The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 56

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

Episode 56

Training Hall Sports Field.
Five people and two summoned creatures lay sprawled across the ground, utterly drained.
Their forms caked in sweat and dust.
The air heavy with ragged breathing.
“Ughhhhhh….”
Eun-o let out a sound of pain.
“Everything’s spinning….”
Jae-yun gasped for air, his gaze fixed blankly on the sky.
Night had settled in with deep darkness.
The evening training had proven far harsher than any of them had imagined.
Four bouts each.
Ten sparring matches total, cycling through different opponents—that was the result they’d managed to complete.
Whenever a match threatened to become too heated, a referee had stepped in, and after each bout came Hae-seong’s feedback.
A relentless cycle of instruction and sparring with barely a moment to catch their breath.
“…and they expect us to do this twice a day.”
Gyeol muttered, his unfocused eyes blinking slowly.
Whimper—squeak….
Achinomics and Sloth lay pinned to the ground, agreeing weakly.
“Still, I suppose things will improve with practice….”
Hae-seong spoke with a faint smile.
There wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t ache.
‘Of course, the difficulty varies from student to student….’
The thought that fighting without weapons would be easier turned out to apply only to Sa-hyeon.
Jae-yun, already accustomed to unarmed combat, and Eun-o, who relied on Attack Skills, were exceptions.
‘If he hadn’t been holding back so much, this wouldn’t have ended with just this….’
There had been more than one moment where death had brushed past them.
‘…but still, it definitely helped a lot.’
Hae-seong kneaded his throbbing arm and exhaled deeply.
When Sa-hyeon first entrusted him with the training, he’d thought of it as simply being saddled with a tedious chore.
But now that he’d engaged directly, insight after insight had followed.
‘When I spar myself, I see it. Where they’re wasting Mana, how they should use their Skills efficiently.’
Copying Sa-hyeon’s movements also proved tremendously helpful.
From the students’ perspective, Hae-seong’s weaker physical prowess had lowered the difficulty.
From Hae-seong’s perspective, merely mimicking those precise motions had made the improvement tangible and clear.
‘Incredible efficiency.’
…though his body felt like it might fall apart.
“…you’ve all done well. Do your review, and,”
Hae-seong forced himself to his feet, deliberately ignoring his screaming muscles.
“I’ll see you again tomorrow morning.”
His tone was clipped and resolute.
“!”
Eun-o bristled, rubbing his arms vigorously.
“Whoa, creepy…! You didn’t notice Sa-hyeon’s tone just now? Did your speech pattern change to match his?!”
“…? Did I really?”
He really didn’t need to match that part….
Hae-seong trailed off and scratched his cheek.
“What do you mean by that?”
Yu-wol’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Comparing my teacher’s tone to something creepy. Watch what you say.”
Eun-o, thoroughly exhausted, simply waved his hand without the energy to respond.
“I’m too tired to keep up with you—go bug someone else.”
“You still have enough energy to bother with needless chatter, I see.”
“Ugh, this guy keeps calling me ‘older brother’ but never concedes an inch?!”
Eun-o whipped his head around, glaring at Yu-wol fiercely.
The sparring between Yu-wol and Eun-o had been unusually intense.
Before the aftermath even faded, sparks flew between them once again.
Go Gyeol raked his fingers through his hair and pushed himself up on his elbows.
“Come on, don’t be so childish about it. Keep it reasonable, will you?”
“Can we just go inside and rest now…?”
Only when Ha Jae-yun stepped between them and blocked their view did the smoldering embers finally die down.
One by one, they limped back toward the Dormitory.

‘Better organize this while it’s fresh.’
Hae-seong washed the grime from his body and methodically sorted through the training notes he’d filed away in his mind.
Back in the Research Lab, he transferred everything onto his tablet with practiced speed.
Once the files were organized, Hae-seong rose from his seat.
‘If I just send the files, Sa-hyeon won’t bother looking at them anyway. I’ll have to brief him in person.’
He picked up the smartphone he’d left on the table.
“…It’s dead, then.”
After a full day of missed calls, the battery had finally given up entirely.
Hae-seong plugged in the charger and checked the clock on the wall.
‘At this hour, the Master should be in his workshop.’

* * *

The Campus lay silent, all classes dismissed.
Under the scattered glow of streetlamps, Hae-seong made his way briskly toward the Research Building.
As the white building drew near—
“…”
A peculiar sensation brushed against his skin.
‘…A presence?’
An unfamiliar presence behind him.
Someone was following him.
Not the aura of any student he knew, nor a security guard’s.
If he had to name it: a cold and relentless hostility.
‘Who is it?’
Hae-seong held his breath and stopped moving.
The presence trailing him halted at precisely the same moment.
“Didn’t take you long to notice.”
A strange voice echoed across the quiet street.
Hae-seong turned slowly around.
A man’s silhouette, barely visible in the darkness.
Slow footsteps rang out.
Under the streetlamp, the assailant came into view.
A tall man wearing black-framed glasses.
“…Outsiders aren’t permitted in the Academy at this hour. Who are you?”
Hae-seong asked, maintaining a defensive stance.
“You don’t need to be so guarded.”
The man adjusted his glasses slightly.
“Just answer one simple question, and I’ll leave quietly.”
That was code for: refuse to answer, and things won’t end peacefully.
Hae-seong narrowed his eyes and chose his words with care.
“…A question?”
The man’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“That person wearing the hat—where is he right now?”
‘…A hat?’
Hae-seong’s eyes widened subtly as he parsed the question.
‘Could he have come looking for that?’
“…I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
Hae-seong drew a line.
He couldn’t leak information to someone whose motives he didn’t know.
“No point playing dumb.”
The man clicked his tongue sharply.
“It’s already all over the news—you two together, splashed across every headline.”
“…”
So it was.
What this man is searching for. It’s Yeom Sa-hyeon.
He’s looking for Yeom Sa-hyeon—the one caught in the news footage alongside Hae-seong’s face.
Unless, of course, it’s something else entirely.
“Why are you looking for that person?”
Or he’s chasing after ‘that face’—the one Ha Jae-yun swapped out using a Disguise Item.
“Because that bastard owes me something.”
The eyes behind the glasses twisted with malice.
“Though I believe I asked the questions first?”
In the moment the man hesitated, his demeanor shifted entirely.
“If you won’t cooperate willingly, I suppose I’ll have to force it.”
The man closed the distance between them.
“I’m quite confident in my ability to make people talk.”
Hae-seong lowered his stance in preparation for an attack, quietly scanning the man’s status window.
‘His name is Kim Seong-min. His Rank is….’
B Rank.
Overall, his stats fell slightly short of an Awakened in Combat Class A.
‘This is my first real fight, but… I can still do this.’
He’d practiced this very thing today, after all.
The moment Hae-seong steeled his resolve.
Clink—
The man drew a Longsword.
“Anyway, there are always these troublesome types.”
……
…A weapon. That wasn’t part of the plan.
Hae-seong’s pupils dilated sharply.
Noticing the shift in his expression, the man approached with mounting confidence.
“Why make this harder than it needs to be? You’ll talk eventually.”
He’d already closed the gap to three paces.
……
Right. This is the real thing.
One wrong move and he could lose an arm or a leg.
‘Keep your head on straight.’
Hae-seong clamped his jaw tight.
And just as the man raised his Longsword—
“I said I felt something irritating, and here it is….”
A low voice came from behind.
!
Hae-seong spun around reflexively.
Yeom Sa-hyeon, leaning against the doorframe of the Research Building.
Light spilling from inside the structure traced the outline of his silhouette.
“Who exactly are you looking for?”
Yeom Sa-hyeon approached with unhurried steps, hands buried in his pockets.
His gaze lingered long on the man’s face. The man’s expression darkened at Yeom Sa-hyeon’s sudden appearance.
“This is getting annoying.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon tilted his head slightly.
“Your face… I feel like I know it from somewhere….”
“…Really, now?”
Hae-seong’s eyes went wide.
‘So he really was looking for Yeom Sa-hyeon?’
But the man let out a harsh snort.
“What nonsense. I’ve never seen a mug like yours before.”
“It’s those damn ridiculous glasses that feel familiar,”
“…you piece of trash.”
The man glared sharply at Yeom Sa-hyeon, shrouded in shadow.
‘Where the hell did this madman crawl out from, picking a fight out of nowhere?’
Yeom Sa-hyeon took a step forward.
Slowly entering the lamplight where the man stood, Yeom Sa-hyeon advanced at an unhurried pace.
The man gritted his teeth and snarled.
“You’re not even worth—”
At that moment.
Their eyes locked.
“…!”
Cold gray irises.
The man’s breath caught.
That familiar chill seized him the instant their gazes met.
He stepped back instinctively.
‘…It can’t be.’
It couldn’t possibly be.
That person couldn’t be here.
He denied it fiercely, yet the image kept overlaying itself.
Someone he knew all too well.
Yeom Sa-hyeon’s mouth curved upward as he looked down at the man’s face.
“There you are.”
Over that, a distorted voice layered in.

“Director Kim, make your report.”

“Director Kim.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon’s drowsy voice smothered the command beneath.
Gulp.
The man swallowed hard.
With trembling fingers, he reached up and pressed his palm against the skin below Yeom Sa-hyeon’s eyes.
Only one thing was visible.
Those luminous ashen eyes.
“Mm.”
The man drew breath through his teeth.
They were identical.
The same eyes that had gleamed beneath the Mirror Mask countless times over the past several years.
“…Your Gyowi?”
The man forced the words out.
Hae-seong narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar title.
‘Gyowi?’
Calling Yeom Sa-hyeon that meant….
Hae-seong turned to face the man, eyes wide.
Was he…a Gyodogwan?!

An S-Rank Gyodogwan Devours the Academy — Episode 56

Author
Baek Lu-ga
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover
Thorpe

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0056

© 2026, Baek Lu-ga

※ This electronic book is protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part of this work may be reproduced or adapted 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
—————