Chapter 40

## Chapter 40. I Told You It Wasn't There

The appearance of the last new instructor applicant, who arrived in a way no one could have imagined, left everyone in the room speechless for a moment.

"Sorry for being late. I'm Baek So-ryong."

His clothes were covered in dust, and the smell of gunpowder emanated from his body.

Shaking off the dust from his body, Baek So-ryong smiled awkwardly and asked, "The demonstration lecture hasn't ended yet, right?"

Only then did the delayed reactions burst out.

"Brother!"

"Baek Brother!"

"Y-You!"

Aek Yeon-ho, Myeong Il-oh, and Mae Geuk-yeom, who had been anxiously waiting for Baek So-ryong, shouted simultaneously.

All three looked like they wanted to rush over and scold him, but before they could, Gwak Cheol-woo shouted.

"Applicant Baek So-ryong! What were you doing to be so late?"

"I was delayed because something came up."

"What was that just now! How did you fly through the sky?"

"Time was tight, so I borrowed a bit of gunpowder's power... I flew about fifty paces and feel a bit dizzy."

"Gunpowder?"

"I know someone who's an expert in explosives, so I got some help when I came..."

"Ah!"

Gwak Cheol-woo grabbed his neck at the casual way Baek So-ryong spoke about such a serious matter. Nam Gung-su glared at Baek So-ryong with a cold gaze.

"Is that the attitude someone who's late should have?"

"I was just answering your question, what's the problem?"

Nam Gung-su's cold stare and Baek So-ryong's indifferent look met.

Seeing this, Gwak Cheol-woo shouted, "No need to say more! You're disqualified..."

"Ha ha! This is interesting!"

Noh Gun-sang, the head of the Blue Dragon Academy, cut off Gwak Cheol-woo's words with a laugh.

The old man, who had passed his eighties, was grinning.

"Since I became the head of the Blue Dragon Academy, I've never seen such an entertaining scene! Baek Xiaojie, are you ready for the lecture?"

"Head, no! It's unacceptable! He should be..."

"I am the head."

"..."

Noh Gun-sang silenced Gwak Cheol-woo with a single word and looked at Baek So-ryong with bright, childlike eyes.

"Baek Xiaojie, you seem different from the last time I saw you. Can I look forward to something?"

"Yes, I'll show you something."

Baek So-ryong smiled confidently and looked around.

About ten students were watching him with confused, interested, or hostile expressions.

'I see some familiar faces.'

Hyeon Won-gang glared at him with a fierce look, and Pang Sa-hyeok hid his hostility in a calm gaze.

And there was a girl with a gaze that burned as fiercely as theirs.

'Was she the vice president of the student council?'

Dang Xiao-xiao stared at Baek So-ryong with a different kind of gaze, one that felt even more dangerous.

...Her breathing was a bit rough.

'What's with her? She's scary.'

Avoiding Dang Xiao-xiao's gaze, Baek So-ryong walked towards the students and said, "Since this is an external martial arts class, I've prepared a lesson where the students can participate directly. Let's enjoy it together."

"..."

As Baek So-ryong approached, the students' expressions tensed.

Despite being the last and the most delayed, Baek So-ryong looked calm and composed.

Thud, thud.

Everyone's gaze followed him as he walked.

Not only the students and instructors in the main training hall, but also students from the dormitories opened their windows and poked their heads out.

Murmurs filled the air.

"What's going on? What's all the fuss about?"

"Is the demonstration lecture still happening? What's so interesting about it..."

"That person is the last applicant, and he flew here."

"Flew? You mean the legendary 'Walking on Air'?"

"No, not that..."

"Hey, isn't that the handsome teacher from before?"

The entire school's attention was focused on one person.

Seeing this, Noh Gun-sang marveled.

'He has talent. Or is it intentional?'

Baek So-ryong, who had arrived in front of the students, smiled gently and looked around.

"Since this is a participatory class, it would be better to have appropriate rewards based on performance, wouldn't it?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and resonated well.

His actions weren't exaggerated, but every movement of his hands and eyes stimulated the interest of the onlookers.

It felt like watching a well-choreographed sword dance.

The more Noh Gun-sang watched Baek So-ryong, the more impressed he became.

'Heh! He's from a rural martial arts school, so he probably hasn't had much experience handling the attention of so many people...'

Why did he seem so familiar, as if he had done this countless times?

'It's like watching Mr. Nam Gung's class.'

Noh Gun-sang, curious about Nam Gung-su's expression, turned to look at him. Nam Gung-su's face was as stiff as a board.

Even the one-hit instructor of the Blue Dragon Academy couldn't take his eyes off Baek So-ryong.

"For the first class, I'll set a simple prize to get everyone excited."

"Prize?"

Baek So-ryong unsheathed his sword and drew a circle about ten feet in diameter on the ground.

"Within this time, you need to use only external martial arts to make me take a single step out of this circle. If you do, I'll give each of you a hundred silver taels."

"!!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the mention of a hundred silver taels.

A hundred taels was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year.

Even the children of martial arts families, who had plenty of money, couldn't easily handle such a large sum.

"Really?"

"Is that true?"

"Will you only use external martial arts, too?"

Baek So-ryong nodded.

"Of course, I'll only use external martial arts. If you make me use my internal energy, I'll consider it my defeat."

"..."

The students hesitated, looking at each other, and Baek So-ryong tapped the ground with his scabbard.

"The lecture time is only an hour. The sooner you move, the better..."

"Ha ha. This will be fun."

Before everyone could decide, Hyeon Won-gang, the troublemaker from the Hyeon family, charged like a whirlwind.

Whoosh!

Baek So-ryong smiled as he saw Hyeon Won-gang, who had quickly approached and was about to punch his face.

"Figures. I thought you'd be the first."

In an instant, Baek So-ryong's hand shot out, grabbed Hyeon Won-gang's collar, and slammed him to the ground.

Bang!

Hyeon Won-gang, who fell on his back, bounced about a yard and landed again.

"Ugh..."

"Take a break and come back when you're better."

Pushing the groaning Hyeon Won-gang away with his foot, Baek So-ryong looked at the students who were still standing there, shocked.

"What? Did you think it would be easy to make money?"

* * *

Smack!

Hyeon Won-gang, who had been knocked out, immediately jumped up after getting a slap on the forehead.

"Argh! Damn it!"

"Tsk. You stepped with only the intention to attack. Think about what to do when you're countered."

While speaking, Pang Sa-hyeok's kick came from the side.

Whoosh!

I swung my scabbard to block the attack, then kicked Pang Sa-hyeok's groin as he lost his balance.

"Ugh!"

Pang Sa-hyeok, who tried to resist, was hit on his empty side with the scabbard, and I kneed him in the chin.

Thud!

As Pang Sa-hyeok soared into the air, Dang Xiao-xiao, who had been hiding behind his large frame, threw her hidden weapons and charged at me with the intention of dying together.

Her eyes were strangely tinged with a peculiar gleam.

"Teacher! Hit my forehead too!"

...Is this some kind of psychological warfare?

In any case, I swung my scabbard to deflect all the hidden weapons and moved to the side to avoid Dang Xiao-xiao, who was charging with a strange fervor.

Then I hit her empty back with a palm, sending her flying.

Thud!

Dang Xiao-xiao, who had been pushed back, turned around and shouted fiercely.

"Why! Why do you keep pushing me away! Give me a fair chance! Just a few strands of hair will do!"

"...Why hair?"

"To put in my pillow!"

...Indeed, as the daughter of the notorious and persistent Sichuan Dang family, she seems skilled in psychological warfare.

'I have to make sure she can't get close.'

While I was momentarily distracted, an unknown male student attacked from behind.

"The ambush was good, but your movements were too big."

I turned and swung my scabbard.

However, the student who had attacked me tried to dodge and ended up...

Thud!

"Ugh!"

The student