Chapter 99: Confinement (1)

In a secluded annex of the Green Wall Tower, Yo-ran sighed as she recalled the tumultuous events of the past few days.

“I knew he was strong, but…”

Danya, the leader of the Desert Assassins, was far more formidable than she had imagined.

he had lived up to his reputation, single-handedly achieving a level of carnage that bordered on an army’s.

Every move he made resulted in multiple deaths.

It didn’t matter who his target was.

They all died the same way, strangled by bandages that seemed to be woven from the darkness itself.

Even some of the Hao Clan’s most skilled masters were found dead in their beds, their necks severed as if they had been sleeping.

“he’s terrifying.”

Rumors were already spreading through the back alleys.

*There is one who rules the night.*

*he is the Angel of Death, the Ender of Lives.*

*Those who wield the blade of betrayal…*

*Enjoy your sweet dreams while you can.*

*For the Venerable Nightmare (Danya) will find you and cut you down with the night.*

Danya’s exploits were so impressive that even the Hao Clan members, who usually remained calm in the face of danger, feared and revered him.

he had slaughtered all the Heavenly Destruction Society’s agents in Muhan City in just five days.

It was a remarkable achievement, but Yo-ran couldn’t bring herself to celebrate.

“This isn’t just obtaining a good sword, it’s dancing on the edge of a blade.”

The only reason she could remain calm was the existence of the absolute ruler to whom even the Night Cutter bowed.

The Shadow Sovereign, an unfathomable being who allowed no blade to challenge his authority.

“But there’s something that worries me.”

*- That’s enough entertainment for now.*

Yo-ran frowned, remembering the Shadow Sovereign’s words.

“He said he would be confined in the Forbidden Zone for a while.”

What kind of place could confine someone like him?

She couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

***

*Thud!*

“Gah!”

Tang Gan collapsed.

Cho Un-hwi dusted off his hands and yawned.

“What? You haven’t learned anything at all?”

Eon Ho-seung, glancing at Tang Gan, who was lying on the ground, his legs twitching, raised his hand.

“The answer is, the instructor is in a bad mood.”

“Wrong. I’m not in a bad mood. Grrr…”

“Your voice is scary!”

*Thud!*

Eon Ho-seung’s head snapped to the side, and he collapsed again.

The twins exchanged glances.

‘This guy… if we say he’s in a good mood, he says he’s not. If we say he’s in a bad mood, he says he is.’

‘So we should…’

They both raised their hands.

“The temporary instructor is in a bad mood.”

“The temporary instructor is in a good mood.”

They had given up on trying to read his signals.

They had to choose one answer and hope for the best.

“Wrong! You’re both wrong!”

“What? We had to choose between good and bad!”

“How can both answers be wrong?!”

“The answer is, I was in a good mood until I saw your faces.”

“Oh, come on…”

*Thwack! Thwack!*

The twins fell backwards.

Im So-jeong, the only one left standing, trembled.

This was torture.

‘This guy… he’s not treating me like a woman at all.’

He had even kicked her earlier.

She had rolled into a wooden dummy, hit her head, and passed out for over an hour.

She was a prodigy of the Sword Pavilion, and she had never been treated like this before.

She bit her lip.

“Temporary instructor, are you really trying to teach us?”

“Of course. I’m always motivated.”

“You say you’re in a good mood when you’re not, and you say you’re in a bad mood when you are not. This doesn’t make any sense!”

“It doesn’t?”

Cho Un-hwi turned to Mo Yong So-hye, who was watching him warily.

“The instructor’s mood is fluctuating. Right now, it’s ‘good’!”

“Correct.”

Im So-jeong gritted her teeth.

It was one thing for Mo Yong So-hye, who was used to reading his mind, to get it right, but…

“I’m an expert in reading the instructor. His left big toe just twitched. That means he’s in a ‘bad’ mood!”

“Correct.”

Even Baek Ri-seol got it right. She was speechless.

This wasn’t just a simple mind-reading exercise.

It was actually a well-designed training method.

For example…

“A right-handed swordsman’s aura becomes unstable when they step back with their left foot. It means they’re preparing to draw their sword.”

So when he stepped back with his left foot, it meant he was in a bad mood.

“His center of gravity has shifted backwards. That means he doesn’t want to fight.”

So when he did that, it meant he was in a good mood.

It was a simple test of reading his aura based on his gestures, movements, and other cues, depending on the situation in the mock exam.

Baek Ri-seol’s observation about his big toe was also correct.

Tensing his big toe meant he was about to stomp his foot and launch an attack, so it meant he was in a “bad” mood.

That’s why she had understood the explanation at first.

Good or bad.

She had thought she just had to choose one.

But she had been wrong.

‘He’s too unpredictable.’

The temporary instructor was.

*- You should be able to read someone’s muscles and joints, you idiot.*

He had said that, but it was incredibly difficult to keep up with his rapidly changing signals.

And his deliberate attempts to confuse them didn’t help.

“Hey, are you sleeping?”

“My eyes are going to pop out, you bastard.”

“Grrr… I’m gritting my teeth. Am I in a good mood or a bad mood?”

He was trying to distract them with his words.

And the result was…

“Wrong. Too bad.”

*Thud!*

‘I got hit again.’

Im So-jeong passed out.

***

Mo Yong So-hye, watching Cho Un-hwi headbutt Im So-jeong, shook her head in disbelief.

“Headbutting a lady… you’re being especially rough today.”

“Yeah, did something happen?”

He had knocked her out five times today.

He usually only knocked them out two or three times.

“Nah, nothing special.”

He even kicked them while they were unconscious.

He was definitely in a “very dark” mood today.

“Tsk, this is boring.”

Baek Ri-seol asked as he approached them, grumbling, “Instructor, you’re being especially rough today. Is something bothering you?”

“Ah, is it that obvious?”

Of course it was.

It was ridiculous for him to ask that after knocking out five students in a row.

Baek Ri-seol was curious.

“Did someone annoy you?”

“Not really.”

Cho Un-hwi replied, his voice gloomy, “It seems that the temporary quarters at Euncheon Hall are finished.”

“Oh my, that’s right. They said they would give us official quarters.”

She remembered how excited the instructors had been when they heard that they were finally becoming official members of Euncheon Hall.

“You don’t want to move into the Euncheon Hall quarters?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then why…?”

Cho Un-hwi’s lips drooped.

“Well…”

***

*- The official quarters are now complete. All temporary instructors are to pack their belongings and move immediately.*

Everyone had been excited when the announcement was made.

“Wow, we’re finally moving into Euncheon Hall!”

“The facilities at Euncheon Hall are amazing. I bet the quarters are too.”

“I heard they have private rooms with silk bedding.”

“And you can order late-night snacks whenever you want.”

But Cho Un-hwi, looking at the list of residents, tilted his head.

*- Exception: Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi.*

He mumbled, confused, “What’s this?”

“Exception? I’ve never heard of an exception.”

Even Yeo Mae-hong was surprised.

“Huh? You’re the only one who’s not on the list?”

Instructor Yang was also baffled.

“There must be some kind of mistake. I’ll look into it.”

Cho Un-hwi was summoned to Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim’s office.

Jang Cheol-sim sat behind his desk, his arms crossed.

“Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi.”

Yes, sir.

“Are you surprised by my decision?”

“Of course! You promised to give us official quarters at Euncheon Hall.”

It was a promise.

He had even gained Jang Cheol-sim’s favor by covering up for Instructor Gwak Jong-geun.

But Jang Cheol-sim shook his head.

“Actually, my opinion of you has improved considerably since the incident.”

“Really?”

“Not only did you cover up for your fellow instructor, but you also seem to be managing the troublesome supplementary class well. To be honest, the previous instructors had a hard time handling Eon Ho-seung, the eldest son of the Jinju Eon Clan, and Im So-jeong of the Sword Pavilion.”

Then why was he doing this?

Jang Cheol-sim took out an ominous red paper from his desk drawer and handed it to him.

“Read this.”

“…I don’t want to.”

“Then I’ll read it for you. Dormitory intrusion, cafeteria intrusion… you make a habit of trespassing into restricted areas, don’t you?”

“…It was a mistake.”

“Quite a lot of mistakes. Too many to count on two hands.”

“I plead the Fifth.”

“And you submitted mock training applications for ‘Demonic Cult Leader invades the Murim Alliance’ and ‘I want to play the role of the Chain Explosion Demonic Practitioner.’ When the Academy rejected them, you sent anonymous complaints, accusing them of being incompetent. I heard they’re quite angry.”

“…Weren’t they anonymous?”

“There are no secrets in this world.”

This cruel world…

“And you’ve been absent without leave for five days, haven’t you?”

“…”

Jang Cheol-sim put down the paper and rested his chin on his hand.

“If you have any conscience, tell me. Did you really think you could get away with all this?”

He had a few things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Jang Cheol-sim said, “I keep my promises. I recognized you as an official member of Euncheon Hall and promised to take you on the Murim Excursion. But it wasn’t easy to accept you. The Academy strongly opposed it because of your disciplinary record.”

“…Is that so?”

“The best I could do was to have you confined for a while.”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Go back and reflect on your actions. I’ll call for you when the time is right.”

***

“…Oh my god.”

Baek Ri-seol covered her mouth with her hands.

“What’s going to happen to the instructor?”

“Well, it seems he has to stay in the guardhouse and reflect on his actions.”

He tried to sound gloomy, but…

“Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim is a saint. I would have done this.”

Mo Yong So-hye made a slicing motion across her throat with her thumb. Cho Un-hwi glared at her and continued, “Sigh, nothing ever goes my way.”

“That’s because you couldn’t control yourself and kept sending those complaints.”

“I was just trying to do my best. I wanted to recover my penalty points. Life is all about taking chances.”

“Your life is about to be over.”

Cho Un-hwi gritted his teeth and mumbled, “Damn it, why am I always being ostracized for no reason?”

“Instructor, there’s a reason, and it’s not ostracization. It’s your own fault.”

“So-hye’s right. It’s a miracle you’re still here.”

Even Baek Ri-seol, who usually took his side, was abandoning him. Cho Un-hwi slumped in despair.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating. The world is full of injustice.”

And then…

“Ugh… where am I…?”

“Did we pass out again?”

Eon Ho-seung and the twins were getting up.

“Ah, those guys are still here.”

“Time to blow off some steam.”

Mo Yong So-hye said, watching him charge at them, “He’s so petty.”

“Yeah.”

Even Baek Ri-seol had to agree.