Chapter 98: Supplementary Lesson (6)

The moment they stepped inside, gasps filled the air.

“It’s Eon Ho-seung.”

“Damn it, he’s back?”

“Don’t make eye contact. Turn away.”

Eon Ho-seung scowled, annoyed by the attention.

“What? Got a problem?”

The students quickly averted their gazes, intimidated by his glare.

Satisfied, Eon Ho-seung walked towards a table.

“This way.”

The crowd parted like the Red Sea.

He strutted confidently through the gap and ascended the stairs to the second floor.

“I can’t eat in this crowded mess.”

They were going to the third floor.

The whispers intensified.

“Who are those guys? Aren’t they the Dongcheon Hall assistants?”

“He’s inviting them to the third floor?”

“It’s surprising enough that Eon Ho-seung is eating with those kids, but the third floor?”

‘This is a strange reaction.’

He hadn’t seen this kind of reaction at Dongcheon Hall.

***

They arrived on the third floor.

There were only a few tables, unlike the crowded first floor.

Eon Ho-seung headed towards the table with the best view, as if it was his rightful place.

A group of well-dressed students were sitting there, and Eon Ho-seung said menacingly, “Hey, Peng Dan-gi, long time no see.”

One of the students gasped.

“…Eon Ho-seung.”

“What? Did the owner of this seat change while I was gone?”

“…Get up.”

“Get lost, if you don’t want to die.”

“…”

The students, their mouths shut tight, scurried downstairs. Namgung Yun-ho frowned.

“Bring the food here.”

*Crash!*

Eon Ho-seung swept the food off the table with his arms and put his feet up.

“Sit down. This is the table with the best view.”

“…Is this really okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Isn’t it rude to chase away our fellow students like that…?”

“Fellow students? Haha, those idiots could never be my fellow students.”

Eon Ho-seung grinned.

“That was very disrespectful.”

“Relax. We’re just associating with people of our own class. This is normal here.”

He chuckled.

“Now do you understand reality?”

He looked around, and the students who had been eating at other tables were getting up and leaving.

The third floor was now empty.

“The strong are respected. It’s an unspoken rule at Euncheon Hall.”

This kind of bullying was an unspoken rule?

He was skeptical, but Jegal Tan seemed accustomed to it, so it must have been true.

‘Am I misunderstanding something?’

He recalled the rules of Shinmu Academy that he had been told when he entered.

“Students are treated equally. And fighting between students is strictly prohibited.”

“Pfft, you’re so naive.”

Im So-jeong said, “It’s normal to receive preferential treatment based on your skills at Euncheon Hall.”

“That’s right. It’s easy to monopolize a good spot like this.”

Eon Ho-seung spread his arms.

“The treatment and respect you receive are completely different depending on your skills. The higher your ranking, the more privileges you get.”

The twins sat down and added, “You get access to special high-level martial arts manuals.”

“You can even receive personal training from renowned masters.”

Tang Gan chimed in, “You can even bring servants and bodyguards.”

“Hmm…”

He felt like his world was being turned upside down.

“…But the instructors wouldn’t allow fighting between students.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you?”

Eon Ho-seung tapped the table with his index finger.

“The instructors actually encourage it. The students are always fighting to climb the ranks, even without them interfering.”

“…”

“And it’s not just the students. The instructors are the same. They’re all desperate to become senior instructors.”

There were many benefits to being strong.

High-level martial arts manuals, rare elixirs…

“Now do you understand how foolish it is to hide your strength?”

Namgung Yun-ho finally understood why Eon Ho-seung had brought them here.

‘He’s still skeptical of the instructor’s strength.’

He could understand now.

‘Is the instructor really hiding his strength because he doesn’t know about this?’

It wasn’t an implausible theory, considering how often he complained about his penalty points.

‘No, he might seem careless, but he’s not ignorant.’

If he knew, why was he keeping quiet?

Eon Ho-seung leaned back in his chair and said, “You seem to be starting to understand. I wasn’t just being paranoid about the instructor.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Tell the instructor that he needs to reveal his true strength. Dongcheon Hall and Euncheon Hall are completely different worlds.”

And it would be more respectable to be trained by a “hidden master.”

Eon Ho-seung leaned back in his chair, looking smug.

Namgung Yun-ho felt a sense of unease.

***

That evening…

They were back at the training ground, sitting around the bonfire, when Jegal Tan nudged him.

“You look troubled.”

“Well, I’m…”

“Is it because of what happened earlier?”

As expected of Jegal Tan.

He could read his mind.

“I’ve always thought this, but Shinmu Academy is a cold place.”

“Well, that’s understandable. It’s a battleground where talented individuals from all over the country compete.”

“Maybe Dongcheon Hall’s cradle is a better fit for me.”

He knew that the strong were respected, but he had expected a certain level of dignity and respect.

“This isn’t just survival of the fittest, it’s the law of the jungle.”

“You’re not wrong. You have to step on the weak to stand out.”

“I understand that you receive different treatment based on your skills. But I thought that respect should come first, especially for members of the righteous faction.”

But this…

This was the law of the jungle, just like the demonic sects.

Jegal Tan chuckled, seeing his troubled expression.

“I knew you wouldn’t like it here.”

“Tan, what do you think?”

“Well, I was always on the receiving end of preferential treatment, so it was comfortable.”

He chuckled and broke a twig.

*Snap.*

He tossed it into the fire and continued, “Until I had to compete with my brother.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m over it now.”

He poked the fire and said, “It was a huge shock at the time. The person who defeated me was my own brother.”

*Crackle!*

The fire spat out sparks.

“I tried to overcome my sense of defeat by living a dissolute life. That’s when I became known as the Instructor Slayer. I was a different person back then.”

“…Tan.”

“Well, now I think it was a blessing in disguise. Because I met the instructor.”

Was this what they called a blessing in disguise?

Namgung Yun-ho mumbled, “The more I learn about this place, the more I dislike it.”

“You’ll get used to it. The world is different from the martial arts novels we read as kids.”

Where were the heroes who swore brotherhood over a cup of wine?

Who sacrificed their lives for justice and righteousness?

Who dreamed of a better world, sitting in their humble huts?

“Maybe realizing the harsh reality of the world is part of becoming a true martial artist.”

“If I have to get used to this to become a martial artist, then I’d rather stay a ghost at Dongcheon Hall forever.”

He wondered…

‘Am I the same?’

Would he become accustomed to stepping on others? Would he start judging people by their status and dividing them into groups?

The thought made him feel melancholic.

Jegal Tan, sensing his mood, said, “Most people I know are like that.”

“Most? That implies that there are people who aren’t.”

“Our instructor.”

“Heh.”

That’s right. There was the instructor.

He was the strongest person they knew, but he still lived life on his own terms.

‘If I have to live, I want to live like the instructor.’

He was lazy when he was sleepy.

He ran away without looking back when he was annoyed.

He might be irresponsible, but…

*- Namgung, go wild.*

The day he had sparred with his younger brother…

He remembered the instructor’s gaze as he looked down at him from the pavilion.

‘There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his eyes.’

Even though his opponent was his younger brother, who was considered the greatest genius of Euncheon Hall.

Eon Ho-seung was right.

The instructor was strange.

But Namgung Yun-ho found his strangeness comforting.

“Yeah, if I have to become an adult, I want to be like the instructor.”

“He’s a strange but fun guy. But I’m worried. I don’t really want my friend to become a weirdo like the instructor.”

“Hahaha.”

They laughed.

***

It was four days later when the instructor returned to Euncheon Hall.

Before his messy hair even appeared at the entrance of the training ground…

“Instructor!”

Baek Ri-seol charged at him like a bird.

“Oof.”

She crashed into him, but he dodged her attack with ease.

‘He’s so quick.’

She was always amazed by his agility.

Cho Un-hwi, approaching them with a lazy gait, said, “Namgung, how have you been?”

“I’ve been working hard. But…”

Where had the instructor been?

He looked even more exhausted than usual.

‘Or is it just me?’

But the smile on his face was unusually bright.

He nudged Namgung Yun-ho’s shoulder and walked past him.

Namgung Yun-ho frowned.

‘That smell…’

A faint metallic scent.

He glanced at the instructor, but he was walking towards Eon Ho-seung, his gait unchanged.

‘Was I mistaken?’

He shook his head and quickly followed Cho Un-hwi.

“Let’s go together.”

***

“You’re back.”

“Yeah, fist fighter kid, any progress?”

Eon Ho-seung frowned at the nickname, but he answered honestly, “I’ve learned some common sense.”

“Oh, the young master is actually learning something.”

“I told you, I just wasn’t familiar with it because I never had the opportunity to learn.”

The five students had been diligently following Jegal Tan’s instructions.

They had learned basic common sense and even some systematic training methods.

Jegal Tan said, “They’ve already mastered basic common sense.”

“All of it?”

“They’re still a bit lacking in trap evasion and weapon defense, but…”

Cho Un-hwi nodded.

“Good, that’s a start. You were just kids who thought iron coins were toys a while ago.”

“Temporary instructor, I told you I’m a fast learner.”

Eon Ho-seung and the others puffed out their chests, their pride restored.

And then…

“But it seems there are some things you haven’t improved on at all.”

*Thud!*

Eon Ho-seung’s back arched as he was punched in the stomach.

He landed on his hands and knees, gasping for air.

“Gah… ugh… why…?”

“I told you to learn to read people’s emotions.”

“But you didn’t have to…”

*Thud!*

Eon Ho-seung was sent flying, landing on his back.

The twins trembled.

“I-is he starting already?”

“Yep.”

“T-temporary instructor, give us a moment to prepare…”

“Prepare for my fists.”

*Thwack! Thwack!*

The twins collapsed.

Tang Gan, quick-witted, tried to escape, but…

Cho Un-hwi grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, slammed him to the ground, and twisted his neck.

“girl, what about you?”

Im So-jeong, frozen like a deer in headlights, said, “You seem to be in a bad mood.”

“Correct.”

*Thud!*

She collapsed as he headbutted her.