Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 127
>Chapter Title: Man of Demonic Nature (2)
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The trio already knew all too well that Il-mok loved slacking off, thanks to the months they'd spent living under the same tent.
But even so, shouldn't he hold back when the instructor was glaring at him like he wanted to kill him?
At this point, it was outright provocation.
Perhaps sensing the trio trembling in fear.
In the end, Ma Do-yeong couldn't hold back and spoke first.
"Il-mok, cadet."
"Yes, Instructor."
At Ma Do-yeong's call, Il-mok dropped the arm he'd been lazily swinging his sword with and replied with an innocent face.
A face that had no idea why he'd been called.
Ma Do-yeong, with a vein bulging even more on his forehead, said.
"We're in martial arts training time right now, aren't we?"
"I know, Instructor."
"...What you were doing doesn't look like martial arts practice no matter how I see it. It looks more like some nursery rhyme dance for babies."
Ma Do-yeong couldn't comprehend it.
Why 'that person' was so desperate to not kill this lazy, pathetic guy.
Why the ones who'd targeted the youngest young master before couldn't even clean up this dimwitted fool, leading to this mess.
To Ma Do-yeong's question, with veins popping on his forehead, the pathetic fool replied with a bright face.
"It's a misunderstanding, Instructor."
"Misunderstanding?"
"Yes, Instructor. I was just performing the techniques as slowly and weakly as possible to correct my form. Haha. As they say, basics are everything, right?"
Such a training method did exist. But.
'It's about performing slowly and precisely to correct form, not flopping around like you!!'
At the smooth-talking youngest young master's nonsense, Ma Do-yeong almost yelled without realizing it.
Setting aside target and assassin, at this point, even as instructor and cadet, it was beyond tolerable.
"I never imagined you had such grand intentions. In that case, it seems this instructor needs to step in for Il-mok cadet's achievement."
With that, Ma Do-yeong drew his weapon.
"I'll personally guide you in a spar. You lot, step back for a moment."
At the instructor's order, the trio, who'd been watching nervously, quickly withdrew like it was their chance.
With the sudden spar between instructor and cadet, the gazes of the entire A-class cadets naturally turned there.
Receiving everyone's attention, Il-mok thought.
'Why is this crazy instructor so desperate to eat me alive?'
Even Chu Il-hwan, tormented by murderous impulses in the past, hadn't grilled him like this.
Unaware that Chu Il-hwan had known but let it slide because it amused him, Il-mok couldn't understand Ma Do-yeong's behavior.
"Come at me first."
Il-mok felt suspicion at Ma Do-yeong's stern tone, sword drawn.
'As I thought! This bastard really seems like a subordinate?'
Of course, it was just suspicion for now, so reporting to the Demonic Path Academy Leader was iffy.
On top of that, Il-mok had internal enemies too.
'If I clash with the instructor now, I'll rampage like in the last exam? No way! Is he trying to induce my rampage and then claim he accidentally killed me while stopping it?'
As Il-mok stood lost in thought, Ma Do-yeong finally couldn't hold back and shouted.
"If you're not coming, I'll go first!"
As Ma Do-yeong charged after his declaration. In the moment of life-or-death crisis, Il-mok's mind raced.
Swaaaa!
Ma Do-yeong's sword, laden with fierce energy, flew to bisect Il-mok, who swiftly swung his own.
And the moment the two swords clashed.
Clang!!
"Urk."
Il-mok let out a faint groan and stepped back, his right arm—which had met the sword—flung high upward. And even.
Pangrrrng.
Tick.
The sword in Il-mok's hand flew off, rolling on the ground.
Dropping one's sword was, for a swordsman, an act of utter shame.
"That was truly a mysterious technique, Instructor. Thanks to you, my eyes have been opened today."
After losing his sword in one exchange and admitting defeat with a cupped-fist salute, Ma Do-yeong's face flushed even redder.
"Are you toying with me right now?"
"What do you mean, Instructor?"
"You think I don't know you deliberately dropped it!"
"Misunderstanding, Instructor. How could a mere cadet like me withstand your full power?"
At Il-mok's slippery reply, Ma Do-yeong's eyes started rolling properly as he shouted.
"Fine! Let's settle this today! Pick up your sword now!"
"It's really a misunderstanding, Instructor."
"You think such lies will work! If you won't pick it up, I'll make you!"
As Ma Do-yeong shouted and charged again. Il-mok yelled a beat faster.
"This is unfair! And unjust treatment! Why is the instructor only sparring with me out of all these ten-odd cadets!"
It was Il-mok's shout, having predicted this from the start, and as expected, one dumb fish bit the bait right away.
"You're right, Instructor! Giving special treatment only to Il-mok cadet! Give me a chance too!"
The fish obsessed with spars and training. Dokgo Pae.
* * *
Starting with Dokgo Pae, then Bang Mi-hwa, and ending with spars against every A-class cadet, the martial arts training time ended pointlessly.
In the end, Ma Do-yeong couldn't vent on Il-mok and had to finish the session.
And about an hour later. Around lunchtime.
At the deputy branch leader's summons, Ma Do-yeong headed to the deputy branch leader's quarters.
"...If you call me this often, won't it catch the Academy Leader's eye?"
When Ma Do-yeong asked with a puzzled face, Yu-geuk wore a strange expression.
"Don't worry, there's justification. More importantly, how's the watch on the youngest young master going?"
Just thinking of Il-mok made veins pop on Ma Do-yeong's forehead, but he forced a relaxed smile and replied.
"Honestly, he's such a pathetic punk that watching him makes me pity him. I can't understand why such a loser hasn't been dealt with yet."
"Pathetic, you say..."
For some reason.
Though Ma Do-yeong's remark could be seen as mocking Yu-geuk's past mission failures, Yu-geuk smiled instead.
An outright sneer.
"Instructor Ma. Do you check mirrors often?"
"Mirrors?"
As Ma Do-yeong asked with a baffled look at the random comment, Yu-geuk replied with his sneer intact.
"I told you to watch the youngest young master, not evaluate yourself."
"...Are you saying I'm pathetic?"
"Oh. At least you have the brains to get that much. Lucky."
"Your words are excessive."
At Ma Do-yeong's reply, the sneer on Yu-geuk's face deepened.
"The youngest young master is pathetic? Then does that mean this pathetic guy has already wielded so much influence in the Divine Cult at his young age? And all the previous instructors who dealt with him said he was exceptional, yet only in your eyes he's pathetic. Guess you have a third eye others don't."
It was the truth.
Every report from instructors was filled with praise for Il-mok's talent and wisdom. The only negative? His fondness for women.
Even the now-dismissed Chu Il-hwan's report was the same. By the time Chu Il-hwan sensed Il-mok's true nature, he was secretly monitoring under the Academy Leader's orders, unable to submit negatives.
"If a cadet who looks like a star pupil to every other instructor acts pathetic only to you, doesn't that seem off? Like he's already suspicious of you, perhaps."
"......"
Ma Do-yeong momentarily turned mute as a clam.
To the silent Ma Do-yeong, Yu-geuk threw out another curveball.
"You said earlier you were worried about drawing the Academy Leader's suspicion?"
"...Yes."
"And do you know why I called you amid that? The rumors have already spread. That you're being toyed with by the cadets."
"!?"
Ma Do-yeong's shocked face, utterly unexpected, made Yu-geuk shake his head beyond sneering.
"In this morning's martial arts training, you got pushed around by Il-mok cadet and the A-class cadets, just like they said?"
"I-it wasn't being pushed around, just..."
"Tsk. In this cramped Demonic Path Academy, how many ears and eyes report your words and actions to me? And you think if I've heard, the Academy Leader hasn't?"
"......"
As Ma Do-yeong shut his mouth again, Yu-geuk clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Sending a guy who can't even handle his instructor duties, let alone target the youngest young master. What is 'that person' thinking?"
Ma Do-yeong couldn't even open his mouth at the humiliating words.
As a new instructor, he was being underestimated.
The difficulty of dealing with kids suffering puberty and martial art side effects.
* * *
Having been thoroughly dressed down by Deputy Branch Leader Yu-geuk, the half-dazed Ma Do-yeong finally rose in the evening.
It was time for club activities.
'I need to get my act together.'
He couldn't afford another such evaluation.
Having steeled himself, Ma Do-yeong arrived at the meditation club's hall, and soon after, Il-mok and the trio entered.
"Please take care of us, Instructor!"
Il-mok greeted with a bright smile and cupped-fist salute as if nothing happened, then plopped down before Ma Do-yeong could reply and began meditating.
No.
"Snore. Zzzzz."
He started snoring loudly in an instant.
At Il-mok openly sleeping, veins bulged on Ma Do-yeong's forehead again.
'Right. You're practically begging to be killed.'
Of course, killing him outright now would tank his evaluation even if the mission succeeded.
But.
'Right. Before killing him, I was told to act the instructor part without raising suspicion first.'
He needed to behave like an instructor.
"Il-mok cadet."
Ma Do-yeong's voice, not fully composed, carried faint killing intent.
But to Il-mok, exposed to the Heavenly Demon's intent multiple times, such faint killing aura meant nothing.
Instead, those panicking were others.
'Please!'
'Wake up, Young Master Il-mok!!'
'Save us!'
The trio, trembling while pretending to meditate with eyes shut, gauging the mood.
When Il-mok didn't wake, Ma Do-yeong bellowed with internal energy.
"Il-mok cadet!!"
At the harsh shout, Il-mok finally snapped his eyes open and looked at Ma Do-yeong with sleepy eyes.
"Wh-what is it, Instructor?"
"Il-mok cadet. This is meditation time, not nap time."
At the remark, Il-mok wiped drool from his lips and chin with his hand and replied.
"Hahaha. Nap? I was meditating, Instructor."
At the slippery answer, Ma Do-yeong squeezed his eyes shut.
'Heavenly Demon.'
He felt like he'd truly rampage into demonic deviation at this rate.
After that, the power struggle between assassin and target—instructor and cadet—continued.
"Il-mok cadet."
"I'm not sleeping, Instructor."
"Wipe the drool from your mouth and chin before lying."
At Ma Do-yeong's point, Il-mok wiped with his hand and replied innocently.
"Hm? Guess I got hungry."
"......"
As Ma Do-yeong deep-breathed to suppress intrusive inner demons popping up.
'From morning, why does he keep poking me?'
Il-mok was getting annoyed too.
It might look like slacking to others, but naps were serious business for him.
Lately, his progress had spiked uselessly, making side effects hard to control.
Stabilizing mind and body with meditation and naps wasn't just an excuse.
Of course, Il-mok would've enjoyed them regardless of martial art side effects, but no need to self-reflect that far.
He just hated this damn instructor preventing sleep.
'Feels like he's really trying to make me rampage...'
As dissatisfaction built, suspicion of Ma Do-yeong naturally deepened. Utterly subjective, screw objectivity.
'The problem is grabbing evidence even that old Demonic Path Academy Leader would accept... Since he's obviously guilty, should I just dig a trap and frame him?'
Il-mok was starting to resemble the delinquent students from modern times who bullied new teachers.