I Opened a Dojo for a Quiet Life
The gate stood there, shabby yet surprisingly sturdy. At its peak hung a signboard that read Baekun Dojo.
“Uwaaagh! Finally…”
Emotion welled up inside me. How long had I waited for this moment? My very own dojo had finally come into being. The suffering of more than a decade had at last drawn to a close.
In my previous life I was a physics graduate student who died from overwork. When I opened my eyes in this martial arts world, I became obsessed with cultivation and spent ten straight years training. It had been nothing but hardship after hardship.
And that wasn’t all. While I trained, strange people kept showing up to harass me. They called me a Martial God and declared they would expose every last bit of my “false fame.” What the hell was that even supposed to mean? When self-proclaimed Sword Saints and Fist Kings challenged me, I gave them just enough attention to send them packing. Thankfully, once I suppressed everyone who came, the visitors gradually dwindled.
Anyway. The hardships of my life were finally over.
When I first awakened in this world I had been in the body of a ten-year-old. Now I had become a full-fledged adult. Even that was relatively quick. Martial arts was a field drowning in vague concepts, yet I had rigorously organized every hazy principle with physics. That was why I had finished so “early.” Without physics it would have taken decades. Just imagining it made me shudder. Thank goodness I had studied physics in my past life.
“Haa… I really worked hard, didn’t I, me?”
Now I wanted to rest. I wanted to rest so badly I was going insane. After everything I’d been through, wasn’t I allowed to rest? I had died from overwork in my previous life and suffered like this in the current one. From now on I would rest intensely. I would hole up in this countryside dojo, laze around, eat, and live out the rest of my days!
“Shall we head inside?”
I opened the gate of Baekun Dojo and stepped through. A fairly large open space suitable for a training ground and a decent-sized building came into view, all of it enclosed by a brick wall.
I first strolled slowly across the central clearing. The ground was paved with stone, though blades of grass poked up between the cracks. This would become the training yard once I accepted disciples.
Next I approached the wooden building on one side. It was a little run-down, but it looked functional. Its size was generous—more than enough to house disciples with room to spare.
Behind the building lay another clearing covered in grass. A single pine tree grew on one side, large enough to cast a wide, inviting shade.
I returned to the training ground and surveyed everything once more. The weeds sprouting here and there, the fine cracks running along the wall—they all showed that the place wasn’t exactly well-maintained. But that didn’t matter much. I could fix it together with my disciples.
Besides, although I called it a dojo, I had no real intention of teaching diligently. I was going to live comfortably and lazily from now on! If disciples grew too strong they would inevitably draw attention, and then I, their master, would be the one who suffered. Therefore I would not raise them too powerfully. I would train them just enough that they wouldn’t embarrass themselves anywhere, then keep them glued to my side. That was my perfect plan for a peaceful remaining life.
“Hehehe…”
The lifestyle I had only dreamed of unfolded inside my head. I would place a chair beneath the pine tree’s shade and spend my days sitting there. My disciples would bring snacks and drinks. I would simply enjoy them in comfort.
“Kyaa. This is the life.”
Perfect. It was a truly perfect existence, and that life was now just around the corner.
Only one thing remained: disciples.
Of course, I didn’t want disciples who would only learn martial arts. I wanted ones who would also handle chores—laundry, cleaning, the works. In exchange I would teach them martial arts and provide room and board. It was the standard arrangement for dojos in this murim world.
The only difference was that I had plenty of money. I had no intention of skimping on my disciples. Good food, good clothes, and generous allowances would be theirs. With treatment like this, they’ll definitely come.
I had posted a recruitment notice out front. The dojo might look a bit shabby from the outside, but with benefits like these, surely a few people would show up?
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the gate reached my ears.
They were here. The people who would become my disciples.
I hurried to the gate and flung it open.
“Huh?”
Two girls in filthy clothes stood before me. Their outfits looked as though they hadn’t been washed in months. Their limbs were painfully thin, their hair dry and brittle. They appeared to be street children from the area.
They clutched each other’s hands tightly. Their faces were stiff with tension, and their fingers trembled faintly.
“U-um… Are you really going to give us food and a place to sleep…?”
The taller girl spoke first. She still avoided my eyes, too shy to meet my gaze directly.
“Of course. If you become my disciples, I’ll provide both food and shelter.”
“We’ll become your disciples!”
This time she lifted her head with a look of fierce determination and stared straight into my eyes. One small fist was clenched tightly, as if swearing an oath.
“Being a disciple means doing chores and menial tasks. Can you handle that?”
“I-I can! I’ll do anything!”
She looked utterly desperate, as though she would offer her life if I asked.
“……”
“……!”
When I fell silent, seemingly lost in thought, her expression froze in an instant.
“Please, please accept us! If not, at least take my little sister… We haven’t eaten anything for two days. So please…”
Tears began streaming down her face. She approached slowly, reaching for my sleeve only to hesitate, afraid of offending me.
“Th-this is my sister! Her name is Jin Soso, and she works hard! So please, even if it’s only my sister, just give her something to eat… Hic! P-please.”
She pushed the younger girl forward while pleading, then suddenly bowed her head and broke into sobs.
I looked down at the girl she had shoved forward—Jin Soso. She was trembling, staring up at me with frightened eyes.
“I-I’ll work hard. Please…”
A tear-choked voice slipped from Jin Soso’s lips.
“Whew…”
When I let out a long sigh, both girls flinched and stared at me.
“S-sorry! We were too—”
I slowly approached the older-looking girl and knelt on one knee so our eyes were level. Her pupils, locked on mine, shook violently with surprise.
I took her hand, smiled, and spoke.
“What’s your name?”
“Baek Seolah…”
“Huh? Weren’t you sisters? Your family names are different.”
“We’re n-not blood-related. We just met on the street…”
Her voice grew smaller, confidence draining away.
I reached out and gently stroked her head. When I smiled, her tense expression gradually softened and a faint smile bloomed.
“It’s all right. Don’t worry. How old are you?”
“I-I’m fourteen!”
“And your sister?”
“She’s twelve…”
To think children this young were living on the streets. One thing I still couldn’t get used to after coming from the modern world to this murim was its cruelty. No matter how much people preached survival of the fittest, the treatment of the weak was simply too harsh. Even children without power were forced to wander the streets.
I had hated it for a long time. Justice without strength was nothing but incompetence. And did those with strength automatically possess justice? Occasionally, but usually not. Strangely, this world had far too few people who held both power and righteousness. Or perhaps the modern world I came from had been the same.
“Baek Seolah and Jin Soso, right? I’ll take both of you as disciples. Come inside.”
“Ah…!”
Life flooded back into their previously dull eyes.
Baek Seolah was so overcome that her mouth opened and closed wordlessly for a long moment before she finally managed to speak.
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much, M-mister? What is your name…?”
“Pfft. My name is Kang Juhyun. But you should call me Master.”
“Master!”
“That’s right.”
Tears continued to roll down her face, yet it shone with pure joy. Overwhelmed by gratitude, she moved to hug me only to hesitate again.
“U-um… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. You can hug me.”
“Really? B-but my clothes are dirty…”
“I said it’s okay.”
“Th-thank you!”
Baek Seolah spread her arms and threw herself into my embrace. As I patted her back, Jin Soso, who had been watching, timidly approached and hugged me as well.
“Huuu… Thank you, Master.”
“There, there. For now, let’s eat while we wait for your senior and junior sisters to arrive.”
“Yes!”
I led the two inside.
After that, not a single additional person came looking to become a disciple.
Eight years had passed since I opened Baekun Dojo.
“Haaa… That’s refreshing.”
After taking a sip of water, I leaned back in my chair again.
Behind the dojo building lay a green lawn and a single pine tree. I was relaxing in its cool shade.
For eight years I had taught those two disciples in moderation and spent my time playing. Honestly, I had thought I would grow tired of leisure quickly, but even after eight years it was still purely enjoyable.
I must have been more exhausted than I realized.
Combining my previous life and this one, I had suffered for more than twenty years. Perhaps that was why.
Whatever. It’s all over now, so I shouldn’t dwell on it.
In those eight years, strangely, no one besides those two had come to become a disciple. I had kept the recruitment notice up, but I had no idea why no one appeared.
Anyway, I hadn’t trained the pair with everything I had. If my disciples became too strong, I would be the one who suffered. Still, since they weren’t trash, I had taught them a little—just not to the point of exhaustion.
So I had expected them to reach the Second-class realm at best, or perhaps First-class if they were lucky.
But a problem had arisen.
“Master!”
A young woman’s voice called from afar. Soon Baek Seolah appeared.
She was twenty-two this year and had grown into a proper young lady. Not a trace remained of the beggar child I had first met. She had clearly been practicing swordsmanship in the training yard; a wooden sword was still gripped in her hand.
“Ah, Seolah. What is it?”
“I-I…”
Her voice was thick, as though she might burst into tears at any moment. The corners of her eyes glistened with moisture, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. At a glance she looked deeply moved.
W-wait. Something feels off. Don’t tell me it’s happening again… No. Please. Please don’t let it be.
“It seems my realm has risen.”
“What?”
Haa… Just as I feared. Yes. This. This was currently the biggest problem of all.
“I have now reached the Transcendental realm…!”
Why the hell are you getting stronger? What did I even do? I didn’t do anything, so why are you getting stronger? I just want to live comfortably. If you people keep growing stronger, it becomes difficult for me, you know?