The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 51
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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 Absolute Professor 051
After all, it’s just talent in this field.
The next day.
Kang Hyun’s professor’s office.
Whisper, brush.
Baek Yu-yeon had gone to the Infirmary, and just as Lee Se-ah and Kang Hyun were in the thick of work on a Secret Manual together for the first time in a while.
Ding!
An alarm rang on Lee Se-ah’s smartphone.
Her eyes widened to the size of lanterns as she glanced casually at the screen.
“Gasp!”
“……Why again?”
“K-Kang Hyun! It came in!”
“What did?”
“The Settlement Statement!”
“Settlement Statement?”
“The first month Settlement Statement for the Swift Wind Technique Guide!”
“Yeah?”
Kang Hyun set down his brush.
He’d been working hard; a brief rest wouldn’t hurt.
Might as well check how much was coming in.
“Wow, jackpot! Look at this!”
He looked at the screen Lee Se-ah thrust toward him.
[Final Payment (75%): 1.935 Billion Won]
Nearly two billion won was listed there, even after all the deductions.
“Not bad at all.”
Even though it was just a simplified interpretation, the first month’s revenue was this substantial.
It was quite lucrative.
The sales were probably inflated a bit because it was the initial launch.
Once everyone who wanted the Secret Manual had bought it, the revenue would gradually decline.
But what mattered was that this was just one technique—the Swift Wind Technique Guide.
Soon, the Clear Mind Technique, the nation’s fundamental meditation method, would be launching.
If he released interpretive guides one by one to the market and expanded the lineup like this?
Just as a landlord collected monthly rent, he’d be able to sit idly and rake in enormous royalties as the Secret Manual owner.
“Five percent for you comes to 129 million won? I’ll set it aside as promised.”
“……Wow.”
Lee Se-ah marveled.
Monthly revenue exceeding one hundred million won?
People celebrated if they made even ten million a month, and here she was suddenly joining the hundred-million-won club!
“Wait, at this rate I’m really going to become a chaebol soon, aren’t I? Kang Hyun, should I just quit the Management Bureau right now?”
For Lee Se-ah to spend that money fully, she’d need to leave the Management Bureau.
Kang Hyun nodded, understanding her situation.
After all, the kind of support she provided could be done from outside the Management Bureau too.
“Doesn’t matter. Do as you like.”
Lee Se-ah shook her head after a moment of hesitation.
“No, never mind. I should stay with the Management Bureau so I can assist you more efficiently.”
There was another reason she wasn’t saying out loud.
‘If I leave, they’ll assign another agent to you……?’
At first, they’d search, insisting on this agent or that agent.
But the moment they learned the true nature of Kang Hyun, they’d definitely try to stick close to him.
This man might look indifferent on the surface, but he definitely looked after his people.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
She didn’t want to give up her place.
She already felt like she was losing Black to someone else.
“Huh? Really? You could help from outside, couldn’t you?”
“No way! Being part of the Management Bureau lets me help more effectively! I’ll quit when I want to start splurging later!”
As Lee Se-ah declared this with determination, Kang Hyun chuckled quietly and picked up his brush again.
“Fine, do as you see fit.”
Kang Hyun was about to load his brush with ink and move on to the next passage when—
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the study door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Do Jeong-hyeok stepped inside.
“Professor!”
“What is it now?”
“We agreed to meet at my place at six tonight, remember?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“……No, wait!”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s words caught in his throat.
He’d only meant to persuade his mother—he never dreamed the professor would actually drag Gye Mu-jin into this.
This had spiraled completely out of control.
“Your mother called me. She said you told her this person was a con artist and asked to see his face first.”
“So?”
“Do you know who he is?”
“Why should I know that?”
“Of course you should!”
Do Jeong-hyeok felt helpless.
“How can you speak so carelessly about someone without knowing who they are?”
“I don’t need to know who he is to know he’s a con artist who convinced you to pick up a spear.”
‘But that’s Gye Mu-jin! The Spear Demon Gye Mu-jin!’
Do Jeong-hyeok felt genuine concern for the professor.
The man was the only adult who truly understood his frustration, but what if he ended up getting beaten down by Gye Mu-jin?
“Just cancel the appointment, sir!”
“What, you’re worried this great man will thrash me?”
Do Jeong-hyeok bit his lip, struck right where it hurt.
“I won’t deny the professor is extraordinary, but the world is wide and eccentric people abound.”
Kang Hyun burst out laughing.
‘That’s exactly what I wanted to say.’
This kid.
That eccentric is me.
There was another reason he’d laughed so genuinely.
‘This boy’s character doesn’t seem nearly as flawed as I feared—and he might become my student.’
In the future, he would need to create absolute masters like Noh Gwe. What good would that do if they had wicked hearts?
No matter how overflowing with talent someone was, he would never pass on martial arts to someone evil.
“I’ll handle it, so get out.”
“Professor!”
“I’ll see you at your place at six.”
Whoosh!
With a casual wave of his hand, Kang Hyun pushed Do Jeong-hyeok out through the open door.
Whoosh!
He swung once more, and the door slammed shut with a bang.
Lee Se-ah watched the scene unfold with keen interest.
‘Ah, Black… what kind of trouble are you stirring up now?’
* * *
Six o’clock sharp.
The three of them were already there, waiting.
Gye Mu-jin sat in the place of honor on the sofa, with Seo Ji-yeon beside him, while Do Jeong-hyeok stood by the entrance, his expression taut with anxiety.
‘I can’t believe he’s actually coming.’
Not long after.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang, and Do Jeong-hyeok quickly opened it.
Kang Hyun, dressed neatly, stepped into the living room with easy composure.
“Welcome.”
Seo Ji-yeon greeted him and gestured toward the sofa.
“Please say hello. This is the person I mentioned. As you can see for yourself…….”
“Is that you?”
Before Seo Ji-yeon could finish, Kang Hyun cut in bluntly.
His gaze was already fixed on Gye Mu-jin.
“The one teaching Do Jeong-hyeok the spear?”
“Well, well.”
Gye Mu-jin’s brow furrowed darkly.
He’d expected the man to stiffen at the sight of his face, but this was shamelessly bold of him.
‘Huh?’
The moment his eyes registered Kang Hyun’s face, his thoughts froze entirely.
A face he’d seen before. Many times.
A face he could never forget.
That Heaven Beyond Heaven who’d torn Leviathan apart with a mere gesture.
That man Ma Chul-ung had been raving about just yesterday!
‘B-b-b-Black?’
Gye Mu-jin’s mind went white.
‘Why is Black here?’
In the silence that settled over the room, Kang Hyun calmly dropped onto the sofa across from Gye Mu-jin.
“Jeong-hyeok, you sit too.”
“Yes?”
“And you as well, ma’am. Let’s hear it first—why does Jeong-hyeok absolutely have to use a spear?”
Do Jeong-hyeok hesitated uncertainly before taking a seat in the empty space.
Seo Ji-yeon watched Gye Mu-jin, fully expecting him to flare up in anger.
“Mr. Gye. You heard him? This professor is being incredibly rude—”
Bang!
Gye Mu-jin shot to his feet and bent his waist at a sharp ninety degrees, his voice ringing out.
“Sir!”
“…?”
“What?”
Do Jeong-hyeok’s jaw dropped, and Seo Ji-yeon’s eyes nearly bulged from her head.
Kang Hyun’s brow creased in confusion.
“Sir?”
Ma Chul-ung had done the same thing last time—why did everyone keep…?
“Chul-ung is my friend, sir. I’ve heard all about you! You’re…that’s correct, isn’t it?”
He couldn’t reveal the code name Black here.
Director Kim Hyung-seok had made him swear never to speak of it.
But in his heart, he wanted to throw himself down and kowtow on the spot.
The man standing before him was his savior—the one who’d given him life.
Without him, his corpse would be scattered in pieces across the East Sea.
“Ah, that build.”
“Yes, sir. I never dreamed I’d meet you like this here.”
Despite his savage appearance, his voice trembled.
“If you’re Chul-ung’s friend, I suppose you can drop the formality?”
“As you wish, sir!”
Gye Mu-jin answered with the rigid precision of a soldier at attention, and both Seo Ji-yeon and Do Jeong-hyeok forgot to breathe.
‘What…what kind of scene is this?’
The legendary Spear Demon, cowering like this?
He wouldn’t grovel even before the president.
“Let me ask then.”
Kang Hyun continued, seeming almost relieved.
If the man had been strange, he would’ve cracked his skull open first before reasoning with him—but as it stood…
This was clearly one of the S-Rank Hunters from the Leviathan incident.
“Does Jeong-hyeok absolutely have to use a spear?”
“I only looked at the spear because your wife asked me to. If there’s a martial art that’s better suited to him, then that’s what he should learn.”
Seo Ji-yeon was stunned.
“But you clearly said you couldn’t teach anything except the spear—!”
“Of course, ma’am!”
Gye Mu-jin looked at Kang Hyun with an aggrieved expression.
“I’m a spear master—what else would I teach? Still, I did my best every weekend. I stand by that.”
He wasn’t sure why he was making excuses, but the thought of appearing before Kang Hyun as some worthless con man was worse than death.
Fortunately, it seemed Kang Hyun acknowledged at least that much.
“That much showed. His fundamentals were solid.”
Gye Mu-jin wasn’t a con artist or a fraud.
He simply lacked the vision to recognize that Do Jeong-hyeok’s talent leaned more toward close combat, or that his constitution was that of a Diamond Body.
He’d only seen him as a promising young man with bones that happened to be unusually strong.
Kang Hyun turned his gaze to Seo Ji-yeon.
“Mother.”
“Y-yes, of course!”
Seo Ji-yeon’s voice had grown deferential without her realizing it.
“Do Jeong-hyeok mentioned you’ve invested quite a considerable sum in your son’s education.”
“W-well, yes, that’s true.”
Gye Mu-jin, whom she’d revered like the heavens themselves, was now a man crawling before her.
Her composure couldn’t help but crack.
“Is there much left?”
“I… well…”
There was almost nothing.
Private tutoring from an S-Rank Hunter like Gye Mu-jin wasn’t something money alone could buy; she’d mobilized every connection and emptied nearly her entire fortune into the investment.
Beyond Gye Mu-jin alone, she’d invested in every form of private education imaginable.
Kang Hyun’s gaze shifted back to Gye Mu-jin.
“How much did you take?”
“I received a billion won.”
“You certainly milked her for all she was worth.”
“Come on, now! I only took what I did because Do Jeong-hyeok’s talent was worth it. There were others willing to pay even more.”
“Fair enough—I’ll grant you taught him well.”
Kang Hyun turned his full attention to Do Jeong-hyeok and asked directly.
“Do Jeong-hyeok.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Do you want to fight with a spear or with your fists?”
“…”
“Answer me straight.”
Kang Hyun was giving him a chance.
A chance to show his mother once more what he truly wanted.
Do Jeong-hyeok, who had been watching his mother’s expression, clenched his fists and answered.
“I want to fight with my fists.”
The firmness in his voice made Seo Ji-yeon’s shoulders flinch.
Kang Hyun drove the point home to her once more.
“Let me be clear, ma’am. If he continues with the spear, he’ll reach the pinnacle of the domestic scene. But if he fights with his fists, he’ll go global. Isn’t that right, Gye Mu-jin?”
Kang Hyun gave a meaningful nod, and Gye Mu-jin responded at once with an emphatic one of his own.
“…At least with my spear instruction, I could refine him to the top tier within the country. Ma’am.”
Gye Mu-jin continued seriously.
“But where he might reach with his fists—I genuinely can’t say. As you know, the world is teeming with monsters. Yet if this man says he’ll reach the world stage, then that’s absolutely certain to be true.”
Seo Ji-yeon was confounded.
Kang Hyun summarized it for her.
“So your wishes, my judgment, and Do Jeong-hyeok’s wishes all align. You want him to become the best in the world, isn’t that right?”
“Yes… yes. But is it really possible with just his fists…?”
Seeing Seo Ji-yeon still wavering with doubt, Gye Mu-jin lowered his voice and added confidentially.
“Ma’am, this is strictly confidential—please don’t post it on the internet or anything. Nobody would believe it anyway.”
“What?”
“You know Ma Chul-ung I mentioned earlier? An S-Rank Hunter?”
“Yes, yes.”
“He’s also currently learning martial arts from this professor.”
“…!”
Seo Ji-yeon’s mouth fell open.
An S-Rank Hunter seeking instruction from a professor?
Though, of course, teaching ability and a hunter’s reputation were separate matters.
Was he a true master quietly acknowledged by those in the know?
Then Do Jeong-hyeok, who had been listening quietly, gathered his courage and spoke.
“Mom. The truth is, all of the professor’s students made it into the top five of their grades on the midterm examination.”
“What?”
“The Han Tae-ho I fought back then—I would have lost if I hadn’t used my fists. If I’d stuck only to the spear, I’d have been eliminated in the quarterfinals.”
“Do Jeong-hyeok.”
“I want to learn fist fighting from the professor.”
Seo Ji-yeon was shaken.
Her son had hinted at such sentiments before.
But her inner defenses had rejected those words.
Yet now, as those untouchable figures broke through her barriers, her son’s words finally reached her clearly.
What it is that his son truly desires.
Clap.
Kang Hyun clapped his hands once, resetting the mood.
“Now then, Gye Mu-jin.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If I’m not teaching you the Spear Technique, then you’ll need to return that ten billion you received, won’t you?”
It was an unreasonable demand.
But coming from Kang Hyun, it wasn’t.
“Of course! I was planning to give it to you anyway.”
“I don’t need it. Return it to your mother.”
Having coolly refused the ten billion, Kang Hyun turned to Seo Ji-yeon, who sat in stunned silence.
“Ma’am.”
“……Yes?”
“Stop spending money on your son now. Prepare for your retirement and use it for yourself instead.”
“……!”
It was something she’d never heard from any other instructor.
Most told her to spend on herself.
That she needed to nurture her son’s talent.
“In this world, it all comes down to talent.”
But this man said the same thing differently.
“Those with talent will soar without spending a single won, and those without it will never get off the ground no matter how many hundreds of billions you pour into them.”
Now she found herself believing those words.
“Fortunately, your son’s talent is more than abundant…… so even without investment, I’ll make him the finest in the world.”
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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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