tl: foodiemonster007

    the day of the defense against the unorthodox arts final exam finally arrived.

    "...what kind of test will it be this time?" hyonwon kang wondered aloud.

    everyone had the same question in their minds, so no one answered him. baek suryong was too unpredictable. nervous, they couldn''t help stealing glances at their teacher''s room instead of conducting their usual early morning training.

    wiji cheon mumbled gingerly, "mr. baek... didn''t sleep at all last night..."

    baek suryong had not stepped out of his room since returning from school the night before. he was so engrossed in preparing for the final exam, he seemed to have forgotten even to eat and sleep.

    "he pulled an all-nighter just to prepare for the exam?"

    "what on earth is going on in there?"

    "i can''t even imagine what he''s cooking up..."

    the students shuddered in horror. what kind of diabolical exam had their teacher come up with this time?

    "hehehehe..."

    just then, a spine-chilling, maniacal giggle rang out from baek suryong''s room, and the scratching sound that had been echoing inside since last night reached a new high.

    why is he laughing like that? the students crept toward his door and pressed their ears to it, cold sweat forming on their backs. even the silver tiger on ya suhyeok''s shoulder felt something ominous that made its fur stand on end.

    "shh!" noticing that the cub was about to hiss, ya suhyeok covered the little creature''s mouth with his hand.

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    thankfully, baek suryong was too immersed in his work to notice the students huddled outside.

    hyonwon kang determinedly placed a hand on his black dao and looked at his classmates. [let''s strike first, before it''s too late. or are you going to just stand here and let him do whatever he wants?]

    geo sangwoong, who was usually the first to scold hyonwon kang, let out a heavy sigh. [for once, i agree with wonkang.]

    [you''re right. we can''t just sit here and let him unleash whatever madness he''s planned. this is our last chance!]

    [should we really disturb him, though?]

    [what do you guys think?]

    [if there''s the slightest chance...]

    a fierce gleam shimmered in the eyes of the disciples. having suffered through so many ordeals with baek suryong, the malevolence in their gazes was now intense enough to make even unorthodox masters tremble.

    "before the start of the final exam, you can try to snatch or steal the exam questions from me at any time. if you succeed, i''ll give you a perfect score."

    baek suryong had made that announcement at the end of their last lesson, but until now, no one had dared to attempt that method.

    "but if you fail... there will be consequences."

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    recalling their teacher''s devilish grin, the students shuddered. still, they couldn''t deny that this was their best chance.

    after a quick exchange of glances, they nodded.

    let''s do this!

    they smashed open the door to baek suryong''s room and stormed in. geo sangwoong and ya suhyeok dived forward like cannonballs, with hyonwon kang right behind them. meanwhile, wiji cheon circled around stealthily, and yeo min used her ice arts from a distance to restrict baek suryong''s movements.

    it was a flawless, perfectly coordinated ambush.

    hyonwon kang let out a battle cry, "take this! beat up baek suryong formation number 88!"

    crash!

    a whirlwind of violence tore through the room.

    smirking with anticipation and excitement, baek suryong rose from his seat. "too late, little punks. i''ve already finished writing the exam questions."

    damn it! we shouldn''t have put this off for so long! the students cursed.

    and then...

    in the blink of an eye, geo sangwoong and ya suhyeok were knocked back at twice the speed they charged in. hyonwon kang''s black dao cut through empty air. wiji cheon''s sword wound up caught between baek suryong''s fingers, and yeo min, attempting to flee, found her shoes frozen to the floor.

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    "you must have known what would happen if you failed, right?" baek suryong cackled evilly, cracking his neck as he swaggered toward the students who had botched their ambush.

    the students stared at their teacher as if he was a walking apocalypse.

    "...we''re doomed."

    "definitely. i''d bet my entire fortune on it."

    "those kids... did they get a good teacher, or an evil one...?"

    the instructors expressed their condolences to the students who were about to experience hell.

    the students who arrived for the final defense against unorthodox arts exam looked around carefully before entering the classroom, meticulously checking to see if there were any hidden traps or formations inside. some even carried antidotes in case there was poison.

    we won''t be fooled so easily again!

    their eyes burned with determination. others might say they were lucky to be receiving martial arts instruction from the azure dragon hero, but what the students actually learned were dirty tricks that the unorthodox sects frequently used.

    strangely enough though, their martial arts had improved in the process.

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    "it doesn''t look like there''s any poison or traps..."

    "don''t drop your guards yet. the ceiling might suddenly come crashing down."

    "no way. would he really go that far...?"

    "you still don''t get it? this is baek suryong we''re talking about!"

    a nervous tension hung in the air as the classroom door opened and baek suryong entered.

    badump, badump...

    baek suryong walked over to the lectern and placed the jar on it. "we will now begin the final examination. in this jar, you''ll find fragrant pouches. each pouch has a secret mission written on a piece of paper. line up and pick one each."

    the students were puzzled, but they followed instructions obediently. one by one they reached in and took out a pouch.

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    "where''s the paper with the mission on it?"

    "it''s inside the pouches, but don''t open them yet."

    when everyone had a pouch, baek suryong continued, "the rules of the exam are simple. use what you''ve learned in my class to complete your missions and bring back proof of your success. your finals take place over three days, and you just need to complete your mission by the end of the last day. easy, right?"

    "......" nobody spoke.

    dokgo jun raised his hand. "is this an individual exam? or can we team up with other students?"

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    "you can join forces, but you''ll fail if you lose your pouch or mission slip."

    the students narrowed their eyes skeptically. so they could cooperate? that didn''t sound too bad, but this was baek suryong''s exam...

    "but! it wouldn''t be fun if it were that simple, would it?"

    that''s more like it. the students, who hadn''t let their guard down, gathered their inner qi and prepared for any unexpected situations.

    baek suryong produced a large poster from his pocket and stuck it on the classroom board. it was the same notice he had shown the other instructors in the morning.

    defense against the unorthodox arts final exam: external participation guide

    every student taking the class has received a scented pouch.

    any azure dragon academy student who manages to obtain and submit one of the scented pouches will be given:

    an opportunity to receive personal instruction from the azure dragon hero.

    the right to enroll in the azure dragon hero''s class next semester.

    only current students are eligible for this reward.

    the instructions on the poster were simple, but the contents were anything but.

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    "this is insane!"

    "i knew it was too easy!"

    the students'' faces paled as they realized their fate. the azure dragon hero had just enticed the entire school with personal martial arts instruction and a guaranteed spot in his class next semester.

    "posters like these should be plastered all over the academy by now," baek suryong giggled wickedly. "as soon as you step out of this classroom, every student in the azure dragon academy will try to steal your scent pouch, so you''ll have to protect them while completing your missions. if you fail... well, you can just retake the class. right?"

    having said all he wanted to say, baek suryong left the classroom, leaving everyone shocked speechless.

    hyonwon kang clutched his head with both hands and voiced the thoughts they all shared, "damn, we''re fucked..."