My Disciples Are Getting Too Strong
The outdoor training ground was nothing but bare dirt. In its center stood Baek Seolah, her hair tied neatly behind her head. She held a wooden sword with her eyes closed, completely focused on something only she could see.
“……”
After a brief silence, her eyes suddenly snapped open. Then came her swordplay. The blade, infused with inner energy and glowing a vivid blue, sliced through the empty air.
Whoa…
Her swordsmanship was breathtakingly beautiful. It felt both restrained and flamboyant at the same time. Every time she swung her sword, I almost imagined colorful flower petals swirling around her.
Yet the power behind it was downright terrifying. The sound of air being torn apart echoed violently with each strike. If that had been a person instead of air, their body would have been sliced clean through without any resistance.
“Haa…”
After the long demonstration ended, Baek Seolah lowered her sword. Her face was flushed red as she caught her breath, and her gaze turned toward me.
“Master, what do you think?”
“……”
It was real. She had truly reached the Transcendental realm. But how? The technique wasn’t even anything special. I’d thrown it together so casually that I hadn’t even bothered giving it a name. I still remembered her reaction clearly when I first gave it to her.
‘Here, take this.’
‘Th-thank you! Um, Master… may I ask what this technique is called?’
‘Called? I didn’t really name…’
‘Ah! You mean I shouldn’t get hung up on the name and focus purely on the technique itself! I’m sorry. I was being narrow-minded.’
‘What?’
I still had no idea why she interpreted things that way.
“Master?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s amazing. Transcendental? Seriously?”
“Right? It’s all thanks to you, Master.”
She set her wooden sword aside and walked over to me. I looked down at her as she stood right in front of me. Her hands were clasped near her chest, fingers fidgeting restlessly. It looked like she was waiting for praise. Her flushed face was probably from swinging the sword, but why was she avoiding my eyes? Well… it didn’t really matter.
“Yeah. You did well.”
I placed my hand on her head and gently patted it. The corners of her mouth twitched upward bit by bit.
“Wow. You two sure are close.”
“……?”
A woman’s voice suddenly cut in from the side. Both of us turned our heads. There stood a young woman leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching us. It was Jin Soso, my second and final disciple.
She had a cute face and light brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. She was a little shorter than Baek Seolah—about a head shorter than me.
“S-Soso… you were watching?”
Baek Seolah’s expression turned flustered.
“Of course. I saw everything from the moment Senior Sister started swinging her sword.”
“Ah… aah…”
Baek Seolah’s voice grew smaller and smaller as her shoulders hunched inward. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, and her eyes trembled wildly. Was getting caught training really something to react to this strongly?
“Anyway, Senior Sister really reached Transcendental?”
“Yeah. She really did.”
“Wooow…”
Baek Seolah didn’t seem in any state to speak, so I answered for her. Jin Soso covered her wide-open mouth with her hand, looking genuinely impressed.
“As expected of Senior Sister. I’ll have to work even harder so I don’t disappoint Master’s expectations.”
Wait, I don’t have any expectations. You really don’t need to work hard. That’s what I thought, but saying it out loud felt a bit too harsh…?
“Oh, and Seolah.”
“Y-yes? Did you call me?”
At the sound of my voice, she jumped in surprise, her whole body trembling. Was just calling her name really that shocking?
“That sword technique you just showed me.”
“Ah, yes!”
The moment the topic turned to martial arts, her eyes instantly sharpened with focus. Maybe it was just her personality, but these glaring errors were impossible to ignore.
“The way you’re moving your inner energy feels a bit awkward. Try circulating it more forcefully.”
“M-more forcefully?”
“Yeah. Right now it feels like you’re just letting the energy move on its own.”
“I see…”
“It wasn’t a big problem before, so I let it slide. But now that you’ve advanced to this level, it needs to change.”
“……”
What? Why wasn’t she answering? She just stared silently at the ground like she’d been struck by some kind of shock.
Then, suddenly, Baek Seolah began circulating her inner energy. After a moment she withdrew it, lifted her head, and looked at me. A bright smile spread across her face. If I looked closely, her eyes seemed a little moist…?
“Thank you, Master! That was a problem I’ve been stuck on for so long, and I had no idea how to fix it. I never dreamed one word from you would solve it so easily.”
“I-is it really that big a deal?”
“Of course! What you just told me is far more valuable than training alone for an entire month.”
“Huh…”
Wait, hold on. This wasn’t what I meant. I’d accidentally made my disciple stronger again. How does just talking do that? I didn’t even do anything!
Completely unaware of my inner thoughts, Baek Seolah kept repeating how grateful she was.
“Wooow… I’m so jealous, Senior Sister. Master, please teach me too! I want to become strong like her!”
Jin Soso, who had been watching from afar, slowly walked over. Her voice was slow and sticky, almost like a woman trying to seduce a man.
“Soso. Stop bothering Master and just train hard. Master never holds back his teachings from disciples who put in the effort.”
Me? I do that? Was I the only one who didn’t know?
“Got it. I’ll train hard too.”
“Good. Then you’ll definitely be able to break through the wall of the Peak realm with Master’s guidance.”
Jin Soso nodded slowly with a pouty expression. Seeing that, Baek Seolah smiled lightly in satisfaction.
“Master, thank you so much. I always feel this way, but your teachings are so precious that nothing in this world could ever compare.”
“That’s right! So please don’t just teach Senior Sister—teach me too!”
“……”
This was ridiculous. What the hell was even happening? Still, one thing was crystal clear.
My disciples showed no signs of stopping their growth. It looked like things were heading in a completely different direction from what I had imagined.
“Haaaa…”
After sending the two off to train, I collapsed into the chair in my study and let out a long sigh.
“What the hell is the problem here?”
My disciples were too strong. Did that even make sense?
First, there was my first disciple, Baek Seolah. As of today, she had reached the Transcendental realm. That was enough to put her name near the bottom of the list of the Hundred Great Masters of the World. And she was only twenty-two. Even reaching Peak at that age would earn someone the title of a once-in-a-generation genius. Yet she had already surpassed Peak and entered Transcendental? If she ever stepped out into the world, it would cause an absolute uproar.
Then there was my second disciple, Jin Soso. She was no joke either. While she hadn’t reached Baek Seolah’s level, she had already attained the mature stage of the Peak realm. And she was only twenty. Peak at twenty? She could easily be called one of the greatest geniuses of all time alongside Baek Seolah.
“Why? Why are they getting stronger? I didn’t do anything! How can a few words make them this strong?”
I was losing my mind. All I wanted was to live a quiet, comfortable life. Fame was annoying, and I could make as much money as I wanted whenever I felt like it. But my disciples were too strong. At this rate, it would be impossible to hide their abilities, and my peaceful life would come to an end.
“Th-this can’t continue. I need a plan.”
I kept telling myself that, yet I still ended up accidentally strengthening them. This time I needed an actual strategy. A plan to hinder their growth.
After all, those two could live just fine with their current levels. No, they would probably be respected and admired by others. So it wouldn’t really matter if their growth stopped here.
‘Yeah. I need to come up with a plan right away.’
I pulled some paper from the drawer, spread it out on the desk, and picked up a brush.
That was when a strange sensation prickled at me.
“……?”
It felt like something was happening. Just as I was about to set the brush down and check—
Knock, knock.
“……?”
The sound of someone knocking on the door reached my ears.
“Master. It’s Soso.”
“Ah, come in.”
I quickly hid the paper and brush and greeted her as she entered. She opened the door and stepped into the study, fidgeting restlessly as if something was bothering her.
“What’s going on?”
“M-Master… I think you should come outside.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Well… some strange people showed up and started causing trouble. Senior Sister is holding them off, but they won’t listen at all. Still, it doesn’t feel right to just hurt them…”
It was honestly impressive. With their skills, those two could easily drive off anyone using their martial prowess. Yet they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. The reason was simple—their hearts were too soft.
“Alright. Should I head to the front gate?”
“Y-yes!”
I stood up and followed behind her as she headed toward the front gate. When we arrived, I saw Baek Seolah looking completely flustered while five men threatened her.
“Ah, Master! You’re here!”
Baek Seolah’s face brightened the moment she saw me. At the same time, the men who had been threatening her all turned their gazes toward me at once. The biggest one, who seemed to be their leader, pointed at me and spoke.
“You the owner here?”
“……?”
What was with the rude tone right from the start? Though with a face like that, it wasn’t surprising. He had a massive build, a long scar running across his face, ragged clothes, and a huge sword hanging at his side. The guys behind him who looked like his underlings weren’t much different, aside from being a bit scrawnier. They were the very picture of a gang of thugs—people who thought they were hot stuff but looked pathetic to everyone else.
“How the hell do you manage your disciples?”
“What?”
“Your hospitality is absolute garbage. Well, I guess that makes sense. Baekun Dojo? It really is as shabby as the name suggests.”
I shifted my gaze to Baek Seolah.
“Seolah. Explain what’s going on.”
At my words, she quickly hurried over and stood in front of me. Her face was full of distress, like she’d been through something awful.
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong. I told them they couldn’t just come in, but they forced their way inside anyway…”
“Who do you think you’re blocking? Do you even know who we are?”
“……”
I silently glared at the men who had interrupted. I gave them a light scare using my inner energy so their disciples wouldn’t notice, and their eyes immediately softened. Of course, I hadn’t used much, so the effect wouldn’t last long.
“You guys shut up and listen, alright?”
“Ah, uh…”
They looked momentarily flustered and couldn’t continue. I turned my eyes away from them and back to Baek Seolah.
“Go on.”
“Y-yes!”
Baek Seolah swallowed once, took a deep breath, and continued.
“Even though I told them they couldn’t enter without permission, they came in anyway. Then they threatened me to bring Master out…”
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Hic…! I-I’m sorry. I should have handled it myself, but I got so scared for a moment…”
“It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Go stand behind me.”
I gently patted her trembling shoulder. For a Transcendental expert to have such a soft heart that she would cry like this… It seemed she needed some mental training as well.
After hiding her behind me, I turned my gaze to the thugs gathered at the entrance.
“Hey. You lot.”
“Y-yeah?”
Feeling my stare, they flinched and trembled.
“I feel like beating the crap out of you, but let’s hear why you came first. What are you doing here?”
“Ahem…!”
The one who looked like the boss cleared his throat, apparently embarrassed by how startled he’d been.
“W-we are the Five Dragons Association, and we’ve taken over this district starting today!”
“……?”
“This place falls within our territory, so we’re here to collect the protection fee!”
“What?”
Five Dragons Association? What kind of childish name was that? And they were here for a protection fee?
“Ha…!”
Now I understood. They were just a bunch of thugs who thought they were the best in the world and went around acting like it.