Star Instructor, Master Baek

The vivid image of a man coughing up blood and collapsing replayed itself over and over in my mind.

“Keuk…”

The man’s wounds were fatal. The gaping hole in his chest meant that not even the gods could save him now, but nonetheless, the man struggled to rise to his feet using a broken dao as support.

It was Master Crazy Demon.

“I won’t let it end like this… Keuk!” he coughed, throwing up blood yet again.

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Seeing this, the Bandit King approached, shouting, “Hold still, dumbass, I’ll close that wound!”

The Crazy Demon glanced down at the hole in his chest, and smiled bitterly. “…Don’t, I’m fine.”

“How the fuck are you okay?”

“Move out of the way,” the Crazy Demon suddenly said, kneeling on the ground.

Startled, the Bandit King stepped aside.

Slowly, the Crazy Demon bowed his head, facing the direction of the Hyonwon Clan. “Father. Mother. Hyung-nim. My siblings. My relatives… In this life, I don’t think I can repay the favor you have bestowed upon me,” he mumbled in a hoarse, cracked voice.

He then raised his head and gazed at the cloudy night sky, tears of blood streaming from his eyes. “If I could be reborn… I would repay the favor I couldn’t repay in this life.”

“You son of a bitch! Don’t leave me a stupid will! You’re not dead yet!”

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“Hey, bandit.”

“What, you crazy bladesman!”

The Crazy Demon’s eyes shifted from the Bandit King to me. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re so… Hey, wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

The Crazy Demon’s eyes, which had gradually clouded over the past few minutes, became completely lifeless, and his body fell helplessly to the side.

I shuddered.

“AHHHHH! You fucking Blood Cult bastards, I’ll kill you all!” The Bandit King’s wails echoed across the battlefield.

“Hyung-nim… Hyung-nim?”

“……” I opened my eyes to find three concerned faces looking down at me. The present felt unreal, like a blurry mix of past and present.

Ak Yeon-Ho studied my expression carefully and asked, “Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine, I just got drunk faster than usual today.”

That day, Master Crazy Demon, Master Maeng, Master Sword Saint, and Master Eun had all died right in front of my eyes. I was the only person in the world who knew their fate, their sacrifices, and the role they played in the Blood Cult’s downfall.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ve had enough partying for today. You guys continue without me,” I said, rising from my seat.

Ak Yeon-Ho nodded. “Yeah, you should go inside and get some rest.”

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“It’s your first day on the job, so you must be exhausted,” Myeong Il-Oh added.

As I walked out of the inn, Jaegal So-Yeong followed me, a look of concern on her face. “Did I say something unnecessary…?” she asked.

“No, it’s not your fault. I just suddenly felt sick.”

“A-Are you really unwell? Do you want me to escort you home?”

Her obliviousness is endearing, but if I want to get my message across, it seems that I’ll have to speak bluntly. I smiled weakly at her and firmly said, “Thank you, but no. I just need a minute to myself.”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the hint again…”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry for causing you distress. See you later.” I waved Jaegal So-Yeong goodbye.

As I wandered alone through the night streets, I organized my jumbled thoughts.

The decades-old enmity between the Hyonwon Clan and Hebei Peng Clan which began with the Crazy Demon, and the fake Crazy Demon who single-handedly destroyed the Hyonwon Clan.

Even if by some miracle, Master Crazy Demon came back from the dead, there is no way he would do such a thing. So who could it be? An impostor who resembles Master so much that the Hyonwon Clan Head mistook him for his own brother…

It was probably easy to mimic Master Crazy Demon’s physical appearance using masks or bone manipulation, especially since he hadn’t been seen for decades. No one would notice a small discrepancy, not even his closest relatives.

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The problem is his martial arts. The Crazy Demon’s martial arts are too powerful and unique to imitate. Not only would the imposter have to be a martial master, he’d also have to be familiar with the martial arts of the Hyonwon Clan… No, but even then, the Asura Blood Heaven Blade is…

All of a sudden, the realization hit me like a hammer blow.

“No way…”

There’s only one organization in the world capable of such deception. The one that made Cheong Cheon learn the Blood Rain Demonic Art and gave Wiji Cheon the fake Unlimited Sword. The one that imprisoned Master Crazy Demon for over a decade and stole his martial arts!

“The Blood Cult…!”

Had they been in hiding all these years, plotting their comeback? If so, the annihilation of the Hyonwon Clan must have been payback for what we did to them that day.

If I’m right, Master Crazy Demon won’t be able to close his eyes in death.

“Haa…” I sighed. Fate was a cruel mistress.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it was just someone with a personal grudge against the Hyonwon Clan. Regardless, it doesn’t change how I feel.

“I don’t regret what I did, but if I could reincarnate… I would return the favors I could not repay in this life.”

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By the standards of the orthodox sects, Master Crazy Demon, who had shed a lot of blood for no reason other than to perfect his martial arts, was clearly evil. Even so, that doesn’t mean he should be punished for sins he didn’t commit.

Should he go down in history as one of the greatest evildoers of all time? Isn’t being locked up in a prison with no light and having nightmares for decades enough to make up for it?

Suddenly, I recalled my first meeting with Hyonwon Kang. The moment I saw him, I thought that Master Crazy Demon had reincarnated. They were just so similar!

“Hey! Did you just call me the Crazy Demon?”

He was a raw gemstone with immense potential, yet unable to polish himself due to circumstance.

“Get the fuck out and leave me alone!”

As I walked back to my new lodgings in the Azure Dragon Academy, my thoughts revolved around these the man and the boy from the Hyonwon Clan.

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“Mmm… Water…”

Hyonwon Kang woke up with a hangover. His head was pounding, his vision was spinning, and his limbs felt like jelly. He knew that a quick breakfast would cure his hangover, but he didn’t feel like getting up.

GULP GULP GULP.

After downing a pitcher of cold water, he lay back down and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Crazy.”

The ceiling seemed to warp, transforming into the face of a somewhat deranged pretty boy new instructor who’d declared him a genius.

“I know about the relationship between your Hyonwon Clan and the Hebei Peng Clan.”

“So what if you know about it?”

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If Baek Su-Ryong truly understood how much the Hyonwon Clan relied on the Peng Clan, how a word from a mere Peng Clan elder could make the head of the Hyonwon Clan tremble in his boots, then he should know that something like that should not be talked about so casually.

“Whether you’ve given up mastering martial arts because you think it’s meaningless, or you feel that even if you master it, you’ll still end up as a Peng Clan lackey, you’re a fool.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re not even that talented.”

“Shut up.”

For as long as he could remember, all of his martial arts teachers had called him a genius. He was used to it. Yet, no matter how strong he became, he would always be a pawn of the Peng Clan, a tool to be wielded by someone like Peng Sa-Hyuk.

“Our martial arts is incomplete. No matter how hard we train, the peak level is our limit.”

Hyonwon Kang recalled his father’s face—a face that had aged prematurely, worn by constant deference to the Peng Clan.

“If only the Heaven Splitting Blade or the Earth Shattering Blade could be fully restored…”

His father often sighed as he drank alone late at night. Once, when he got found out, his father had looked at him with guilt and fervently apologized, “I’m sorry, son, there’s not much I can do for you…”

“You don’t need to do anything.”

“Are you enjoying yourself at the Azure Dragon Academy? Are you… getting along with the Peng Clan’s Young Master?”

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“Yes. We get along just fine,” Hyonwon Kang replied, smiling.

His father’s worried expression faded.

“Dad, I have no intention of becoming a loyal dog of the Peng Clan.”

Better to be a wretch so pathetic, they won’t even look at me.

Just then, Baek Su-Ryong’s annoying face resurfaced in his mind.

“If you continue living in Peng Sa-Hyuk’s shadow, the Hyonwon Clan will always be dogs of the Peng Clan.”

“Shut up! Shut up!”

Hyonwon Kang leapt to his feet. He felt that if he remained in his room, Baek Su-Ryong would keep coming to haunt him.

I’m going drinking.

He changed out of his pajamas and left the dormitory. Today, he would go to a cheap bar and drink until he was delirious.

However, as he tried to exit the academy, something flew toward him from behind.

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SPLAT!

He dodged, only to see a ball made from a pig’s bladder fly past him and land in the mud.

“Sorry!”

Who the fuck is playing soccer at this hour… Shit, it’s them. Hyonwon Kang scowled.

“Hey, delinquent from the Hyonwon Clan,” Peng Sa-Hyuk shouted.

Hyonwon Kang ignored him and tried to walk away.

“Pick up the ball next to you and bring it to me.”

“……”

“Are you deaf, or is the Hyonwon Clan making a killing these days?”

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“…Haa.” Hyonwon Kang sighed and kicked the ball toward Peng Sa-Hyuk.

The ball landed neatly at Peng Sa-Hyuk’s feet, but instead of thanking him, Peng Sa-Hyuk frowned disdainfully, “Oi, what is this attitude? Are you fucking kidding me?”

He kicked the ball hard.

BOOM!

The ball flew out of the academy.

“When your master orders you to fetch him the ball, you should politely bring it back with both hands. Now, do it properly this time.” Peng Sa-Hyuk smirked.

“……” Hyonwon Kang hesitated. Normally, he would have ignored Peng Sa-Hyuk or started swearing at him. After three years of doing the same thing, it should have been easy… Yeah, right. No way it was ever easy. The simple fact that I’ve endured this shit quietly for three years, Three. Whole. Years. is so funny that I want to laugh. No, maybe I should do exactly that.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I think he’s still drunk.”

Hyonwon Kang wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and turned toward Peng Sa-Hyuk, saying, “Hey, Peng Sa-Hyuk.”

“…What?” Peng Sa-Hyuk was bewildered.

Hyonwon Kang drew his dao. “Let’s fight for the first time in a long while.”

“…What!?”

“We haven’t sparred since we were kids, right?” Hyonwon Kang grinned maniacally.

“Have you finally gone nuts…?”

“What, are you afraid you’ll lose to me and cry like a baby?”

“…Bring it on, asshole.”

Moments later, two dao-wielding students clashed in the training grounds.