Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 75
>Chapter Title: Seniors (4)
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Right after Il-mok finished his report with a serious expression.
“…….”
Silence inevitably blanketed the office.
Even in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which revered martial arts, and in the Demonic Path Academy where only talents gathered, this was an unprecedented incident.
A situation where a junior tattled to the instructor that his seniors were bullying him.
Even Instructor Chu Il-hwan, who always smiled playfully, now wore a dazed look like a broken man.
And before long.
“W-What do you mean by that, junior!”
“W-We bullied you?!”
“W-We came to request you observe our sparring, didn’t we?”
“Cadet Il-mok! Are you tricking us right now?!”
A storm brewed from the seniors as they snapped out of their panic.
In response to their cries of injustice, Il-mok forcibly widened his eyes until they were bloodshot and shouted.
“Is it truly right for so many of you to swarm in all at once and force a fight on me? I’m not even from the same cohort—I’m a junior. No matter who looks at it, isn’t this bullying rather than a proper sparring match?”
Thanks to keeping his eyes wide without blinking, a single tear even trickled down by the end.
“No matter how much our Divine Cult reveres martial arts, it’s to punish evildoers. Is ganging up on a lone weakling truly in line with the Cult’s doctrines?”
Faced with the piercing cry of a school violence victim, the perpetrators couldn’t even open their mouths.
They knew something was off, but the seniors had no idea how to put it into words.
At that moment, unexpectedly, the bluntly straightforward Mak Ho-yeol belatedly realized something and shouted.
“Weakling? Didn’t you beat me yesterday, junior?!”
Only then did Baek Cheon catch the contradiction and jump in to help.
“Indeed. It might be right to say the many oppressed the few, but Cadet Il-mok is clearly no weakling.”
Il-mok nearly clicked his tongue without thinking but barely managed his expression.
‘They won’t fall for it easily.’
Still, he held the moral high ground.
“Compared to seniors, isn’t a junior inevitably the weaker party? And the fact that the many oppressed me remains unchanged.”
At Il-mok’s point, the dozen or so seniors all shouted at once, every one of them.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
“It’s a misunderstanding!”
“We had no intention of fighting you all at once!”
As shouts erupted from all directions, Chu Il-hwan—uncharacteristically solemn—stood up and spoke.
“Enough. Any cadet who makes more noise will face severe punishment.”
With the instructor stepping in, all the cadets sullenly shut their mouths.
As the office fell quiet, Instructor Chu Il-hwan swept his gaze over the intruders and said.
“I understand why you came to see me. However, this issue isn’t for me to decide alone. We’ll discuss it with the other instructors and reach a decision, so return for now.”
The moment his eyes met Il-mok’s at the end, Chu Il-hwan flashed a mischievous grin.
‘What’s he planning?’
Il-mok felt an inexplicable chill raise the hairs on his skin.
* * *
That night, a meeting convened in the Demonic Path Academy’s Academy Lord Hall.
Naturally, the one seated at the head was Academy Master Yeom Ga-hwi.
In the next seat sat the Academy Vice Master, the famed wielder of the Ice Demon Blade, Yu Geuk, with a frosty expression.
The seat opposite Yu Geuk was empty, with Chu Il-hwan beside him and a female instructor opposite Chu Il-hwan.
Chu Il-hwan was the chief instructor for the current new cadets, while the female instructor seated across from him was the chief for the upper-year instructors.
“Instructor Chu.”
“Yes, Academy Master.”
“Begin.”
At Academy Master Yeom Ga-hwi’s command, Chu Il-hwan roughly explained the day’s events.
It was Chu Il-hwan who had specifically requested this gathering.
And the moment Chu Il-hwan finished, Yeom Ga-hwi furrowed his brow and said.
“Indeed, it’s an unprecedented case.”
“Yes, Academy Master.”
Bickering between seniors and juniors did occasionally arise in the Academy. But this was different.
There had never been a case where a junior tattled that seniors were bullying him, nor had seniors ever swarmed en masse to request a sparring match.
A year’s difference created a vast gap among those cultivating demonic arts.
If a senior and junior clashed, ninety-nine out of a hundred times, the senior won. Thus, seniors rarely picked fights with juniors in the first place.
As talents of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that revered martial prowess, they were interested in battling the strong, not the weak.
At that moment.
Yu Geuk, who had quietly listened to Chu Il-hwan’s explanation and gathered his thoughts, fixed a cold gaze on him.
“But in principle, you could simply refuse to observe the sparring or ban the seniors from approaching the Black Dragon Hall. Holding this meeting to discuss it means you have a separate solution in mind, doesn’t it, Instructor Chu?”
Faced with the Vice Master’s sharp probe into his intentions, Chu Il-hwan masked his expression with his usual playful grin brimming with mischief.
“Yes. I have one plan in mind, but it requires the Academy Master’s and Instructor Cha’s approval as well, so I arranged this meeting, Vice Master.”
At Chu Il-hwan’s response, the female instructor across from him—Cha Eun-young—stiffened.
“My approval? What pointless scheme are you cooking up now?”
To her sharp jab, Chu Il-hwan grinned slyly.
“Pointless? It’ll be a huge help to the cadets. Hahaha.”
As Chu Il-hwan and Cha Eun-young began a battle of wills, the Academy Master spoke.
“Remember this is official time. Instructor Chu.”
“…My apologies, Academy Master.”
Surprisingly, Chu Il-hwan showed utmost respect toward the Academy Master.
With Yeom Ga-hwi’s intervention deflating the tension, Instructor Cha Eun-young snorted with a ‘hmph’ and said.
“So, what’s this plan you’ve cooked up?”
“Simple. Hold a sparring tournament between the new cadets under my charge and the existing ones under Instructor Cha. A sort of martial exchange event to foster bonds between seniors and juniors.”
It was a sparring tournament unlike any held before.
The reason was straightforward: the gap between cohorts made it meaningless.
Naturally, Instructor Cha Eun-young raised that very point, but Chu Il-hwan replied in his sly tone.
“Well, wouldn’t it still be helpful to the juniors in many ways? And if we make it regular, next year, this cohort can pass on teachings to their juniors. Plus, it’ll stimulate the seniors too.”
“Stimulate?”
As Instructor Cha Eun-young tilted her head, Vice Master Yu Geuk spoke.
“You mean that youngest young master?”
“Exactly. If they realize they’re being chased—or even overtaken—by a junior a year below, won’t they work even harder?”
Yeom Ga-hwi, who had quietly listened, nodded as if it wasn’t a bad idea.
* * *
The next morning.
Instructor Chu Il-hwan’s martial arts class time, same as always.
But for some reason, instead of diving straight into the lesson, he announced he had something to tell them.
“In five days, an official sparring tournament will be held between you and the upper-year cadets. It’s a chance to exchange moves with the seniors who entered the Academy before you, so it’ll greatly aid your growth. This is all thanks to Cadet Il-mok, so show your gratitude with applause.”
The moment Instructor Chu Il-hwan finished, Class A cadets all turned to Il-mok and clapped in unison.
‘Damn it. So that’s why he smiled.’
Il-mok sighed, finally identifying the source of his unease from the end.
At that moment, Dokgo Pae shot his hand up and posed a question to Instructor Chu Il-hwan.
“Instructor! What are the sparring tournament rules? Do we have to avoid injuring them like in the last exam?”
“Hahaha. No need to worry about that. The ones who should worry aren’t you—it’s the seniors.”
Everyone easily grasped Chu Il-hwan’s meaning.
With the skill gap, even if you give your all, it’ll be hard to injure a senior.
Some accepted it as obvious, but Dokgo Pae and Bang Mi-hwa looked offended, their pride stung.
“Also, the Academy Master, Vice Master, and all instructors will observe, so severe injuries won’t easily occur.”
The moment Chu Il-hwan finished, Il-mok raised his hand.
More important than injuries was the crucial issue.
“How will sparring opponents be selected?”
This tournament stemmed from yesterday’s incident. That mad instructor might order him to face those dozen seniors in sequence.
To Il-mok’s question, Chu Il-hwan grinned mischievously and answered.
“It’ll be one-on-one, with opponents assigned based on each cadet’s grades. And each cadet will spar only once.”
Il-mok inwardly sighed in relief, careful not to show it.
‘Just one spar. Like with the assistant instructor last time, fight moderately and lose.’
At that moment, Instructor Chu Il-hwan’s voice snapped Il-mok back to reality.
“Over the past month, and through the exam a few days ago, I know your skills very well. So remember: if you pull any ‘funny business’ during sparring, or ‘go easy’ and lose, you’ll have a ‘special interview’ with me.”
He particularly emphasized ‘funny business,’ ‘go easy,’ and ‘special interview.’
“Hahaha. What do you mean, Instructor? How could a warrior of the Divine Cult ever fight half-heartedly.”
“We’ll gain enlightenment through sparring with our seniors!”
Amid Class A cadets shouting with fervent resolve, as if it were absurd.
‘Screwed.’
Il-mok alone wore a crumpled expression.
A special interview with that indigo-clad instructor— just imagining it sent shivers down his spine.
Seeing the youngest young master fail to mask his expression this time, Chu Il-hwan’s smile grew even happier.
‘Heh heh heh. This’ll be quite the spectacle.’
He’d get to see the true skills of that youngest young master who kept hiding his power, and on top of that.
‘Heh heh heh. I can utterly wreck Cha Eun-young’s face!’
If cadets he’d taught for over a year got smashed by newbies, her eyes would surely pop out.
Chu Il-hwan was certain. Others aside, Il-mok would beat upper-year cadets—as long as he didn’t hide his strength.
“And finally, this sparring tournament comes with one reward.”
“A reward?”
When Dokgo Pae asked back, Chu Il-hwan nodded.
“Indeed. With the Academy Master and Vice Master observing too, any cadet who shows standout performance will get an extra chance for personal instruction from the Academy Master or Vice Master.”
At Chu Il-hwan’s explanation, the cadets’ eyes sparkled. Academy Master Yeom Ga-hwi was one of the top experts in the Academy, and while Vice Master Yu Geuk might fall short, to cadets, he was a heavenly master.
At that moment, Choi Woong muttered sullenly.
“Then that reward goes to the seniors anyway, right?”
It was a reasonable gripe, but Chu Il-hwan just grinned playfully.
“No worries. The Academy Master and Vice Master are both excellent. Instruction goes not by victory or defeat, but by true ‘performance.’ If you shine beyond your age, you’ll stand out plenty.”
* * *
Right after the martial exchange event was announced.
The Academy’s atmosphere heated up like a furnace.
New cadets had no choice but to train desperately to pose even a slight threat to their seniors.
Conversely, the second-years should have been relaxed, but no such vibe existed.
It wasn’t because of Il-mok.
“I don’t even imagine defeat. But if even one of you falls into peril, I swear on my name as instructor—I won’t let it slide.”
Thanks to Chief Instructor Cha Eun-young spewing ghostly fury as she drilled them relentlessly, they too gritted their teeth and threw themselves into training.
On top of that, whether first- or second-years, all burned with the desire to catch the Academy Master or Vice Master’s eye for personal instruction.
In that molten-hot atmosphere, time flew by like an arrow.
The morning of the sparring tournament arrived.