The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor - Chapter 98
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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 Episode 98
The Main Sect Base is Established
The Geuk Yang Heart Method is a profound martial art.
Ariana’s achievement of First Stage was scarcely a complete mastery—rather, following Kang Hyeon’s guidance, she had barely managed one full cycle of Zhoutian Circulation, molding a vessel in her lower dantian to hold the yang qi.
Just as Kang Hyeon had said, a mere first step.
But even that alone was enough to bring her shattered world back to life.
‘It doesn’t hurt.’
She blinked her eyes, still sitting in lotus position.
That pain she’d grown so accustomed to feeling constantly began to fade like a lie.
“Inhale, exhale.”
There was no heat in her breath.
Her airways felt clear, and the salty sea breeze smelled fresher than ever.
‘It’s real…… I can really live.’
Her eyes trembled.
The attending physician’s death sentence—that she wouldn’t see thirty.
All those years fighting desperately to survive anyway.
Then, suddenly, a childhood vow of young Ariana surfaced in her mind.
—If there is someone who can cure my illness, I will give them everything.
The moment had come to keep that oath.
She rose to her feet.
Calling him “Master” in Korean had been something she was made to do at first.
But now it was different.
She wanted, with genuine heart, to pledge her loyalty to Kang Hyeon.
Slide!
She drew her longsword and, in one crisp motion without wasted movement, held the blade upright before her face.
A salute bearing the highest respect—the kind an English knight would show before a king.
“My blade, Ariana Ashford’s blade, shall be drawn for you and held to defend you, Master…!”
In England, they call a master of the craft “Master.”
Ariana wore a grave expression as she bowed her head, and the solemn atmosphere hung over the Sandy Beach when—
“That’s cringey. Put the sword away.”
“Yes, sir!”
She lowered the blade immediately at Kang Hyeon’s rebuke.
Of course, she hadn’t lowered it in jest.
Her master had ordered the blade down, so down it went.
“And if you’re going to formally study martial arts under me, you’d better learn Korean properly first. I’m going to teach the One-Extreme Sword Method only through classical texts and Korean—no interpreters. Understood?”
“Yes! Master!”
“Don’t call me Master.”
“Yes! Master!”
“Now go back to England. Your attendants who came with you are bleeding themselves dry waiting for you.”
“Ah…….”
Ariana felt reluctant.
She’d barely taken her first steps…….
She wanted to walk further…….
“Don’t forget about the building. Make sure the next exchange tournament can be set up without problems when Seo-jun goes.”
“There’s no need to worry about that part.”
She gave a confident smile and nodded affirmatively.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle!
Thunder roared out.
Kang Hyeon’s gaze turned to Ariana’s stomach, and her cheeks flushed red.
Even in pain, her appetite had been strong; now that the pain was gone and she’d barely eaten for four days, it was only natural that her stomach would cry out.
“Ahem, Master.”
Ariana gauged his reaction.
“Before I go, could I possibly try some pork belly? I’d feel awkward eating in front of my attendants. If you could just recommend a good restaurant…….”
Kang Hyeon let out a quiet laugh.
That’s right.
It’s a good thing when someone has something they want to do while living.
As long as she harbored such an instinctive desire for food, even if Asura descended tomorrow, she’d fight to protect it with all her might.
“There’s nothing better than meat for restoring your strength. Wait here.”
Kang Hyeon called Lee Se-ah and had her prepare a barbecue.
The moment she saw the order, she and her disciples hoisted a single backpack and came over.
It was a prototype of the Geonkwon C model.
Zip!
Lee Se-ah opened the backpack’s zipper and began pulling out items one after another with practiced efficiency.
A folding dining table and chairs, a portable grill, charcoal briquettes, tongs, scissors, side dishes, wraps, fresh pork belly slices, a cooler—and more, endlessly.
“…What on earth is all that?”
Ariana couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Lee Se-ah offered the explanation.
“It’s the Skyeland. It’s a new product developed by Taejeong Space, our company. To put it simply, it’s a space-expansion bag.”
“Wow, something like this actually works? Who in the world makes something like this?”
“Who else?”
Lee Se-ah pointed toward Min Seo-jun, who was off in the distance tinkering with something, creating doorways.
“Huh.”
Ariana sighed.
Well, if you could use formation techniques to achieve spatial displacement, a mere space-expansion bag wasn’t really that surprising.
“Can we sell this bag in England? If something like this existed, the royal family and the knighthood would definitely buy it en masse.”
“Settle down.”
Han Seo waved a hand.
“It’s not legally possible yet. That one is for domestic use only.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Once we’re able to export it, I’ll let you know then.”
The three of them continued their conversation about the bag as they set up the area.
They called over Do Jeong-hyeok and Baek Yu-yeon, and the full-fledged barbecue party began.
* * *
After a satisfying meal, Ariana returned to England, leaving her regrets behind.
Time flew like an arrow, and summer’s oppressive heat was beginning to break.
In the meantime, the South Korean Hunter world experienced several interesting developments.
The first was an amusing rumor circulating about Academy students.
[Did the National Academy kids eat something bad as a group??]
Just as AcademiNet existed for Academy students, there was a HunterNet community used by active Hunters.
The post that sparked the conversation came from an A-Rank veteran Hunter’s grievance.
[I’m an 8-year veteran A-Rank Hunter, and I got three strange requests just today]
[Seems like they’re Academy students or something…… They said they’d give me a million won if I’d exude Killing Intent to try and kill them for ten minutes straight in front of me. At first I thought it was complete madness, but I got similar calls three times throughout the day. What is this? These kids freak me out.]
└ You too?
└ Same here lol got offered five million won for a week-long package
└ That’s actually a sweet gig. Pretty sure some professor assigned it as a break assignment—testing how long you can withstand Killing Intent.
└ What kind of crazy professor makes an assignment like that?
└ No way, it’s not an assignment. It’s some special guidance class or something next semester. The students are training voluntarily to get into it. The better they can endure Killing Intent, the higher their chances of acceptance, supposedly?
Regardless, thanks to that trend, veteran Hunters found themselves with some decent pocket money.
The students willingly paid to visit multiple strong fighters, determined to grow accustomed to Killing Intent, and their persistence became a subtle source of motivation even among active Hunters.
└ Heh, these kids are really putting in the work these days
└ Right. Honestly, momentum is everything in actual combat…… The most dangerous thing when you first encounter an upper-tier Demon Beast is getting overwhelmed by the sheer force of their presence
└ Not a bad thing, if you ask me
└ They won the exchange tournament this time, so is something really going to change starting with this cohort?
└ Korea’s future looks bright
The second development was the successful delivery of the Geonkwon.
[Breaking News) Domestic Hunter Guilds Clamoring for Geonkwon! “Give us more!”]
The true power of the Geonkwon revealed itself in practical use.
With all the heavy siege equipment crammed inside and easier movement, dungeon conquest speeds increased, and porter hiring costs dropped, so the guilds went wild.
Especially the mid-sized guilds rose up in arms.
“If only large guilds get to use it, the gap will only widen! Sell them to us too!”
But Yun Tae-jung remained unflustered.
Since the product couldn’t be mass-produced anyway, the very shortage itself would drive Taejeong Space’s value through the roof.
As this unfolded, the world began to take notice.
[Focus) Global Logistics Giants on High Alert! “We dread the day Taejeong Space’s technology reaches the civilian market”]
[Overseas) Global Major Guilds Waiting for Skyeland Launch.]
[Overseas) Just what kind of technology is Skyeland?]
[Overseas) U.S. NASA Makes Secret Cooperation Proposal to Taejeong Space? “Will Revolutionize Space Cargo Transport”]
There were even rumors circulating that the American space agency was attempting to make contact.
It was only natural.
Space-expansion techniques are overpowered tech that apply across virtually any industry.
That’s why they’d thrived even in the Martial World.
Third was Kang Hyeon’s launch of White Management!
Kang Hyeon gave Han Seo-gyeong ten billion won as initial capital.
He covered office rental, hired plenty of staff…….
He said he’d give more if needed, but Han Seo-gyeong refused adamantly.
“No, no! This is more than enough! Really, it’s generous!”
More money was certainly welcome, but excess capital could become a liability.
Besides, the weight of responsibility in case of failure would grow proportionally.
“Growing this further is what I’m meant to do.”
Han Seo-gyeong moved at a terrifying pace.
He leased office space in key Gangnam locations and scouted seasoned operatives he’d spotted during his Cheonlang days with remarkable terms.
He began running six guilds, which meant Oh In-bang and the other students had to stay busy throughout the vacation.
* * *
Then, a week before classes resumed.
Knock, knock.
“Major shareholder?”
After a long while, Yun Tae-jung appeared at the Professor’s Office.
His face wore a broad smile.
“Come see! It’s finally finished!”
“Is that so?”
Kang Hyeon set down his brush and followed Yun Tae-jung out with Lee Se-ah.
Behind the New Training Hall.
‘At last……!’
Kang Hyeon’s base of operations within the Academy was complete.
How much effort had gone into making this.
He’d won a wager with the professors to secure the land, invested all the funds he’d received from Ma Chul-ung, commissioned Taejeong Space, and even brought together the collaboration of Min Seo-jun and Park Tae-gun…….
All of this had been accomplished in just a single semester.
The total site was two thousand pyeong!
Three buildings including an outdoor practice ground had a total floor area of eleven hundred ten pyeong, while the remaining eight hundred ninety pyeong were laid out with walking paths, open ground, high walls, and small storage units.
But the physical dimensions were ultimately irrelevant.
Min Seo-jun’s Space-Expansion Formation was already woven seamlessly across the entire grounds.
As they reached the entrance, Professor Park Tae-gun and Min Seo-jun were waiting.
Kang Hyeon’s gaze deepened.
‘This place will become my main sect base.’
He would nurture disciples here to master the Seven Celestial Formation.
The poisons and medicinal ingredients he’d gathered would be stored here, and his accumulated knowledge would be codified into secret manuals and carefully shelved in the Archives.
Of course, not just anyone could enter.
Kang Hyeon intended to grant access only to his disciples and those he’d personally selected as family.
‘Once Seo-jun layers on the training formations, it’ll be perfect.’
The most crucial element was the Time Flow Suppression Formation.
Without it in the Martial World, he never would have driven a blade into Asura’s body.
In any case.
There were three buildings total.
From left to right: Archives Medical Hall, Main Building, and Dormitory…….
“Let’s add Tae-jeong in front, as promised.”
“……Hah, thank you so much!”
Yun Tae-jung’s face filled with emotion.
It was already an honor to have his name on a building at the National Academy…….
But to him, this structure itself was a magnificent edifice worthy of recording in world history.
“Master, we’ll need two high-grade Magic Stones to activate the Formation.”
“Right.”
The site supervisor and workers had all withdrawn after completion.
They’d have no idea what Formation Min Seo-jun had installed.
It was in place but not yet activated.
Following Min Seo-jun’s guidance, they descended deep into the basement of the Main Building to the control chamber, where the Formation Core stood like an altar.
Whoosh.
Kang Hyeon withdrew two Heart Cores of Heart Lantern Ghost from his robes and handed one to Min Seo-jun.
“Use this.”
“Yes.”
Kang Hyeon and Min Seo-jun.
Master and disciple stood facing each other before the grooved channel split in two directions.
No elaborate signals or words were needed.
Just intuition.
They lowered them together into the slots where they belonged.
Boom!
The moment the Heart Core touched the altar, the entire two-thousand-pyeong expanse began to tremble.
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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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