The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Academy’s Absolute Professor Episode 107
No Reversals
Jo Tae-hwan immediately received the AcaNet screenshot and read it.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped him.
“They’re going this far with it?”
He’d learned through reports that parents were organizing collective action, preparing for unified resistance.
Yet he hadn’t anticipated Professor Kang Hyun’s response would be this immediate, or that he’d make such a bold countermove.
‘Class Cancellation.’
For Jo Tae-hwan, who’d been digging into Kang Hyun’s background recently, the move made perfect sense.
Half-ownership of Taejeong Holdings, connections with S-rank Hunters, overwhelming teaching prowess that enthralled students, and above all—backing from the Management Bureau itself.
He was registered as an A-class Hunter with the Association, though that told him little.
He could well be another S-rank Hunter the nation kept hidden.
When Kang Hyun first arrived as a parachute hire, faculty resistance had been fierce, or so he’d heard—but now they lay silent as the dead, which told Jo Tae-hwan everything he needed to know.
‘That man doesn’t need the professorship.’
In this affair, the parents had been foolish.
Before ever sitting at the negotiation table, one should know whom one faces—this was elementary.
‘They didn’t realize they held the weaker hand, yet played as though they held the stronger one.’
Of course, he understood their position.
When even four-term lawmakers struggled to access information, how could ordinary parents hope to learn who Kang Hyun truly was?
“Tsk.”
Jo Tae-hwan clicked his tongue.
If his prediction proved right, those noisy parents would soon face the backlash they’d invited.
‘So what stance should I take here?’
Jo Tae-hwan decided to simply watch this spectacle unfold in silence for now.
Thump.
He closed the file and settled back against his chair.
‘This man—he’s the real deal.’
Instinct warned him.
Brush him wrong, and the backlash could reach Jo Tae-hwan himself.
He’d watch, certainly—but keep his distance well.
“Assistant Kim.”
At Jo Tae-hwan’s call, the aide waiting outside entered through the door.
“Yes, Assemblyman.”
“Stop the aggressive background investigation into Professor Kang Hyun for now. If we force our way into what the Management Bureau is clenching its teeth to hide, we’ll only scratch a wound that shouldn’t be scratched.”
“Understood. Shall we drop the matter regarding Professor Kang altogether?”
“No.”
A smile tugged at Jo Tae-hwan’s corner of his mouth.
“Keep monitoring and report back on how things unfold at the Academy.”

* * *
The next day, an anonymous post goes up on AcaNet.
[O In-bang Withdrawal Rumor Thread]
└ ???
└ Original Poster) Can’t reveal who my source is, but almost everyone seems to agree on this
└ Fake ㄴ
└ Original Poster) Why would I make something up about this? Those kids barely attend regular classes anyway. They only go to Kang’s lectures and do individual training. If the class gets cancelled, they might leave
O In-bang’s skills are already recognized by everyone, and he even won an award at the recent exchange competition.
He can prove himself without a diploma, and he’s already established his own guild anyway.
└ Still, living in the world without an Academy diploma? ㅋㅋ
└ Exactly
└ What they’re saying is seriously arrogant
└ What good is ability if their character is like that ㅋㅋ If you’re leaving, then leave!
When the rumor first spread, the students grew angry.
The national Hunter Academy was their pride, proof that they lived as elites in the Republic of Korea.
And O In-bang had touched that pride.
It sounded as though he were saying the Academy’s diploma was something he wouldn’t take even if offered.
└ The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. What, is this some third-rate regional academy?
└ We should be thanking them for going to the competition instead
└ Even if we admit those kids are talented, abandoning the Academy is like abandoning the parents who raised you. Their fame comes from the Academy, doesn’t it?
└ No, seriously, just get out; we don’t need you anyway;
└ Clear out and we’re fine
The barrage of criticism continued unabated.
But as emotions subsided and reason returned, someone began to raise the facts.
[I mean, Gwak Do-jin was crazy for repeating a year, and Seo Hae-in was the worst student in his cohort…… if anything, they’d probably see Professor Kang as more of a parent figure than the Academy. And Cha Yu-sik? His parents basically ARE the Academy, right? It’s Cha Ha-rang, lol. Plus Yun Hyun-jong was saved by Professor Kang during the Demonic Cultivation Crisis.]
[But forget all that—what happens to our school’s strength if they really leave?]
[No wait, O In-bang is whatever…… but what about Do Jeong-hyeok, Baek Yu-yeon, Min Seo-jun, kids like that? They’re leaving too?]
└ Looks like it
└ Min Seo-jun’s early admission was also on Professor Kang’s recommendation and the Dean approved it
└ Ah…… now that I think about it, the Dean was backing Professor Kang all along
└ Damn, if Baek Yu-yeon leaves, we’ll get hit with reports from Mongolia and Paris sides
[……what if the twenty-four newly selected students leave too?]
└ What the hell?
└ What do you mean Class Cancellation from Professor Kang…
└ That can’t be right
Even as they spoke, the students began to grow uneasy.
It was entirely possible that all the talent that could elevate the national Academy’s standing would drain away at once.
[What if the Dean leaves too?]
└ Ha hahaha
└ Hahahaha
└ That’s too far;;;
└ There’s no way that happens?
└ Keep it reasonable
A few students joked, but deep down they were anxious too.
They were people for whom the value of their diploma was more important than anything else.

* * *
In the end, the news of Professor Kang’s class cancellation brought the parents together once more at the Dean’s Office.
Five representative parents, the most action-oriented of them.
They bristled with indignation.
“Dean, how has this come to pass? Class cancellation? When did we ever ask for class cancellation?”
“That’s right! We only asked for clarity in procedure…… to slightly increase enrollment. That’s all we requested.”
They spoke forcefully, yet their voices betrayed unmistakable bewilderment.
Since this was gossip circulating among the students, naturally the parents had heard it too.
The Academy’s prestige declining was the worst-case scenario neither the parents nor their children wanted to see.
“It’s that Professor Kang! How can someone calling himself an educator show such a lack of responsibility?”
One woman’s voice grew sharp.
“Parents voice a small concern and he simply abolishes his class? That’s far too extreme, isn’t it? If the school had been transparent from the start, this wouldn’t have happened. Don’t you think you, Dean, have been too lenient with this professor?”
As the voices grew louder, the Dean released the anger he had been holding back.
A heavy rumble filled the air.
The atmosphere of the Dean’s Office grew suddenly oppressive.
“H-huh?”
“Dean?”
Seo Il-hyun, S-rank Hunter.
Normally, for a hunter to unleash their aura on ordinary people would violate Hunter Law, but he gave it no thought.
“So you all wield some influence out there. If you want to apply external pressure, by all means, try.”
He even discarded the courtesy he had maintained until now.
“Th-that…”
“You seem to be badly mistaken about something.”
Seo Il-hyun rose from his seat and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Why do you think I’m sitting in this dean’s chair? I could just as easily be running a major guild out there and living large. But I’m not.”
Seo Il-hyun wanted to instruct them.
“Prestige academies overseas each have at least one S-rank Hunter as faculty, raising their nation’s future. Our country had no one stepping up, so I made the sacrifice myself—surely you all know this much?”
Not as dean speaking to parents, but as a seventy-year-old man issuing a reprimand.
“What good is it that I strain myself to painstakingly elevate the Academy’s standing? What good is it that I finally secure a professor who could make this place the best in the world, only to have my own greed—your greed—ruin everything because your children can’t attend one good class?”
The parents could not even open their mouths.
Gone was the confident bearing from moments before; they sweated nervously like docile sheep.
Before the genuine aura of an S-rank Hunter, social status meant nothing whatsoever.
“I am the one who wants to protect this Academy’s value more than you do. However.”
Seo Il-hyun released his aura and drew a line.
“Professor Kang’s decision to open or close his class is entirely his own prerogative. I have no right to force him to teach against his will. You’ve thrown away your own blessing—now you’ll have to live with the consequences.”

* * *
And the next day.
The atmosphere on AcaNet had completely reversed.
[Dean’s furious apparently;; really laid into the parents;]
[Honestly I’ve been quiet till now but this is just infuriating]
[Why do a handful of people speak as if they represent everyone?]
[What about me running Cheonmu Peak at dawn to prep for next semester? My opportunity’s gone because of you]
[Yeah, my mom’s suing your parents lol for interfering with official business lol]
[Get on your knees and apologize to Professor Kang. Make him reverse the class cancellation no matter what, hurry!]
The voices of complaint fell silent, and the students who had held their peace began to grow angry.
And that anger spilled into reality.
By afternoon, the main gates of the Academy were choked with luxury sedans.
Not the parents who’d caused the uproar yesterday, but different parents who had only now grasped the situation, swarming in.
“What gives you the right to ruin my child’s future?”
“What? Isn’t that rather harsh? We simply wanted fairness!”
“Fairness, how noble! My child failed the Selection Exam and still runs the mountain every dawn. He’ll definitely pass next semester. But you’ve taken away my child’s opportunity!”
“The children themselves told us not to interfere, said it was embarrassing. So why did you get involved?”
And so an absurd scene unfolded.
The parents began fighting among themselves.
It was remarkable.
That the Academy could become this chaotic over a contract professor’s class cancellation.
After one tumultuous exchange, the representative who had finally brokered a compromise between the two sides shuffled nervously back to the Dean’s Office.
“Dean, we realize now we were shortsighted.”
The female representative who had been so insistent before bowed deeply.
“Regardless of procedures, selection criteria, or anything else—we’ll accept the school’s decision without question. Please convey to him that we ask the class cancellation be reversed.”
“If the children are simply given another chance next semester, we’ll ask for nothing more. Please, Dean.”
Seo Il-hyun closed his eyes slowly.
‘I’m one of those who wants the class cancellation reversed too.’
He exhaled deeply and picked up his phone to call Kang Hyun.
And not long after.
Click.
The door to the Dean’s Office opened.
It was not Kang Hyun who entered, but his secretary, Lee Se-ah.
“I’ve come on behalf of the professor to convey his decision. The Special Guidance Studies class cancellation is final and irreversible.”
“No, wait!”
“We came all this way to apologize……!”
As the parents stepped forward in alarm, Lee Se-ah drew a firm line.
“Please don’t misunderstand. This is not an emotional decision made in anger.”
“Then……?”
“In fact, the professor says your position is entirely reasonable. This is indeed a state institution funded by national budget, and fairness and procedure must naturally be upheld.”
“……!”
“The professor has no intention of teaching anyone by breaking laws and regulations, or by creating controversy over special treatment. This decision is made out of respect for the school’s principles, and there will be no further discussion on the matter.”
Lee Se-ah, having finished her words, bowed cleanly.
When the parents could only gape soundlessly, Lee Se-ah bowed once more to the Dean and then left the office.

* * *
Taejeong Main Hall, professor’s office.
“I delivered the message.”
“And? What did they say?”
“They looked confused—even apologized, but couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working.”
“……Does an apology change the law?”
Kang Hyun knew.
Even if things went smoothly now, when the year changed, so would the parents.
Meaning that unless the law and system themselves changed…… he’d keep facing the same situation.
What was the point, then?
Better not to teach at all.
“You really won’t reconsider?”
“I told you. I’m transferring out.”
“Is there land available?”
“Then buy it, won’t you?”
Lee Se-ah closed her eyes tightly.
Though she sided with Kang Hyun, it was ultimately her keen sense of duty that had led her to work as an agent for the Management Bureau.
She had no desire to watch the Academy squirm helplessly either.
As if reading her thoughts, Kang Hyun passed over the whiskey and let out a soft chuckle.
“Or else… that law or procedure could be reversed.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“You said they have tremendous backing, didn’t you? Typically the one at a disadvantage is the one who moves first.”
At Kang Hyun’s murmur, Lee Se-ah’s eyes widened.
“Sir, surely you didn’t anticipate things would come to this?”
“Anticipate nothing. Now that you’re back, stop fussing and get some rest. And eat something.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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