Chapter 147
**
“Hey, Gwangyang.”
“Yes, sister.”
“Should we just take those guys out?”
“…I was going to say that first, but…”
Gwangyang turned around. The giggling martial arts students turned their heads away.
Even with their heads turned, the clear sneers were still visible.
To be honest…
It’s pathetic. Very much so.
Cheonmu Academy. A school operated by the Martial Alliance.
But even there, there are ranks. For example…
The disciples from the Five Great Houses and the Nine Dragon Alliance are at the top.
Those from well-known sects are just below them.
Then come the kids with lots of money or some notable factor.
And at the bottom are the poor kids who barely made it in just with their entrance fees.
That’s us. We got in thanks to our master’s generosity…
But having no background makes a difference.
Cheonmu Academy outwardly seems to offer equal opportunities to all, but the reality is very different.
Those with wealth are taught a lot.
Those without receive nothing but ridicule.
The instructors are the same. Don’t you see them often taking special care of the kids from wealthy families?
With the upper class behaving that way, naturally, a hierarchy formed among the students. The actual top dogs from the Nine Dragon Alliance and the Five Great Houses are treated like gods…
and those at the bottom, the background-less folks, are all considered trash.
The ones in front of me are just that. Those openly looking down on us.
The whispers are loud enough to hear on purpose.
“Since they grew up with nothing, they don’t know how to enjoy this kind of food…”
“Have they even washed? I can smell them from here.”
“Seriously… tsk tsk… they’re so damn old.”
…No. Damn it.
The funny thing is, those guys aren’t from the Nine Dragon Alliance or the Five Great Houses.
Rather, they’re second-raters. Just kids from somewhat well-known sects. The ones with real influence are quietly watching, and those second-rate punks are the ones puffing themselves up.
If they were truly capable, I wouldn’t care. Yeah. If they were really that great, they would have avoided eye contact.
But…
They don’t think much of “physical training.”
“Did you see before? Repeating useless training.”
“Tsk tsk. They’ve learned nothing, so they don’t know the importance of prioritizing mental training…”
“The instructors laughed at that reckless training method, you know? Who prioritizes external strength in this day and age?”
“That’s a third-rate training style. They can only focus on muscles because they can’t do anything else.”
“Do they not realize that just one hit from my middle-level technique would tear those hard-earned muscles apart?”
Veins popped on Gwangyang’s forehead.
Narin shot up.
“Let’s just take them out.”
“…Sister. Still…”
Still. Always still.
“…We must endure.”
“Why?”
“Although we didn’t spread it around, the admissions staff knows about our connection to our master… so it could lead to trouble for him.”
“…….”
Master.
The person I respect the most in the world.
Narin eventually sat back down. She understood the situation too.
However, her inability to endure this much must stem from a similar reason.
They are insulting everything our master taught us. That…
is unbearable.
“This is such a headache…”
“Isn’t this just how the world works?”
“Doesn’t it make you angry?”
“I’m currently writing ‘patience’ with the grains of rice.”
“…You really wrote it?”
Narin stretched out, letting out an ‘ugh’ before mumbling.
“…Ah, damn. I miss my master.”
“I feel the same, sister.”
“Gwangyang, since things are like this, should we brag about our mentor Muk Geom behind us?”
“How’s that different from tarnishing our master’s name? You know how much he dislikes pretentious people. I’d rather take the insults than become someone like that.”
“…Ugh… if you say that, what about me?”
“You’d be that sister who knows nothing about the world.”
“Do you want to die?”
“I’m not dying easily now.”
Martial Alliance Inspector.
Gwangyang thought of the one who taught him the sword.
“…I’m worried about our master.”
“He’s receiving treatment at Shaolin, right? He should be fine.”
“Are you not worried, sister?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I sent a letter a few days ago.”
“You sent one too?! Damn it! We should have sent them together! Just one letter cost a fortune! And we’re already short on cash!”
“You should have told me first! Ugh! What a waste of money!”
“Oh?! Oh?! Don’t get cocky!”
“Ah! Don’t hit me! Your arms are tougher than rocks now!”
“You’ve gotten strong too! Where’s the whining coming from!”
The restaurant buzzed. Gwangyang subtly withdrew his arm.
Something felt off. Even those who looked down on them were slowly getting up and heading for the exit.
A strange crowd had gathered. Narin asked.
“Who’s coming today?”
“I didn’t see anything posted on the notice board…”
“Looks like a pretty famous person might have come?”
The voices were getting louder. Amidst the crowd, squeals could be heard.
The ones cheering were mainly the background-less students.
“Why are the quiet kids screaming like this?”
“Is the Martial Alliance Leader here? Or an Elder…?”
“Is a new instructor coming? I can’t contain my curiosity! Hey! Gwangyang! Let’s merge!”
“What do you mean merge? It’s just a hybrid…”
Gwangyang grumbled, and Narin hopped on his back.
Narin held her hand to her forehead.
“I think I see something…”
“Who is it?”
“Hold on… Huh?”
Narin blinked. Gwangyang urged.
“Who is it? Huh? If it’s a famous face, I want to see too.”
“…Master?”
“What?!”
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. Gwangyang found himself awkwardly pushing away the students crowding around him as their gazes met.
“M-master?”
“Narin. Gwangyang.”
The warrior who was supposed to be receiving treatment at Shaolin called out to them.
Accompanied by the serene smile he’d last seen.
“Long time no see.”
“Master!”
Narin dashed out like a bolt. Gwangyang hurried to catch up.
The group that had been laughing at them just moments ago started whispering.
“Muk Geom Jeok-un is his master…?”
“Why didn’t anyone tell us…?”
“Let’s get out of here. Quickly…!”
As the crowd quickly dispersed, Gwangyang felt a sense of relief wash over him.
Yeah, you punks. This is my master! The training method you all mocked came from this person!
Ah! I was about to suffocate, but now I can finally breathe!
“Master! You said you were hurt! Are you okay…?”
“Master! How have you been…?”
As Narin and Gwangyang were about to greet him, they locked eyes with a child peeking out from behind him.
“…Who…?”
The child swiftly hid again.
“Ah, Daddy…”
Gwangyang thought he misheard and rubbed his ears. But noticing Narin’s eyes widen, he realized he hadn’t misheard.
Daddy…?
The master is a married man?!
…
Narin and Gwangyang.
I reunited with my former students. They looked neat and clean without any visible injuries, easing my concerns.
Looks like they’ve been doing well.
“Master! Explain! When did you get married?!”
“I can’t believe the master is a married man…!”
I pushed the two, who were showing constant shock, away.
“I’ve never been married.”
“Then what… are you some kind of rogue…?!”
“I can’t believe the master… is that kind of person…”
Before the misunderstanding could deepen, I pushed Sua forward.
As she kept glancing nervously between the gathering crowd, Sua shyly bowed her head.
“Hello, I’m Sua…”
“Ah, so cute.”
“She’s pretty like her dad… I mean, the master isn’t someone who falls behind in looks.”
“She’s not my biological daughter.”
“Then what is she? Why does that little girl call you father?”
Sua glanced at me, and I picked her up as she tugged at my clothing.
If I were to define our relationship, we’d be strangers.
…But.
“She’s not my biological daughter, but…”
I patted Sua’s head.
“She’s definitely like a daughter to me.”
“…Daddddddyyyy…”
Tears welled up in Sua’s eyes. She rubbed her cheek against my face.
Narin smacked her forehead.
“How can you have a stepdaughter when you’re not even dating… Master, what are you planning for marriage later…”
“Sister. But with someone like the master, there’d be plenty of people wanting to marry someone with a daughter.”
“That’s true. Master, please introduce us too!”
I pointed at Narin and Gwangyang.
“They’re like my disciples…”
Their eyes narrowed as they corrected me.
“They’re my disciples. This is Narin. That’s Gwangyang.”
“Hello! I’m Sua. Narin, I’m your number one disciple.”
“…So small… She looks like a doll… Miss Sua, please call me Gwangyang.”
“Why are you being polite to a baby?”
“Isn’t she the daughter of my respected master? Of course, she’s older than me. Sister, you should be polite too.”
“She’s so cute! I’d rather just call her sister. Is that okay?”
Sua looked my way. I nodded slightly.
Sua beamed.
“Yes, sister. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, so cute. Master, can I take her around to show her the surroundings?”
“Of course. Go have fun.”
“Alrighty! Come on, follow me, sister.”
Narin took Sua and disappeared. Gwangyang looked me over.
“Master, I heard you were hurt… are you okay?”
“I’m fine. No need to worry. Nothing happened, right?”
“Nothing much… but because you came here directly, one thing did come up.”
“Something?”
“I’ve been hiding that I’m your disciple, but after being seen so much earlier, it’s probably useless now. The fact that I’m Muk Geom’s disciple has probably spread throughout Cheonmu Academy.”
You’ve been hiding the fact that you’re my disciple?
I lowered my head weakly.
“…Well, that’s understandable.”
“What, why are you disappointed?”
“How can I not be embarrassed to learn from someone with no background? It’s fine. I understand.”
“That’s not… it’s the opposite, Master. We kept quiet because we didn’t feel we lived up to your reputation.”
“My reputation?”
“What happened at Shaolin has spread far. Just mention my name, and the top guys will come along. Muk-ryong Jeok-un! Isn’t that famous? Plus…”
Gwangyang awkwardly scratched his cheek.
“If we can’t adapt, it might bring trouble to the master. So that’s why we kept quiet.”
“You think you’d bring me trouble?”
“Neither of us are used to places like this. So we’ve been living quietly… but we might make mistakes.”
“You have a teacher for when mistakes happen.”
I patted Gwangyang’s shoulder.
“If that’s your reason, there’s no need to hide. Just go around using my name.”
“…Master…”
Gwangyang scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
“That’s just like you, Master. But did you come all this way to see us?”
“That was the plan, but situations changed a bit.”
“What?”
“I’ll be staying here for a while.”
“What do you mean… wait, is Master here to learn something? You’re far beyond that level, aren’t you…? You’d rather be teaching, right…?”
“You’re right.”
“What?”
“I came to work at Cheonmu Academy. As a temporary instructor.”
“What does that even mean…?”
I casually glanced around Cheonmu Academy.
“I’m here to assist the head. While the leader recovers, I’m supposed to work next to the head of Cheonmu Academy and learn a lot. It’s a temporary instructor position.”
“Weren’t you the inspector?”
“It would be easier to think of it as my position has temporarily changed.”
The sudden promotion to a temporary instructor of the Martial Alliance clearly…
was a sign they were watching me.
After the incident at Shaolin, the leader might have grown suspicious of me.
Of the results that seemed greater than what he’d seen.
And as a result, they’d want to keep an eye on me via a proxy.
Fortunately, it wasn’t something to worry too much about. With Cheonggeop, hiding my identity was easier.
Moreover, it was somewhat advantageous. I was worried about leaving Sua all alone, and I also wanted to check on Narin and Gwangyang one more time.
“Gwangyang, I heard it’s a beginner class.”
“Master, that’s nonsense. It is a beginner class, but those kids with no money or background are not promoted beyond the beginner class. They just keep eating up tuition fees without proper support. The intermediate class is filled with kids weaker than us.”
“That’s good. I’m going in as a beginner class’s assistant instructor.”
“Huh! Does that mean…!”
“What have you been doing all this time…”
I chuckled.
“I’ll personally check on you. Gwangyang.”
Gwangyang lit up.
“Yes! Master! I’ll show you! I haven’t just been slacking off!”
