Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

CRASH!

The first ghoul lunged at Baek Suryong, only to be sent flying backward, its nose smashed flat. A hit like that would’ve knocked out a regular person, but the ghoul merely twisted in mid-air and landed on its feet with an unnatural grace.

“Graaah!” it roared, charging again, undeterred.

Baek Suryong frowned. He recognized this demonic art, especially since it hadn’t been long since he had encountered something similar.

“The Black Blood Demonic Art, huh.”

This was the same sinister technique that Cho Maksaeng had used before his death, a ruthless art that drained one’s life force to fuel extraordinary power. However, these ghouls had mastered it to a level far beyond what Cho Maksaeng had achieved.

He even knows of the Black Blood Demonic Art? The Smiling Grim Reaper’s eyes widened. Even among the thirty members of the Ghost Blood Unit, only he and the ten elite warriors present knew of the Black Blood Demonic Art.

Just who is this man? the Smiling Grim Reaper thought, cold sweat dripping down his back.

In the blink of an eye, Geo Sangwoong and the Golden Dragon Trading Company were no longer important. On the contrary, this man, who seemed to be privy to the secrets of the Blood Cult, had the potential to completely foil their grand plan.

The idea seems absurd, but for some reason, I can’t get it out of my mind.

“Don’t kill him!” the Smiling Grim Reaper barked. Despite his subordinates’ transformation into ghouls, they still obeyed his orders, their minds shackled by the Black Blood Demonic Art. The only difference was that they could now only be used as tools for killing, as they were no longer capable of communication.

“Rrrgh…” The ghouls growled in acknowledgement.

“Capture him alive. I’ll do the interrogating myself.”

By revealing a demonic art that should never have seen the light of day, the Smiling Grim Reaper was now ensnared in a deadly game with only two possible outcomes: death or escape.

A fierce grin split his face as he commanded, “Rip off his limbs if you have to, but make sure he’s breathing when you bring him back.”

“Graaah!” The ghouls roared in unison. Sacrificing their own life essence, a sickly ash-gray aura that flickered like a ghostly specter erupted from their bodies as they heedlessly threw themselves at Baek Suryong.

Alarmed by the ghastly sight, the leader of the bodyguards on the wall cried out, “Sir! Do you need help?

“I’m fine. Just stop anyone who tries to run away,” Baek Suryong replied with an unnervingly calm demeanor, then walked toward the charging ghouls.

WHOOSH!

The lead ghoul swung his axe with enough force to split a boulder in half, but Baek Suryong made no attempt to meet the attack head-on. Instead, he stepped aside just enough to let the axe slice through the empty air next to him.

Thrown off balance by its own swing, the ghoul stumbled past him.

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“One,” Baek Suryong whispered, drawing Moon Shadow and slashing downward, crimson sword qi dancing around his blade like flashes of lightning.

SWISH!

The ghoul crumpled to the ground, its upper and lower halves cleanly severed. Before a single drop of blood splatter could touch him though, Baek Suryong pivoted on his right foot and dodged to the side.

WHIZZ!

A spear tip pierced the space where Baek Suryong had stood a split second earlier. Sensing an opportunity, he grabbed the spear shaft as it brushed past his shoulder and yanked it toward himself.

“Raaagh!” The ghoul at the other end tried to release the spear and attack with its claws, but it was too late. Moon Shadow had already slashed through its carotid artery.

“Two.”

Grabbing the dying ghoul and using it as a shield, Baek Suryong faced the remaining enemies. The ghoul was shredded into three pieces almost immediately, but Baek Suryong successfully used the distraction to slip into their blind spot like a phantom.

“Behind you!” the Smiling Grim Reaper shouted, but he was too slow.

Baek Suryong stomped on the ground with his left foot, shattering it and throwing the two ghouls in front of him, one wielding a sword and the other a dao, completely off their feet.

“Three. Four,” he said, cutting them both down in one fluid motion.

Right after, before the bodies even hit the ground, he leapt into the air and twisted, dodging a qi blast and snatching a dagger aimed at his heart. He then somersaulted, added his inner qi to the momentum, and hurled the dagger back at its owner all before landing.

THUD!

Yet another ghoul fell to the ground, a dagger buried deep in its forehead and its eyes wide with shock as if it hadn’t even realized it was dead.

“Five.”

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“Grrrraaah!” The remaining five ghouls roared, converging on Baek Suryong simultaneously from every direction—front, back, left, right, even above. The ash-gray qi pouring out of their bodies merged, forming the monstrous silhouette of a grotesque creature as they harnessed the resonance of the Black Blood Demonic Art to amplify their collective might.

“So, you’re all coming at me at once now?” Baek Suryong laughed, though inwardly, he heightened his concentration.

This… is not going to be easy, he thought as he crouched down. Narrowing his eyes to track the ghouls’ movements, he stretched his senses out like a finely tuned web, reading the currents of their energy and searching for the slightest sign of weakness.

“…Found it,” he suddenly mumbled, smiling faintly.

Without hesitation, Baek Suryong took a single step forward, closing the distance. For a fleeting moment, the world around him seemed to shift as time slowed, allowing him to see the ghouls’ faces in vivid detail.

A ghoul seething with rage.

Another twisted in agony.

A third grinning madly, blood oozing from its eyes.

They were all damned souls, yet a small part of him felt a twinge of pity for them.

“May you find peace in your next life,” Baek Suryong prayed, then kicked off the ground, soaring high into the air.

Having lost sight of him for a split second, the ghouls looked up. However, even though they could follow Baek Suryong’s movements with their eyes, their bodies strained to keep up, leaving them unable to do anything but gawk at the spectacular sight unfolding before them.

Silhouetted against the moon, Baek Suryong launched into a deadly sword dance.

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The Bandit King’s Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest ensured each movement was executed with inhuman perfection.

The Ice Moon Goddess’ footwork allowed him to glide effortlessly between earth and sky.

The Crazy Demon’s fierce aura crushed the spirits of the ghouls, even though they were said to know no fear.

The Sword Saint’s Unlimited Sword guided Moon Shadow’s path, bestowing it with a profound sheen as if it desired to cleave the moonlight itself.

Finally, the Heaven Defying Divine Art wove all these techniques together into one seamless, lethal flow.

SLASH!

Descending like a streak of lightning, Moon Shadow sliced cleanly through a ghoul that had leapt up to intercept Baek Suryong, splitting it in two. After that, the sword paused for a moment, catching a ray of moonlight on its blade.

“Beautiful…” the bodyguards stationed on the wall gasped. Mesmerized by the deadly grace of the sword dance, they momentarily forgot their task of preventing the intruders and spies from escaping.

Baek Suryong, his expression unreadable, continued to swing his sword with unerring precision, sending two more ghoul heads flying into the air almost simultaneously.

Desperate and cornered, the remaining two ghouls struggled to resist, drawing on every last ounce of their strength like butterflies thrashing around in a spider’s web. The dark qi of the Black Blood Demonic Art erupted from their bodies, consuming everything around them. Yet, the more power they tried to summon, the more their bodies shriveled up. It was clear that they were being mummified alive by the very power they sought.

In a final, suicidal attack, the ghouls hurled themselves at Baek Suryong, burning through their last reserves.

But it was futile.

Gradually, the black mist of the Black Blood Demonic Art dissipated like a fading fog, revealing the dismembered remains of the last two ghouls.

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Baek Suryong calmly sheathed Moon Shadow.

“Hoo…” Just as he began to catch his breath, though, a thought struck him. Wait…did I forget something?

WHISH!

He barely managed to tilt his head back, narrowly avoiding a strike, but not before a chunk was torn off his face.

“You! You’re not Geo Yisan! Who the hell are you?” the Smiling Grim Reaper hissed, clutching a piece of torn mask. His veins bulged as his body swelled with the energy of the Black Blood Demonic Art, and his eyes, bloodshot and pulsing with rage, fixed squarely on Baek Suryong.

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“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” Baek Suryong laughed, casually tearing off the damaged Geo Yisan mask. Following the Smiling Grim Reaper’s use of the Black Blood Demonic Art, a dark mist once again engulfed the surroundings, hiding his form from the Golden Dragon warriors, so he wasn’t worried about revealing himself.

The Smiling Grim Reaper’s eyes widened in shock. “Y-You’re Baek—”

“Finish that line, and you’re dead.”

”!!” Stricken with a killing intent so intense that he thought his heart would stop, the Smiling Grim Reaper instinctively shut his mouth, even as he screamed inside, Baek Suryooooong!

Retreating backwards, he muttered to himself in disbelief, “How can this be…?”

Although he had never met Baek Suryong in person, he had seen his portrait before. While he was stronger than the ghouls Baek Suryong had just killed, he knew he stood little chance against this man alone.

Damn it! I had one chance to strike him when his guard was down after killing the last ghoul, but I completely blew it!

Truthfully, he had been too overwhelmed by Baek Suryong’s sword dance to even dare approach.

“Damn it…” The Smiling Grim Reaper gritted his teeth in frustration. Since becoming the captain of the Ghost Blood Unit, he had never felt such humiliation and fear.

Still, he couldn’t just flee. The Blood Cult would never let him live after such a catastrophic failure.

With nothing left to lose, he shouted, “Just who the hell are you? How do you know so much about us?”

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“Guess,” Baek Suryong replied, walking towards him and swinging his sword nonchalantly.

BOOM!

Geo Yisan’s quarters caved in, sending dust billowing into the air and temporarily shielding them from prying eyes.

“Not that I expect you to figure it out,” Baek Suryong added.

Approaching the Smiling Grim Reaper, he quickly channeled the full power of the Heaven Defying Divine Art and activated the Blood Demon Eyes.

“Let’s end this quickly, I’m short on time.”

Waves of crimson energy pulsed out from Baek Suryong’s eyes, now glowing as red as molten lava.

“Let’s see how well a captain-level fighter measures up,” he taunted, grinning wickedly.

“U-Uh…”

Suddenly, the Smiling Grim Reaper fell to his knees and bowed his head, trembling violently.

“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re begging for your life,” Baek Suryong complained, frowning in confusion.

A squad captain of the Blood Cult groveling like this was unimaginable. Is this a trick? he thought.

However, the Smiling Grim Reaper prostrated himself even further in response, his eyes half-closed in a daze as he looked up cautiously. “L-Lord…” he stammered.

“……” Baek Suryong paused for a moment, stunned speechless.

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…Is this happening because I reached intermediate mastery of the Heaven Defying Divine Art? Did the Blood Demon Eyes shatter his mind?

He recalled the day he had escaped from prison with the four masters. At that time, many high-ranking members of the Blood Cult, including the Demonic Strategist, had trembled at the sight of him.

The truth finally hit him. As the pinnacle of the Blood Cult’s martial arts, the Heaven Defying Divine Art instilled a primal fear of the Blood Demon in those who beheld them.

Quickly, Baek Suryong created a sound barrier with his qi.

Still shivering uncontrollably, the Smiling Grim Reaper whispered, “Hail the Blood Demon, in blood shall we reign over the world… I, the Ghost Blood Captain, greet the exalted Lord…”

“……”

It was unintentional, but it seemed that a combination of the extreme stress and fear the Smiling Reaper had been subjected to, along with the overwhelming influence of the Blood Demon Eyes, had caused him to lose his mind.

Well, whatever the reason, this actually makes things a whole lot easier for me.

Baek Suryong reached out and gripped the Smiling Grim Reaper by the throat, but despite the threat of death, the man did not even think of resisting.

“Tell me everything you know about the Blood Cult.”

“By your command…”

Eyes glazed over, the Smiling Grim Reaper began to spill every secret he knew of the Blood Cult.

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