When word spread that the Azure Dragon Academy had captured the Fifteen Black Snake Thieves, onlookers flocked to see the faces of the murim's public enemy.
"Are those guys really the Fifteen Black Snake Thieves?"
"Hey, move aside a little! Let us have a look too!"
"Did the Azure Dragon Academy students capture them?"
"No way, the adults must have stepped in."
The vicious-faced villains were dragged down from the cargo wagon, but the killing intent everyone expected was nowhere to be seen. Instead, men with swollen faces and dark bruises trembled so pitifully it was hard to watch.
"These kids are demons...! Especially those five..." the dazed bandit leader muttered.
Hyonwon Kang appeared behind him with the Black Dao slung casually over his shoulder, grinning. "Still haven't snapped out of it? Move your feet! Do you really want to die?"
"Eek!"
"We're sorry! We're sorry, sir!"
The men recoiled as if they had encountered their natural predator. Hyonwon Kang was less than half their age, yet it was hard to tell who the bigger scoundrel was as he intimidated the villains.
"From now on, you'll walk to the Murim Alliance prison staring at nothing but the back of the person in front of you. Anyone who looks away or threatens a civilian will have their eyes gouged out..."
SMACK!
Hyonwon Kang staggered from a familiar pain at the back of his head. Barely catching his balance, he whipped around. As expected, Baek Suryong stood there, eyeing him like he was a pathetic worm.
"Ah, damn it! I finally did a good deed for once, so why'd you hit me!"
Some of the spectators glanced around for the owner of the voice and pointed upward.
"No matter how I look at it, you don't look like someone doing a good deed, you brat." Baek Suryong smacked the defiant student's head one more time, then nodded toward the Fifteen Black Snake Thieves, who were tied together and being led away. "How did you end up catching them?"
He already knew the general outline from the Beggars' Gang's report, but he wanted to hear the details straight from those involved.
Geo Sangwoong answered, "It seems they were tailing us from a distance, meaning to avenge the Infernal Eccentric Trio."
The other Five Young Azure Dragons gathered around Baek Suryong and began telling their story.
"They were sneaking along a mountainside, slowly following us, but this little furball found them right away," Ya Suhyeok said.
"Nyaaah!" The number one contributor and the first to catch the Fifteen Black Snake Thieves' trail, the Silver Tiger, raised its head proudly.
Yeo Min chuckled nonchalantly. "Once we found them, we just lured them out. We figured that if a few of us acted like we were sneaking off from the campsite at night to have some fun, they'd definitely take the bait."
"Senior Yeo Min came up with the plan!" Wiji Cheon chimed in with a bright smile. "The five of us acted as bait. In the meantime, Senior Dokgo Jun built an encirclement so they couldn't escape."
The Student Council President, Dokgo Jun, led the students at the front of the procession with Tang Soso. Namgung Su had gone over to hear the full story from them.
Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. "Wait, so you did this on your own, without any instructors?"
The Beggars' Gang had left that part out.
The Five Young Azure Dragons panicked, realizing they had been caught red-handed. They hurriedly started making excuses.
"W-Well, we thought if the instructors got involved, the bad guys might notice and run off..."
"You would've obviously opposed it, and the odds of them getting away would've been higher..."
Now he learned not only that the five of them had walked into a dangerous situation, but that they had even captured a public enemy of the murim. They had made a powerful first impression as a result, but one wrong move could have gotten them hurt.
""Senior Wonkang told us to do it!""
"Why is it always me?!"
Baek Suryong glared at the students scrambling for excuses. He had come alone, confident that the Murim Alliance would protect them.
Still, there was no point in arguing over what was already done.
"You brats..." Baek Suryong glared at the students, who cowered in anticipation of a scolding. He soon sighed, though, and patted each of them on the head. "You did well. Is anyone hurt?"
"...No!"
The other students' martial arts uniforms were also dirty in spots. They brushed it off, but the stains were proof that the fight against the Fifteen Black Snake Thieves had been anything but easy.
Hyonwon Kang's spirits quickly recovered. Grinning, he boasted, "It was good practice, one last check on the results of our training."
"You always have to get in the last word... Let's talk more on the way."
The opening address went on a little longer.
The Fifteen Black Snake Thieves were transferred to the Murim Alliance prison at once. Rumors quickly spread that the students had captured the thieves themselves, raising the Azure Dragon Academy's prestige once again.
With the arrival of the Azure Dragon Academy, all Five Great Academies were now assembled. They crossed the main road and headed toward the Heavenly Martial Academy.
After checking on the students' well-being, Baek Suryong approached Noh Goonsang, who was leading the procession. Beside him was the Acting Principal, Mae Geuklyom, and the Headmaster, Baek Muheun.
"Principal, you must have had a hard time hauling those delinquents all the way here."
"Hohoho! The Sword Addict and the Headmaster did all the hard work. My trip was as comfortable as a pleasure cruise."
Noh Goonsang nodded, smiling benevolently. He had more white hair than when they first met, and he looked somewhat frail. However, his eyes held a deeper brilliance than ever before.
"We've finally arrived. Ever since becoming Principal, I've come here with a heavy heart every year."
Noh Goonsang raised his head and looked up at the Heavenly Martial Academy's large signboard.
The World's Greatest Heavenly Martial Academy (天下第一 天武學院)
The powerful, dynamic calligraphy resembled a technique carved into a thousand-year-old rock by an unparalleled master.
For the past ten years, the Heavenly Martial Academy had never lost the Heavenly Martial Festival's overall championship. They proved time and again that they were the world's top academy.
However, behind the Heavenly Martial Academy's brilliant glory, lay the Azure Dragon Academy students' frustration.
"It was always so hard to turn around and see the looks on the students' faces..."
The Vermilion Phoenix, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger Academy students and instructors waited for the Azure Dragon Academy students before the main gate, looking tense.
Noh Goonsang scanned the students' faces. "Everyone looks so spirited this year," he muttered, smiling proudly.
Vice Principal Kwak Cheolwoo and the next principal, Mae Geuklyom, stood to his left and right. Baek Muheun stood next to Mae Geuklyom, and Baek Suryong beside him. The new instructors stood in a line next to them. On his other side, Namgung Su took position next to Kwak Cheolwoo, flanked by the instructors who had long protected the Azure Dragon Academy.
All of the teachers lined up to look at the students, who had trained harder this past year than ever before.
Representing the faculty, Noh Goonsang said powerfully, "Go and do everything you've wanted to do, to your heart's content!"
""Yes, Principal!""
Everyone at the Azure Dragon Academy, from the students to the instructors, answered excitedly, eager for what tomorrow would bring.