Chapter 1

Academy Delinquent Chapter 1

Prologue

The day when one moon became two.

People who called themselves Zhongyuan (中原) appeared. Among them were those known as martial artists (武林).

They could cleave the sky with their swords and split the sea with their fists.

Their strength was inhuman.

The ideology of worshiping the strong.

The existing social status crumbled, and the law lost its meaning and faded.

The sacred was ignored, and the standards were reversed.

We could not accept them.

They did not acknowledge us either.

Mages and martial artists could not coexist. Their paths were different, and their methods of pursuit were different.

But somehow, we began to live together, and we gradually became influenced by them.

They might think the same.

In the year 1084 of the Rochette calendar, from the memoirs of the Great Mage Pietro Black

* * *

In the deepest part of the Kapteis Mountains.

This place, with its impossibly high altitude and breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery, had remained untouched by human feet for centuries, preserving its natural landscape.

Here and there, majestic rocks towered, and tall trees stretched to the sky.

And someone was hanging from one of the branches.

Was he just five years old?

A small, adorable child who couldn't even speak properly yet.

The child held his breath, afraid that even his breathing might be heard, and stared down for a long time. Then, as if he had discovered something, he smiled.

"It's a tiger!"

In one leap, the child jumped down from the tree and grabbed the tail of a tiger, which was more than ten times his size.

"I caught it!"

Grrr-

The tiger, suddenly having its tail grabbed, bared its fangs and growled low.

Despite the thunderous roar that seemed to shake the mountains and rivers, the child showed no sign of fear, grinning widely and continuing to play with the tail.

"Tiger! Tiger!"

The tiger, with its fur bristling, soon sprang up like a spring and swung its front paws.

But the attack failed.

The child, holding the tiger's tail, was swinging the tiger around.

Boom- Boom-

"Tiger! Just playing!"

After a few minutes, the tiger, now a bloody mess, lay on the ground, exhausted and weakly twitching.

The child, sitting in front of it, opened the tiger's mouth with his tiny hands and grabbed its fangs, pulling them out.

"Just playing!"

The tiger, in agony from having its teeth pulled out while still alive, struggled with all its might.

When the tiger, thought to be dead, moved, the child, delighted, grabbed the tail again and swung it around.

"So fun!"

What could be so enjoyable? The child threw the freshly pulled fang into the air and laughed. Then, he grabbed the tiger's tail again and dragged it around.

Suddenly, massive shadows, at least three meters tall, appeared behind the child.

Surprisingly, they were not human.

Sharp eyes, lustrous silver manes, bulging muscles, and a striking appearance.

They were the werewolves.

"Who knew dealing with a human child would be so difficult..."

"Maybe I should give up on familiar life..."

Approaching quietly from behind, they quickly snatched the child.

"Master Baek Iljin! We told you not to come this far!"

"Do you know how many hours it took to find you?"

The werewolves sighed and lifted Baek Iljin into their arms. Baek Iljin's face was covered in blood, making it unrecognizable.

"Kanisu, Veksteo!"

"Your face is covered in blood again."

Kanisu took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Baek Iljin's face. As the blood cleared, an innocent face was revealed.

"What are all these? Don't kill innocent animals."

Veksteo, looking around, widened his eyes in shock and stepped back.

All around, the corpses of fierce beasts with their eyes bulging out were scattered.

Not only tigers, bears, and snakes, but also the corpses of orcs and goblins.

"Hi, hiik- What are all these corpses!"

"Just playing—"

Kanisu, seeing Baek Iljin's bright eyes, realized that further words were meaningless and shook his head.

"Ha, Veksteo. Let's clean this up first."

"We'll get a scolding from Master..."

After roughly cleaning up, they tried to gently remove the tiger's tail from Baek Iljin's hand.

"Give that to me!"

"Shh! It's my toy!"

It was hard to pry open the small, strong hands of a five-year-old.

Finally, Veksteo, giving up on forcibly taking it, extended his hand.

"If you give it to me now, I won't tell Master."

"Ah! Shh."

"You shouldn't do this..."

"Shh!!"

Frustrated by Baek Iljin's stubbornness, Kanisu and Veksteo could only sigh.

"I'm going crazy, Master will know soon."

"No, he probably already knows."

The werewolves, known for their ferocity, were particularly proud of their silver manes, but in front of this child, they were as gentle as lambs.

"If you keep this up, no snacks today!"

"...No!"

"If you don't let go now, no snacks tomorrow!"

"Really, no snacks?"

Baek Iljin, clinging to Kanisu's wrist, blinked his big eyes repeatedly.

His irresistible cuteness weakened their resolve. In the end, Kanisu and Veksteo promised to give him snacks.

'Hmm, is this cheating?'

Of course, all children are cute, but Baek Iljin's appearance was especially handsome.

Even to the werewolves, he looked like a "perfect" child.

"Ha... What should we do?"

"Exactly, I'm going crazy. Is it normal for human children to be this active?"

"Is it normal?"

At that moment, someone appeared in front of them, hands behind their back.

He was an old man with the appearance of a sage, his deep eyes and elegant white beard making a strong impression.

His name was Baek Myunghak, Baek Iljin's grandfather and the master of the lair.

"Master!"

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing Baek Myunghak, Baek Iljin threw the tiger's corpse aside and ran to him, hugging him.

"Grandpa!"

Baek Myunghak also smiled and picked up his grandson. With a hearty laugh, he spoke in a stern voice.

"Iljin, I told you not to kill innocent animals, didn't I?"

"Why?"

"Didn't I tell you last time? All life is precious in itself."

"But, it's fun..."

"Fun?"

"Yep!"

The old man put Baek Iljin down and looked around.

Although they had cleaned up, the bloodstains on the ground and the scattered fur clumps revealed what had happened.

Baek Myunghak, holding Baek Iljin's arms, gazed into his eyes.

After about five minutes, a chilling aura, as dark as pitch, emanated from Baek Iljin's eyes.

'Hmm, the symptoms are getting worse.'

Despite being only five years old, the aura of death that Baek Iljin emitted was so terrifying that even Baek Myunghak, known as a martial god, felt a chill.

'Could it be...'

Baek Myunghak quickly lifted Baek Iljin's shirt.

On Baek Iljin's neck, four red spots in the shape of jade were forming.

'Until recently, they were faint. But now, they've progressed to this extent...'

The Heavenly Execution Star (天殺星).

A harbinger of death, destined to dye the world in blood.

Baek Iljin was a child born with the aura of the Heavenly Execution Star.

Perhaps because of this, Baek Iljin was different from other children even as a baby.

He showed no interest in toys that children usually enjoy, and he didn't care about interesting books.

But he found enjoyment in hunting.

At first, it was just capturing one or two animals.

But as time went on, it became more and more extreme, to the point where it could no longer be called hunting.

'This is not hunting, but a massacre.'

Suppressing the killing intent with his own energy was reaching its limit. If he tried to control it further, the child might become a fool.

But he couldn't just leave it be. If he did, Baek Iljin would become a bloodthirsty murderer.

'In the end, I have to use it...'

Thinking there was no other way, Baek Myunghak looked at Baek Iljin with a troubled expression, then pressed a point to force him to sleep.

"Kanisu, Veksteo, are you there?"

"Yes, Master."

The werewolf familiars quickly appeared and bowed.

"Bring 'it' here."

"Excuse me?!"

"You mean...?"

After a moment's hesitation, Kanisu and Veksteo nodded heavily and moved.

"Truly complicated."

Baek Myunghak stroked Baek Iljin's cheek as he slept soundly.

Thinking of 'that day' while looking at his sleeping grandson made his mind complex.

The only friend and rival he had in the secular world, Pietro's last request and testament.

'Myung-hak, before my body fully returns to nature, can you use the remaining heart to purify this child's demonic nature? I ask you.'

In fact, Baek Iljin was not Baek Myunghak's biological grandson.

He was the child of Pietro's daughter, Risharin.

Of course, he didn't take the child just because of a friend's request.

'I have severed ties with the secular world, I cannot take care of the child, I'm sorry.'

'...Do you know who the father of this child is?'

'...?'

'Chun Subak.'

'What did you just...say?'

'Chun Subak, your last disciple who was expelled, is the father of this child.'

Hearing this, Baek Myunghak had no choice but to break his vow of seclusion and accept Baek Iljin.

'Fate is a cycle, they say.'

At that moment, Kanisu and Veksteo returned to the lair and handed Baek Myunghak a wrapped package.

"Master!"

"Here it is!"

"Thank you."

Baek Myunghak, holding the package, called out to Kanisu and Veksteo in a low voice.

"Kanisu, Veksteo."

"Yes, Master."

"Speak."

"From now on, not even an ant should enter this area. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Baek Myunghak unwrapped the package and took out a box. The mana flowing from the unsealed box made him pause for a moment.

'A dragon heart...'

A dragon heart from a dragon that had lived for 5,000 years, even he was unsure if he could handle it.

'Let alone a child...'

But he wasn't without hope.

While half of Baek Iljin's body was human, the other half was dragon, like Pietro.

'The probability might be higher.'

Baek Myunghak removed Baek Iljin's shirt, placed his fingers on his abdomen, and drew a line.

Soon, a red line appeared where he had drawn, and the abdomen opened.

Taking the dragon heart from the box, Baek Myunghak immediately placed it in Baek Iljin's abdomen.

Though it seemed rough, it was a carefully calculated action.

The dragon heart began to root itself in the body, seeking its place.

'Now comes the important part.'

Baek Myunghak sent his inner energy to grab the roots of the dragon heart. His inner energy quickly penetrated Baek Iljin's body and tightly bound the roots.

But the resistance from the roots was not easy.

Shaking off his inner energy, the roots quickly hid in Baek Iljin's dantian before being caught again.

'Phew...'

Sweat formed on Baek Myunghak's forehead.

Handling a large amount of inner energy after a long time made his dantian feel stiff.

Fortunately, he managed to catch one of the fleeing roots and sighed in relief.

'It's done. Now, I need to send it under the spots on his neck.'

Baek Myunghak quickly pulled the root and planted it under Baek Iljin's neck. The jade-shaped spots on his neck gradually faded and eventually disappeared.

"Phew..."

As soon as Baek Myunghak removed his hands from Baek Iljin's body, Kanisu and Veksteo rushed over.

"Did it work?"

Baek Myunghak nodded. The sweat dripping from his chin showed how arduous the task had been.

"How long did this take?"

"Well, at least ten hours..."

"I see."

Kanisu, swallowing hard, asked Baek Myunghak.

"Then, will Young Master not act so erratically from now on?"

"That's right."

"Finally...!"

Kanisu and Veksteo, thinking their hardships were over, hugged each other in joy.

At that moment, Kanisu's pupils dilated.

"Wh-what? Young Master is..."

"What about Young Master?"

Kanisu silently pointed to Baek Iljin.

Baek Iljin suddenly started convulsing, making strange sounds as he got up.

Grrr-

His pupils were elongated vertically, and his skin was covered in black scales, resembling a reptile.

"Master, is he okay?"

"Young Master is changing!"

Kanisu and Veksteo panicked, but Baek Myunghak, waving his hand as if it was nothing, approached and carefully observed Baek Iljin's condition.

"His excessive energy, disproportionate to his physical level, is causing this. Once the rampant energy is sealed, he will return to normal."

Saying this, Baek Myunghak extended his hand toward Baek Iljin.

Tap- Tap-

Restraining Baek Iljin's arms, Baek Myunghak began to tap his upper body, infusing his energy.

With each tap, the reptilian scales on his upper body returned to human skin.

"Ah, he's coming back."

"Of course, Master..."

Finally, Baek Iljin's legs returned to normal, and he collapsed, losing strength.

"Young Master!"

"No, no!"

Fortunately, Baek Myunghak caught him just before his head hit the ground and carried him on his back.

Snore-

"Mmm, Grandpa-"

Feeling the small breaths on his back, Baek Myunghak smiled warmly.

'To think I once considered eliminating such a child...'