Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

“Hyung-nim! How many days has it been? Those brats are breaking our guys’ arms and legs every time they meet them!” a bald giant bellowed, the veins on his forehead bulging with frustration as his voice reverberated through the room.

In response, a man with a thick beard, the Vice Sect Leader of the Scarlet Tiger Gang, groaned irritably, “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Vice Sect Leader?”

The bald giant crossed his arms and gnashed his teeth at the Vice Sect Leader, despite having shared many years and tough battles with him. “Now’s not the time to worry about titles! We need a plan before our boys end up crippled!”

“Fuck, where the hell did those freaks come from…”

The Scarlet Tiger Gang was locked in a brutal war with the Great Bear Gang and the Ironhead Sect, all vying for control of the slums, yet recently, they had been distracted by a group of young punks who frequently ambushed Scarlet Tiger members, leaving broken limbs in their wake.

At first, we thought that the Great Bear Gang had hired some freelancers… but it turns out they were dealing with the same problem.

Growing increasingly agitated, the Vice Sect Leader stroked his beard, frustration etched in every line of his face. “Do you know who those kids are?”

The bald giant replied, “They’re students from the Azure Dragon Academy. One of them is Dokgo Jun, the Student Council President, and the other is Hyonwon Kang, a notorious juvenile delinquent.”

The bearded man stared at his comrade in disbelief. “What? The Student Council President and a notorious delinquent? What on earth are they doing together?”

“Hell if I know. More importantly, they’re playing vigilante with the martial arts that they learned in school, and it’s interrupting our work.”

“Damn it…”

At first, the gang had thought it was just a temporary thing. After all, every now and then, some self-righteous kids from the orthodox sects would come to the slums to play hero. Most of them gave up and left when they realized there was nothing here for them, but this time, they just kept coming back.

The Vice Sect Leader sighed heavily. “There’s only two of them, so tell our guys to avoid them. We’ve been around these parts long enough that…”

“Do you think we haven’t tried that?! It’s not working. They show up at every spot where our guys go to collect money, like someone’s tipping them off…”

“Shit, this is driving me insane,” the Vice Sect Leader groaned, scratching his beard furiously. The biggest problem was the kids’ martial prowess. In the Scarlet Tiger Gang, only he and the sect leader were strong enough to take on first-rate experts, but he had no intention of risking his neck for this.

Scanning the room, he asked, “Any of you got ideas?”

Gathered around him were the Scarlet Tiger lieutenants, a group of tough guys who may not have had much education, but who had earned their place in the gang through their accomplishments.

One of them raised his hand timidly. “How about we report them to the authorities?” he suggested.

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Without a second thought, the Vice Sect Leader threw a rock at the man’s forehead, roaring, “You moron! What grounds do we have to report them?”

Barely ducking out of the way, the lieutenant replied gingerly, “Uh, interference with business…?”

“We’re a murim sect, you idiot! We don’t go crying to the authorities just because our boys got hurt! Especially after we’ve been beating the crap out of the Great Bear Gang and the Ironhead Sect while using the non-interference principle between murim and government as our shield! Keep talking, and I’ll rip your mouth wide open.”

“S-Sorry, sir.”

Glaring at the huddled group, the Vice Sect Leader’s hopes faded. How did these dumb shits even make it to lieutenant?

The bald giant hesitantly asked, “Hyung-nim—I mean, Vice Sect Leader, sir. Where’s Master?”

“Master is still in isolated training.”

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The Master they spoke of was the current sect leader of the Scarlet Tiger Gang. A year ago, this man had split the previous gang leader—a first-rate master—in half within three moves and claimed the position. His strength was beyond imagination.

The Vice Sect Leader was certain. If Master got involved, those brats from the Azure Dragon Academy wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Should we ask Master for help…” the bald giant started.

However, the Vice Sect Leader cut him off with a chilling tone, “You want to bother him over something so trivial? He’ll tear you to pieces for disturbing his training.”

The giant gulped, stammering, “N-No, sir. It was just a thought. No need to trouble Master.”

The Master of the Scarlet Tiger Gang was a man who would crush anyone who displeased him like an insect, even if they were his subordinates. Although none of the lieutenants in the gang were strangers to killing, at least they had reasons for doing so. The Master, on the other hand, would kill, torture, and even eat a meal in front of a dying person just because he was in a bad mood.

“We need to handle this ourselves. If Master finds out that we fucked up… some of us might not survive,” the Vice Sect Leader warned.

His words sent a chill through the lieutenants. No one knew which of them would die. Their lives depended on their master’s mood. Even the vice sect leader and the bald giant, who were favored enough to be taken as his disciples, were not exempt.

“These kids have learned some serious martial arts, haven’t they?” the Vice Sect Leader muttered to himself, absentmindedly toying with a dagger.

He, too, had once been a prodigy. Unfortunately, a single mistake had led him to kill someone he shouldn’t have, forcing him into hiding. Even the beard he grew was just another way to hide his identity.

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Life had taken a rotten turn, but the Scarlet Tiger Gang had provided a decent refuge… until last year.

If that monster gets upset…

Recently, the master claimed that he had gained new insights into martial arts and had begun training in isolation, but these insights required rare medicinal ingredients, so the gang had no choice but to raise the protection fees. If there were any problems with the master’s medicine supply, he would summon the vice sect leader. What would happen after that was too horrific to imagine.

In the end, the Vice Sect Leader stood up, cursing under his breath, “Damn it, I didn’t want to get involved, but…”

“Are you going to handle this yourself, Hyung-nim?”

The Vice Sect Leader glanced around at the lieutenants and nodded roughly . “Don’t worry, I’m not doing this alone. You’re all coming with me.”

These kids were only academy students. No matter how strong their martial arts were, they lacked experience. If the gang prepared well enough, they could definitely defeat them.

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The Vice Sect Leader licked his dagger with a sinister grin. “We’ll set a trap and lure them in. Let’s show these kids the harsh reality of the world.”

“Urgh!” The man’s eyes rolled back in pain as he collapsed unconscious, the tiger tattoo on his broken arm contorted grotesquely.

Hyonwon Kang dusted off his hands and tossed the unconscious man to the ground. “That’s one more down.”

CRUNCH!

A sickening sound echoed from behind him.

“Guaargh!” Another Scarlet Tiger was thrown to the ground, frothing at the mouth.

Dokgo Jun confirmed that his opponent was out cold, then glanced at Hyonwon Kang. “That’s five down for me,” he remarked casually.

“Oh, is that how it is?” Hyonwon Kang’s eyebrow twitched. Whether intentional or not, Dokgo Jun’s words had stoked his competitive spirit. “Hey, Dokgo. You trying to start a contest over who can take out more trash?”

A corner of Dokgo Jun’s mouth curled up, mirroring Hyonwon Kang’s lopsided grin. “I wasn’t really planning on it, but…”

In the past few days, more than just Dokgo Jun’s expression had changed. His once neat and well-fitted clothes had loosened a bit, and his firmly tied hair had become slightly disheveled. Most importantly, the sternness in his face had softened, giving way to a more relaxed demeanor.

“If you wish to challenge me, I’ll take you up on it.”

“Me? Challenge you?” Hyonwon Kang’s eyebrows twitched as a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Then how about this? The loser has to call the winner ‘Hyung-nim’ for one day. Deal?”

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“Fine by me. Little brother.”

“You little…!”

The two patrolled the slums, beating up anyone they encountered with a tiger tattoo on their arm.

“Twelve down!”

“Same here.”

Night had already fallen. Their patrol time was over, but with no clear winner, neither young man was ready to leave.

“Let’s check the area near the merchant’s place one last time before we call it a night.”

“Tsk, I guess we’ll have to settle this next time.”

As they walked side by side, chatting softly, a scream tore through the air.

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“Help!”

In an instant, both boys turned in the direction of the sound and unleashed their movement arts, the scenery blurring as they whizzed past. Soon, they arrived at the source of the scream, where they found a bruised and battered woman huddled on the ground, crying.

Dokgo Jun took off his coat and draped it over her. “Are you all right?” he asked gently.

“Sob, sob… I’m so sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

“You’re safe now. We’re here, so don’t worry…”

However, the trembling woman’s next words took him by surprise.

“I-I had no choice. They said they would kill my children if I didn’t cooperate…”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

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As the two boys exchanged puzzled glances, the woman suddenly pulled a concealed weapon and fired, sending dozens of needles spraying out at point-blank range.

Although the two boys reacted immediately, they couldn’t dodge all of the needles in the darkness.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

They managed to protect their vital points, but a few needles lodged themselves into their arms and legs.

“I’m really sorry! Please forgive me! You can kill me, just spare my children…”

“Fuck. Just go to sleep,” Hyonwon Kang groaned, pressing an acupoint to knock the woman unconscious.

Meanwhile, Dokgo Jun drew his sword and pointed it into the darkness behind him. Breathing heavily, he spat, “Are you the ones who made her do this?”

“Heheheh.”

From the shadows, the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s lieutenants and thugs emerged.

Standing at the forefront, the Vice Sect Leader licked his dagger with a smirk. “You’re telling me these idiots are the ones who’ve been giving us so much trouble?”

“They’re idiots, sure, but their martial arts are no joke,” the bald giant added, his face showing a hint of unease.

“Idiots or not, they’re just naive kids. Look at them, running headlong into trouble the moment they hear a woman scream,” the Vice Sect Leader sneered.

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Hyonwon Kang drew his blade and pointed it at the man. “You look pretty tough. Are you the boss of the Scarlet Tiger Gang?”

“Heh… Even in this situation, you’ve still got guts, kid.”

The Vice Sect Leader signaled his men, who quickly surrounded Hyonwon Kang and Dokgo Jun. Pulling out metal nets and ropes, they then spun them menacingly in the air.

“Those needles were poisoned. The more you resist, the faster the poison will spread.”

“What? Oh fuck… My body…” Hyonwon Kang staggered, trying to expel the poison with his inner arts, but this was far stronger than the cheap poison he’d encountered before.

The Vice Sect Leader grinned sadistically. “We don’t intend to kill you, so just surrender. Though, we do intend to collect a ransom when we return you to the Azure Dragon Academy. Since you started this fight, they’ll have no choice but to pay us compensation. And then you’ll be known as the prodigies who were defeated by third-rate thugs. You’ll become legends at Azure Dragon Academy for the wrong reasons. Hahaha!”

He laughed, his shoulders shaking with amusement at the thought of tarnishing these prodigies’ bright futures.

However, there was one thing the Vice Sect Leader hadn’t counted on.

Dokgo Jun pushed Hyonwon Kang aside and stepped forward, eyes blazing with intense hatred and unbridled fury like never before.

How could they terrorize an innocent woman into helping them set a trap and then brag about it? he thought, taking a step forward. His loose clothes fluttered wildly as his inner qi surged, and his hair, once neatly tied, now stood on end. A sharp sword qi formed on the tip of his outstretched blade.

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“Before that happens… I’ll just kill you all,” he said menacingly.

“A peak master?” the Vice Sect Leader gasped, his eyes widening in shock, but Dokgo Jun’s sword was already at his throat.

SPURT!

As a fountain of blood sprayed into the air, a pair of eyes watched the scene from a distance, perched on a rooftop.

“That’s right, this is the true Nine Swords of Dokgo.” Baek Suryong smiled as he murmured to himself, his hands clasped behind his back.

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