Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"The Apostles…" the Chief murmured with a surprised expression, then nodded to himself. This was information the Azure Dragon Hero deserved to know, and indeed ought to know.

He replied, "Almost nothing is known about the Blood Cult's Apostles. We only know that each is a peerless master, and that they first revealed themselves fifty years ago during the war between the Blood Cult and the Murim Alliance."

"…You mean they were masters no one had seen before?"

"That's right. Until the moment they revealed themselves, nobody knew about the existence of the Apostles. Who would have known that the Blood Cult was hiding such secret weapons?"

At the words 'secret weapons', Baek Suryong quietly gritted his teeth. Without realizing it, he was clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"Are you all right? You're trembling and your face is pale…" the Chief asked worriedly, alarmed by Baek Suryong's pallor.

Baek Suryong took a deep breath to calm his rampaging emotions. If he reacted too sensitively to the wrong thing now, the chief might notice that something was off about him.

Calm down. It's not certain yet.

He forced a smile and pretended he was fine. "I'm just a little tired. Please continue talking."

Fortunately, the Chief was too concerned about his physical condition to notice his suspicious behavior.

"Tell me if it's too difficult to stay awake. I can tell you the story another time," the old man said concernedly.

Baek Suryong shook his head. "Don't worry, it's not that serious."

"So stubborn… Anyway, I participated in the last war."

During the war with the Blood Cult fifty years ago, the Chief, then a young and spirited martial artist, had joined the battlefield alongside his master, the previous Beggars' Gang Chief.

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He dazedly recounted his past, "The Murim Alliance was optimistic about victory, and the Blood Cult was weakened by internal conflict. Half of their elders were dead, and information from spies indicated that a fierce battle had broken out within the Blood Cult Headquarters. How could we miss such an opportunity? And so, the martial artists of the orthodox sects, their morale sky high, invaded Xinjiang, where the old Blood Cult Headquarters was located.''

The Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans gathered, along with sects and families that were famous in their own regions, even if they were not included among the greats. Even unaffiliated masters who were unparalleled in the jianghu, retired masters of the previous generation, even teenagers who revered justice and chivalry traveled long distances to fight alongside them.

He chuckled to himself at the memory. Rejecting those kids and forcibly sending them home had been quite the ordeal.

The spirit of the orthodox murim, gathered under the universal banner to 'Eradicate Demons and Destroy Evil', was tremendous. They marched relentlessly to destroy the Blood Cult, and no one doubted their victory.

"As we had heard, the Blood Cult wasn't in a normal state. Even from a distance, we could see destroyed buildings. It was almost as if a great earthquake and storm had swept through their city. The Taoist masters muttered that it was divine punishment. We shouted war cries and climbed over the collapsed walls. On the other side, the remaining cultists swarmed towards us, weapons clenched tightly…" the Chief paused for a moment and took a sip of tea.

After taking a long breath, he continued, "The smell of blood permeated everything. The battlefield reduces even sane men to rabid fiends. Beside me, my brothers and sisters lay dying, their limbs torn off by stray attacks. It was a place where unimaginable, horrible things were commonplace."

As the old man recalled the distant past, the corners of his wrinkled eyes trembled slightly, as if he could still see the faces of his friends who had died in the hellscape that was war.

"It was obvious that we couldn't sustain the battle for long, so we formed small elite suicide squads to simultaneously attack the Blood Demon Palace from the north, south, east, and west. I was a member of one of those squads."

From the Chief's lips, the secret history of the war, unknown to most martial artists, was revealed.

"While the main force drew their attention, we advanced towards the Blood Demon Palace. Unexpected formations, traps, poison, jiangshi, and the like blocked our path, but we broke through all of them. Everyone was consumed with rage. Our only thought was to run to the Blood Demon Palace and cut off the Blood Demon's head. However, when we were only about hundred meters away from the Blood Demon Palace…"

The Chief paused again, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes.

Baek Suryong was stunned. Is that…fear? What memory scares him so badly?

Finally, the Chief continued, "…The Apostles blocked our path."

"…You saw the Apostles yourself?"

The Chief nodded gravely. "Yes. One of them, anyway."

"Who was it?"

For a moment, the Chief thought the question was a little strange. Who was it? Aren't questions like how strong they were, what they looked like, or what martial arts they used more appropriate?

Well, it wasn't that important.

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If even his words are getting muddled, his internal injuries must be worse than I thought.

The Beggars' Gang Chief could clearly see the cold sweat trickling down Baek Suryong's body. The young instructor's skin was pale as a corpse's, his lips were deathly blue, and his breathing was ragged.

"You. I think you really need to rest now," the Chief repeated, aghast.

Baek Suryong shook his head. "I'm fine. Besides, if you stop the story here, I won't be able to sleep, so I'll get even less rest."

"You sound just like a grandchild pestering their grandpa for a bedtime story."

"……" Baek Suryong didn't laugh at the joke.

Chuckling awkwardly, the Chief continued, "He wore a black hat and a black robe that covered his entire body. The face visible under the black hat was covered with sword scars."

"…Sword scars."

"I had never seen such a swordsman in all my life. He swung his sword like a phantom. No, it was…" The Chief paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Shall I say he resembled a demon-possessed sword controlling a person? It's hard to put it into words."

"……"

"He defeated and killed the senior who was known as the Sword King at that time. If I remember correctly, the battle ended in less than twenty exchanges."

The Chief took another sip of tea, but his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. Even though decades had passed, the fear of the existence known as the Apostles was deeply ingrained.

"He didn't seem human at all. Even when he was bleeding profusely and vomiting blood under the joint attacks of the Murim Alliance masters, he didn't let out a single groan. It was as if he felt no pain."

"……"

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"Of the hundred selected for the suicide squad, only about ten, including myself, survived. But even that wasn't because we defeated him, but because he retreated on his own. If we had fought to the end, he probably would have died as well, but…"

The number of sacrifices the orthodox murim needed to take down one demon was too shameful to be recorded in history.

The Chief laughed hollowly and looked at Baek Suryong. "That man was the Blood Cult's First Apostle."

"The First Apostle…" Baek Suryong's face fell. He could no longer deny the identity of the First Apostle.

Number One. So you were the First Apostle.

Baek Suryong recalled the boy with the gentle eyes, whose emotions he himself had obliterated while raising him as a secret weapon of the Blood Cult.

"You're the one who made me like this."

Although he needed only two to four hours of sleep a day, he still frequently had nightmares about his former trainees.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "…What happened after that?"

"After the Apostle withdrew, we made our way to the Blood Demon Palace. Even if it meant dying, we wanted to see the face of that legendary Blood Demon at least once."

Blue veins bulged on the wrinkled back of the hand holding the Dog Beating Staff as the Chief said in agitation, "However, by the time we arrived at the Blood Demon Palace, the Blood Demon was already dead."

"…!!" Baek Suryong's jaw dropped. The ending of the story was so surprising, it even made him forget his thoughts about his former trainees. "Who was it? Who killed the Blood Demon…?"

"I don't know. What was even more surprising was that there were no signs of a fight nearby."

Baek Suryong's eyes widened in disbelief. There's no assassin in the world capable of killing the Blood Demon without him resisting! But that would mean…

"…Are you saying the Blood Demon committed suicide?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's right."

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"Then the story about you guys killing him in a joint attack…"

"A lie. Who would want such an anticlimactic victory? We, who would soon return to our respective sects, desperately wanted a heroic tale to be recorded in history."

"……"

Why the fuck would that Blood Demon do such a thing?

All sorts of questions arose in Baek Suryong's mind, but only the dead Blood Demon knew the answer.

"Do you know? The bastard was smiling even as he sat on the throne, looking down as if he was mocking us who'd risked our lives to get there. He toyed with us even in death."

"……"

Finishing the long story, the Chief let out a weary sigh. His face seemed to have aged several years in that short time. "Seems the story got longer in the telling. Since you don't seem well, I should take my leave now."

Rising from his seat, the Chief lightly patted Baek Suryong's shoulder.

Poor child. He must be really shocked. Well, how could he not, as a martial artist of the Murim Alliance?

He would surely need time to sort out his thoughts.

"Take good care of yourself."

"…Go safely."

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Baek Suryong saw the Chief off, but even after the old man's figure disappeared around the corridor, he kept staring at the empty space with unfocused eyes.

Baek Suryong stared up at the hazy moon ringed by a pale blue halo, lost in thought.

All this time, he had assumed those kids were all dead, even though he hadn't confirmed their deaths himself.

How complacent was I to make such a stupid mistake? No, I just didn't want to think about it.

Baek Suryong knew his own personality very well. There was no way he wouldn't have foreseen something like this. Deep down, he must have considered the possibility.

The possibility that one day he would have to point his sword at his former trainees again.

"Pfft!" Baek Suryong laughed in self-mockery. "Cowardly bastard. Now that it's certain, there's nowhere left to run."

According to the Beggars' Gang Chief, Number One was alive, and the other three children were probably alive as well.

Could I kill those kids?

In his previous life, he wouldn't even have hesitated.

Back then, he was the kind of person who did anything to survive. Whoever the opponent was, if they threatened him and tried to kill him, he would slaughter them mercilessly.

Could he still do that now, though?

"Instructor!"

"Mr. Baek!"

He looked down at his trembling hands. The faces of his former Blood Cult trainees and his current Azure Dragon Academy students overlapped in his mind.

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"Ha… haha…" he laughed hollowly, the low, empty murmur fading into the night air.

"Why are you moping all alone up here?" Namgung Su asked, climbing onto the roof.

Baek Suryong turned to his colleague. "Namgung Su. Let's say, just hypothetically. If, for example…"

"……"

"…If a student's life was ruined because of you, and that student came to you for revenge later, what would you do?"

"What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?" Namgung Su scowled, narrowing his eyes.

Baek Suryong forced a playful smile. "Well, it could happen, right? Like getting qi deviation from learning unwanted martial arts, or the childhood beatings remaining a lifelong trauma, or hating their lying teacher enough to want them dead… Was that last one a bit much?"

Baek Suryong's voice trailed off. He hadn't confided in Namgung Su because he wanted an answer. It was just words rambled out of frustration.

"……" Namgung Su, however, listened with a serious expression.

Baek Suryong waved his hand dismissively. "I was just spouting nonsense. Don't take it too seriously."

"If it were me, I would teach them again."

"What?"

"If a student went down the wrong path because of my mistake, I have to take responsibility as a teacher. That means I have to correct my mistake and teach them the right thing."

"What if that's impossible?"

Baek Suryong's eyes darkened. The Blood Cult had subjected those children to all manner of brainwashing, sorcery, and even surgery, for they were children who would learn the most powerful martial arts in the world. Beings who would be an enormous threat to the cult if they ever betrayed them.

That's why they stripped the children of their emotions, instilling in them only loyalty to the Blood Cult. They also made them incapable of teaching their martial arts to others, crippling their own martial arts, or committing suicide.

They were sealed and controlled by countless methods, not all of which Baek Suryong was familiar with even.

Can I teach them again?

It was impossible. None of the teaching methods he knew would work, and most importantly, there was no way those kids would accept him as their teacher again.

Namgung Su snorted. "Before you say its impossible… Have you even tried?"

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"……"

"Strange. The Baek Suryong I know isn't the type to talk like that."

"Easier said than done…"

"Baek Suryong." Namgung Su cut Baek Suryong off firmly. In the darkness, his golden eyes blazed like fire. "Did you think becoming a Star Instructor was easy? I don't know what trouble you caused, but if you made a mistake, then take responsibility for it."

"……"

"If you need counseling, just say so. As your senior, I can at least offer you some advice."

"Heheh…" Baek Suryong's shoulders shook as he laughed. He hadn't found the answer in Namgung Su's words, but talking about it had cleared his head a little. "You're right. A teacher has to take responsibility for their students. One way or another…"

The answer might be surprisingly simple.

I just have to take responsibility for the mistakes I committed in the past. To do that…

"I guess that first, I have to meet them again."

He would meet his former trainees.

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He still had no idea what he would say when they met, or what he should do, but still, he would meet them.

He absolutely had to meet them.

Now that he had steeled his resolve, the trembling in his hands subsided a little.

Translator's Note: Right in the kokoro!