Episode 313: Return of the Demon Instructor

“Ugh!”

Ong Gi-seung coughed up blood, his body convulsing with the effort. Watching from the sidelines, Gu Gang-ryong rushed over, alarmed, but hesitated, unsure of how to help without causing more harm.

Sa Bi-gang was channeling his energy into Ong Gi-seung’s back, his robes billowing with the force of his exertion. The mingling of Ong Gi-seung’s expelled dark energy and Sa Bi-gang’s infused power created a heated, almost suffocating atmosphere in the underground training hall.

In such a delicate state, even the slightest interference could have disastrous consequences, potentially leading to a complete mental breakdown. Gu Gang-ryong could only watch, anxiety gnawing at him.

“Gi-seung, did you always harbor such a presence within you?” Gu Gang-ryong’s gaze was heavy with mixed emotions as he looked at Ong Gi-seung. Once, he had cherished his younger brother more than anyone, despite their different mothers. The bond of shared blood had been a comfort.

But after their father’s death, everything changed. Ong Gi-seung became the object of his hatred and resentment, transforming from a beloved sibling into a despised enemy.

And now…

“How am I supposed to see you?” Gu Gang-ryong’s eyes deepened with conflict. If he chose to, he could end Ong Gi-seung’s life right now. Wasn’t it the dark demon slumbering within Ong Gi-seung that had caused all this tragedy? A single strike could end it all.

Sa Bi-gang might suffer some consequences, but his martial prowess would likely spare him from death. Yet, Gu Gang-ryong couldn’t bring himself to act.

“I don’t know,” he thought, watching Ong Gi-seung sweat and tremble, his eyes shut tight. A storm of emotions raged within him—anger, frustration, joy, sorrow, resentment, and pity. They all felt foreign and overwhelming.

“Ugh!”

Ong Gi-seung cried out again, blood spilling from his lips. “Seung-ah!” Gu Gang-ryong shouted instinctively, then turned to Sa Bi-gang. “What are you doing? Are you sure this is right? At this rate, my brother will—”

His voice trailed off, and he stood there, a bitter smile forming on his lips. “Brother… Is that how I still see you?”

A chuckle escaped him. Perhaps he had been the one clinging to the past, not Ong Gi-seung. Since their father’s death, his soul had been trapped in that time.

“Hahaha!” Gu Gang-ryong laughed, tears streaming down his face. He finally understood where his anger should be directed, where his resentment and hatred should go.

“Wait for me, Master!” he vowed, clenching his teeth. He turned to Sa Bi-gang, his mind made up. “I trust you. As promised, give me the chance for revenge.”

On the day Gu Gang-ryong took the deadly pill, Sa Bi-gang had whispered to him, “If you pretend to die after taking the pill, you’ll see the truth. Stay calm, and I’ll ensure you get your chance for revenge.”

As Gu Gang-ryong recalled those words, the door suddenly burst open, and Chu-ryang rushed down the stairs. “Master, are you here? I’ve finally—”

“Don’t interrupt,” Gu Gang-ryong said, blocking Chu-ryang’s path. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Chu-ryang fell silent.

“What’s happening?” he asked quietly.

“The instructor is helping Seung-ah in his battle with the abyss,” Gu Gang-ryong replied.

“Seung-ah? Your tone has softened when you call him,” Chu-ryang noted with a teasing smile.

“That’s none of your concern!” Gu Gang-ryong snapped, irritated.

“I’m not concerned,” Chu-ryang said, grinning. “Just making an observation.”

“Humph!” Gu Gang-ryong turned back to watch Sa Bi-gang and Ong Gi-seung.

“Why don’t you cheer him on?” Chu-ryang suggested. “It might give Ong Gi-seung strength.”

“What nonsense!” Gu Gang-ryong retorted.

“Just shout, ‘Seung-ah, you can do it!’”

“Be quiet! Are you mocking me?”

“You’re strong in martial arts but shy in spirit,” Chu-ryang teased.

“What did you say?”

At that moment, Ong Gi-seung screamed again, blood pouring from his mouth. The force of it shook even Sa Bi-gang, who was channeling his energy.

“Seung-ah!” Gu Gang-ryong shouted, then glanced at Chu-ryang, embarrassed.

“Don’t you know that a brother’s support can be a powerful force? If he believes his estranged brother is rooting for him, it could make all the difference.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Gu Gang-ryong muttered, but his voice had lost its edge.

After a pause, he spoke softly, “Seung… Seung-ah, hang in there.”

“That’s too quiet. Louder!” Chu-ryang encouraged.

“Be quiet!”

Then, Ong Gi-seung cried out again, his body trembling violently. In that instant, Gu Gang-ryong shouted without thinking, “My brother, Seung-ah! Stay strong! When you wake up, I’ll make sure you pay for all the trouble you’ve caused me! Don’t die—overcome this!”

Silence fell over the training hall, the echoes of Gu Gang-ryong’s voice fading. He glanced at Chu-ryang, who gave him a thumbs-up.

“Well done. The bond between brothers is beautiful.”

“Mind your own business!”

“I’m not interfering. Just saying.”

Gu Gang-ryong turned away, his face flushed with embarrassment. Chu-ryang chuckled, “For someone so skilled, you’re surprisingly shy.”

“Be quiet!”

**

With a crash, Ong Gi-seung was thrown against the wall, his body battered and bloody. He staggered to his feet, surveying the ruins around him.

This was the place he had lived with his parents as a child. Now, it was engulfed in flames, the remaining structures crumbling.

In the midst of the destruction, his mother approached, her form overlapping with the dark demon’s.

“Hohoho, you look like you can barely stand,” she taunted, her voice an eerie blend of genders.

Ong Gi-seung took a deep breath. He had faced death countless times already. Yet, he remained standing, thanks to…

“The instructor must be helping me,” he thought. He knew this was his own abyss, his memories before sinking into it still vivid.

Sa Bi-gang had pushed him to the brink, striking with lethal intent. In that moment, he had been transported back to ancient memories, teetering on the edge of death.

The dark demon had likely emerged in reality, only to be drawn back into the abyss. Now, a continuous flow of strength surged into him, courtesy of Sa Bi-gang.

“You’re a tiresome one. Let’s end this. I’ll make good use of your body,” his mother said, lunging at him with supernatural speed, her knee driving into his chest.

“Ugh!” Ong Gi-seung coughed up blood, collapsing as his mother raised her sword.

“You’ve lived with resentment all your life. Finish the rest in hell!”

The sword descended, but something strange happened. It moved in slow motion, unlike anything before.

Then, Gu Gang-ryong’s voice boomed, “My brother, Seung-ah! Stay strong! When you wake up, I’ll make sure you pay for all the trouble you’ve caused me! Don’t die—overcome this!”

The words resonated, filling Ong Gi-seung with unexpected strength. He thrust out his left hand, unleashing a powerful force.

With a deafening explosion, his mother screamed, flung backward. Ong Gi-seung rose, feeling light as air.

“Is it true that sincerity connects even with the abyss?” he wondered. Perhaps the abyss responded to genuine emotion.

For the first time, he felt understood by the only family he had left, who had once only shown him hatred.

“Brother!” Ong Gi-seung clenched his fist, the voice he heard stirring something deep within him. It was as if it spoke directly to him, acknowledging his struggles, affirming that he wasn’t to blame for his existence.

With that comfort, everything seemed different.

“You dare defy me?” his mother snarled.

As his mother charged at him with a furious shout,

Whoosh!

Ong Gi-seung closed his eyes tightly and moved with swift, practiced steps.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her, thrusting his sword forward.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

His mother’s eyes widened in shock.

“You… dare…?”

“Just as I didn’t choose to be born this way, you didn’t wish for this fate for me either.”

For a moment, her expression softened, turning blank.

Then, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Thank you, Seung.”

Her voice, though likely a figment of Ong Gi-seung’s imagination, brought him a deep sense of comfort.

In the next instant, her face twisted, and the three faces of the Black Demon emerged, screaming furiously.

“You fool! Did you think you could overpower me…?”

“Silence. If you’ve decided to inhabit my body, you’d better behave.”

“What, what did you say?”

Without hesitation, Ong Gi-seung swung his sword diagonally.

Slash!

The upper body of the Black Demon split diagonally, releasing a cloud of dark smoke.

The demon let out a shrill scream before dissolving into black smoke, which was then absorbed into Ong Gi-seung’s body.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him, Gu Gang-ryong and Chu-ryang were watching him with tense expressions.

Ong Gi-seung gave a faint smile.

“Thank you, brother.”

“Hmph! What are you talking about?”

Gu Gang-ryong turned his head sharply and strode off somewhere, while Chu-ryang chuckled softly and muttered,

“Always so full of drama, those two.”