Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 320: The Deepest, Darkest Secret

TL: FoodieMonster007

"…Can you stop hitting me now? I genuinely feel like I'm about to die," Moyong Jun grumbled with a swollen face.

Behind him, the shattered remains of rock were scattered everywhere, lifeless and broken.

"Oh! You've already regained your senses! I should stop…"

POW!

Contrary to what she said, Ryu Seol threw one more punch before finally ceasing her relentless assault.

Panting, she asked, "Whew! Have you really come to your senses this time?"

"…Fuck. Why can't I defeat you even once?" Moyong Jun grumbled with a sigh.

Confirming that there was no more trace of berserk qi in Moyong Jun's eyes, Ryu Seol calmed down. However, she continued to glare fiercely at Moyong Jun.

"Argh, you damned bastard!"

"…Just kill me already. Why waste your time on something so pointless?" Moyong Jun sighed, staring at the pale-faced Ryu Seol.

She had pushed herself to the limit, and using her Demonic Eye obviously took a heavy toll on her, but that wasn't the real reason why she was exhausted.

"You're the only mad bitch who performs meridian cleansing this brutally," Moyong Jun grumbled. Despite being battered, his body felt oddly light.

"What nonsense are you spouting, you dumbass? I just beat you until my anger subsided."

This is a free translation. You should not be seeing ads.

As a result of using martial arts far beyond his limits, Moyong Jun's body had become a wreck. His qi flow had gone haywire, damaging his internal organs.

I must have been insane or suicidal to attempt executing the Unlimited Tempest at my current level.

Until a moment ago, qi deviation had caused him to completely lose control of himself. He hadn't been wielding the sword, the sword was wielding him. He had become nothing but a lunatic whose soul had been stolen by the blade.

Meeting Ryu Seol's gaze, he laughed hollowly, "Thanks… for not letting me die a madman."

"Shit…" Ryu Seol cursed.

If she hadn't secretly stabilized some of his qi flow under the guise of a beating, Moyong Jun would already be dead. Regardless, that had only bought him a little more time.

Ryu Seol asked bluntly, "How much longer can you hold out?"

"Not sure. Several minutes, maybe?"

Moyong Jun was aware he didn't have much time left, and it was impossible for Ryu Seol not to know it too. The reckless technique he'd learned was now raging uncontrollably, destroying his body from within.

His death was inevitable.

After a brief silence, Ryu Seol slumped to the ground in front of Moyong Jun. "Don't you have anything to say to me?" she mumbled dejectedly.

"What's up with that eye?"

"It's called the Demonic Eye of Illusions. Because of you, my head feels like it's about to split open." Ryu Seol pressed her left temple, seemingly in pain.

"……" Moyong Jun stared blankly, captivated by her jewel-like eye.

So this is what she looks like without the eyepatch.

"What are you staring at? Aren't you going to look away?"

"Are you embarrassed or something?"

"Imagine removing underwear you haven't taken off even once in twenty years. How do you think that feels?"

"Eww… Stinky… Disgusting…"

This is a non-profit translation. You should not be seeing ads.

SMACK!

"Nngh…" Moyong Jun groaned, clutching his head in pain. Having made a stupid remark, Ryu Seol had promptly whacked him in the head.

"You must be fearless since you're about to die."

"Does the Chairman know about your eye?"

"Yeah. That old man told me to hide it no matter what. As you can see, it's not just a demonic art, some evil sorcery is mixed in too."

Ryu Seol's violet eye radiated a charm capable of entrancing anyone who saw them. There was no way the orthodox sects would tolerate such a sinister Demonic Eye.

"He said that I need to at least reach the level of the Ten Supremes to openly walk around with this eye."

"Considering your skills… aren't you already pretty close?" Moyong Jun asked.

He believed Ryu Seol was powerful enough to threaten the ranks of the Ten Supremes. No, if it was Ryu Seol without her eyepatch, she could definitely…

As if reading his thoughts, Ryu Seol scoffed, "You idiot. Do you think the Ten Supremes are pushovers? Moreover, the Chairman is a monster even among them. I've had my skull cracked more than once trying to stand up to him."

This is a non-profit translation. Ads? What ads?

"…If you fought the Azure Dragon Hero, who would win?"

"How can you still spout random nonsense when you're already on death's doorstep? We wouldn't know unless we fought."

The two exchanged trivial banter, spending half of Moyong Jun's remaining time as though it were just another ordinary day.

Because this was how the Elimination Corps parted with their comrades on the battlefield.

"Now, tell me. Why did you do it?" Ryu Seol asked, her voice taking on a stern tone.

As the Acting Chairman of the Murim Alliance and the Commander of the Elimination Corps, she couldn't overlook the betrayal by her Vice Commander.

"I already told you. I wanted to surpass you…"

"Look me in the eye." Ryu Seol grabbed Moyong Jun by the collar and pulled him close, her violet Demonic Eye flaring fiercely at a distance close enough for their breaths to mingle. "Tell me the truth. Why did you betray the Alliance? Are there other Blood Cultists besides the guy who came with you? What have you been doing behind my back? Spill everything."

Moyong Jun opened and closed his mouth several times, seemingly organizing his thoughts. After a pause, he finally said, "One day two years ago, I found a letter in my room."

Moyong Jun. You're wasting your swordsmanship talent.

"Initially, I dismissed it as a prank by someone from the Elimination Corps and didn't take it seriously, but another letter in the same handwriting appeared the next day."

I'll give you a chance to learn the greatest sword technique in the world.

"That's when I finally felt something was amiss and secretly investigated who was behind these letters. As there was still a chance it was merely a prank, I didn't bother informing you of it. However…the investigation led nowhere. Then, a third letter arrived along with an incomplete martial arts manual."

This is the world's strongest sword technique, and it was created by your ancestor.

"The manual was titled "The Unlimited Sword." After skimming the first few pages, I realized this martial art was perfectly suited for me, and I became so absorbed that I read through it in no time."

This is a non-profit translation. You should not be seeing ads.

If you want to read the next chapter, leave your window open tomorrow morning.

"The next morning, I left my window open and went to the Murim Alliance. One day at a time, the Blood Cult lured me in, feeding me the formulas of the Unlimited Sword bit by bit, like taming a pet with treats. At first, I even entertained thoughts that perhaps some hidden master of murim had recognized my talent and wanted to take me as a disciple."

"Oh, come on. You're not that naive."

"I know, but am I not allowed to even fantasize a little?" Moyong Jun's expression darkened. "…When I finally realized that the culprit behind the letters was the Blood Cult, it was already too late. All I could see was the Unlimited Sword."

"You truly are an idiot."

"Yeah, I have no excuse," Moyong Jun admitted bitterly.

The inferiority he felt towards Ryu Seol as a martial artist had always tormented him, and the desire to surpass and earn her acknowledgment had spiraled out of control as he trained in the Unlimited Sword. It was a clear sign of qi deviation, something Moyong Jun knew but couldn't stop.

"The only conspirators I know are the Poison Demon and his disciples. Eliminate them, and there shouldn't be anyone else left to root out."

"……"

"By the way, I leaked quite a bit of the Murim Alliance's classified information to the Blood Cult… Ugh!" Moyong Jun's voice trailed off weakly as he grimaced in unbearable agony, feeling as though his organs were being shredded.

He wanted to confess everything, but time was running out. His qi flow, which had been temporarily calmed by Ryu Seol, surged violently again.

"…The cinnamon tree in my yard. Do you remember burying liquor beneath it?" he choked.

"What liquor?"

"You can't remember anything clearly, can you?" Moyong Jun tried to laugh, but even breathing was difficult for him now. "…We made a promise back then that if either of us got married, we'd dig it up and drink it to celebrate."

"Ah…" Finally, Ryu Seol remembered that day. It was a drunken joke they shared over ten years ago.

"Ryu Seol! What do you think you're doing in someone else's yard!"

"Hehehe! If either of us is lucky enough to get married, we'll dig this liquor out and drink it. Got it?"

"Haah… Fine. Whatever."

"Ah, but what if neither of us ever gets married? That would be a waste of good liquor…"

"…Then marry me. I doubt anyone else would want a wildcat like you… If neither of us is married by forty, I guess I could just take you in…"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU IDIOT?"

"C-Come on, can't you take a joke?"

"When you get back, dig it up. There's a journal buried next to the liquor. Reading it might help clear things up." Moyong Jun shook with quiet laughter, recalling the distant memory. Oddly enough, the pain seemed to subside a little.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, but his vision blurred regardless. He couldn't even see Ryu Seol clearly now.

"…Now that I think about it, maybe I this is what I wanted. To die at your hands."

"You're spouting nonsense even at the very end."

Ryu Seol clenched her teeth and stared directly at the friend she'd known all her life. She did not cry. She would keep her eyes open wide, watching him until the very last moment.

"Ryu Seol."

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to call your name one last time."

"Idiot."

"Take care."

"…Alright."

Moyong Jun slowly closed his eyes, a peaceful expression settling on his face. Now that it was time to pay the price for his poor decisions, he felt strangely calm.

A death accompanied by the woman I'm madly in love with. This isn't so bad.

He smiled faintly. His deepest, darkest secret wasn't his martial arts, but his feelings for Ryu Seol. It was a secret he would carry with him to the grave.

He accepted death quietly, his consciousness fading as if he were sinking into a deep sleep.

"Hey. Who said you could die?" Baek Suryong snapped, approaching the couple.

Ryu Seol quickly covered her Demonic Eye and turned around sharply.

If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

Baek Suryong chuckled, "I've already seen it, so no need to overreact. It's nothing special."

"You…!" Ryu Seol's eyes widened in shock.

Baek Suryong's clothes were draped over him like tattered rags, and his face was as pale as a corpse's. At a glance, it was clear that he had suffered severe internal injuries. Above all, seeing the normally playful young instructor wearing a serious expression left her speechless.

His battle with the cultists must have been brutal.

"……" Baek Suryong's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the battlefield.

He used the Unlimited Tempest.

It was one of the Unlimited Sword's most ferocious techniques, impossible to imitate without immense inner qi and a deep understanding of martial arts.

No, it's been altered. The true essence of the ultimate technique is lost, leaving only pure destructive power.

He approached Moyong Jun and examined his condition closely.

"There's no point, it's too late. There's nothing we can do now." Ryu Seol shook her head grimly.

"That would be true… if I hadn't arrived."

This time… I'll definitely save him.

Baek Suryong looked at the dying Moyong Jun. For a moment, he saw the face of an old trainee overlapping with his.

"Instructor! I'm counting on you!"

He was a child with gentle eyes, with a gift comparable to the present Wiji Cheon. However, under the Demonic Strategist's orders, he had destroyed that child's soul, turning him into nothing more than an emotionless killing machine.

Even now, he clearly remembered how, little by little, all warmth faded from those gentle eyes, leaving only a ruthless focus on the sword.

"…Instructor, what happens if we give up?"

"The Cult has plenty of replacements for you. The instant you give up, you'll be discarded like trash."

"……"

Discarded like trash. As though that's all you ever were.

"…You're the one who made me this way."

The sword marks left by Moyong Jun strangely resembled that child's swordsmanship.

I don't regret making those faulty manuals, but…

If he hadn't altered his masters' martial arts and passed them down normally, the Blood Cult would have turned the world into a sea of blood ages ago.

Nevertheless, a pang of guilt stirred within him. The incomplete Unlimited Sword had been born as a result of his own actions. He couldn't remain indifferent as someone who had unknowingly practiced it lay dying before him, especially when that person was a descendant of the Moyong Clan and a relative of Master Sword Saint.

"I won't let you die before you spill everything you know about the Blood Cult."

Baek Suryong placed his palm on Moyong Jun's qi center and sensed the flow of his qi. As the only living person who was familiar with the complete Unlimited Sword, only he could correct all the flaws in Moyong Jun's sword technique.

HISS…!

It seemed that Moyong Jun had gone into qi deviation due to the faulty energy pathways in the altered art, so he corrected the tangled qi channels and expelled the stagnant impure energy within Moyong Jun's body.

Finally, the Unlimited Sword's rampaging qi began to subside. Slowly but surely, Moyong Jun's dying body regained its vitality.

"…!!" Ryu Seol's eyes widened in disbelief, and she clenched her fists tightly. What Baek Suryong had done was nothing short of a miracle.

Several minutes later, Moyong Jun slowly opened his eyes.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.