The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 73

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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 73
We Don’t Die
In the end, the dispatch was confirmed, and special reports broke.
[EXCLUSIVE] South Korea Dispatches S-rank Hunter to Mongolia! Secures Three-Year Mining Rights to Namgobi Lithium Mine!
[Heroes of the East Sea Head to Mongolia! Ma Chul-ung and Gye Mu-jin Deployed!]
[After Leviathan, Now a Jiangshi in Mongolia?]
Public reaction was divided.
Some praised the heroic narrative of the two Hunters, but concerns about the loss of national assets ran just as deep.
Of course, the public was being misled.
The true heart of this dispatch wasn’t the two S-rank Hunters basking in the media spotlight.
The actual passenger list for the chartered flight to Mongolia totaled five names.
Ma Chul-ung, Gye Mu-jin, Lee Se-ah, Baek Yu-yeon,
and Kang Hyun.

* * *
Academy Medical Office.
“Grab this too—no wait, I need to pack that as well.”
Professor Hwang Ye-rim was stuffing her suitcase with medical supplies like a mother sending her child to war.
“P-Professor. They say we have everything there already.”
“But we still need to prepare for contingencies. I can’t forget what happened at Kasar. And Mongolia just declared a National Disaster, didn’t it? How do we know what might happen out there?”
“……I’m just on the medical advisory team, so I’ll only be observing from camp.”
“You’re going to believe everything the government says? And I don’t think Professor Kang is the type to leave you sitting safely in the background either. You need to take care of yourself—twice over!”
Even as she wondered if that could really be true, a vague unease gnawed at her.
Master was the kind of person who might very well drag her straight into the den of monsters and tell her to witness Jiangshi with her own eyes and study them.
“Don’t worry, Professor. Surely Master wouldn’t actually let me die?”
“That man is the most dangerous! He’s the type who’ll drink out there too!”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Huh?”
Hwang Ye-rim flinched and turned at the languid voice that drifted from the Medical Office doorway.
Kang Hyun was sitting askew against the frame.
‘When did he get here?’
“Going somewhere cold—alcohol is essential, isn’t it?”
“Master! You’re here?”
When Baek Yu-yeon greeted him, Kang Hyun glanced over the suitcase and clicked his tongue.
“Why are you packing so much? Take it all out.”
“Even the bandages, disinfectant, and hemostatic agents?”
“What you need to bring is the Needle Case I gave you. That alone is enough.”
Kang Hyun’s expression turned serious.
“We won’t have time to use any of that anyway—we’ll be too busy. You’ll have to drain the blood of monsters far worse than Kasar.”
Gulp.
Baek Yu-yeon swallowed hard.
Kasar alone had made her heart pound, but the idea that there would be multiple creatures of that caliber…….
‘Can I really pull this off?’
“This dispatch will be your first stage as a physician to make a name for yourself across the world. So set everything else aside and focus only on Acupuncture. The moment you make a mistake, a patient’s life disappears.”
Hwang Ye-rim, listening from the side, felt her insides burn.
How much pressure was he placing on the girl!
“Ahem, ahem!”
Hwang Ye-rim, awkward about the gossip she’d spoken earlier, cleared her throat once before stepping forward.
“Professor Kang, does Yu-yeon really have to go? She’s still not a full physician—she’s just a Student. Aren’t you putting too much of a burden on her?”
Kang Hyun didn’t bother to argue back.
He understood that her words came from genuine concern for Baek Yu-yeon.
Instead, he turned his steady gaze toward Baek Yu-yeon.
“Professor Hwang is right.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re truly afraid and find it too burdensome, you don’t have to go.”
“I…….”
“The choice is yours.”
Baek Yu-yeon gripped the Blue Cloud Silver Needle her Master had given her.
‘My first overseas dispatch.’
Of course she was afraid.
The thought that the energy writhing inside Kasar’s body was scattered everywhere sent a chill down her spine.
But something far greater than fear stirred within her.
‘I want to go.’
That satisfaction of saving a life with her own hands.
That overwhelming joy when the crowd cheered.
The subtleties of the Heavenly Doctor Ghost Needle were already etched into her fingertips.
Now she had confidence.
She felt certain she could place needles far more swiftly and precisely than she had with Kasar.
“I want to go, Master.”
“Sigh.”
She spoke to Hwang Ye-rim, who released a deep breath.
“I’m truly grateful for your concern. But medicine doesn’t improve by avoiding challenges, does it? I’ll see everything with my own eyes and fix it all with my own hands.”
“Good.”
Kang Hyun’s mouth curved upward.
‘A natural healer after all.’
Grow swiftly and master the Water Yang Formation.
“If you’ve decided, leave all that useless baggage behind and come. We’ll miss our flight.”

* * *
Incheon Airport Terminal 1, State VIP Lounge.
In the center of that vast space stood a man of considerable bulk, taking up his entire domain.
Occupying two sofas by himself yet still looking cramped—that was Ma Chul-ung.
“You’ve arrived, sir!”
Ma Chul-ung shot to his feet, greeting Kang Hyun as he entered.
Behind him, Lee Se-ah and Baek Yu-yeon followed, pulling their luggage.
“Siiiiir!”
An exaggerated voice echoed from the lounge entrance.
A tall man in sunglasses—Gye Mu-jin.
“How long it’s been! I’ve missed you so much!”
As he approached with both arms spread wide, Kang Hyun’s brow furrowed.
“What’s with this sudden familiarity?”
“You hurt me, sir! You promised to share a meal, yet you never called me. Do you know how long I’ve waited?”
They’d agreed to call if the chance came up, but he’d been far too busy lately.
“Stop clinging like that. It’s repulsive.”
“Come now, sir! Don’t you understand this humble brother’s heart?”
Ma Chul-ung interjected at Gye Mu-jin’s ingratiating manner.
“Mu-jin, you’re supposedly an S-rank Hunter. When did you become such a sycophant? Show some dignity.”
“Sycophant? That’s called loyalty.”
Gye Mu-jin slipped his sunglasses down and laughed.
“And who’s being pathetic? You threw five hundred billion won at the sir from day one and wagged your tail. Now you’ve gone completely under him, haven’t you? What is it—the Tiger Research Institute? Not some ugly research facility?”
Veins bulged across Ma Chul-ung’s forehead.
“You want to die? You pale spear-wielder. And you’re not exactly by the sir’s side either, are you?”
“At least you stick around because of the Five Tiger Single Slash Saber, yet you strut about as if you’ve accomplished something.”
Behind the two most celebrated Hunters in South Korea trading sparks like children, Baek Yu-yeon could only blink her eyes.
‘These incredible people are acting like this… in front of my Master?’
“Enough.”
At Kang Hyun’s single word, both Hunters snapped their mouths shut as if they’d never quarreled.
“You understand? You two are the public face of this dispatch.”
“Yes.”
Ma Chul-ung replied.
“The public face should naturally be someone handsome like me, sir.”
Gye Mu-jin quipped again.
“Look at that ugly mug of Chul-ung’s. Is that a hero’s face? That’s a bandit leader’s face. Even Jiangshi will flee at the sight of it.”
“One of you two will have to die today, I think.”
As sparks threatened to fly again, Lee Se-ah stepped in to mediate.
“Please, both of you. Calm down.”
She too, like Baek Yu-yeon, couldn’t quite adjust.
Weren’t they both figures the Special Forces Team found difficult to handle, notorious for their pride?
Yet in front of Black, they were just eager younger brothers desperate for recognition.
“Gentlemen Hunters. I ask for your cooperation. Since you’ve signed the contract, you understand—in this operation, the identity and capabilities of Professor Kang Hyun, or rather Black, must never be exposed to the outside. Your achievements must be made the centerpiece.”
Lee Se-ah whispered so that only the two of them could hear.
“Understood. It’s a matter of national interest.”
Ma Chul-ung nodded solidly, and Gye Mu-jin laughed cheerfully in turn.
“Don’t worry, Agent. My brother secures the gains, and we secure the honor. Say, Chul-ung—what if we end up becoming SS-rank in the process?”
At Gye Mu-jin’s words, Ma Chul-ung’s eyes shifted slightly.
If they were to handle not only Leviathan but the Jiangshi horde in Mongolia as well?
The World Association would certainly take notice of their names.
Of course, the SS-rank classification didn’t officially exist yet.
But it was a trend gaining traction in the world these days.
There were increasingly more cases where S-rank Hunters showed considerable gaps in ability among themselves.
In fact, the reason he’d been training so hard lately came down to that.
‘If an opportunity comes, you can only soar if you have the strength to seize it.’
Kang Hyeon is a flooding torrent.
A natural disaster you see coming but cannot stop.
To rise above it without being swept away?
In the end, you have to become overwhelmingly strong yourself.
“The charter jet is ready for takeoff,” Lee Se-ah said, checking her wristwatch, and everyone moved out.
It was time to head for Mongolia.

* * *
The jet flew straight to the Forward Base nearest the Yollin Am Gorge.
“Here they come!”
Batar and high-ranking officials from the Mongolian Hunter Association waited on the runway.
Though they’d made their decision, doubt filled their eyes.
‘What can just two S-rankers do?’
‘Isn’t the support too thin?’
‘Professor Batar… are you really confident about this?’
But Batar’s gaze was different.
The moment Kang Hyeon descended yawning, rather than the two S-rank Hunters who came down first, Batar exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Professor Kang!”
“We meet again, Professor Batar.”
The two shook hands, and conversation began.
Gye Mu-jin took the microphone.
He was the expedition’s nominal leader today.
“The two of us will fight in the gorge. Professor Kang Hyeon will follow as a consultant given his expertise in Demonic Beasts, and Student Baek Yu-yeon will monitor the condition of your patients. Any questions?”
“Only three of you are going into the gorge?”
The Mongolian Hunter Association Director recoiled in shock upon hearing the translation.
“Impossible! However much support has arrived, you can’t send just two S-rank Hunters without any preliminary reconnaissance! That’s suicide! If Korean Hunters die here, Mongolia will bear enormous diplomatic responsibility to the international community. Which nation will support us afterward?”
But Gye Mu-jin stepped forward with his usual playfulness stripped away.
“We won’t die.”
He genuinely believed it.
He’d seen it himself.
Black falling from the sky, casually flicking a hand to burst Leviathan’s head open.
Die while traveling with a monster like that?
That made no sense.
“And even if we did, Mongolia would bear no responsibility—understand? Feel free to record me. I’ll sign a written oath if you want. We simply don’t want to expose our full strength. And naturally, no cameras are allowed.”
From Gye Mu-jin’s words, Batar deduced the truth.
‘It’s Professor Kang Hyeon!’
Korea clearly didn’t want Professor Kang Hyeon exposed to the world.
If Mongolia pushed back here, Kang Hyeon might simply leave.
That would be the worst case for Mongolia.
“Then allow me to accompany you.”
Batar interjected, but Gye Mu-jin shook his head.
“Not possible.”
“As a warrior of Mongolia, I cannot entrust my country’s crisis to foreigners alone. Please let me serve as a guide at least. You’ll have to walk to the gorge anyway, won’t you?”
Gye Mu-jin tilted his head slightly and glanced sideways at Kang Hyeon.
Kang Hyeon merely swirled the Whiskey Bottle.
“Fine.”
Gye Mu-jin shifted his stance.
“Only as far as the gorge, though. Beyond that won’t work.”
“Much obliged.”
Batar nodded.

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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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