Chapter 73: Seniors (2)

Around the time Il-mok and Jeong Hyeon cleared up their misunderstanding…

Swish.

Someone carefully moved away from that place.

"Phew."

Only after reaching a spot where neither Il-mok nor Jeong Hyeon could hear her did Instructor Eun Ryeo, dressed in tight black stealth clothes and moving through the shadows, finally exhale deeply.

‘I'm glad that worked out.’

In truth, what she had forgotten to tell Jeong Hyeon was precisely about the senior they had just encountered.

That secluded training ground where they practiced stealth techniques daily was actually a training spot frequently used by their Upper Class senior disciple named Mak Ho-yeol.

While it was trivial information for most, to Jeong Hyeon, it was vital.

Given her social anxiety, having a senior suddenly burst in on her would be nothing short of terrifying.

Of course, Eun Ryeo hadn't initially planned to sneak around in nightclothes like this.

“Yes… It’s time for that child to grow up a little.”

She had resolved that, since she’d already missed her chance to warn her, she would let it go.

Although she hadn't told them about Disciple Mak Ho-yeol, she had gathered all the disciples today and informed them that the senior disciples were returning.

Yet the more she tried to brush it off, the more her body grew restless with concern until she couldn't bear it any longer.

That's why she had ended up coming here secretly.

In the end, it was all for nothing, as Il-mok had handled the situation himself without her intervention.

Yet, even though the situation was resolved, Instructor Eun Ryeo's expression wasn't entirely at ease.

It wasn’t that she regretted not intervening in the unsanctioned duel.

Il-mok had stepped in to help Jeong Hyeon after all.

Despite her indifferent facade, Instructor Eun Ryeo had enough flexibility to understand that. If for nothing else, then for poor Jeong Hyeon's sake.

The problem was something else entirely.

'Sigh. Indeed, Disciple Il-mok is growing up to be a man with many sins.'

That poor girl had summoned all her courage to confess her feelings, only for Il-mok to brush her off with that vague excuse.

Watching this scene brimming with the bittersweet flavor of youthful yearning, the unmarried Instructor Eun Ryeo almost found herself in tears out of sympathy for Jeong Hyeon.

***

Meanwhile.

Having lost to Il-mok and shooed from the training ground, Mak Ho-yeol headed straight for the senior year dormitory, the Black Tiger Pavilion.

“Hmm? Didn’t you say you were going to sort out your enlightenment?”

A fellow second-year candidate asked with a puzzled look upon seeing Mak Ho-yeol return so quickly, which the latter laughed off heartily.

“Hahaha! There was already someone there.”

“Hmm? Someone at this hour? Must be a junior then.”

“That's right. Hahaha. We ended up fighting over the spot, but I got thoroughly beaten by the junior. Huahahaha.”

Seeing Mak Ho-yeol's seemingly unconcerned laughter, the other disciple was bewildered.

'Ho-yeol lost?'

In terms of ranking within their batch, Mak Hoyeol was roughly mid-tier in the Upper Class. However, that was based on the Hall of the Demonic Way’s comprehensive evaluation which included various factors.

However, this evaluation wasn’t entirely accurate, considering that he paid little attention to anything other than martial arts.

But if one were to rank him solely based on martial prowess alone, Mak Ho-yeol was amongst the top tier within their batch.

“Did you let your guard down?”

“Me? Caught off guard? Now that’s quite the accusation.”

As flames began to ignite in Mak Ho-yeol's eyes, who had been laughing foolishly until now, the disciple who asked the question laughed awkwardly and waved his hands.

"Just joking. Calm down."

Having been peers for a full year, they were all well aware of each other's personalities and characteristics. In the early months, they’d sparred in secret behind the instructors’ backs, but lately they’d learned to give each other space.

“That you lost even while giving it your all… that’s surprising.”

"Hahaha. I was surprised too. But thanks to that junior, I was able to sort out my enlightenment, so it’s not a bad experience. Hahaha.”

Mak Ho-yeol laughed with his usual simple-mindedness, but his fellow disciple’s expression was complex.

It was understandable.

A one-year gap might not seem like much, but in the Hall, it was substantial enough to be considered significant.

This was a gathering place for the most talented individuals in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, where they practiced a form of martial arts known as Demonic Arts.

What is the greatest advantage of Demonic Arts?

It’s their incredibly fast rate of development.

It might be different for those who had reached their pinnacle, but for people at their age, that twelve-month gap is a chasm that normally wouldn’t be able to bridge.

As he pondered what kind of junior could have done this, a piece of information he had heard during a recent expedition surfaced in his mind.

“Maybe that junior is the new youngest disciple the Heavenly Demon just took in.”

"The Heavenly Demon's youngest disciple?"

Seeing Mak Ho-yeol's expression of confusion, the disciple sighed as if he couldn't believe it.

"Didn't you hear what the seniors from the Red Dragon Corps said during this expedition? They said the Heavenly Demon's youngest disciple is rumored to be a genius. And that he was scheduled to enter the Hall of the Demonic Way with this batch."

“Hmm. I think I might have heard something like that… or maybe not. I don't know. Hahaha!”

The sight of his ignorant classmate who thought of nothing but martial arts, made the disciple sigh again.

Just then, one of the nearby disciples who’d overheard them stepped forward.

They had just returned from the expedition, so they were each taking time to get settled. Hearing the ongoing conversation, they couldn’t help but pause their actions.

The disciple who stepped forward, Baek Cheon, raised a question.

"I remember that story too, but something doesn't add up."

"Doesn't add up? What do you mean?"

"Think about it. All the stories about the Eighth Young Master that the Red Dragon Corps seniors shared were about his wisdom. There wasn't any specific mention of his martial prowess, was there?"

The others nodded in agreement..

Some had heard the stories about the youngest disciple; others, like Mak Ho-yeol, had no recollection or simply didn’t care.

Although rumors about Il-mok had spread widely throughout the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, these disciples were cut off from outside news during their practical training.

They entered the Hall of the Demonic Way around the same time the newly kidnapped Il-mok was forced to join the cult by the Heavenly Demon. And within the Hall, they had almost no means to exchange information with the outside world.

Although the instructors and assistants occasionally visited the main headquarters, no one was frivolous enough to share every rumor or gossip with the disciples.

In other words, they hadn't received any information about Il-mok for a whole year, and only happened to hear about him during their recent practical training with the Red Dragon Corps.

The problem was that the Red Dragon Corps had also been away from headquarters for several months, so they hadn't heard about Il-mok entering the academy as the top scorer.

“Establishing academies in each branch, creating the Pure Mind Hall to treat the side effects of Demonic Arts, advising the First Young Master on achieving Transcendence… Each of these stories is incredibly impressive, but do any of them involve martial prowess? And more importantly…”

Baek Cheon paused briefly, enjoying the attention, then grinned.

“The youngest disciple has only been in the cult for a year. Even if he is chosen by the Heavenly Demon, do you really think it’s possible for him to defeat Ho-yeol in just a year?”

Everyone nearby nodded at the logic of his words.

Even Park Gi-tae, who had initially suggested that the junior might be the youngest disciple, was now convinced otherwise.

Yet one question lingered.

“Then who the hell is this junior?”

"Hmm. If we go by the rumors that circulated before we returned, the most outstanding among them has to be the heir of the Dokgo Family, right?”

Baik Cheon nodded in agreement at that remark and asked Mak Ho-yeol, “The junior you fought, did he wield a sword?”

Mak Ho‑yeol nodded, though doubt clouded his face.

He did, but aren't the Dokgo Family's Nine Swords known for being an overbearing sword style? The junior I fought was a master who freely wielded both swift and flowing sword techniques."

As expected of a martial fanatic, while Mak Ho-yeol might not be interested in other news, he was quite knowledgeable about martial arts and skilled individuals.

As everyone reeled at his answer, Park Gi-tae spoke up, “We’ll never figure it out on our own, so how about calling a junior and asking him?”

“You know one?”

"I know a fellow from before I joined the Hall. That guy should have been good enough to enter the Hall."

***

A moment later, Park Gi‑tae returned with the junior he’d mentioned.

“Junior Choi Woong greets the senior brothers.”

Choi Woong bowed and gulped nervously.

It wasn't just one or two, but more than a dozen senior disciples were all staring at him. He’d never felt so nervous.

"Hahaha. We're not here to give you a hard time. Relax.”

Baek Cheon said with a hearty laugh, trying to put Choi Woong at ease.

“Oh, by the way, my name is Baek Cheon. You might have heard of me.”

"Yes, I've heard of you, senior."

"Hahaha. I'm glad you've heard of me."

Though Baek Cheon laughed refreshingly, Choi Woong felt a chill run down his spine.

'So this senior is that rascal from the Baek family.'

Baek Cheon was a direct descendant of the Baek Family, one of the five major families known as the Demonic Cult’s Founding Families, along with Hyeokryeon, Ouyang, and Dokgo.

Unlike Dokgo Pae, he wasn't the heir but the second among his siblings.

As Choi Woong recalled information about Baek Cheon internally, Baek Cheon grinned and asked, "I just called you to ask one thing."

"Please ask, senior."

Choi Woong snapped back to attention as Baek Cheon asked, “Tell me, who’s the strongest in your batch?”

Choi Woong initially wondered why they were asking such an obvious question, but then he realized an important fact.

‘Ah, they must be out of touch because they were at the academy.’

After organizing his thoughts, Choi Woong answered, “It's Young Master Il-mok. I don't know if you've heard the news, but he is the youngest disciple newly chosen by the Heavenly Demon, Seniors.”

"!?"

All the gathered senior disciples showed a surprised expression at Choi Woong's answer.

“But… I heard the youngest disciple has only been in the cult for about a year…”

Even Baek Cheon, who had appeared full of confidence, couldn't hide his surprise.

“Ah! I see! The eldest grandson of the Dokgo Family must be more incompetent than I thought!”

Baek Cheon, who had never held good feelings towards the Dokgo Family, blurted out whatever came to mind, but the reaction came from an unexpected place.

“That sounds like you're saying I’m incompetent too.”

The one stepping forward with a crumpled face was Mak Ho-yeol. If the heir of the Dokgo Family was that incompetent to let a newbie in martial arts take the top seat of the first year, then Mak Ho-yeol who had lost to that newbie was nothing more than trash.

Realizing his blunder, Baek Cheon tried to maintain his composure.

'Tch. Fighting with that boar-like fellow would be such a hassle.

Baek Cheon was the top student in their class. But that evaluation was based on the Hall’s criteria. On martial prowess, he was confident enough that he could ‘defeat’ Mak Ho-yeol. It was just that in the process, his dignity might be tarnished.

'Tch. I was flustered by the unexpected news and spoke out of turn. What should I do about this?’

Apologizing to Mak Ho-yeol wasn’t a particularly good choice, as it would also damage his dignity,

As Baek Cheon pondered how to handle the situation, Choi Woong spoke up, saving him from the predicament.

"The Dokgo Pae is also outstanding among my peers. Honestly, even though we’re in the same class, I’m not confident I could beat him. However, Young Master Il-mok is… how should I put it…”

All eyes turned to Choi Woong, who paused to find the right word.

Choi Woong, whose vocabulary wasn't particularly rich, couldn't think of a more suitable word and simply said what came to mind.

“He’s not just a genius, he’s a monster.”

On the first day, when he saw him subdue Dokgo Pae, he thought he was indeed skilled enough to take the top spot.

On the second day, after picking a fight and getting thoroughly beaten, he realized they weren’t even in the same class.

And yesterday, after observing Il-mok during the test, he had started to question something else entirely.

"Honestly, watching him… it makes you wonder if he’s even human, let alone someone who joined just a year ago."

It was beyond a difference in class; perhaps they were entirely different species.

After Choi Woong's brief explanation about the Young Master ended…

"......."

A strange silence enveloped Black Tiger Pavilion.