Chapter 49

## Chapter 49. Declaration of War

"Can you still eat your meals after hearing such words?"

After saying that, I observed the reactions of the students in the audience.

At first, everyone had a look of "Did I hear that wrong?"

Then, I saw the student council president's expression twist with anger as our eyes met.

'Do they call him Dukgo Joon? His reaction is quite good.'

The reactions of the other students were a bit slower.

"…What did you just say?"

"Can you still eat your meals?"

"Ha. I can't believe it…"

"Looks like you already think you're a lecturer."

In an instant, the atmosphere began to boil.

The air grew hot, and some of them even emitted a killing intent towards me.

Even the female students who had shown me unconditional favor had their faces stiffen.

Thanks to this, I felt a bit more at ease.

'If this is the extent, it's not the worst yet.'

Turning my head to look at where the lecturers were gathered, I saw they had similar expressions.

No Gun-sang asked me with a flustered look.

"What are you saying, my friend?"

"I merely spoke honestly about what I heard on the way and my thoughts."

"…Is there a reason to say such things here?"

"Yes, there is a reason."

Just as I nodded firmly and was about to continue, a bone-chilling voice echoed.

"Get down from there immediately."

It was Namgung Su.

He was glaring at me with a murderous intent that he didn't even show when using the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique against Myeongil Oh.

"Before I drag you down myself."

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"Cheongryong Academy is not a place for you to evaluate as you please."

"…."

I looked at Namgung Su silently.

A man tightly bound by pride and competitiveness.

He must have found what I just said the most unpleasant thing to hear.

It felt like I was looking at my past self, and I couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

"You really are pathetic."

"…Are you trying to test the limits of my patience?

"Have you always been avoiding reality like this? If you keep this up, nothing will change."

No Gun-sang, who had been watching our argument, shouted with his inner strength.

"Both of you, stop it!"

As we both shut our mouths, No Gun-sang glared at me with sharp eyes and said.

"Applicant Baek Su-ryong, continue what you were going to say."

"Headmaster!"

"Mr. Namgung, please remain silent. If his words exceed the bounds, I will personally drag him out."

I met No Gun-sang's gaze without flinching.

This was not the same person who had said, "I hope you become a good teacher," to me last night.

The highest authority of Cheongryong Academy and a great martial artist of high attainment was glaring at me with a piercing gaze.

"If you have something to say, go ahead. However, if your intention is to deceive Cheongryong Academy and me… I will personally hold you accountable."

Zzzz!

The terrifying aura emanating from No Gun-sang made the hairs on my body stand on end.

'If I'm not careful, I might lose my head.'

Of course, that won't happen.

This is all part of my plan.

"Thank you for the opportunity."

I gave No Gun-sang a respectful bow and turned to face the audience.

'Right. This is the level I need to reach.'

Most of the students were looking at me with displeasure.

From now on, they would evaluate and judge every word I say.

"I know my words just now were unpleasant to hear. But please, hear me out for a moment."

I gave a light bow to the students and began speaking with my inner strength.

"I have a special talent and hobby for observing people. Ever since I was young, I've been reading people to survive, and it has become a habit."

"…?"

"What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, I started a seemingly irrelevant story, and the students' expressions showed confusion.

I continued without hesitation.

"If you observe a person's words and actions closely, you can roughly guess their martial arts skills, personality, and life experiences."

"Ha! It sounds like a fortune-teller, not a new lecturer."

Someone's comment caused laughter to break out here and there.

The unpleasant gazes were now accompanied by ridicule and mockery.

I ignored them and continued.

"On my way here, I met quite a few people."

I turned my head to look for someone.

When I met the gaze of Gwak Doo-yong, who was standing blankly among the applicants, he looked puzzled.

I gave him a slight smile.

"Someone was belittling Cheongryong Academy, saying that Jujak Academy was the best. He was confident that becoming a lecturer at Cheongryong Academy would be easy for him."

Gulp.

Gwak Doo-yong swallowed hard and shook his head from side to side, his eyes pleading for me not to reveal his identity.

I smiled and turned my head to look at the other applicants around him.

"Another incident happened. By chance, I ended up drinking with a wealthy student and some other applicants… and you know, these so-called lecturers were trying to flatter the student as if they would take out his liver and gallbladder."

"…!!"

The faces of the applicants who had been at that drinking session turned pale.

I glared at each of them and said.

"Without any self-respect, some of you were groveling to the student, begging him to look favorably upon you, and even pouring drinks for him."

"Wh-what…"

"We never…"

They all looked anxious, worried that I might drag them into the mud.

A few of them glared at me as if they wanted to kill me, sending telepathic threats, pleas, and curses.

[Do you think you'll get away with this?]

[Mr. Baek. Let's not do this among colleagues…]

[You bastard! What the hell is your problem!]

I ignored most of them, but one telepathic message I couldn't ignore came from Mae Geuk-yeom.

[What are you trying to do? Why are you bringing up a story that's already over…]

[Grandfather. Don't worry. I'm not trying to harm the academy.]

I wasn't here to expose the pitiful faces of the new lecturer applicants.

"Let's end the talk about the lecturers. Now, let me talk about you all."

I scanned the students sitting in the audience.

Most were unfamiliar faces, but a few were familiar.

'That guy is here too.'

I happened to meet the gaze of Heon Won-gang, who was looking at me with a skewed expression from a distance.

"I've seen a friend with great talent here. He was causing a ruckus while drunk, and I heard from the people around him that he was a notorious troublemaker in the academy."

"That brat…!"

Heon Won-gang glared at me angrily as the gazes of those around him converged on him.

It was a well-known story.

Even a thick-skinned guy like him couldn't remain unaffected when someone openly called him a troublemaker.

I said to Heon Won-gang, who was grinding his teeth and glaring at me.

"That student, despite his incredible talent, was wasting his life. He looked like an old man who had lived a full life, even though he was young."

"Shut up! What do you know about me!"

"Will you tell me if I ask?"

"Damn it!"

Heon Won-gang, who had jumped to his feet, stormed out of the audience.

I watched his shrinking back and said.

"It's not just him. I've seen many talented friends here."

I looked at Dukgo Joon, Tang Xiaoxiao, and Pang Sahaek in turn.

Pang Sahaek, feeling my gaze, looked uncomfortable.

"A student from a good family invited the prospective lecturers to a gathering and subtly showed off his power."

"…."

Pang Sahaek, clenching his fists on his knees, was gritting his teeth silently. The students around him were watching him carefully.

I thought about it.

"Was it because he was a bad guy from the start? Or because he wanted to dominate the academy and play childish power games? No, I don't think so."

Pang Sahaek's shoulders were slowly rising and falling. The students around him were watching him.

Seeing this, I clicked my tongue and continued.

"It's because of inferiority complex."

"How dare you…!"

I ignored Pang Sahaek's murderous glare and turned my head.

I then looked at the many students whose names I didn't yet know.

"Cheongryong Academy, as I saw with my own eyes, is different from the rumors. It's a fertile ground for young and talented successors."

"…."

But there was a big problem.

I stood here to point it out.

"Do you know what you all have in common?"

Everyone was listening with a slightly different expression than before.

There was still more displeasure and coldness, but among them were students looking at me with curiosity and a glimmer of hope.

At that moment, I smiled coldly and changed my tone.

"Immersed in the inferiority complex and defeatism of being the lowest among the five academies, you don't even think about changing."

My harsh words shattered the last bit of hope in the students who had wanted to hear something encouraging.

"Believing that reality can't be changed, you get drunk and cause trouble, harass the lecturers, and console yourselves by saying you're too talented for this trash academy. Every day, you make excuses and deceive yourselves."

Bang!

A student jumped to his feet, shaking the ground.

"That's not true!"

The student council president, Dukgo Joon, was glaring at me as if he wanted to burn me alive.

"This year, we are different. We are prepared to work hard to the point of death, and we will show the results of our efforts this year!"

I was impressed by his bold ambition, but ambition alone won't produce results.

I asked Dukgo Joon.

"What is the student council's goal for this year?"

"To achieve a higher ranking in the Heavenly Martial Festival than last year."

"Can I ask how high a ranking you're aiming for specifically?"

"That's…."

Dukgo Joon hesitated, and Tang Xiaoxiao, standing next to him, said with shining eyes.

"Our realistic goal is to beat Baekho Academy."

Baekho Academy had ranked fourth in the overall standings of last year's Heavenly Martial Festival.

Aiming to just escape the bottom….

I sighed deeply.

"…Why are you sighing? Do you think we can't do it?"

Tang Xiaoxiao bit her lip and looked at me.

I looked at her, then turned to observe the expressions of Dukgo Joon and the other student council members.

'They all look anxious.'

They didn't even believe in the goals they had set for themselves.

I turned to look at the other students.

'Just how big is the gap between this academy and the others?'

Heavenly Martial Festival (天武祭).

Since arriving in this city, I've heard stories about it everywhere.

-Damn. Ten years in a row at the bottom…

-This year will be different, the student council is determined.

-If it was going to change, it would have changed long ago. Last year, the score difference with the fourth place was double. It was an overwhelming last place.

-But Dukgo Joon….

I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, so I couldn't know the exact gap between Cheongryong Academy and the others.

But one thing was clear: they were terrified of the Heavenly Martial Festival.

Looking at the students' frightened and intimidated expressions, I slowly opened my mouth.

"Everyone, I came to Cheongryong Academy to become a one-hit lecturer."

My sudden words made the lecturers and students look bewildered.

"Becoming a one-hit lecturer, I thought, wasn't really that difficult."

Most of them snickered and mocked me at my next words.

I continued without caring.

"But someone told me to become a good teacher before becoming a one-hit lecturer."

"…."

The question No Gun-sang had posed to me last night had stayed in my mind all night.

At the same time, the faces of the disciples I had raised in the past also stayed in my mind.

"I thought all night about what it means to be a good teacher. It's definitely harder than becoming a one-hit lecturer. A one-hit lecturer just needs to produce a lot of experts, but that way, it's hard to be called a good teacher…."

If I taught in the same way I did in the Blood Sect, I would quickly be called a one-hit lecturer.

But that would only mean repeating my past mistakes.

"So, I decided to make a new plan. To become both a one-hit lecturer and a good teacher."

I smiled and looked at the students I might teach in the future.

We don't know each other well yet, but we will learn a lot from each other as we study and teach together.

"So, here's what I have to say…."

I was curious about how these guys would think of me a year from now.

'First, I'll get rid of your inferiority complex.'

I spoke in a casual tone, but with enough inner strength for everyone to hear.

"This year's Heavenly Martial Festival. I will take responsibility for making Cheongryong Academy the champion."