Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 142: To the Valley of Villains (1)

TL: FoodieMonster007

FWOOSH!

Flames roared to life, shooting up violently from all sides. Like a wild, hungry beast, the fire devoured everything in its path, licking the air with fiery tongues.

“Fire! Fire!”

The grand mansion that served as the headquarters of the Scarlet Tiger Gang, which stood in stark contrast to the run-down slums that surrounded it, was engulfed in flames. The fire that erupted from the heart of the mansion spread rapidly, consuming the entire estate in a matter of minutes.

Bright red flames lit up the pre-dawn sky, and thick smoke drifted into the streets, rousing the neighborhood. Shocked residents rushed outside, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at the inferno that had engulfed the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s stronghold.

“Isn’t that… the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s hideout?”

“Good heavens, how did this happen?”

“It’s divine retribution! Those bastards deserve it! Let them burn! Wahahaha!”

Fortunately, the mansion stood on the outskirts of the slums, so there was no immediate danger of the fire spreading to other buildings.

“Move!” a voice shouted urgently as blurry figures rushed past the gathered crowd, utilizing their movement arts to the fullest. With such speed and grace that they seemed to fly, the group hurtled toward the blazing headquarters of the Scarlet Tiger Gang.

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They were the students of Azure Dragon Academy, led by Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok.

“We’ll break down the front gate!” the two big boys yelled in unison as they approached the burning mansion.

Together, they threw their weight against the gates—large enough for ten men to pass side by side—using their shoulders to ram it open.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, the gates flew inward, revealing a sea of flames and suffocating smoke that obscured the situation inside.

“Step aside!” Hyonwon Kang yelled, running ahead and scattering the flames momentarily with a swing of his blade.

As the fire parted, the inside of the mansion came into view, and the students’ grimaced at the sight.

“So many corpses…”

“What happened here?”

Underneath the roaring flames lay dozens of brutally slashed bodies. From the tattoos on their arms, it was clear they were all members of the Scarlet Tiger Gang.

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“Why are these guys dead?”

“They didn’t die in the fire. Someone cut them down.”

“…Was it Wiji Cheon?”

“No way…”

A grim thought crossed their minds.

“Doesn’t matter who did it. Any fucker who messes with our junior is dead,” Hyonwon Kang growled like a wild beast.

Wiji Cheon may have been stronger than him, but to Hyonwon Kang, who had no siblings, he was a cute younger brother, a junior at the Azure Dragon Academy, and a shy, soft-hearted chap who couldn’t even stand up for himself when the cafeteria lady overcharged him.

“I sense something up ahead. Follow me,” he commanded.

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“Wait… hold on,” Dokgo Jun objected, grabbing Hyonwon Kang’s shoulder. Although he had not fully recovered from his injuries, he had forced himself to run along with the others out of concern for Wiji Cheon. As a result, his face was pale and he was panting heavily.

“Huff… The enemy is an unorthodox sect master, and he’s much stronger than Wiji Cheon. If we rush in recklessly, we’ll all be in danger, including Wiji Cheon,” he stressed anxiously.

To his surprise, Hyonwon Kang replied calmly, “I know. I’m planning to ambush them after I assess the situation.”

“…You’re more level-headed than I thought.”

Hyonwon Kang smirked. “I learned that from someone not too long ago.”

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“……”

The group suppressed their presence and moved deeper into the burning mansion.

CRASH! THUD!

Pillars collapsed and the ceiling caved in as the fire continued its destruction. The thick smoke and unbearable heat made it hard to breathe, and if they weren’t trained martial artists, they would’ve succumbed long ago.

[We’re almost at the Boss’s chambers. Prepare yourselves,] Hyonwon Kang warned using telepathy as he took the lead.

Suddenly, a figure emerged through the flickering flames. The students tensed for a moment, wary, but the new arrival turned out to be a familiar face.

“…Mr. Baek?” Hyonwon Kang muttered, shocked.

“Took you long enough,” Baek Suryong said curtly. Having arrived before them, he had already inspected the scene.

Geo Sangwoong stepped forward urgently. “Where’s Wiji Cheon? And the Scarlet Tiger Boss?”

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“I was too late. This place was already burning when I got here,” Baek Suryong explained.

Dokgo Jun, his expression tense, asked the question that had been on everyone’s mind since their arrival. “On the way here, we saw the bodies of the Scarlet Tiger Gang members… Did you do that?”

“No, the Scarlet Tiger Boss was the one who did it.”

“What?”

Baek Suryong gestured toward a nearby corpse. “Take a good look. The cuts aren’t clean like typical blade wounds. They’re closely spaced and run parallel, suggesting that they were made using a claw technique.”

“A claw technique…?”

Dokgo Jun’s eyes widened in realization. According to the information Baek Suryong had given them, the Scarlet Tiger Boss was notorious for his claw technique, which made his fingers turn red and harden to the point where they could rip through thick iron.

In deep thought, Baek Suryong murmured to himself, “That homicidal madman slaughtered all his own men, set the mansion on fire, and fled, taking Wiji Cheon with him. I don’t get it. Why would he do this? Is he just that crazy?”

“No way… He killed his own men?”

“That’s insane.”

The students stared at the carnage in horror. Most of the Scarlet Tiger Gang were heinous criminals, but learning that they had been killed by their own leader stirred an unexpected sense of pity in them.

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Hyonwon Kang shouted, “A psycho like that kidnapped Wiji Cheon! Mr. Baek, we have to go after him right now!”

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“I was planning to do exactly that, when you guys showed up,” Baek Suryong nodded gravely. The truth was, he deeply regretted his failure to predict this turn of events.

Who could’ve guessed that the Scarlet Tiger Boss would break out of his seclusion training all of a sudden? And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he even killed the Rogues’ Guild spies who were in charge of shadowing him. Because of that, I didn’t find out about Cheon’s kidnapping until it was too late.

Still, I doubt he’s gotten far.

The state of the bodies indicated it had only been a short time since the Boss fled. With the Rogues’ Guild’s information network, they would soon know where he was headed.

Eyes gleaming coldly, Baek Suryong addressed the students, “Okay, I’m going after him now. You kids return to the academy and explain what’s happened to the other teachers. I’ll probably be gone for a few days, but don’t let up on your training. I’ll check on your progress when I get back.”

“Mr. Baek, we’re coming with you.”

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“We can’t just train while this is going on.”

“I grew up in the mountains, so I’m very good at hiking.”

The students fixed their determined gazes on Baek Suryong, making it clear they had no intention of complying.

Baek Suryong chuckled, shaking his head at their eagerness. “I understand how you feel, but it’ll be faster if I go alone…”

“We won’t hold you back!”

“We’ll chase him to the ends of the earth!”

“If we can’t keep up, just leave us behind and run ahead! We’ll catch up!”

“……” One by one, Baek Suryong scanned the students’ faces, evaluating their resolve. They won’t be much help in a chase or a fight, but…

After a brief moment of contemplation, Baek Suryong sighed, “Fine, but on one condition. At least one of you must have learned tracking techniques.”

Yeo Min shyly raised her hand. “I’ve learned them. Will that do?”

Baek Suryong hesitated for a moment, surprised that a young girl would have such skills, but didn’t question Yeo Min. “…Alright. You can come,” he conceded.

“Yes!”

Seeing his students pump their fists in excitement, Baek Suryong’s expression turned stern. “Don’t celebrate just yet. This chase is going to be brutal. If anyone falls behind, I won’t hesitate to abandon them. I have no intention of losing Wiji Cheon because I had to babysit you.”

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"”Yes, Mr. Baek!””

“You all answer well, at least.” Clicking his tongue, Baek Suryong tossed a small pouch to Yeo Min. “This is the tracking incense that I sprayed on my clothes. If you lose sight of me, use the scent to follow my trail.”

“Understood,” Yeo Min replied with a nod. With the incense, there was no need to worry about getting lost even if they were left behind.

This will be good experience for them, Baek Suryong mused. He had planned to take them out into the jianghu for field training eventually, though it was meant to be after they had finished clearing out the slums and grown a bit more.

Well, plans change…

Noticing that the Scarlet Tiger Mansion was on the verge of total collapse, Baek Suryong said, “Let’s get out of here.”

The students immediately complied. Just as Baek Suryong had predicted, the mansion collapsed as the last student rushed out of the gates.

After some discussion, it was decided that the pursuit team would consist of Baek Suryong, Geo Sangwoong, Hyonwon Kang, Yeo Min, and Ya Suhyeok. Dokgo Jun had wanted to join, but Baek Suryong judged that his injuries were still too severe and ordered him to lead the remaining students back to the academy.

Time to go… Hmm? I seem to have forgotten something…

Turning to his students, Baek Suryong suddenly asked, “Wait, what about your other classes?”

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“Huh? Why does that matter?” Hyonwon Kang shrugged, confused.

Baek Suryong stared at him in disbelief. “Why do you think?”

However, his students only exchanged glances, clearly unbothered.

Hyonwon Kang grinned. “Didn’t you know? We’re not people who care about things like class attendance.”

“You delinquents think that’s something to be proud of?” Baek Suryong moaned, rubbing his temples.

I can already picture the lecture I’m going to get from Grandpa…

His head hurt just imagining it. Sighing, he decided to stop thinking. “Well, that’s a problem for later. Let’s move. Try your best to keep up with me.”

“Yes, Mr. Baek!”

Before long, word came from the Rogues’ Guild, and the pursuit began.

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CRACKLE, CRACKLE.

A small fire flickered between two figures.

“Eat.”

“No.”

Wiji Cheon refused the food offered by the Scarlet Tiger Boss, who simply chuckled and ate it himself without pressing further.

A heavy silence fell between them.

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Wiji Cheon, his acupuncture points sealed, glared quietly at the Scarlet Tiger Boss. “How could you do that…?” he suddenly whispered.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss glanced up. “Do what?”

Up close, he looked like a grizzled middle-aged man, his disheveled hair and yellow eyes giving him a wild, almost feral appearance. When he wasn’t busy killing, however, he had a strange calm about him that only added to Wiji Cheon’s confusion.

Wiji Cheon clarified, “How can you kill people so easily?”

The Scarlet Tiger Boss scratched his chin. “Why not? I kill because I want to. What other reason do I need?”

“……” Wiji Cheon felt a shiver run down his spine. He had misjudged this man. He wasn’t just ruthless, he was batshit crazy. The only reason he didn’t seem like it was because he used twisted logic as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss fixed his clear, piercing gaze on Wiji Cheon. “What about you? Why do you resist the Killing Sword?”

“Because I don’t want to kill people as easily as you do.”

“Heh, you think you can fool me? The Killing Sword is honed by taking countless lives. You’ve killed over fifty people, haven’t you? I’ll bet my life on it.”

“……” Wiji Cheon bit his lip until it bled. The Scarlet Tiger Boss was right. Though the memories were blurry, he remembered killing dozens of people while suffering from qi deviation caused by the fake Unlimited Sword.

Suddenly, the Killing Sword whispered to him again. Kill him.

“Boy, surrender yourself to the Killing Sword. Embrace the freedom it offers. Do that, and your martial arts will soar to new heights. With your talent and age, you could become a grandmaster in ten years, maybe even less.”

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There was genuine envy in the Scarlet Tiger Boss’s voice. He understood Wiji Cheon’s potential—something only those who had dedicated their lives to martial arts could grasp.

Finishing his meal, the Scarlet Tiger Boss licked his lips, saying, “There’s a village just down the hill. Let’s go there together. I’ll release your sealed acupoints. Let the Killing Sword take over, and we’ll bathe in blood. Once you’ve tasted that thrill, you’ll never want to let it go…”

“If you try anything like that! I’ll bite my tongue and commit suicide! Even if my acupoints are sealed, the moment they’re released, I’ll kill myself without hesitation!” Wiji Cheon shouted angrily, releasing his killing intent.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss blinked, genuinely puzzled. “I don’t get it. Why are you so dead set against murder?”

Recalling Baek Suryong’s teachings, Wiji Cheon said firmly, “Because it’s what my teacher taught me. I’ll never give in to the Killing Sword.”

The Scarlet Tiger Boss scoffed. “What a quack teacher, ruining a genius who could’ve become the world’s greatest swordsman. You’re better off without him.”

“Don’t insult my teacher. He’s a far better man than you’ll ever be,” Wiji Cheon retorted.

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The Scarlet Tiger Boss sneered, his voice dripping with mockery, “So your teacher’s that great, huh? You talk as if he’s some unbeatable master.”

“He may not be the world’s strongest, but he can easily defeat someone like you.”

“Oh? So he’s a grandmaster, is he?” The Scarlet Tiger Boss laughed as he stood up. He stomped on the fire, snuffing it out, then hoisted Wiji Cheon onto his shoulder. “But tell me this, will your teacher even dare to follow us, once he figures out where we’re headed?”

Wiji Cheon stayed silent.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss grinned, showing his yellowed teeth. “How about a bet? If your teacher chases us down, I won’t force you to learn the Killing Sword.”

“…Where are we going?”

With a malicious grin, the Scarlet Tiger Boss scratched some letters into the dirt where the fire had been. “We’re going to the Valley of Villains, home to the murim’s Ten Great Villains.”

Moments later, only the ominous words ‘Valley of Villains (惡人谷)’ remained scrawled in the dirt where the two had camped.

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Translator’s Note: Time for a poll since this place name is going to stick for a while.

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