Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Scarlet Tiger Gang’s Underboss and the bald giant finally met their match in Dokgo Jun.

“How can someone so crazy exist?!”

“Is he trying to take us all down with him?!”

The boy who called himself Sword Dragon was relentless, swinging his sword like a demon unleashed. His body, poisoned and riddled with wounds, moved with reckless abandon, as if each strike was a matter of life and death.

Again and again, the Underboss and the bald giant dodged his attacks, their skin prickling with fear.

If that sword lands, we’re finished!

Good thing he seems to be getting tired…

Unlike Dokgo Jun, who brandished his sword with reckless abandon as if death held no sway over him, the two of them approached the battle cautiously, with survival as their first priority. After all, who wouldn’t? Even for the most seasoned of martial artists, the instinct for self-preservation was deeply ingrained.

“Huff… Huff… Cough!”

Eventually, Dokgo Jun’s breath grew labored. Seeing his enemies retreat, he paused, spat blood onto the ground, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

It was a barbaric sight, unimaginable to anyone familiar with the usual Dokgo Jun.

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“Why don’t you fight me properly?” he demanded, his eyes filled with such killing intent that his opponents flinched.

A shiver ran down the Underboss’s spine at the boy’s raw, fierce determination. “Damn brat…!” he hissed.

“If I’m a brat, then what should we call cowards like you who are running away from this brat? Trash? Vermin?” Dokgo Jun chuckled, his hair a disheveled mess and his half-lidded eyes radiating malice. Raising his sword as if he were pronouncing a death sentence, he declared, “You will all die here. Or I will.”

“……” Overwhelmed by Dokgo Jun’s unyielding spirit, the Underboss made a cunning, selfish decision. Pivoting on his heel, he used movement arts to blend into the crowd of his men, commanding, “Retreat! Go back to your posts!”

“H-Hyung-nim! Wait for me!” the bald giant shouted, scrambling desperately after him.

They should be able to hold him off for a while, the Underboss thought, praying that his men could buy him enough time to escape.

“Do you think you can escape?” Dokgo Jun muttered ominously, before launching himself into the middle of the crowd.

SWOOSH!

He swung his sword in a wide arc, easily cleaving through the gang members blocking his path. Blood sprayed through the air, severed limbs falling like rain.

“T-This is crazy!” Glancing back, the bald-headed giant widened his eyes in shock. Dokgo Jun was closing in on him, a dark desire reflected in his clear eyes.

“P-Please…” the giant begged, but his head was severed before he could finish.

Without even a glance at the falling corpse, Dokgo Jun rushed toward the Underboss.

“Damn it! Why are you chasing me so relentlessly when we’re not even sworn enemies?” the Underboss howled, barely managing to parry Dokgo Jun’s sword at the cost of a broken wrist.

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“Because you’re worthless pests who are of no use to the world.”

“What makes you so superior?!”

Realizing that it was useless to try to escape, the Underboss turned around and lashed back with all his might.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Though he landed a few blows on Dokgo Jun, there was no relief on his face. I don’t believe this! Despite the poison and the accumulating injuries, this kid… he’s stronger than he was at the start…

CLANG!

Finally, the Underboss’s blade was knocked from his hand, and he fell to his knees. “W-Wait! I was only following the Boss’s orders…” he stammered.

“Take your excuses to hell.”

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SWISH!

The Underboss’s head rolled across the ground, his face forever frozen in terror and resentment.

With his death, the remaining members of the Scarlet Tiger Gang scattered in all directions, fleeing in blind panic.

“R-Run for it!”

“Aaahhh!”

Amidst the chaos, Dokgo Jun stood, panting heavily, “Hoo…Hoo…”

His head throbbed painfully. The sensation of slicing through flesh, the solid crunch of breaking bones… he could still feel it in his hands. Blood pooled at his feet, all because of what he had done.

I… I killed people…

Watching his enemies scream and flee, the shock of his first kill hit him. His hand, still clutching his sword, began to tremble uncontrollably.

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No, they’re not people.

He gritted his teeth and gripped his sword tighter, struggling to suppress his overwhelming emotions.

“I did nothing wrong. They’re the ones at fault,” he muttered to himself, glaring at the retreating enemies with bloodshot eyes. “Yeah… If I let them live, they’ll keep tormenting people.”

He felt as if his body was ablaze, and the sting of poison raged within him. His vision blurred, his words slurred, yet the image of his fleeing enemies remained vivid in his mind.

He lunged at the one closest to him, slashing at his back. Instantly, blood splattered onto his face. The pungent smell, the sticky warmth… the hot blood only served to fuel the flames inside him.

A small, twisted smile crept onto Dokgo Jun’s lips.

“Vermin like you…need to be exterminated,” he muttered under his breath, moving to pursue his prey.

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In that moment, Dokgo Jun’s world turned blood red.

“…Mr. Baek, isn’t there something really wrong with him?” Hyonwon Kang asked worriedly.

The Underboss and the higher-ups of the Scarlet Tiger Gang were already dead. All that remained were the small fry, yet Dokgo Jun showed no mercy, cutting them down one by one.

“Keuaaah!”

“P-Please, spare me…”

Amidst the chaos of screams, pleas, and bloodshed, Hyonwon Kang stared at Dokgo Jun, confusion written across his face. “Why is he going this far…?”

Dokgo Jun’s strikes were brutally excessive, his blade merciless as it hacked at bodies long since dead. He seemed to be venting his frustration, slashing over and over again.

Unable to stay silent any longer, Hyonwon Kang shouted, “Hey! Dokgo! Enough already, you bastard!”

However, Dokgo Jun continued hacking away madly, as if he couldn’t hear him.

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“…This might be his first time killing people,” Baek Suryong said, frowning. He knew these signs, having seen it many times among the children undergoing harsh training in the Blood Cult. If even those hardened kids were shaken by their first kill, the shock for someone like Dokgo Jun, raised in a prestigious orthodox sect, had to be far worse. After all, hearing about killing and experiencing it were two entirely different things.

“What?” Hyonwon Kang asked, not fully grasping the implication.

“When his enlightenment trance ended, the guilt of killing probably hit him all at once. To forget it, he’s throwing himself into his swordsmanship. Right now, he can’t hear anything.”

“Then… What should we do?”

“We have to stop him,” Baek Suryong replied, his expression hardening as he stepped forward. Reaching a moment of enlightenment and losing oneself in the art of the sword was normally something to celebrate, but this was different. This wasn’t a quest for martial arts mastery, it was escapism, an attempt to ignore the trauma of killing.

“If we leave him be, he’ll keep swinging that sword until he falls unconscious. In the worst case, he could fall into qi deviation and end up a cripple.”

Hyonwon Kang’s eyes widened. Looking back at Dokgo Jun, he shouted again, “Hey! Dokgo! Snap out of it, you bastard!”

This time, Dokgo Jun responded.

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“Vermin…” he muttered, looking at Hyonwon Kang and Baek Suryong like dirt.

Has he already gone into qi deviation!? Hyonwon Kang shuddered. Dokgo Jun didn’t seem to recognize them. It was as if he saw the entire world as evil, everyone as pests that needed to be exterminated.

“You’ve completely lost it,” Hyonwon Kang muttered through gritted teeth. Determined to bring Dokgo Jun back to his senses, he stepped forward. “Get a grip, stupid! You kill a few pieces of trash and lose your mind? Aren’t you ashamed to call yourself the Student Council President…”

SWISH!

A few strands of Hyonwon Kang’s hair fluttered to the ground, cut off by Dokgo Jun’s sword as it slashed down like lightning. If Baek Suryong hadn’t grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back in time, Hyonwon Kang would have lost his head.

Pulling Hyonwon Kang behind him, Baek Suryong stared at Dokgo Jun. “It seems we’re past the point of talking,” he concluded.

Wary of Baek Suryong, Dokgo Jun sprang back immediately, keeping his distance. Even in his crazed state, he instinctively perceived how dangerous this opponent was.

Despite being shaken, Hyonwon Kang stared at Baek Suryong with pleading eyes. “Mr. Baek, that guy…”

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Noticing Hyonwon Kang’s unexpected concern for his classmate, Baek Suryong smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m an expert in rehabilitating problem children and treating qi deviation. I’ll bring him back to normal before you know it. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Hyonwon Kang replied sullenly, “That’s obvious. Just don’t hit him too hard. He’s already lost so much blood, a few more hits might kill him.”

“Do you think I don’t know the obvious, dumbass?” Baek Suryong clicked his tongue before turning his focus back to Dokgo Jun.

“Grr…” Dokgo Jun growled. He crouched low to the ground like a wounded beast, eyes darting around as he searched for an opening.

Baek Suryong’s blue robe fluttered in the wind as he deliberately flaunted a gap in his defenses. “Come on, show me what you’ve learned today,” he taunted.

As if waiting for those words, Dokgo Jun lunged with a shout, “Die, vermin!”

He poured every ounce of his remaining strength into his swordsmanship. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Nine Swords of Dokgo that Baek Suryong knew.

WHOOSH!

Easily dodging the first strike, Baek Suryong moved to Dokgo Jun’s side and commented, “Although your form is getting worse with time, you executed the Nine Swords of Dokgo quite well today.”

“Raaaah! Die!”

Dokgo Jun swung his sword again and again, but after fighting dozens of opponents while being poisoned, using up all of his qi, and burning up so much energy that he couldn’t maintain proper form and technique, it would take a miracle for him to even graze Baek Suryong.

“However, you are still inexperienced,” Baek Suryong continued his impromptu lesson with a relaxed air. “Throwing everything into offense doesn’t mean ignoring defense. Don’t lose the insight you gained today and keep practicing. You’re on the right track to mastering the Nine Swords of Dokgo.”

“Graaaah! Die! Die, you vermin!” Dokgo Jun roared, swinging his sword wildly as if he couldn’t hear a word.

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Sighing, Baek Suryong effortlessly dodged, deflected, and analyzed Dokgo Jun’s new approach to the Nine Swords of Dokgo.

Not bad, he thought with a smile. When he had first met Dokgo Jun, he hadn’t expected much from the boy. Although he was the student council president and undoubtedly strong, there hadn’t been anything special about him.

Now, though, he felt a glimmer of hope for Dokgo Jun.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Hyonwon Kang, who was still watching the fight in a daze. Is it because of him? The delinquent and the Student Council President… it was a good decision to pair them up after all.

CLANG!

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Baek Suryong blocked Dokgo Jun’s sword, causing the boy to stumble back, then began walking toward him. It was time to end the lesson.

“Your goal is to reach the quarterfinals of the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament. You may not be a genius, but you’re not without talent.”

“AAARGH!” Dokgo Jun let out a wild scream and charged, squeezing out the last of his inner qi for one final strike.

Baek Suryong could have easily dodged and subdued him, but he chose not to. Rather, he met the attack head-on with a powerful sword strike in the same style as the Nine Swords of Dokgo, saying, “I believe in you. You’ll definitely become one of the Dragons.”1

BOOM!

The sound of thunder echoed as their swords collided, and Dokgo Jun’s blade snapped in half.

“That…that sword…!!” For a brief moment, Dokgo Jun glimpsed what it meant to reach ultimate mastery of the Nine Swords of Dokgo, and his glazed eyes cleared.

“If you ever have questions, come find me. I’ll give you advice anytime,” Baek Suryong said, smiling.

“……” Dokgo Jun tried to reply, but before he could utter a word, his consciousness faded, and his legs gave way under him.

Catching the falling Dokgo Jun, Baek Suryong gently patted the boy’s bloodied cheek and praised, “You did well.”

Dokgo Jun couldn’t hear those words, but even in that state, he held on tightly to his broken sword.

“Come on, Wonkang. Let’s go,” Baek Suryong said, hoisting the limp Dokgo Jun over his shoulder and turning back to face Hyonwon Kang.

“Ah, right!” Snapping back to reality, Hyonwon Kang hurriedly scurried after Baek Suryong.

For both him and Dokgo Jun, this long day was finally coming to an end.

1. The top 8 finalists of the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament are called Dragons (male) and Phoenixes (female). ↩

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