Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

After offering Baek Suryong a job at the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, Sama Yeong stared at him with such piercing intensity that the Azure Dragon Academy instructors beside him flinched.

She's serious…

She looks like she could devour him.

What in the world is going on?

The Azure Dragon Academy instructors anxiously glanced at Baek Suryong and Sama Yeong. Even though they believed that he wouldn't accept the offer, they couldn't shake off their doubts.

Ten times the monthly salary was a very attractive proposition. Could anyone refuse that so easily?

To their dismay, Baek Suryong didn't turn it down immediately. Instead, he folded his arms and pondered her suggestion with an intrigued look on his face.

"Ten times, huh… Do you think money is the solution to everything?" Baek Suryong asked, smiling wryly.

Sama Yeong shook her head and chuckled, "I'm not just offering you a raise, Mr. Baek, I'm giving you the treatment you deserve. In your first year, you'll be in charge of three major courses and have the authority to select students for the Heavenly Martial Festival. You'll also be relieved of the usual menial tasks that new instructors have to do, so you can focus on developing the students' skills."

It was a tempting offer, almost too good to be true.

Baek Suryong tilted his head. "Even as the Fire King's granddaughter, can you really do that? To give so much money and authority to a first year instructor? The current staff will surely object."

"At the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, we value ability over experience. If you can demonstrate your competence, I will eliminate all obstacles in your path. I'll even pay your salary out of my own pocket."

"Why are you making me such an offer?"

Sama Yeong met Baek Suryong's gaze ardently. "Because I like you."

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"……"

"!!"

"!!"

Baek Suryong didn't react much, but the instructors from both academies were visibly shocked. The faces of the Vermilion Phoenix instructors standing behind Sama Yeong contorted with rage.

Foolish woman!

We've been praising her as the Fire King's granddaughter, but she's so arrogant.

She's not even the least bit ashamed to openly display her infatuation with a man.

Some felt that Sama Yeong was acting impulsively, while others thought that she had lost her mind over Baek Suryong's handsome face.

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However, Baek Suryong could see it clearly. The passionate look in Sama Yeong's eyes wasn't one of bold affection, but of burning ambition.

Suddenly, Sama Yeong said, "I have a vision for the future."

"What do you mean by that?"

"In ten years, I will transform the Vermilion Phoenix Academy into the world's best martial arts academy. Of course, we'll have to win the Heavenly Martial Festival before then, maybe within five years?"

Everyone's eyes widened at Sama Yeong's bold declaration. There were countless martial arts academies in the murim, but only the Heavenly Martial Academy held the title of the best, yet here was Sama Yeong, confidently declaring that she would claim that spot within a mere decade.

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Baek Suryong smiled faintly. He didn't hate self-assured people.

"And you want to recruit me for this plan?" he asked.

"I am in need of an exceptional teacher who can bring out the students' potential. I'm sure you are that person, Mr. Baek Suryong."

"How much do you know about me?"

"I've done my homework."

Sama Yeong grinned, her smile seeming to light up the room. Since the tender age of fifteen, she had set her sights on making her grandfather's academy the finest in the world.

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"In order to achieve this dream, I deliberately enrolled as a student in the Heavenly Martial Academy instead of the Vermilion Phoenix Academy. After all, one must first understand one's enemy in order to defeat them."

After graduating from the Heavenly Martial Academy, she spent several years training under her grandfather, preparing to become a martial arts instructor. This year, confident in her readiness, she took the Vermilion Phoenix Academy instructors' exam and passed with the highest score in the academy's history.

"Then, one evening, while having dinner with my grandfather… he mentioned that an eccentric instructor had appeared at the Azure Dragon Academy."

"I heard that a newcomer at the Azure Dragon Academy declared that he would win the Heavenly Martial Festival this year. It reminded me of you, and I laughed for a good long while."

Although her grandfather was known as the Fire King in the jianghu, he treasured her dearly and frequently shared rumors from the murim with her.

Even so, when Sama Yeong had first heard Baek Suryong's story, she was dumbfounded. She had meticulously considered every possibility and variable, even drawing up a ten-year plan, yet now this man was seeking to win the Heavenly Martial Festival in just one year?

She couldn't help but think that he was being utterly naive.

"Grandfather, are you comparing me to him?"

"Isn't it funny? It's not easy to make such a bold claim in public. He's either crazy or exceptionally skilled."

"That's when I became interested in you, Mr. Baek Suryong. So, I began to investigate you."

"……"

Sama Yeong had started to learn about Baek Suryong out of casual interest, but as time went on, she couldn't help but be impressed.

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"Not only did you reform the academy's worst delinquent, you also tutored the top freshman and the oldest accepted candidate ever. You even won a bet against a Star Instructor to secure your own class in your first year."

"Damn, hearing this from someone else really drives home how amazing I am."

"And that's not all. You returned from the Valley of Evil after defeating the Bloody Ripper and spread the name of the Azure Dragon Academy throughout the jianghu."

"Indeed."

To everyone's disbelief, both the flatterer and the flattered were completely unfazed. This was something that was only possible when both parties had ridiculously high self-esteem.

I just love this man's overflowing confidence. Feeling extremely pleased with Baek Suryong's response, Sama Yeong smiled and continued, "But what surprised me the most wasn't that you defeated the Bloody Ripper. It was that none of the students who returned with you died or were crippled."

"Well, Wonkang was pretty badly injured…"

"I can't even begin to imagine how much those students who experienced real combat in the Valley of Evil must have grown. One of them was even given the alias of 'Sky Sundering Blade' by Principal Noh Goonsang, no?"

Surprised by Sama Yeong's detailed knowledge of recent events, Baek Suryong clicked his tongue. "You know a lot about the Azure Dragon Academy. Not all of that was rumored and spread."

"That's how incredible the things you've done are. The more I learned about you, the more amazed I was." Sama Yeong gazed at Baek Suryong with excitement, her cheeks flushed. "Mr. Baek Suryong, you will surely become a Star Instructor soon."

Finally, Baek Suryong smiled with satisfaction. It was a simple compliment, but it was hard to resist, especially when it came from a beautiful woman with admiring eyes.

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"Thank you for the compliment," he said.

"However, not all Star Instructors are equal," Sama Yeong added.

"…?"

With a hint of regret, Sama Yeong sighed deeply as if she was worried for Baek Suryong's future. The Azure Dragon Academy is too small for someone like you. Before you regret it, I'm telling you this for your own good. Come to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy. I'll give you all the support you need to demonstrate your abilities to the fullest."

She fixed Baek Suryong with a gaze so intense and fervent that it could almost be mistaken for romantic interest.

I've done everything I can.

She had sincerely tried to persuade him, emphasizing how deeply she had researched him, how invested she was in him, the support she could provide, and how much she wanted him. Although she could have chosen a more subtle approach, she believed that a direct request was the best way to interact with someone like Baek Suryong.

Fortunately, Baek Suryong's reaction wasn't entirely negative. She could see a mixture of curiosity, approval, and excitement in his eyes.

After a long pause, Baek Suryong slowly said, "Hmm… It's a very interesting offer, but…"

"But?"

"I refuse."

Sama Yeong's expression hardened, and her eyes filled with disappointment. "…Why? Are you refusing out of loyalty or attachment to the Azure Dragon Academy? Or are you worried about your current students?"

Is this all the ambition you have?

If he said yes to any of her questions, she was ready to give up on him then and there, but Baek Suryong's next words took her completely by surprise.

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Baek Suryong shook his head. "I'm refusing you because the conditions aren't good enough."

"…What?"

"I'm getting much more from the Azure Dragon Academy than just money. Why would I move to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy?"

"What do you mean…?"

"Ah, I see you don't know." Baek Suryong looked away from her and glanced at his fellow instructors who were watching anxiously. "I have competent colleagues, and I doubt I could find more talented students than the ones I already have. I must confess that the pay isn't great, but I'm not so short of money that I'm desperate for it."

That wasn't all. He didn't say it, but he had no intention of giving up the connections, authority, and accomplishments he'd built at the Azure Dragon Academy and Nanchang City.

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"I can achieve everything I want at the Azure Dragon Academy, so there's really no reason for me to transfer to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy," Baek Suryong concluded, grinning.

His fellow instructors, who had been tense, sighed in relief.

"Hyung-nim!"

"Thank goodness…"

"Baek-oppa!"

"Kuheuk! You're a true man! I, Kwak Duyong, am moved to tears!"

"…Why are you crying!?"

"From today onwards, I want to hang out with you guys too!"

"We've noticed. You've been trying to subtly join us for days."

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The instructors gathered around Baek Suryong and fussed over him, tugging at his clothes and massaging his shoulders. Although Baek Suryong brushed them off, calling them annoying, the grin on his face betrayed his satisfaction.

"……" Sama Yeong watched them silently, then sighed, her earlier excitement vanishing into thin air. "…So that's your decision? I'm disappointed."

"Actually, I also have a suggestion for you, Miss…"

"A suggestion for me?"

"Why don't you come to the Azure Dragon Academy instead?"

"…What? Are you mocking me?" A flash of killing intent appeared in Sama Yeong's eyes, and flames flickered briefly from her folding fan before dying out. She had remained calm when he mentioned how he'd humiliated the new instructors at the inn, but now she could barely contain her anger.

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Baek Suryong tilted his head. "That's odd. Why is it acceptable for you to make that suggestion, but not me?"

"Do I really need to explain why comparing the Azure Dragon Academy to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy is insulting?"

The Vermilion Phoenix Academy had placed second in the Heavenly Martial Festival for five years, while the Azure Dragon Academy had placed last for ten years. If the Vermilion Phoenix Academy was ranked second among the Five Great Academies, then the Azure Dragon Academy was dead last.

Besides, Sama Yeong was the granddaughter of the Fire King, the principal of Vermilion Phoenix Academy.

Did she really have to explain all that?

Trying to control her rage, Sama Yeong said, "While instructors sometimes gain experience at the Azure Dragon Academy and then move to the Vermilion Phoenix Academy, the opposite never happens. That would be a demotion. Regardless, I will pretend I didn't hear that.

"That's too bad. I was serious."

"My offer still stands, so take your time to think about it. There's still plenty of time."

"I meant what I said as well. Think carefully about joining the Azure Dragon Academy. The competition for new instructors will be fierce next year, so now is the time."

Without a word, Sama Yeong turned around and stormed off. The Vermilion Phoenix instructors glared at Baek Suryong for a moment, then followed her.

Baek Suryong called after them, "I have a good idea. How about this?"

Sama Yeong ignored him. He's just mocking my kindness.

"Shall we make a bet based on our performance in this new instructor training course?"

"…A bet?" Sama Yeong screeched to a halt.

Baek Suryong grinned. "The one with the lower score between the two of us will transfer to the other's academy."