Episode 229: Return of the Martial Arts Instructor

“Ugh…”

Seol Sumin let out a faint groan, crumpled in a corner against the rocks.

His body was twisted and broken, limbs bent at unnatural angles, swollen beyond recognition. His once-handsome face was now unrecognizable.

Sabi Kang hadn’t even drawn his sword. He had only used the scabbard to beat him mercilessly, showing no restraint, not even exchanging a single word. His sole focus was on the relentless assault.

The onlookers, new recruits, stood frozen, mouths agape. Even the gang led by Maeng Gasook had retreated to a safe distance, merely watching the scene unfold. It was hard to believe a person could endure such a beating and still breathe.

No one had expected this. That Seol Sumin would be so easily overpowered, especially by an instructor who hadn’t even unsheathed his sword.

Sabi Kang walked over to the crumpled Seol Sumin and placed a foot on his head.

“You all managed to get under my skin today. If I went too far, I apologize. But even an instructor is only human.”

“Ugh…”

Seol Sumin gritted his teeth, glaring up at Sabi Kang, who pressed his foot down harder.

“Lower your eyes.”

“Ugh…”

With a swift kick, Sabi Kang sent Seol Sumin rolling away again.

“Brother!”

From the edge of the clearing, Seol Seorin screamed, her voice a mix of fear and desperation. Seol Sumin, too weak to even lift a finger, could only cast a feeble glance in her direction.

“Brother…!”

Tears welled up in Seol Seorin’s eyes, her hand trembling as she covered her mouth. Sabi Kang was stronger than she had anticipated. When was the last time she had seen her brother so helpless? Not since that day over a decade ago.

How dare he…!

Seol Seorin bowed her head, clenching her fists tightly, her entire body beginning to tremble. Seol Sumin, seeing this, squinted his eyes and reached out with difficulty.

“Seorin… stop…”

But his voice was too faint to reach her.

Sabi Kang turned to follow Seol Sumin’s gaze and sensed an unusual energy emanating from Seol Seorin. In the next moment, she untied her belt and let it fall.

“A whip?”

Sabi Kang tilted his head, puzzled.

“That… looks familiar somehow.”

The long, red leather whip unfurled, and in an instant, Seol Seorin leapt into the air.

With a swift motion, she lashed out with the whip, which flew towards Sabi Kang at a terrifying speed. He quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding it as it struck the ground with a thunderous crash, leaving a deep crater.

Sabi Kang shielded himself from the flying debris and charged at Seol Seorin.

“Don’t expect any leniency just because you’re a woman.”

As he swung his sheathed sword, the whip sliced through the air, wrapping around it. When Sabi Kang pulled on the scabbard, Seol Seorin was dragged towards him like a kite.

But then, the whip began to vibrate, and sharp spikes emerged from the leather.

Sabi Kang quickly released the scabbard and drew his sword, Berthas, just in time to avoid the spikes.

The whip, now ablaze, crashed into a rock, shattering it.

Sabi Kang’s eyes narrowed.

“Where did you get that?”

Seol Seorin remained silent, her head bowed.

“Put it down before it’s too late…”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence. Seol Seorin lifted her head, her expression entranced. Her skin was pale, almost bloodless, but her eyes glowed a deep, blood-red, with strange symbols etched in light within them.

She smirked.

“It’s already too late.”

In a flash, she vanished.

The spot where Sabi Kang had stood exploded as if hit by a bomb. Had he been a moment slower, it would have been him, not the ground, that was obliterated.

“This is getting troublesome.”

Sabi Kang clicked his tongue and lunged at Seol Seorin’s back.

“Hohoho! Where do you think you’re going?”

She spun around with a sharp laugh, swinging the whip. The fiery whip moved with the agility of a dragon, wrapping around Berthas.

The flames threatened to scorch his face, but Sabi Kang spun like a top, unraveling the whip from his sword.

In an instant, he used blink magic to teleport behind Seol Seorin.

But the red whip tracked his movements, twisting like a living creature to strike at him.

“Ha!”

With a shout, Sabi Kang brought Berthas down on the whip’s head.

Steam rose as the cold energy of Berthas clashed with the fiery whip. It was a battle of water and fire, a struggle between a water dragon and a fire dragon.

As the heat began to dissipate, the fire dragon retreated, coiling in the air. Sabi Kang also stepped back, sheathing Berthas.

“There’s no doubt. It’s the Tail of Makan.”

The Tail of Makan was the official name of the whip Seol Seorin wielded. But…

“To think Seol Seorin was the one who originally possessed it. That’s unexpected.”

Sabi Kang nodded slightly, understanding dawning on him. It explained why he had no memory of Seol Sumin and Seol Seorin. They were likely fated to die during the Great War. The demonic weapon Seol Seorin wielded was meant to be acquired by a righteous martial artist, who would later lose it to the demons and die.

But his intervention had altered the future. The Great War ended prematurely, sparing the Seol siblings from their fated deaths. As a result, Seol Seorin still possessed the Tail of Makan.

The problem was…

“She’s not fully in control of it.”

Sabi Kang furrowed his brow, watching Seol Seorin.

“Hehehe.”

She grinned, her cheeks now marked with red stripes like tattoos. The Tail of Makan, like Berthas, was a weapon imbued with a soul. Without a strong enough will, the wielder’s spirit would be consumed by the weapon.

This was what was happening to Seol Seorin—the weapon was taking over her mind.

“Ahh, my body… it’s burning…”

She licked her lips, her body writhing.

Meanwhile, Seol Sumin, lying on the ground, clenched his teeth as he watched his sister’s transformation.

“Seorin…! Stop…!”

But his faint voice couldn’t reach her.

‘Seorin!’

**

“Seorin!”

Seol Sumin’s urgent voice jolted young Seol Seorin awake. The first thing she saw was her brother’s face, looking down at her, on the verge of tears.

His lips were pressed tightly together, struggling to hold back his emotions.

“Brother…?”

Seol Seorin called out, confused. She couldn’t understand why her brother was looking at her with such a pained expression, why he was calling her so desperately.

What was clear was the complex mix of emotions on Seol Sumin’s distorted face.

“Seorin!”

He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she found herself in his arms, bewildered.

“Brother… what’s wrong?”

She asked blankly, glancing over his shoulder at the hostile faces surrounding them.

‘Why are they so angry?’

Her gaze drifted to a body lying at the edge of the crowd.

‘That person…’

The corpse, eyes wide open in death, jogged her memory. It was the second son of the Weiji family, Weiji Kang.

But why was he lying there in such a state, limbs torn apart, barely attached to his torso?

Yes, he had approached her with unwanted advances, and her brother had stepped in to stop him… but after that…

‘I can’t remember.’

Looking around, she noticed another body sprawled on the ground.

‘That one…’

It was Ho Unpyeong, a promising young talent from the Wind Emperor Sect.

His body lay lifeless, limbs brutally torn apart.

Nearby, the guards of We Ji-gang and Ho Un-pyeong were sprawled on the ground, their bodies equally mangled.

“What on earth happened here…?”

Just then, Seol Su-min’s voice echoed in Seol Seo-rin’s mind.

[Run, now.]

[B-brother… what do you mean…?]

[I’ll try to buy you some time. Go!]

She couldn’t comprehend it.

Why did she need to run?

Why were these people so furious with her?

And why were the two who had been flirting with her, along with their followers, lying dead in such a gruesome manner?

Suddenly, one of the surrounding men shouted.

“She’s learned the forbidden arts!”

“She might have mastered dark magic!”

“We must kill her immediately!”

Angry shouts erupted from all around.

Her heart pounded.

In that moment,

A low hum.

A faint sensation tingled at her fingertips.

She glanced down to see the red whip in her hand glowing a vivid crimson.

“What is this…?”

It was a gift from her father.

He had given it to her, saying he had stumbled upon it during his travels. When worn around the waist, it appeared as an elegant belt, but when unfurled, it transformed into a weapon.

“Gasp!”

Suddenly, Seol Seo-rin clutched her head, gasping for air.

“Rin, what’s wrong?”

Seol Su-min shouted, gripping her shoulders.

Seol Seo-rin trembled violently.

Her mind was a chaotic swirl of jumbled memories.

Rough hands.

Seol Su-min, bound and crying out.

Laughter tickling her ears.

“Kill her!”

A ghostly voice.

“Tear her apart!”

A chilling whisper.

Flesh and limbs being ripped asunder.

Gushing blood and screams.

“Ahhh… Aaaah!”

Seol Seo-rin clutched her head and screamed.