I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 1 - Awakening (1)
[Only you can stop the demons on Earth.]
[Devil Lord III]
An advertisement banner appeared in the corner of the web browser.
The dark silhouette of a demon, with its glowing red eyes, left a strong impression.
“Ah, it’s finally launched.”
Seeing the ad, Kang Ian finally remembered that Devil Lord 3’s release date was today.
He had enjoyed Devil Lord II immensely, so when he heard that the third installment was coming out, he pre-registered for the game.
But lately, he had been busy preparing for job applications, writing cover letters, and studying for exams, so he completely forgot about it.
“Ugh… My head was already hurting.”
Kang Ian stretched as he closed the job search website.
The job hunt felt like a marathon with no finish line in sight.
He toiled endlessly, but he wasn’t even sure if he was on the right track, which made it mentally exhausting.
Especially since he was aiming for an office job at a major hunter guild, a highly competitive field due to the lucrative salary.
For two years, he had faced rejection after rejection during each recruitment season.
This year, a sense of desperation clung to him; he had to succeed.
“I should clear my head with this.”
His hand moved naturally, clicking to download the game from the official site.
He hadn’t had much of a hobby recently, so this was a welcome distraction.
The game was large, requiring some time to install.
While waiting, he checked the online reactions.
– I participated in the beta test; the balance is fantastic.
– Just watching the pre-release gameplay videos got me hyped.
– I briefly played during the open beta; it felt great.
“Oh… it seems fun.”
Seeing the positive feedback from gaming communities, Kang Ian’s excitement grew.
Devil Lord was a single-player hack-and-slash game.
Kang Ian wasn’t particularly skilled at games, nor did he have much time or money to invest in them.
Online RPGs and competitive games were out of the question—those would only add to his stress.
But single-player games were different.
The appeal lay in self-improvement, not competition.
Plus, the hack-and-slash genre offered the satisfying thrill of obliterating hordes of enemies.
By hunting, completing quests, and acquiring gear, he could become overwhelmingly powerful without spending any money.
“Alright. Just you wait.”
Kang Ian rubbed his hands in anticipation.
While the game installed, he browsed the community forums, gathering information about different classes.
[Berserker]
[Nephilim’s Eye]
[Necromancer]
[Assassin]
[Knight of Valhalla]
Devil Lord 3 offered five classes, each praised for their unique playstyles by beta testers.
Even though they had fancy names, the roles were clear: Warrior, Mage, Assassin, and Paladin.
Opinions on which class was best varied.
Some favored the Berserker, others the Necromancer…
The debate on the ultimately strongest class remained unresolved. Final damage output depended heavily on skill trees and equipment, something that could only be determined through extensive gameplay.
But after some research, Kang Ian’s choice was obvious.
“Knight of Valhalla it is.”
While opinions differed on the best class, the consensus on the easiest and most beginner-friendly class was almost unanimous.
– Knight of Valhalla is easy to play and overpowered. Strong and easy from the beginning.
– Lacks the thrill of close calls like other classes, but perfect for stress relief.
– A class designed for newbies.
What was the point of playing a game if he just kept dying?
The ‘Knight of Valhalla’ was designed for new players.
It featured simple controls and a balanced offense and defense.
The idea was for players to start with this class first and then explore the more complex and challenging classes later.
“Let’s see. Just how good is it?”
Kang Ian searched for gameplay videos of the Knight of Valhalla.
The video showed a knight clad in shining white armor, standing before a legion of demons.
<Valhalla shall judge you!>
A bright light, likely a buff skill, emanated from the knight, who then thrust the spear in both hands.
— BOOM!
With a single strike, dozens of monsters were reduced to dust.
The knight then leaped into the midst of the demons, spear whirling like a lion among sheep.
He moved like a whirlwind, slaughtering demons left and right.
Despite the overwhelming number of enemies, he cleared them all in under a minute.
“Whoa…”
Kang Ian couldn’t help but gasp.
“…This is it. No need to look further.”
The only downside of such an overpowered class was that it might get boring quickly.
But for Kang Ian—who just wanted to relieve stress—it was the perfect choice.
Of course, that might change later.
In Devil Lord 2, he had started with a similar class, but after reaching max level, he craved a greater challenge and ended up maxing out all the other classes as well.
[Game installation complete]
The game finished installing, and he launched it immediately.
A dark screen appeared, followed by a cinematic showcasing the demon lord and his legions rising from hell.
It was a high-budget, impressive trailer.
The video ended, and the character selection screen appeared.
Characters representing each class stood, wielding their signature weapons.
Having already made his decision, Kang Ian selected the ‘Knight of Valhalla’ on the far right without hesitation.
The knight in full plate armor, wielding a greatsword, stepped forward, confirming his selection.
[Please enter a character name.]
He entered his own name and skipped the appearance settings.
Since it was a single-player game, it didn’t really matter what name he used.
There was an option for ranking competitions later, but that had nothing to do with Kang Ian.
Soon, the game loaded, and the tutorial began.
His character held a simple wooden club.
[Tutorial Objective]
[You, who wish to become a Knight of Valhalla—pass the trial and receive your knighthood.]
“Another test, huh?”
Kang Ian chuckled at how it reminded him of job applications.
Unlike corporate aptitude tests, however, this one promised to be easy and fun.
The tutorial, designed primarily to explain the controls, progressed quickly.
He defeated a few low-level demon monsters.
[Acquired +10 Evil Souls.]
He helped an NPC seeking the knight’s aid.
[Acquired +10 Nobility.]
Then, he visited the quest NPC. The heavily armored Knight of Valhalla greeted him with a scripted line.
[Excellent. Never forget the righteousness and character befitting a Knight of Valhalla, and continue to hone your skills.]
– Ding!
[As a quest reward, you will receive the ‘Valhalla Beginner Knight Set.’]
[To claim your reward, you need 10 Evil Souls.]
[Would you like to claim it?]
[Y/N]
‘So I have to hunt monsters for Evil Souls, and use those to obtain quest items.’
He had read about this in the forums. Devil Lord 3’s quest system wasn’t simply about completing tasks.
Players had to offer ‘Evil Souls’, obtained by slaying monsters, to claim quest rewards.
It was a system designed to encourage continuous hunting.
Just as Kang Ian was about to press Y—
– Ding! Ding!
– Buzz!
“Oh, jeez!”
His smartphone, resting on the desk, vibrated intensely.
He usually kept it on silent, so the sudden noise startled him.
[Emergency Alert]
[Sudden Gate phenomenon detected approximately 1500m above Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province.]
“Sudden Gate?”
Instinctively, Kang Ian glanced up.
Of course, all he could see was the ceiling of his villa.
A Sudden Gate phenomenon referred to the spontaneous creation of a gate, much like a natural disaster.
These gates could appear randomly anywhere in the world, and usually, standby hunters were dispatched to close them.
However, until then, people in the affected area had to exercise caution to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
“1500 meters above ground… should be fine, right?”
He was far away, safely inside his home; what could possibly go wrong?
– Rumble
– Crackle, Boom!
Thunder rumbled outside.
The weather had been bad all day with rain and strong winds, and now lightning was striking.
Kang Ian turned his attention back to the game.
The emergency alert and the bad weather were of little concern to him.
– KRAKOOM!
At that moment, lightning struck his building directly.
His villa, located in an elevated area, was also well-equipped with lightning protection.
But this was no ordinary lightning.
Kang Ian had no way of knowing, but the lightning had passed through the Sudden Gate, altering its very nature.
The bolt struck the building precisely, and at that moment, his monitor flashed blindingly bright.
“Ugh…!”
Kang Ian winced as the blinding light filled his vision.
For a brief moment, the entire room was illuminated.
A few seconds later, the monitor returned to normal, displaying the game screen as if nothing had happened.
“Is this okay? Did something get fried inside?”
Feeling uneasy, he carefully inspected his monitor and PC.
They were expensive, high-end equipment, so he was worried.
Then—
Kang Ian froze.
“······?”
The problem wasn’t with his equipment.
It was with his eyes.
[You have acquired a Job and Skills.]
[Name: Kang Ian]
[Class: Knight of Valhalla]
[Skill: Communion with Valhalla]
“Uh…?”
At first, Kang Ian thought he was imagining things.
Maybe he was seeing things because it had been a while since he last played?
But soon, he realized otherwise.
The messages about acquiring a class and skill… he knew what they meant. The media had made it abundantly clear.
“A, A, A… Awakening!!!!?”
It was the mark of an Awakened.
He jumped up and shouted,
“No way! I’ve Awakened! I’m an Awakened!!”
His excitement erupted in a yell.
If it weren’t for the heavy rain and thunder, his neighbors would have surely banged on the walls, complaining about the noise.
But in this moment, he didn’t care.
Awakening. The path to becoming a Hunter had opened for him.
Only a select few were chosen to become Hunters, individuals who traversed Gates, accumulating wealth and fame.
Kang Ian’s mind raced with thoughts of his future as a successful, powerful hunter.
The sheer thrill was overwhelming.
‘But… wait a minute.’
As the initial excitement subsided, doubts arose.
‘Why do my Job and Skills look like this?
Awakening didn’t guarantee a successful Hunter career.
Most Awakened individuals became F-rank or D-rank Hunters.
Ascending to greater heights required a good class and good skills.
That was why Job and Skill selection was critical. But something felt too familiar.
Knight of Valhalla?
Wasn’t that the job from the game he had just been playing?
His gaze instinctively drifted to the monitor.
The same text was still on the screen:
[As a quest reward, you will receive the ‘Valhalla Beginner Knight Set.’]
[To claim your reward, you need 10 Evil Souls.]
[Would you like to claim it?]
[Y/N]
It was a gamer’s instinct. How could he not click it?
His hand moved involuntarily, clicking Y.
– Ding
[Acquired Valhalla Apprentice Knight Set]
New equipment appeared in his character’s in-game inventory.
And then…
“…What is all this?”
Equipment materialized out of thin air before his very eyes.
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