Chapter 168: How Can I Help You?

Chapter 168: How Can I Help You?

TL: FoodieMonster007

BAM!

Baek Suryong slammed his wine cup down on the table. "Those brats are hopeless," he grumbled.

It had been a while since he'd met up with his fellow new instructors, Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong. As they chatted and sipped their drinks, the conversation inevitably steered toward the new admission criteria for the Heavenly Martial Festival.

"Are the kids really that bad at studying?" Jaegal Soyeong asked, downing her liquor with more energy than anyone else at the table. As life at the academy was tough, drinking had become her only pleasure, and she was gradually turning into a hopeless alcoholic.

Baek Suryong sighed, "Geo Sangwoong and Yeo Min are a bit better. They're extremely good at math and have a knack for studying."

Ironically, the two who were less gifted in martial arts excelled academically. The real problem was the martial arts prodigies.

Just thinking about them frustrated him.

"You wouldn't believe how empty Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok's heads are. Ya Suhyeok doesn't even know who Zhang Sanfeng is!"

"Wow, that's pretty severe."

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"How did they even pass the entrance exam?"

"I was wondering the same thing..." Baek Suryong groaned.

Back when he was an instructor in the Blood Cult, these issues never crossed his mind. Over there, the students' upbringing and character didn't matter, only martial arts prowess. The cult even had a penchant for simpletons and homicidal maniacs.

Now that I think about it, maybe that's why those trainees turned out the way they did.

For a moment, a bitter expression crossed Baek Suryong's face. Knowing how intense competition could push martial artists to unbelievable extremes, he understood the purpose of the new regulations for the Heavenly Martial Festival better than anyone else.

"Haa..." he sighed.

Refilling his wine cup, Ak Yeonho asked, "Setting those two aside, what about Wiji Cheon? He seems diligent, so I thought he'd be good at studying."

"He's a problem too. Wiji Cheon is..." Baek Suryong paused, searching for the right words. "I guess you could say he's excessively pure."

Wiji Cheon was undoubtedly a genius, but only when it came to the sword. If you taught him one sword technique, he would master ten, but in all other aspects, he was practically a blank slate.

"Since he lived deep in the mountains with his grandfather from a young age, he lacks basic common sense. His concepts of good and evil are also a bit blurred."

On top of that, his grandfather was the head of one of the Blood Cult's Eight Great Clans, and Wiji Cheon himself had suffered from qi deviation that had turned him into a crazed serial killer until recently. If anyone needed basic moral education, it was him.

"Hyonwon Kang, Ya Suhyeok, Wiji Cheon... I can't believe I have to teach basic morals and etiquette to muscle-brained idiots and simple-minded kids..." Baek Suryong sighed yet again.

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Noticing his dejection, his colleagues offered words of comfort.

"Don't worry too much. There's still plenty of time."

"You'll do just fine this time too."

Unfortunately, their consolations didn't help much. With just over a month left until the first semester midterms, he needed to get the students up to a level where they could pass the Character Evaluation. At this rate, however, three out of five were sure to fail.

And if that wasn't bad enough...

Taking advantage of the alcohol, Baek Suryong confessed, "You might be surprised, but I recently discovered there's something I'm not good at."

"""WHAT?!""" Ak Yeonho, Myeong Il'oh, and Jaegal Soyeong exclaimed in unison, staring at their colleague incredulously.

Ignoring them, Baek Suryong gazed dazedly into his wine cup. He was confident that he possessed a vast knowledge of martial arts, and it wasn't a stretch to say that he had memorized most of the Blood Cult's techniques. He could even teach most of the secondary skills needed by martial artists, such as formations, poisons, acupoint sealing, hidden weapon techniques, and so on.

However, for someone with an unorthodox background like him, etiquette and moral education based on the righteousness and decorum of the orthodox sects were very unfamiliar. He could imitate it to a certain extent, but he was by no means qualified to teach it to others.

With a solemn expression, he lamented, "I don't want to lie about it, so I'll be honest with you. When it comes to etiquette and common sense of the orthodox murim, I'm completely clueless. You're probably surprised. I was too. I never imagined there'd be something I couldn't teach. It really shocked me, so it must be even more shocking for you."

Sighing bitterly, he emptied his cup in one gulp, his beautiful sorrowful eyes and slender fingers making him look as if he had just stepped out of a painting.

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Regardless, no one here was swayed by that image.

"Wow, how can someone be so arrogant..."

"My goodness, is shameless bragging this guy's version of drunken rambling?"

"Come to think of it, maybe Hyung-nim's narcissism is the biggest problem."

At the sight of Baek Suryong feigning humility while effortlessly boasting, his colleagues could only look on in exasperation.

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Baek Suryong grumbled, "What? Is being honest a crime now? As long as a martial artist fights well, who cares about manners? Does having a good upbringing help you dodge an attack?"

"Hyung-nim, have you thought about not trying to teach everything yourself and leaving the academic and etiquette classes to others?" Myeong Il'oh suggested.

In the end though, Hyonwon Kang looked away first, feeling slightly ashamed. After all, there was a reason why he absolutely had to participate in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament.

"....Fine, I'll study. I don't want to be disqualified from the Heavenly Martial Festival for such a stupid reason. No matter what, I have to beat that bastard Peng Sahyuk in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament," he conceded.

"Your motives are impure, but... at least you have some motivation."

"I guess."

Dokgo Jun moved to sit next to Hyonwon Kang, putting aside his own studies. "If there's something you don't understand, just ask me, okay?"

"Then... explain this to me," Hyonwon Kang said, sliding the problem he was working on over to Dokgo Jun. At the same time, he smacked the back of Ya Suhyeok's head. "Wake up, you idiot! You need to listen too!"

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"Mmm...yeah. Please teach me too, Senior." Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Ya Suhyeok shook his head and slapped his own cheeks a few times to wake himself up.

At least they're both trying in their own way. That's better than nothing, Dokgo Jun thought, checking the problem Hyonwon Kang had given him. It was a simple question for him.

"This question is about interpreting the Wudang Sect's seasonal rituals using the Five Elements theory. The key points you need to understand here are..."

Dokgo Jun patiently broke down what he knew, explaining it in a way that even a child could grasp. As the top student in both theory and practicals, this was an easy task for him... if he wasn't up against the two most formidable opponents in the Azure Dragon Academy, that is.

"...Zzz..."

"Snore..."

The Student Council President's angry shout echoed loudly in the room, "Goddamnit! Hyonwon Kang! Ya Suhyeok! WAKE UP!!"

An old man and a young boy sat down across from each other, leisurely sipping tea. Even though they were completely different, there was something about them that felt alike. Perhaps it was the way their swords lay neatly and identically across their laps.

"I received a special request from Mr. Baek to teach you," Mae Geuklyom said.

Wiji Cheon nodded. "Uh huh."

"Come see me at this time every day. I will teach you the proper etiquette of a swordsman for one hour a day."

"Okay. Uhm... I lived in the mountains with my grandfather since I was really small, so I don't know much about etiquette. Please forgive me if I don't know something simple."

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"Ignorance is not a sin. If you don't know something, you can always learn. The real problem is when you consciously choose to do the wrong thing, even when you know what's right."

"...Understood."

Although he was usually very shy, Wiji Cheon felt strangely at ease with Mae Geuklyom, like he was looking at a well-honed sword. Interestingly enough, Mae Geuklyom felt the same way.

"I will explain everything to you using the sword as an example. That should be convenient for both of us."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Don't be so easily pleased."

"Ehehe..."

"Stop laughing foolishly."

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"Y-Yes!"

Just like that, an old man who had dedicated his life to the sword and a boy fascinated by the sword found their own way of communicating.

"Phew! At last, I can relax a little," Baek Suryong breathed a sigh of relief, having secretly watched the students studying.

In the end, he had taken the advice of his colleagues and asked Dokgo Jun to help with Hyonwon Kang's and Ya Suhyeok's studies, and entrusted Wiji Cheon to Mae Geuklyom for lessons in basic common sense.

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Geo Sangwoong and Yeo Min seemed like they could pass if they studied a bit more, so he decided not to worry about them. Instead, he had them focus more on martial arts training.

Now that I've gotten them started preparing for the Character Evaluation... the next problem is the Social Engagement Evaluation.

The Social Engagement Evaluation was a comprehensive assessment of a student's social interactions based on classroom behavior, participation in school activities, club involvement, and so on. All of this would come together to form a student's school record, or "resume" for short.

"Sigh... There's no way those delinquents have their resumes in order."

After much consideration, Baek Suryong decided to consult an expert in this field—a legendary figure who had gotten the most students in the history of the Azure Dragon Academy employed at large trading companies, escort agencies, and even the Murim Alliance.

As he opened the door to the expert's office, the man in question stood up abruptly.

"...Good afternoon sir, how can I help you?" Pung Jinho greeted nervously, bowing his head.

Translator's Note: I don't think I can get another chapter out before bed, so that it for this week. See you next Friday!