Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ya Suhyeok stared blankly at the transformed Geo Sangwoong as if he was witnessing a miracle. "Are you really Senior Sangwoong?"

The Student Council's 'interrogation' session had left Geo Sangwoong's muscular body and limbs as smooth as a baby's bottom. His once sparse beard was now clean shaven, and his hair impeccably slicked back with oil. Even his unruly eyebrows had been neatly groomed.

Feeling a tinge of betrayal, Ya Suhyeok's eyebrows twitched. "I thought you would look haggard from being captured and tortured, but instead, you've become even more dashing?"

"Stop staring and help me unlock these chains," Geo Sangwoong groaned, holding out his bound arms and legs.

Ya Suhyeok stepped forward and inserted the key to Geo Sangwoong's chains. Up close, his senior's transformation was even more striking, almost as if he had applied moisturizer all over his skin…

"Tsk. Until not long ago, you looked just like one of us, but now you're just a fat pretty boy. Not that you'd be popular, of course," Ya Suhyeok grumbled.

Geo Sangwoong ground his teeth. "This kid, seriously…!"

"Hahaha!" Ya Suhyeok laughed as he turned the key.

Geo Sangwoong stood up shakily and stretched his stiff limbs. "You have no idea what that crazy bitch Tang Soso did to me. Not only did she tie me up and remove all my body hair, she also gave me a haircut and trimmed my eyebrows. Ugh…"

Recalling the dreadful memories of the past two days, Geo Sangwoong shuddered.

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"Huh? Senior… Now that I've gotten a good look at you, if you were to lose some weight and dress up, wouldn't you look pretty decent?"

"W-What do you mean, 'I'll look decent'?"

Tang Soso scanned Geo Sangwoong's features thoroughly, then smiled mysteriously. "Instead of explaining, why don't I just show you?"

From that moment on, Geo Sangwoong was forced to undergo a total makeover. The hair on his arms and legs was pulled out, his beard was shaved, and even his hair and eyebrows were trimmed!

"Stop it! Please, stop! Why are you doing this to me? I'm not even a woman!"

"Oh dear, don't you know that even men are expected to keep themselves well groomed these days?"1

"I'd rather be tortured!"

"Ohohohoho!"

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to be here even one second longer," Geo Sangwoong said desperately, shaking his head in an attempt to forget the horror of Tang Soso's unbridled madness.

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Ya Suhyeok nodded, and together, they escaped from the Student Council building.

As the two big men ran, Ya Suhyeok explained the plan they had devised and how things were unfolding.

Geo Sangwoong's jaw dropped, shocked speechless. "Yeo Min took the lead? I always knew that girl was smart, but…"

"She's definitely a whole lot smarter than some stupid senior who acted all high and mighty only to get to get himself captured."

"Ahem!" Geo Sangwoong cleared his throat and looked away, pretending that he hadn't heard anything.

Fortunately for the two, with everyone's attention focused on the free-for-all battle royale with Dokgo Jun's crew, no one noticed them sneaking out of the building. ṚÁꞐＯＢĚŜ

Geo Sangwoong's eyes fell upon an old friend caught up in the messy brawl. "…Your plan is all well and good, but be careful not to underestimate Bang Baekhyun."

"Are you close with him?" Ya Suhyeok asked. As a freshman, he wasn't familiar with Bang Baekhyun.

Geo Sangwoong replied bitterly, "We used to be best friends."

Once upon a time, Geo Sangwoong and Bang Baekhyun were known as the Azure Dragon Duo. Right from their freshman entrance ceremony, the two had recognized each other's talent and quickly became inseparable buddies. They were so close, they even knew each other's deepest secrets.

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However, everything changed during the Heavenly Martial Festival two years ago.

"I'm not going to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival this year. I don't think I'm ready to show my talents to the world yet."

"Bullshit. It's your mother who opposes it, isn't it? What did she say this time? That if you participate and fail to rank high, it would just be a blemish on your record?"

"…Well, there's some truth to that."

Geo Sangwoong recalled Bang Baekhyun's sad smile as he awkwardly scratched his head.

After that, he had attended the Heavenly Martial Festival alone and gotten beaten so badly by Cho Il, the Fist Tyrant of the Heavenly Martial Academy, that he became traumatized and fell into qi deviation. An inexplicable fear gripped him whenever he tried to practice martial arts, and nightmares plagued him every night, so he had turned to gambling and binge eating to distract himself from the agony.

Just like that, a boy for whom the academy once had the highest expectations became a delinquent. Naturally, his relationship with Bang Baekhyun has also fallen apart.

…No, I was the one who broke off our friendship.

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"Sangwoong, can you tell me what happened?"

"……"

"Ahh, this is so frustrating! How long will you keep this up? I'm already struggling because of pressure from my mother, and now you're abandoning me too…"

"…Get lost. You're a nuisance."

Geo Sangwoong was haunted by the memory of how he had coldly turned away a friend who cared for him. Thus, after overcoming qi deviation with Baek Suryong's help, he had tried to meet up with Bang Baekhyun, but the former Student Council President had already entered seclusion training and was completely unreachable.

"…Leave Bang Baekhyun to me. I know him best," Geo Sangwoong whispered, his eyes filled with a mix of complex emotions.

"Keep going! Those guys are getting tired!"

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"The waist! Aim for the scented pouches on their waists!"

Dokgo Jun narrowed his eyes. Even while he was being lynched by a pack of wolves fixated on the scent pouches, his senses screamed that something was off.

There are some skilled bastards hiding in the chaos and ambushing us, and one of them is a superb swordsman.

The assassins attacked with only the most basic techniques to hide their identities, but that wasn't enough to fool Dokgo Jun.

CLANG!

Repelling another ambush from a blind spot, Dokgo Jun focused his vision and finally spotted a small, masked swordsman darting into the crowd.

"I knew it…!" He stepped back and positioned himself back-to-back with Bang Baekhyun. "Senior, about those guys hiding in the crowd and ambushing us…"

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"Wiji Cheon is one of them, right?" Bang Baekhyun replied.

Dokgo Jun nodded, then proceeded to inform Tang Soso and Yoo Yiran of their discovery.

"The other one must be Yeo Min. All the voices that cunningly incited the crowd belonged to a woman," Tang Soso snarled through gritted teeth. As the Student Council's lead strategist, falling into someone else's trap was a stain on her pride.

Yoo Yiran tilted her head in confusion. "Don't all participants have to hang their scented pouches on their waists? Why is no one targeting them?"

Even if Yeo Min and Wiji Cheon were wearing masks, according to the new rules, they were not allowed to conceal their scented pouches.

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"Maybe they entrusted their scented pouch to someone else. Ya Suhyeok and Hyonwon Kang aren't here."

"Or maybe someone took it from them and they're now trying to snatch ours?"

"Or maybe they've come to settle the score with us…"

Many ideas and opinions were brought up, but unfortunately, none were even remotely close to the truth.

"Anyway, it's clear those guys set a trap for us, isn't it?" Bang Baekhyun laughed, looking around at his exhausted juniors.

This is fun. When was the last time I swung my sword until I couldn't lift my arm and ran around until my legs were wobbly? How did I end up participating in such a ridiculous exam?

It was so absurd that even the thought of it made him chuckle uncontrollably.

For the past three and a half years, he had been singularly focused on joining the Murim Alliance after graduation and eventually becoming its chairman. Many told him that this was impossible for someone from Azure Dragon Academy, but he'd ignored them and continued to work hard, maintaining top grades, building a strong resume, and carefully managing his reputation in the murim.

Like it or not, he had followed his mother's advice faithfully.

"…However, I can let myself go today. Because that's exactly what this exam is about."

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Bang Baekhyun grinned and swung his sword with wild excitement. For a graduating student about to enter the grueling working world, such a rebellious act was an thrilling diversion.

After all, even at the Academy, there were precious few chances to legitimately clash with one's peers and juniors. Moreover, by defeating prodigies like the Five Young Azure Dragons, he could prove his strength to the entire world.

"Hey, juniors! The scented pouches are here, so if anyone wants one, try to take it!" he shouted, unleashing a flashy sword technique like a shower of flower petals.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Bang Baekhyun, and he beamed as he looked back at his juniors. "You know what? Why don't we just throw away all of our scented pouches?!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"…Have you gone mad, Senior?"

Dokgo Jun, Tang Soso, and Yoo Yiran eyed Bang Baekhyun suspiciously, as if he had gone mad, but Bang Baekhyun flashed a broad smile at them.

"If we toss the scented pouches, won't those guys just start fighting among themselves? Meanwhile, we'll hunt down Wiji Cheon and Yeo Min."

"Oh…"

"That's a good idea. If we wait until this mob tires themselves out, recovering the lost scented pouches won't be too difficult. Besides, they must be worn visibly on the waist anyway."

"…Alright then."

"Let's do it."

"Wiji Cheon's stamina must be drained after all those guerilla attacks…"

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Eventually, the juniors agreed. In truth, the best strategy was to guard the scented pouch until the end of the exam, but everyone was simply too worn out for that.

"Alright. I'll start first!" Bang Baekhyun said, ripping both of his scented pouches from his waist and hurling them into the air. "Juniors! The scented pouches you've been wanting are over here!"

The already chaotic situation instantly degenerated into utter disarray.

"A scented pouch!"

"Out of my way!"

"Don't be ridiculous! That's mine!"

Before the pouch could hit the ground, one person managed to catch it, but another soon snatched it away. Then a third person knocked the second person down, and the pouch fell out of his grasp and rolled across the floor. After that, a dozen people lunged for that one pouch.

Within seconds, as the students ran after the scented pouches, the perimeter started to crumble in the opposite direction.

Bang Baekhyun laughed, "Wow, it worked! Hurry up! Throw yours too!"

Following their senior's lead, Dokgo Jun, Tang Soso, and Yoo Yiran tore off their scented pouches and hurled them far away. In an instant, a frenzied scramble to grab the pouches broke out, and the encirclement that had prevented their escape dissolved.

"Damn, we should have done this earlier. You guys take a break," Bang Baekhyun said, leaving his juniors behind and striding confidently toward Wiji Cheon. Smiling slyly, he asked, "Genius freshman, how about a one-on-one duel with me this time?"

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"……" Wiji Cheon silently raised his sword. Although it would be difficult to deal with two opponents at once, he felt that a duel was worth a try.

The tips of their swords slowly moved toward each other, when someone carrying a huge bundle on their back suddenly sprinted in from afar, kicking up a cloud of dust as he was chased by dozens of pursuers.

"WHO DARES MESS WITH OUR YOUNGEST?!" Hyonwon Kang bellowed.

"…Hyonwon Kang?" Dokgo Jun exclaimed.

Tang Soso narrowed her eyes. "What is he up to now?"

While Dokgo Jun's group watched him warily, Hyonwon Kang stepped on someone's head and bounded high into the air.

"Listen up, you bastards! Want the scented pouches? Then go ahead and take them all!"

With a mighty swing, Hyonwon Kang tore open the bundle he was carrying and scattered over a hundred identical scented pouches all over the battlefield.

"What the fuck!?"

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"Were there that many scented pouches?"

For a moment, everyone stood still, blinking in confusion.

"Those are fakes! Quick, retrieve the originals before lose track of them!" Tang Soso shouted.

"What? Hyonwon Kang, you crazy son of a bitch!" Dokgo Jun roared, hurriedly running to retrieve the scented pouch he had thrown.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Dust rose, obscuring vision, and as the pouches were passed from hand to hand among the students. It was now impossible to tell the real ones from the fakes.

Bang Baekhyun laughed, "Hahaha! Now there's no way to tell what's real and what's fake!"

"Damn it! What the hell?!"

"Ahh, I don't know anymore, so let's just fight!"

"Count me in!"

At first, only the students who were after the scented pouches joined the melee, but later, more students who had heard the rumors swarmed in.

Coincidentally, every other exam had already ended. Eager to release their pent-up stress and celebrate the end of the semester, more and more students joined the Great Campus Riot.

"Fight, fight!"

"Come at me!"

"Scented pouch! Where are the scented pouches?!"

Today must be the most chaotic day since the founding of the Azure Dragon Academy, Bang Baekhyun mused, looking at the mayhem all around him.

"FUCK THE EXAMS! IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY!" he yelled, roaring with laughter amid the swirling dust.

Translator's Note: There will only be 2-3 chapters this week because a fellow overtime corporate slave fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended my car, and I need to get it repaired and settle the insurance claim. Don't worry, no humans were hurt.

1. To those unfamiliar with Korean culture, modern Korean men are expected to place a lot of emphasis on skincare, hairstyling, and fashion. It's really not uncommon for a young Korean man to own more creams and cosmetics than women of other cultures. ↩

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