Episode 15: Return to the Demon Sect
Missed it!
“Damn it! That last attack wasn’t a direct hit!”
If only I had landed the strike on the vital point, that guy would have a bright red mark on his forehead by now!
Yeonjin slowly got to his feet and moved sideways.
The room was cramped.
Sabikang stood there, silently watching Yeonjin.
“Are you mute? Why aren’t you answering?”
”…”
“If you came here for a reason, you should at least say something.”
‘How insolent!’
With a swift motion, Yeonjin launched himself forward.
After all, he was an instructor in martial arts.
His hands moved with precision and speed unmatched by others.
Swoosh!
His hand sliced through the air, aiming straight for Sabikang.
Yet, Sabikang didn’t flinch.
‘This time, I’ll get him!’
But just as his fingers were about to touch the forehead—
Flash!
A burst of light erupted, and Sabikang vanished from sight.
“What the—! Again?”
A chill ran down Yeonjin’s spine as he spun around.
Whoosh!
Sabikang’s fist cut through the air, landing squarely on Yeonjin’s face.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Yeonjin rolled across the floor, crashing into the wall.
“Cough! Damn it!”
He spat out blood, along with a few teeth.
Yeonjin’s eyes wavered.
“You bastard…”
“Hey, that voice sounds familiar.”
Sabikang tilted his head with a knowing smile, and Yeonjin quickly shut his mouth.
His fists clenched, trembling with rage.
How could this be happening?
To be beaten so thoroughly by someone who was just a subordinate instructor!
Yeonjin’s eyes burned with fury.
‘Fine, if you want a beating so badly, I’ll give you one! You bastard!’
He rose to his feet, clenching his fists tightly, channeling his inner energy until a white aura surrounded his hands.
It was the manifestation of his martial energy.
Sabikang looked on with feigned admiration.
“Oh, so you’re finally getting serious. I welcome it.”
‘I’ll kill you, you bastard!’
Yeonjin abandoned the idea of striking the vital point.
First, he would crush him.
Since Sabikang had already used his dark arts, he had about an hour and a half to land the strike.
‘As long as it’s not instant death, it should be fine! I’ll do it just before he breathes his last!’
Yeonjin assumed a fighting stance.
In an instant.
‘Die!’
With a powerful push off the ground, he launched his fist forward.
Boom!
The white aura extended like a comet, hurtling towards Sabikang’s face.
But once again—
Flash!
Sabikang’s body vanished in a burst of light.
Yeonjin wasn’t fazed.
Instead, he spun around, swinging his left fist as if he had been waiting for this moment.
‘Hah! I won’t fall for the same trick three times!’
Sure enough, Sabikang was right behind him.
Sabikang raised his hand.
Yeonjin smirked inwardly.
‘Heh. I’ve dedicated my life to martial arts! No matter how much dark magic you’ve learned, you can’t withstand my punch!’
Crash!
A deafening sound echoed.
But then…
“Aaaah!”
The one screaming in agony was none other than Yeonjin.
“Aaah! My hand!”
He clutched his left hand, wailing in pain.
‘Why? Why!’
He couldn’t believe it.
By now, his opponent’s arm should have been shattered to pieces.
The one writhing on the ground should have been Sabikang.
Yet!
‘Why is it my hand… damn it!’
His wrist was completely broken, hanging limp and useless.
“Oh. I thought you’d fall for the same trick three times. You’re not as dumb as you look.”
“You bastard!”
Yeonjin cursed, trying to get up. Or at least, he tried to.
But Sabikang’s hand grabbed his hair first.
“Let’s see that face of yours. Your voice is oddly familiar. Heh.”
”…!”
In a flash, Yeonjin slapped Sabikang’s hand away and retreated.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Yeonjin glared at Sabikang, panting heavily.
‘I need to stay calm. He hasn’t figured out who I am yet. Damn, I was careless!’
Sabikang chuckled.
“You’re shyer than I thought.”
In truth, Sabikang had no intention of unmasking him. At least not yet.
‘If I reveal him too soon, it won’t be as fun. Especially without an audience. Heh.’
Meanwhile, Yeonjin focused, trying to gather his thoughts.
‘When I struck his wrist, a faint light enveloped him. Like a shield.’
But it wasn’t a martial energy barrier.
In reality, it was a shield spell, but having lived only in the martial world, Yeonjin had no way of knowing that.
So he became even more convinced.
‘Yes, it must be dark magic!’
Yeonjin, trying to disguise his identity, rasped out in a rough voice.
“You’ve learned dark magic, haven’t you?”
“Heh. In a way, you’re right.”
“You bastard! You deserve to be torn limb from limb!”
“Such harsh words. I might have to discipline you. As an instructor, of course.”
“Shut up! How dare you call yourself an instructor after learning such dark magic!”
“Hmm. There are plenty of so-called righteous warriors who are worse than demons. It’s not about the martial art, but the character of the one who wields it, don’t you think?”
“Rubbish! I’ll destroy your dark magic myself!”
“If you can, go ahead and try.”
Sabikang’s eyes turned cold.
In that moment, Yeonjin felt a chill run down his spine.
‘Those eyes… when did they become so…!’
It had to be dark magic.
Learning it had turned him into this.
Meanwhile, Sabikang slowly raised his right hand and murmured softly.
“Rune Flare.”
In the next moment.
Whoosh!
A long flame spear formed in his palm.
“What the—!”
Yeonjin’s jaw dropped as he swallowed hard.
‘What is that?’
A sight he’d never seen or heard of before.
Under the overwhelming pressure, Yeonjin felt fear creeping in.
“Take this.”
In an instant, Sabikang hurled the flame spear.
Whoosh!
“Argh!”
In that split second, Yeonjin realized that if he didn’t block the flame spear, he might die.
It was too late to dodge!
He mustered all his energy and threw a punch.
Crash!
Whoosh! Boom!
The searing flames spread out, engulfing Yeonjin.
“Ugh!”
Yeonjin, pushed back by the heat, slammed into the wall and collapsed.
‘Is this the dark magic he’s learned?’
He had barely managed to block it, but he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
A flame spear appearing out of thin air?
Yeonjin looked at Sabikang with shaky eyes.
“Heh. You managed to block it? Well, now that the mood is set, let’s bring in some spectators.”
“What are you talking about…!”
“Fire Burst.”
Another incomprehensible incantation.
Whenever he uttered those strange words, something inexplicable happened.
Sure enough, Sabikang merely extended his hand, and a dark mass gathered before Yeonjin’s eyes.
Boom!
With a powerful explosion, the wall crumbled, and Yeonjin was blasted into the courtyard.
“Ugh!”
Yeonjin, his body covered in burns, coughed dryly as he lay on the ground.
“Well, with all this commotion, we should attract some attention.”
Sabikang, who had casually walked into the courtyard, glanced around and murmured.
Yeonjin turned to see the shadow looming over him, his face filled with terror.
Sabikang grinned.
“Why so surprised? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
‘This guy is a monster! I can’t win! I made a mistake! I need to get out of here!’
But his legs felt frozen, refusing to move.
Sabikang slowly reached out his hand.
Yeonjin’s eyes filled with despair.
“Now, shall we begin your lesson?”
“Get away! Aaaah!”
Yeonjin’s scream echoed long and loud.
**
Boom!
The sound of an explosion reached them.
Cheonsemyung and Deungbuyung, who had been sipping tea, flinched and looked out the window.
In the distance, black smoke rose from an isolated building.
It was Sabikang’s quarters.
Deungbuyung set down his teacup and spoke.
“It seems to have begun.”
“Hmm. Indeed. But he’s making quite a spectacle of it.”
Cheonsemyung replied with a hint of unease.
Of course, since they needed to mark the vital point and provoke the use of dark magic, it was bound to be noisy.
‘But to make such a ruckus…’
However, Deungbuyung responded with a reassuring expression.
“Well, it might actually be for the best. If it’s certain that he’s a demon, causing a scene might be more beneficial.”
“True.”
“It seems the female instructor hit the nail on the head, judging by all that commotion. There’s no way out for him now.”
Just then, the door swung open, and Eonbyeok entered.
“Did you hear? Something’s definitely happened.”
“I heard.”
“Shouldn’t you go? The cadets, instructors, and even the dean are all heading to Instructor Sa’s quarters.”
Deungbu-hyeong glanced at Cheon Sae-myeong.
“Let’s go. We’ll finally see his true colors. The female instructor will surely handle him.”
“Alright. Let’s get moving.”
Cheon Sae-myeong nodded and stood up.
“Oh my God, what’s going on?”
“Who’s that masked person?”
“Wait, isn’t that Instructor Sa Bigaang?”
“Sa Bigaang? Who’s that?”
“You know, the one who recently became the first-year swordsmanship instructor. They say she teaches in a really unique way.”
“So, did that masked person attack Instructor Sa?”
“Seems like it. What on earth is happening?”
The cadets gathered in a flurry of chatter. The uproar was so loud that not only the first-year cadets but also the second and third years had gathered, buzzing with curiosity.
Even the instructors from Yongcheon Hall had come out, encircling the courtyard.
Then, a booming voice cut through the noise from behind the cadets.
“You lot, move aside! Get back to your quarters, now!”
“Oh no, the instructors!”
The cadets quickly parted to make way, but none seemed eager to return to their rooms.
Pushing through the crowd were none other than Cheon Sae-myeong and the first-year instructors.
Reaching the front, Cheon Sae-myeong’s jaw dropped at the scene before him.
Beside him, Deungbu-hyeong’s eyes widened in disbelief, his words stumbling out.
“Wh-what… on earth…!”
The situation was so shocking that they were left speechless.
Sa Bigaang stood there, her fist clenched and dripping with blood.
In her left hand, she held the hair of the battered masked figure.
The sight of the bloodied, beaten figure was so pitiful it was hard to watch.
The masked person clung to Sa Bigaang’s pant leg, pleading.
“P-please… stop…! Spare me…! Ugh!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Sa Bigaang’s fists didn’t stop.
“Isn’t he going to die at this rate?”
“What on earth happened?”
Some instructors and cadets whispered among themselves.
Meanwhile, Cheon Sae-myeong and Deungbu-hyeong watched the scene unfold, biting their lips and trembling.
‘How could this happen…!’
‘This is unbelievable…!’
They scrutinized Sa Bigaang’s forehead, but there wasn’t a hint of redness.
Just then.
“Stop!”
A voice imbued with profound authority.
The cadets and instructors flinched and turned to see Dean Joo Yu-cheon standing there with a stern expression.
At that moment, someone hurriedly ran up and bowed deeply.
It was the captain of the Yongcheon Hall’s guard unit.
Joo Yu-cheon frowned and pressed him.
“What is this commotion?”
“I’m sorry! We didn’t realize the perimeter had been breached…”
Joo Yu-cheon clicked his tongue.
But he still didn’t know.
The masked figure wasn’t an outsider.
He turned his gaze to Sa Bigaang.
“Explain what’s going on.”
Sa Bigaang, who had been pummeling the masked figure, leaned in and whispered softly.
“Watch closely. If you want to deceive others, this is how you do it.”
Then, with a deliberately contrite expression, she clasped her hands in a formal gesture.
“I’m sorry, Dean! I lost my temper and caused a disturbance. This masked person broke into my quarters and tried to attack me, so I may have overreacted.”
“Hmm. And who are you, exactly?”
Joo Yu-cheon’s fierce gaze now turned to the masked figure.