Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The old woman watched as Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun made their way toward the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s hideout.

“As expected,” she murmured to herself, settling into her usual spot.

Sipping her tea, the lines on her weathered face seemed to ease just a bit.

Finally, when a middle-aged man and woman entered the inn and took their seats across from her, she addressed them casually, “So, what do you make of those two?”

“They seem like good-hearted kids,” the woman answered.

“…And they’re both strong,” the man added.

If Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun had caught sight of these two, their reactions would have been anything but calm.

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“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.”

The woman speaking was the one who had bitterly revealed the harsh truths of life in the slums to the students.

“You filthy bastards! I can’t pay anymore! Kill me if you want!”

The man, on the other hand, was the one who had crashed into the inn, shattering the door as he fled from the Scarlet Tiger Gang.

The old woman chuckled softly, “You’ve both worked hard.”

In truth, the pair belonged to the Rogues’ Guild. They had known about Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun from the very beginning, and had deliberately lured the Scarlet Tiger Gang to them.

The woman, who held a slightly higher rank within the Guild, suddenly commended, “When Hyonwon Kang recklessly tried to charge into the Scarlet Tiger Gang, Dokgo Jun held him back and suggested a different approach. It was impressive.”

The old woman nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging the observation. “Hmm… I didn’t think they’d make a good team at first, but maybe they complement each other better than I imagined.”

She turned her gaze to the side. “What do you think?”

In a shadowy corner, Baek Suryong was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. “It went as expected,” he said, barely glancing up from his work.

The old woman frowned at his seemingly indifferent reply. “You insisted on hearing our reports about the kids, yet you’re barely paying attention… What exactly have you been writing for so long?”

“I’m listening, but I’m swamped with both my main job and side projects,” Baek Suryong replied, waving the notebook he had been writing in. As the smell of fresh ink wafted from the still wet pages, he flashed a broad grin. “As for this? It’s a martial arts manual for those Rehabilitation Sect punks. I don’t have the time to teach them every day, so I’m writing it all down. Luckily, not all of them are illiterate.”

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“A martial arts manual…?”

The old woman and the two guild members exchanged incredulous looks. Normally, the old woman would have dismissed such a ridiculous claim, but she knew Baek Suryong wasn’t one to joke about these things. Still, if he was telling the truth, then…

The same question crossed all three of their minds: What kind of lunatic writes a precious martial arts manual in a public place like an inn? Just what is this man thinking?

Sensing their bewilderment, Baek Suryong shrugged. “I didn’t create it from scratch. I just modified an existing martial art.”

To be precise, he had reworked the martial art of the Blood Wolves, the elite force of the former Blood Cult.

I removed techniques that were too focused on killing, reduced the risk of self-injury from reckless moves, and added a sequence that purifies the mind and body over time…

The result was a martial art even more advanced than what the Blood Wolves had practiced.

Baek Suryong smirked, pleased with himself. “Since it’s a martial art that can rehabilitate even the worst criminals, I’m planning on calling it the Divine Rehabilitation Technique.”

The old woman and the two Rogues’ Guild members exchanged baffled looks.

“You didn’t take long to write it all down. Only a true master could do something like that,” the old woman remarked.

Baek Suryong waved her off dismissively. “It’s not that impressive. Any martial arts instructor worth their salt can do this.”

The old woman shook her head. Although she disagreed with Baek Suryong, arguing with him was too tiresome.

The man and woman across from her stood up.

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“Ma’am, we’ll be going now.”

“We’ll come back if there’s anything else to report.”

The old woman nodded, sending them off. When they were gone, she turned her attention back to Baek Suryong, who had tucked away the completed manual and was now watching her intently.

“I had those two kids make contact with the Scarlet Tiger Gang, just as you asked. Did you expect it to go this way?” she asked.

“Not exactly, but close enough,” Baek Suryong replied. He knew the students well enough to predict how they would react to the gang’s brutality.

Although it was surprising that Dokgo Jun, not Hyonwon Kang, took the lead in the end… The twist brought a smile to Baek Suryong’s face. It was precisely what he had hoped for.

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“The model student was the one who decided to confront the Scarlet Tiger Gang without even reporting to me? That’s funny,” he chuckled to himself.

From the beginning, he knew that Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun wouldn’t get along. That was why he hoped they might positively influence each other.

The old woman narrowed her eyes, recalling the interaction between the two. “Dokgo Jun seems to have been deeply affected by Hyonwon Kang. Was that your plan?”

“Yep,” Baek Suryong said with a grin. In his eyes, Dokgo Jun’s biggest flaw was his overly upright nature. Growing up under the strict rules and etiquette of a prestigious family, even his martial arts had taken on that rigid character.

Tapping his fingers on the table, he continued, “He’s talented, diligent, and has had his family’s full support, so he’s progressed quickly until now. The problem is, his overly proper nature doesn’t suit his style of swordsmanship.”

“The Nine Swords of Dokgo?” the old woman asked, tilting her head.

Baek Suryong nodded, then recounted the history of the Dokgo Clan.

“Dokgo Pae,1 the founder of the Dokgo Clan, was a freelancer…” he began.

For years, Dokgo Pae had roamed the Central Plains, perfecting his swordsmanship as a freelancer before gathering followers to form the Dokgo Clan.

“There was a time when it was said that they would surpass the Namgung Clan and become the strongest murim faction in the world.”

The old woman laughed, “That’s news from a hundred years ago.”

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“……” Struck by a pang of nostalgia, Baek Suryong fell silent for a moment. To the old woman, it was a distant memory, but for him, it wasn’t so long ago.

Fifty years ago, the Dokgo Clan was still considered on par with, if not above, the Five Great Clans. The Blood Cult had even ranked the Dokgo Clan as a greater threat than the Namgung Clan. However, things are completely different now.

“Once considered the strongest, the Dokgo Clan has now declined to the point where they’re only respected in their own territory. Do you know why?” he suddenly asked.

“Declined is a harsh way to put it…” the old woman objected, surprised by his bluntness.

However, Baek Suryong did not mince his words. “The Nine Swords of Dokgo is a style of swordsmanship that was born on the battlefield. It’s intense and powerful, each technique forged out of sheer necessity. Yet, the swordsmanship I saw from Dokgo Jun… there’s no weight, no desperation in it. It’s just a polished, moderately advanced technique that you can see everywhere in the murim.”

Wow. If a master of the Dokgo Clan had heard these words, they would have drawn their sword and challenged him to a duel on the spot, the old woman thought.

“Are you saying that you’ve found issues with the technique that the Dokgo Clan masters haven’t noticed? After only observing the boy a few times?” she asked.

“It’s hard to see the flaws in your own technique. They might think they’ve refined it well, or maybe they recognize the problem but don’t know how to fix it. After all, these are peaceful times…”

In such times, it would be absurd for the children of a noble family to become freelancers, wandering battlefields just to hone their swordsmanship.

“Anyway, Dokgo Jun hasn’t progressed much for months. That’s why I paired him with Hyonwon Kang,” Baek Suryong explained.

Hyonwon Kang was the opposite of Dokgo Jun. He was unbound by rules, oblivious to others’ opinions, and had a fiery personality. This strongly influenced his martial arts, which were highly adaptable and full of improvisation.

These traits could be weaknesses, but that’s also why they make such a complementary pair.

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Baek Suryong hoped that by spending time together, the two would help each other overcome their shortcomings and grow stronger.

Especially Dokgo Jun. He needs to become much, much stronger.

Baek Suryong’s eyes gleamed with determination. Dokgo Jun wasn’t just the head of the Student Council but also a prodigy representing the Azure Dragon Academy. His performance at the Heavenly Martial Festival would greatly influence the morale of the other students. That was why, for the academy to win, Dokgo Jun’s growth was essential.

The third years will focus on preparing for the competition, with Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun at the center. It would have been perfect if Peng Sahyuk had stayed…

Baek Suryong shook his head, dismissing the thought of the student who had left for the Heavenly Martial Academy. There was no point in dwelling on what could have been.

“When we meet again, I’ll make sure that punk regrets it,” he mumbled to himself, before turning back to the old woman. “So, how goes your preparations for the next phase of the plan?” he asked.

“…Everything is ready,” the old woman replied, eyeing Baek Suryong with a mix of exasperation and curiosity.

Just what kind of person is he…? I can’t read him at all.

Even with the Rogues’ Guild’s vast information network, they had found little on Baek Suryong. His martial prowess, his meticulous strategies, and his accomplishments so far were extraordinary. It was as if he had descended from the heavens.

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I have a feeling that this guy will shake up not just the Azure Dragon Academy and this city, but the entire murim. It was a good decision to ally with him quickly.

It was a feeling that bordered on paranoia, but the old woman trusted her instincts.

As if he could read her thoughts, Baek Suryong grinned. “What about the other teams?” he asked.

“They’ll report in every half-hour. I’ve told them to use fireworks if anything dangerous happens. Cheong Cheon is also on standby.”

“That’s enough,” Baek Suryong said with a nod.

One never knew what variables might arise in the field. That’s why he had arranged for the Rogues’ Guild to monitor the students, so that they could be alerted immediately if anything went wrong.

None of the kids are the type to be easily defeated, but still…

It’s always wise to be careful, even when crossing a stone bridge. For his plan to improve his students’ skills through real combat to succeed, it was crucial that none of them died or sustained serious injuries—a goal that would be impossible without the Rogues’ Guild’s cooperation.

Just as the old woman had said, Rogues’ Guild members discreetly came and went from the inn, reporting regularly.

“The second team is patrolling the western streets. Nothing unusual to report.”

“The third team is about to enter the Great Bear Gang’s territory.”

“A bunch of swindlers approached the fourth team. What should we do?”

Thanks to the Rogues’ Guild’s assistance, Baek Suryong could sit in one place and oversee everything happening in the slums, giving orders as needed. It was like fighting a battle with perfect knowledge of the battlefield and constantly updated information.

“Hmm…” Closing his eyes, Baek Suryong mapped out the students’ movements in his mind, along with the actions of the Scarlet Tiger Gang and the Great Bear Gang.

“With all this, it would be impossible to lose.”

Sipping his tea calmly, Baek Suryong began to move the pieces in his mind.

1. Dokgo Pae: In classic wuxia author Jin Yong’s “Return of the Condor Heroes”, the creator of the Nine Swords of Dokgo is Dokgo Gupae (Dugu Qiubai), whose name means “loner who seeks defeat”. Apparently, he lamented over his loneliness from being the greatest swordsman and badly wanted to lose. ↩

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