Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Baek Suryong recalled his past conversation with Maeng Ho'ak.

"Bait? Do you mean a small animal that spirit beasts eat?"

"Good heavens, you know nothing but martial arts, don't you? If you use a tiny animal as bait, other animals will snatch it before the spirit beast even shows up."

"…Then what should we use?"

"Humans, of course."

At the mention of using humans as bait, not only Number 27, but the other masters listening to Maeng Ho'ak's story all stared at him in surprise.

The Crazy Demon's eyes, in particular, were filled with scorn. "Bandit or no, surely there is a line you shouldn't cross. Are you saying that you sacrificed people just to catch a spirit beast?"

"Huh?" Finally realizing that his words were ridiculously easy to misinterpret, Maeng Ho'ak hastily explained, "Did I say anything about chopping people up and using them as bait? No! I just sent someone who's fast and smart to lure the spirit beast out! Do you think I'm some kind of monster?!"

The Crazy Demon scoffed. "…Idiot, you should've just said that from the start."

The Ice Moon Goddess remarked, "Since you two get along so well, I thought you were talking about human sacrifice too."

"Hoho, it's good to hear that's not what you meant… You're sure about that, right?" the Sword Saint asked doubtfully.

Maeng Ho'ak shook his head and sighed, "Is that how you guys thought of me all this time? Hmph, in that case, I'll only share the secret with my disciple."

Leaning close to Number 27, Maeng Ho'ak whispered, "Anyway, the key to the whole operation is how tempting you make the bait. Listen closely, this is my secret recipe…"

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Baek Suryong smiled faintly, remembering Maeng Ho'ak's mischievous expression and how the other masters pretended not to listen while craning their necks to eavesdrop.

Back then, I only listened to his stories for fun.

As there was no entertainment inside the prison, when the masters were bored, they mostly chatted about random things.

Since the Sword Saint and the Crazy Demon had been obsessed with martial arts for most of their lives, and the Ice Moon Goddess had also spent most of her life in the North Sea Ice Palace, however, it turned out that Bandit King Maeng Ho'ak was the one with the most stories to tell.

Contrary to his rough appearance, he was an incredibly clever man who had freely roamed the jianghu for decades.

"You add elixirs or spiritual herbs to the bait."

"…Elixirs? Do I look like I have infinite money?"

"Did I say you should use something expensive like the Great Cycle Pill or ambergris? Of course, the pricier it is, the better it works, but cheap stuff will do. Anyway, you grind up the medicine and apply it to the bait."

"If it fails, won't it be a waste of precious elixirs…? Whatever, tell me the rest of the it."

"Don't make the scent too obvious, those guys are incredibly perceptive. The secret is to apply it to the armpits or groin to dilute the scent."

"That's disgusting… Anyway, what's next?"

Fortunately, Baek Suryong had just received plenty of elixirs and spiritual herbs from the Namgung Clan, so he created the bait mixture and applied it to the students' armpits. Ȑ

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"Now, you get the bait to start running around the mountains like their lives depend on it, and eventually, the scent of the miracle herbs will mix with their natural body odor, making them seem like living elixirs. This drives the spirit beasts crazy."

"Oho… That's pretty convincing."

Right now, Baek Suryong's students were running around the mountain to lure out the spirit beasts.

"Honestly, I had my doubts about Master Maeng's method… but it seems to be working already!"

ROAR! GROWL!

Although they weren't spirit beasts, large animals that ruled the area had already sought out the students.

If those big guys are lucky and live long enough, they'll eventually become spirit beasts. Unfortunately, since true spirit beasts are very cautious, they haven't made a move yet. Still, they're probably hiding somewhere and observing.

Master Maeng had said that in order for a spirit beast to appear, he would need to use the bait for at least three days, maybe even up to a month.

Even if we don't catch a spirit beast, this is still a great experience for the students.

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Of course, Baek Suryong planned to capture any spirit beast that appeared.

"In the end, it's a battle of patience, huh…"

Baek Suryong quietly watched the students, when suddenly, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "As expected, he's the best in the mountains."

Ya Suhyeok moved through the forest as if it were his own home. Despite his bear-like frame, he climbed trees like a monkey, didn't flinch when he encountered large animals, skillfully used the terrain to his advantage to effortlessly hunt down beasts that the other students would have a hard time defeating, set traps, dug pitfalls, and even crafted tools from things he gathered in the forest.

SQUEAL!

He even hunted down a wild boar and slung it over his shoulder without sustaining so much as a scratch, and filled a vine-woven basket with fish he had caught from the river.

And that wasn't the end of it.

After getting food and water, he smoked out a bear from its cave and hunted it with a single stab to the heart using a spear whittled from wood. Then, using the bear's fur, he easily set up a tent to protect himself from the elements.

All of this happened in less than half a day, enough to make one wonder if this mountain was actually Ya Suhyeok's hometown.

Even Baek Suryong was astonished at Ya Suhyeok's adaptability.

"What in the world? How…?"

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After a round of hunting, Ya Suhyeok made a fire in front of the bear's cave that he had claimed, grilled the boar and fish that he had caught, and began to gorge himself.

MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH…

Baek Suryong shook his head in disbelief. To that kid, this was no training session. It was a fun and easy picnic.

"Well, what else did I expect from someone who used to roll with the Viridian Forest Bandits, really?"

Ya Suhyeok, who had never told anyone that he was from the Viridian Forest Bandits, would have been shocked speechless and dropped his meat if he had heard Baek Suryong's words.

However, the reason Baek Suryong knew where Ya Suhyeok came from wasn't because he was particularly sharp. Everyone else knew as well.

"He should at least try to hide it a little better…"

Whenever the usually quiet Ya Suhyeok mentioned his "Hyung-nims" or "mountain business", everyone had to bite their lips and grit their teeth to keep from laughing.

"Thankfully, he doesn't talk much with people outside our group."

Perhaps it was because they were both from the Viridian Forest Bandits, but whenever Baek Suryong looked at Ya Suhyeok, he was reminded of the Bandit King Maeng Ho'ak. Although their appearance and speech were completely different, they had a similar air about them.

"Anyway, why would a bandit want to attend the Azure Dragon Academy…?"

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The Viridian Forest Bandits were classified as an unorthodox sect, so it was impossible for Ya Suhyeok to enroll in the Azure Dragon Academy through normal means without hiding his identity or creating a fake one.

Still, letting someone with a suspicious background enroll would be unthinkable in the Five Great Academies. Only the Azure Dragon Academy, which had relaxed its entrance requirements in recent years due to financial difficulties, would have let it slide.

Well, just the fact that Baek Suryong was easily hired despite his dubious background proved how lax the Azure Dragon Academy was.

"Well, I'm sure there's a reason for it."

Baek Suryong wasn't going to pry. No matter where Ya Suhyeok came from, he was now his student.

Just then, Baek Suryong sensed something strange around Ya Suhyeok.

Hmm? Was I mistaken? Or could it be…?

The aura had been faint and vanished in an instant. He concentrated again, but there was nothing there.

Once again, Baek Suryong's eyes focused on Ya Suhyeok, who had finished his meal and stood up. He extinguished the campfire and blocked the entrance of the cave with a large boulder, leaving only a small gap, barely big enough for one person to squeeze through.

…Then something white flitted into the cave.

"!!" Baek Suryong jumped to his feet. Since he was far away, he couldn't tell exactly what had entered the cave, but judging from its faint aura, it didn't seem like a powerful spirit beast…

"Hell yeah! I caught something!"

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Grinning wickedly, Baek Suryong quietly snuck toward Ya Suhyeok's location.

"Yaaaaaawn…" Sprawled on the cave floor, Ya Suhyeok yawned as he scratched his full belly.

Thanks to the thick layer of leaves he'd collected, the ground was soft and comfortable, and beside him lay enough meat to last him another day.

If only I had some alcohol…

Ya Suhyeok's father was a woodcutter. After his father died from a tiger attack, he was taken in by the Viridian Forest Bandits and lived in their mountain keep.

Therefore, having spent his entire life in the mountains, he felt more at ease here than in any city.

Anyway, I should tell them who I am soon…

For quite some time now, Ya Suhyeok had been on the fence about whether or not to reveal a secret. Unknown to his classmates and teachers, he was actually a member of the Viridian Forest Bandits.

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When he entered Azure Dragon Academy, his original intention was to hide this truth from everyone until he graduated. However, living with everyone at the White Dragon Manor fostered a sense of camaraderie and belonging with everyone else.

Thus, as time went on, the weight of his deception grew heavier, and he began to feel guilty about hiding the truth from his teacher and seniors.

I don't think those orthodox geeks will completely ostracize me if I tell them I'm a bandit… but would they faint in shock?

Ya Suhyeok frowned and sighed, wondering if he had done too good a job of acting like an orthodox martial artist.

"…Maybe I should've dropped a few hints. I guess being an amazing actor can be a problem sometimes."

Muttering words that would shock his seniors at the White Dragon Manor for a completely different reason than he thought, Ya Suhyeok sighed again.

What to do…

Just then, a small animal took advantage of his momentary inattentiveness and slipped into the cave.

SNIFF SNIFF…

Having gone days without eating, the little animal could no longer resist the aroma of fresh meat.

SNEAK, SNEAK…

Ya Suhyeok still seemed completely oblivious to its approach. Its small size was a blessing!

As the animal crept closer to its prey, the smell grew stronger, until finally it pounced.

OMNOMNOM!

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The little animal dug into the boar meat, chomping and chewing with abandon.

"Huh? What's this?"

Finally noticing the animal, Ya Suhyeok sat up. Although he had felt something moving around in the corner, he'd thought it was just a bug… but there, half-buried in the massive pile of meat, was a ball of white fur barely larger than his fist.

"What are you?" Ya Suhyeok shouted, reaching out and grabbing the ball of fur.

Trapped in his giant hand, the small animal bared its teeth and hissed, but despite its attempt to appear menacing, its tiny teeth only looked cute.

"What's that?" Baek Suryong asked curiously, entering the cave and staring at the small spirit beast in Ya Suhyeok's hand.

"Mr. Baek?" Ya Suhyeok looked back and forth between Baek Suryong and the white furball.

Baek Suryong smirked. "Oh my, is that… a kitten?"

"MEOW! MEOW!"

The white furball desperately tried to escape Ya Suhyeok's grasp.