If one were to ask the purpose of Jinryong Pavilion, the official answer would be that it’s the premier martial arts academy.

The center of the righteous sects. An educational institution established by the Martial Alliance, and one that has held the top position for centuries.

Of course, that’s not all.

If someone is known to have graduated from Jinryong Pavilion, connections form automatically, and since most of the students come from prestigious sects or families, even just exchanging a few words with others can be a significant gain.

Take the Yongbongji meeting, which happens a few days each year. The majority of the juniors who attend go there with the sole purpose of building connections.

Jinryong Pavilion is quite advantageous in that respect. Just being a part of it is beneficial.

Moreover, although its significance may have diminished over time, it is still the best educational institution.

They do teach well, after all.

‘Though, it’s not all that different from what they teach in the family sects.’

Why are prestigious families prestigious? Why are sects renowned?

Because they’ve spent countless years refining their systems, growing while maintaining their positions. That’s what makes them prestigious.

Within these organizations, there are bound to be meticulously recorded techniques and training methods.

Is Jinryong Pavilion better than that? It’s a bit ambiguous.

Everyone knows that, not just me.

Yet, they still send their children or disciples here. Because the value of being a graduate of Jinryong Pavilion is that important.

Jinryong Pavilion was founded several centuries ago, after the Blood Demon catastrophe had finally passed, and only scorched remnants remained.

Though the Blood Demon vanished, the gates to the demonic realm did not close. Moreover, monsters continued to rampage.

Thus, the righteous sects gathered to begin training swordmasters, and that was the origin and purpose of Jinryong Pavilion.

Naturally, they don’t teach martial arts here.

Every family sect or martial school already has their own martial techniques, and there’s even the possibility that some students have learned exclusive or inherited techniques from a single master.

It would be odd for Jinryong Pavilion to teach martial arts in that situation.

They wouldn’t, and they don’t. The instructors and curriculum change constantly, and while the Martial Alliance has its own martial arts, those are only taught to those directly affiliated with the Alliance. It has nothing to do with the juniors here.

So, what exactly do the juniors who pass the entrance exam learn here?

‘They learn how to fight monsters.’

Since it’s a swordmaster academy, naturally, they’re taught how to deal with monsters. It’s no coincidence that the students are divided according to the martial arts they use.

They learn about monster classifications, types of monsters, and the differences between individual creatures of the same species.

They study different strategies, theories, and even some lessons about unorthodox sects.

They drill this into the students’ heads over several years. If you consider that good education, then it fits the bill.

Because, regardless of their sect or family, any martial artist with internal energy will inevitably face monsters.

‘Though soon enough, they’ll be facing more humans than monsters.’

That was true before the Blood Catastrophe happened.

Anyway, this is why I consider it meaningless for me to be here.

Learning how to fight monsters?

How many monster cores have I absorbed over my past lives with the Demonic Absorption Technique, and how many monsters have I confronted and killed?

Including my experience fighting the red monsters that have yet to appear, I’m probably more knowledgeable in theory and practice than the instructors here.

And what’s next? Networking?

If the Heavenly Demon emerges and causes another Blood Catastrophe, all of that will be useless.

Half of the people here will fall into demonic corruption. Whether by force under the Heavenly Demon’s control, or by willingly seeking him out to become corrupted.

“Woo-chul.”

Sitting back in my chair, lazily passing the time, I called out to the guy next to me.

“…Y-yes, hyung-nim.”

Pae Woo-chul, a giant with black hair, who had become one of my roommates. He was the same guy who got knocked out after taking a punch from me last night.

And after trying to rush at me again as soon as he woke up this morning, I gave him another beating. Now, he was very well-behaved.

After all, communication is important. Even body language counts as communication, right? Since my message got across, it was definitely a conversation.

“We’re in the same group, isn’t that great?” “...” “Woo-chul?” “Yes, it’s great. Really great.”

Heheh.

Pae Woo-chul, whose large frame seemed to make his smile awkward, forced a grin. He was trying to appear friendly, but with a face as intimidating as his, it wasn’t exactly endearing.

‘So, there are three groups.’

There were three groups for those in the combat division. Other disciplines like archery or special tactics were categorized separately.

Especially for swordsmen, there were more than double the number compared to the other groups.

It just goes to show how many swordsmen there are.

Interestingly, Dang So-yeol was placed in the swordsmen group. Technically, a dagger is a type of sword, but… even Dang So-yeol didn’t seem to know why she was there.

I’ll make sure to tease her about it later.

As I sat quietly waiting since the morning,

Rattle—

The person we’d been waiting for finally walked through the door. He was as large as Pae Woo-chul and Hwangbo Cheol-wi.

A middle-aged man wearing a blue hero’s headband on his head. That band indicated he was an instructor from the Martial Alliance.

“Greetings.”

His deep voice matched his large frame.

Moreover, his voice was imbued with internal energy, filling the spacious room.

Judging by his strength and control, he had clearly surpassed the peak level.

‘Who is he?’

At this level, I should know who he is.

And considering that he’s also in the combat division, I should know even more.

“Guh…” “Ugh…”

The juniors around me were groaning, unable to withstand the oppressive energy. It seemed like he was exerting pressure to assert dominance, and it was clearly effective.

The expressions on the faces of the previously uninterested juniors had changed. The instructor continued to exude internal energy, scanning the room with his sharp eyes.

He was gauging each student’s level.

I glanced over at Pae Woo-chul. Though he furrowed his brow, he didn’t seem particularly strained.

‘Oh, this guy’s tougher than I thought?’

I had written him off as insignificant after he crumpled under my fist so easily, but it turns out he’s sturdier than I expected.

There were a few others, aside from Pae Woo-chul, who managed to endure or disperse the pressure.

Including Woo-chul, there were four men and one woman.

I didn’t recognize any of them, but it seemed they were skilled.

The instructor’s gaze passed over each student, eventually landing on me.

“…!”

His shoulders twitched the moment he saw me. His eyes widened, and I could see his pupils shaking.

His reaction was amusing.

‘He noticed.’

I’d hidden my internal injuries well, but it seemed the instructor’s abilities were greater than expected.

‘Should I tease him a bit?’

I considered revealing a little of my power but decided against it.

I settled for a small smile instead.

“Hm.”

The instructor quickly regained his composure and moved on.

“I am Cheol Hwan-oh, vice-captain of the Martial Alliance’s Blue Dragon Division.”

‘Oh.’

I let out a silent exclamation when I heard the name. I hadn’t recognized him at first, but hearing his name made it clear.

“A vice-captain?” “Cheol Hwan-oh? The famed Uicheon Blue Fist...?!”

I could hear murmurs from the surrounding students.

Uicheon Blue Fist, Cheol Hwan-oh.

It seems he’s a fairly well-known martial artist. Though it’s his title as vice-captain of the Blue Dragon Division that holds more weight.

Of course, in my mind, Cheol Hwan-oh was remembered differently.

Looking at the thickly built instructor, I recalled something.

‘He’s the subordinate of Sword Demon.’

The thought made me chuckle.

Sword Demon, the lunatic who was likely still holed up in some mountain, training in the one-inherited technique left by his master.

A madman whose obsession with murder knew no bounds.

I didn’t know which mountain he was hiding in, but within a few years, he’d resurface in the central plains.

Cheol Hwan-oh was one of the Sword Demon’s subordinates during my previous life.

Sword Demon’s lackeys always wore masks, so I didn’t recognize his face. But hearing the name, it all clicked.

‘I heard he was from the Martial Alliance.’

So, he was the vice-captain of the Blue Dragon Division. How nostalgic.

It’s ridiculous that someone who ended up as a demonic human was once in such a prestigious position.

“For the next six months, I will be your instructor, teaching you the ways of the sword.”

Six months.

Considering the education period at Jinryong Pavilion is two years, it’s both a long and a short time.

“Any questions?”

His introduction was brief and to the point, unlike Cheonghae Ilgeom’s never-ending speech. I like this guy already.

Several students raised their hands in response to the question.

“I have a question.” “Name.” “I am Cheon Il-seon of the Cheon family.” “I won’t take any more names. You were instructed on proper introductions, were you not?”

He cut him off sharply.

Jinryong Pavilion had to maintain its policy of treating all students equally, regardless of family or sect. That’s why the instructor responded that way, but...

‘…Do they really think that’ll work?’

I was still skeptical.

“I am Hyo Un-byuk. Why has the vice-captain of the Blue Dragon Division come to serve as an instructor?”

Someone else changed the topic with a more tactful question.

It was a direct and blunt question, but a good one.

Cheol Hwan-oh thought for a moment, then let out a short laugh before answering.

“I had some free time and was curious if any promising individuals would stand out.”

“…Does that mean you’re here to recruit new members for the Blue Dragon Division?”

“I won’t take any more questions.”

Cheol Hwan-oh ended the conversation, but his words were loaded with meaning.

He had intentionally left that comment to inspire those with ambition.

The implication was clear: if you distinguish yourself here, you might get recruited into the Blue Dragon Division.

Those who understood the message had their eyes gleaming.

From my perspective, joining the Martial Alliance’s sword division wasn’t exactly a tempting prospect.

But the Blue Dragon Division is one of the top sword divisions within the Martial Alliance. It’s where the famed Namgoong Jin, the Blue Sky Sword King, served as the division captain. Only the strongest members of the righteous sects could join.

Naturally, getting into the division was no easy feat. So, the instructor’s words held considerable weight.

I was probably the only one here who wasn’t impressed. The instructor continued answering questions for a while.

What could we learn from him?

Why was he only teaching for six months?

He even rejected any personal questions without hesitation. From this, I could tell:

‘The Blue Dragon Division recruitment pitch was intentional.’

It was either to motivate the juniors or to scout out those he found interesting.

Whatever the reason, it wasn’t important.

“I’ll take no more questions.”

Even though there were still plenty of hands raised, the instructor brought the Q&A session to a close.

It seemed like the session had gone on long enough.

Ah, so this is what I get to hear. In my past life, I didn’t pass the exam, so I never got to hear what they taught at Jinryong Pavilion.

The murmuring around the room grew quieter. The mood had relaxed a bit due to the back-and-forth between the students and the instructor.

But then, Cheol Hwan-oh suddenly unleashed his energy again.

Whoosh—

This time, the pressure was on a whole different level. It was so heavy that no one could even groan.

The tension that had eased was now tightening again.

“This is your first training.”

Without releasing his energy, Cheol Hwan-oh continued.

“Other groups are probably starting with theoretical lessons, but I’m different.”

Theories on monster classifications. Just thinking about it bored me.

“A martial artist is someone who must face monsters in reality, not in theory.”

Crack.

That sound came from Cheol Hwan-oh’s forearm.

“But, unfortunately, we can’t bring real monsters in front of you for your first training.”

At the same time, his lips curled up. The combination of his aura and smile radiated pure malice.

“So, I will play the role of the monster. All you have to do is defeat the monster.”

As soon as I heard this, I tilted my head.

This is intense, right from the start. What he’s saying is that he plans to take on nearly twenty students by himself.

I didn’t expect him to start with this.

‘This is a pretty reckless approach.’

I understood his intent. The moment he made that declaration, a ripple of doubt crossed the faces of some of the juniors, who were overwhelmed by his aura.

-‘Is he really going to fight all of us alone?’

That’s what they were probably thinking.

Even though he’s the vice-captain of the Blue Dragon Division, and undeniably a strong martial artist, how could he handle this many students at once?

They were probably entertaining such naive thoughts.

And Cheol Hwan-oh’s plan was to shatter those illusions from the get-go.

It wasn’t a bad plan. Knocking some sense into them early on would get them to focus properly.

Moreover, Cheol Hwan-oh was more than capable of pulling this off.

However, there was one problem he hadn’t anticipated.

“Instructor.”

Just as the juniors were stifled by his overwhelming presence, someone raised their hand casually and spoke.

“…!”

The instructor reacted with clear surprise. He hadn’t expected anyone to speak up so easily in this situation.

The person who had broken the silence was none other than me.

“I have a question.”

“…Didn’t I say no more questions?”

“It’s an important one. Can’t I ask?”

I asked with a grin. The instructor’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

“What’s your name?” “Gu Yangcheon.”

He didn’t react to my name. It seemed he had already known about me.

“What’s your question?” “Well, it’s just…”

Though the situation was unexpected, I was in a good mood.

I was planning to complete the two-year Jinryong Pavilion curriculum within a year and leave. To do that, I would need to go through some complicated and tedious processes.

In that sense, this situation was exactly what I wanted.

“Can I fight alone?”

“…What?”

The instructor’s face twisted in confusion. He looked quite angry, but I didn’t mind.

Enjoying his reaction, I continued to smile as I spoke.

“I was just wondering if I could fight the ‘monster’ alone.”

As he grasped the meaning of my words, Cheol Hwan-oh’s aura grew denser.

I had clearly gotten under his skin.

And why wouldn’t I? What I was saying was that I didn’t need everyone else to defeat him.

I could handle it on my own.