Chapter 39: Sorry, I'm Late!

“That punk still hasn’t come?”

Although the question was asked in passing, Ak Yeon-Ho broke out in cold sweat. The person who had asked the question was the headmaster of the Azure Dragon Academy, who was famous for intimidating even his fellow instructors, and this was the third time he was repeating himself.

“Haha, he’ll be here soon,” Ak Yeon-Ho awkwardly laughed, even as Mae Geuk-Lyom glared daggers at him.

Mae Geuk-Lyom frowned, not liking Ak Yeon-Ho’s answer. “You’ve been saying the same thing for a while now. Admit it, you don’t even know where he is, do you?”

“T-That…”

Ak Yeon-Ho felt wronged. Why is he picking on me when it’s his own grandson who’s late! Sadly, as much as he wanted to complain, he couldn’t bring himself to do it in front of the terrifying Headmaster.

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“He just said that he’ll be away for a few days due to personal reasons…” he stammered.

“Did he run away because he lost his confidence?”

“…No, definitely not.”

“Hmph, we’ll see,” Mae Geuk-Lyom snorted, then left to talk to the other prospective instructors.

Ak Yeon-Ho sighed. Things might get really dicey if he shows up late…

The practical examination for new instructors at the Azure Dragon Academy had already begun. In front of Ak Yeon-Ho, the first batch of instructor applicants stood on the podium, giving a trial lecture to selected students.

“Uhm, according to the principles of Taiji…”

“Every sect has a slightly different interpretation of the Yin Yang and the Five Elements, so there are differences in how to read and understand their martial arts manuals. In this case, it’s best to use…”

“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which disappeared centuries ago, is the predecessor of the Blood Cult. Back then, the first Blood Demon united those who opposed the Heavenly Demon’s decision to migrate…”

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The instructors eagerly gave their lectures, sometimes even stepping down from the podium to demonstrate their martial arts.

The students’ reactions, however, were generally either cold or taunting.

“YAAAAWN, I’m getting sleepy.”

“Wow, is the instructor only at that level?”

“Wait, what you just said. Isn’t that too biased and personal?”

At the sight of the unruly students, Ak Yeon-Ho gulped. Seriously, are kids these days all like this? They aren’t much younger than me, are they? I’m a little envious of them…

Unlike Ak Yeon-Ho, who practiced martial arts as he was told, the students here at the Azure Dragon Academy didn’t hesitate to ask questions or make rude comments if they didn’t understand or like something.

On the left side of the lecture hall, the Azure Dragon Academy principal, vice principal, and existing instructors busily scribbled down notes as they evaluated the new instructor applicants.

“Hoo…” Myeong Il-Oh let go of the breath he was holding as he finished up his lecture and walked back toward Ak Yeon-Ho.

Ak Yeon-Ho handed a water canteen to him and praised, “Good job, Il-Oh hyung. How do you feel?”

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“Don’t make me remember it. The kids clung on to my every word as if they were going to bite my head off the instant I made a mistake, and the instructors were glaring at me from the side… Hey, I didn’t mess up, right?”

“Your lecture was the best so far. I’m sure the students and instructors will appreciate it,” Ak Yeon-Ho said. He was exaggerating it a bit, but Myeong Il-Oh’s lecture was definitely one of the more outstanding ones.

Myeong Il-Oh heaved a sigh of relief, then looked around and asked, “By the way, is Baek-hyung here yet?”

“No. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.”

“I hope nothing bad happened to him. He really should have returned by now…”

Before they knew it, Ak Yeon-Ho’s turn was nearing, and Baek Su-Ryong turn was right after his. The two young men nervously looked toward the entrance of the Azure Dragon Academy.

WHOOSH…

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There was no sign of anyone, except for a dog grunting and defecating by the main entrance.

“…He still isn’t here, huh.” Mae Geuk-Lyom, who had briefly gone to check on the students, approached the two. There was a hint of disappointment on his face, and a trace of anger in his voice.

“Like father, like son, it seems…” Mae Geuk-Lyom mumbled, releasing a chilly aura.

The instructors who were waiting for their turn shivered.

Mae Geuk-Lyom added icily, “Since he still hasn’t shown up, I’ll have to assume that he’s not keen on the job. Candidate Baek Su-Ryong is rejected.”

“W-Wait a minute!” Ak Yeon-Ho objected without thinking.

As Mae Geuk-Lyom’s sharp gaze swept over him, he gulped and inwardly cursed, Fucking bastard, why the hell are you so late! Now I have to buy time for you…

“Headmaster, Su-Ryong hyung-nim will be here soon, please just wait a little longer.”

“I’ve heard you say that four times, so when will he come? After the exam is over?”

Ak Yeon-Ho sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know when he’ll come. He’s not a person who would run away, so something unexpected probably happened.”

“How can you be so sure? You haven’t known him for long.”

“That’s…” Recalling Baek Su-Ryong’s shameless face as he declared that he would build the White Dragon Academy in front of the Azure Dragon Academy and surpass it in ten years if the interviewers failed him, Ak Yeon-Ho hesitated.

“I’m saying this…for the future of the Azure Dragon Academy.”

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“The future of the Azure Dragon Academy?”

“Su-Ryong Hyung-nim said that if you failed him, he’ll build the White Dragon Academy across the street from the Azure Dragon Academy, and ten years from now, his students will beat the crap out of the Azure Dragon Academy students.”

“…He’ll what?”

“If you disqualify him, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth tomorrow.”

“BWAHAHA!” Having overheard the conversation, several of the prospective instructors burst out laughing at the absurdity of Baek Su-Ryong’s declaration.

Even the tightly clenched, seemingly immovable lips of Headmaster Mae Geuk-Lyom twitched. He stifled a laugh and muttered, “That audacity of his is just like my daughter.”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Ak Yeon-Ho couldn’t quite put a finger on Mae Geuk-Lyom’s random mood swings, but it wasn’t a bad sign.

In a slightly gentler tone, Mae Geuk-Lyom said, “I’ve already given him a lot of leeway. If he still isn’t here when his turn comes, I won’t have any choice but to reject him.”

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Myeong Il-Oh walked up next to Ak Yeon-Ho and cautiously asked, “A-About that, Mr. Headmaster, would it be possible to make Candidate Baek Su-Ryong the last in line?”

Mae Geuk-Lyom’s eyes lit up with delight even as he contradicted himself, “Nonsense. Do you think take this interview for a joke?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“If you suggest something like that one more time, you’ll be…”

“Is there a problem?” A certain someone who had been watching the exchange from afar suddenly interrupted.

Everyone turned around, only to see the Three Absolutes Sword Namgoong Su and the Blazing Blade Kwak Cheol-Woo walking toward them.

Conscious of the stares he was receiving, Namgoong Su placed his hands behind his back and smiled gently, saying, “The students are tired, so we decided to take a short break.”

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“……” Most of the new instructor applicants looked at the Azure Dragon Academy’s Star Instructor with either admiration or envy.

However, Ak Yeon-Ho wasn’t most people. He shot Namgoong Su a death glare even as he wondered, Why is this person here?

Namgoong Su pointedly ignored him and asked, “Headmaster, are you facing any problems with these people? I was worried about the commotion, so I came to see if you needed help.”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Mae Geuk-Lyom replied, waving his hand dismissively. “There’s an applicant who hasn’t come yet, so we were just discussing whether to reject him right away or wait a bit longer…”

“Does that applicant happen to be Baek Su-Ryong?”

“…Yes.”

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Namgoong Su smiled warmly, but an ominous chill immediately ran down Ak Yeon-Ho and Myeong Il-Oh’s spines.

“Oh no, he must have had an emergency. There’s no way he ran away because he has stage fright or was afraid of embarrassing himself during his demonstration lecture…”

“……” Enraged at Namgoong Su’s blatant sarcasm, veins popped out from Ak Yeon-Ho, Myeong Il-Oh, and Mae Geuk-Lyom’s foreheads at the same time.

“He didn’t run away.”

“Baek-hyung is not that kind of person.”

“I…agree with them,” Mae Geuk-Lyom added, glaring icily at Namgoong Su.

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That made Namgoong Su a bit flustered, he wasn’t about to let that stop him from saying his mind. “Hmm… Then, since Candidate Baek Su-Ryong seems to have gotten involved in an accident, why don’t we push his turn to the very end?”

“But if we do that, it wouldn’t be fair…” Mae Geuk-Lyom objected.

Namgoong Su cut him off, saying, “That is, of course, assuming that the applicant who was originally last in line agrees to it.”

The pale-faced applicant in question immediately threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed, “I-I’m good! I’ll give way! I’ll give way as many times as you want me to!”

“……” With the affected party so eager, Mae Geuk-Lyom found it difficult to say anything more.

Namgoong Su had bent the whole situation to his will in an instant.

“Then let’s do it that way. Vice Principal, I apologize if this seems arrogant of me, but…perhaps we, the Azure Dragon Academy, need to show a little leniency to our applicants?”

“Ah, of course we should, and don’t worry, Mr. Namgoong, the Principal won’t care about something so trivial.” Kwak Cheol-Woo nodded enthusiastically.

I may be the best instructor in the Azure Dragon Academy…but why is Mr. Kwak, my senior, being so submissive? Namgoong Su, who had gotten his superior’s approval in a flash, wondered.

He then turned around to face Ak Yeon-Ho and smiled, saying, ‘‘This should be good news for Candidate Baek Su-Ryong, who didn’t run away, but instead met with an emergency, right? Since we’ve given him this much consideration, he should be able to arrive here in time now.”

“……” Ak Yeon-Ho didn’t answer and only continued to glare at Namgoong Su. So this is what you were aiming for all along.

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If Baek Su-Ryong failed to make it on time even after all the concessions, he would instantly be branded a coward. However, even if he did make it, he would have to give his demonstration lecture under the pressure of countless judging stares.

The later one’s turn, the greater the stress.

The reason for that was because as time passes, both the students’ and instructors’ fatigue build up from going through lecture after lecture. Accordingly, their evaluation standards would also increase.

On the flip side, if the final lecturer does a great job, then it would leave a very lasting impression…

However, demonstrating such skill was difficult even for instructors who had been teaching for more than a decade.

Namgoong Su smiled wryly. Nah, there’s no way a peasant who has only ever taught village children could have such skills.

Even now, he hadn’t forgotten what Baek Su-Ryong had said to him during the interview.

“How about I just beat you to a pulp right now?”

I thought he at least had the guts to back up his words, but it seems that he’s just a coward who ran away from the demonstration lecture. I absolutely won’t forgive a guy like that.

Everyone at the Azure Dragon Academy will know you’re a coward. I’ll make sure of it. It doesn’t matter if you show up late. I’ll humiliate you so badly that you’ll never set foot in this city again.

Namgoong Su smirked. “Personally, I’m very much looking forward to Candidate Baek Su-Ryong’s demonstration lecture. I hope he arrives on time.”

With a lingering smile on his lips, Namgoong Su turned and returned to his seat.

“……”

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Behind him, Ak Yeon-Ho, Myeong Il-Oh, and Mae Geuk-Lyom stood side by side, glaring daggers at him.

“With that kind of attitude, Su-Ryong Hyung-nim will definitely come and put this guy in his place.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he would.”

“…Bastard grandson. If you don’t get here on time, I’ll kill you myself.”

Time flew by without caring for the trio’s feelings, but even as the final turn drew nearer and nearer, Baek Su-Ryong did not appear.

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“Hahaha! So, back when I was a student at the Vermilion Phoenix Academy…” Kwak Du-Yong loudly said, thumping his chest with his thick arms.

Most of the students sitting in front of him looked bored, but some of them listened with interest.

Off to the side, the instructors in the lecture hall chatted amongst themselves.

“Candidate Kwak Du-Yong teaches surprisingly well.”

“As long as he doesn’t talk about the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, he seems fine. He’s very knowledgeable about the various types of martial arts.”

“He’s a braggart, but he’s got a way with words. The girls don’t like him, but the boys are surprisingly welcoming.”

At the unexpected outpouring of praise, the vice-principal Kwak Cheol-woo coughed and blushed.

“If you guys are saying all that because of me, please stop.”

Kwak Du-Yong was Kwak Cheol-Woo’s cousin’s son. In his younger days, he had actually been an elite student at the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, but a traumatic incident had caused him to completely abandon martial arts for a while.

In an effort to get Kwak Du-Yong back on his feet, Kwak Cheol-Woo had accepted his cousin’s recommendation, but he never expected that Kwak Du-Yong would pass the interview and deliver a decent demonstration lecture.

“We’re not saying that because of you, Vice Principal, but because he really has the qualities of a good instructor. Don’t be too strict on him just because you’re blood relatives.” Namgoong Su said, smiling gently.

Embarrassed, Kwak Cheol-Woo coughed, “He’s a good guy when he’s not drunk… It’s just that he’s drunk most of the time.”

“Is there a reason he can’t quit his alcohol addiction?”

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Kwak Cheol-Woo hesitated for a moment, then replied, “He is the only survivor of the Central Heavenly Peak Massacre twenty years ago.”

“Ah…” Everyone’s expressions darkened, and the mood immediately turned somber.

Kwak Cheol-Woo waved his hand to lighten their heavy hearts, saying, “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, did all of you forget that we’re in the middle of evaluating the new instructor candidates right now?”

“Haha, yes indeed.”

“By the way, the quality of applicants is really high this year.”

Everyone laughed and went back to focusing on the lecture.

When Kwak Du-Yong’s turn ended, the next candidate stepped up to the podium.

Namgoong Su’s eyes lit up. I heard that this person was from the Shandong Ak Clan.

“My name is Ak Yeon-Ho, and I am from the Shandong Ak Clan.”

After a short introduction, Ak Yeon-Ho gave a short self-introduction, then proceeded to give a live demonstration of his spear arts.

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WHIZZ! WHOOSH! SWOOSH!

He swung his practice spear wildly, stabbing, slashing, parrying, and occasionally aiming for where an opponent’s vitals would be.

The students and teachers let out a collective gasp.

Namgoong Su narrowed his eyes. As expected of a disciple of a famous clan.

Ak Yeon-Ho finished his lecture without a hitch, and the next candidate went up to the podium. However, very few of the candidates after Ak Yeon-Ho stood out. Most were sub-par, and others mediocre.

The students and instructors quickly got bored.

In contrast, Namgoong Su was actually enjoying the wait. We’re almost at the end.

Baek Su-Ryong. The peasant who had dared to provoke him in the interview. Namgoong Su was very much looking forward to his demonstration lecture, but judging by the fact that he still hadn’t shown up, it was getting more and more likely that he had run away.

“The final demonstration lecture will be on the basics of outer arts, and it will begin in a few minutes, so please be seated until then. Candidate Baek Su-Ryong, please come up to the podium!”

One by one, the students who had signed up to observe the outer arts demonstration class took their seats.

Eh? Namgoong Su’s eyes widened slightly with surprise. Peng Sa-Hyuk, the president of the club union, Hyonwon Kang, the infamous troublemaker of the academy, and Tang So-So, the vice president of the student council, were all sitting in the audience with shining eyes.

“Why are those kids here…?”

“They’re not the ones taking the basic class.”

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“Yeah.”

The other instructors seemed just as confused.

Kwak Cheol-Woo spent a minute checking the candidate’s documents, then shouted, “Candidate Baek Su-Ryong, are you here?”

There was no answer. Ak Yeon-Ho, Myeong Il-Oh, and Mae Geuk-Lyom looked nervously at the front door.

MUMBLE MUMBLE.

Bewildered, the students also began to murmur.

The corners of Namgoong Su’s mouth curled upwards. With a hint of regret, he said, “Well, well. Looks like he’s not coming after all.”

“That’s a shame, we even switched his turn for him.”

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“Tsk tsk…”

“In the end, it was all just empty boasts.”

The instructors clicked their tongues, while the waiting students grumbled and complained. Namgoong Su sneered at the sight.

So this is all he amounts to.

Kwak Cheol-Woo put down Baek Su-Ryong’s application documents and said, “As a school, we’ve already done as much as we can for Candidate Baek Su-Ryong. As such, I declare that his candidacy has been withdrawn…!”

Suddenly, the Principal, who had been silently looking out the front door, interrupted, “Vice Principal, please wait a moment.”

“Principal?”

“Something is flying here from over there.”

“…What? Flying?”

Kwak Cheol-Woo, Namgoong Su, and everyone else’s eyes turned toward the sky.

WHOOOOSH!

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A small dot was soaring through the air toward the Azure Dragon Academy in a giant parabola at a terrifying speed.

“W-What is that…” Namgoong Su stared at the scene with his mouth agape.

The dot grew larger and larger, until it finally revealed itself to be human.

“A-A human cannonball?”

“It’s going to land here! Move aside!”

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“Uwaaah!”

The new instructor applicants panicked and scattered in all directions.

SWOOSH!

The newcomer, who was falling headfirst, did a perfect somersault in midair, then landed lightly on his feet.

TAP!

“Whoa…”

A picture-perfect handsome young man swept his wind-disheveled hair out of his face.

Everyone stared at him, speechless.

Baek Su-Ryong looked around, smiled wryly and said, “Sorry, I’m late! I’m Baek Su-Ryong.”

The last of the new instructor applicants arrived with a more impactful grand entrance than anyone before him.

Translator’s Note: Sorry for the delays, I’ve been busy with new home renovation stuff lately…