Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ak Yeonho stared blankly at the mask resting in his hand. The strap at the back was neatly severed.

"Haa… Was I too careless?" he chuckled bitterly, replaying the last fight in his mind.

"Beat Up Baek Suryong Formation Number 23!"

"…Just how many of those formations do you have!?"

At first, he'd been relaxed enough to banter with the kids. After all, it hadn't even been an hour since he'd effortlessly subdued Hyonwon Kang.

What's the big deal if three of them team up?

That was a mistake. As soon as the fight began, Ya Suhyeok rushed forward, using his solid physique to defend against his attacks, while Yeo Min disrupted his vision with quick footwork and bursts of ice techniques. Whenever his movements were disrupted by the ice, Hyonwon Kang's blade would stab sharply through the openings.

The trio moved like seasoned masters who had trained together for years, covering each other's weaknesses, maximizing their strengths, and communicating solely through their eyes.

Under pressure, he came close to using excessive force and injuring the kids. Luckily, he pulled back in time, though he lost his mask in the process.

"Careless, my ass," Myeong Il'oh scoffed. "You called me the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings, but you were defeated just the same."

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"I still lasted longer than you, Myeong-hyung, and if it was a real fight, I would have won. Unfortunately, I can't just unleash lethal techniques left and right like those kids did."

"You realize there's nothing more pathetic than making excuses after losing, right?"

"Sheesh…" Ak Yeonho scratched his head, gazing up at the night sky dotted with countless stars. After a while, he chuckled, "…Damn it. I never thought we would lose to the students. There goes our chance at getting that reward."

"I know, but strangely… it doesn't feel bad, does it?"

"Hahaha."

The two men beamed at each other. The students were stronger than expected, and they couldn't help but feel slightly threatened by the possibility that they might soon be surpassed. Instead of feeling down, though, they were proud and thrilled to see how much they had grown.

"Victory in the Heavenly Martial Festival… it might not be just a dream after all."

"I had the same thought. If it's those kids…"

It wasn't just the students' current strength. It was the fire in their eyes, their intense focus in battle, and their desperate desire to win. Even the teachers felt their own passion reignite because of them.

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We need to step up our game so we don't fall behind.

The two young instructors quietly renewed their resolve.

Just then, Myeong Il'oh remembered someone. "Speaking of which, where's Soyeong? She must be waiting for us."

"She'll manage… Even though she's a bit clumsy, her skills are nothing to sneeze at."

Having lost their masks, it was time for them to head home. Continuing to participate in the exam would be against the rules.

Now, only two of the Four Heavenly Kings remained: the Primeval Witch and the Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King.

"It'll be tough for the Primeval Witch to handle the remaining kids alone… In the end, the reward will go to the Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King."

"Who knows? Maybe those little punks will actually unmask the Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King?"

"No way. Can you even imagine that guy being taken down by mere kids?"

"…True."

The Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King was, without a doubt, the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings.

He was still a wall too high for the students to overcome.

Inside the Student Council building, Dokgo Jun and Geo Sangwoong were locked in a heated debate.

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"Our location must have been discovered by now. We have to leave before it's too late."

"No, it's better to stake out here and stall for time."

Currently, the group of students barricaded inside had split into two camps, each following one of two leaders.

"We think the President's suggestion…"

"…is more appropriate."

The Azure Dragon Twins, members of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee, stood firmly by Dokgo Jun's side.

"I-I support Senior Geo Sangwoong's reasoning."

On the other hand, Wiji Cheon timidly but clearly sided with Geo Sangwoong.

Geo Sangwoong, Dokgo Jun, Wiji Cheon, and the Azure Dragon Twins—the five who had escaped the Rehabilitation Sect's encirclement—had been together for over an hour. Their opinions began to diverge after sensing a clash of qi not far away.

"Right now, our enemies are sweeping through the academy, tightening the encirclement, and moments ago, we sensed a powerful aura nearby that could only belong to one of the Four Heavenly Kings. If two or more of them come at us, we won't be able to fend them off. The corridors are narrow, but for masters at that level, smashing through walls or ceilings is child's play. We'd be better off going out and facing them rather than risking being cornered inside," Dokgo Jun argued, looking tattered and frustrated.

Dokgo Jun's reasoning seemed flawless, but Geo Sangwoong didn't agree with him.

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"Dokgo, the primary goal of this exam is to hold on to our name tags for four hours, not to defeat all the enemies," he shot back.

"I know."

"No, you're missing something important."

"…Please enlighten your junior," Dokgo Jun said. Despite his words, however, his pride remained undiminished, as if he couldn't bring himself to believe that he had overlooked something.

Geo Sangwoong grinned. "Have you given any thought to the real identities of the Four Heavenly Kings? Three of them are probably the new instructors who Mr. Baek always hangs out with: Mr. Ak Yeonho, Mr. Myeong Il'oh, and Ms. Jaegal Soyeong."

"…What does that have to do with this exam?"

"Everything."

Geo Sangwoong smirked slyly. As the son of the Golden Dragon chairman, his world view was different from other martial artists. He looked not only at the martial arts of his adversaries, but also at their wealth, power, and connections.

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"You said smashing walls and ceilings was child's play for them? So what? With their pitiful salaries, those temporary instructors can't afford to fix even one broken window. Besides, damaging the academy's property would hurt their performance appraisals, which will affect whether they are promoted to full-time instructors. So, to sum it up, staying indoors ultimately works in our favor. If we break something, all we have to do is write a reflection letter, and I'll pay for all the repairs."

Dokgo Jun's jaw dropped. "Senior, I hate to say this, but that's a very underhanded strategy. You're seriously suggesting we exploit the new instructors' weaknesses?"

"Fufufu… Have you forgotten? This class is called Defense Against Unorthodox Arts. If we want to win against unorthodox villains, we have to first put ourselves in their shoes, right?"

"……" Dokgo Jun suddenly wondered if this class was turning orthodox prodigies into unorthodox ruffians.

Still, he's right that the Four Heavenly Kings have been avoiding fighting indoors so far. Despite his rough exterior, Senior Geo Sangwoong is surprisingly the intellectual type… or is that to be expected from someone who was once called the Azure Dragon Twin Stars along with Senior Bang Baekhyeon?

Even though he wasted several years indulging in gluttony and gambling, it seems that he has regained his edge after meeting Baek Suryong.

"…I will follow your opinion, Senior." Dokgo Jun nodded. Under the circumstances, following Geo Sangwoong's lead was the wiser course.

"Thanks for yielding. Okay, everyone, listen up. Since time is running out, the impatient Four Heavenly Kings will soon lose their patience and come here. We'll ambush them then."

Geo Sangwoong surveyed his companions. With Dokgo Jun, Wiji Cheon, and the Azure Dragon Twins on his side, they could probably take on two of the Four Heavenly Kings.

We'll launch our counterattack in the last fifteen minutes of the exam. Although we could just hide until the time limit, that's just the bare minimum to pass. If we want to score points, we'll need to unmask the Four Heavenly Kings…

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He contemplated deeply, running his plan through his mind over and over again. His instincts told him that this exam was about more than just martial arts, it was also a test of strategy.

Meanwhile, the clock was ticking, and when there were about fifteen minutes remaining until the end of the exam…

DING DONG!

Someone rang the doorbell of the Student Council building.

All the students tensed up.

Someone's here!

They hid their presence, held their breaths, and focused all their senses on the enemy's movements.

CREAK! CRASH! BOOM!

The intruder was triggering the simple traps they had planted all over the building. They were either careless enough to get caught by the traps, or confident enough to simply plow through them.

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The students naturally thought it was the latter.

Dokgo Jun sent a telepathic message to Geo Sangwoong: [Senior, it's not just one person.]

[Could it be the Rehabilitation Sect?]

[No, their footsteps are too light, and there are only two…no, three people.]

[Three of the Four Heavenly Kings are here? They might have teamed up.]

[Should we be glad that it's not all four?]

[It won't be easy, but we might still have a chance. Let's use every dirty trick we learned in class.]

"……" Geo Sangwoong telepathically relayed Dokgo Jun's intel to the other students, then designated their hiding places and outlined the contingency plans.

Moving quietly, the students slipped into rooms on both sides of the entrance corridor.

[Dokgo, I'll leave the first ambush to you. Make it loud and flashy.]

[Understood.] Dokgo Jun nodded. As the fastest and strongest student of the group, as well as the one who knew the building's layout best, it made perfect sense for him to take the lead in the ambush.

[Cheon, hide behind Dokgo Jun and follow up with a surprise attack.]

[Okay!]

[The Azure Dragon Twins will stay with me…]

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Alarm bells rang in the darkness, and the sound of traps breaking gradually grew louder. The enemy was drawing closer by the second. Though the students' couldn't see the approaching figures directly from their hiding spots, the faint shadows flickering against the wall were steadily growing darker and larger.

Dokgo Jun took a deep breath and waited for the enemy's arrival. Then, the moment his target was within range, he exhaled powerfully and sprang into action.

WHOOSH!

He swiftly pivoted out of the room and into the hallway, drawing his sword in a quick, practiced motion. In that instant, his eyes locked onto the enemy.

CLANG!

As sword and blade clashed, both combatants stepped back simultaneously, gaping in surprise.

"Hyonwon Kang?"

"You scared me, you jerk!"

"Senior Wonkang?"

"Eh, it was Wonkang all along?"

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Ya Suhyeok and Yeo Min appeared behind Hyonwon Kang, and the other students who had been preparing for the ambush also showed themselves, visibly relieved.

Puzzled, Geo Sangwoong asked, "You're alive? I was so sure that with your personality, you'd be the first one to get caught."

"Who's dead? It's a long story…"

Hyonwon Kang quickly recounted his ordeal. As he wrapped up, he straightened up and puffed out his chest. "Anyway, we unmasked two of the Four Heavenly Kings and got our name tags back. How's that?"

"So, only two of the Four Heavenly Kings remain?" Geo Sangwoong said, eyes sparkling.

He looked around. All the students of the White Dragon Manor were gathered, plus Dokgo Jun and the Azure Dragon Twins. With this force, didn't they stand a pretty good chance of defeating the remaining two Heavenly Kings?

"Let's go. We don't need to hide here any longer."

"Hurry!"

"No, we need to move stealthily. It would be bad if we were spotted by the Rehabilitation Sect guys."

Since there were barely ten minutes left until the end of the exam, the students didn't hesitate. If they could unmask the last two Heavenly Kings, it would be their complete victory. Led by Geo Sangwoong, they left the Student Council building.

"By the way, Senior Sangwoong, we know who three of the Four Heavenly Kings are, but who's the last one?" Hyonwon Kang asked.

"I was just thinking about that. I have a few candidates in mind…"

The rookie instructors Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong had been revealed as three of the Four Heavenly Kings. However, the identity of the last one, the Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King, was still a mystery. None of the students here had encountered him before, and every student who did ended up losing their nametags and getting thrown in jail.

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"Hmm…" Geo Sangwoong considered all of Baek Suryong's acquaintances. None of them were easy opponents, especially that person…

Nah, there's no way that person would take part in this fiasco.

He shook his head to dispel the ominous thought.

"Wait! Something's off," Dokgo Jun suddenly warned, scanning their surroundings suspiciously. "We should've been out of here by now, but the path feels unusually long tonight."

Startled, Geo Sangwoong halted the group. "What? Everyone stop!"

Squinting his eyes in the dim light, he studied the area carefully. Only then did he notice that the building they had passed on the left earlier was still in the same spot.

"It's an illusion formation! Be careful!" he shouted immediately, but he was too late.

The ground trembled, the air itself warping as everything around them blurred. The students reacted at once, drawing their weapons and positioning themselves back to back, each one alert and guarding every direction.

"Is this one of Ms. Jaegal Soyeong's formations?"

"Is anyone here familiar with formations? Can you break this?"

"Are you an idiot? How are we supposed to dismantle a formation made by a member of the Jaegal Clan?"

As they panicked, a figure stepped in from outside the formation. The students immediately braced themselves for the Primeval Witch's arrival, but instead, they saw a man in a snow-white martial arts uniform and a white mask, radiating a powerful presence.

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"Good, you're all gathered in one place. Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."

It was the Cold-Blooded Asura Demon King.

Although he wore a mask, everyone immediately recognized who he was.

One of the students squeaked in despair, "N-Namgung Su…"

"That's Mr. Namgung Su to you," Namgung Su said, drawing his sword.

CRACKLE, CRACKLE!

White lightning gathered on his blade.

Translator's Note: You thought it was Mae Geuklyom, but it was me, Dio! Namgung Su!