Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Having taught for over twenty years, Pung Jinho was the second longest serving instructor at the Azure Dragon Academy after Mae Geuklyom. More importantly, his influence both within and beyond the academy surpassed everyone, even the Principal.

While Mae Geuklyom focused solely on guiding students and honing his swordsmanship, Pung Jinho had spent those two decades bribing people and meticulously building connections. His hunger for power and wealth was insatiable, and he even dreamed of founding his own academy to replace the Azure Dragon Academy if it ever collapsed.

Of course, Baek Suryong had long since crushed that ambition.

"So, what do you think? Is it possible?" Baek Suryong asked.

"Hmm…" Pung Jinho hummed thoughtfully as he examined the student records Baek Suryong had handed him. In particular, his focus lingered on the files of Geo Sangwoong, Hyonwon Kang, and Yeo Min, the most infamous delinquents at the Azure Dragon Academy.

After a thorough review, Pung Jinho looked up, his expression far from encouraging. "It's quite challenging. With resumes like these, they won't just struggle to join the Heavenly Martial Festival—they'll have a hard time finding employment at any reputable company after graduation. Nowadays, there's a tendency to focus more on the character of a graduate…"

As Pung Jinho words trailed off, Baek Suryong caught a cunning sparkle in his eyes.

Look at this? He's plotting something again, isn't he? It seems that after being left alone for so long, this trash has forgotten his own predicament. I'll have to give him a reminder he won't soon forget.

Smirking, Baek Suryong demanded, "Do you think I came all this way just to hear that? I'm here for answers, not more questions."

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"Well, there is a way, but…"

"Hey, trash. What's up with your attitude, huh? Is this how you should be talking to me?"

Annoyed, Baek Suryong pursed his lips and whistled, using a secret Blood Cult technique to awaken the dormant parasite in Pung Jinho's body.

"Gaaaah!" Pung Jinho screamed, convulsing oddly as if insects were crawling beneath his skin. His face turned beetroot red, and his veins bulged.

"You must have thought you'd gotten rid of the parasite, huh? Otherwise, you wouldn't dare act so arrogant in front of me," Baek Suryong chuckled, setting up a qi sound barrier to prevent the screams from being heard outside.

"P-Please stop…" Pung Jinho begged desperately, writhing on the floor.

"Seems you've forgotten how painful it is when the parasite acts up. Should I remind you periodically like this?"

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"N-No!"

"Okay then, prove that I don't have to. First, how about you kneel down?"

With great difficulty, Pung Jinho knelt, looking up at Baek Suryong with fear. How did he know I was trying to exploit his plight to make him remove the parasite?

Baek Suryong sneered. Pung Jinho's scheming was useless against him. "Just because people are calling me the Azure Dragon Hero, do you think that I'm really a righteous hero?"

What Azure Dragon Hero? You're the devil! Pung Jinho cursed himself for forgetting that to him, Baek Suryong was a more terrifying monster than the Ten Great Villains.

"Please forgive me just this once…" he pleaded.

Looking down coldly at the trembling, prostrating man, Baek Suryong gestured toward the student records on the table. "From now on, think carefully before you answer. Anyway, back to the topic. Can you get these kids into the Heavenly Martial Festival?"

"Y-Yes, I can!"

Smiling, Baek Suryong whistled again, lulling the parasite back to sleep. "See? If you'd done this from the start, it would have been better for both of us."

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Struggling to his feet, Pung Jinho cautiously sat back down. His legs were shaking, and cold sweat dripped down his face. Glancing nervously at Baek Suryong, he stammered, "…B-But it's t-truly very d-difficult. I-I'm not exaggerating!"

Baek Suryong nodded. He had anticipated as much. In fact, he wouldn't even be shocked if getting his students into the Heavenly Martial Festival required forging documents.

"I won't be unreasonable, so explain specifically what needs to be done," he demanded.

Trembling, Pung Jinho picked up the student records. "All three senior students have terrible records, but Hyonwon Kang is the biggest problem."

"I figured as much," Baek Suryong agreed, furrowing his brow.

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"Not only has Hyonwon Kang been involved in dozens of violent incidents, he's also been caught for underage drinking, disorderly conduct, and poor class attitude to name a few. He plays truant so often, his class attendance is barely enough to keep him from being held back. As such, his past annual evaluations are…less than stellar."

"Holy crap. Wonkang, you're the delinquent among delinquents…" Baek Suryong sighed. Even though he expected it, hearing about Hyonwon Kang's exploits made him despair. In a low voice, he muttered, "…Stupid punk. If you're going to beat someone up, at least do it where no one else can see, or get some leverage to blackmail the witnesses into shutting up, or just eliminate them altogether. Why can't you even do one simple thing? Damn it, what's wrong with youngsters these days…"

"Eek!" A chill ran down Pung Jinho's spine. Having just been brutally tortured, the threats that came out of Baek Suryong's mouth were all the more sinister.

Thankfully, Baek Suryong wasn't serious. He was just venting his frustration and reminiscing about his own adolescent adventures.

Turning his attention back to Pung Jinho, he snapped, "Why are you making that face? Continue."

"Y-Yes!" Terrified, Pung Jinho vowed never to scheme recklessly in front of Baek Suryong again, then said, "The only fortunate thing is that in more than half of these incidents, Peng Sahyuk is involved."

"Peng Sahyuk?" Baek Suryong tilted his head in confusion at the unexpected name.

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"If you look here, in more than half of the incidents involving Hyonwon Kang, Peng Sahyuk is mentioned."

"Huh, you're right. Come to think of it…"

Baek Suryong recalled his first meeting with Hyonwon Kang. Hyonwon Kang had clashed with the Student Council Discipline Committee, and Peng Sahyuk came and chased him away before anything serious happened. At that time, he'd thought that Peng Sahyuk had come to pick a fight with Hyonwon Kang.

Pung Jinho added, "I was involved in resolving some of these incidents as well. Sometimes Peng Sahyuk stopped things before they escalated, but other times he got involved and made things worse. Either way, we can revise most of the records to suggest that Peng Sahyuk was the main instigator."

"What do you mean, revise them?" Baek Suryong asked, uncomfortable.

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Pung Jinho smirked. "Peng Sahyuk is the Young Master of one of the Five Great Clans. He'll be allowed to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival regardless of what's in his record. Plus, he's transferred to the Heavenly Martial Academy. We can do whatever we want, and he won't be able to object. It's perfect."

"……"

"We're lucky. Thanks to Peng Sahyuk's constant intervention, we can lighten Hyonwon Kang's charges."

"Hmm…" Baek Suryong frowned.

Pung Jinho hunched his shoulders. "Um, if you're uncomfortable with it…"

"No, it's not that." Baek Suryong shook his head. By now, even he knew about the special relationship between Hyonwon Kang and Peng Sahyuk—former childhood friends turned bitter rivals.

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Could it be? Did Peng Sahyuk deliberately act like a jerk to protect Hyonwon Kang? …Nah, I'm overthinking it. Peng Sahyuk does have a naturally arrogant personality, after all.

Deciding, not to dwell on it, Baek Suryong grinned and muttered, "…Seems those two are destined to clash at the Heavenly Martial Festival."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind. Anyway, you're saying there's a chance Wonkang can pass the Social Engagement Evaluation, right?"

Pung Jinho nodded. "With some additional preparation, yes, it's possible. First, I'll speak to the instructors to ensure this year's class attitude evaluations are favorable."

Few of the instructors at Azure Dragon Academy were beyond his influence. If he called in a few favors, no one would give Hyonwon Kang a bad review.

"Second, he needs to score at least average on the written exams. Don't worry about this either. We just have to secretly leak the exam questions in advance…"

"No, don't do that."

"Huh?"

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Folding his arms, Baek Suryong said firmly, "You seem to have misunderstood me. I don't want the students to succeed using underhanded methods."

"What do you mean…"

"They'll do what they can on their own. They'll take the exams to the best of their abilities, and they won't cause any more trouble in class. Just tell the instructors to drop their prejudices and grade the kids fairly."

"But if their grades are poor, they won't be able to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival…"

"If they can't even pass their exams without cheating, then they don't deserve to compete," Baek Suryong asserted.

He really wanted the students to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival, but he didn't want to resort to dishonest means to do it. Not only would it not sit well with him, it would also impose a lifetime of guilt upon the students.

"All three kids have caused a lot of trouble, but they're not inherently rotten. If they were, I wouldn't be teaching them."

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Pung Jinho's face turned red with shame. "…I'm sorry. In that case, we'll proceed by thoroughly managing their activities so as to create a good resume."

"You've only talked about Hyonwon Kang so far. What about Geo Sangwoong and Yeo Min?"

"They're not as problematic as Hyonwon Kang, but we'll still need to plan their daily schedules and improve their grades. Each requires a different approach…"

Baek Suryong paid close attention to Pung Jinho's words. Despite all his flaws, Pung Jinho was an absolute master at polishing students' resumes. Even without any fraud, he still had plenty of valuable advice to offer Baek Suryong.

"…Finally, all three must participate in club activities, as these significantly impact their Social Engagement Evaluation scores."

"So they'll need to join clubs?"

"Unfortunately, just joining a club isn't enough for them. They'll need to take leading roles. For that… it might be better to create a new club."

"Would something like a swordsmanship research club work?"

Pung Jinho shook his head. "No, it has to stand out from the other clubs to make the activities more meaningful. The more noticeable the accomplishments, the better. Ideally, the club should engage in some charity work to showcase the students' compassion…"

"Hmm… a club that's completely different from existing ones, with visible achievements, and helps people…"

Suddenly, inspiration struck Baek Suryong. "How about a club like this?" he asked, explaining his idea.

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Pung Jinho's eyes glazed over. "…What?"

"So it's no good?"

With a puzzled expression, Pung Jinho stroked his beard and then nodded seriously. "It's a bit, no, very unusual, but… Well, since it's a club that hasn't existed before, the students will definitely earn extra points."

That night, at the White Dragon Manor, Baek Suryong gathered the students and briefly explained his conversation with Pung Jinho.

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"…For that reason, we've decided to create a new club, and you three absolutely must join," he declared, pointing at Hyonwon Kang, Geo Sangwoong, and Yeo Min.

Understanding their situation, the students nodded obediently.

"Understood, but what kind of club are we creating?"

"Maybe something like martial arts research?"

Baek Suryong shook his head. "Most martial arts-related clubs already exist, so achieving results with that would be tough."

The students blinked in confusion, curious about what kind of club they were going to create. Baek Suryong had said it would be completely different from the existing clubs, one where they could make clear achievements and help others. Was there really such a perfect club?

Grinning wickedly, Baek Suryong announced, "The club you'll be founding is… the Medicinal Cooking Research Society."

"""THE WHAT?!""" The students exclaimed in unison, jaws dropping at the unexpected answer.

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