Chapter 94: Chapter 94

"Hmm..."

What should I do?

From what I’ve seen so far, he seems polite enough. At least, he doesn’t seem inclined to cause trouble—yet.

But ignoring him feels unsettling.

What if he decides to show up on one of my lecture days later on? That would be a complete disaster.

‘...But why is he interested in me in the first place?’

On the surface, I’m just a C-rank Hunter. Not exactly someone a battle maniac would fixate on.

I doubt the Bureau leaked any information about me; if they had, it wouldn’t just be Jason Turner causing a stir—there would be chaos everywhere. The quiet surroundings confirmed that wasn’t the case.

...How much does Jason know about me, anyway?

For all I know, this might not even be a personal matter.

“Should I look him up...?”

I leaned back in my seat and started searching for information about Jason Turner on my smartphone.

I found the same details Areum had mentioned earlier, as well as some tidbits about his activities.

...But as expected.

Even for a famous S-rank Hunter, there’s only so much you can uncover online.

The information was limited to publicly available facts and media reports.

Setting my phone down on the table, I took a deep breath. Just then, Si-Yoon strolled out of her room and into the living room, looking utterly bored.

“Unnie, what’s with that serious expression?”

“Hmm, I think I’ve got a weird stalker.”

“What?! A stalker?!”

Si-Yoon’s face immediately scrunched up. After a moment of staring at me, she added dryly:

“Well, you do have the kind of face that would attract one.”

“Ugh, no way... Or maybe... Is it really that kind of thing? That’s weird.”

“What kind of person is it? Do you know anything about them?”

Si-Yoon plopped down beside me, and I showed her the information I’d found about Jason Turner.

“He’s a battle maniac, apparently.”

“Wow, really? ‘Saint,’ did you go and pick a fight somewhere?”

“...Could you not emphasize one word like that?”

“Hehe.”

I shot her a pointed look, but she just grinned mischievously. Honestly, she always acted up when she was bored.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Not sure. I was just trying to figure that out.”

“Oh, I see. How do you usually handle these things?”

“Usually? Hmm...”

How did I usually deal with things?

Ever since returning to Earth, my life had been pretty quiet and uneventful.

Of course, when someone crossed the line, I’d crash straight through them... Ah, that’s it.

“I see. There’s no need to overthink this.”

“You’ve decided? Good luck!”

“Thanks!”

With that, Si-Yoon waved her hand nonchalantly, disappeared into the bathroom, and then returned to her room.

Having made up my mind, I picked up my phone.

I saved the photo of Jason Turner’s business card that Areum had sent me, zoomed in on the number, and memorized it. Then I called the number.

The line connected almost instantly.

- “Yes, this is Jason Turner.”

“Hello. This is Jeong Si-Hyun. I heard you were looking for me.”

- “Oh! I didn’t expect to connect with you today! This is incredible!”

“...So, what exactly do you want?”

I cut straight to the point. I had no interest in exchanging unnecessary pleasantries with a weirdo.

- “I want to fight you!”

“...”

Seriously? This again?

What could possibly make him think I’d agree to this? Was it some kind of twisted instinct that only maniacs like him had?

I didn’t have enough information to make a judgment yet. It seemed I’d have to keep talking to figure things out.

“I’m a C-rank Hunter.”

- “Hahaha! Officially, sure.”

“...And why do you think that’s relevant?”

- “Then let’s have an official match: S-rank versus C-rank!”

This conversation was going nowhere.

We were speaking the same language, but there was no understanding between us.

Then again, normal communication with a battle-maniac stalker was never going to happen.

Based on his tone, it seemed like he had decided I was a high-rank Hunter.

That left only one thing I needed to confirm.

“Have you done anything to Ji-ah?”

- “Hunter Kim Ji-ah? Not yet. If not for your presence, I might have approached her, haha!”

That settled it. This guy definitely needed some re-education.

I could figure out why and how he got fixated on me after dealing with the immediate problem.

“...I’ll send you a location via message. Show up there at the agreed time.”

- “Oh! How cool of you! You’re better than any Hunter I’ve ever met!”

What an unnecessary compliment. Coming from someone like him, it was just gross.

Still, it was time to prepare.

Based on what I’d read online, there was no way I could lose to him. The advantage was mine.

***

A certain office in the United States.

Evan Harper, one of the individuals known as a "Returnee," busily worked through a stack of documents. His desk was a mess of scattered papers and a half-empty coffee cup.

‘As expected of Jason.’

His execution was flawless. Jason had already reported that he had located the target.

Knowing Jason’s tendencies, he was likely gearing up to initiate a fight with the target by now. Evan had factored this into his decision to assign Jason the task, intending to gather as much information as possible before any direct confrontation.

‘Everything is going according to plan.’

Leaning back in his chair, Evan allowed himself a moment to envision how this mission would play out.

While Jason was a battle maniac, he wasn’t a fool. On the contrary, he was intelligent to the point of being cunning—though his brilliance often strayed in unproductive directions.

Regardless, Jason wouldn’t likely deviate significantly from Evan’s objectives. The next step was to extract as much data as possible about the target.

Jason would happily gather the information himself while having his fun. All Evan needed to do was receive the results.

‘...I need to wrap up my remaining tasks quickly.’

Whether the target came to the U.S. or he went to Korea, Evan needed to ensure he was ready to meet them face-to-face. Straightening in his chair, Evan resumed his work.

***

Meanwhile, in Korea.

I reserved an E-rank dungeon. It was a safe, quiet location where I wouldn’t need to worry about onlookers or creating unnecessary complications. It wasn’t far from home either.

Just in case this situation with the stalker caused any issues, I sent a thorough message to my supervisor. I explained the circumstances and outlined my plan. Preparation was everything.

“Haah…”

Still, the most annoying thing was how bothersome this all was.

Because of this guy, I was going to miss today’s MomoBin livestream.

I had been looking forward to teasing Si-Yoon during the stream, but now I couldn’t.

I’d make sure to vent all my frustration on this stalker’s body.

“...He’s already here.”

As I walked toward the meeting spot, I spotted a tall man standing alone in the distance. It was undoubtedly the stalker, Jason Turner.

Even though I arrived slightly early, he was already waiting. How desperate was he to meet me that he showed up first? Typical stalker behavior.

The area was deserted, which made it easy for him to spot me. As soon as he did, he began striding toward me. Just as Areum had described, he wore a cap pulled low over his face and a pair of sunglasses.@@novelbin@@

With a sociable smile and an overly enthusiastic tone, he greeted me.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Si-Hyun! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you agreed to this!”

“...You’d have pestered me endlessly if I hadn’t.”

“Ahaha! I won’t deny it. Hahaha!”

“Haah…”

His shamelessness was exhausting, and I sighed deeply. It was time to let off some steam.

“...Follow me.”

“Yes, let’s go!”

I led the stalker to a secluded spot near the gate, away from prying eyes. I approached the gatekeeper, showed my reservation on the Hunter app, and received confirmation.

Snap!

“Huh...?”

Thud—

The gatekeeper suddenly slumped over, and I quickly caught him before he hit the ground. I gently laid him on the floor to avoid injury, then turned back to the stalker.

Using magic to conceal the stalker’s presence, I slipped him into the dungeon unnoticed. Once I revived the gatekeeper and made sure he was okay, I entered the dungeon myself.

‘Sorry about that, but it was the only way.’

“Shall we have a chat now?”

“Hmm? We’ve come all this way. Do we really need to talk?”

Jason, his expression brimming with excitement, clenched and unclenched his fists. I stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“...You have a point.”

“Don’t I?”

“You’ve said enough nonsense.”

“Hahaha! I like your sense of humor!”

Bursting into loud laughter, Jason suddenly widened the distance between us. I stood still, watching him with mild curiosity.

“How’s this? Enough space for you?”

“...What are you doing?”

“You’re a magic-type Hunter, aren’t you? I’m giving you a fair fight by keeping my distance!”

“Wow, you really go all out with this nonsense.”

It wasn’t worth overthinking. Trying to understand a stalker maniac’s mind would only give me a headache.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Jason Turner, the famous S-rank Hunter, was known for his physical enhancement ability. Though his full set of combat skills wasn’t public, it was clear he excelled in close combat.

But…

“...A tank doesn’t lose to brute force.”

Thud!

I sprang forward, kicking off the ground with explosive force.

Caught off guard, Jason’s eyes widened in surprise.