The Instructor (1)

"Well, that's quite a thought... Wait, what!?"

Hyun Song exclaimed with a bewildered expression at Mu-Jin's response, but Mu-Jin's face remained composed.

"I mentioned that it's impossible for me to teach other children."

What's so pretty about teaching other kids when there's barely enough time to train oneself? 

However, Mu-Jin was a seasoned individual who had spent ten years in the service industry. Refusing for such a reason would easily predict what would happen next, unless one was completely clueless.

That's why Mu-Jin added an excuse to persuade Hyun Song.

"Realistically, it's difficult for me to achieve proper results by suddenly taking charge of seventy novice disciples."

And Hyun Song took the bait Mu-Jin offered.

"Hmm. You say you can achieve results with three, but not with other kids. What does that mean?"

"The reason we've seen results with Mu Yul, Mu Gyeong, and Mu Gung is because they trusted my training and followed along. But what about the other kids? I'm well aware that they treat me like a crazy person because of past incidents. Considering that, if you think they will follow the training given by a 'crazy person,' I highly doubt it."

"Hmm. Calling you crazy. That's disrespectful."

Hyun Song uttered a hollow laugh at Mu-Jin's blunt expression, but he couldn't completely deny Mu-Jin's words.

As the one in charge of training novice disciples, he was also aware of the atmosphere that was subtly felt.

Intensified training. And the fact that everyone was silent because of the recent violent incident involving Mu Gyeong.

And Mu-Jin poured out his words again, whether Hyun Song coughed or not.

"I understand that conducting a different training than Shaolin's training is quite an adventure. However, if I take children who don't follow me properly and do that, and if there are no results, who will be responsible?"

"Hmm..."

For a moment, Hyun Song remained silent without saying anything. 

He too understood that changing the training of novice disciples was an adventure.

'This kid is having the same thoughts as me.'

However, his silence was just to hide his true feelings. Instead, Hyun Song's greed grew even more.

A kid with such a keen mind at such a young age. That's why he trusted that kid and his training method even more.

"That part is nothing to worry about. You taking charge of the novice disciples' training is something I, as the head of the Hall of Arhats, authorize. Novice disciples wouldn't dare to resist."

So Hyun Song tried to push Mu-Jin forward, but Mu-Jin was not satisfied with that level.

"That alone is not enough. In addition to your authorization, I hope you'll delegate full authority for the morning training."

"Delegate authority?"

"Yes. Since novice disciples are young, they are more likely to be swayed by emotions than rational judgment. Not only authorization but also the authority to discipline children who don't participate properly in training is necessary."

"Hmm..."

Both Hyun Song and Hyu Jong let out a simultaneous sigh, albeit with different meanings. If Hyu Jong's was close to a hollow laugh, Hyun Song's was a sigh of anguish.

He was genuinely debating whether giving such authority to that child was right. It was too much authority for a young child. But...

'Introducing that much authority to this child is already a gamble. Now worrying about authority. Haha, Hyun Song, Hyun Song. You still have a long way to go.'

Already on a determined path. If it's already a gamble to start, it wouldn't hurt to put everything on the line. That was Hyun Song's conclusion.

It was a mindset perfect for being a sucker in a gambling den.

And a sucker who had never gambled in his life. No, Hyun Song, a monk, ultimately accepted Mu-Jin's proposal.

"So be it."

"Master!?"

Middle-aged monk Hyu Jong looked at his master with a surprised expression, not fitting his accumulated dignity.

However, it seemed too late to dissuade Hyun Song, who had already made up his mind.

"If Mu-Jin abuses his authority during training for unjust reasons, it won't be too late to impose sanctions then. So, at least until Mu-Jin commits a wrongdoing, you should support this child leading the training."

"...I will follow Master's orders."

Unable to refuse the Master's instructions, Hyu Jong raised his head and replied, prompting Hyun Song to look at Mu-Jin again.

"Is this enough?"

"Disciple. I will strive to meet the Master's decision and expectations."

Mu-Jin replied obediently to Hyun Song's question.

In fact, from Mu-Jin's perspective, raising novice disciples wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If the strength of the Shaolin Temple increased, it would be much easier to see the ending of the novel later on.

He just didn't want to teach those damn brats who had mocked him.

But now that he had the authority to punish them, there was nothing to worry about.

'Let's teach them a lesson properly.'

Oh, of course, it wasn't about inflicting unjust violence. It meant building muscles as a fitness trainer.

The more discontented they were, the bigger their muscles would grow. Well, the process would be dreadful, though.

Thinking about building the muscles of novice disciples, Mu-Jin added a few words, as if it were timely.

Although he had already thought about it, there was something he couldn't do alone. So, while discussing with the Master, he decided to try to solve that problem a bit.

---

The next morning.

About fifteen minutes before the morning training was supposed to start.

"Get up!!!"

A loud shout erupted to dispel the drowsiness of the novice disciples.

Even the kids who were still deep in their dreams and those who had just woken up to prepare for training all ran out to the training ground in surprise.

However, to their surprise, neither the senior disciples nor Hyu Jong, who was in charge of training, were waiting for the kids who rushed out in confusion.

It was Mu-Jin who was waiting for them, similar in size to the children.

As the novice disciples were perplexed by the sudden situation, Mu-Jin shouted again.

"Did you all come here for a field trip to the Shaolin Temple!? Get your act together and run to the training ground right now!!"

The kids who hadn't fully awakened yet ran towards the training ground in a daze, not fully understanding what was going on.

They speculated whether the training time had changed without their knowledge or if something was happening at the training ground.

But no one was at the training ground.

"???"

As the kids looked around, trying to figure out the current situation, Mu-Jin, along with the senior disciples including Beob Gang and Hyu Jong, revealed themselves.

"Attention!!!"

And once again, it was Mu-Jin who took charge of the still confused kids.

As Mu-Jin stepped aside after shouting from the main seat, Hyu Jong stepped forward.

"Ahem. I woke you up fifteen minutes earlier than usual to add a simple warm-up training before the morning training. From now on, morning training will start fifteen minutes earlier than usual. And from now on, Mu-Jin here will oversee your morning training."

With that, Hyu Jong stepped aside to make way for Mu-Jin.

Upon hearing the sudden news from Hyu Jong, all the kids looked bewildered.

"What's going on?"

"This can't be happening."

As the kids murmured to themselves or exchanged small words with their friends next to them, noise began to arise.

"Attention!!!"

Mu-Jin didn't look as grim as to let the kids chatter freely.

"Starting today, I will be in charge of morning training."

With that said, Mu-Jin slowly turned his head and glanced over the kids in the training ground.

However, the gaze from Mu-Jin towards the kids was completely different from his usual demeanor.

If Mu-Jin seen during conversations with other disciples such as Mu-Gyeong or Mu-Yul resembled a fitness trainer, the current Mu-Jin was more akin to the Mu-Jin from his days serving in a special forces unit.

'Hmm. That young kid who lacks experience seems quite lively.'

To the extent that even the senior disciples were taken aback by Mu-Jin's gaze.

And with a commanding tone, Mu-Jin, who had captivated the attention of everyone present, spoke again.

This time, he didn't shout loudly like before. Shouting was only effective occasionally. Continuously shouting would just make him seem noisy rather than intimidating.

Instead, remaining quiet when necessary was more effective in garnering attention.

"Although I am training alongside you as a novice disciple, during morning training, I will conduct physical conditioning exercises passed down from our ancestors. So, during morning training, you should address me as 'Instructor' instead of treating me like a fellow novice."

Mu-Jin's unusually firm tone filled the training ground.

But there was always that one oblivious kid wherever you went.

"Pfft."

A small laugh escaped from the training ground, which had quieted down due to Mu-Jin.

Perhaps the oblivious kid thought everyone else would burst into laughter like him, but upon realizing the silence, he looked around in embarrassment.

No, it wasn't just about being quiet. All the kids in the training ground were focused on that oblivious kid.

"You find this funny?"

And once again, Mu-Jin's commanding voice resonated throughout the training ground.

As the kids, including the one who laughed, turned their heads to look at Mu-Jin again, they were met with a smile as cold as frost.

"There are probably many of you who are dissatisfied with me being the instructor. So, here's your chance. Those of you confident in your abilities, step forward now."

Having said that, Mu-Jin pointed with his hand at the kid who had laughed earlier.

"You too. Step forward."

After hesitating for a moment and seeing that Hyu Jong and the senior disciples didn't intervene, the kid who laughed stepped forward.

As that kid stepped forward, other kids who were confident in their abilities began to step forward one by one.

They were all kids from the Mu and Soh families, famous for their martial arts even before joining the Shaolin Temple. Therefore, it was inevitable that they would feel dissatisfied with Mu-Jin teaching morning training.

They came to learn the renowned Shaolin training, not to receive training from peers of the same age.

"That's enough. Good. Including the kid who laughed first, ten of you. I will now spar with you. And if I lose even once, I will resign as an instructor and train with you all."

Mu-Jin shouted to the kids in the training ground and looked at the ten kids standing in front of him.

In fact, there was no need to spar.

With the authority over training and the power to impose penalties delegated to him, simply punishing the disobedient kids would suffice.

However, that would only encourage some of them to resist without properly engaging in training.

And in a situation where he had to control about seventy kids and conduct training, even one or two troublemakers could disrupt the atmosphere of the training.

In an army where adults gathered, unless physical control was enforced, there would be numerous kids running wild. Now, in a situation where he had to control seventy kids who were just entering puberty, it was necessary to establish strong authority from the start.

The reason why Mu-Jin had argued to Hyu Jong that the kids should be woken up fifteen minutes earlier than usual was to gain time for physical conditioning exercises, but at least for today, he decided to use that time to establish authority.

Even shouting and making the kids rush to the training ground from dawn were all part of establishing authority.

It was a strategy to instill in them the fact that they were unwittingly following Mu-Jin's commands.

Moreover, this was a method commonly used during training in special forces training camps.

Now, as the final stage of establishing authority, all that remained was to knock down the kids who represented their abilities with his own skill.

Of course, there was a possibility of losing and the authority being just an empty shell.

"Then let's start with you, the one who was laughing earlier."

Mujin had no confidence.

He doubted himself.