Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 199: I Need Fame

TL: FoodieMonster007

After Baek Muheun left, Baek Suryong settled into a repetitive daily routine. Each morning began with him waking up early and conducting some 'light' training sessions with the White Dragon Manor students.

"Ugh!"

"P-Please, spare me…"

"Damn it! My greatest regret in life is not beating him up while I had the chance!"

"Isn't this training supposed to help us improve? Why does it feel like the teacher's the only one getting stronger?!"

After the morning training ended, Baek Suryong made his way to the Azure Dragon Academy, heading directly for the Discipline Committee building. His first responsibility of the day was to patrol the academy with Mae Geuklyom.

"Good morning. Let's begin," Mae Geuklyom greeted him.

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Together, they cracked down on naughty students caught engaging in prohibited activities within the academy, whether it was drinking, smoking, or engaging in inappropriate relationships.

"Eek!"

"It's the Headmaster! Run!"

"P-Please, have mercy!"

"Shit! How did he find us? Even the Headmaster has never caught us here!"

Much to the horror of the academy's troublemakers, as Baek Suryong's martial arts skills advanced, his senses were also greatly enhanced. Escape? Not a chance. He rooted out all the 'cockroaches' hiding around the academy, beating up those who tried to flee and then handing them over to the man who haunted their worst nightmares—Mae Geuklyom.

"Thanks to you, my job has been a lot easier lately," Mae Geuklyom remarked, pleased with his grandson's performance. Since Baek Suryong's arrival, the number of troublemakers had decreased rapidly, giving him free time he hadn't enjoyed before.

"I'll patrol alone in the afternoon, so go work on your lesson prep."

"Yes, sir."

After lunch, Baek Suryong separated from Mae Geuklyom and concentrated on preparing for the Defense Against Unorthodox Arts class. Since this was his only class, he prepared for it meticulously, often enlisting the help of teaching assistants to enrich the practical lessons.

For example, when he was teaching them about poison, he called Tang Soso to release poison gas in the classroom.

"Today, you'll be learning how to deal with poison. Don't worry, I didn't bring anything instantly lethal. Ohohoho!"

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"Urgh!"

When he felt like recreating the unique atmosphere of the unorthodox sects, he invited the imposing young men of the Rehabilitation Sect and asked them to lick their knives menacingly.

"Have any of you ever been stabbed by a kitchen knife? Well, you're in luck, cos that's our specialty. Okay, which bastard wants to go first?"

"……"

When he wanted to sharpen the students' awareness of crime, he asked Cheong Cheon to share vivid stories illustrating the cruelty and cunning of the unorthodox sect monsters.

"Today, I'm going to tell you about the time I met a serial killer. Three years ago, children under the age of ten started disappearing without a trace…"

"Gulp…"

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"Thank you for the lesson, Mr. Baek!" the students greeted enthusiastically, relieved that they survived yet another class.

After class, he went back to the Discipline Committee to do paperwork or to supervise students who wanted individual martial arts instruction. Initially, no one approached him for private lessons. When they saw the Student Council President, Dokgo Jun, coming and going though, more and more students started seeking his guidance.

"Mr. Baek, could you give me a one-on-one lesson?"

"Dokgo Jun, as I've told you many times, feints and surprise attacks don't violate the swordsman's code of honor. If you keep stubbornly insisting on direct frontal attacks, you won't get stronger."

"Yoo Yiran, I sense impatience in your sword swings. Calm yourself and try again."

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"…TANG SOSO!? WHY ARE YOU HERE AGAIN?"

Just like that, Baek Suryong spent his days deeply committed to his job, often working late into the night.

It was no surprise, then, that he often ran into fellow workaholic Namgung Su on his way home.

"……"

"……"

They weren't particularly close, so at first, they just exchanged glances before parting ways. Occasionally, though, Namgung Su would mumble something that felt more like a monologue.

Today was one such day.

"…A commendable attitude."

"…What?"

"I applaud your determination to make up for your lack of ability by working overtime."

"What are you talking about, you crazy workaholic? You're the one who works the most overtime in the academy. Does that make you the least competent?"

"I have many responsibilities. There are simply not enough hours in a day to complete them all."

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"Oh my, is that so?"

"By the way…"

"Hmm?"

"Never mind. You'll know when it's confirmed."

"What the hell are you talking about? Hey… HEY!"

"……"

Namgung Su walked off, leaving Baek Suryong in suspense. They had reached the main gate of the Azure Dragon Academy, where their paths home diverged in opposite directions, and he had no intention of slowing down for the sake of continuing the conversation with his colleague.

"…Did that prick leave his sentence unfinished just to piss me off?" Baek Suryong grumbled, shooting an annoyed glare at Namgung Su before turning toward the White Dragon Manor.

His day's work wasn't over yet. When he got home, it was time for evening training.

Throwing open the doors of the White Dragon Manor, Baek Suryong flashed an evil benevolent smile at his cute students.

"Kids, I'm home!"

"Eek!"

Since the students were going to sleep afterwards, the evening training sessions were a teensy bit more intense than the morning ones (from Baek Suryong's perspective). The students were just such wimps that they wailed during training anyway.

"Urgh… Sniff…"

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"I'm sorry! Whatever it is, it's my fault!"

"See? I told you we should've ambushed him when we had the chance!"

"Mom… Dad… I'm so happy to see you again, ehehe…"

"Snap out of it, Cheon! Your mom and dad passed away a long time ago!"

As a result, not a single day went by without screams echoing through the White Dragon Manor. The students' martial arts, however, improved noticeably with each passing day.

While Baek Suryong's official duties seemed to take up his entire day, in reality he was just as busy with his unofficial work.

After evening training, Baek Suryong retired to his room and checked his mail. Among them was a letter from the Rogues' Guild.

Recently, traces of martial arts techniques believed to originate from the Blood Cult have been discovered all over the Central Plains. For further details, please visit the secret branch in town.

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Baek Suryong's expression stiffened. "Are they finally starting to make their move?" he muttered.

The resurrection of the Blood Cult was pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point. Their power had grown too great to remain concealed, and even the Murim Alliance was monitoring their every move.

How much time do we have left? Three years? Two years?

Since the Blood Cult was not the type to announce their return and then sit idly by, it was reasonable to expect that their reappearance would soon plunge the murim into the fires of war.

We need to be well prepared for them.

Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. Since returning from the Valley of Evil, he had stayed in close contact with Blue Eyed Freak through the Golden Dragon Trading Company and occasionally stopped by the Rehabilitation Sect to monitor the martial arts progress of soldiers like Cheoldu. Although they were currently weak, within a year, these two forces would grow significantly.

Still, this is far from enough. To win the war with minimal casualties, we need many more masters.

Right now, he no longer pushed his students every day solely for the sake of winning the Heavenly Martial Festival. If a war broke out with the Blood Cult, they would undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire. Being young or promising prodigies wouldn't prevent them from being targets, rather, it would make them even more likely to be singled out.

To ensure their survival, the kids need to become much stronger…

Baek Suryong glanced toward the students' bedrooms.

"Zzz…"

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He listened to the sounds of breathing, snoring, and the occasional rustling of the sleeping students. He didn't expect them to accomplish any great feats in the war, all he wanted was for them to grow strong enough to survive. After all, he couldn't be around to protect them forever.

I, too, need to expand my influence. Wars are never fought alone.

The Murim Alliance would certainly take the lead in the war, and if he wanted to have a say in their strategy, he needed both fame and influence. Although he was slowly building a good reputation as the Azure Dragon Hero, it was nowhere near enough.

I'm the only one who can find the Blood Cult spies hidden within the Murim Alliance's upper ranks and eliminate them, reducing the damage they cause. To do that, however, I must first become one of the Ten Supremes.

Unfortunately, strength alone isn't enough to be respected in the orthodox sects. I also have to establish my reputation as a chivalrous hero.

Feeling a headache coming on, Baek Suryong sighed softly.

I wanted to stay incognito if possible, but those bastards will start a war the moment they're done preparing. If we only respond then, it'll be too late. That's why, before that, we have to dismantle the Blood Cult's plans on a large scale and identify their weaknesses.

Baek Suryong was confident he knew the Blood Cult's modus operandi better than anyone. They would most definitely do as he predicted.

I've done my best to stay out of the limelight all this time, because I know that fame breeds envy and hostility. Yet now, to achieve my goal, I need enough recognition to influence public opinion. Fame, fame…

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Various plans surfaced in his mind, only to be adjusted and discarded time and time again. After careful consideration, he decided that a martial artist's simplest path to fame was through defeating formidable opponents and proving their strength.

I can't just go around randomly picking fights with people. At worst, I'd become a public enemy of the murim, and at best, people would gossip behind my back about how I'm strong but rude. It's ironic, but that's how the orthodox sects work.

So should I try to track down a wanted criminal, like when I killed the Bloody Ripper? But… it's not like it's easy to find a high profile felon, and frankly, the whole idea feels forced. Besides, what excuse can I use to leave the academy all of a sudden?

Wait… what if I took the kids on a training excursion? Hmm… Nah, the Principal won't allow me to take them very far, and I doubt there are any strong criminals left within a reasonable distance of Nanchang.

Baek Suryong folded his arms and sank into deep thought for a long time. Despite the late hour, he did not feel tired. With his level of martial arts mastery, two hours of sleep a day was enough to get by. Still, he felt frustrated. No matter how deeply he thought about it, a good solution eluded him.

Ahh, fuck. I'll think about it another day.

In the end, he set his worries aside. He had plenty of other things to focus on, like the upcoming midterm exams.

The next day, after exhausting the students almost to death as usual, Baek Suryong headed to work. When he reached the main gate of Azure Dragon Academy though, he came to a stop, noticing two large notices displayed there.

One of them in particular caught his eye.

RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS FOR NEW INSTRUCTOR TRAINING!

Attention, new instructors who joined the Five Great Academies this year! We have prepared a new training program designed to hone your teaching skills and foster collaboration among those who will shape the future of the Five Great Academies. We eagerly await your enthusiastic participation!

Date: After the midterms (to be decided later)

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Location: The Namgung Clan Residence, Anhui Province

Target: New instructors of the Five Great Academies

Baek Suryong fell into deep thought. "Hmm? This…"

"Surprised? Fortunately, permission has been granted," Namgung Su said, appearing next to him.

Baek Suryong stared at the man whose lips were turned up a bit more than usual. "Is this what you were going to tell me yesterday?"

Namgung Su nodded, explaining with unusual gusto, "This is a great opportunity for you. My family stands at the top of the academy business, so there's no better place to learn the latest teaching methodologies or build connections with other teachers. The timing is perfect, too, since it takes place right after the midterms…"

"Oh, I'm definitely joining in," Baek Suryong cut in.

Namgung Su blinked in disbelief. "…That's unexpected. I thought you'd refuse, saying you have nothing more to learn about teaching."

With a smile that hinted at something deeper, Baek Suryong replied casually, "What do you mean? I've been waiting for a chance like this."

"???" Namgung Su couldn't believe his ears.

Baek Suryong grinned. Just as Namgung Su suspected, he had no real interest in improving his teaching skills through the new instructor training. What piqued his curiosity was that the event would be held at the Namgung Clan, the leading house among the Five Great Clans, where renowned masters and famous instructors would undoubtedly gather.

Whether as a martial artist or as a teacher, he could think of no better place to make a name for himself.

Happy Translator: I have caught up with the manhwa! The next two arcs belong to Mr. Namgung Su.