The S-Rank Warden Devours the Academy - Chapter 82

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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 82

‘We discovered that this thing we call a Demonic Magic Stone carries a special Frequency.’

It was information he’d obtained from that auctioneer at the Auction House.
‘Awakeners have a Frequency too…?’
Yeom Sa-hyeon was hearing this for the first time as well, but Kim Do-gyeong wasn’t the type to speak falsehoods.
If that were true, couldn’t the Demonic Magic Stones be tracked by their Frequency?
The source producing those Demonic Magic Stones was most likely near the Capital Region.
Kim Do-gyeong would have to move personally.
“Since I have a Portal Pass, it won’t take long….”
“……? What’s this bastard been going on about?”
Whether Do-gyeong muttered in bewilderment or not, Sa-hyeon posed his next question.
“It’d be impossible to maintain a Barrier from a distance, right?”
“Well, most Barriers—if I leave—”
Do-gyeong, who’d been answering unconsciously, suddenly came to his senses.
‘Why am I getting naturally swept up by this guy’s pace and answering his questions right away?!’
Do-gyeong’s face twisted harshly.
“Don’t deflect. Answer what I’m asking.”
His gaze turned cold again.
“Hmm….”
Sa-hyeon let out a low hum.
‘Getting his cooperation willingly like this might be difficult after all.’
Just as he was deliberating whether to reveal his identity and shift the game—
Do-gyeong asked again, his tone harsh.
“Were you there too? What happened that day?”
His brow furrowed mercilessly.
There was an odd desperation threaded through his urging tone.
“Tell me. How my fiancée died.”
“…….”
Sa-hyeon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Even so, a harsh stench seemed to brush across his nostrils.
Do-gyeong’s lips trembled as he seized Sa-hyeon’s collar in a viselike grip.
“Don’t keep your mouth shut. Answer me, you bastard.”
The constricting pressure brought his reason back.
‘…Right.’
Revealing his identity would only be poison.
What reckless confidence had even made him consider such an absurd idea, however briefly?
‘I should shelve this approach.’
Sa-hyeon grimaced internally and clenched his fist.
“Are you smiling?”
Do-gyeong’s eyes flashed.
His grip tightened.
Sa-hyeon’s gaze settled back into its composed calm.
“Keep that up and you’ll strangle yourself.”
He spoke in a dry tone and lightly struck away Do-gyeong’s hand from his collar.
Tap.
The sharp contact resounded—
“Agh!”
Do-gyeong yelped and jumped back, cradling his hand.
“You damn son of a bitch, that stings like hell!!”
Do-gyeong rubbed his struck hand, cursing.
It’d been barely a light flick, yet his knuckles throbbed all the way to the bone.
“Why are you so strong?! What’s your Rank?!”
Sa-hyeon brushed off his shirt with an indifferent expression.
Fortunately, the black shirt hid the wrinkles from the scuffle.
“I’m not the strong one. You just have a fragile body.”
“What the hell?!”
Kim Do-gyeong’s face flushed as he raised his voice.
“This damnable bastard….”
Veins stood out on his forehead.
“You want to try something right now?”
“Better not.”
Yeom Sa-hyeon tilted his head at an angle, his expression skeptical.
For an S-rank, Kim Do-gyeong’s physical endurance and strength were embarrassingly meager.
It was only his rough, brutish appearance—the kind that suggested he’d thrown punches in back alleys—that kept people from daring to provoke him.
You could tell from his actions during the Dungeon Break: he stayed out of combat entirely, devoting himself solely to maintaining the Barrier.
He was no fighter.
Yet his skill transcended such physical limitations, as the enormous span of his Barrier proved. It was overwhelming enough to compensate for any bodily weakness.
That was why people revered him as one of the first-generation heroes, despite his non-combat role.
Yeom Sa-hyeon let out a soft laugh.
“Better not bruise your knuckles.”
He tossed the remark out casually and pushed open the door to the Interview Room.
“…Huh?”
Kim Do-gyeong gasped, aghast at the sheer audacity.
“Hey, you bastard—you’re not coming back?!”
His shout came too late; Yeom Sa-hyeon had already stepped out of the Interview Room.
Kim Do-gyeong let out a sharp breath of frustration.
“What kind of man is this? No strength, no manners whatsoever…”
As he rubbed his aching forearms, something suddenly narrowed his eyes.
A strange sense of recognition tingled through him instinctively.
…Wait.
‘That way of speaking—so blunt, so crude—why does it feel so familiar?’
A voice long buried in his memory stirred faintly.

‘If you don’t want to bruise your knuckles, step back. What are you thinking, pushing forward like that?’
‘You—are you really talking to me like that?’
‘Who calls someone their senior anyway?’

“No. It can’t be.”
Kim Do-gyeong murmured blankly.
His gaze fixed on the firmly closed Interview Room door.
“That guy… he couldn’t possibly be…”

* * *

Not far from the Interview Room, in the Corridor.
“…! Master!”
Lee Ha-je, the first among the group huddled together to spot Yeom Sa-hyeon, lifted his head sharply.
“Teacher! Why are you just now getting here!”
Tae Eun-o waved his hand cheerfully.
Yeom Sa-hyeon stopped his aimless stride and approached the group slowly.
“Why are you all gathered here instead of heading out?”
At Yeom Sa-hyeon’s casual question, Hae-seong exhaled with relief mixed in.
“We should stick together. Besides, this is your first time going to the research facility…!”
He smiled awkwardly and left it at that.
If they’d left him alone and Yeom Sa-hyeon got lost or wandered off course, it would be problematic. It seemed better to depart together from the start.
‘And…’
Hae-seong checked Yeom Sa-hyeon’s collar as he continued speaking.
“Professor Ji moved to the Dormitory first with his assigned students. We should be able to head straight to the Training Facility.”
He checked his watch, then narrowed his eyes as if searching his memory for a moment.
Soon he smiled and parted his lips.
“There’s a decent Local Restaurant near the Airport. How about we eat first before heading over?”
“Do you have a restaurant map drawn in your head or something…”
Yeom Sa-hyeon chuckled dryly and waved his hand as if to say, do as you please.
While Hae-seong hurried ahead and set the pace, Tae Eun-o quickly pushed past Lee Ha-je and claimed the spot next to Yeom Sa-hyeon.
“What was that about earlier anyway? I seriously thought you’d been arrested as a wanted criminal!”
Tae Eun-o, who was absolutely convinced that Yeom Sa-hyeon was an organization boss, patted his chest in relief as he spoke.
“…A wanted criminal?”
To call someone a wanted criminal when they’re the one catching criminals.
Yeom Sa-hyeon’s brow furrowed with distaste.
Ignoring his reaction entirely, Tae Eun-o’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he pressed on.
“What did you talk about with Kim Do-gyeong? You won, right?”
“Won? What’s there to win about?”
Yeom Sa-hyeon let out a hollow laugh in reply, but Lee Ha-je, Go Gyeol, Ha Jae-yun, and Hae-seong walking ahead all perked up their ears.
They all listened intently, feigning disinterest.
Ever since Yeom Sa-hyeon had emerged from the interview room, he’d seemed colder than usual, leaving them to watch for cues without daring to ask directly.
Hae-seong glanced back sideways to study Yeom Sa-hyeon.
‘His shirt collar is wrinkled, too….’
The fact that so many officers had mobilized made it clear something had happened.
Still, it seemed fine since everything had ended without major incident.
Before long, Hae-seong reached the airport lobby.
The moment he brought his Portal Pass up to the exit.
“Hey, you folks from the Academy?”
At the heavy voice calling from behind, the entire group stopped in their tracks.
A man striding toward them with purposeful steps.
“??”
Hae-seong and the students’ faces filled with confusion.
Just as the Portal Pass Hae-seong held nearly slipped from his fingers, Kim Do-gyeong caught it deftly and spoke.
“Let’s go together.”
Kim Do-gyeong handed the Portal Pass back to Hae-seong and offered readily.
“I’ll guide you.”
“…What?”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean, what—”
The space filled with nothing but questions.
“You mean Kim Do-gyeong himself will guide us?”
Hae-seong asked again, as if unable to believe it.
“Yes, is there a problem?”
“No, that’s not it, but….”
Hae-seong stumbled over his words, caught off guard.
The man who’d just been taken away moments ago was now offering to guide them personally. There was no way not to be flustered.
While the group exchanged bewildered glances, Kim Do-gyeong suddenly turned to look at Yeom Sa-hyeon.
“That’s alright, isn’t it?”
Kim Do-gyeong’s lips curved up with an enigmatic smile.
“Professor Yeom Sa-hyeon.”
“…….”
What’s this man scheming now….
Yeom Sa-hyeon narrowed his eyes with displeasure and shoved his hands into his pockets.

* * *

Glug, glug.
“—Ahh!”
Kim Do-gyeong exhaled deeply and set down the empty earthenware bowl.
“You really found an excellent local restaurant!”
As he raised his thumb in praise, Hae-seong broke into a satisfied grin.
“Oh! Really? That’s great!”
The students were already giving positive reactions anyway.
Tae Eun-o exclaimed between hurried bites with his chopsticks.
“Wow, the pickled radish here is really delicious! Auntie! More refills, please!!”
“The broth is so rich…!”
Even Ha Jae-yun, who’d been picking at his rice saying he’d had no appetite lately, was now eagerly emptying his soup bowl.
In the midst of Lee Ha-je—fastidious in taste and a light eater—concentrating fully on his meal.
Only Yeom Sa-hyeon remained the exception.
He left the earthenware bowl of rice soup steaming before him untouched, his chin propped in his hand with a dissatisfied expression.
“…….”
What the hell was he doing here.
Yeom Sa-hyeon watched Kim Do-gyeong chatting with Hae-seong in that easy, unguarded way of his, and let out a quiet sigh.

An S-rank Warden Devours the Academy — Episode 82

Author
Baek Ru-ga
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover Design
Tong

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260512043.0082

ⓒ2026, Baek Ru-ga

※ This e-book is protected by the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or all of this work may be reproduced or modified 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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