Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: New Instructor at Divine Martial Academy (3)
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I had a dream.
It was a horrific dream.
Beneath a sky stained blood-red, a massive mountain rose up.
A mountain of corpses, scattered with broken and severed limbs.
At its base flowed a river of blood, black and rotting.
Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
A mountain of bodies and a river of blood.
At its peak stood only two people.
No, soon it would be just one.
The woman, gasping her final breaths, would soon draw her last.
The man, clad in crimson armor soaked in blood, held her atop the mountain of corpses and spoke.
"Why did you save me?"
The woman made no reply.
After much labored breathing, she finally moved her lips.
"Finally... you... look at me..."
"I'll ask again. Why did you save me?"
The man was truly curious.
And rightly so.
This woman was his sworn enemy.
Their duel was meant to end here.
With his death as the finale.
Those he trusted as subordinates had stabbed him in the back, and even more enemies had swarmed him.
The outcome had changed because of this woman he saw as his mortal foe.
Had she not guarded his back and thrown away her life to shield him, there would be no mountain of corpses here—only his own body.
"Answer me. Why did you let me live?!"
But the man felt not gratitude, but doubt.
He was supposed to die here.
No, he wanted to die.
With even those he'd devoted his life to protecting turning against him, there was no reason left to live in the martial world.
He just wished to gaze at the ashen sky with hollow eyes, like the rest, and die.
Until just moments ago.
"Why the hell did you save me?!"
The man roared like a wounded beast.
Woooong...
Waves of despairing energy rippled outward in concentric circles. The surrounding grass bowed flat in unison.
Only then did she react.
Slap.
She struck his cheek with her pale, bloodless hand.
"Don't cry..."
As her cold fingers brushed his eyes, the man realized it.
He was crying.
"I'm... crying?"
Hot tears streamed from eyes he'd thought long dried up.
Did he still have tears left?
His fingers touched his cheek lightly where hers had grazed.
"You weren't wrong."
"I... I'm..."
"It was just a bad dream. A terribly painful one."
"No. Breathe. Keep breathing!"
"But if our time together had even a shred of worth..."
The woman forced a smile.
Then poured her final breath into words.
"Find me again... at the end of this nightmare."
Thud thud thud thud.
The mountain of corpses began to rumble.
Beyond the black earth, countless banners rose amid clouds of pale dust.
"Raaargh!"
Seeing the massive blood-red banner, the man bellowed.
"Mangcheon Society! I won't let you get away with this!"
"Argh! You fucking bastards!"
Crack!
Chu Un-hwi jolted awake in surprise.
In his sleep, he'd lashed out with his foot, and his right one was now jammed into the wall.
'Ow. My bad.'
He'd been enjoying a rare deep sleep, only to dream of the old nightmare.
And even sleep-talked.
Crunch.
Pulling his foot free dislodged chunks of plank.
"Gasp. What the hell?"
He flinched and stuck to the wall.
Then he spotted her through the hole—a woman from next door, frozen stiff, staring right at him.
She'd been tightly wrapping bandages around her chest when the sudden incident froze her solid.
Chu Un-hwi raised a hand toward her gaping, stunned face.
"Uh. Nice morning, huh?"
"Uh... uh..."
"Great weather too."
"Kyaaah!"
A scream echoed through the Bronze Hall instructors' quarters.
As expected.
No sooner had he arrived at Bronze Hall than the reprimand came.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Bronze Hall Master Chung-hyun bellowed, face flushed red.
"Punching a hole in the wall on your first day? Are you insane?"
"Well... the wall was too flimsy."
"Even at full force, it shouldn't give like that!"
Chung-hyun fumed.
But Chu Un-hwi had his say.
"What can I do if it's really that weak? Shoddy construction, huh? Heh!"
"Shut it!"
He tilted his head cutely and winked, but it only stoked the fire.
Guess you shouldn't do things you normally wouldn't.
Chung-hyun snatched a paper from the side and scribbled something.
"What's that?"
"What else? The compensation you'll pay."
"That's a lot."
"You think damaging Murim Alliance property is pocket change?"
"What, did they paint the wood with gold? Looked rotten to me."
"The wood you smashed is ironwood from the southern wilds! You think we built with cheap backyard scraps?"
Ironwood? For real?
Chu Un-hwi meekly accepted the bill and paled.
"Gasp... Thirty silver taels?"
Three months' salary.
His face soured instantly.
But Chung-hyun spoke magnanimously.
"Thirty's a bargain. Just the material cost. I'd make you cover repairs too, but I'll let it slide since it's your first time!"
Under Chung-hyun's fierce glare, Chu Un-hwi sighed deeply.
'Damn. Can't start in the red already.'
He wasn't short on cash, but watching his first honest earnings vanish twisted his gut.
"Do it again, and I won't hold back."
Chu Un-hwi deflated under Chung-hyun's bulging eyes.
Still moping with the notice in hand, shoulders slumped, someone approached.
"S-sorry. My fault for causing a scene."
It was the female instructor from next door.
She was in her early twenties, with a bright, pretty face.
Chu Un-hwi glanced downward briefly and thought.
'Bandages hold pretty firm, huh.'
Unaware of his gaze, she apologized with worry filling her big eyes.
Chu Un-hwi replied with dead-fish eyes.
"Sorry fixes it?"
"I-I'll pay too."
"All of it?"
"A-all is tough, but half... we could split."
At her shrinking voice,
Chu Un-hwi chuckled.
'Soft-hearted, really.'
She was the one who'd screamed at dawn after he broke the wall. The victim.
Yet offering to compensate.
How'd someone this soft become a martial artist?
"It's fine. My mess, I'll handle it."
"R-really?"
Her face lit up like a good-natured pup.
'Face like a puppy too.'
Chu Un-hwi pondered briefly, then scowled.
"By the way, no separate quarters for men and women? Sharing rooms?"
"'Cause it's Bronze Hall."
"Others different?"
"Silver Hall separates by floor, Gold Hall has whole separate wings, Divine Hall instructors get private annexes."
Bronze Hall really was shit hall; the discrimination was real.
Strength rules the world, but this was too much.
Damn meritocracy.
"Oh, late intro. Chu Un-hwi."
"Yeo Mae-hong. Nice to meet you."
As they clasped hands, Yeom Gwang and some instructors approached.
"Instructor Yeo. Think twice about hanging with that guy."
"Heh heh."
Yeom Gwang said with sly eyes.
"Happens sometimes. Losers causing scenes for attention."
"Wall was weak."
"Heh. Ironwood tough as steel is weak? Joke's too much."
Yeom Gwang dismissed it and sidled up to Yeo Mae-hong, arm around her neck.
"Ignore him. Wanna grab a bite? Some daytime drinks to bond."
"I'm good."
"Don't be stiff. Just wanna get close."
"On duty now."
"Tch. Birds of a feather flock. Hanging with a nobody drops your class—why not see it?"
Yeom Gwang's slimy gaze licked over her chest.
Yeo Mae-hong straightened slightly and replied formally.
"Really, I'm fine."
"Well, if you say so. I don't push."
Yeom Gwang stepped back, shrugged at the group.
"Heading for drinks. Who's in?"
The nearby instructors perked up.
"Haha. Squad Leader treating?"
"Morning party's on!"
"Heh. Mind if I join?"
Surrounded by them like a screen, Yeom Gwang boasted.
"Hey, nobody. Watch yourself from now on."
Chu Un-hwi watched them troop out.
"Drinking this early?"
"Happens. Bronze Hall students lack zeal for martial arts, so group training's often skipped."
"Total mess."
"Real enthusiasts learn family arts or hire outside masters. Private lessons too."
"Then why join the academy?"
"Best place to build connections."
"Total mess."
He'd heard rumors, but the gap was huge.
"Way different from the hype. Cradle of the righteous way's all rotten."
"Bronze Hall especially."
"Gonna take ages to get this place. Wanna chat over food?"
"Your treat, Instructor Chu? Sure. Cafeteria's free but tastes off."
Chu Un-hwi shot back quick.
"I'll buy at the cafeteria."
"No, it's free. That's why they call it feed..."
"My treat. To the cafeteria."
Yeo Mae-hong giggled at his brisk lead.
'Fun guy?'
Bronze Hall instructors were mostly arrogant.
Many exaggerated feats to stand out, postured for superiority.
This new one was refreshingly different.
'Pretty upbeat.'
Messy hair hid his face, words unpredictable, but one thing clear.
Nothing like the others.
Suddenly, stuffy Bronze Hall life felt brighter.
Maybe that's why?
"Wait up!"
Her following steps were unusually light.