Chapter 90: Instructor Punishment (1)

“I don’t like it.”

Eon Ho-seung slammed his fist on the ground, gritting his teeth.

“He just abandoned us.”

The twins nodded in agreement.

“He said it was quitting time and disappeared without looking back.”

“Shouldn’t he have come back to review the lesson with us?”

It was customary to review the lesson and discuss what they had done well and what they could improve on.

But the instructor didn’t seem to care about their progress or their bruised egos.

“And the assistants were no better.”

They knew the assistants were skilled.

They might not even be able to defeat them in a fight.

But yesterday had been different.

“They were acting like they knew everything.”

“Those young brats got a little bit of authority and their egos inflated.”

Eon Ho-seung noticed Im So-jeong, lost in thought.

She had been withdrawn ever since her conversation with the temporary instructor yesterday.

Eon Ho-seung, frowning, asked, “So-jeong, is something wrong?”

“…I don’t know.”

Im So-jeong, wiping the sleep from her eyes, said after a long silence, “Let’s just wait and see.”

“Huh? Are you serious?”

“…Something doesn’t feel right.”

He waited for her to elaborate, but she remained silent, still lost in thought.

“Sorry, it’s a sect matter.”

After a long wait, all he got was a disappointing answer.

But Eon Ho-seung forced a smile.

“Well, it can’t be helped if it’s a sect matter.”

“We all have our secrets.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry about it.”

They might be seen as troublesome by others, but they were close friends.

“…Sorry.”

Im So-jeong, touched by their concern, showed a rare sign of emotion.

“It can’t be helped. Anyway, what are we going to do about this bad feeling?”

Eon Ho-seung cracked his knuckles, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

“Should we pick a fight with someone? Or maybe challenge an instructor?”

The twins’ eyes gleamed.

“I don’t want to fight someone weak. Yeah, I think I saw someone who was looking down on us yesterday.”

“I know who you’re talking about. The one with the nasty look. He’s from a branch family of the Hebei Peng Clan.”

It was time to let loose.

They had been holding back their anger for a while, forced to attend supplementary classes.

It wasn’t in their nature to be so passive.

Eon Ho-seung slammed his fist into his palm.

“Let’s go blow off some steam.”

***

They walked into the small training ground.

They found a few students who were giving them dirty looks.

The next step was simple.

“L-let go of me.”

They just had to pick a fight.

“I-I don’t want to fight.”

“I do. I didn’t like the way you were looking at me.”

Eon Ho-seung pulled the student closer and whispered, “What? You said you were going to crush us. Changed your mind?”

“Gasp! How did you…”

The student, realizing that reasoning with him was futile, changed his tactic.

“Do you think you can get away with this?”

Eon Ho-seung just laughed.

‘That’s the reaction I was looking for.’

He lifted the student by his collar, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he saw the fear in his eyes.

“Yeah, why? You think I can’t?”

The twins giggled and glared at the surrounding students.

“What? Come at us if you have a problem.”

“Let’s fight. If you think you can take us on.”

The students, who had been watching them, quickly averted their gazes, intimidated by their menacing aura.

‘That’s more like it.’

He felt like things were finally back to normal.

Im So-jeong whispered, “…The temporary instructors are coming.”

“Tsk, those annoying bastards.”

Eon Ho-seung pointed his chin at a nearby clearing.

“Let’s go to the empty lot.”

***

The fight was over before it even began.

Eon Ho-seung’s powerful fist, enhanced by a Jinju Eon Clan secret technique, shattered the student’s sword in one blow.

*Thud!*

His fist then slammed into the student’s stomach.

“Gah!”

The student doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, and then…

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

He was bombarded with a relentless barrage of punches.

“I don’t even need to use my footwork.”

“Ugh.”

*Thud!*

Eon Ho-seung tripped him and stomped on him.

“What? You were so cocky earlier.”

“Come on, fight back!”

“What’s the point if you’re already down?”

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

The student, who was now just a punching bag, curled up on the ground, covering his head with his arms.

“What? Is it over already?”

“That was anticlimactic.”

The twins had already defeated five students.

They felt a little better as they watched their opponents groaning in pain.

“Sigh, I feel a bit better now.”

Eon Ho-seung took out a short pipe and lit it.

*Puff! Puff!*

The acrid smoke filled his lungs, calming him down.

“What? You’re smoking again?”

“I’ve been holding back lately.”

“Don’t worry about it. I need this today.”

*Exhale.*

Eon Ho-seung removed his bloodstained gauntlets as he blew out a plume of smoke.

“Damn those bastards.”

They were all looking down on him.

He was the son of the Jinju Eon Clan Leader, and they dared to call him a failure?

‘What? You want me to take lessons from a Dongcheon Hall nanny?’

He could tolerate that.

What had really set him off was the temporary instructor’s attitude.

He was from a humble background, his skills were mediocre, and…

He had no motivation.

If he lacked skill, he should at least have passion. Why was he even an instructor?

“This is pathetic, Eon Ho-seung.”

“I would have preferred the female instructor with the big…”

“She’s so popular. I wanted to join her class.”

“Hehe, not bad.”

Eon Ho-seung chuckled and blew out another plume of smoke.

“Anyway, what are we going to do?”

“About what?”

“We have to pass that damn mock training to go on the Murim Excursion.”

“Hehe, the Murim Excursion is the perfect opportunity to make a name for ourselves.”

“I don’t know who came up with this stupid rule.”

Eon Ho-seung, who had been chatting with his friends, suddenly realized that someone was missing.

“Huh? Has anyone seen Tang Gan today?”

“Tang Gan…”

Im So-jeong, who had been sitting quietly, said, “I think Instructor Gwak called him over.”

“Instructor Gwak?”

What was going on?

Tang Gan was running towards them.

“Speak of the devil.”

“Well, he’s the Tang Clan pushover.”

“But he looks like he’s in a hurry. What’s up?”

Tang Gan skidded to a halt in front of them.

“Hehe, you’re all here.”

Eon Ho-seung, seeing his cheerful expression, tilted his head.

“What? Did something good happen?”

“I received a very tempting offer.”

A tempting offer?

Tang Gan, beaming, said, “If this works out, we can finally escape from these damn supplementary classes.”

***

“Hmm.”

Namgung Yun-ho looked over the low bamboo fence.

There was still no sign of them.

‘They should be here by now.’

He had told them to meet him at the “temporary instructor training ground.”

He had given them clear directions, so they couldn’t have gotten lost.

“Why are you fretting?”

“They were supposed to be here by noon, but they’re not here yet.”

“They’ll show up eventually.”

It was already past one o’clock, but the instructor didn’t seem worried at all.

“Didn’t you say you needed to improve your performance evaluation?”

“Yeah, I did. But it’s fine now. I have a backup plan.”

He showed them a family register that Jegal Tan had brought.

Cho Un-hwi pointed at a specific entry.

“This gives you more points than fixing wooden dummies.”

“…”

“And they give you bonus points for taking on difficult roles.”

He wondered how many points he would get for playing the role of a Demonic Cult Leader.

Or an arsonist who burned down Kaifeng Prefecture.

Or an assassin who killed the Murim Alliance Leader.

Namgung Yun-ho was starting to get scared as he heard the instructor muttering dangerous things so casually.

His voice was too serious for it to be a joke.

“Instructor, there are lines you shouldn’t cross.”

Mo Yong So-hye looked horrified, confirming his suspicions.

“Even if you’re a terrible educator, you can’t give up on your humanity!”

“It’s fine. The Murim Alliance perverts are the ones who gave up on their humanity first.”

“Instructor!”

“Hehehe…”

The reliable instructor was turning into a demon before their very eyes.

Fortunately, it seemed that heaven had heard their pleas.

The students they had been waiting for finally walked into the training ground.

“Haha, temporary instructor, we’re late, aren’t we?”

They swaggered in, showing no respect.

It was Eon Ho-seung and his gang.

***

“Sorry, we overslept.”

Eon Ho-seung apologized playfully, making all sorts of ridiculous excuses.

‘Is he going to explode?’

‘He’s going to explode.’

But contrary to everyone’s expectations, Cho Un-hwi’s reply was calm.

“It can’t be helped if you overslept.”

Eon Ho-seung seemed taken aback by his acceptance.

Cho Un-hwi called Jegal Tan over.

“Jegal.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

“Do what we discussed earlier.”

“Would it be alright?”

They had discussed what they would teach the students, since the instructor didn’t seem interested in doing his job.

But judging from their attitude, he doubted they would listen.

As expected, Eon Ho-seung interrupted.

“Hey, temporary instructor.”

“Call me Instructor, you little shit.”

Eon Ho-seung, frowning, raised his hands in surrender.

It was more important to clarify things than to argue.

“Alright, I’ll be careful.”

“What do you want to say?”

“Well…”

Baek Ri-seol’s eyebrows shot up as she saw Eon Ho-seung leaning against one leg.

“Oh my, how disrespectful.”

*Crack! Crack!*

Eon Ho-seung grinned, cracking his knuckles.

“I might be lacking in some areas, but don’t underestimate me.”

He released his aura, his uniform billowing around him.

A powerful aura that swept away the dust on the training ground.

‘How about that? Not so easy to handle, huh?’

According to Gwak Jong-geun’s offer, they were the ones in a position of power now.

They didn’t have to be pushed around anymore.

‘Should I intimidate them a little?’

He needed to regain control. He couldn’t stand being manipulated by anyone.

But…

*Whoosh!*

Eon Ho-seung felt a strange sensation as the instructor’s messy hair swayed.

“If you want to fight, just say so.”

The instructor was actually excited.

“…It seems I underestimated you.”

“It’ll be amusing to see a fist fighter like you try to take me on.”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who calls the Jinju Eon Clan’s powerful fist techniques ‘fist fighting.’”

Eon Ho-seung’s tone had lost all politeness. But the instructor went even further.

“Jegal, what’s the Jinju Eon Clan’s powerful fist technique? Wasn’t your family business undertaking? You know, turning people into jiangshi and sending them back home.”

He even mimicked a jiangshi, stretching out his arms and hopping around.

Eon Ho-seung snapped.

The jiangshi technique, which had been passed down through generations, was a sore spot for the Jinju Eon Clan.

They weren’t proud of being known for handling corpses rather than their martial arts.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who dared to insult my family to my face…”

He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing.

“This works out perfectly. I can beat you to a pulp without any consequences since you insulted my family.”

“Hehe, kid, you’re not fighting me.”

The annoying instructor stepped aside, and…

A young girl with wide eyes stood in front of him.

“Mo Yong So-hye! Nice to meet you!”

What the…

Eon Ho-seung’s eyes twitched violently.