The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor [Novel] Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I’m a Little Late

“How is the brush?”

“It writes well. Much smoother than my old one.”

“Haaaaaa…”

Lee Seah let out a long, heavy sigh.

“I had to think long and hard before buying mine. It’s a luxury brush from a department store. Why does one brush have to cost 500,000 won?”

Anyone could tell that the brush Yoon Taejeong had given Kang Hyeon looked far more luxurious.

“Enough with the bragging.”

Kang Hyeon set the brush down and flicked a finger.

“Let’s get back to what we were discussing. You said you had a mission for me?”

“Ah, right!”

Lee Seah’s face immediately brightened.

She pulled the tablet back toward them and began scrolling through the files.

“Hm?”

Kang Hyeon’s finger stopped.

‘Taejeong Corporation?’

“Uh!”

Lee Seah froze as well.

[Signs of Overseas S-Rank Hunter Smuggling Detected]

Threat Level: Maximum
Suspected Charges: Assassination / Terrorism

Anticipated Targets:

National Defense Hunter Technology Institute
Taejeong Corporation Headquarters

“Taejeong Corporation? Don’t tell me…”

Lee Seah’s expression hardened.

“Could this be connected to the assassination attempt you mentioned earlier, Mr. Kang Hyeon?”

“It looks that way.”

“It reeks of it.”

An overseas S-rank Hunter sneaking into the country was practically a national emergency.

Someone with that kind of power bypassing official channels and entering the country in secret?

Nine times out of ten, they had been hired for something dirty.

“They usually go after important figures in politics or business. That’s where the money is.”

“I suppose so.”

It was the same in Murim.

If an absolute master from the Unorthodox Faction slipped into Orthodox territory, someone was going to lose their head.

And if Kang Hyeon wanted someone dead, he could make it happen without leaving a trace.

“That’s why the government treats cases like this so seriously. The moment signs of illegal entry are found, the Management Bureau and the NIS are placed on emergency alert. And if the Hunter is found, they’re authorized to kill them on the spot rather than risk capturing them.”

“But why would this bastard target Yoon Taejeong?”

“We don’t know yet. He’s only a suspected target.”

“Hmm.”

He was probably the target.

After all, the poisoning attempt alone made it clear that someone had a serious grudge against him.

“I’ll take this one.”

He decided without hesitation.

They had only spoken a few times, but Kang Hyeon liked the man.

A man who knew enough to bow his head before the person who had helped his son, while also having the instincts of a businessman.

It would be a waste to let someone like that die for nothing.

And more importantly…

Wasn’t he Yoon Hyeonjong’s father?

Creating a safe environment for his students was part of a professor’s job.

“Great! I’ll report to the Director right away and request support from the Special Forces.”

“No.”

Clack.

Kang Hyeon closed the tablet.

“There’s no need to report it.”

He preferred handling things alone.

Government officials were especially troublesome. He didn’t trust them.

“Let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“The smuggled Hunter.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want him alive?”

Kang Hyeon paused.

“Or should I kill him?”

Lee Seah sucked in a sharp breath.

“Gasp!”

Right.

She had almost forgotten.

The man sitting in front of her was Code Name: Black.

They might be having a calm conversation now, but only a few weeks ago, she had been trembling in fear just standing before him.

An operation that government agents had to risk their lives to carry out…

Kang Hyeon spoke of it as if the outcome had already been decided.

And unlike most people, he had the strength to back up his confidence.

“If possible, it would be better to capture him alive.”

“Really?”

Kang Hyeon nodded.

“Understood.”

That night.

Taejeong Corporation, CEO’s Office.

Yoon Taejeong was still at work, staring coldly at his monitor.

‘It’s too clean.’

He had tracked the people Park Dongcheol had recently met and followed the flow of money between them.

Nothing.

Not a single suspicious transaction.

Normally, he might have let it go.

But this was too clean.

Not a single trace had been left behind.

It was almost as if someone had gone out of their way to erase everything.

Slide.

Yoon Taejeong brought up the company’s organizational chart.

From the head of HR to the financial director…

More than half of the company’s key positions were now occupied by people loyal to Park Dongcheol.

“Huu…”

A tired sigh escaped his lips.

It wasn’t as though he had never seen this coming.

Park Dongcheol was greedy.

Yoon Taejeong had always known that one day, that greed might cross the line.

‘…I’ve been far too soft.’

They had spent years together, starting from the bottom.

They had sweated together, struggled together, and built the company with their own hands.

Because of that, Yoon Taejeong had made Park Dongcheol an executive director, giving him enough authority to work while keeping the final say in his own hands.

That little bit of sentiment had now become poison.

It was slowly tightening around his throat.

‘Are you really doing this, Park Dongcheol?’

Were you really planning to kill me and take the whole company for yourself?

At the same time.

A private salon overlooking downtown Seoul.

“Executive Director.”

A man stepped out of the darkness and bowed.

“It seems the CEO has caught on. This afternoon, he activated a private intelligence team. They’ve been looking into the company’s financial records for the past three years, along with the people you’ve been meeting outside the company.”

“Is that so?”

Park Dongcheol stopped swirling the glass in his hand.

‘How did he find out?’

Haaa…

My friend.

You could have just died quietly of a heart attack.

Why did you have to start digging?

‘I suppose it can’t be helped.’

His best plan had been simple.

Kill Yoon Taejeong, manipulate the inexperienced Yoon Hyeonjong, then swallow up the company’s shares at the right moment.

But now that Yoon Taejeong had caught on…

He had to move to his second plan.

His friend was no fool.

He might have fallen for the trap while he knew nothing.

But once he realized what was happening, he would cut Park Dongcheol down without hesitation.

‘Good thing I prepared a backup.’

At first, he had wondered whether hiring an overseas hitman was going too far.

But now that he had drawn his sword…

He had no choice but to use it.

The next morning.

“CEO, you have an inspection at the Incheon Port logistics center at 10 AM. After that, you have a luncheon with the board of directors.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

Yoon Taejeong nodded and picked up the teacup from his desk.

He drank the same tea every morning.

It had become a habit.

The familiar fragrance reached his nose.

His eyes turned cold.

‘So this is where the poison was.’

The poison meant to kill him had been in his tea all along.

The moment his secretary turned away to organize some documents—

Splash.

Yoon Taejeong pretended to wet his lips, then poured every drop of tea into the orchid pot by the window.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, CEO.”

When Yoon Taejeong reached the lobby, the scene waiting for him was completely different from usual.

Three large black sedans stood outside.

Men surrounded them, each one radiating a fierce presence.

They weren’t just members of the company’s private security team.

A number of A-rank mercenary Hunters had also been hired at an enormous price.

This was security he would never have needed for an ordinary inspection.

But things were no longer ordinary.

Yoon Taejeong slid into the back seat.

As the heavy door closed, he made a quiet decision.

‘From this moment on, Park Dongcheol… you’re my enemy.’

He didn’t know what the man would do next.

So he would prepare for everything.

The vehicles left downtown and merged onto the outer highway toward Incheon Port.

They continued for some time before reaching a quiet stretch of road surrounded by dense trees.

Puk!

“Keuhuk!”

Blood burst from the driver’s chest.

An arrow had come from nowhere, shattered the windshield, and pierced straight through his heart.

Screeeech!

The sedan swerved violently.

“It’s an ambush!”

The bodyguard in the passenger seat immediately gathered his energy and raised a barrier around Yoon Taejeong.

Crash!

The sedan slammed into a telephone pole.

Yoon Taejeong was shaken but escaped serious injury.

“Get out!”

“Prepare for combat!”

The mercenary shouted into his radio.

Yoon Taejeong crawled out of the wreckage, breathing hard.

His face was pale.

‘Park Dongcheol.’

He had known something was coming.

But he had never expected him to move this fast.

Hadn’t he used the poison precisely because he wanted to keep his hands clean?

‘What the hell made you this desperate?’

Ignoring the pain spreading through his body, Yoon Taejeong forced himself out of the vehicle.

The road was almost empty.

There were barely any cars.

And there wasn’t a single CCTV camera in sight.

‘He chose this place from the beginning.’

A perfect hunting ground.

Screech!

Skrrrt!

The two escort vehicles behind them slammed on their brakes.

Their doors flew open.

The security team and A-rank mercenaries rushed out and surrounded Yoon Taejeong.

But they never got the chance to fight back.

Swish!

Swish, swish, swish!

The sound of arrows slicing through the air came one after another.

“Kuaaagh!”

“Keuhuk!”

The A-rank Hunters raised their barriers and weapons.

It made no difference.

The arrows tore through their defenses as if they were paper.

One after another, they struck their targets.

Forehead.

Heart.

Every shot was fatal.

Not a single arrow missed.

Yoon Taejeong’s lips trembled.

“…”

These were A-rank Hunters.

Yet their barriers had been pierced by ordinary arrows.

They were dropping one after another, like leaves in autumn.

It was impossible.

Unless their enemy stood on a completely different level.

‘An S-rank…’

Who was this?

Which guild had sent someone powerful enough to slaughter this many Hunters in the middle of South Korea?

A massacre this large couldn’t stay hidden for long.

Even without CCTV, someone would notice.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Had an S-rank Hunter actually been smuggled into the country from overseas?

In the blink of an eye, dozens of people lay scattered across the road.

The smell of blood hung heavily in the air.

Only Yoon Taejeong remained standing.

Then everything went silent.

Rustle.

The bushes beside the road parted.

A man stepped out.

“Haa… Taejeong.”

He looked at Yoon Taejeong with a bitter smile.

“Why did you have to do this? Things would’ve been much easier if you’d just gone quietly.”

A man Yoon Taejeong had treated like a brother.

A man who had been at his side for decades.

Park Dongcheol.

And beside him stood a blonde foreigner holding a massive black bow.

The moment Yoon Taejeong saw him, he knew.

An overseas S-rank Hunter.

His blood boiled.

“Park Dongcheol!”

His voice shook with rage.

“No matter how badly you wanted the company, did you really have to go this far?! You killed all these people!”

“Come on. Why are you acting surprised?”

Park Dongcheol spread his hands.

“You knew something was wrong. That’s why you prepared for this, didn’t you?”

The man standing before him was no longer the friend he had known.

This was Park Dongcheol without the mask.

“And greedy?”

Park Dongcheol laughed.

“You’re calling me greedy?”

“What?”

“Let’s be honest. I was the one who got my hands dirty. I was the one who cleaned up the mess when we were still at the bottom.”

His smile disappeared.

“Shouldn’t I have gotten half the company for that?”

“Why are you the CEO while I’m stuck as the executive director?”

The words were absurd.

But Yoon Taejeong forced himself to stay calm.

If he died here, what would happen to his wife?

He would never see Hyeonjong again.

“If you wanted half the shares, you should have told me.”

Yoon Taejeong stared at him.

“I would’ve given them to you.”

“Yeah, right.”

Park Dongcheol snorted.

“A man like you pours his tea into a flowerpot and hires mercenaries.”

‘Damn it.’

Yoon Taejeong’s heart sank.

So that’s how he knew.

The secretary who had given him his schedule that morning…

He was one of Park Dongcheol’s men.

“So that’s why you went this far.”

“That’s right.”

Park Dongcheol’s smile widened.

“Now that you’ve figured everything out, I couldn’t afford to wait. If it wasn’t today, I would’ve been the one losing his head.”

He shrugged.

“So don’t take it personally.”

“I’ll take good care of Hyeonjong after you’re gone. He’s still a greenhorn who knows nothing about how the world works.”

“I’ll turn him into a respectable figurehead.”

“And then I’ll take the company for myself.”

“You piece of trash!”

Yoon Taejeong’s rage finally erupted.

Park Dongcheol merely raised his chin.

A silent order.

Finish him.

Creak!

The massive black bow in the blonde man’s hands drew back.

Yoon Taejeong felt it deep in his gut.

‘It’s over.’

He never even considered begging for his life.

The moment they slaughtered dozens of people in broad daylight on the outskirts of Seoul, Park Dongcheol had already crossed the line.

There was no way he could let Yoon Taejeong walk away alive.

Yoon Taejeong slowly closed his eyes.

‘Honey… Hyeonjong… I’m sorry.’

The faces of his family flashed through his mind.

Then—

“I apologize.”

A lazy voice came from beside him.

Yoon Taejeong’s eyes snapped open.

Before he even realized what had happened, a broad back stood firmly in front of him.

“I came as fast as I could.”

The man paused.

“But I’m a little late.”

It was none other than Kang Hyeon.