The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 72

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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 72

They were the students who had been subtly belittling Sa-hyeon as a product of nepotism.
Yet now they all gazed at him with eyes alight, lifting their chins in admiration.
It was hard to believe these were the same ones who’d been muttering nonsense with vacant eyes just moments before.
“…Well, perhaps that’s just nonsense of a different kind?”
Go Gyeol tilted his head, bewildered.
Sa-hyeon noticed him and walked over slowly.
“The rest of them?”
“The students? Right now,”
Go Gyeol’s eyes faltered mid-answer, suddenly drifting downward.
Sa-hyeon’s right sleeve.
A portion of the shirt bore scorch marks, as though the fabric itself had been charred.
“……?”
Even when facing the entire Combat Class A, Sa-hyeon had never shown a wrinkle in his clothes.
‘So combat fierce enough to char his sleeves really did happen!’
This bizarre situation had unquestionably revolved around Sa-hyeon.
Yet his condition seemed utterly unchanged from his usual state.
If he’d influenced the students’ minds, his eyes would have glowed red whenever he used a skill—but now they held their normal gray hue.
“Right now?”
As Go Gyeol’s response delayed, Sa-hyeon’s brow furrowed slightly deeper.
“Ah.”
Go Gyeol snapped back to the present and answered quickly.
“Hae-seong and he just went into the Treatment Room for an examination.”
“That grappling class student—Gwon Tae-jun?”
“You mean Gwon Tae-jun? Yes, he went in with them, but,”
Why was Sa-hyeon suddenly asking about Tae-jun?
Before Go Gyeol could finish, Sa-hyeon sidestepped the hospital bed and strode forward.
“No, it’s the left door, not that way!”
As Go Gyeol corrected his direction, he narrowed his eyes in confusion.
Every time Sa-hyeon passed by, the students’ eyes tracked him in unison.
Their gazes blazed with blind admiration, favor, and reverence.
Click.
The Treatment Room door swung open at precisely that moment.
Gwon Tae-jun stepped out with a composed expression.
Thump-thump.
Sa-hyeon reached him in a few strides and abruptly thrust out his gloved hand, seizing Tae-jun by the collar.
“?!”
Tae-jun’s eyes widened in shock.
His body rose into the air like a sheet of paper, then was hurled without mercy onto a nearby empty hospital bed.
Crash—!
Sa-hyeon immediately drew the curtain, blocking sight.
Crash—
“…….”
What now….
Go Gyeol stood speechless, his mouth gaping.
Despite the abrupt, unreasonable act of hurling a student, the reaction from those watching remained consistent.
“Wow, that looked like something from a wildlife documentary…!”
“He tossed Gwon Tae-jun with a single hand….”
“As expected of Professor Yeom…!”
Faced with reactions that crossed from bizarre into shock, Go Gyeol pressed his forehead with an expression of utter disgust.
“…Have they all lost their minds.”
Lee Yu-wol must have poisoned them with something.

* * *

Thud—!
Seized by the collar and hurled onto the bed, Gwon Tae-jun lay face-down, blinking in bewilderment.
‘Did I just… get thrown?’
Every muscle in his body locked against a force unlike anything he’d ever encountered.
Whoosh—
As the curtain fell shut, the chaos surrounding them vanished in an instant.
A subtle current of mana brushed against his skin.
A Sound-Blocking Barrier.
“Hand it over.”
An open palm thrust without preamble in front of Tae-jun.
“What….”
Tae-jun’s gaze rose uncertainly.
Cold eyes, descended with an icy gleam.
Though he couldn’t discern exactly what was being demanded, the weight of pressure bearing down on him made it clear he had no choice but to comply.
Yeom Sa-hyeon flicked his fingers.
“The Mana Stone the Academy President gave you. Hand it over.”
“!”
Tae-jun’s movements froze.
‘…He knew all along.’
Now it made sense why Yeom Sa-hyeon had cleared everyone out except the Academy President.
He’d been moving from the start to uncover and pursue this very matter.
Tae-jun exhaled a thin breath and parted his lips carefully.
“As you know, sir, it’s a dangerous object. Rather than give it to the Professor, I thought it best to hand it over to the relevant Association authority.”
Everyone had already experienced the danger of this thing firsthand.
No matter how strong a person was, it couldn’t be handed over carelessly.
“I belong to that damned Association, so pass it over.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon snapped, his brow furrowing as if irritated.
“…I’m sorry? What do you….”
Tae-jun, who’d been staring blankly, let out a small exclamation.
“Ah…!”
Everything clicked into place.
The way he treated the Academy President like a subordinate, the rumors about being the Association Chair’s nepotistic appointment—
‘If he’s with the Association, it would have to be….’
And most decisively, there was one crucial clue.
Those handcuffs clasped around Go Yu-gwon’s wrist just moments ago. And those crimson eyes.
Not simple restraints—something emanating an uncanny aura of mana.
An Association member who carried such artifacts on them at all times.
There was only one person who came to mind.
‘An Interrogator.’
…So the rumored Mirror Mask was this man.
Tae-jun swallowed.
Despite the fact that it wasn’t a threatening situation, a crushing pressure seized his heart.
‘…But if it’s this person, then it should be safe.’
Tae-jun slipped his hand into his pocket.
He withdrew the object his fingertips found and handed it to Yeom Sa-hyeon.
A small case the size of a finger.
“Here it is.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon took it lightly and popped open the lid.
Inside lay a small pill-sized Mana Stone, its surface rippling with crimson light.
“The Academy President said it was safe, but I don’t think it is.”
At Tae-jun’s quiet addition, Yeom Sa-hyeon let out a snort of derision.
“It couldn’t possibly be safe.”
“…Go Yu-gwon ended up like that because of this, didn’t he?”
Tae-jun asked.
During training, the Academy President’s secretary had sought him out. The man said the President wanted him to have this strange Mana Stone and passed it over.
That night, Go Yu-gwon received a call from someone, left his quarters, and came back with an unusually elated expression.
‘Did Yu-gwon receive a Mana Stone that night too?’
As Tae-jun sank into thought, Yeom Sa-hyeon tossed the case into his Inventory.
“You eat something you’re not supposed to, you get sick. That’s obvious.”
The Academy President’s absurd rambling from moments ago echoed in his ears.

“It was just insurance, that’s all! Who knew it would be fed to an item like that…. I didn’t know it would turn out like this!”

He’d finally given that one a brain scrub for squawking all the way through, but….
‘Maybe I should’ve gone harder.’
Yeom Sa-hyeon clicked his tongue.
“Don’t go picking up whatever trash you find lying around, either.”
He was turning to leave when Gwon Tae-jun spoke.
“…Sir.”
Tae-jun hesitated before the words came.
“Thank you.”
“?”
Sa-hyeon’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced back.
Even without a frown, his face looked fearsome—and Tae-jun found himself straightening his spine reflexively, every muscle taut.
“I’ve heard plenty of ‘save me’ and ‘I’m sorry,’ but….”
Sa-hyeon tilted his head slightly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve heard ‘thank you.'”
“…Now that I think about it, everything makes sense.”
Tae-jun’s breath caught at the remark—an interrogator’s observation—and he brushed his arm self-consciously.
“The Combat Class A students don’t know who you really are, do they?”
From what he’d seen, the students treated him with surprising ease.
Though that was mostly limited to Tae Eun-o.
If they’d known he was an interrogator, they couldn’t possibly be so relaxed around him.
Sa-hyeon answered flatly.
“I have no intention of announcing it myself, so keep your mouth shut.”
“I know the value of my own neck.”
Tae-jun mumbled while brushing at the wrinkled fabric of his t-shirt near his collar.
“Either way, you’ve said your piece.”
Sa-hyeon shook his head.
He deactivated the Sound-Blocking Barrier and drew back the curtain.
Whoosh—
“…! Professor!”
“You’re finally out!”
“Thank you so much—we’re alive because of you!”
The students crowded around the curtain erupted in cheers and surged forward.
Tae-jun let out a quiet groan.
“…You’re quite popular, Professor.”
…….
Sa-hyeon’s eyes narrowed in genuine disgust.
‘I didn’t expect the side effects to go in this direction.’
Go Yu-gwon’s Fog skill—a mental-realm ability—had lingered in his system, and the addiction symptoms were persisting.
Whoosh—
He irritably yanked the curtain closed again.
Of all people, the blowback had to land on me. This is the worst.
“Professor, come teach our class too!”
“What’s your rank?!”
Through the curtain came the relentless chirping of baby birds.
Waiting for them to disperse on their own would waste precious time—Sa-hyeon had far too much to do today.
‘I’ll just push through and leave.’
It was the moment he let out an exasperated sigh and pulled the curtain back.
Click—
Beyond the cluster of students, the Treatment Room door opened.
Hae-seong stepped out while scrolling through his phone.
He was startled to see the crowd swarming the area….
“…Why is Sa-hyeon over there…?”
Then he spotted Sa-hyeon at the center of it all, and his expression shifted to genuine surprise.
“These people are out of their minds.”
Sa-hyeon’s eyes narrowed as he clicked his tongue.
The students didn’t flinch at his acerbic words, and Hae-seong grasped the situation.
‘The Skill Purification must not be complete yet.’
The aftereffects were quite strong….
As he sighed, the phone in his hand buzzed again, and he turned his attention to it.
“…Ah!”
‘I had something I needed to tell Yeom Sa-hyeon anyway.’
Hae-seong swallowed hard, hunched his shoulders, and pushed through the crowd.
“Excuse me, coming through. Just a moment, pardon me…!”
Hae-seong finally reached Yeom Sa-hyeon’s side, breathing heavily.
“Pant, pant—Yeom Sa-hyeon.”
“What now.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon answered with a face even grimmer than usual.
Should I really tell him something like this at a time like this….
Hae-seong opened his mouth carefully.
“The Association President just contacted us. He said he’s coming through a Portal right away….”
“The Association President?”
The furrow between Yeom Sa-hyeon’s brows deepened further.

An S-Rank Instructor Devours the Academy — Chapter 72

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0072

ⓒ2026, Baek Ruga

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No part or whole of this work may be reprocessed or reproduced 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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