Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Six thugs with fiery red tiger tattoos on their forearms and shoulders stood like sentinels outside the inn, their imposing presence casting a dark shadow over the scene. Several shabbily dressed individuals knelt before them, their faces pale with terror and their bodies covered in fresh bruises, evidence that they had just endured a severe beating.

A bald, hulking man, clearly the leader of the thugs, cracked his neck with a menacing grin. “Hah! You idiots must be out of your minds. Why don’t you say that again? ‘I can’t pay the protection fees’?”

“It’s not that we can’t pay… Please, just give us until next month.”

“Please, my lord! My child is sick, and I need to buy medicine.”

“P-Please, spare us!”

The bald man scratched his shiny head and let out a sigh of exasperation, “Who do you think makes it possible for you to run your businesses safely in this neighborhood? It’s us, the Scarlet Tiger Gang! We constantly watch over you so that no one dares to mess with you. Am I wrong?”

“N-No, you’re absolutely right.”

“Of course, we know that well…”

Even as they bowed their heads in submission, the merchants seethed with rage, trying their best to hold back their cries of frustration.

You think you’re helping us?

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Where were you when we really needed protection?

You robbed us of more than half our revenue!

Whenever the Scarlet Tiger Gang collected their so-called ‘protection fees’, they left the merchants with barely enough to survive. Their situation was already dire, but now the gang had announced an increase in ‘taxes’, pushing the poor neighborhood further into despair.

“I’m glad you understand. I was worried you didn’t get it. Thanks to our patrols day and night, this neighborhood is at least somewhat livable.”

“……”

“……”

The merchants, dragged here to set an example for the others, kept their heads down in silence even as passersby pretended not to notice, quickening their pace to avoid the scene.

The bald man grinned maliciously. “I heard someone snitched to that constable a while back. They only got away with it so far because we still don’t know who it was. But… if we catch them, we’ll chop them up and feed them to the dogs. Remember that.”

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The merchants shuddered at the casual threat, their fear almost tangible.

The bald man and his lackeys snickered, enjoying the sight of the merchants cowering in terror.

“Make sure to pay the overdue protection money by tomorrow.”

“B-But there’s no way we can come up with it by tomorrow…”

“I don’t care how you do it—sell your parents, sell your children, whatever it takes. If you don’t want to die.”

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Suddenly, one of the merchants sprang to his feet and pointed at the bald man, shouting, “You filthy bastards! I can’t pay anymore! Kill me if you want!”

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and bolted.

“Get that bastard,” the bald man barked at his lackeys.

“Catch him!”

The henchmen immediately chased after the fleeing man. Injured, he didn’t get far before they caught up with him and brutally thrashed him in public.

“Argh, you scum!” the man roared, struggling his hardest even as he was being pummeled.

The other merchants looked away, unable to bear the sight, while the bald man and his cronies roared with laughter. Again and again, they toyed with the man, hitting him, letting him go, then chasing him down to hit him again.

Finally, sent flying by a powerful kick, the man crashed through the door of a dilapidated inn run by the deaf and mute old woman.

“Everyone, watch carefully. This is what happens when you defy the Scarlet Tiger Gang,” the bald man declared, glancing at the remaining merchants. Then, turning to his henchmen, he ordered, “Bring that bastard to me, and fetch my sword.”

When two of his men had entered the inn, the bald man looked back at the merchants around him, grinning. “Once they drag that bastard out, I’m going to cut off his arm and make an example of him…”

POW! THUD! WHAM!

Suddenly, the sound of a fight broke out inside the inn, causing the bald man to pause in mid-sentence. Assuming his men were roughing up the man before hauling him out, he sighed irritably, “You idiots! Stop messing around and just grab him! If he dies…”

“Don’t worry, they’re not dead yet. After all, the teacher warned us not to beat you guys to death,” someone answered.

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“Huh?” The bald man frowned at the unfamiliar voice.

Moments later, his lackeys tumbled out of the inn, bloodied and unconscious.

“What the hell…?” Stunned, the bald man’s gaze shifted past his fallen men to a young man emerging from the inn. “Who the hell are you?”

Although the young man’s fierce expression and solid build were intimidating, it was his intense killing intent that was making the bald man’s skin prickle.

“Are you from the Great Bear Gang? I don’t remember ever seeing you…”

“Hey, baldy. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me from now on,” the young man interjected.

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The bald man’s expression hardened. ‘Baldy’ was the one thing he hated being called more than anything. Even within the Scarlet Tiger Gang, mentioning his baldness was taboo.

Eyes flashing with killing intent, the bald man barked an order to his men, “Get him. Beat him half to death.”

“You don’t have to come to me. I’ll come to you,” Hyonwon Kang cackled excitedly, before darting forward like lightning and smacking the Scarlet Tiger thugs around with his sheathed blade.

As he fought, he remembered the advice that Baek Suryong had given him before coming here.

“Even if a fight breaks out, try not to kill your opponents. Assault is a much less serious crime than murder, and you might even get away scot-free if you beat up wanted criminals and hand them over to the authorities.”

“So, is it okay to just cut off their limbs?”

Baek Suryong sighed softly, “Think of the people who will have to clean up after you! Don’t do it unless you’re ready to deal with the mess yourself. Just crush their bones and leave it at that. Crippling them for the rest of their lives is more than enough.”

“Uhh, you know… that sounds like a fate worse than death…”

Heeding Baek Suryong’s words, Hyonwon Kang had deliberately left his blade sheathed so that he wouldn’t draw blood, and used the flat side of his blade to bash the Scarlet Tiger thugs into the ground.

“Thank your lucky stars! The only reason you’re not dead is because of my teacher!” he yelled.

SMACK! WHACK! THWACK!

Those on the receiving end of the relentless beating, including the bald man, turned pale.

“T-This is insane…” he moaned. Only now did he realize that his young opponent was a murim expert, someone he, with only a year’s worth of basic martial arts training, could never hope to defeat.

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I-I have to run… he thought, starting to back away slowly.

However, Hyonwon Kang’s gaze immediately locked on him. “Stand still. If you try to run and I catch you, you’ll get twice the beating.”

“……”

Confident that the bald man was a trapped rat, Hyonwon Kang pressed forward. However, his inexperience in the murim world made him overconfident.

“Fuck you! Who do you think you are to order me around?” the bald man bellowed, pulling out a black orb the size of a fist from his pocket and throwing it to the ground.

BOOOOM!

The orb exploded, releasing a thick, acrid smoke that quickly spread in all directions, obscuring everything in its path.

Despite being surrounded by swirling smoke, Hyonwon Kang scoffed, “Trying to pull a fast one on me? You think something like this will make me lose track of you?”

Just as he was about to chase the bald man who was trying to hide in the smoke though, Dokgo Jun, who had followed Hyonwon Kang out of the inn, shouted, “Stop, Wonkang! It’s a poison bomb! Everyone, hold your breath!”

Without hesitation, Dokgo Jun dashed into the smoke, his concern for the merchants and the unconscious members of the Scarlet Tiger Gang driving him. Using his movement arts, he quickly carried the affected people out of the smoke.

Hyonwon Kang, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly stopped his pursuit and helped out as well.

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“Are you alright, Hyonwon Kang?” Dokgo Jun asked.

“Cough, cough! Yeah, other than a mild stinging sensation, I’m fine.”

Thanks to their inner arts training, the crude poison didn’t have much effect on the two. Unfortunately, the others weren’t so lucky.

“Cough, cough!”

“Help…help me…”

“My eyes are burning! Water, I need water…”

Seeing the people suffering, Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun’s expressions darkened.

“Everyone, stay still and don’t move!”

“We’ll expel the poison from your bodies using inner arts. Please sit in a meditation position.”

They quickly began to help the poisoned people, using their inner arts to cleanse the toxins. Fortunately, the poison was weak, and no one was seriously hurt or killed, but by the time they finished treating everyone, nearly an hour had passed.

Naturally, the bald man who had set off the poison bomb was long gone.

Boiling with frustration, Hyonwon Kang muttered through clenched teeth, “That bastard…”

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Ignoring the delinquent, Dokgo Jun turned to the now-recovering merchants, his voice calm and steady as he asked, “Is everyone alright?”

He expected at least a nod of gratitude, maybe a word of thanks, but what he got instead were terrified, resentful stares. Some of the merchants even glared at him and Hyonwon Kang with open hostility.

“We’re all dead now…”

“They’re definitely coming back for revenge.”

“Why did they have to make things worse…”

Both young men exchanged baffled looks. This wasn’t the reaction they had anticipated.

Hyonwon Kang’s scowl deepened. “What’s the problem? We went out of our way to help you…”

“Help us?” A middle-aged woman snorted, her voice tinged with resignation. “You had fun showing off your martial arts and saving people, but did you think about the consequences of your actions? Those men will be back tomorrow, and when they come, they’ll be even angrier because of what you did. What will we do then? Will you be here to stop them again?”

Hyonwon Kang’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying we should’ve just let those thugs do whatever they wanted?”

The woman bit her lower lip. “I hate those bastards too, enough to want to kill them, but if you can’t get rid of them all at once, it’s better to leave them alone. Otherwise, we’re the ones who’ll suffer more in the end.”

Silence fell, heavy and awkward, as even Hyonwon Kang found himself at a loss for words.

The woman sighed, the weight of her despair evident in her expression. “It’s not that we’re ungrateful, young warrior. Really, we do thank you for saving us.”

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“Uh, um…yeah…” Hyonwon Kang scratched his head awkwardly, his usual confidence slipping.

Dokgo Jun, however, straightened up, determination lighting up his face. “From now on, we’ll come here every day. We plan to patrol these streets regularly so the Scarlet Tiger Gang can’t harm you.”

The woman chuckled bitterly, “And what if they decide to burn down our homes tonight? Are you going to stand guard here all night as well?”

“That’s…” Dokgo Jun hesitated, his bravado faltering. As a sheltered young man who had never dealt with the realities of commoner life, he’d never faced anything like this before.

While Dokgo Jun wrestled with his thoughts, Hyonwon Kang, who had been quietly brooding, suddenly ran a hand through his hair and spoke irritably, “Man, you people sure do have a lot of complaints. So? Where’s the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s hideout?”

“…What?”

“I don’t like leaving things unfinished. You’re scared of revenge? Then I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about that.”

All eyes were on Hyonwon Kang now, including Dokgo Jun’s, shock written all over their faces. There was only one reason why he would ask for the gang’s location.

“Y-You’re not actually planning to attack them, are you?” someone stammered.

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Hyonwon Kang didn’t answer, just offered a cryptic smile.

Dokgo Jun quickly shook his head. “Have you forgotten what Mr. Baek said? He told us to avoid direct conflict with the Scarlet Tiger Gang…”

“Ha! If I always did what I was told, would I be known as the worst delinquent in town? Ma’am, where is the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s hideout?”

It was clear Hyonwon Kang wasn’t joking. The woman hesitated, fear and uncertainty warring in her eyes, but she eventually caved in and pointed in the direction of the gang’s hideout.

Without another word, Hyonwon Kang turned to head that way.

“…Wait!” Dokgo Jun shouted, raising his sword to block the other boy’s path.

Hyonwon Kang raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to move that sword or what?” he hissed menacingly.

“I can’t let you go.”

A fierce aura surged from Hyonwon Kang as his fierce gaze locked onto Dokgo Jun. “Are you saying we should just let those bastards come back and take revenge on these people?”

Dokgo Jun glanced at the frightened merchants, then shook his head. If they hadn’t intervened, it might’ve been different, but now that they had, he couldn’t let anyone suffer because of their actions. “No, I have another plan,” he said.

“…Another plan?” Hyonwon Kang’s anger subsided slightly, his curiosity piqued by the unexpected words.

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“We’ll go near the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s hideout, but we won’t attack them directly.”

“Then what?”

“We’ll use guerilla tactics. Lure them out one by one and take them down.”

Dokgo Jun’s eyes burned with resolve. He might have been raised in a strict household, steeped in martial arts, literature, and military strategy from an early age, but his approach was methodical, unlike Hyonwon Kang’s impulsiveness. Yet, the emotions driving them were strikingly similar.

“Hyonwon Kang, don’t think you’re the only martial artist who can’t stand injustice. I can’t forgive what the Scarlet Tiger Gang has done either,” he added passionately, his usual calm demeanor giving way to something fiercer.

“Huh…?” Hyonwon Kang blinked in surprise. What’s gotten into this model student all of a sudden?

It never crossed his mind that his actions would ignite a competitive, justice-driven fire in Dokgo Jun. Unaware of the influence he had, Hyonwon Kang suddenly felt the need to tread more carefully around this classmate’s newfound unpredictability.

“Uh, hey, Dokgo? Maybe we should think this through a bit more? At least leave a letter for the teacher…”

“No way! No teacher would ever approve of this. We have to do it ourselves.”

Is that really something the Student Council President should be saying!? Hyonwon Kang wanted to shout, but Dokgo Jun didn’t give him the chance.

Checking the time, Dokgo Jun’s lips curled into a mischievous grin. “Looks like an hour has passed.”

“What?”

Dokgo Jun’s grin widened. “That means I’m the leader for the next hour, so stop complaining and just follow me.”

“Wha-? Hey!”

Ignoring Hyonwon Kang’s protests, Dokgo Jun strode off, his steps confident and unyielding.

Hyonwon Kang hesitated for a moment, but soon relented and chased after Dokgo Jun.

“…Ugh, whatever. Wait for me! I’m coming too!”

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Translator’s Note: Dokgo Jun unconsciously yelled “Wonkang!”, hahahahaha…

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