Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 315: No Need For That

TL: FoodieMonster007

RUMBLE…!

With a thunderous roar, the old abandoned house began to collapse. Moments before the structure fully gave way, two figures burst through the roof and soared into the air.

Namgung Su leaped upward, gripping Baek Suryong tightly by the scruff of his neck. "She’s a monster. How can her inner arts be this pow…"

"Hey! You're choking me!" Baek Suryong screamed.

Namgung Su casually flung Baek Suryong behind him and landed lightly on the ground, but his expression grew grave as he watched the building crumble into ruins. No matter how dilapidated it was, bringing down an entire house with qi alone was beyond imagination. The Elimination Corps Commander, Ryu Seol, was much stronger than he'd expected.

She’s coming.

Step by step, Ryu Seol approached the leisurely like a predator calmly stalking its prey before striking. "Moyong Jun, a traitor?" she said icily.

Namgung Su shuddered, feeling every hair on his body stand on end. The fury blazing in Ryu Seol’s eyes seemed intense enough to burn the world itself.

"Do you even understand how insulting that accusation is to someone who's spent twenty years faithfully serving the Murim Alliance?"

A suffocating and sinister aura weighed down the surroundings. Behind Ryu Seol, the vague silhouette of a pitch-black demon seemed to loom ominously as she loosely held her dual daos, which shrieked unpleasantly as if hungry for blood.

Baek Suryong sighed. She obviously had no intention of talking things out. Still, he pleaded, "Senior, please listen to what we have to say first…"

SWOOSH!

In an instant, Ryu Seol rushed forward, her dual daos slicing through the air. Murderous intent flashed sharply in her eyes as two black streaks multiplied into a dozen illusory shadows, each charged with overwhelming power.

"Since you dragged me out here with nonsense, I assume you're ready to face the consequences?"

This is a non-profit translation. Ads? What ads?

"…!!" Namgung Su didn't even have the luxury of replying. Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword, enveloping it in thunderbolt qi until it radiated a dazzling white light.

BOOM!

The moment they clashed, the difference in strength became painfully clear. Namgung Su was forced to retreat several steps, absorbing the brutal impact, while Ryu Seol advanced without hesitation.

"The Lightning Dragon Hero?" Ryu Seol sneered.

"……" Namgung Su flinched. Even while others praised him as the Lightning Dragon Hero, he had never allowed himself to grow arrogant because of it. On the contrary, the alias had made him uncomfortable.

He knew that he possessed neither the strength nor the reputation to deserve a title that included the word 'Hero'. All he'd done was kill an old villain called the Thunder Demon, and because Baek Suryong had exaggerated the man’s dying words, the alias had stuck.

In the end, it’s basically a nickname Baek Suryong made up himself.

Namgung Su sensed Baek Suryong’s faint aura behind him. With his inner arts sealed, even someone of his caliber would struggle to survive against an enraged Ryu Seol.

It’s finally my turn to repay him.

CRACKLE!

The thunderbolt qi enveloping Namgung Su's sword surged even more fiercely. In his trademark cold tone, he declared, "Until you calm down, I'll be your opponent."

"Ha! Ridiculous." Ryu Seol scoffed mockingly and charged straight at Namgung Su, darkness swirling around her dual daos.

Namgung Su responded by increasing the intensity of his thunderbolt qi.

This is a free translation. You should not be seeing ads.

CLANG! CRASH!

Each collision between the lightning-wreathed sword and the darkness-covered daos produced blinding sparks. Within mere moments, their blurry figures crossed paths over a dozen times.

Ryu Seol’s Elimination Blade was considered one of the Murim Alliance’s most devastating martial arts, and similarly, Namgung Su’s Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique was the Namgung Clan's most destructive technique.

As such, every strike they exchanged had the force to shatter stone. Even though both martial artists restrained themselves from unleashing lethal techniques, their battle still left deep, ragged scars in the earth.

Nevertheless, the advantage steadily shifted toward the Elimination Corps Commander.

"Cough!" Gasping, Namgung Su staggered back heavily, coughing up blood before dropping to one knee.

She’s strong. Far stronger than the Heavenly Justice Commander.

Despite his jealous and greedy nature, the Heavenly Justice Commander was definitely one of the murim's strongest masters, but Ryu Seol clearly stood on another level. It wasn't simply her martial skills that set her apart, her intense focus and extensive combat experience all contributed to her immense prowess in battle.

Namgung Su understood exactly how martial artists like her were described.

She's a monster.

He now understood precisely why the Chairman had risked bringing her into the Murim Alliance. Ryu Seol was undeniably the sharpest weapon the Alliance possessed.

"Are you ready to step aside now?" Ryu Seol chuckled, then sheathed her weapons. Perhaps because she had vented her anger through fighting, her rage seemed somewhat subdued. She shifted her cold glare toward Baek Suryong, who was hiding behind Namgung Su. "The one I actually want to beat isn’t you, it's him."

"……" Instead of replying, Namgung Su slowly struggled back to his feet, raising his sword again.

Ryu Seol stared at him, visibly annoyed. "Such touching friendship. You think I'm really going to kill him?"

Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

"…That's not it."

"What’s not it?"

"We're not friends. I'm his senior."

"Huh?"

Namgung Su wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his free hand. Surprisingly, his internal injuries weren't severe. He knew clearly that this was only because Ryu Seol hadn’t gone all-out against him. Nonetheless, he refused to step aside.

"If you're not even friends, why go this far to protect him?" Ryu Seol asked, visibly irritated.

"…Until the disciplinary hearing, it's my duty to monitor and protect him."

"…Pfft. You're crazy!" Ryu Seol laughed incredulously and shook her head. To speak such nonsense so earnestly with a stubborn expression like that was so absurd that her anger simply vanished.

Releasing another long sigh, she finally took her hands off her weapons. "…Fine. I'll hear what you two have to say before making any judgments."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Thank you for your consideration." Namgung Su sheathed his sword as well and gave Ryu Seol a clasped-hands greeting.

Ryu Seol bluntly replied, "Don't thank me just yet. If your story turns out to be nonsense, we'll pick up exactly where we left off."

Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

With those words, she strode briskly past Namgung Su, heading straight toward Baek Suryong.

Namgung Su didn't try to stop her. Rather, he stood in place, lost in thought.

I still haven't fully mastered thunderbolt qi.

Dueling with a supreme master like the Elimination Corps Commander was a miraculous encounter in itself. Although he'd lost, he'd gained a lot from the fight. He began to see new possibilities, from ways to further refine his Heavenly Lightning Sword Technique to methods for leveraging thunderbolt qi more skillfully against opponents stronger than himself.

Baek Suryong can handle the rest from here.

Namgung Su replayed his battle with Ryu Seol over and over in his mind, determined to one day become truly worthy of the title of Lightning Dragon Hero.

"Finished venting your anger yet?"

"…Don't push your luck," Ryu Seol spat, glaring at Baek Suryong and grinding her teeth. She desperately wanted to smash that irritating face, and was only barely able to restrain herself because of the promise she had made to Namgung Su. "Go on, tell me. Why are you accusing Moyong Jun of being a traitor?"

Her mind raced as she mulled over everything she knew about her friend, fully prepared to refute every single word Baek Suryong said.

However, Baek Suryong began his explanation with something that seemed completely unrelated. "The Beggars' Gang Chief has been poisoned, and we suspect the Murim Alliance is responsible," he stated matter-of-factly.

Ryu Seol's eyes widened in shock. "…What? He was poisoned? What are you talking about?"

Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

Baek Suryong calmly recounted the events of the past few days, how he had met the Little Beggar at the Wuhan Branch, how he had treated the Chief, how he had identified the poison, and even how the briefly conscious Chief had written "Alliance" with his finger. After describing these events in detail, Baek Suryong carefully explained his reasons for suspecting Moyong Jun.

When Baek Suryong was done, Ryu Seol said bitterly, "…All you have is circumstantial evidence. You're accusing Moyong Jun of treason based solely on that?"

"……" Baek Suryong regarded Ryu Seol wordlessly, giving her as much time as she needed to process everything.

"Am I wrong? Anyone could be the culprit. What about the Commanders away from headquarters? You might not know this, but at least one captain from each of the Five Divisions always stays at the Alliance. If even one of them were involved, they'd have plenty of opportunities. Even the Heavenly Justice Commander seems suspicious. I'll investigate him thoroughly when we return. And besides…"

Baek Suryong's expression steadily grew colder. The more she tries to defend Moyong Jun, the more agitated she's getting.

"It's not that you don't believe it, you just don't want to," he suddenly cut in.

"…Shut up."

Baek Suryong ignored her and continued, "I'll ask you one thing. Can you honestly say that you don't suspect Moyong Jun in the slightest?"

"Of course not. It's just that other people are far more suspicious than Moyong Jun," Ryu Seol shot back without hesitation.

Baek Suryong sighed deeply. He could clearly see the subtle trembling in her eyes. A martial artist of Ryu Seol's caliber could easily hide her emotions if she wanted to, and the fact that she couldn't was proof that her heart was deeply shaken.

"Elimination Corps Commander Ryu Seol," he said sternly. "Stop being stubborn. You're not really blind, you're just deliberately blinding yourself to the truth."

"Shut up!" Ryu Seol denied immediately, so flustered that she didn't even register the change in Baek Suryong's tone.

"Or is it because you have only one eye that you can see only half the truth?"

"You bastard!" Ryu Seol screamed, drawing her blades and resting them against Baek Suryong's neck. Without turning, she warned Namgung Su behind her. "Don't move, unless you want me to slit his throat." Then, staring at Baek Suryong with chilling intensity, she snarled, "What the hell do you know?"

"I know you're lying to yourself right now. You know Moyong Jun better than anyone, yet you're deliberately turning away from the truth."

"Shut up! I said shut up. Say one more word and I'll…!"

"Get a grip. Even if you kill me, nothing will change," Baek Suryong argued back without hesitation, entirely unfazed despite the blades pressed against his throat.

"……" Ryu Seol grit her teeth. This bastard. He obviously can't even use inner arts right now, so where is his confidence coming from? It might be too early for him to be ranked among the Ten Supremes, but if we're talking about pure guts, he definitely qualifies!

northbladetldotcom welcomes you.

Baek Suryong continued brazenly, "A martial artist of your caliber must surely have noticed that something is amiss. My words should've reminded you of Moyong Jun's suspicious behavior. Think carefully about his recent actions and whereabouts."

"……" Ryu Seol bit her lip so hard that she drew blood.

She recalled her close friend of nearly twenty years. They knew every aspect of each other's lives, both good and bad.

The countless times they'd trusted each other on the battlefields, surviving countless life and death situations together. Even now, Moyong Jun bore scars from the desperate battles they endured together.

Ryu Seol vividly remembered the exact location and shape of every single scar.

Could it really be him?

Even though she had sensed something strange lately, she always assumed it was unnecessary to pry into a friend's private life. Now, though, she couldn't help but question the friend she trusted so deeply.

Certain documents that Moyong Jun had casually handled in her place as acting chairman had mysteriously disappeared. Whenever he went on short trips and she asked where he'd gone, he always avoided giving clear answers. He rarely attended the Elimination Corps meetings, claiming that he was mastering a new martial art… but no one had ever seen him training!

Small things she'd dismissed as trivial, and moments she'd felt slightly disappointed by, now took on an entirely different meaning.

"Why…?" she whispered, despair in her voice.

"Before you place all the blame on him, do consider that he may have been coerced by the Blood Cult or forced by circumstances beyond his control," Baek Suryong proposed, seeing Ryu Seol's shaken gaze.

"Could that…be possible?"

This small possibility stirred a faint hope in Ryu Seol's heart. Maybe it wasn't outright treason. If Moyong Jun had been blackmailed and forced to cooperate with the Blood Cult, there might still be room for mercy.

"He does seem like he's hiding something…" Ryu Seol muttered weakly, finally lowering her blades.

Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.

"!!!" At this moment, Baek Suryong felt absolutely certain Moyong Jun was the traitor.

Until he had heard Ryu Seol's confession, he hadn't been completely sure. Besides the Heavenly Justice Commander, the Elimination Corps Commander, and Moyong Jun, there was still a small chance that there was another culprit.

That was why he had deliberately pushed Ryu Seol even harder. He had to tear down the barrier of friendship that clouded her judgment and made her doubt Moyong Jun.

If even she concluded that he's hiding something, then he definitely is.

Baek Suryong trusted her judgment completely.

"Yeah, he was definitely blackmailed… it can't be treason. No matter how I think about it, that makes no sense. Why would he betray the Alliance? What could he possibly gain?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? You'll help me, right? We won't be able to resolve this quietly without you."

Ryu Seol nodded weakly, left without any other choice.

Baek Suryong immediately explained the next steps of their plan. "Tomorrow night, I'll send Moyong Jun the exact same letter I sent you. Once he leaves his house, you'll…"

"There's no need for that," someone interrupted.

All three martial artists raised their guards as they cautiously toward the source of the voice.

How did none of us notice him until he was so close to us!?

This is a free translation. You should not be seeing ads.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness, wearing a faint smile. His presence felt oddly indistinct, but on the left side of his black martial arts uniform, the word "Elimination" was clearly visible.

"Moyong Jun…"

"If you have any questions, I'll answer them myself," Moyong Jun chuckled eerily.

Everyone present clearly sensed something strange about him.