The Academy’s Unrivaled Professor [Novel] Chapter 23

Chapter 023

Karmic Retribution

Kang Hyeon was caught off guard as well.

He had known Park Dongcheol would make his move, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

‘I underestimated how fast these cars could move.’

In Murim, chasing a horse carriage was nothing. But the modern world was different.

And his internal energy wasn’t in perfect condition either. Most of it was being used to suppress the Asura’s Demonic Aura, making it difficult to keep up with them.

That was why, despite tracking Park Dongcheol throughout the night, he had still arrived too late.

Too many people had died.

‘I’m sorry I’m late.’

Kang Hyeon silently offered a prayer for the dead scattered across the road.

But what was done was done.

He had seen too many deaths in Murim to dwell on those he could no longer change. Regret could not bring the dead back.

“Wh-Who are you?”

Park Dongcheol stared at the sudden intruder, his voice cautious.

“Me?”

Kang Hyeon glanced over his shoulder at Yoon Taejeong.

“The professor of this man’s son.”

“Professor?”

Park Dongcheol frowned.

Hyeonjong’s professor?

“How did a professor know to come here?”

Kang Hyeon ignored the question.

“If you’re going to assassinate someone, you should make sure the target is dead first. Why are you standing around after wasting time slaughtering his guards?”

“Ha! Every damn lunatic in the world wants to lecture me today.”

Park Dongcheol sneered.

“When you’re sending an old friend off, you give him a proper farewell. What, haven’t you ever watched a movie?”

“He says you should give him a final farewell, Mr. Yoon Taejeong.”

“Pardon?”

Yoon Taejeong had been standing there in a daze.

He still couldn’t understand why Professor Kang, who should have been at the Academy, was standing in front of him.

“What do you think? He says you need a final farewell. Is there anything you want to hear from him?”

“You’ve got to be insane!”

Park Dongcheol’s face flushed.

“I’ve listened to enough of your nonsense. You must be drunk if you can’t tell who’s holding the advantage here.”

He pointed toward the blonde archer.

“Hey, William! Draw your bow! Put an arrow through his head!”

He mimed drawing a bow.

That finally snapped Yoon Taejeong out of his stupor.

“Professor, get out of the way!”

His voice was desperate.

“That bastard isn’t an ordinary Hunter. He’s at least S-rank—!”

Thwip! Thwip!

Before Yoon Taejeong could finish, two arrows tore through the air.

They flew straight for the men’s foreheads.

‘Ah…’

Yoon Taejeong felt death closing in.

He had already accepted his own death.

But now even the man who had saved his son was going to die.

Hyeonjong had spoken of Professor Kang as a monster among the Academy’s professors.

Yoon Taejeong himself had felt that terrifying pressure whenever they spoke in private.

But this was an S-rank Hunter.

One of the seven walking calamities in all of South Korea.

No matter how powerful Professor Kang was, he couldn’t possibly stop an S-rank Hunter.

At best, he should be A-rank.

There was no way he could dodge those arrows.

Or so Yoon Taejeong thought.

Snatch! Snatch!

Kang Hyeon caught both arrows with ease.

‘If I couldn’t even catch these, that old bastard Yellow Springs Poison Hand would be ashamed to call me his successor.’

Yellow Springs Poison Hand.

The greatest master of poisons and hidden weapons in the history of Murim.

Anyone who crossed paths with him knew that once his hand reached out, the Yellow Springs was waiting.

The old monster who had once commanded the Wood Luminary Formation of the Seven Luminaries Formation.

Kang Hyeon looked at the arrows in his hands.

“I’ll show you what a real hidden weapon looks like.”

Flick!

He casually snapped his wrists.

Swish!

The two arrows shot back through the air.

But instead of flying straight, they twisted and curved.

Then—

Puk! Puk!

Both arrowheads struck the Gate of Life acupoints at the center of their spines.

A single move had completely sealed their acupoints.

It was a technique unique to Yellow Springs Poison Hand.

Even the most renowned masters of hidden weapons in Murim would have been stunned to see it, because controlling a projectile like this was considered impossible.

Thud.

Park Dongcheol and the blonde archer collapsed to their knees.

Shock filled their faces.

Kang Hyeon slowly walked toward them.

“Wh-What are you?”

“I told you.”

Kang Hyeon looked down at them.

“Yoon Hyeonjong’s professor.”

“…That’s impossible.”

The blonde archer, William, struggled desperately to circulate his energy.

“How could you… William is an S-rank Hunter!”

Tap.

Kang Hyeon flicked his finger.

The force struck William’s Mute acupoint.

His mouth went silent.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t speak.

Kang Hyeon turned toward Yoon Taejeong, who had followed him.

“I have to take this foreigner back alive. The Management Bureau ordered me to capture him alive.”

Yoon Taejeong swallowed hard.

One flick.

That was all it had taken to completely suppress an S-rank Hunter.

He had countless questions.

Who was this man?

How could he possess such terrifying martial prowess?

But questions could wait.

“Thank you. Truly.”

Yoon Taejeong bowed his head.

“I will repay this debt no matter what.”

Kang Hyeon glanced at him.

“A single Four Treasures of the Study set probably won’t be enough this time.”

“Of course not.”

Yoon Taejeong gave a bitter smile.

“Following what happened with my son, you’ve now saved my life as well. Whatever you want, I’ll give you more than that.”

Park Dongcheol suddenly began pleading.

“Please! Spare me!”

Kang Hyeon had said he would take the foreigner back alive.

Those words had sent a chill through Park Dongcheol.

Alive.

Which meant Kang Hyeon intended to kill him.

“T-Taejeong!”

Park Dongcheol turned desperately toward his former friend.

“I was wrong! I lost my mind! Please, save me!”

His voice trembled.

“I’ll give you my shares! All of them!”

Yoon Taejeong stared at him coldly.

“You had no trouble killing others.”

His voice was quiet.

“And now that your own life is at stake, you want to be spared?”

Park Dongcheol had nothing to say.

“In your next life, be greedy if you want.”

Kang Hyeon’s voice was cold.

“But know your limits.”

He stepped closer.

“If you reach for what belongs to others and stain your hands with blood, sooner or later, that blood will be yours.”

“Eek!”

Park Dongcheol’s face went pale.

He knew.

This man really intended to kill him.

“Wh-Who are you to judge me?!”

His voice broke.

“Call the police! Call the Management Bureau! I’ll confess! I’ll pay for everything I did! Just don’t kill me!”

Kang Hyeon looked at him without emotion.

“I don’t usually leave poisoners or assassins alive.”

Park Dongcheol froze.

“And you happened to be both.”

“T-That’s…”

A finger flicked.

A thin burst of force shot straight into Park Dongcheol’s chest.

Puk!

“Keuhuk!”

He clutched his heart.

His body went limp.

He collapsed to the ground.

Dead.

Yoon Taejeong silently watched the man who had once been his closest friend die.

There was no pity in his eyes.

It wasn’t excessive.

‘You had no hesitation killing others.’

‘Yet when death came for you, you begged the law to protect you.’

Even if Kang Hyeon hadn’t been here, Yoon Taejeong knew what he would have done.

He would have dealt with Park Dongcheol himself.

The man had tried to destroy his family.

He deserved no mercy.

“The incident here will be attributed to William.”

Kang Hyeon spoke calmly.

“Park Dongcheol will be treated as one of the victims.”

Yoon Taejeong looked at him in surprise.

Even the cleanup had been taken care of.

“…Thank you. Again.”

He bowed deeply.

Kang Hyeon took out his phone and pressed a speed-dial number.

– Professor! Did you find anything?

Lee Seah’s voice came through immediately.

“I caught him.”

– What?

“The smuggler. I caught him.”

– I-In one day?!

“Should I just send you the location?”

– Y-Yes! Yes, please! Send it now! I’ll dispatch a team immediately!

That was enough.

The Management Bureau would take care of everything from here.

—

Kang Hyeon and Yoon Taejeong returned to Taejeong Corporation’s headquarters in a Management Bureau vehicle.

“Is there anything else you want?”

Yoon Taejeong looked at Kang Hyeon seriously.

“You saved my life. If necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to give you everything I own.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Then what about this?”

Yoon Taejeong paused.

“Park Dongcheol wanted half my shares, didn’t he?”

“I’ll give you half of mine.”

Kang Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly.

“Pardon?”

“Half of Taejeong Corporation.”

“Isn’t that too much?”

“Too much?”

Yoon Taejeong shook his head.

“Professor, without you, I would have lost everything.”

“Hoh.”

Kang Hyeon was genuinely surprised.

Were merchants really this generous?

Taejeong Corporation was a large company, but it was privately held and controlled by the owner’s family.

Giving away half the shares was practically the same as giving away half the company.

“I’m grateful, but…”

Kang Hyeon paused.

Come to think of it…

Weren’t these shares supposed to belong to Hyeonjong eventually?

Taking half the company from the boy he was teaching felt strangely uncomfortable.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Yoon Taejeong spoke before he could say anything.

“But I’m a merchant too. I know the difference between gratitude and profit.”

“Meaning?”

“I’m certain that giving you half the company will benefit me.”

He looked directly at Kang Hyeon.

“And Taejeong Corporation.”

Kang Hyeon’s eyebrow twitched.

That was a surprisingly honest answer.

Taejeong Corporation had excellent technology.

So why hadn’t it reached the top?

Power.

That was what it lacked.

Most of the major conglomerates in Korea had S-rank Hunters or one of the nation’s three major guilds standing behind them.

The moment those forces moved, information flowed.

Money followed.

And risks disappeared.

A company without that kind of backing would eventually hit a wall, no matter how good its technology was.

“The fact that Taejeong Corporation survived this long was thanks to our skills and a fair amount of luck.”

Yoon Taejeong took a slow breath.

“But today taught me something.”

“Without power, you can’t protect what you have.”

He hesitated before continuing.

“And… I believe you’re far stronger than those S-rank Hunters.”

Honestly, anyone with eyes would have understood that.

Yoon Taejeong had watched Kang Hyeon suppress an S-rank Hunter with a single flick of his finger.

And the way the normally rigid Management Bureau treated Kang Hyeon said enough.

“So you want to tie me down with shares?”

Kang Hyeon chuckled.

“Haha. Wouldn’t it be insulting to think you could tie me down with mere shares?”

Yoon Taejeong laughed.

“I suppose I just handed you half the company.”

Kang Hyeon didn’t deny it.

He preferred this kind of straightforward man to someone who hid his intentions behind empty words.

If he joined hands with Yoon Taejeong, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about a knife in his back.

Not like Park Dongcheol.

“Please accept them.”

Yoon Taejeong’s expression was firm.

“The only way I can repay my benefactor is by making this company the best in the country.”

He paused.

“Perhaps even the best in the world.”

Kang Hyeon had no reason to refuse.

He needed money and resources.

And now, a capable company had practically delivered itself into his hands.

“All right.”

Kang Hyeon nodded.

“I accept.”

Yoon Taejeong had just made the greatest decision of his life.

Because if Kang Hyeon ever released even a fraction of what he knew, Taejeong Corporation could dominate the secret manual market.

Had Yoon Taejeong known that, he might have approached the matter differently.

But he hadn’t.

He had offered the shares out of genuine gratitude.

So Kang Hyeon accepted them without hesitation.

‘Nothing in this world comes for free.’

Still…

Kang Hyeon believed in rewarding people who knew how to be grateful.

Especially those willing to give everything they had without reducing every act of kindness to a calculation.

“Then I look forward to working with you, CEO Yoon.”

Kang Hyeon stood and extended his hand.

Yoon Taejeong clasped it firmly.

As though he had no intention of ever letting go of the opportunity that had fallen into his hands.

“Haha. Now that you own half the company, I suppose I should start treating you as the major shareholder.”

“No need.”

Kang Hyeon smiled.

“Just keep calling me Professor. I prefer it.”

After Kang Hyeon left, Yoon Taejeong’s expression hardened.

His work wasn’t over.

He would call an emergency board meeting and remove everyone in Park Dongcheol’s faction.

The secretariat would need to be overhauled as well.

This time, there would be no mercy.

He had made the mistake of letting sentiment cloud his judgment once.

He would never make it again.