TL: FoodieMonster007

    "What a mess..." Mae Geuklyom sighed deeply as he took in the scene before him.

    Over a hundred students were entangled in a chaotic battle royale.@@@@

    At first, he had thought the chaos was triggered solely by the reward his grandson had promised, but as he listened to the students'' shouts, it became clear that there was more to it.

    "FUCK THE EXAMS! IT''S TIME TO PAAAARTY!"

    Mae Geuklyom had no idea which unruly punk had shouted that, but to his astonishment, cheers of agreement echoed from all around.

    "Aaaah! I can''t sit still any longer! I''m going crazy!"

    "I thought my brain was going to explode from all that studying!"

    "Freedom! Freedom at last!"

    Mae Geuklyom couldn''t make any sense of it all.

    What on earth does the end of finals have to do with leaping headfirst into a brawl? Why are they throwing themselves into the chaos as if it''s some grand celebration party? Why are they all so excited?

    "You rascals! If you''re this restless, head to the training grounds and work on your techniques!" he bellowed, but no one heard him.

    Thick black smoke from smoke bombs mingled with the dust stirred up by the students'' movements, rising high into the sky. It was hard to tell if this place was an academy or a battlefield.

    As the longest-serving teacher, Mae Geuklyom had witnessed the history of the Azure Dragon Academy firsthand. He had, however, never seen anarchy like this.

    Things never got this bad even when Baek Muheun was a student!

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    Back then, the worst offenses involved sneaking out to drink or engaging in secret nighttime rendezvous. Of course, there were occasional brawls, but they never involved over a hundred students.

    Baek Muheun, that damn scound... son-in-law, was an outlier even then. Damn it, I should have killed that playboy when I caught him plotting to play truant and kidnap Yakbing on a date. If the father of the root cause of this madness had never had a child, I wouldn''t have to witness this today...

    "Hoho..."

    If the situation had been more manageable, he might have scolded the students and broken up the fight, but the sheer scale of the riot was so overwhelming that even Mae Geuklyom was at a loss.

    Furthermore, it wasn''t just him. Other instructors had also stepped outside to watch the spectacle.

    "W-What in the world is going on?"

    "My goodness..."

    "From the outside, it looks like the academy is on fire!"

    Today marked the end of final exams, so most of the instructors had come out to watch the riot.

    "How did things even get to this point...?"

    "Is it okay not to intervene?"

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    "What if someone gets seriously injured...?"

    Since the Azure Dragon Academy was a martial arts academy, minor injuries were common and justified. However, serious injuries and permanent disabilities were a different matter. If they did nothing to stop the students from seriously injuring or even crippling each other, it would tarnish the academy''s image. r?A?ΝO??bE?s?

    "Shouldn''t someone put a stop to this?"

    "Who exactly?"

    "Well, the supervisor of this exam..."

    The instructors'' accusing stares all focused on the person responsible for this mess, but Baek Suryong ignored them and stood with his hands behind his back, casually watching the chaos unfold.

    Again! It''s him again!

    Whenever something happens, it''s always because of him!

    Unfortunately, none of them dared voice their complaints aloud in fear of offending Baek Suryong, who was no longer a rookie instructor but the Azure Dragon Hero, a world-renowned supreme master and the hero who saved the Namgung Clan from the Blood Cult threat.

    Even Namgung Su, who despised chaos more than anyone, merely rubbed his temples as if warding off a headache and muttered in disapproval, "If only he weren''t my family''s benefactor..."

    Mae Geuklyom sighed. Of course, the students'' safety and Azure Dragon Academy''s reputation were important, but if something went horribly wrong now, it would also jeopardize his grandson''s career forever. He had to prevent that at all costs, and it seemed that he was the only instructor present who could question Baek Suryong without worrying about the repercussions.

    Your undeserved fame has made you arrogant. Even if it means publicly humiliating you, I will reprimand you firmly today!

    "Mr. Baek Suryong. What do you think you''re doing?" he scolded, approaching Baek Suryong in a threatening manner.

    Baek Suryong grinned awkwardly. "Haha, kids these days are sure full of energy, aren''t they?"

    Honestly, I didn''t expect things to escalate this much.

    He had maintained a calm facade, but in truth, he was the most flustered of all. Sure, he had told the students to use any means necessary, but he never expected them to start a campus-wide riot.

    Staring at the students running wildly through the battlefield, he sighed again.

    These lunatics...

    If not for his reputation as the Azure Dragon Hero, the other instructors would probably have intervened early on, even without his consent.

    Just where did they learn all these nasty tricks...

    Baek Suryong stopped himself from finishing that thought. Nope, he was not guilty. Definitely not.

    Sigh, this must be my karmic retribution for being too stern and harsh on my students. Well, since they started this riot, they should see it through to the end. We can deal with the aftermath afterwards.

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    Baek Suryong approached Mae Geuklyom, who was overseeing the chaos. "By the way, Grandpa, where are the Principal and the Vice Principal? I haven''t seen them at all today."

    "They left in a hurry after receiving a message from the Murim Alliance."

    "...The Murim Alliance?" Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. There was only one reason for the Murim Alliance to contact the Azure Dragon Academy at this point in time.

    Mae Geuklyom nodded. "From what I overheard, the Murim Alliance Chairman plans to visit the academy tomorrow."

    As expected. Feeling uneasy, Baek Suryong glanced toward the Murim Alliance Jiangxi Branch.

    Mae Geuklyom placed a firm hand on his grandson''s shoulder. "Principal Noh is not someone you need to worry about. For now, focus on watching over the students. You personally taught them this semester, didn''t you?"

    Baek Suryong nodded. "...Yes, I understand."

    He set aside his other concerns and turned his attention back to the students fighting in the chaotic battlefield.

    I deliberately designed missions that forced them to clash with each other to see how they push their limits, strategize, and adapt to an ever-changing situation.

    From the beginning, the process was more important than the outcome. After all, most of the missions were downright impossible to accomplish.

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    Anyway, some students disappointed, some met expectations, and a select few exceeded them by far.

    Regardless of the results, though, Baek Suryong felt the same toward all of his students.

    Good work this semester, everyone.

    Watching them amidst the chaos, it was clear that each and every student had grown significantly.

    The other instructors watching the riot also gasped in astonishment.

    "How is Hyonwon Kang wielding his blade with such precision?"

    "Huh... Wiji Cheon''s skills are certainly worthy of being called the Sword Wonder."

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    "Ya Suhyeok may be overshadowed by Wiji Cheon, but his abilities are also far beyond those of a freshman."

    "Geo Sangwoong? Is that really the fourth-year Geo Sangwoong? Wow... He''s changed so much in such a short time, and his skills have also improved a lot!"

    "Speaking of which, has anyone spotted Yeo Min? Not long ago, she was darting around like a ghost, but then I lost track of her..."

    Each time an instructor mentioned a student''s name, Baek Suryong felt a surge of pride welling with him. All of his students were demonstrating the results of their semester-long training.

    Beyond those five, there were also several other diamonds in the rough proving themselves amid the chaos.

    "Looks like next semester''s class roster is already decided," he mumbled to himself.

    Mae Geuklyom nodded and tightened his grip on Baek Suryong''s shoulder. "By the way, Suryong... What exactly were you planning to do with my beard?"

    OH FUCK... A drop of cold sweat ran down Baek Suryong''s forehead. Was he waiting for this moment? Not even one of the Ten Supremes can escape from him at this distance!

    He laughed awkwardly, "P-Pardon? W-What are you talking about...?"

    A sinister smile spread across Mae Geuklyom''s face. "Cheon told me that you ordered him to cut off my beard."

    "Ha... haha... T-That''s not exactly..."

    "Take your time explaining. We have plenty of time before the exam ends, don''t we?"

    The blood drained from Baek Suryong''s face. The students'' exam was about to end, but his trial was just beginning.