The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 29

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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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Chapter 29

Min Yong gazed at the sacrificial pawns with a distant expression, then posed his question.
“Um… sir. Is it really okay if those guys overhear our conversation?”
“Of course not.”
Sa Hyeon answered lightly, and immediately deployed his skill.

[Formless Barrier (S-rank) skill has been activated.]

Sa Hyeon’s eyes, stained crimson with blood.
Min Yong’s heart lurched to a stop.
At the sight of those crimson eyes, memories from that day came flooding back unbidden.
Now he understood, bone-deep, why the released prisoners from the Underground Prison would convulse whenever they saw the color red.
“Go on, then. Finish what you were saying.”
A transparent barrier had materialized around the two of them.
Not only was outside sound completely blocked, but not a single word of their conversation inside would leak beyond—a perfect soundproof enclosure.
‘Just where do this monster’s abilities end…?’
Min Yong exhaled a low breath, then finally opened his lips.
“Yes, well… I was just explaining the path through which we located the Summoner.”
“Just the essentials. Keep it brief.”
“Yes, sir.”
Min Yong nodded obediently.
“…The first time his movements became visible was about a week ago.”
“Only a week?”
“Yes. Whenever items with a reddish hue came up at auction, he would sweep every last one of them up….”
That was where the problem began.
There are auctions where the auctioneer and the Specific Organization collude beforehand.
This Summoner intercepted even items that were the subject of such transactions.
When the organization sent people to recover the goods, they all retreated battered and broken, I’m told.”
“So he does know something after all….”
Sa Hyeon murmured low to himself.
There had to be a reason for such obsessive fixation on the color red.
‘It seems connected to the red light that Ha-je was searching for.’
“Has his identity been confirmed?”
“Well… he’s presumed to be an S-rank Awakener with Summoner characteristics.”
“Presumed?”
So the intelligence I provided is all there is.
Sa Hyeon’s expression hardened into something grim.
As a palpable, brutal killing intent radiated from him—something no disguise could conceal—Min Yong broke into a cold sweat and scrambled to explain.
“There really is no more information…! They said that even after scouring all data from across the world, there’s no such S-rank Summoner in existence! And, and besides, you said you didn’t sense any concealment aura from him….”
“…Ah.”
An exclamation of realization escaped Sa Hyeon’s lips.
In other words….
“An Unregistered Awakener?”
“It’s quite likely.”
Sa Hyeon’s lips curved up in a smooth, predatory smile.
An outlaw who flaunted Gates without even registering as an Awakener.
‘This bastard’s more reckless than I thought.’
“Location.”
“…Yes! The most recent confirmed location.”
Min Yong quickly held out a tablet.
On the tablet’s map, a location near the Battlefield appeared—a dangerous zone with no civilian dwellings.
“Better lock him away before he causes any more trouble.”
Today’s class had worn him down needlessly, but if he waited any longer and the bastard relocated his hideout, that would be far more of a headache.
‘The problem is these Shackles….’
Sa Hyeon fingered the thin metal restraint fastened at his waist, hidden beneath his coat.
S-rank Awakeners are rare enough that standard Shackles are typically designed to specifications for A-rank Awakeners.
When Sa Hyeon had tested it himself out of caution, he’d found that with just a little force, he might be able to snap them.
‘Maybe I should have it reinforced.’
Sa Hyeon tilted his chin thoughtfully.
“What about the items I left with you?”
“Yes, sir.”
Min Yong promptly withdrew the items from his Inventory.
The equipment and Boss Core they’d received as rewards from the Arid Desert Gate.
“As for this anomaly… there was nothing I couldn’t uncover within my means.”
“Then what did you find?”
Sa Hyeon’s eyes narrowed sharply, and Min Yong hurried to add more.
“Still…! I managed to identify someone we can investigate! Master Craftsman Gwak Cheoljung!”
…Gwak Cheoljung?
At the mention of that name, Sa Hyeon’s brow twitched slightly.
He rubbed his temples for a moment and held his silence.
Min Yong endured the tense quiet, anxious and waiting.
Then, finally, the silence broke.
“There’s no helping it.”
Sa Hyeon exhaled a short sigh and rose from his seat.
Crack—
At the same instant, the barrier that had enveloped the two shattered.
Sounds that had been muffled suddenly flooded in.
“—O! You’re leaving now?!”
Eun O called out cheerfully.
In stark contrast, Ryu A trembled as she pleaded.
“S-Sir!! Can you please take this off!! I don’t want to become a debtor at my age!!”
“Damn, this is heavy…!”
“My arms keep dropping…!”
The students all struggled with their own burdens.
At a gesture from Sa Hyeon, Min Yong’s men quickly gathered up the items that the students had been eyeing anxiously.
“I almost became a loan shark before even debuting as a Hunter…!”
“Phew…!”
“Wow, that was some leg workout!”
“I really wanted to try wearing it….”
As the students sank to the floor, each releasing their own sighs,
Min Yong marked a different location on the map and held it out to Sa Hyeon.
“Master Craftsman Gwak Cheoljung’s location is here. However, it’s in the deepest part of the Underground Market, so it might be difficult to find… will that be alright?”
Sa Hyeon narrowed his eyes and studied the map.
“…This isn’t even a maze.”
The market twisted and coiled in endless convolutions.
It was unclear whether this was an invitation or a warning.
Cheoljung’s temperament showed even in such things.
While Sa Hyeon clicked his tongue,
“Master Craftsman Gwak Cheoljung…?”
Mu Geon, who had been reluctant to part with the items, suddenly raised his hand.
“I know where it is!”
At last, a pilgrimage! His eyes gleamed with fervent intensity.

* * *

A damp cavern thick with stale air.
Despite the late hour, the place bustled with merchants and Hunters who had come to procure goods.
“Wow, so this is the famous Underground Market!”
Eun O wore a bright smile as his head darted about, taking in the sights.
Everything from potions to basic equipment and weapons.
The underground arcade-like space was lined with rare and exotic items rarely seen above ground.
The students were absorbed in their wonderment, eyes wide as they browsed the market.
‘Being a Hunter has gotten easier.’
Sa Hyeon cast an indifferent observation and looked away with little interest.
Led by Mu Geon, Sa Hyeon’s group walked endlessly through a long, unbroken corridor.
The crowded throng gradually thinned.
By the time the Magic Stone Lanterns that had lit the ceiling disappeared one by one and twilight settled around them,
“Here it is…!”
Mu Geon finally came to a halt.
His face flushed with emotion, he clenched his fists tight.
Eun O let slip a remark that seemed to come from nowhere.
“It looks just like a sauna’s heating chamber!”
“Pfft, seriously!”
Ryu A burst out laughing at the apt comparison.
“Calling a sacred workshop a heating chamber….”
Leaving Mu Geon speechless and visibly stunned in his wake, Sa Hyeon pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The moment they stepped inside, a thick, oppressive heat filled the lungs.
The space was meticulously maintained—clean, orderly—and brimmed with countless items.
“My dream has come true….”
Mu Geon brought his hand to his chest, his eyes glistening with tears.
“Oh, is this a Wrist Guard? Is this equipment too?”
“Hey, Eun O. Be careful. That thing alone is worth tens of billions.”
“Huh?! This?!”
“Of course. It’s a masterwork by Gwak Cheoljung.”
“But why is there hardly anyone in that master craftsman’s shop?”
Sa Hyeon glanced back at the students squawking among themselves.
“Don’t cause trouble this time. Just wait quietly.”
Then he moved toward another small door at the far end.
“Ah.”
Before turning the knob, he added one final word.
“No matter what sounds you hear from inside, don’t look in.”
Without giving them time to ask, Sa Hyeon slipped through the door and vanished.
As he descended deeper, the heat intensified.
A massive forge blazed with fierce flames, pouring out waves of scorching fire.
Beside it stood an empty workbench.
‘Has he already figured it out?’
In that instant.
The presence of someone right beside him.
Sa Hyeon was about to turn around.
A sharp whistle through the air—
The Gray Hammer dug in just below his jaw.
“What are you doing here?”
A gruff voice, suddenly close.
Gwak Cheoljung despised outsiders entering his workshop.
Because of this, no matter how much someone coveted his equipment, they dared not venture into his workspace.
They could only wait for pieces distributed through official channels.
Semi-S-rank mastery. The nation’s finest master craftsman, Gwak Cheoljung.
This was why his shop saw not a single visitor.
Gwak Cheoljung examined Sa Hyeon’s Camouflage Hat slowly as he spoke.
“That hat—looks like something I made….”
“…….”
Rather than answer, Sa Hyeon turned his head deliberately.
His movements unhesitating, even with a weapon pressed to his throat.
“Is this bastard deaf?!”
Suddenly, Gwak Cheoljung swung the hammer.
Sa Hyeon bent his knees and smoothly evaded the strike.
The hammer cleaved through empty air.
The fierce wind from the swing sent Sa Hyeon’s hat tilting.
Crash—!
“Oh.”
Sa Hyeon pressed his hat back down and let out a small sound of appreciation.
The hammer that had missed Sa Hyeon struck his own Armor instead.
Where the hammer landed, a deep dent formed in the metal.
Sa Hyeon chuckled softly.
“Still got it in you, old man.”
“You—!”
Gwak Cheoljung, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his thick, muscular forearms, froze in place.
“…Uncle?”
A familiar form of address.
Between the scraggly beard, his lips hung slack and bewildered.
“Who the hell are you…?”
His eyes, which had been drifting aimlessly through the air in confusion, fixed suddenly on one point.
“Those eyes…!”
“Right.”
Now that he thought about it, there was no real need to hide his face here.
Sa Hyeon removed the hat.
His face returned to its true form, emerging from between disheveled dark hair.
“……!”
Gwak Cheoljung’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of Sa Hyeon.
“……You, you… that face….”
“Five years, then.”
Sa Hyeon tossed the hat into his Inventory and offered a light greeting.
A voice familiar to the ear.
From the depths of memories he had worked so hard to bury, an indescribable emotion welled up.
‘That bastard I knew? He was definitely dead….’
Gwak Cheoljung approached Sa Hyeon’s side as if in a daze, transfixed.
His face was sharper now, far more mature than before, but there was no doubt.
“You son of a bitch, Yeom Sa Hyeon…!”
Tears welled up quickly in Gwak Cheoljung’s eyes as recognition dawned.
He’d been alive all this time, the bastard….
Gwak Cheoljung reached out with an overwhelming surge of emotion.
And then, directly toward Sa Hyeon’s back—
“—If you were alive, you should’ve told me you were alive, you reckless son of a bitch!!”
Whoosh—!
He unleashed a full-swing strike.
“Whoa.”
In that split second, Sa Hyeon twisted his body to evade the blow.
Sa Hyeon’s hair whipped violently in the wake of the destructive wind pressure that tore through the air.
“…I get that you’re happy to see me.”
Craaash!
The wall that took the hit instead of Sa Hyeon’s back crumpled like styrofoam.
“That’s basically attempted murder, isn’t it….”
A thin smile played at the corners of Sa Hyeon’s mouth.

S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy Chapter 29

Author
Baek Ruga
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover
Tonk

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0030

ⓒ2026, Baek Ruga

※ This e-book is a work protected by the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or all of this work may be reprocessed in any form without permission from 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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