The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 101

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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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Episode 101

“What’s the matter?”
Hae-seong set down a plate heaped with meat, blinking in confusion.
His gaze drifted toward Park Woo-min’s smartphone screen.
His eyes, narrowed to read the display, widened in shock.
“They’ve published an article confirming it already?!”
The article contained his name, his title, even his photograph.
“What’s going on?”
Do-gyeong craned his neck with interest, while Jae-hyeok, who had been focusing intently on cutting his steak with meticulous posture, raised his head with a furrowed brow.
Hae-seong’s pupils trembled faintly.
“…Yeom Sa-hyeon, what do we do?”
“What’s the point? The cat’s already out of the bag.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon raised an eyebrow slightly.
His identity had been circulating steadily since the sparring accident.
But….
Yeom Sa-hyeon’s gaze shifted subtly toward Park Woo-min standing before him.
“The timing’s faster than I expected, though.”
“…….”
Park Woo-min flinched sharply at that persistent stare and looked away.
Do-gyeong exhaled in displeasure and crossed his arms.
“So what~ It’s nothing! In a world like this, what difference does it make if he was an interrogator?”
“…!”
Hae-seong started at Do-gyeong’s words.
Whether he’d learned it during the first day’s interview room in Jeju or elsewhere, Do-gyeong seemed to know that Yeom Sa-hyeon was an interrogator—but….
‘Professor Ji doesn’t know yet!’
Though once the news was out, everyone would find out soon enough.
The moment Hae-seong glanced nervously toward Jae-hyeok.
Jae-hyeok set down his fork and knife in silence.
“The backlash will be quite severe, I imagine.”
Hae-seong drew in his breath, startled.
“?! Professor Ji, you knew about this too?”
“Yes, my father gave me advance notice.”
“Ah… I see.”
Hae-seong let out a quiet sigh.
‘So he’s the Deputy Director’s son….’
“? Who is Professor Ji’s father?”
While Do-gyeong alone voiced the question.
Hae-seong released a small exclamation of understanding.
‘That’s why he seemed so composed.’
Then his eyes narrowed abruptly.
Come to think of it, Researcher Park Woo-min’s reaction had been slightly strange.
‘He’s trembling right now under the pressure of Yeom Sa-hyeon’s presence, true enough….’
But he seemed to have come not out of shock that Yeom Sa-hyeon was an interrogator, but rather to report that the article had been published.
With that realization, one hypothesis naturally emerged.
‘Did he know the article was going to break?’
Hae-seong’s gaze shifted to the smartphone lying on the table.
The screen remained quiet, without a single notification.
If the article had truly broken, his phone should have been buzzing with calls by now.
‘Could it be….’
As Hae-seong picked up his smartphone to check something.
Jae-hyeok calmly wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, then spoke.
“The Academy is an educational institution that cultivates the nation’s finest elites. If word spreads that an interrogator with a notorious reputation is being stationed there, parents and public opinion would hardly be favorable.”
Jae-hyeok turned slowly to face Yeom Sa-hyeon, his expression composed.
“No matter the justification of rehabilitation, there are troubling rumors about a man who left sound Hunters crippled, robbed them of the use of their arms, silenced their voices, and even stripped away their cognitive abilities.”
Do-gyeong’s mouth fell open.
“He did all that…?”
Yeom Sa-hyeon gave a casual shrug.
“It’s not permanent, though.”
There was some truth to it.
Sa-hyeon’s skill worked by returning the crimes they’d committed back upon them—faithfully, or even amplified.
What Jae-hyeok had pinpointed was merely a temporary phenomenon that naturally followed in its wake.
Those who sinned with their hands lost them; those who trampled others while sinning lost their legs; those who schemed and plotted found themselves stripped of thought itself.
That was the nature of his interrogation.
Do-gyeong tilted his head with a soft hum of admiration.
“Well, so there was a reason our country’s Hunter crime rate dropped like that.”
“Of course, but….”
Jae-hyeok continued quietly.
“Most people assume that when they hear ‘Interrogator,’ they’re thinking of a Hunter specialized in torture. So the majority probably believe he’s unsuitable for teaching Academy students.”
“Come on. As long as he teaches well, why would anyone care? It’s not like he’s actually torturing the students.”
Do-gyeong clicked his tongue in displeasure.
At Do-gyeong’s darkening expression, Hae-seong flinched and shrank further into himself.
‘Torture… well, not quite. It was a form of training, after all.’
As he found himself smiling wistfully, lost in memories of those past sessions—
Sa-hyeon spoke flatly.
“I don’t care what people think. The real problem is when tedious complications crop up.”
And he slowly shifted his gaze.
Toward Woo-min, who stood fidgeting in front of him.
Even in the crisp, cool sea breeze that tousled his hair, beads of sweat rolled down his face.
“But here’s the thing.”
Sa-hyeon tapped the smartphone screen Woo-min was holding with his index finger.
Gray bars at the top and bottom of the display.
“This article—it’s a screenshot.”
……
“Is it scheduled to be uploaded?”
The sound of Woo-min swallowing hard rang out distinctly.
At the same moment, Hae-seong exhaled a deflated breath.
No matter how much they’d searched, they found nothing.
The portal sites still brimmed only with articles doubting Sa-hyeon’s true identity.
The article identifying Woo-min’s version of Sa-hyeon’s personal details simply didn’t exist.
Sa-hyeon asked in an indifferent tone.
“When’s it supposed to go live?”
“Tomorrow morning… huh.”
Woo-min answered without thinking, then quickly pressed his lips together.
The corners of Sa-hyeon’s mouth curved upward at a slant.
“How do you know so much about it?”
“I… I just… I…”
Woo-min’s voice trembled badly as he took a step back.
Sa-hyeon’s cold gaze seemed to tighten around Woo-min’s throat.

* * *

Outside the Hunter Nation press conference room.
“Deputy Director, shall we proceed?”
As the Secretary opened the door, Se-guk checked his appearance for any signs of disorder.
He brushed away a speck of dust from his sleeve and stepped inside.
Dozens of cameras flashed relentlessly.
The Secretary took hold of the microphone.
“Deputy Director Ji Se-guk, serving as interim Director of the Academy, will now deliver an official statement.”
Se-guk mounted the podium, adjusted the microphone, and cleared his throat quietly.
Once the camera flashes subsided somewhat, he opened his mouth with a solemn expression.
“Regarding the newly appointed professor at the center of today’s controversy, I will now deliver the Academy’s official position. First, Professor Yeom Sa-hyeon, currently employed at the Academy, is….”
Se-guk paused, his lips pressing closed.
The conference hall hung heavy with tension.
He spoke his next words.
“Indeed an Interrogator who served at the Hunter Correctional Facility.”
The journalists stirred audibly.
Flashes erupted once more in a single volley, and reporters’ fingers danced urgently across their keyboards.
“The Academy is fully aware of this individual’s past history, and we made the appointment decision after conducting our internal verification procedures.”
Low murmurs rippled through the assembled journalists, but Ji Se-guk continued without hesitation.
“Professor Yeom Sa-hyeon has served as an interrogator for high-risk criminal Hunters under government authority. We are aware that various opinions exist regarding the methods he employed in that capacity.”
For a moment, silence fell over the hall.
It was the most pressing topic of the day, and everyone held their breath, hanging on his every word.
“However, the Academy judges that in the current context of the Dungeon Break, his experience and knowledge will prove invaluable in preparing students to respond to high-risk situations they may face in the future.”
As Ji Se-guk delivered his remarks in measured tones, the sound of keyboards and camera flashes began to swell once more.
“Furthermore, all educational programs will be conducted under the Academy’s strict oversight and control, and we pledge to ensure that student safety and rights are protected under all circumstances.”
Ji Se-guk gripped the lectern and bowed deeply.
“We apologize once again for the concern this matter has caused, and we ask that you refrain from spreading baseless speculation or exaggerated information.”
He offered a brief nod and stepped down from the podium.
In that instant, the journalists unleashed a torrent of questions as if they had been waiting for precisely this moment.
“Was this appointment decision made unilaterally by the previous Director?!”
“Please comment on allegations of unauthorized Interrogation by the Interrogator that wasn’t recorded in official documents!”
“Is it true that the Interrogator was involved in the Mana Overload incident that affected the sparring student?”
Ignoring their questions, Ji Se-guk made his way silently out of the press room.
The Secretary closed the door behind him, shutting out the barrage of questions and camera flashes.
“Deputy Director, shall we return to your office?”
“To the Academy.”
Ji Se-guk checked his watch and spoke in a clipped tone.
“I’ve just declared that we’ll manage this thoroughly, so we can’t afford to appear negligent on the very first day, now can we.”
As Ji Se-guk began walking at an unhurried pace, the Secretary immediately guided him to the waiting vehicle.
Once the car began moving, the Secretary in the passenger seat studied Ji Se-guk’s expression through the rearview mirror and spoke carefully.
“To think such trouble would erupt the moment you took on the interim Director position… You must be quite troubled, Deputy Director.”
……
Ji Se-guk gazed silently out the car window.
His refined features reflected in the glass.
A faint smile played across his lips as he responded.
“It was bound to surface eventually, wasn’t it.”

* * *

Academy Main Building.
Ji Se-guk’s footsteps echoed sharply against the marble floor.
Upon reaching the Director’s Office, he left the Secretary behind and opened the door.
The office lay dark and empty.
The moment Ji Se-guk switched on the lights and moved toward his desk—
……
His footsteps stopped abruptly.
A stranger sat on the sofa in the center of the Director’s Office.
Ji Se-guk’s eyes narrowed as he took in the figure’s face.
“…What brings you here without so much as a call ahead.”
The visitor reclined casually against the premium leather sofa.
Yeom Sa-hyeon turned his head slowly.
He gestured with his chin toward the television in the office, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Watched your press conference. Well done.”

S-Rank Instructor Devours the Academy – Chapter 101

Author
Baek Roo-ga
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover
Tonp

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0101

© 2026, Baek Luga

※ This e-book is a work protected by the copyright laws of the Republic of Korea.
No part or whole of this work may be reprocessed in any form without the permission of the author and publisher.

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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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