Chapter 126: The Devilish Man (1)

Around the time Il-mok was indulging in a deep afternoon nap, club activities were in full, chaotic swing all across the Hall of the Demonic Way.

"Hahahaha!"

"Ohohohoh!"

From their usual clearing, the booming laughter of Baek Cheon and Bang Mi-hwa echoed out, all under the flimsy pretext of “vocalization practice” for the Theater Club.

"Haah..."

"Haah..."

Standing a few steps away were the Instructor-Disciple pair, Jeong Hyeon and Eun Ryeo, who sighed in perfect, weary unison as they watched the duo.

While they were busy with their theatrics, other clubs were just as active. In one corner of the main training grounds, a group of cadets was grunting and heaving lumps of iron as part of the so-called Bodybuilding Club. Among them, one man’s face was twisted in a look of profound discomfort.

"Disciple Dokgo, if your muscles are bothering you, it might be better to rest for a day rather than push yourself through training."

Hearing Instructor Cheok Il-so, who was in charge of the Bodybuilding Club, Dokgo Pae shook his head.

"My body's fine, Instructor."

"Hmm. Then something must be weighing on your mind. Rather than brooding alone, why don't you open up to this instructor and tell me what's bothering you!"

Cheok Il-so flexed his pectorals as if to prove his reliability.

True to the club’s name, they were all training their muscles with their shirts off, the better to examine each other's physiques in detail.

It was precisely the kind of sight that would have made Il-mok recoil in disgust and turn on his heel.

Spurred on by his instructor's impressive display, Dokgo Pae made up his mind and opened his mouth.

"Actually, what happened during the last exam has been bothering me."

"The last exam?"

“Yes. The matter of me ganging up on Disciple Il-mok. It was an act unbefitting a warrior of the Divine Cult.”

Though he had been swayed by Gwak Sul's smooth talk to participate, Dokgo Pae still felt uneasy about it.

And that uneasiness was only getting thicker and stickier with each passing day.

"I told myself it was to observe Disciple Il-mok's martial arts more closely and improve my own skills, but looking back, it was a cowardly act, Instructor.”

Hearing his student’s lament, Cheok Il-so threw his head back and roared with laughter. His magnificently sculpted torso rippled with amusement.

“Hahaha! Is that all? You’re worried about something so simple! If it’s bothering you, just be a man and go apologize! Ah, but wait! A simple verbal apology might seem insincere. How about this?”

"???"

"Disciple Il-mok joined that weird Meditation Club thing, so you should show him some goodwill.”

“Goodwill? What kind of goodwill?"

“Hahaha! I’ll let you share one of the secret muscle-building techniques I taught you boys—one of the ones I withheld from the official external arts curriculum. For the sake of my prized student, Dokgo Pae, I’m willing to look the other way, just this once.”

"!!!"

Dokgo Pae looked at Cheok Il-so with a moved expression.

"This Dokgo Pae is deeply moved by your generosity, Instructor!"

"Hahahaha! Of course! Plus, if Young Master Il-mok is impressed by that secret technique you share, he might even transfer to our club, talk about killing two birds with one stone!"

"As expected of you, Instructor!"

As Cheok Il-so burst into hearty laughter again, Dokgo Pae joined in, and even Mak Ho-yeol, who had been listening from the side, was roaring right along with them.

Watching the trio enthusiastically flexing their muscles while laughing, Gwak Sul, who was off to the side lifting the lightest weight, sighed internally.

'Is that really something to lose sleep over?’

Hell, they had five people ganging up on him and still lost in the end, so the hell would you apologize for that?

He’d been dealing with these guys for two months, but he just couldn’t wrap his head around their way of thinking.

And it wasn’t just Dokgo Pae that he couldn’t understand.

"But, Instructor, do you really think Disciple Il-mok would want to learn a bodybuilding technique?”

To Gwak Sul, all three of them, who seemed absolutely certain that Il-mok would be moved to tears, were completely out of their minds. But…

"Hahaha! What are you talking about, Gwak Sul!"

"Of course! Look at Young Master Il-mok’s realm; he must have trained his body with great diligence."

"Instructor Cheok and Brother Dokgo are right! Junior Il-mok would surely be delighted!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Uhahahaha!"

Faced with their utter lack of doubt, Gwak Sul clamped his mouth shut. A sudden urge to crack open their skulls and study their brains surfaced, but he quickly dismissed it.

'Their brains are probably made of muscle too.'

It was painfully obvious without even looking. He just shook his head and went back to his weights.

***

After enjoying a refreshing nap that lasted the entire ninety-minute club session, Il-mok was making his way back to the Black Dragon Pavilion when...

"Young Master Il-mok!!"

An unwelcome voice made Il-mok’s face crumple in annoyance.

Of all people, it had to be Dokgo Pae.

‘Fuck. If I draw my sword right now, I think I’ll actually lose it.’

He had a terrible premonition that this lunatic would somehow manage to provoke him into doing just that.

But surprisingly, Dokgo Pae, who had rushed over, immediately bowed his head and cupped his hands in respect.

"I'm sorry about what happened last time."

"???"

Seeing Il-mok's puzzled expression, Dokgo Pae elaborated.

“Ganging up on you like that… it was unmanly. I know I disappointed you. I have no excuse.”

Il-mok made a peculiar expression.

Sure, his mood had been utter shit that day because of his Demonic Art threatening to overwhelm him, but he didn’t hold any particular grudge against the guys who had attacked him.

He would've done the same thing in that exam if he were in their shoes.

Still, he had to admit, having the guy come and apologize of his own free will wasn’t unpleasant.

He was about to accept the apology when Dokgo Pae suddenly said something out of left field.

"So, as an apology, I'll share something good with you, Young Master."

"Something good?"

Il-mok looked at Dokgo Pae with a curious but wary expression.

"An excellent muscle training method I learned from Instructor Cheok Il-so!"

"..."

A heavy sigh escaped Il-mok’s lips.

'I'm the idiot for getting my hopes up.'

It was exactly the kind of thinking you'd expect from a martial arts fanatic.

“I don’t need it.”

Faced with Il-mok’s blunt refusal, Dokgo Pae fell into thought.

'This method is truly a good thing, but I can't explain it with words!'

He realized that with his poor eloquence, he couldn't properly explain the advantages of that training method.

Lost in thought, he decided to change his approach, thanks to some advice he'd heard from Gwak Sul.

When he’d asked for tips on how to use his head, Gwak Sul had told him that when you’re stuck, you have to change your perspective on the problem.

‘That’s it! If words won’t work, I’ll just have to show him! A brilliant man like Young Master Il-mok will surely understand the sincerity of my actions!’

Having made up his mind, Dokgo Pae suddenly grabbed his martial arts uniform with his hands and...

RIIIIP!

He tore off his upper garment with pure force.

The violent motion made the muscles of his chest and arms throb and pulse as if they might burst.

Flex.

Taking a pose that showed off his muscles, Dokgo Pae asked with a confident face, "See? Isn't it magnificent?"

"..."

"This is all thanks to that training method. So, won’t you join me in this endeavor, Young Master?”

The pulsating muscles and the sweat drops that made those muscles stand out even more caught Il-mok's attention.

Cut off all those disgusting muscles!

His mysophobia began to shriek in protest.

***

The following morning, Il-mok headed to the training grounds for the daily martial arts session.

'He was pretty well-behaved yesterday, wasn't he?'

He was thinking of Ma Do-yeong, the man who had replaced the disgraced Chu Il-hwan as the martial arts instructor and who also happened to be his Meditation Club advisor. During yesterday's club time, Ma Do-yeong had just watched him nap quietly.

Of course, just because he'd been well-behaved for one day didn't mean he should drop his guard, that would be foolish.

'Wonder what he'll pull today.'

While Il-mok was thinking about Ma Do-yeong, an unpleasant call came from behind.

"Young Master Il-mok!"

Turning his head at Dokgo Pae's call, Il-mok's face crumpled mercilessly.

He had no idea why that crazy bastard was clinging to him like this.

'It's not like he's some phone salesman or cult member... oh wait, he IS a cult member. Damn it.'

He felt like he'd finally realized the root of all his problems.

But realizing the root cause didn't mean there was a solution.

The leader of that goddamn cult was his own master after all.

They say a problem without a solution is the greatest source of stress. Feeling like he'd hit a dead end, Il-mok let out a deep sigh.

'Should I just cut him down and get it over with?'

As Il-mok's right hand twitched toward his sword hilt, Dokgo Pae, who had closed the distance, asked in confusion.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't I say I'd share something good with you as an apology!"

“…I don’t need it.”

"Just trust me a little! Even Gwak Sul over there has learned so much and changed greatly since joining us!”

Following where Dokgo Pae was pointing, Il-mok could see Gwak Sul enter the training ground.

Just as Jeong Hyeon had moved up to the Upper Class after the third exam, Gwak Sul had also moved up to the Upper Class after the sixth exam.

He’d earned good scores by teaming up with Dokgo Pae during the previous exams, and his skills had improved drastically thanks to the nonstop harassment from Dokgo Pae and Mak Ho-yeol.

And seeing Dokgo Pae pointing at him, Gwak Sul approached them like a Stockholm syndrome victim.

“You called for me, Vice President Dokgo?”

Vice President of the Bodybuilding Club, or Vice President Dokgo for short, nodded and said, “Young Master Il-mok here doesn’t seem to believe me. Tell him how much you’ve improved since joining us!”

Il-mok, who had been listening to their conversation, looked at Gwak Sul with an expression brimming with pity.

'He must be suffering quite a bit.'

Perhaps sensing the sympathy in Il-mok’s gaze, Gwak Sul spoke in an annoyed tone.

"This is all because of Young Master Il-mok."

"...What do you mean, because of me?"

“I heard you gave Vice President Dokgo some advice. And because of that advice, he came looking for me, didn’t he?”

Gwak Sul, who was suffering through a hardship because of Il-mok, couldn't stand seeing the very cause of his troubles showing him sympathy.

Of course, from Il-mok's perspective, it was absolutely absurd.

'Advice I gave him? Wait, from before? When I told him to use his brain a little?'

Seriously, all he did was advise the guy to use his brain a little, and now he was getting blamed for this?

It was beyond unfair; it was downright ridiculous.

He'd never even mentioned Gwak Sul while giving that advice.

Just as Il-mok was about to argue back in his bewilderment, someone's internal energy-infused shout echoed through the training hall.

"QUIET!"

It was Ma Do-yeong, the martial arts instructor and Il-mok’s club advisor.

"It's time now, so stop the chatter and focus on your training."

At his command, the Upper Class students each took their positions around the training ground and began practicing their martial arts.

Dokgo Pae also quickly dragged Gwak Sul away and started swinging his sword, while Bang Mi-hwa took her usual spot with Ha Young.

Jeong Hyeon had also taken a spot off by himself and was shooting arrows.

"Phew."

With a deep sigh, Il-mok set up his usual human wall with the three stooges and began to lazily swing his sword.

Meanwhile.

As the students began their individual training, the new instructor, Ma Do-yeong, started to circle the grounds, observing them.

"You're putting in too much force. Relax your wrist strength at the end and focus a bit more on your internal energy."

“Don’t hesitate. Instead of forcing the flow, entrust your body to the rhythm of the form, and it will unfold much more naturally.”

It was clear he hadn’t been chosen as the martial arts instructor for nothing.

As he continued around the training hall offering guidance, he eventually arrived near Il-mok and his trio.

Since all four were members of the Meditation Club he was in charge of, they were already familiar faces.

And Ma Do-yeong could easily see through the human barrier to spot Il-mok in the center, half-heartedly swinging his sword around.

A vein popped on Ma Do-yeong’s forehead as he began to stare at Il-mok like he wanted to burn a hole through him. Cold sweat dripped down the foreheads of the three stooges surrounding Il-mok.

'Please!!'

'Seriously, the instructor is right there in front of us…'

'What the hell did we ever do to you to deserve this?!'