The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 4

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 4

‘It’s strange, really. A timid office worker Hunter taking up my assistant role without a shred of hesitation.’
From what the inmates said, his reputation up on the surface didn’t seem particularly favorable.
Though it was the reputation of the “Mirror Mask” rather than Yeom Sa-hyun himself.
Sa-hyun clicked his tongue and swept his ashen eyes slowly over Hae Sung.
The way his eyes darted about in a face tense with nervousness.
“What’s your ability?”
“…Pardon?”
Hae Sung blinked, thrown by the unexpected question.
“I don’t know your trait either. Shouldn’t you tell me yours before asking about mine?”
“Oh, ah!”
Hae Sung let out a small exclamation.
“My apologies! I didn’t think of that.”
He straightened his posture and bowed formally.
Sa-hyun gave a casual nod, and Hae Sung cleared his throat before speaking carefully.
“My rank is A-rank. My trait is Recorder—you can think of it as having a particularly good memory.”
“Recorder, huh….”
Sa-hyun retrieved the information from his mental records, turning it over slowly.
“If used well, couldn’t you operate as a combat Hunter too?”
The hallmark of the Recorder trait was that once something entered the mind, it was never forgotten.
Whether it was information about monsters or their attack patterns.
But this ability wasn’t limited to mental activity alone. He could perfectly replicate an enemy’s attack patterns and apply them in actual combat.
Had Hae Sung witnessed and directly experienced monster and Hunter battles in the field, he might have grown into quite a capable combat Hunter.
Hae Sung scratched his forehead and lowered his head.
“Well… I suppose that’s true. But…”
Hae Sung dampened his lips and let his words trail off.
Sa-hyun raised an eyebrow and spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Ah. Are your other stats lacking?”
“Yes… Only my Intellect stat is high. That’s why I only take support roles.”
Hae Sung hung his head and spoke quietly.
“But I’m satisfied with what I do. Even in small ways, I can be of service to the Hunters working hard out in the field.”
He finished speaking and offered an awkward smile. Sa-hyun gazed at it in silence.
“Hard work is a joke.”
What was the point of having power if you were just scheming in the background? There was no shortage of guys like that.
Just looking at the inmates dragged in here, the discipline among modern Hunters had deteriorated past recognition—it had simply vanished.
How they treated non-combat Hunters was as predictable as fire.
Among Hunters, strength was the same as authority.
Sa-hyun, displeased, bit down on a cola straw and turned his gaze to the store display showing an advertisement.
His eyebrows suddenly furrowed.
“Wait—isn’t that Baek I-won?”
“Pardon? Hunter Baek I-won? But it’s not time for him to return yet…”
Hae Sung turned in confusion to look where Sa-hyun’s gaze was directed.
The large monitor hanging behind Hae Sung.
A man with neatly cropped white hair and sharp, distinct features was displayed on the screen. Below his face, a caption scrolled past.

[When the emergency alarm sounds, immediately evacuate to the shelter according to the Hunter’s instructions—]

“Ah, it’s a public service announcement from Hunter I-won!”
“A public service announcement?”
Sa-hyun’s face twisted in disbelief as he let out a hollow laugh.
“Hunters do that too?”
“Well… yes, usually. Hunters appearing in advertisements is pretty common.”
He reacted as if seeing a Hunter public service announcement for the first time.
“Did you really grow up somewhere so remote the signal doesn’t reach…?”
Hae Sung asked carefully, his face bemused.
“Something like that.”
Specifically, it wasn’t the mountains—it was Underground.
Yeom Sa-hyun stifled his words and let out a quiet laugh, causing Hae Sung’s eyes to widen like a rabbit’s.
“Wait, really? Then—”
He was about to ask when it happened.
“Wow!! It’s Hunter Baek I-won!!”
A small child came running over with a patter of footsteps, shouting at the sight of Baek I-won’s face displayed prominently on the monitor.
The piercing shriek made Yeom Sa-hyun’s brow furrow naturally.
“What did Baek I-won do to cause all this fuss?”
“These days, Hunters are doing better than most celebrities. Especially Hunter Baek I-won—he’s handsome, you know.”
Hae Sung, who had firmly convinced himself that Yeom Sa-hyun had just come down from the mountains, began his careful explanation.
“Especially Hunter Baek I-won ranks number one as a role model among children.”
It had been four years since Baek I-won gained media exposure as an S-rank Hunter.
The unrivaled strength of number-one-ranked Baek I-won, along with looks as striking as any actor. And apparently his character was so good that heartwarming stories about him constantly poured out.
His popularity ranking also naturally remained in first place.
“Baek I-won’s already ranked number one?”
Yeom Sa-hyun raised an eyebrow as he spoke, and Hae Sung blinked in bewilderment.
“But how do you know about Hunter Baek I-won?”
It seemed odd to him that Yeom Sa-hyun didn’t know about Hunter Association public service advertisements but knew about Baek I-won.
‘It’s not as if we share any great connection.’
Yeom Sa-hyun was just about to open his mouth dismissively.
“He really is amazing!!”
The child’s voice struck his eardrums once more, and a new crease appeared between Yeom Sa-hyun’s brows.

[―With great power comes great responsibility.]

Each time Baek I-won’s image changed on the screen, the child let out exclamations of wonder and bounced in place.
Yeom Sa-hyun opened his mouth without hesitation toward the kid.
“Are you a Guaejo? What are you doing making all that racket in a public place?”
A Guaejo—a monster that attacks with sonic waves.
The sharp, piercing cry that attacked the eardrums was remarkably alike.
“A, a Guaejo……?”
At Yeom Sa-hyun’s words, the child’s mouth fell open and he froze.
It was the kind of reaction one might have after hearing a terrible curse.
And rightly so, since Guaejo weren’t just known for their ear-piercing screams—their appearance was extremely grotesque.
Just as Yeom Sa-hyun narrowed his eyes in displeasure at the child’s shocked reaction.
“I told you to pick from the menu. What are you doing here?”
While the kid stood frozen stiff, a student in school uniform walked over slowly.
“Sister…….”
The child’s eyes, glistening with tears, turned toward the student.
“…What? Are you crying?!”
“That guy said I’m a Guaejo!”
“What?”
“He said I’m ugly and loud—waaaah!”
Hae Sung was startled and quickly apologized instead.
“I’m so sorry, so sorry. The thing is….”
Hae Sung tried to explain the full story, but the older sister, understanding the situation at a glance, waved her hand.
“Oh, no worries!”
The sister shook her hand dismissively and then clicked her tongue at her younger brother.
“Ji Eun-woo, I told you not to run around outside like a young colt and make noise.”
At her firm rebuke, the younger brother pushed out his lower lip.
“Go on, apologize right now.”
Apparently a rather strict older sister, the younger brother reluctantly offered his apology.
The situation was quickly resolved by the sister’s stern words.
After bowing neatly to Yeom Sa-hyun and Hae Sung, the older sister placed her arm around her younger brother’s shoulder and moved away.
“For your punishment, you’re getting a single burger, not a set meal.”
“Aw, sister!”
The siblings were bickering in front of the kiosk.
Hae Sung let out a soft laugh.
“They’re nice to watch, aren’t they?”
“What is.”
Despite Yeom Sa-hyun’s lukewarm response, Hae Sung gazed at the siblings with gentle eyes, unfazed.
“Days like this. When I think about how what I do as a Hunter is protecting people’s ordinary lives, I feel a sense of purpose.”
“…….”
Sa-hyun crunched the remaining ice from his cola glass, turning slowly to survey the shop around him.
The world he knew was a grim, treacherous place—one where Gates could tear open at any moment and consume the city without warning.
Most Hunters didn’t get to play celebrity; they were lucky if the man they saw yesterday hadn’t become a corpse by tomorrow.
Even the Non-Awakened eating hamburgers peacefully during a Dungeon Break were in the same boat.
It was a sight Sa-hyun hadn’t anticipated before ascending to the surface—though he couldn’t say he was entirely surprised.
“What, are they filming a documentary?”
Sa-hyun’s face twisted in distaste.
Protecting people’s ordinary lives. That sort of saccharine reasoning was hard to stomach. For him, an Awakened One’s strength was nothing more than a means of survival.
“I suppose….”
Hae Sung’s shoulders drooped as his expression fell.
“It does sound a bit out of place during an emergency, doesn’t it.”
As Hae Sung scratched his head sheepishly, Sa-hyun raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze toward the window.
“Now that you mention it, it’s been surprisingly quiet for an emergency.”
“That’s true. We’re still in the early stages, and since Baek I-won was dispatched immediately to the A-rank Gate that occurred this morning, the damage has been minimal.”
Hae Sung nodded, his eyes drifting toward the window as well.
“Of course, if another Gate ruptures here, it’ll turn into pure chaos,”
Hae Sung was beginning to continue calmly when—
Buzz—buzz—buzz!
Buzz-buzz—buzz—buzz—buzz!
Both Hae Sung’s and Sa-hyun’s watches began vibrating simultaneously.
Hae Sung’s eyes widened.
Sa-hyun calmly glanced toward the buzzing watch on his wrist.
“Just like that?”
“Y-yes, just like—?!”
Hae Sung’s voice cracked.
The Gate Detection Device had responded.
Which meant—
“Wait, hold on!!”
Hae Sung kicked back his chair and shot to his feet.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!
Beep-beep-beep!
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
A loud alarm began wailing from every corner of the restaurant.
Everyone froze, their eyes wide with alarm.
The monitors throughout the shop, which had been playing cheerful entertainment, switched to a blue screen.
And above it, the Hunter Association logo—wings and spears—appeared.
Over the deafening alarm, an announcement broadcast cut through.

[Abnormal Gate energy has been detected near Seocho Station Intersection. All residents in the area are advised to―]

Sa-hyun tapped his finger against the table.
‘Abnormal Gate energy,’ he thought.
It meant a rift could open and spawn a Gate at any second.
And—
“Seocho Station Intersection… that’s here, isn’t it?!”
Hae Sung grabbed his head with both hands.

S-rank Instructor Devours the Academy – Episode 4

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0004

© 2026, Baek Lu-ga

※ This e-book is a copyrighted work protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or whole of this work may be reproduced or modified in any form without permission from the author and publisher.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————