Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Returning to the Divine Martial Academy (3)
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Still, the separation between male and female students was strict, so after lurking for about two hours, he was finally able to slip into the young ladies' path.
'Seeing her again feels like a dream.'
The image of her growing cold in his arms was still vivid, but watching her laugh and chat so lively made his heart feel warm.
'It's a shame there's an intruder tagging along.'
The only problem was, as always, that a useless creature was stuck to his side.
"Seo Ok-rang."
Watching the girl chatter away, Chu Un-hwi cracked his knuckles.
"Should I flick some wind at her to knock her out?"
But with just the two of them, it might feel off somehow.
As he pondered awkwardly, his sharp hearing picked up their conversation.
"Hyang-ah. How about spending this year's year-end festival together too?"
"Well... this year might be a bit."
"What? You're always free, but this year you have prior plans?"
Seo Ok-rang's eyes narrowed.
"No way... a guy?"
"N-no, it's not like that."
Jin Seol-hyang shook her head bashfully, but Seo Ok-rang's eyes curved into even thinner half-moons.
"It really is a guy. I can tell from how you're reacting, Hyang-ah."
"I said it's not!"
"Who is it? Tell just me. I'll keep it secret."
"You'd run off and blab it everywhere the second you hear."
"Wow, it is a guy."
Caught by the leading questions, Jin Seol-hyang started panicking visibly. Meanwhile, Seo Ok-rang, having found prime prey, sank her teeth into the scruff of her neck and shook mercilessly.
"Who is it? Yang Sobyeong? Geum Sobyeong? The one you've been talking to lately... Cheon Sobyeong?"
"Ah, I said no!"
Her face flushed red as she cutely tapped Seo Ok-rang's shoulder with her small hand—a truly beautiful sight.
"Yang Sobyeong. Geum Sobyeong. Cheon Sobyeong?"
Chu Un-hwi began mentally compiling a kill list with a heavy heart.
'I'll wipe out every bastard in the academy with the surnames Yang, Geum, or Cheon.'
As visions of bloodshed filled his mind, a fortunate conversation drifted over.
"Just... I was thinking of working at a street stall or something."
"Really? You're not ditching me to have fun alone, right?"
"No. I've had a lot of expenses lately, so I thought I'd earn some daily wages."
"Tch. What a shame."
Seo Ok-rang seemed to know Jin Seol-hyang's situation and didn't pry further.
"I was counting on you alone, but no dice. Guess I'll have to mess with Il Pyo instead."
"What about you? Things going well with Il Sobyeong?"
"What's there to go well? He's always free and comes running whenever I call. I just see him because it's convenient."
'Sorry, Il Pyo.'
It seemed the object of your affections saw you as little more than an obedient pet dog.
As he dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve, the two approaching women spotted him and stopped.
"Huh? Instructor! You're back?"
Seo Ok-rang sauntered over, hips swaying, still as brazen as ever.
"Gimme a present."
'Should I smack her one first and then bury her?'
The temptation hit hard, but with the gentle, intellectual older sister type behind her, he just smiled maturely.
'But I do have to give her the present.'
With Seo Ok-rang butting in, he had no idea how to proceed.
"Hello, Instructor."
"Ah. Hello."
As he tried to return Jin Seol-hyang's slight bow.
Whoosh!
The useless creature barged into his view.
"By the way, Instructor. What's the deal with Baek Ri-seol?"
"...What?"
"And why's Un doing that?"
"......"
Caught off guard by the sudden interrogation, he couldn't respond.
"It's fine, Rang-ah."
Jin Seol-hyang brushed past, shaking Seo Ok-rang's shoulder.
"Well then. See you later."
Chu Un-hwi panicked at how she barely acknowledged him, just bowed cautiously, and slipped away without a word.
"Hyang-ah? Uh, Instructor. Let's talk later."
Watching Seo Ok-rang chase after Jin Seol-hyang, Chu Un-hwi stood with hands behind his back, staring into space and clicking his tongue.
"Un Ho-seung, you dog..."
Returning after fighting countless bloody battles for the jianghu.
To think he'd prepared such a massive disaster in the meantime.
His nape throbbed.
"Couldn't even give her the present."
Fiddling with the carefully chosen necklace, Chu Un-hwi swallowed his tears.
Winter had begun to overflow before long.
Even the students, who usually wore light clothes, pulled out their winter padded garments and focused on classes.
Daily life flowed steadily, and the promotion exam day passed.
On a day nearing the end of the year.
"It's all thanks to the Instructor!"
Un Ho-seung, who had won three consecutive matches, secured his promotion and was overjoyed, practically bouncing.
"Maybe it's from the valley training? Not clashing with their power, just deflecting it properly—it made them easy to handle."
"Is that so?"
The gains from the valley training must have created an overwhelming gap against students who couldn't even control their own strength.
"It's real promotion. Oh, right. You got promoted too, Instructor? Congrats. Looking forward to working with you more."
He was a guy he'd raised with difficulty.
Having put in the effort based on the promise to help with promotion, it should be fine now.
"Un Ho-seung."
"Yeah? Why's your voice like that?"
"You passed the student promotion, so you're heading to Gold Hall now?"
"Yep. Haha. Told my future students to treat me well. After all, I'm a prodigy heading to Gold Hall."
"If you go to Gold Hall, we won't run into each other anymore?"
"Huh? Yeah."
Even as realization dawned on his face, Un Ho-seung remained steadfast.
"Then I'll just get promoted again. Let's meet in Gold Hall."
"Hey, you punk."
He'd kept the promise to get him passed; he owed this guy nothing more.
Thwack!
Without warning, he threw a punch, sending Un Ho-seung sprawling with a bloody nose.
"What the—Instructor? Why hit me?"
"You want me to climb all the way to Gold Hall just to keep teaching you?"
Thud thud.
Kicking the fallen guy, he shouted.
"You have no idea how much your antics messed up my plans."
"Ow! Ow! Instructor, it hurts! It hurts!"
"That's why I'm kicking you."
Stomping mercilessly with his toes, Un Ho-seung went limp.
"Who else sneaks into the girls' dorms?"
The terrified enemy family twins and Dang Gan hesitated and backed away.
"Instructor, well, you see..."
"It was all Ho-seung who started it."
Even as the enemy family twins tripped and got kicked into silence, the dumbfounded Dang Gan timidly raised his hand.
"I failed, though?"
"What do you want me to do about it, kid?"
In the end, after thoroughly stomping all four, Chu Un-hwi strode off proudly.
It was the end for those who meddled in others' love lives.
Next came the assistant instructors' promotion exams.
"Nangong Yun-ho here. Nice to spar with you."
Having already proven his skills in Silver Hall, there was no way he'd be held back by mere Bronze Hall students.
"My defeat."
As expected, he racked up consecutive victories, securing promotion swiftly.
"I forfeit the spar."
Some even forfeited outright, so no long waits.
"The students you taught are all impressive."
"Tell me about it. What's your secret?"
Fellow instructors from Bronze Hall, back for the exams, all asked the same.
To which.
"I raised them with love and passion."
His earnest claim got no cheers, leaving him miffed.
"Give us a real answer."
Even Yeo Mae-hong chided him, making him feel even more downcast.
'The jianghu's ways have fallen to the ground.'
Having secured promotion and instructor certification early, the remaining time was spent lounging and rolling around the marshes.
"The year-end vibe makes everything so lax."
Splash!
Chuckling as he cast his long-lost fishing rod again.
"Instructor's lax year-round."
The freak who'd gotten three free wins piped up from the side.
"Can't use it. This instructor is a being brimming with passion and zeal at all times. Don't slander me."
"Didn't Neung Instructor come looking for the missing logs today too?"
"Just make Jegal do it when he comes."
Ignoring him with a hum, Moyong So-hye vented to Baek Ri-seol beside her.
"Sister, can you believe someone like the Instructor got the fastest promotion ever?"
This girl's gotten mouthy.
She'd turned nastier after seeing old Bronze Hall friends weep and forfeit spars.
"It's okay. He's steadily growing as a slacker."
Probably Baek Ri-seol's influence.
'Gotta choose friends carefully.'
Recalling Seo Ok-rang by her side, he sank into worry when Baek Ri-seol toddled over and leaned on his shoulder.
"Instructor. Instructor."
"What."
"On the last night of the year-end festival, after work, let's watch fireworks together."
"Instructor's busy."
"You can't open a stall anyway, so give up and play with me."
"Can't open a stall? You're underestimating this instructor too much."
He was deep in thought devising novel stall ideas.
'Well, they all get shot down at the Dokgo rate level.'
Seemed they didn't match the Divine Martial Academy rookies' tastes; he kept striking out.
"I tasked Jegal, so he'll handle it well."
"Tormenting big brother Jegal again?"
"Not tormenting. Giving him a chance to use his talents."
"Tch. If he could just speak properly."
Grinning at Baek Ri-seol's duck lips, he adjusted his line when he sensed movement at the entrance.
Rustle. Rustle.
'Jegal Tan?'
The guy he could boss around? But the aura felt slightly off.
Sure enough, the figure who appeared was completely unexpected.
"Instructor Chu. You here?"
Turning his head, there stood an old man in rags, hands behind his back.
"Beggar Elder."
"Baek Ri-seol greets the Elder!"
At the sudden arrival of a jianghu heavyweight, the two clasped hands in salute, but the Beggar Elder waved it off with a laugh.
"Haha. No need for formalities. I'm just dropping by secretly today."
Smiling like a kindly neighborhood grandpa as he turned this way, Chu Un-hwi nodded subtly.
'Figured he'd show up around now.'
Leading him deeper into the marsh, the Elder bantered.
"Meeting and talking like this in the academy feels new."
"Seems so."
"Sichuan poison marsh, eh. Familiar spot. When I went to Sichuan, I used to play here with that Dang family kid."
"Is that right?"
Humoring him absently, the Beggar Elder scratched his chin, reminiscing.
"You'd be shocked too. There's a place there identical to this. Except they have real animal carcasses in the marsh. Guess they couldn't put actual bodies in a training ground."
He halted, who always spouted similar impressions to Neung Pung-un.
"Got sidetracked."
Lowering his voice, he clasped hands formally and spoke.
"First off, thanks. Thanks to you, I handled the mission smoothly."
The Beggar Elder's mission was preventing the Iron Chain Alliance from getting the cult leader's ultimate arts.
'The cult leader's dead, so success.'
Well, half a success, precisely.
"Though an unexpected someone killed the cult leader and handed the manual to the Iron Chain Alliance—unavoidable."
"Something like that happened?"
"Heard a great master appeared in Fujian Province. You didn't hear?"
"I was busy hunting the Black and White Twins, so I didn't check the news."
"Makes sense. You did quite the tough job."
Chuckling heartily, the Beggar Elder lowered his voice again.
"Anyway, thanks to you, we got major cooperation from the Iron Chain Alliance."
"Cooperation... you say?"
"Seeing the cult leader's divine statue, even their leader couldn't sit idle. They secretly offered to aid the Alliance. Can't announce it, though."
The Murim Alliance, loathed by many unorthodox for being righteous, couldn't openly ally.
'The Alliance's stubbornness was always an issue.'
Just like the Alliance trying to face Heaven's Fall alone out of pride, the Iron Chain Alliance's decision was equally surprising.
'The Iron Chain Alliance, who watched and weighed gains till the end, offering cooperation. Quite the twist.'
The little butterfly effect he'd caused was rippling through both righteous and unorthodox sides dividing the jianghu.
"All thanks to you."
"You're too kind. Luck helped too."
"True, luck aligned perfectly."
As he smiled affably and Chu Un-hwi prepared to nod along.
"So, who exactly are you?"