I held the documents firmly in my hand as I made my way home. While walking, I heard some movement behind me, coming from the bushes. I chose to ignore it.
As I continued walking, the same sound repeated again and again.
I frowned internally.Is he bad at hiding… or is he deliberately making noise?
I quickened my pace and reached home earlier than expected. As a precaution, I immediately called Don Albert and asked him to place some men around my house for safety reasons.
I didn't know whether the person following me had ill intentions or not. It was better to be safe than regret it later.
Albert acted quickly. His men arrived and casually positioned themselves around my house, blending in naturally so as not to raise suspicion. That night, after completing my daily routine, I went to sleep.
The next morning, I set out for the office.
Halfway there, I felt it again.
Someone was following me.
The same bush sounds echoed behind me—this time clearly intentional, as if the person knew that I knew.
I stopped.
Then I turned around and stared directly at the source of the noise. After a brief silence, I said calmly,"Come out already. I've known you've been following me since yesterday. Also, I'm running late for work."
A moment later, a figure stepped out from behind a tree and stood in front of me casually.
The assassin(A/N: I had to give this character a name to make writing easier)smiled and said in a relaxed tone,"I didn't expect you to notice me—even though I was making sounds on purpose. Your senses are much sharper than normal people. I believe you're a Martial Artist, aren't you?"
I frowned."Why are you following me? What's your purpose?"
The assassin chuckled."My purpose? Well… it was to find out where you live. But since your house is protected by so many people, I didn't get the chance."
I replied coldly,"Why do you want to know where I live? And since you're already here, you won't get the chance anyway."
The assassin laughed loudly."Haha! You think you can defeat me—"
Before the sentence finished, I activated Water Flowing.
In an instant, I vanished and reappeared behind him, delivering a sharp karate chop toward his neck.
The assassin's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even registered my movement before I was already behind him. He tried to reach for the knives strapped to his thighs, but I had already seen through his intent.
I struck again.
This time, instead of knocking him unconscious, I accidentally fractured his collarbone.
I paused, slightly stunned.Movies really make it look easy…Well, at least he won't be moving anytime soon.
The assassin clenched his teeth and attempted to escape by throwing a smoke bomb. I grabbed his wrist firmly and stared straight into his eyes.
"Stop it," I said calmly. "And sleep."
I slapped him—careful not to use too much force. The last thing I wanted was to knock his head clean off.
He collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Luckily, the road was empty.
I dragged his body into a secluded alley and took out my phone.
"Albert," I said, "I need your help."
"Yes, Master. Please give your order," Albert replied immediately.
I laughed helplessly."Why are you calling me Master? You know I don't like that."
Albert answered humbly,"Master, I respect your strength at such a young age. From now on, I will call you Master."
I sighed."You will not call me Master in front of everyone."
"Understood, Master," he replied respectfully.
"…Anyway," I continued, "I need you here. Someone has been following me since yesterday. I confronted and captured them. I need you to take them and find out why they were following me."
Albert's voice turned furious."Who dares follow you, Master?! Give me a moment—I'll bring my men and beat the hell out of them!"
I replied calmly,"Albert, chill the hell out. I already captured them. They're unconscious. I just need you to take them to a secure location."
Albert paused, then said,"Understood, Master. Give me five minutes."
I hung up and turned back toward the assassin. I removed the cloth covering the face—and froze.
The "he" I had been referring to…
Was a she.
A wave of guilt hit me when I realized I had broken her collarbone and slapped her unconscious. I carefully checked her for weapons, deliberately avoiding any sensitive areas. The last thing I wanted was to look like a pervert—even to an assassin.
Just then, a van pulled up. Albert arrived with his men and secured both the street and the alley.
Albert approached, bowed, and asked,"Master… is this the assassin?"
"Yes," I replied. "And be careful. She's female."
Albert glanced at her, and for a brief moment, a glint of lust flashed in his eyes.
I immediately snapped,"Don't you dare think of using her for your personal pleasure, Don Albert."
Albert snapped out of it instantly."Yes—sir. I will follow your orders."
He instructed his men to take her to the kernel and lock her up.
I thought for a moment.Instead of Albert, maybe I should interrogate her myself… just to be safe.
"Albert," I said, "lock her up. I'll come to the kernel later to talk to her. Until then, I want tight security. No chances of escape."
I looked at him sharply."And no thoughts about her. You've been warned."
Albert shuddered. I unintentionally released a bit of pressure, and he dropped to one knee.
"As you say, sir," he said quickly. "I will discipline myself."
After everything was settled, I returned home and stored the documents in a secure place. I didn't want them accidentally ending up in my mom's hands.
I said goodbye to my mom, who was busy in the kitchen, and then left for the academy.