These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

This is bad. My body froze at the unexpected situation.

I knew something was wrong, but even my lips, which should have voiced my thoughts, felt stiff and wouldn’t move.

"Go now."

"…!"

A gentle voice urging me caused my eyes to widen. After Park Yoon-sung, even Kang Yoo-hyun was telling me to go up to the platform. I swallowed hard as I heard the excited murmurs around me.

"Wow, hyung, you're really cool."

"Yi-jin-a, that woman is calling your name. What are you doing?"

"Haha…"

I let out an awkward laugh and stood up. Still puzzled, I had no choice but to accept this as the result of my actions. Slowly, I made my way onto the platform.

I couldn’t remember anything I did on the platform. The air was thick with the overwhelming presence of the S-ranks as their relentless gazes fixed on me, while camera flashes went off nonstop.

Na Ye-rim’s calm voice echoed in my ears as she recounted my accomplishments. It was probably her poised tone and demeanor that helped me keep my composure.

[…And so, as a token of our appreciation for all your efforts, we offer you a small reward.]

I received the commendation and the certificate, then shook hands with Na Ye-rim. She motioned for me to look somewhere, and as soon as I turned, a flash went off.

Still wide-eyed and tense, I followed her lead to the microphone. What am I supposed to do? I looked at her with a puzzled expression, and Na Ye-rim spoke briefly.

"Please tell us how you feel."

"…"

Do I really have to do this? I forced a smile through my quivering lips.

What should I say? Inadvertently, I looked straight ahead from the platform, and the banquet hall came into view.

Countless eyes were fixed on me—sharp, menacing gazes from the S-ranks and other high-level hunters. She wants me to give a speech here? A speech…

I slowly parted my lips.

[That… I’ll continue to do my best. Thank you.]

“…”

The banquet hall fell silent instantly. I had said it, but even I could tell it was a terrible speech—boring and too short. I was relieved that I wasn’t trembling from nerves, thanks to my passive skill.

I bowed and quickly stepped down from the platform, nearly stumbling. Only then did the applause begin, though it was a little delayed. I couldn’t remember anything about my surroundings on the way back to my seat. My heart pounded loudly as I sat down.

"Yi-jin-a, you did great."

"Hyung, you were really amazing."

"Yes… Thank you."

It wasn’t until Eden and Kang Soo-hyun said a few comforting words that my racing heart finally began to settle.

Wow, seriously… I still couldn’t believe it. To calm the nervousness swirling inside me like a natural disaster, I gulped down the unfinished champagne.

"Haa… I can breathe now."

After that, time passed without incident. True to its purpose as a welcome event, it wasn’t the place for discussing troublesome matters.

Na Ye-rim, in her usual blunt tone, recited the familiar, clichéd lines: “The Association will continue to support guilds and hunters,” and “Let’s all work together to overcome the crisis.” As the formal proceedings came to a close, the party finally began.

This part was covered in detail in the novel. It was Kang Yoo-hyun’s chance to meet the hunters from the major foreign guilds, and as his partner, I had to stay by his side the entire night. I was also excited to finally meet the foreign hunters I had been so curious about.

“Hello, Hunter Han Yi-jin.”

“Oh…?”

A tall, stunning woman approached and greeted me. She had snow-white skin and dark brown hair. Though Han Yi-jin was by no means short, she was still much taller than me, and as she drew closer, I had to look up at her. Her light brown eyes locked onto mine.

“I’m Anastasia Baranov, the Guildmaster of the Skadi Guild. I look forward to working with you.”

“…!”

Anastasia Baranov…!

She was said to have the strongest offensive skill in the world. In the novel, it was mentioned that her skill could even rival Kang Yoo-hyun’s, who was ranked SS. I swallowed hard and bowed.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Han Yi-jin.”

“I know.”

The Guildmaster of the Skadi Guild, Anastasia, glanced sideways at me before smiling and withdrawing her outstretched hand. I wondered if she had meant to shake my hand, like Yeo Min-jun had. As I tilted my head, she continued speaking while looking at me.

“Please, call me Tasia.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. I knew from the novel that Anastasia’s nickname was Tasia, but only a few people were close enough to call her that.

Even Kang Yoo-hyun, the protagonist, hadn’t earned that privilege yet. By the part I’d read, he still called her by her surname, since they hadn’t become close.

Has Anastasia always had this kind of character? As a Russian, her expression was always stiff, and I’d never seen her speak kindly to other hunters.

Moreover, unlike the other allied guilds, she seemed to have a strong aversion to helping Korea, making her displeasure obvious at the welcome party. What’s going on…?

But before I could think further, someone suddenly stepped in front of me, pushing Anastasia aside.

"Pleased to meet you. I’m Liu Haoran (Ryu Ho-yeon), Guildmaster of the Vali Guild."

"Oh…?"

The translation item automatically converted his Chinese name to Korean in my mind.

Liu Haoran. Ryu Ho-yeon in Korean. He was the guildmaster of Vali, one of China’s top guilds. In the novel, he was portrayed as a brilliant strategist with a curious personality.

Right now, his eyes were sparkling in a way that made me uncomfortable. I had to gaze down at him because he was so short, like a child, even though he was the same age as Han Yi-jin.

"Hello."

"If you have time later, would you like to have some tea and chat? I brought some special tea from China…"

"Liu Haoran, you're being rude, interrupting before I've even finished speaking."

Anastasia frowned and shot a glare at Liu Haoran, who met her stare with an indifferent expression.

"Why are you complaining when you're the one being so slow?"

"What did you say?"

"Ah, is your high position making it hard for you to see what's around you?"

"You're talking recklessly with that big mouth of yours, Vali Guildmaster."

The tension was palpable, as if they were on the verge of fighting. On top of that, they were completely different from how they had appeared in front of me. The fierce energy from the S-ranks clashing made me instinctively take a step back.

"That's enough."

When Kang Yoo-hyun spoke bluntly, the tension between the two instantly vanished. Like well-trained puppies, they quickly glanced at me. Seeing me covered in cold sweat, both of them were at a loss for what to do.

"So, I… I’m definitely not a violent person."

"Neither am I. Though, this Russian here could probably take down a bear with her bare hands."

"Are you done?"

"I still have a little more to say. Should I keep going?"

"…"

Are these two really on bad terms? The way they strangely seem in sync makes it seem like they actually get along. Well, the guildmasters of the alliance might argue when they meet, but they surprisingly work well together in battle.

I nodded inwardly and turned my head, distracted by the noise around me. Without the Prophet’s prophecy, the banquet hall wouldn’t be so lively, packed with such powerful hunters—ones you'd rarely encounter in a lifetime. But for some reason, it felt like there was more to it than met the eye.

The bustling banquet hall suddenly fell silent. It wasn’t common for hunters with such strong personalities to stay quiet for even a moment. I watched in confusion as the crowd parted before me. Aside from the key figures around me, the other hunters stepped aside with unpleasant expressions for some reason.

Thud, thud.

“…!”

Someone approached with small steps. The man, with long black hair tied over his right shoulder, had a complexion as pale as that of a corpse. I widened my eyes, feeling like I recognized him from somewhere, even though I had never seen him before.

Despite being a man, he was strikingly beautiful. His slender frame and short stature could easily lead one to mistake him for a woman at first glance. But there was something unusual about the aura he gave off. I met the man's gaze, dressed in a white suit and coat.

"Hello"

“…!”

As the man spoke from a distance, the hunters in the banquet hall, who had seemed frozen in time, suddenly began moving at an invisible speed. It all happened in an instant. I could only stand there, stunned, as it unfolded.

"This."

"Tch…"

"Quite the warm welcome."

Despite the countless hunters threatening him with weapons, the man remained calm. His blue eyes narrowed, as if he found the situation amusing.

“…Why are you here?”

“Park Yoon-sung.”

The man seemed strangely detached from reality, smiling even with a blade pressed to his neck. His red lips slowly parted as he spoke.

"Long time no see."

"Raisu…!"

Raisu? That man?

I was taken aback for a moment, then glanced back at Park Yoon-sung, who was seething with anger. When I turned my gaze back to Raisu, our eyes met once again.

"I feel like a witch who wasn't invited to the princess's birthday party."

Raisu muttered with a sigh, then flashed a smile at me.

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