Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Wiji Cheon's getting away!"

Dokgo Jun, Bang Baekhyun, and the other students who had been watching the fight from afar chased after Wiji Cheon, determined to grab his scented pouch.

BOOM! BOOM!

At the same time, kept falling in the middle of the crowd, exploding one after another and filling the area with thick, dark smoke.

"Cough! Cough!"

"W-Where did he go?"

Everyone lost sight of Wiji Cheon in the confusion, when a slender figure with a sword at his waist suddenly sprang out of the smoke and took off.

"There! He went that way!"

The students swarmed after Wiji Cheon like a pack of jackals hunting their prey. In the ensuing stampede, many of them collided with each other and fell over. It was pandemonium.

Unfortunately, they soon completely lost track of Wiji Cheon.

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Dokgo Jun sighed in disappointment. "…He escaped."

"Where's Senior Bang Baekhyun?" Tang Soso asked.

"He said he would try to track down Wiji Cheon alone. I warned him not to go too far in case there was a trap, but…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

Dokgo Jun nodded. He couldn't imagine Senior Bang Baekhyun falling into a trap.

He's not only good at martial arts, but he's also very quick-witted.

After a while, Bang Baekhyun returned. Seeing the bitter look on his face, it seemed that he had come up empty-handed as well.

"I think we've been tricked," he groaned.

"What?"

"Tricked?"

Bang Baekhyun walked to the spot where he last clashed swords with Wiji Cheon and pointed to the footprints on the ground. "As expected… both of you, look at this. This is my footprint, and this is Dokgo's. The smallest one is Wiji Cheon's. If you look closely, Wiji Cheon's footprints lead in the opposite direction from the one we followed."

Dokgo Jun and Tang Soso's eyes widened in shock. They were sure they had followed Wiji Cheon's aura through the thick smoke. Besides, didn't they all clearly see a small figure dart through the haze?

"I definitely followed the presence that was running away, though…" Dokgo Jun muttered.

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Bang Baekhyun laughed hollowly, "That person wasn't Wiji Cheon."

Dokgo Jun tilted his head in confusion. "What? Then who did we follow?"

Tang Soso bit her lip, immediately understanding what Bang Baekhyun meant. Feeling frustrated, she explained, "…It was bait to lead us astray. After setting off the smoke bombs, a fake Wiji Cheon hid in the smoke and deliberately showed themselves, while the real Wiji Cheon suppressed his presence and took advantage of the chaos to leisurely disappear in the opposite direction."

Bang Baekhyun nodded. "That's right. I don't know who it is, but it seems like we've been fooled by a smart junior."

His eyes sparkled with anticipation. It had been a long time since he had been deceived by someone like this, but rather than getting angry, he was thrilled.

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This is a lot more interesting than I thought!

Looking at his juniors, who both seemed quite upset at being deceived, Bang Baekhyun laughed, "I was quite confident in my movement arts, but is there someone among the juniors who can outrun me?"

"…It must be Yeo Min, a second-year," Tang Soso replied.

Yeo Min was the only White Dragon Manor student who fit the bill. With movement skills fast enough to outrun the former Student Council President Bang Baekhyun and a slender physique that could be mistaken for Wiji Cheon, it could only be her.

Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok are muscle-brained idiots, so she must have been the one who came up with the plan to rescue Wiji Cheon too.

Tang Soso stared in the direction where the fake Wiji Cheon had disappeared. "Yeo Min, huh? Is she my new rival?" she mused.

Although they were both sophomores, Tang Soso and Yeo Min had never had any contact with each other because until recently, Yeo Min rarely even came to class.

However, she had a feeling that after today, they would be butting heads with each other very often.

"Yeo Min? Isn't she one of the Five Young Azure Dragons?" Bang Baekhyun asked.

Tang Soso ground her teeth. "Yes. Her martial arts aren't particularly strong, so I didn't take much notice of her… but seeing her actions today, it seems that I've severely underestimated her."

Tang Soso placed Yeo Min higher up on her mental watchlist. If that girl was this intelligent, then she was indeed a person of interest.

The situation is looking bad for us.

If Yeo Min saved Wiji Cheon, then they had probably joined forces. She might have already reached out to Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok too.

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"Damn it, we should've taken them down one at a time before they grouped up…"

Of all the Five Young Azure Dragons, they just had to miss the strongest one, the Sword Wonder. They had planned to hunt them down one by one, but Yeo Min's interference had caused them to start off on the wrong foot.

Still, Tang Soso was not too worried.

Even if those four team up, it'll just be a little more troublesome. The result won't change.

Tang Soso was confident. Even if the four Young Azure Dragons fought together, they posed no threat to her.

"Whew…" Wiji Cheon sank to the floor as soon as he arrived at the meeting place. Escaping from the pursuers' eyes in the smoke was not at all easy, requiring a high level of stealth and concentration. It was actually more tiring than sprinting.

Wiji Cheon shuddered at the thought of the Student Council trio—Dokgo Jun, Bang Baekhyun, and Tang Soso—he never wanted to encounter again.

"I'm glad I didn't get caught by those seniors… but is it okay to just enter a place like this?"

Wiji Cheon looked around curiously at the food piled up around him. This was the Azure Dragon Academy cafeteria's larder.

[Hide in the larder behind the student cafeteria. I made a hole in the roof, so you can sneak in from there.]

That was the last message he'd received before leaving the scene. He had wondered for a moment if he could trust it, but he didn't have anywhere else to go.

RUSTLE…

Suddenly, someone tossed and turned in the dark, then sat up.

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"W-Who's there?" Wiji Cheon yelped, startled.

"YAAAAAWN…" Ya Suhyeok yawned widely and rubbed his eyes. "What? You're here too?"

"Suhyeok!" Wiji Cheon smiled happily.

Ya Suhyeok's clothes were torn and dirty. It was clear that he had suffered no less than Wiji Cheon.

"Meow!" The Silver Tiger peeked its head out from Ya Suhyeok's shirt.

Ya Suhyeok habitually tried to push the furball back into his arms, but in the end, he let the furball crawl around the food warehouse.

Wiji Cheon asked, "Where were you? Did you manage to finish your secret mission?"

"…That damn mission," Ya Suhyeok grumbled, shuddering at the mere thought of the secret mission. "I disguised myself and went outside because of that, but those dung flies attacked me while I was taking a shit. I barely managed to get out of the latrine with the seniors' help! For a moment there, I seriously thought I was going to die a crappy death."

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"Did the seniors tell you to come here too?"

Ya Suhyeok nodded.

"Phew…" Wiji Cheon heaved a sigh of relief. At least, he was no longer alone.

"What about you? Judging by your appearance, it seems like you've been through a lot too," Ya Suhyeok said.

"I was backstabbed by Senior Wonkang…" Wiji Cheon grudgingly told his story.

Some time later, Yeo Min and Hyonwon Kang entered the larder.

"Senior Wonkang!" Wiji Cheon jumped to his feet, drew his sword, and strode toward Hyonwon Kang threateningly, his eyes fixed on the Soul Sword tied to Hyonwon Kang's waist. "Give me back my sword while I'm still asking nicely!"

Hyonwon Kang returned the Soul Sword without hesitation. "Here, I'll give it back, so calm down."

Wiji Cheon hugged his sword tightly and glared at Hyonwon Kang warily, worried that he would steal it again.

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Hyonwon Kang scratched his head. "Are you still mad at me?"

"……"

"I'm sorry. You know I had no choice because of the secret mission, right?"

"……"

"Hey, I saved you earlier, so let's call it even, okay?"

"Ugh…" Wiji Cheon pouted as if he was dissatisfied, but it was true that Hyonwon Kang was the one who had thrown the smoke bombs from afar and sent the telepathic message telling him to run here.

In the end, the soft-hearted little boy accepted the reconciliation.

"If you try to steal it again, I won't forgive you."

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Smiling, Hyonwon Kang approached Wiji Cheon. "I've been thinking about it, and…"

Wiji Cheon unconsciously stepped back, feeling suspicious.

Hyonwon Kang sighed, "Tell you what, I'll help you finish your mission seriously. After that, lend me the Soul Sword. I'll take it to Mr. Baek and tell him I stole it from you."

"…Isn't that a lie?"

"What's wrong with that? How would Mr. Baek know it's a lie if you testify for me? This way, we don't have to fight each other, and you don't have to worry about me stealing the Soul Sword. How great is that?" Hyonwon Kang grinned. There was no rule against lying to Baek Suryong for this exam, so technically, what he suggested wasn't cheating.

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"Will Mr. Baek be fooled?"

"Of course not, but what can he do if you, the victim, insist that you were robbed? This is a perfect crime."

"Hmm…" After a moment of consideration, Wiji Cheon nodded. "Okay, let's do that."

"Good thinking. We're truly partners-in-crime now."

The two boys bumped their fists lightly, having finished their plotting.

Yeo Min snapped, "Are you two done now? Everyone, attention!"

Everyone's eyes turned to Yeo Min. Hyonwon Kang was the most senior of the four students here, but since Yeo Min was holding Hyonwon Kang's scented pouch hostage, she was the leader.

"I gathered everyone here for one and only one reason," she began. "We can't survive this exam unless we join forces."

Yeo Min looked at her shabby-looking seniors and juniors. They all seemed to have had a hard time being chased by the students aiming for their scented pouches.

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"Unfortunately, Senior Sangwoong has already been captured, so only the four of us are left."

Everyone sighed or scratched their heads in frustration. This was bad. If even Geo Sangwoong had been captured, they could easily be next.

Yeo Min turned to Wiji Cheon. "What were you discussing with Tang Soso earlier? It seemed like you were talking for quite a while."

Wiji Cheon shivered. "…Senior Tang Soso is completely insane. She's not just after our pouches. She's going to sabotage all five of us, earn Mr. Baek's favor, and join the White Dragon Manor next semester!"

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Is she serious? Does she think Mr. Baek will accept her just because she does that?"

"I knew she wasn't normal, but…"

"We have to stop her no matter what. There are already enough weirdos in the White Dragon Manor."

Yeo Min sighed deeply. "It's not just Tang Soso we have to worry about. The entire academy is targeting only us four."

There were twelve students with scented pouches, but only those belonging to the White Dragon Manor were targeted.

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As for why? It was because they were the Azure Dragon Hero's students.

Even they had heard the unfair amount of malice and gossip circulating in the school.

Are those guys really all that great?

They just got lucky and became the students of a supreme master.

Let's see how good they are.

Wiji Cheon added, "That includes Senior Dokgo Jun and Senior Bang Baekhyun too. They're not interested in the scented pouches, they just want to capture us."

Hyonwon Kang exploded in anger. "Fuck the missions! Those guys have gone too far!"

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"…You're right. Everyone is being too harsh on us," Wiji Cheon muttered indignantly.

"Damn it, are we just going to take this without retaliating?" Ya Suhyeok roared.

Only Yeo Min remained calm. "Does anyone remember what Mr. Baek said to us before?"

"""What?"""

Yeo Min smiled. Finally, these strong-willed students were ready to unite under a single cause, even if it meant casting their personal missions aside.

Yeo Min locked gazes with each of the boys. "He said being swept away by someone else's game is third-rate, using the game to your advantage is second-rate, and taking control of the game is first-rate. Also, right before he sent us out, he added this at the end."

"Don't call yourself my student if you can't even change the game."

"Don't call yourself my student if you can't even change the game," Hyonwon Kang repeated, his eyes glittering.

Yeo Min smirked wryly. "That's right, so let's change our game. I have a plan. First, we'll…"

Yeo Min's words set everyone's hearts on fire. One by one, they added their own opinions to the grand scheme.

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All of them had different strengths and personalities, but they had two things in common. The first was that all of them were the worst delinquents in the Azure Dragon Academy.

The undisputed number one delinquent Hyonwon Kang grinned wickedly. "They're all dead."

The miser Yeo Min smiled coldly. "All of those bastards owe me a debt of blood…"

The Viridian Forest bandit Ya Suhyeok licked his lips eagerly. "Leave the debt collection to me."

The Blood Cult descendant Wiji Cheon mumbled, "Senior Tang Soso, I'll show you what I learned from Mr. Baek…"

The second was that they were always watching and learning from Baek Suryong, the master of chaos.

Hyonwon Kang cackled, "Let's show those hyenas why we're Baek Suryong's students."

The Azure Dragon Academy's most notorious delinquents shared a crooked grin. It was time for their counterattack.