Chapter 85
—
A new week began.
The news that had been a hot topic since the weekend continued to capture the citizens’ attention even on Monday.
[Hunter Kim Ji-a achieves unofficial S-rank!]
[Making the impossible possible! Kim Ji-a’s endless challenges and glory.]
[A rising star in the Hunter world, Kim Ji-a! Beginning a new legend as an S-rank.]
[Kim Ji-a: Korea’s pride and the icon of the global Hunter community.]
Various news outlets and articles poured out endless updates about Hunter Kim Ji-a.
The atmosphere in online communities was no different.
[Title: Kim Ji-a Hunter is reportedly still clearing dungeons in the countryside]
[ㅇㅇ]
If it were me, I would’ve taken a break the moment I reached S-rank.
She’s incredible.
-Simply a god
-Wow
-Damn it, is it you again?
-Noona, I’m dying
[Title: Kim Ji-a Hunter is still unaffiliated, right?]
[ㅇㅇ]
Her value must be insane right now;;;
-Whatever they offer, it won’t be enough lol
-Isn’t she basically part of the Management Bureau?
└ Pretty much
-She’s not suddenly going to move overseas or anything, right?
└ Shut up, Ji-a noona would never do that
[Title: Curious about what’s next for her]
[ㅇㅇ]
Will she start soloing high-level dungeons now?
-Didn’t she already solo up to B-rank dungeons?
└ Exactly lol, she’s insane
└ Seriously lol, she’s a monster
-There’s no way she could handle A-rank or S-rank dungeons alone though
└ That’s true lol, A-rank dungeons are a whole different level of difficulty
└ But it’s still exciting to think about; that’s a fact
└ Agreed
-Remember when she teamed up with that mysterious nun?
└ Even then, S-rank would still be impossible lol
└ Back then, that double dungeon needed four S-ranks, and it was still tough lol
└ I’m just saying it’s exciting… Stop being all logical.
└ Lolololol
└ Lololololololol
Korea was, quite literally, in a celebratory mood.
However, the impact of Ji-a’s S-rank achievement didn’t stop there.
The news quickly spread overseas.
Among the various countries, in an office building in the United States,
a man with dark brown hair, fair skin, and faint eyes sat in a chair.
He was speaking with a sharp-looking man seated across from him.
“…We would like you to be dispatched to Korea this time.”
“Korea, huh.”
The sharp-looking man, Jason, lightly stroked his short beard with his fingertips.
He was an S-rank Hunter, while the man across from him was a B-rank Hunter.
However, he couldn’t dismiss the request.
The person sitting across was not an ordinary B-rank Hunter.
He was the world’s only returnee who had created groundbreaking inventions related to Hunters.
No one could replace him, making him an important figure,
and Jason himself had benefited greatly from his inventions.
“Evan, if it’s your request, I should comply. But why Is it because of the new S-rank Hunter?”
“I’m interested in her, but it’s something else I need to find someone who’s been hiding. Something about it keeps bothering me.”
“Someone hiding?”
“Yes. I’ll arrange the method quickly. Please clear your schedule.”
“Understood.”
Jason gave a slight nod.
He roughly understood why Evan had called for him.
They must have chosen him as someone confident in his skills and fluent in Korean.
‘…Now I’m curious.’
For someone as busy as Evan to be concerned about another person,
that person must be anything but ordinary.
Feeling intrigued, Jason smiled leisurely.
Afterward, the two men shared information about the target,
as well as what needed to be done.
***
It was an early lunch hour.
I had a simple meal at home with Si-yoon.
Today was the day of the Academy lecture and the festival.
The atmosphere would be chaotic,
so I thought I’d wrap up the lecture lightly after gauging the students’ situation.
Then I planned to spend the evening in my office until dinner.
I also wanted to take a look at the festival mood.
If there was a good night market, I might enjoy it myself.
“Hehe…”
“…Are you that happy?”
“Of course!”
After energetically responding to my sister, I picked up my smartphone again.
I fiddled with a keychain attached to it, and a smile naturally spread across my face.
Finally, I had collected all the Momobin merchandise.
…I didn’t expect to collect them in this way, but still, I had them all.
It might seem like I used a cheat code,
but who cares?
I’d like to think good things are just good.
“Si-yoon, are you planning to make new merchandise?”
“Are you talking about the handmade stuff from before?”
“Hmm, not really? If you make it, that’ll be the official thing now.”
“Oh… Right?”
“I’ll even support you directly with no fees!
Let’s make all kinds of stuff!”
I clenched my fist and declared,
and Si-yoon scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Well, if you write down a list of what you want, I’ll pick from there…”
“A calendar, sticky notes, acrylic stands, and a tumbler.”
I responded instantly.
I’d already thought about it, so there was no hesitation.
“I especially want the tumbler the most.”
“Oh, got it.”
Perhaps feeling my sincerity, Si-yoon’s eyes widened.
Then, as if a fun idea struck her, she grinned mischievously.
“For the past few days, viewers have been asking about you.
How about making an appearance on the stream?”
“…Do I have to?”
Watching and doing are completely different things.
Watching the stream was enough for me.
“Hmm, but I listened to your request. How stingy.”
“S-Stingy…?”
“Well, fair enough! Sure, I understand.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“That’s your go-to refusal line.”
“….”
…It feels like they know me too well.
It feels like I’m about to start a game where the outcome is already decided.
No, that can’t be it.
Surely they wouldn’t actually put a regular person on a stream.
It’s not like my appearance would make the broadcast any more entertaining.
Anyway, I just have to choose the best option among the ones available to me right now.
“…Ah! It’s time for work! I should get going!”
“Wow, you’re blatantly running away.”
I ignored Si-yoon, who muttered in disbelief, and stood up from my seat.
Quickly gathering my things, I moved to the front door.
Oh, I should say one more thing.
“Momobin! Good luck with your stream!”
“Sigh. Ugh, okay…”
A crisp reaction came right back.
Hehe, I’m not the type to let myself be the only one teased.
***
When I arrived at the Academy, the festive atmosphere was palpable.
Everywhere I looked, people were bustling around, preparing for booths or performances.
This same lively mood carried on when the lecture began.
Everyone seemed too caught up in the festival to hide their excitement.
“Shall we quickly go through the material and finish early today?
It seems like that’s what everyone wants.”
“Yes!”
“Sounds great!”
As expected, their reactions were unanimous.
There wasn’t a single negative response from the students.
After all, it was just a simple theoretical elective,
and by now, a lot of the content was becoming repetitive.
Just this once, it should be fine to approach it this way.
Besides, next week they won’t have any choice but to focus.
The audiovisual materials for the VR devices are almost complete.
“Then, we’ll skip the break and go through up to Lesson 6 in one go.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
With the students’ agreement, I sped up my usual lecture pace.
When I finished earlier than usual,
“…?”
I expected the students to file out in a rush, but that wasn’t the case.
A good number of them stayed in their seats,
fixing me with intense, curious gazes.
Because of that, my steps naturally halted as I was about to leave the lecture hall.
“Hmm? Do you have any questions?”
“Professor! What’s your relationship with Hunter Kim Ji-a?”
“How did you come to know her?”
“Ah.”
So, that’s what they were curious about, not the lecture content.
I let out a small chuckle and answered.
“We’ve known each other since before she awakened.”
“Wow!”
“Next question?”
“Me! Me! Professor, do you meet Hunter Kim Ji-a often?”
A barrage of fervent questions poured out from the students.
Their enthusiasm surpassed anything I’d seen during lectures.
To think that just having Ji-a’s name in my network could attract this much interest.
It felt like I was a fox borrowing the tiger’s authority.
…But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
“That’s all for questions! Great work attending today’s lecture. Enjoy the festival!”
“Yes!”
“You too, Professor!”
I exchanged farewells with the slightly disappointed students.
They all looked like they wanted more,
but there wasn’t much else I could do.
Answering any more questions would veer too far into personal matters.
After leaving the lecture hall, I headed straight to my office.
The models I’d been working hard on greeted me warmly.
Their unique designs brought a smile to my face.
For someone seeing them for the first time, they might be quite shocking.
Not that many people visit this place anyway.
Even I, the owner of the room, don’t come here often, so it’s not surprising.
“Let’s see, let’s see…”
I pulled my laptop out of my bag.
Immediately, I searched for the Academy festival lineup online.
“Hmm…”
There were names of various celebrities and singers,
as well as other figures unrelated to Hunters.
True to the Academy’s reputation, there was also a scheduled talk show featuring high-ranking Hunters.
Checking the names of the invited Hunters…
“…Yeo Do-hyung?”
Why are you here?
Weren’t S-rank Hunters supposed to be busy?
—
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