Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"RUN, YOU IDIOTS!"

At the sound of their teacher's voice crackling with killing intent, the students froze in their tracks.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Baek Suryong muttered tiredly, "Yes, that's right. Turn around and flee. As far as you can. To a place where I can't see you… Uurgh!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

His eyes were bloodshot, and the pain was so excruciating that he felt like his body was being torn apart. The One-Horned Demon Dragon's tremendous qi flowing into his body was pushing his already full vessel beyond its limits.

If I can't stop this… my body will either explode, or I'll become a mindless ghoul.

THUD!

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Baek Suryong sat cross-legged on the ground, but he had no intention of calmly meditating and circulating his inner qi. Right now, trying to absorb the demonic qi was suicide. Instead, he held his breath and focused on expelling the overflowing qi.

Gritting his teeth, he gathered his qi, shaping it into a barrier to push the dragon's power out of his system.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The clashing energies within him were creating a friction just as harsh as a duel between supreme martial masters.

Damn it! I'm being pushed back…!

Although he had won the battle through luck, observation, and strategy, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's energy far surpassed his own. He stood no chance of winning this internal war, and his only hope was to buy a little more time.

Think, think! There has to be a way.

Baek Suryong recalled all the martial arts knowledge he had amassed in this life and his previous one. The five ultimate martial arts he had learned, the Blood Cult's countless demonic arts, and the orthodox and unorthodox techniques that the Blood Cult had collected…

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However, no matter how hard he wracked his brain, no solution came to mind.

TRICKLE…

Blood seeped from between his clenched teeth, but Baek Suryong swallowed it down. His clouded mind cleared a little, but he knew it would not last long.

"Uurgh!"

Having absorbed this immense power against his will, his meridians and acupoints ballooned as though they might detonate at any moment. A ringing sound filled his head, and the world became red from the blood clouding his vision.

"Fuck…!"

Trembling in pain, Baek Suryong lifted his head to look at the sky. Since he wasn't actually meditating, it was fine for him to speak and move.

Is this really how I'm going to die? How absurd.

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A hollow laugh escaped his lips. "Masters… it seems I'm dying again."

The faces of his four masters appeared one after the other in the constellations above.

The smug face of the Bandit King as he bragged endlessly about his heroic tales.

The tired face of the Crazy Demon who wanted to atone for the sins he had committed against his family.

The expressionless face of the Ice Moon Goddess who was cold on the outside but warm and caring on the inside.

The dreamy face of the Sword Saint who always talked about the sword with childlike innocence.

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He felt as if his four masters had become constellations and were looking down upon him from the heavens above, but at the same time, he was also aware that his hazy consciousness was playing tricks on him.

"…At least I found worthy successors for your martial arts, so don't be too harsh on me when we meet again."

His body kept switching from burning hot to icy cold until eventually, he no longer felt anything.

He closed his eyes. At least I held on long enough for everyone to escape.

That was his only consolation as his soul slowly left his body…

""Mr. Baek!""

"…!!" Baek Suryong's eyes shot open, and his fading consciousness instantly returned. Those fucking idiots! Why did they come back!?

""Mr. Baek!""

The students ran up to Baek Suryong and looked at him with worried faces, tears welling up in their eyes.

"H-He opened his eyes! Are you alright?"

"Mr. Baek, are you okay?"

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"Why did you tell us to run away when you were this badly injured?!"

"Oh no, your body is burning up…"

"Does anyone have any medicine?"

"You fools…! How many times do I have to tell you to run?! Do you have a death wish?!" Baek Suryong roared. Although he sometimes showed his killing intent during training, this was the first time he had ever been truly angry with his students.

"M-Mr. Baek?"

"What's wrong?"

"Are you angry because it hurts too much?"

The students stared blankly at Baek Suryong, confused.

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Baek Suryong shouted desperately, "Get out of my sight. Right now! As far as you can! Or… Uurgh!"

"Mr. Baek!"

After vomiting more blood, Baek Suryong lifted his head with great difficulty, mumbling, "Because I… might kill you… again…"

"…!!"

In Baek Suryong's eyes, the faces of the students in front of him overlapped with his students in his previous life, namely, the four students who had obstructed his escape from the Blood Cult.

"Instructor, is this why you taught us?"

"We were just tools to you, weren't we?"

"I didn't expect anything, so I'm not disappointed."

"……"

The children whose emotions he had to erase and turn into human weapons just to fool the Demonic Strategist.

"…Move. I don't want to be the one to kill you."

This was a situation he had foreseen when he was planning his escape, so he had tried to persuade them, to avoid fighting them. However, by the time he got around to telling them, it was already too late.

"You're the one who made us this way."

Their eyes as they ran to kill him were devoid of all emotion.

"I…"

"Mr. Baek? Mr. Baek! Please come to your senses!" Hyonwon Kang yelled, shaking Baek Suryong by the shoulder.

"Ah…" Groaning, Baek Suryong returned to reality. To his horror, he had almost lost himself in his memories.

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Hyonwon Kang demanded, "What do you mean, 'you might kill us again'? Explain yourself!"

"……"

I never wanted to kill my students again, so I told them to flee, but it looks like these blockheads won't listen if I just yell at them.

Baek Suryong calmly explained, "Look, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's qi flowed into my body…"

He told them that the One-Horned Demon Dragon's curse was consuming his body and that he was on the verge of losing control. Still, he couldn't help but add a tiny lie at the end.

"…Of course, I can take care of this myself. You'll only distract me, so stay far away and wait for me."

Surely they'd understand now.

However, contrary to Baek Suryong's expectations, the students didn't budge.

"…You're lying," Wiji Cheon said.

Yeo Min scoffed. "You don't look like you can handle this alone."

"If you were just a little less injured, I'd beat you up," Hyonwon Kang grumbled, but he was clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration.

Geo Sangwoong scowled. "Do you seriously think we'll just leave you to suffer alone?"

"My brothers taught me that a man should always stand by his comrades," Ya Suhyeok said firmly.

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The furball poked its head out from within Ya Suhyeok's arms and nodded.

"You idiots," Baek Suryong spat, agitated. Even now, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's qi was threatening to destroy him. "We don't have time for this sentimental nonsense. Leave at once… Ugh!"

A sudden wave of pain made Baek Suryong grunt, but he clenched his teeth and held on. If he lost consciousness now, he might be greeted by the corpses of his students when he woke up, if he ever did…

"Please, just run…"

"SHUT UP!" Hyonwon Kang howled at the top of his lungs, surprising everyone. "Why must you always be the one saving us?!"

"…What?"

"Can't you let us save you for once?!"

"You…"

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"How long are you going to treat us like little kids? Just shut up and stay still! This time, we'll save you!"

"……"

No one said anything about Hyonwon Kang's outburst. Rather, they nodded in agreement.

"We can help you absorb the excess qi in your body!" Wiji Cheon suggested.

Everyone nodded, but Baek Suryong shook his head.

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"This is extremely concentrated demonic qi. You cannot absorb it," Baek Suryong said firmly.

It wasn't as if he hadn't considered this method. If he could share this energy, it would be an incredible blessing for the students.

The problem was that the One-Horned Demon Dragon was a demonic beast. A thousand years worth of demonic qi wasn't something just anyone could absorb, and most certainly not an orthodox martial artist.

The only reason he could withstand the demonic qi was because of the Heaven Defying Divine Art, but for the students, it was no different from poison. If they absorbed this much demonic qi, they would definitely die…

"We won't know until we try."

"If the five of us share the burden, we'll be fine."

"Just try it!"

"There's no time, let's start now!"

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…Damn stubborn stupid kids! Baek Suryong opened his mouth to berate the students, but before he could say anything, a woman's gentle voice echoed in everyone's heads.

[If it's purifying demonic qi, I think I can help.]

"W-Who's there?"

"What the hell?!"

Everyone looked around in surprise, but they couldn't see anyone. The spirit beasts had all regained consciousness and run away, and they had told the bandits to stay away as well, so there was no one within a hundred paces other than them… Wait…

The furball jumped out of Ya Suhyeok's arms and ran towards Baek Suryong, a blue light shining in its eyes.

"Furball? Did you just talk?" Ya Suhyeok asked, bewildered.

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The furball nodded. [I am this child's mother. I was watching you through my child's eyes.]

The mother Silver Tiger! Baek Suryong's eyes widened in shock. "I thought you were eaten by the Horned Snake… but you said you could help me?"

[I have one condition.]

"Fine. I'll do anything." Baek Suryong nodded without hesitation. The Silver Tiger was a divine beast. She wouldn't ask for anything that would harm him. Besides, he was at his limit and had almost lost consciousness several times.

[Hold my child's body.]

Baek Suryong picked up and hugged the furball. Instantly, a refreshing energy filled his body, and the pain dulled a little.

[The rest of you, place your palms on your teacher's back.]

As instructed, Wiji Cheon and Hyonwon Kang sat behind Baek Suryong and placed their palms on his back, while Geo Sangwoong, Yeo Min and Ya Suhyeok sat in a row and placed their palms on the backs of the two in front.

[Leave purifying the demonic qi to me and focus on transferring the excess energy.]

Baek Suryong didn't have the strength to reply right now, so he simply gritted his teeth and silently transferred the One-Horned Demon Dragon's qi to his students.

The energy the One-Horned Demon Dragon left behind was filled with hatred, wrath, and malice toward humans. It was a tremendous amount of demonic qi that ordinary humans absolutely could not stomach.

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However, before the demonic qi could enter the students' bodies, the mother Silver Tiger purified it with her own divine qi, ensuring that only pure qi was distributed to the students.

"Uurgh…!"

"Huuuh…!"

Even then, the students clenched their teeth as the tremendous energy flowed into them.

Mr. Baek seriously endured several times this much energy alone?

Once again, they were shocked by their instructor's fortitude.

"Haaa…"

"Huff, huff…"

"Is it over?"

Despite the purification process reducing the overall amount of qi, it still took several hours to complete the transfer. When it was finally completed, the exhausted students collapsed on the floor.

Although much of the qi had been lost during the purification process, each student had gained nearly a hundred years worth of qi. In terms of inner arts, they were now at the top of their age group.

Of course, it would take more time for them to fully absorb and be able to use the qi, but there was no doubt that this was an incredible blessing.

[Thankfully, it seems to have ended well… so now it's time for you to do me a favor.]

The mother Silver Tiger's voice resounded in Baek Suryong's mind again, but this time her voice was much softer and more weary.