Chapter 66

In the heart of the city, a blandly colored car cruised down the road. There was nothing particularly flashy or adorned about it—no eye-catching logos, no fancy designs. Every window had been treated with a subtly glossy tinted film, obscuring any view of the interior. Inside, the seats were specially arranged, equipped with curtains and privacy screens designed to hide passengers from prying eyes. It was the perfect vehicle for sneaking people around unnoticed.

“Hnnng…”

Si-hyun let out a soft yawn, leaning back deeply into the plush rear seat. Today had been exhausting in every possible way: waking up late after drinking, realizing there was an emergency, rushing through double-dungeon runs, and then meeting some weird interdimensional Necromancer dude. Both her body and mind were fried.

‘When I get home, I’ll eat dinner and go straight to bed…’ Si-hyun thought groggily, fighting off sleep as her heavy eyelids drooped. She glanced at the man sitting across from her, casually removing her veil and placing it on her lap. ‘I’ll sort everything out tomorrow…’

With that, she relaxed fully into the chair, closing her eyes. ‘He can wake me when we arrive,’ she figured.

Just then, the man—a team leader from Hunter Management—cleared his throat.

“Hem, Hunter Jeong Si-hyun?”

“…Mm?”

Si-hyun’s eyes snapped open, having dozed off briefly. Irritation flickered through her at being woken up just as she was drifting into sweet slumber.

Her expression remained neutral; when dealing with strangers, she rarely showed emotion. But the team leader, preoccupied with work-related thoughts, didn’t pick up on her mood.

“First of all, thank you for your hard work today,” he began formally. “Director Jang told me quite a bit about what happened, but… we feel like the information you provided was rather sparse.”

“…”

“Therefore, I’d like to ask first about what exactly went down in the dungeon today.”

“…Right now, I’m really tired. Sorry, but could you talk to the other hunters who participated instead?” Si-hyun replied softly yet politely. Though annoyed at being interrupted during nap time, she knew better than to lash out at someone important in their collaborative relationship.

However, the team leader wasn’t satisfied with such an answer. Determined to extract details during this face-to-face encounter, his tone shifted slightly without him realizing it.

“We’re safely escorting you home right now. Surely, sharing information is within reason?”

“…”

“You seem tired, I understand, but perhaps we could have a quick chat?”

Though phrased politely, his words carried an undertone of pressure. He felt frustrated by Si-hyun’s lack of cooperation.

Si-hyun slowly rubbed her eyes, opening them fully as she sat upright and turned toward him. Her expression hadn’t changed, but something in her demeanor made the team leader instinctively sense that he’d crossed a line—an intuition honed from years of experience.

‘Uh? What’s going on?’

At that moment…

Woooom! Woooom!

The vibration of a phone call broke the tension.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Seeing Si-hyun nod faintly, the team leader answered his phone.

“Yes, this is Team Leader Go Jae-yoon speaking.”

He listened intently, responding with polite affirmations. As the conversation continued, however, his posture stiffened noticeably. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Ah, understood.”

The call ended.

Now visibly tense, the team leader looked back at Si-hyun.

“Cough! Today, truly, thank you so much for your efforts! We’ll make sure you reach home safely, so please rest well.”

“…”

“AH! Regarding today’s events, I’ll speak with the other hunters. Haha! Guess I got a little too eager there, huh? My sincerest apologies!”

His attitude had done a complete 180. The confident facade was gone, replaced by a nervous man trying to gauge Si-hyun’s mood.

After observing his sudden change, Si-hyun gave a slow nod before reclining again, succumbing to sleep. Her steady breathing filled the quiet car.

Watching her peacefully snooze, the team leader wiped cold sweat from his brow.

‘Phew… almost screwed up big time there.’

He should’ve trusted Director Jang’s warnings earlier. If only he’d taken his subordinate’s advice more seriously, this whole situation could’ve been avoided.

Recalling Jang’s words, the team leader swallowed hard.

“If things go south, she might leave the country. So handle her carefully.”

Thankfully, he’d managed to salvage the situation before it spiraled out of control. Their first impression hadn’t been ruined completely.

As Si-hyun slept soundly, the team leader found himself pondering.

B-rank or A-rank hunter? Maybe even S-rank? He’d treat her royally if that were the case…

But deep down, he scoffed at his earlier assumptions. Jeong Si-hyun wasn’t anywhere near those levels.

This woman was unrankable. A literal ultra-awakened powerhouse whose individual strength surpassed national authority. She was a walking battle weapon.

The recent intel he’d received over the phone confirmed this reality. Pulling out a handkerchief, he dabbed at his perspiring forehead.

* * *

The car finally arrived near Si-hyun’s residence. Politely thanking the men, she stepped out and began walking toward her home. Still half-asleep, she paused to rub her eyes before glancing up at the moon, then continuing on her way.

From the car, the team leader watched her retreating figure with a sigh.

“Whew… Damn…”

Words escaped him. Having driven her here, he now stood beside Director Jang, who quietly commented.

“The dungeon must’ve been brutal today. She looks exhausted.”

“Yeah…”

“Wait, what?”

Upon hearing Jang’s inquiry, the team leader nervously elaborated.

“It’s chaos right now. Word is spreading that she’s stronger than the entire expedition force combined. People are asking who exactly this nun is.”

“Wait… Really?! That strong?!”

Even Jang was shocked. Based on Si-hyun’s confident demeanor, he’d assumed she was probably an S-rank Awakened—but wow. Of course, being S-rank alone was already incredible, which was why they’d planned to rely heavily on her abilities.

Still, stronger than the entire expedition force? That was catastrophic-level power!

Jang gawked, unable to close his mouth.

The team leader glanced briefly at his astonished superior before continuing.

“No matter what, we cannot disappoint her. You’ve built rapport with her, so put in extra effort. Absolutely NO holding back support. Let her do whatever she wants, give her whatever she needs, and above all, ensure she stays in Korea. Got it?”

“Yes sir! I’ll do my best!”

Nodding earnestly, Jang glanced at his phone. A paused Ttyub video featuring streamer Momobin played on the screen.

And so, both men trudged back to their offices, burdened with new tasks. At least they had some preparations ready beforehand—thankfully.

* * *

Time passed, and the date changed.

Members gathered in the Dawn Guild’s conference room. Once everyone assembled, a male administrative staff member began reporting.

“Management Bureau keeps repeating the same response: the nun is a foreign Hunter who naturalized in Korea, and beyond that, no further information will be disclosed.”

“Is it really necessary to keep her info so tightly under wraps?”

“They claim it’s per the nun’s request. Apparently, she might leave the country if things don’t go smoothly…”

The room fell silent momentarily. This warning applied not only to the Management Bureau but also to any guilds attempting to recruit her. Caution became paramount.

“Did anyone hear anything useful from our contacts within the Management Bureau?”

“It seems like only a select few know the truth. Even the responses coming from the Bureau are just following orders from higher-ups.”

“Wow…”

Big guilds often maintained covert connections with Management Bureau employees to gather intel. Yet even these insiders seemed clueless about the mysterious nun. Clearly, the Bureau had handled things very strategically.

“Is this nun really THAT remarkable?”

Listening quietly, the Dawn Guild president spoke up. Despite being a civilian, his exceptional leadership had transformed Dawn into one of the strongest guilds.

Glancing around the room, Do-hyeong hesitated briefly before answering.

“To be honest… she’s the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met.”

“Even compared to Ga-eul?”

“…There’s literally no comparison.”

“…”

A collective intake of breath echoed through the room.

Choi Ga-eul was among the top Support-type Hunters globally. To say someone couldn’t even be compared to her was almost incomprehensible due to sheer scale.

“Regardless, let’s continue gathering information.”

“Yes, we’ll investigate foreign Hunters’ records.”

“We’ll check recent arrivals into Korea.”

The meeting progressed efficiently. However, despite their efforts, the Dawn Guild couldn’t uncover any additional substantial information about the nun—not alone, nor in collaboration with Night, Cheongrim, or other mid-sized guilds.

Because Jeong Si-hyun wasn’t merely another foreign Hunter who naturalized in Korea. She was the second Returner, still unknown to the public. And because the Korean guilds were focusing on the wrong leads, they kept chasing shadows in vain.