Chapter 12
“Heouk!“
Yeom Ja-ryang unconsciously let go of his hand and quickly backed away, his eyes widening as if they would tear.
“In-Instructor…!”
“Your words are short.”
Sa Bigang frowned.
Even so, Yeom Ja-ryang just stood there in a daze with a blank expression.
“H-how is the Instructor… here?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know anything? With that clumsy skill of yours?”
Sa Bigang snorted and scratched his head with Veritas.
“You’ve been lurking around since early evening, how could I sleep with that bothering me? In the end, I pretended to sleep and you snatched it right away. Huhu.“
“Th-then from the beginning you knew everything…?”
“How could I not know when you were being so obvious?”
Yeom Ja-ryang’s mouth fell open.
Sa Bigang raised the corner of his mouth and glanced at Cho Mun-tak who had collapsed to one side.
“I saw everything you were doing from the beginning. Everything. Very, very thoroughly.”
Only then did Yeom Ja-ryang’s gaze also turn to Cho Mun-tak who had collapsed to one side.
His face became haggard.
“N-no! That, that’s not something I did!”
“Eeong? I clearly saw you stabbing him though? Now you’re even committing perjury.”
“Ah… Of, of course I stabbed him… But that wasn’t me! I really didn’t do it! It wasn’t me!”
Yeom Ja-ryang clutched his head and wailed with greatly dilated pupils.
Sa Bigang shrugged his shoulders.
“My word. What kind of talk is that? ‘I did it but I didn’t do it!’ What kind of stupid nonsense is that?”
When Sa Bigang even mimicked his voice sarcastically, Yeom Ja-ryang flared up and shouted.
“It’s true!”
“You, your words keep being short?”
“It’s, it’s true… sir. Keuk! Please believe me! In that moment, as if… I was possessed by something…”
Sa Bigang left the muttering Yeom Ja-ryang and walked step by step before crouching down in front of Cho Mun-tak.
“He’s lost quite a bit of blood. First I need to stop the bleeding.”
He quickly moved his hands to press pressure points.
Just then, Yeom Ja-ryang, who had suddenly come to his senses, looked back at Sa Bigang and shouted.
“W-wait! Then, are you saying the Instructor followed us from the beginning?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Sa Bigang replied indifferently while picking up the sword sheath.
Yeom Ja-ryang looked back and forth between Cho Mun-tak and Sa Bigang before shouting again.
“Th-then why didn’t you stop it?”
“What?”
“You said you saw everything! Even me stabbing that guy! But why didn’t you stop it? Can you really still call yourself an instructor? That would be grounds for instructor disqualification! What were you doing, Instructor, while that guy ended up in this state!”
Yeom Ja-ryang clenched his fists tightly and trembled.
Suddenly, a sense of betrayal welled up.
At the very least, shouldn’t an instructor step in in such a situation?
When a student makes a mistake, step in to stop them, and when they’re in danger, at any time…
“You want to say ‘Shouldn’t you have rushed over to save me from danger?'”
The expression on Sa Bigang’s face as he spoke had turned coolly cold.
That expression was so chilling that Yeom Ja-ryang unconsciously flinched back.
But soon he gritted his teeth and confronted him.
“Sh-shouldn’t you have?”
“No. That’s right. But you shouldn’t be saying such things. You’ve been looking down on instructors as less than the dirt on your soles, but now that the situation is difficult, you suddenly bring up an instructor’s duties? Are you joking? I’m an instructor who guides you all, not a nanny who indulges your whims!”
“Heup.“
This time Yeom Ja-ryang stepped back two full steps.
The moment he made eye contact with Sa Bigang, it felt like an ice-cold wind was pushing against him.
Sa Bigang continued speaking while sheathing Veritas.
“I told you, didn’t I? When you challenge me and fail, be prepared to pay the price. That guy is now paying that price. Even though he was hurt by you.”
“Keuuk. Such…!”
“What? Are you feeling betrayed? That won’t do. Betrayal is something you feel from someone you at least trusted. You never trusted me as an instructor. You’re just making excuses and rationalizing.”
Sa Bigang walked step by step toward Yeom Ja-ryang.
“Ueuu… Wh-what?”
This time he couldn’t move at all.
His whole body had stiffened like a wooden block, and his soles seemed stuck to the ground and wouldn’t move.
Finally, when Sa Bigang had come right up to him.
“What do you mean? Did you already forget? You have to pay the price too. Starting now.”
“Wh-what are you going to do…?”
“I need to start the guidance.”
Sa Bigang slowly reached out his hand.
Yeom Ja-ryang clenched his molars tightly.
‘Wh-why won’t it move!’
In fact, Yeom Ja-ryang was bound by the Hold magic that Sa Bigang had cast.
Hold magic usually has a temporary effect, but Sa Bigang, who had now reached the 4th Circle, could bind an opponent for about the time it takes to take three or four deep breaths.
Anyway, Yeom Ja-ryang, who had no way of knowing such facts, could only be paralyzed with extreme fear.
And the moment Sa Bigang’s hand touched his shoulder.
Crack crack crack!
“Keuaaaaak!“
A tearing scream echoed through the forest.
Crunch! Crack crack crack!
“Keoheuk! Uaaaak! Pl-please… stop…! Aaaak!“
Every time Sa Bigang’s hand reached out, Yeom Ja-ryang screamed as if he would die at any moment.
Sa Bigang let out a light sigh.
“Ah, be a little quiet. You’ll disturb other people.”
“Keoeouk! Just kill me!”
“Tsk tsk. That won’t do. Your future is bright, so why do you want to die already? You have to struggle to live.”
Crack crack crack!
“Keaaaak!“
“You’re too noisy, so I’ll press your mute point. Please understand.”
“Keuk!“
When Sa Bigang quickly pressed the pressure point again, Yeom Ja-ryang could no longer even scream.
‘This bastard! Where did he learn this torture method! Keaaaak!’
Whether he knew of Yeom Ja-ryang’s pain or not, Sa Bigang continued speaking with a nonchalant expression.
“You asked why I was watching? Observing students as an instructor is also part of the job. Well, the result of watching was more disappointing than expected. That’s why I’m doing this kind of thing.”
‘Shut up! You demon bastard!’
It was truly horrific pain to the point where he thought it would be better to die, even though he wasn’t actually vomiting blood.
It was exactly as if his whole body was being torn apart piece by piece.
Finally, Yeom Ja-ryang dropped his head and went limp.
“Mm, did he faint? Tsk. He lasted longer than I thought.”
Sa Bigang left Yeom Ja-ryang collapsed on the ground and walked back to Cho Mun-tak.
Cho Mun-tak was also unconscious.
Fortunately, because he had stopped the bleeding in time, his life was not in danger.
Sa Bigang took out a transparent bottle from his chest.
A bottle containing red liquid.
It was a Healing Potion.
A miraculous medicine from the Demon Realm that could heal any wound like magic.
Sa Bigang lifted Cho Mun-tak’s upper body and slowly poured the Healing Potion into his mouth.
It would be a disaster if he poured the Healing Potion on the wound area thinking it would heal it.
It was a medicine that only showed effect when consumed.
Tss tss tss tss.
With a faint sound, the wound area began to heal.
That didn’t mean it was completely healed.
When taking a Healing Potion, it starts healing from the surface wounds.
Therefore, it naturally takes a little more time for internal injuries to heal.
Even so, Cho Mun-tak would be completely cured by tomorrow morning.
After emptying the entire bottle of Healing Potion, Sa Bigang slowly stood up and looked toward the northwest.
“Are there two people coming? How diligent at this dawn hour.”
As he muttered to himself, Veritas in his hand made a ‘woong‘ crying sound.
Instantly, Sa Bigang’s expression twisted more terrifyingly than ever before.
“Stop crying. If you pull this kind of stunt one more time, I’ll smash you to pieces. If you don’t believe me, try testing it.”
At this moment, Sa Bigang’s expression was exactly like a demon that had just risen from hell.
When he couldn’t control something through coaxing, overpowering it with force was his way.
Did it read his anger?
Veritas, which had been trembling faintly, soon became quiet and no longer trembled.
Then.
“No, what on earth happened here?”
A familiar voice came from one side of the forest.
Deung Bu-hyeong widened his eyes and looked at the two collapsed students.
Behind him, Yeo Un-jin also looked back and forth between Sa Bigang and the students with a bewildered expression.
“Instructor Sa! What on earth happened here?”
Yeo Un-jin asked Sa Bigang with a serious expression, as if interrogating him.
‘The nitpicking is about to begin. Well, that’s why I deliberately waited. Hehe.’
***
A demon with two horns on its head twisted his entire body violently.
The pain was so excruciating that he couldn’t even scream.
It would have been better if he could at least let out a refreshing cry.
Yeom Ja-ryang, who had been breaking out in cold sweat and even rolling his eyes back, finally used all his strength to let out a roar.
“Keuaaaak! Stop it! You son of a bitch!”
Yeom Ja-ryang’s eyes snapped open as he bolted upright and panted.
“Heuk, heuk, heuk… heuk.“
Where is this…?
A sickbed.
Looking around, he saw that the medical officers were looking this way with dumbfounded expressions.
It took him a little time to realize how much was a dream and what situation he was in.
“Keoheom!“
Suddenly, at the sound of a cough, he turned to see Busin Pavilion Master Jin Baek standing there with a cold expression.
“Busin Pavilion Master…?”
“Pavilion Master?”
“…sir?”
“Heo my word, why are both this one and that one’s words so short? It’s the end times. The end times. I’m trying to check your pulse and I have to hear ‘son of a bitch.'”
‘Heuk!‘
Only then did Yeom Ja-ryang realize his mistake and his face turned bright red.
“I-I’m sorry! I, I was having a dream…”
“Have that dream twice and you’ll become a mouse in an instant.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Heo heo heo! Pavilion Master, please don’t scold him too much.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard.
Looking back, Yeo Un-jin was walking this way.
The Busin Pavilion Master greeted him with a displeased expression.
“You’ve come?”
“Yes, as the first-year student supervisor, taking care of these kids is my duty, isn’t it? I’d like to have a word with this child for a moment…”
“I understand.”
Busin Pavilion Master Jin Baek replied indifferently and got up from his seat.
After he left the room, Yeo Un-jin asked with a formal smile.
“How is your body?”
Yeom Ja-ryang looked down at his hands and tilted his head.
‘Something’s strange?’
Sensing this, Yeo Un-jin quickly asked as if urging him.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that. I’m fine.”
“Heum, really?”
Yeo Un-jin muttered as if somewhat disappointed and asked another question.
“Do you remember what happened three days ago?”
“Huh? Three days ago?”
“Yes. The incident that happened three days ago at night. Well, I heard the general story from Instructor Sa. Instructor Sa said it was nothing serious. But I want to hear the details from you. You tried to take Instructor Sa’s sword?”
Yeom Ja-ryang’s eyes widened.
‘That was already three days ago?’
Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Mun-tak! What happened to Cho Mun-tak? Is he safe?”
Yeo Un-jin’s eyes sparkled.
“Why are you looking for that child?”
“Mun-tak is in critical condition! I stabbed him!”
“Stabbed? You?”
“Yes, I stabbed him! I stabbed that guy’s stomach with my own hands…!”
Yeom Ja-ryang looked down at his hands and trembled.
The moment when he saw Cho Mun-tak collapsed, bleeding profusely.
He remembered that situation clearly.
But Yeo Un-jin’s expression was somehow strange.
“Are you certain? Did you really stab Student Cho Mun-tak? Where?”
“I stabbed his stomach. So the blood… was a lot…”
“By any chance, did you stab some other beast or…”
“No! I’m certain! What happened to Mun-tak? Please?”
“Heum. That child is… doing well.”
“What?”
“He does have a faint wound on his stomach, but it’s more like a light scratch? Anyway, he’s doing just fine.”
“Th-that can’t be…”
“When we first saw him, that child looked very critical too. There was a lot of blood around. But the actual wound was very minor. So we wondered if that blood was from some other beast.”
“A beast. Clearly…”
“You’re saying you stabbed that child? Of course I believe you. We didn’t find any dead beasts either.”
“Then, I…”
“For now, don’t worry since no one was seriously hurt. However, the important question starts now.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you stab that child? Do you remember anything at all?”
“That’s…”
Yeom Ja-ryang frowned deeply before answering.
“It was because of that sword.”
“Sword?”
For a moment, a sinister smile flashed across Yeo Un-jin’s expression.
