When they were ready, he explained, "When the exam begins, the Four Heavenly Kings will try to take your name tags by any means necessary. If you can hold out for four hours without losing your tag, you pass. You may run or hide anywhere within the academy, and you get bonus points if you successfully land an attack on the Four Heavenly Kings. If you, by some miracle, manage to remove a King's mask, you get full marks and may go home immediately. Any questions?"

One student raised a hand. "Will you be participating in the exam too, Mr. Baek?"

"No. I'll be observing and grading you. Think of me as invisible."

The students' eyes sparkled, a flicker of hope lighting up their faces as the same thought ran through all their minds: Mr. Baek is sitting out of this?

"Woohoo! Let's do this, guys! I'm definitely going to grab one of those masks!" Hyonwon Kang declared, loosening up his shoulder joints energetically.

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Weapons at the ready, the students studied the Four Heavenly Kings. As long as Baek Suryong wasn't participating, this exam seemed passable.

Baek Suryong smiled warmly. "You may begin."

"Get them!" Hyonwon Kang yelled, as the students split into groups of two or three and charged toward the Four Heavenly Kings.

"Oh, one more thing…" Baek Suryong's smile widened into a wicked smirk.

From the shadows, a horde of Rehabilitation Sect thugs emerged, easily numbering in the dozens.

The students froze in shock.

"W-What the fuck?!"

Baek Suryong shrugged. "The Four Heavenly Kings have a fair number of followers at their side, so stay alert."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?!"

As the students' screams echoed into the night, the Azure Dragon Academy descended into pandemonium.

Translator's Note: Guess who's the fourth Heavenly King? Find out next week! Muhahaha cliffhanger.

Epub Volume 2 is also out!