Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"GWAAAARH!"

The One-Horned Demon Dragon flailed wildly, trying to shake off Baek Suryong as it plummeted toward the earth.

[Get off! Get off me!]

Firmly grasping the sword he had plunged into the beast's reverse scale, Baek Suryong channeled even more inner qi into it.

"ROOOAR!"

The overwhelming destructive power of the Heaven Defying Divine Art surged through the One-Horned Demon Dragon's body as Baek Suryong poured all of his strength into his assault.

This ends here! he thought, determined to rip the beast to shreds.

Unfortunately, the One-Horned Demon Dragon was a monster that had roamed the world for a thousand years. It wasn't about to be defeated so easily.

The instant Baek Suryong's qi ravaged its body, the dragon countered with qi from its own spirit core, despite knowing it stood to suffer more in this exchange.

"KWAAAAAAGH!"

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The One-Horned Demon Dragon's ghastly scream echoed through the mountains as the two forces within it clashed violently, though it nevertheless managed to curl up its body to mitigate the damage from the inevitable impact.

CRASH!

A tremendous tremor shook the earth, and black blood gurgled from the dragon's mouth.

"Hoo…" Baek Suryong took a moment to catch his breath. Right before the dragon struck the ground, he had yanked his sword free and leapt away.

Still, he hadn't emerged unscathed. Enduring the dragon's bucking and thrashing without falling hadn't been easy.

Suddenly, he frowned. Looking at his sword, he saw that the entire blade was corroded. If he had waited any longer, the sword would have melted inside the dragon.

At a time like this… Fuck, I need a better sword.

His martial arts were getting stronger, and his enemies becoming more formidable. Soon, even a treasured sword like Moon Shadow wouldn't be enough to withstand his qi.

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He thought of the legendary sword that Wiji Yeol promised him—a sword that rivaled or even surpassed the Blood Demon Sword. If he had that sword today, the wound he'd just inflicted would have sealed the dragon's fate on the spot.

Just when will it be finished…?

Baek Suryong sighed. Now was not the time to dwell on such things. The One-Horned Demon Dragon was still alive and kicking. Making a mental note to visit Wiji Yeol later, he pushed away all other thoughts.

"I need you to keep going for a bit longer, alright?" he whispered, giving Moon Shadow's blade a light pat as he walked toward the One-Horned Demon Dragon.

"Grr…"

Amid a giant cloud of dust, the dragon was beginning to stir, and a terrifying demonic qi pulsed outward in waves.

Baek Suryong sighed again. This was why he had wanted to end things with one blow. The longer the fight lasted, the more vitality the beast would recover.

Even now, in its incomplete state, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's scales were tough enough to withstand his enhanced qi, and its ability to control demonic qi was on par with the Ten Supremes.

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It was terrifyingly strong.

"…Still, I can do this."

Baek Suryong's Blood Demon Eyes blazed as he examined the dragon from head to tail. Its qi was weaker and more unstable than before, a clear sign that his earlier attack was effective.

That overwhelming hopelessness he'd felt at first evaporated. Now, he was certain he could prevail.

BOOM!

He kicked the ground, renting it asunder as he shot forward explosively, his blue coat flaring out behind him.

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SWISH!

His first strike barely nicked the One-Horned Demon Dragon's eye, but he showed no frustration. He simply spun around and fired a blast of icy energy from his left palm, then slashed upward.

The blade, infused with enhanced qi, sliced toward the dragon's horn.

The One-Horned Demon Dragon made no attempt to dodge. Instead, it loaded its horn with a thousand years' worth of qi, granting it a blinding radiance, and then rammed it into Baek Suryong at lightning speed.

CLAAAAANG!

The impact flung Baek Suryong a dozen feet backward.

"Fuck, that thing is tough," he groaned, wincing in pain.

Baek Suryong scowled at the horn. His sword hand was throbbing, while the horn didn't even have a scratch on it.

What would happen if I made a weapon or armor from it? And the scales? And the spirit core? If I harvest all of the dragon's body parts, I'll have enough material to arm dozens of warriors. That alone makes risking my life worthwhile.

[Pathetic insect. I can see the disgusting greed in your eyes,] the One-Horned Demon Dragon spat, then opened its jaws wide and breathed out a stream of black flame.

"ROOOOOOAR!"

The black flames turned everything in their path to ash. Thankfully, Baek Suryong froze the ground below him and slid to the side, just in time to narrowly avoid being incinerated.

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He shuddered. If he had been a second slower, he would have suffered the same fate.

"What nonsensical strength…" he muttered under his breath.

The One-Horned Demon Dragon was a spirit beast that had cultivated for a thousand years. Even though it had become a demonic beast instead of ascending to the heavens, its qi reserves were on a different level compared to humans.

Baek Suryong abandoned all thoughts of treating the beast like a dumb monster. This was a creature with intellect equal to his own. He had to fight cautiously and strategically.

"GWAAAARGH!" With a roar that shook the sky, the One-Horned Demon Dragon lunged at Baek Suryong, venomous fangs glinting in the light.

CRASH!

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The resulting clash tore off the dragon's scales and soaked Baek Suryong's clothes in venom.

SLAM!

Blood spurted from Baek Suryong's lips as he stumbled backwards. Before he could recover from the recoil of the charge, the dragon had slammed its tail into him, blasting him into the air.

SPLURT!

Baek Suryong's sword gouged out one of the beast's eyes, transforming it into a One-Horned One-Eyed Demon Dragon.

"GYAAAAAH!"

The earth quaked from the dragon's anguished howls.

Baek Suryong glanced around, taking stock of his surroundings. The titanic battle had laid waste to the terrain. Shockwaves from each exchange left gashes in the land. All animals in the vicinity were torn apart. Birds fled, and herds of wild animals stampeded in panic.

"Damn monster…" Baek Suryong growled. His once sky-blue clothes were now smeared with blood.

The One-Horned Demon Dragon was truly a monster worthy of the description "a living calamity". Its wounds regenerated at a terrifying speed, and a thousand years of training had endowed it with powers beyond mortal comprehension. Even the injury that Baek Suryong had inflicted on its reverse scale had long since healed.

Baek Suryong, on the other hand, was only human. His wounds bled incessantly, and his broken bones did not heal.

Still, he felt more confident and invigorated than ever.

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I see it, he thought, tightening his grip on his sword.

He had spent the entire battle carefully observing the One-Horned Demon Dragon's movements. While it had been consumed by rage and was hell-bent on destroying him, he had remained composed, always calculating, always thinking of a strategy.

This was the survival tactic that had kept him alive in his past and present lives, and now, it was serving him well again.

He had found a path to victory.

SWOOSH!

Dodging another tail strike, he onto the dragon's back, using his sword to find purchase between the beast's scales.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Thank you. You've worked hard," he whispered, realizing that this was his treasured sword, Moon Shadow's, last stand. After being damaged repeatedly in the battle, it was now barely holding its shape.

Bidding his sword a final farewell, he poured all of his inner qi into it.

HUMMMMMMM!

Moon Shadow let out a deep reverberation, its blade gleaming with blood red sword qi as Baek Suryong sprinted across the dragon's back towards its head.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

As he ran, he rained dozens of blows on the One-Horned Demon Dragon, each strike landing exactly between its scales and drawing blood.

"GWAAAAAA!"

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The One-Horned Demon Dragon floundered, thrashing around desperately to shake off Baek Suryong, but the young instructor used the Blood Demon Eyes to perfectly predict its movements and keep his balance.

Baek Suryong leapt onto the dragon's head and met it's gaze.

"Honestly, I can't help but respect you a little," he admitted.

He truly hadn't expected such a fierce struggle. If the One-Horned Demon Dragon were human, it would have been like fighting with serious injuries, but it never lost the will to fight.

Then again, if it had been at full power, he would never have stood a chance against it.

"Consider yourself unlucky for crossing paths with me here and now."

[How amusing. It's not over yet…]

"No, I'm ending it now."

SWISH!

Moon Shadow, glinting under the cold moonlight, drew a crimson arc through the air as it sliced cleanly through the base of the dragon's horn.

"GUWAAAAKKK!" The One-Horned Demon Dragon let out a terrible scream.

Containing the essence of a thousand years of cultivation, it's horn was the toughest part of its body, but also its biggest weakness, even more vulnerable than the reverse scale. However, no one else was supposed to know this!

[Just how…]

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Baek Suryong smirked. "Finding an opponent's weakness is my specialty."

The moment its horn was severed, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's power took a nosedive. The qi it had gathered over a thousand years flowed out like a river, and its huge form began to shrink.

BOOOM!

Finally, the One-Horned Demon Dragon collapsed amid a cloud of dust, signaling the end of the battle.

Baek Suryong approached the fallen beast. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to end this painlessly."

[A pathetic creature like you taking pity on me…]

The One-Horned Demon Dragon's life force was rapidly dwindling, but its hatred and resentment toward humanity remained undiminished.

For an instant, its eyes flared bright yellow.

[Human who walks the path of defying heaven. I may die by your hand, but the price will be your destruction.]

SHUDDER!

An overwhelming sense of fear washed over Baek Suryong. In an instant, he lunged forward and sliced through the beast's neck.

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CRACK!

Moon Shadow, having fulfilled its final task, snapped in two, and one broken piece fell beside the One-Horned Demon Dragon's severed head.

[To think that my thousand years of life would end so trivially… How laughable…]

"…What the hell?" Baek Suryong muttered, scanning his surroundings. Even though the One-Horned Demon Dragon was dead, the ominous feeling didn't disappear. Rather, it intensified.

SSSSSSSSH…

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A tremendous energy poured out of the dragon's corpse and coiled around Baek Suryong.

Finally, Baek Suryong understood. This was the creature's final, most devastating attack.

Before he could react, the One-Horned Demon Dragon's thousand years of qi began to flow into him.

"Fuck…!"

Ordinarily, absorbing the qi of a spirit beast would be considered a wondrous blessing, but to the current Baek Suryong, it was a curse.

"It's good that your inner arts are growing more profound, but make sure to strengthen your physical body accordingly."

As the Principal had warned, Baek Suryong's physical vessel was already at its limit, which meant that the dragon's power was no different from poison.

"Shit… It's trying to kill me by overloading me with qi… Ugh…"

Baek Suryong gritted his teeth and tried to resist, but his body felt like it was being blown apart. If he couldn't find a way to endure or expel the energy, he would either explode outright or be corrupted by demonic qi and become a mindless ghoul, just like those in the Blood Cult.

Suddenly, the worst possible scenario flickered in his mind.

If I turn into a ghoul and lose my mind, I'll kill everyone close to me.

In the distance, he could dimly see his students sprinting toward him, worried about their teacher.

"…No. Stay back. Don't come near me."

He could not bring himself to greet or congratulate them. The fear of murdering them with his own hands outweighed everything else.

"…RUN! RUN, YOU IDIOTS! GET AS FAR AWAY FROM ME AS YOU CAN!" he roared, his voice brimming with killing intent.