Master!

"As expected from the beginning… …Cough!"

Every time I open my mouth, contaminated blood gushes out. I knew that it was dangerous to open my mouth when my internal injuries were severe, but I couldn't hold back the rage boiling inside me.

"You already planned on killing us all."

Gritting my teeth, I glared at the old man in front of me who I wouldn't be satisfied with even after tearing him to death.

"Kukuku. To think the day would come when you, The Iron Blood Instructor, would make that kind of expression."

The Demonic Strategist, an elder of the Blood Demon cult, sneered, revealling his yellow teeth. Having mastered the Black Death Technique to its extreme, his unusually thick fingers were drenched in blood.

My blood.

I grit my teeth, blocking the intestines that were about to spill out of my stomach with my palm.

"At the very least, I will drag you, the one who deceived me... straight to hell."

"You say I deceived you?"

The Demonic strategist laughed with a look of disbelief, then quickly furrowed his brow, his expression twisting into something grotesque and sinister.

"Let's be honest with each other."

"What are you talking about?"

"You never trusted me to begin with, isn't that why the trash that should've already died are standing behind you?"

Gooooooooo!

A terrifying aura rose from behind. A force created by only the most formidable people who had lost their tempers after hearing the word 'trash'. Standing behind me were four absolute masters, each of whom could compete for the title of the best in the world.

Green Forest King, Maeng Ho-ak.

Mad Demon, Heon Won-ho.

Ice Moon Goddess, Eun Ye-rin.

Sword Master Mo Yonghoon.

In the martial world, these masters had been rumored missing for decades.

Yet, the grim reality was that they had been abducted by the Blood Demon Cult's cunning schemes and ambushes. For decades, they endured a wretched existence, imprisoned in a dark, subterranean dungeon, living a fate far worse than death.

And I was the martial arts instructor who delved into their techniques, meticulously studying and analyzing them to teach the later-generation disciples of the Blood Demon Cult.

Boom!

A man reminiscent of a giant tiger stepped forward and declared:

"Grahh! Today, I will kill every last one of you and destroy the Blood Demon Cult!"

Green Forest King, Maeng Ho-ak.

Though he had become emaciated from years without proper food or exercise in the dungeon, his natural physique and the thunderous voice that once echoed through the mountains remained as formidable as ever.

Swish.

A man with a sharp, disheveled appearance stood beside the Green Forest Battle King and drew his sword.

"...Today, the Blood Demon Cult will vanish from the martial world."

Mad Demon, Heon Won-hu.

Once the foremost master of the righteous sect's later generation, he had forsaken his own clan in his obsession with martial arts, engaging in a hundred duels. In the end, he won all his fights, but in the process, he became excessively cruel and is known to have disappeared while being chased by the martial arts alliance.

Hissssss!

A chilling aura, like the icy winds of a northern storm, surrounded the woman.

"At last... the day has come to repay this humiliation."

The Ice Moon Goddess, Eun Ye-rin.

The young mistress of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, who had been missing for decades. Her disappearance had led the martial world to brace for a full-scale war with the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

"...I must ask. Is my son... truly dead?"

The elderly man spoke last.

Even though the three martial experts before him were each proud and unwilling to concede the title of the greatest, they naturally stepped back as the elder spoke.

Sword Master, Mo Yonghoon.

The martial artist who had once aspired to surpass even the greatest swordsmen of all time stared at the Demonic strategist with eyes filled with rage, sorrow, and madness.

"...If you can prove now that my son is alive and bring him to me, I will leave quietly without holding you accountable for your crimes. But if my son is truly dead..."

Swoosh

At the intangible sword energy emanating from the Sword Sovereign, the faces of the Demonic strategist and the numerous Blood Demon Cult masters surrounding us turned pale.

'He truly is the Sword Master...'

Though the four absolute masters had suffered greatly in the dungeon and were not in their prime physical condition, their aura surpassed their former glory.

However, the strategist's lips curled into a cold, derisive smile as he looked at them.

"Heh heh. These discarded trash are really putting up a fight."

His gaze swept over the four absolute masters one by one before finally settling on me.

"I always knew you would betray the cult."

The reason the absolute masters, who had been imprisoned in the underground dungeon for decades, were freed was because of me.I couldn't die so easily at the hands of that old man.

"Betrayal? Nonsense. It was you who first tried to dispose of me."

I was an orphan, kidnapped by the Blood Demon Cult as a child, and forcibly trained as a warrior. Luckily, I had some talent for martial arts and quickly rose in skill and status.

'If it weren't for the accident that injured my dantian, I might have secured a position by now.'

But after that damnable accident, I was unable to use my internal energy. A warrior who couldn't use their internal energy had to resort to any means to survive within the Blood Demon Cult.

In the end, all I could do was research martial arts and become an instructor to teach the cult.

I researched the fundamental martial arts techniques of the Blood Demon Cult and quickly expanded my research to a variety of other martial arts. I became a martial arts instructor, teaching the kidnapped children brought in by the sect, just as I had once been.

"How ironic that the means I took to survive …would ultimately lead to my own demise."

Around ten years ago, the Demonic strategist, who had been closely observing the martial arts instructors, secretly summoned me. He assigned me the task of studying the martial arts techniques of the four absolute masters imprisoned in the underground dungeon. I was also given the responsibility of teaching these techniques to the younger disciples of the Blood Demon Cult.

Only I was entrusted with this duty.

"I had suspected it from that time. That once you were done using me, you would kill all of us to silence us for good."

"So, you conspired to restore the martial arts of the discarded pawns?"

To be precise, I did not actually restore them. The dantians of the four absolute masters had already been destroyed, their qi and blood circulation blocked, and their meridians severed. The only reason I was able to partially restore them was because of a book I accidentally discovered in the martial arts library.

'But even this restoration is only temporary.'

Even if they are lucky enough to survive today, the four absolute masters will not live long.

...And neither will I.

I gave a grim smile and chuckled, "Even as a dog, I find it hard to die just because the master says so. At least, I need to have a proper bite at the enemies to feel satisfied."

"…I thought you were a straightforward man like a bear, but it turns out you're actually a cunning fox."

The strategist laughed in resignation and nodded.

There was nothing left to hide between us.

"You're right. Even if you're unable to cultivate internal energy, it's dangerous to leave someone who knows the techniques that could challenge the greatest masters alive. After all, the martial arts you researched are all kept as secret techniques."

That damn old man.

I anticipated this, so I subtly altered the most critical parts of the secret techniques. Anyone who tries to learn them in the future will end up going mad and dying.

Heh heh. I grinned and said, "Do you regret not killing me sooner?"

"Regret? It's not about regret. It's because I misjudged you that I'm paying such a heavy price."

The Demonic strategist looked around with a bitter expression. An endless sea of corpses and blood.Bodies were piled high enough to form a hill, and the ground was stained red with blood. This was the blood spilled of the Blood Demon Cult's attempt to block our escape.

I smirked and said, "Today will be recorded as the worst bloodbath in the history of the Blood Demon Cult."

"…It will not be recorded. You will all die here, and the sect will not record its defeat. By the way, don't you need time to recover from your injuries?"

"We both need time, don't we?"

I looked at the Demon elder with a sneer. Damn it. As much as I hated to admit it, the old man and I were alike in some ways.

Perhaps he was thinking the same, as he chuckled and said, "Well then. I need a stage to test your creations."

One side of the encircling net around us parted, and familiar faces stepped forward.

"…"

The moment I saw the four men and women stepping forward, the faces of the masters behind me twisted in shock.

"Could it be...?"

"…Ha. You've taught them well."

"Unbelievable."

"…"

The four emotionless men and women who stepped forward from behind the Demonic strategist exuded an eerily similar aura to the four absolute masters behind me.

...It is what it is, Damn Demonic cult.

These were my finest "creations," the result of studying, analyzing, and improving upon the techniques of the four masters. They were also perfectly annihilated combat weapons, unhesitant even to kill their own master.

"But I did anticipate that those four would appear."

They were the Blood Demon Cult's secret weapons. With their completion, the Demonic Strategist had no need for me or those standing behind me. Once we were gone, the cult would initiate their full-scale conquest of the martial world.

The Demonic Strategist smirked and said,"Isn't there a more satisfying death for a warrior than to die at the hands of a disciple who surpasses them?"

"Crazy old man."

"Heh heh heh."

As if by fate, the four absolute masters faced off against their counterparts who had mastered the same martial arts techniques.

The sheer force of their presence was so overwhelming that it made it hard to breathe. However, my expression remained dark as I watched their backs.

"If we fight like this, we are doomed."

The four opponents on the other side not only perfected their existing techniques but had also mastered even more advanced versions. Meanwhile, our absolute masters were in less than optimal condition, exhausted from escaping the dungeon.

The outcome was already clear if we clashed under these circumstances.

"I hoped I wouldn't have to use it until the end... but..."

I still had one final card up my sleeve. I removed my hand from my abdomen, where the bleeding had finally stopped. Though blood still flowed freely, there was no other choice.

"Hey, Demonic Strategist. Did I mention earlier that the four techniques I mastered could rival the greatest in the world?"

The Demonic Strategist tilted his head, seemingly not understanding the intent behind my question, but he answered willingly.

"Of course. While there may be differences depending on the practitioner's aptitude, all four techniques are capable of commanding the world..."

"What if there were five?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"I mastered one more."

With a grin, I drew upon my internal energy from my damaged dantian in an instant.

—Vwoooosh!

For a brief moment, my energy overwhelmed the combined presence of the eight absolute masters who dominated the area.

"Ugh…"

"Ugh…!"

The Blood Demon Cult's masters, who had been widely surrounding us, trembled as if caught in a gale. Some bled from their mouths and noses, while others, severely injured, fell to their knees.

"This, this energy…!"

The Demonic Strategist also looked at me with wide eyes. It wasn't just because the techniques I had mastered were powerful. It was because my techniques were the pinnacle of all the techniques they had learned.

"How... how could you master the Heaven Defying Divine Art...!"

The most powerful technique that only the head of the Blood Demon Cult could master for generations. I had mastered it. Moreover, it was an ancient technique left by a transcendent being, unknown even to the Blood Demon Cult of this current era.

But it wasn't perfect.

'If only I had a bit more time…'

Though I felt regret, I quickly dismissed it. It wasn't a technique that could be perfected with just a little more time. Perhaps in the next life, if there is one…

'But now isn't the time for useless thoughts. He's coming.'

"How, how could you...!"

Walking towards the trembling Demonic Strategist, I addressed the four absolute masters.

"There's no time. We need to break through the encirclement and escape before the Blood Demon arrives."

The Blood Demon. The supreme ruler of the Blood Demon Cult, whose name alone made even the absolute masters here shudder. I could feel him breaking through the seclusion training chamber and heading towards us. If he reaches us, it will be the end of us.

"...We must escape alive! We all have unfinished business before we die, don't we?"

I intensified the Heaven Defying Divine Art and charged at the Demonic Strategist. The four absolute masters, nodding in agreement, also attacked their respective opponents.

We fought with all our might. But in the end,

everyone perished.

This was a story not recorded in the history books of the martial world.

✧

"Master!"

"..."

"Master! Master! You're dozing off again!"

"..."

I slowly turned my head. A tiny hand was gabbing and shaking mine. The child, probably around ten years old, with a head full of tousled hair, looked up at me with innocent eyes.

"Master! Master!"

"What is it?"

"The other kids are waiting for you! They're all gathered in the training grounds!"

"Do some self-study today. There's a ball over there; take it and play with it."

"But we did self-study yesterday! And the day before! If we're always playing, when will we learn martial arts?"

"Learning martial arts is pointless anyway…"

At my response, the little brat's cheeks puffed up in annoyance.

"If you keep this up, I'll tell the Grand Master!"

This little rascal…

I almost hit him on the head but held back.

'I shouldn't act like I did in the Blood Demon Cult.'

Times and places have changed a lot since then.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Hurry up!"

Following the child who tugged at my hand and urged me along, we headed towards the training ground where the kids were waiting.

There, the little ones, dressed in the training uniforms provided by the martial academy, looked at me with bright, eager eyes.

"Master! Teach us martial arts!"

"Good grief…"

I scratched my head as I looked at the little ones. Then I glanced up at the sign of the martial

academy where I stood.

[Baek Academy]

It's said to be named The Hundred Martial Arts Academy because it teaches a hundred different martial arts. But… well, it seems like a bit of an exaggeration.

'Been a month since I've woken up like this.'

About a month ago.

I, who was once a martial arts instructor for the Blood Demon Cult, awoke in the body of a small-town martial arts instructor.

The Blood Demon Cult, they say, was destroyed decades ago.