Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 113: Excuse Me, I Have Some Questions For You

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geo Sangwoong and Yasu Hyeok stepped into a bustling inn restaurant, quickly finding a table. Wasting no time, Geo Sangwoong ordered a mountain of dishes and dove into them as soon as they hit the table.

“You think you can become the world’s best martial artist? Hah!”

His appetite was insatiable today, and he shoveled food into his mouth with abandon.

“With such pathetic martial arts?”

“Hahaha! Listen to this pig pretending to be human!”

His hand holding the chopsticks trembled, probably from the grueling martial arts training he hadn’t done in ages. Frustrated, he ditched the chopsticks and began stuffing food into his mouth with his bare hands.

“Senior, are you okay?” Yasu Hyeok asked, concerned.

However, Geo Sangwoong was too lost in his own thoughts to hear him.

“As a student of the inferior Azure Dragon Academy, you should know your place.”

“Pathetic fool. You think way too highly of yourself.”

Geo Sangwoong ate more voraciously, trying to drown out the rising tide of humiliation, disgrace, and fear threatening to swallow him.

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“I’ll engrave the memory of this day in your body forever.”

Sweat poured from his body, and food began to churn in his stomach, but he ignored it. The fierce smile of his assailant flashed in his mind, making him convulse.

“Ugh! Uuuugh!”

Alarmed, Yasu Hyeok cried out, “Senior? Senior!!”

Geo Sangwoong forced himself to swallow his vomit, tears blurring his vision. His heart raced with overwhelming fear, and his mind went blank, fixating on one thought.

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I shouldn’t have learned martial arts. I shouldn’t have…

Maybe it was because he had trained to exhaustion for the first time in a long while, but the terror of that day resurfaced more vividly than ever.

“Uuurgh…”

CRASH!

Eventually, Geo Sangwoong’s body tilted to the side and he fell off the chair. The last thing he heard as his consciousness faded was Yasu Hyeok’s desperate pleas for help, “Senior! Senior! Someone please call a physician!”

Oddly enough, the thought that he might die was actually comforting. Although he felt sorry for his father, who was constantly worrying about his useless son, he preferred death to such a wretched lifestyle.

Yet, he didn’t die.

“Wake up,” someone said softly.

Geo Sangwoong struggled to open his eyes. His vision was blurred, but he vaguely recognized the figure before him. “Teacher…?” he mumbled.

Baek Suryong knelt beside him, his face grave. Geo Sangwoong’s shirt was torn off to allow him to breathe easier, revealing his massive upper body covered in muscle, fat, and scars that looked self-inflicted. However, it wasn’t the scars that caught Baek Suryong’s eye.

“Geo Sangwoong, you…” Baek Suryong started, but his voice trailed off as he hesitated to continue.

On Geo Sangwoong’s left chest, over his heart, were several bluish marks resembling a Mongolian spot.

Now I understand why his personality changed so drastically. This isn’t regular trauma, it’s the Soul Reaping Demonic Art of the Blood Cult, Baek Suryong realized.

“Who did this to you?”

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“Sangwoong!”

The door of the physician’s clinic burst open as the owner of the Golden Dragon Inn rushed in to check on his son. Having run straight here when he heard that his son had fainted, he was disheveled and drenched in sweat.

“Over here, Mr. Geo,” Baek Suryong called out, sitting beside Geo Sangwoong’s bed.

The innkeeper immediately walked over. When he saw Geo Sangwoong’s deathly pale complexion, though, his eyes trembled with shock and dismay.

“Don’t worry, he’s just sleeping,” Baek Suryong reassured him.

“Another seizure…”

‘Another’? Baek Suryong furrowed his brows. “Has this happened before?” he asked.

“…Not in recent months, and all the physicians said that he was recovered, so I didn’t mention it to you. But why now, suddenly…!” The innkeeper clenched his teeth, looking at his son with bloodshot eyes.

He knows nothing about the Soul Reaping Demonic Art, Baek Suryong concluded. Having examined Geo Sangwoong thoroughly before the innkeeper arrived, he knew why Geo Sangwoong had seizures.

Demonic energy has seeped into his heart and brain.

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The Soul Reaping Demonic Art (絶魂魔功), one of the Blood Cult’s two major demonic arts, was difficult to master but extremely powerful. Its insidious nature lay in its ability to stealthily infiltrate an opponent’s body, gradually destroying their mind. If not for the bluish marks on Geo Sangwoong’s chest, even Baek Suryong might have missed it entirely.

“When did the seizures start?”

“After the Heavenly Martial Festival, two years ago.”

Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. I suspected as much…

Geo Sangwoong’s sudden personality change also began two years ago, right after the Heavenly Martial Festival. If the seizures started around the same time, it could only mean that he was attacked during the festival.

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“Did any incident happen before or after the festival?”

“No. Don’t you think I would have checked that thoroughly?”

“……”

The Heavenly Martial Festival—the largest annual event of the Five Great Academies. For an Azure Dragon Academy student to be struck down by a Blood Cult demonic art there of all places… Could a blood cultist have infiltrated the event? No, the security there is too tight. Then…

“Only a student, or an instructor…” Baek Suryong muttered to himself.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

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The perpetrator was likely a student or instructor at one of the five academies.

So, the Blood Cult has infiltrated the academies, huh?

It was a plausible but upsetting scenario, especially since a practitioner of the Soul Reaping Demonic Art would hold a high rank within the Blood Cult.

Yet another reason for me to attend the Heavenly Martial Festival.

While Baek Suryong organized his thoughts, the innkeeper pressed the physician, “Why hasn’t my son woken up?”

“He seems to have suffered a severe panic attack, and awakening him by force could damage his brain permanently. We need to let him rest…”

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Baek Suryong placed a hand on his chin. Until now, he hadn’t heard anything about the events of the Heavenly Martial Festival two years ago, and it seemed that Geo Sangwoong hadn’t told his father anything about it, either.

Even when Geo Sangwoong wakes up, I doubt he’ll tell me the truth easily. If he were willing to talk, he would have told his father long ago. Still, why did the attacker target Geo Sangwoong with the Soul Reaping Demonic Art? Was it just a coincidence? …No, that’s unlikely. They took a significant risk to target Geo Sangwoong.

Despite the stealth of the demonic art, there was a chance that it would be discovered. As Baek Suryong pondered the reason, a sudden idea flashed through his mind as he looked at the distraught innkeeper.

Could it be…because he’s the heir to the Golden Dragon Trading Company?

If that was the case, then it all made sense. The Soul Reaping Demonic Art imprinted fear into its victims, possibly allowing them to be manipulated.

If they approached Geo Sangwoong to target the Golden Dragon Trading Company…

Geo Sangwoong’s increasing addiction to food and gambling might have been planned. If someone encouraged him to abandon martial arts and take over the family business…

Damn. The Blood Cult’s influence might be much greater than I thought. Still, this is also a golden opportunity for me…

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Baek Suryong’s eyes glinted coldly. Following the assassins’ deaths, he needed a new lead on the Blood Cult, and this could be it.

“Mr. Geo, could you…”

“Could I what?”

“…Never mind.”

Confirming the presence of guards around the innkeeper, Baek Suryong refrained from speaking further. “I’ll explain later, in private,” he said.

“Mr. Baek, should I take him home for now? Forcing him to continue practicing martial arts might have been a mistake,” the innkeeper sighed, blaming himself for his son’s current state.

However, to Baek Suryong, this was unacceptable.

“No,” he said firmly, gripping the innkeeper’s shoulders and startling the man’s bodyguards.

Signaling them to stand down, the innkeeper asked, “Why?”

“Please trust me. Leave Geo Sangwoong’s martial arts and health entirely to me.”

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“But…”

“I promise today’s incident won’t happen again.”

The innkeeper stared at Baek Suryong, then asked in a heavy voice, “…Can I really trust you?”

“Absolutely.”

“…Alright. I’ll trust you one last time.” The innkeeper, looking years older in mere moments, nodded.

Baek Suryong breathed a sigh of relief. Though outwardly a shrewd merchant, he knew the innkeeper would give his life to see his only son return to his former self.

The Blood Cult knows this too, so they’re aiming to kill two birds with one stone. Wait, could I perhaps exploit this situation to lure them out of hiding…?

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“Mr. Geo, may I ask you for a favor?” Baek Suryong suddenly requested.

“Hoo…”

Carefully observing the long, blackened acupuncture needles embedded in the unconscious Geo Sangwoong’s head, face and chest, Baek Suryong wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“It was well hidden, but all the demonic qi in his body should be gone now. At the very least, he won’t be suffering from any more seizures.”

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Baek Suryong gently patted Geo Sangwoong’s chubby cheeks. Though still pale, the young man’s expression was looking much more peaceful.

“……”

Geo Sangwoong likely blamed himself constantly, unaware that his detachment from martial arts, obsession with food, and gambling were due to a demonic art’s influence.

He’s outwardly smiling, but inwardly rotting.

“Sangwoong loved martial arts more than anything else. From a young age, he often boasted that he would become the world’s greatest martial artist.”

Recalling the drunken innkeeper’s words, Baek Suryong removed the needles.

“You have a good father. Be filial to him,” he whispered.

“……”

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Overcoming this wouldn’t be easy, but if Geo Sangwoong succeeded, then his spirit would be stronger than ever.

Mentally, he’ll grow strong enough to master the Bandit King’s martial arts.

With the emergency treatment done, Baek Suryong exited the clinic.

“He’ll wake in a few hours. Tell him to find me when he does,” he informed the guards outside.

“Yes, sir.”

There was much he wanted to hear from Geo Sangwoong, but first, he had somewhere to go and someone to meet.

I need to talk to the instructor in charge of the Heavenly Martial Festival two years ago.

Returning to the Azure Dragon Academy, he made a beeline for the instructors’ offices. Since it was late at night, most of the instructors had left, but the person he sought definitely had a lit office.

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There’s just no way that workaholic would have gone home yet.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

“I’m busy, come back later,” the person inside said coldly, not bothering to check who had arrived.

However, Baek Suryong wasn’t deterred. “Excuse me,” he said, storming into the office.

Entering, he was greeted by the impressive sight of mountains of paperwork stacked high all over the room.

Behind them, a stern-looking man buried in work looked up and snapped irritably, “What do you want?”

Baek Suryong smirked at the man’s weary face. “I have some questions for you.”

“At this hour? We’re not exactly close, are we?” Namgung Su said icily, closing the book he was holding with a loud thud to show his annoyance.