Episode 255: Return of the Demon Instructor
A deafening crash reverberated as if the heavens and earth were colliding.
Bertas and Seok Tan-gang’s swords clashed with such force that neither of them budged an inch.
Sabi-gang watched Seok Tan-gang intently, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“That was a good attempt.”
Seok Tan-gang nodded and slowly stepped back, the fierce exchange ending as he assumed a respectful stance.
Meanwhile, Yu Song-ryeong stood to the side, mouth agape, unable to close it.
‘He’s definitely improved! No, this isn’t just improvement—it’s transformation!’
Yes, transformation was the right word. Seok Tan-gang had become a completely different person. Stronger, much stronger.
‘When did he become so powerful?’
Today, Yu Song-ryeong hadn’t even managed to graze Sabi-gang’s sleeve. But Seok Tan-gang was different. He had forced Sabi-gang to draw his sword.
Of course, Sabi-gang had drawn his sword many times before when facing the new recruits. But it was always by his own choice, not because he had to.
If Sabi-gang hadn’t drawn his sword today, Seok Tan-gang would have surely cut his sleeve.
Was it selfish to feel both pleased and anxious about Seok Tan-gang’s growth?
‘I…’
Yu Song-ryeong looked down at her hands, biting her lip before blurting out, “Why haven’t you returned my sword yet?”
“Be patient. I was planning to work on it anyway.”
“Work on it? What do you mean?”
“As I said before, the balance is off. To fix it—”
“I don’t care about that! Just give it back!”
“Hmm.”
Sabi-gang stared at Yu Song-ryeong before striding over to her. The sheer presence he exuded made her step back involuntarily.
Whack!
“Ah!”
Yu Song-ryeong fell to the ground with a scream as Sabi-gang kicked her shin mercilessly.
The sudden act of violence shocked not only Seok Tan-gang but also Choo-ryang, who stood with his mouth agape.
[Master! Why did you—!]
Instead of answering Choo-ryang, Sabi-gang extended a hand to Yu Song-ryeong, speaking in a detached voice.
“Come at me.”
“You…! Kicking me out of nowhere! Even if you’re the instructor, is this how you treat people?”
“If you’re angry, then fight back.”
“Grr!”
With a swift motion, Yu Song-ryeong launched herself like an arrow, despite not having her sword. She had a few daggers tucked in her clothes.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three daggers flew towards Sabi-gang in quick succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With a single wave of his hand, Sabi-gang deflected all three daggers.
And then,
Smack!
“Ouch!”
Sabi-gang, who had closed the distance in an instant, slapped Yu Song-ryeong across the face.
“Ugh!”
Seok Tan-gang, who had been watching, stepped forward with an angry expression, but—
Ssshh.
A figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path. It was the Black Ghost, his red eyes piercing through Seok Tan-gang as if warning him not to act rashly.
Choo-ryang quickly intervened, patting Seok Tan-gang’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Master must have his reasons. This one here is actually under my wing… but he’s a bit dense. Let’s just watch for now.”
Seok Tan-gang gritted his teeth but relaxed his stance, prompting the Black Ghost to vanish as if he had never been there. It was an impressive display of stealth.
Meanwhile, Yu Song-ryeong, her cheek stinging, glared at Sabi-gang and launched another attack.
Boom!
But once again, her strike was neutralized by Sabi-gang’s counter, forcing her to retreat.
“Why are you so weak today? You’re not even close to your usual self,” Sabi-gang taunted.
“That’s because you kicked my leg and injured me first!”
“You’re limping on your left leg, I see.”
“Ha! Maybe I should kick your leg and make you limp too.”
“Be my guest.”
“You…!”
“Your sword is the same. The ridiculous inscription you carved into it is what’s causing the imbalance.”
”…!”
“Just like you’re limping now, your martial arts will eventually adapt to the imbalance if you keep fighting like this.”
“Well…”
“Just like you have to compensate for your injured leg.”
Realizing what Sabi-gang was getting at, Yu Song-ryeong lowered her fighting spirit.
Sabi-gang straightened up and continued, “If you keep swinging an unbalanced weapon, your stance will inevitably collapse. Fixing a broken stance can be harder than learning martial arts from scratch. Until the balance is restored, your sword is confiscated.”
Yu Song-ryeong bit her lip in frustration.
‘Damn it! He’s left me speechless!’
Her shin was swollen, but she couldn’t argue. She was the one who had inscribed those silly words on a perfectly fine sword.
She had noticed her martial arts weren’t flowing as they should, but who would have thought it was because of a few words?
How was she supposed to practice with training weapons then?
As if reading her thoughts, Sabi-gang added, “Using other weapons is a different matter. Your sword is optimized for your martial arts. The closer a weapon is to a treasured sword, the less you should tamper with it.”
“So… my sword is a treasured sword?”
“You’re just realizing that? It’s an excellent sword.”
“But my father never treated it as something precious…”
“Of course not. It shows its true value when handled roughly.”
”…!”
Yu Song-ryeong’s eyes widened as if struck by a revelation. She recalled a distant memory.
Her father had been chopping wood with the sword. When she asked why he was using a precious weapon for such a task, he had said, “This sword is part of my everyday life. The more I use it, the more it feels like an extension of my hand.”
Why had she forgotten that?
She had misunderstood, thinking that sharing life with the sword meant it could be treated carelessly, that it could bear any scars.
“It’s a rare sword. That’s why I have to fix the foolish thing you did to it. I can’t believe you managed to carve words into such a fine blade,” Sabi-gang grumbled as he walked away.
Meanwhile, Choo-ryang glanced at Seok Tan-gang beside him.
Seok Tan-gang seemed deep in thought, as if he finally understood Sabi-gang’s intentions.
Choo-ryang laughed heartily, patting his back.
“Ha ha ha. Now you see? Master had a reason for everything. I knew it all along, which is why I stopped you from intervening. Balance is crucial in martial arts. Once your stance is broken, it’s hard to—hey! Where are you going? You should listen when someone is talking!”
His voice grew louder as Seok Tan-gang and Yu Song-ryeong walked away.
**
The girl with the clear, innocent eyes was named Geum Ja-yeon.
Living in a remote mountain village, she wasn’t wealthy, but she was content.
During the day, she followed her mother, Ju Hwa-yeong, gathering wild herbs and playing in nature. At dusk, she played with friends her age.
Though rumors of unrest had brought warriors to the village, they were hired by the villagers for protection, so there was no cause for concern.
For the villagers, who lived hand-to-mouth, hiring warriors was a significant expense, but such worries were for the adults.
“Ja-yeon, dinner’s ready!”
Geum Ja-yeon reluctantly left her game of pebble tossing with her friends and ran home.
‘Why did Mom have to call me when it was my turn?’
She had been sure she would win this time.
Pouting, she entered the house, where her father greeted her with a warm smile.
“Why the long face, my girl?”
“It’s nothing.”
Geum Ja-yeon shook her head, but her father found even that endearing.
Dinner proceeded as usual, though her parents were more talkative and laughed more than usual.
From what she overheard, it seemed the warriors had agreed to lower their fees for the next month.
Such matters didn’t concern her. She was more interested in whether there would be meat for dinner.
Regardless, the evening was cheerful.
Geum Ja-yeon excitedly recounted her day, and her father, as always, listened with a beaming smile.
But the harmonious evening was shattered by a woman’s scream from outside.
The scream was so chilling and desperate that the family froze, turning towards the window.
“Dad, what was that?”
Geum Ja-yeon asked, her innocent face tinged with fear, but her father didn’t answer. He simply stood up.
“Don’t let Ja-yeon be scared.”
Her mother nodded and reached out a hand to Geum Ja-yeon.
Startled by the terrifying screams, Ja-yeon dashed into her mother’s arms.
Her father, who had been staring out the window with a grave expression, picked up the axe leaning against the door and said, “I need to go check. I can’t tell what’s happening from here.”
“Honey…!” Her mother called out, fear etched on her face.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. The village guards are out there too,” he reassured her with a gentle smile, and she reluctantly nodded.
But he didn’t return for a long time.
“Mom, why isn’t Dad back yet?”
“Shh,” her mother quickly hushed her.
Faint screams echoed from somewhere outside.
Hearing them, Ja-yeon clung tightly to her mother’s waist.
“Ja-yeon, wait here for a moment.”
Her mother slipped away, turned off all the lights in the house, and approached the window.
A bright light seeped through the cracks, as if a fire was blazing outside.
Her mother’s eyes widened as she cautiously peered out.
Finally, she turned to Ja-yeon and said, “Come here.”
She pulled Ja-yeon roughly by the hand, startling her.
“What’s wrong, Mom? I’m scared…”
“Shh. From now on, you mustn’t make a sound. Don’t move, and don’t come out. Understand?”
“But why, Mom? What’s happening?”
“It’s nothing. Just think of it as a game of hide-and-seek, okay? You mustn’t come out.”
“Mom…”
Ja-yeon looked like she might burst into tears, but her mother was firm.
She moved the mat on the floor, pulled a ring, and a wooden panel opened like a lid, revealing a space just big enough for a child.
Her mother quickly closed the lid and turned away, rushing to the table. She smashed the bowls and plates on the floor, breaking them, and snapped all the chopsticks.
‘This way, they won’t know how many people are here!’
Suddenly, the door burst open with a crash, and three men strode in.
Her mother froze, swallowing her fear.
A bloodied man stumbled in, clutching the waist of the last man to enter.
“What the hell is this?” the man snarled, frowning.
Seeing the bloodied man, her mother gasped in horror.
“Honey…!”
Her husband clung desperately to the man’s waist, pleading, “Please… spare my wife…!”
But the man smirked and, without a moment’s hesitation, drove a dagger into her husband’s neck.
“Honey!” she screamed, but her husband was already lifeless.
As she collapsed to the floor, the men approached with sneers.
“Come with us, woman.”
“No!”
They grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away like livestock.
The house, once filled with chaos, fell silent as they left.
Underneath the floor, where Ja-yeon hid, there was no movement for a long time.
Tears streaming down her face, Ja-yeon kept her eyes tightly shut, whispering to herself over and over, “It’s just hide-and-seek… just hide-and-seek…”