I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 103

Training (2) 

 

Rewinding time a bit to this morning.

Kang Ian, who had woken up at dawn, went through a slightly different routine than usual.

Normally, he would go volunteer at a free meal center, but today he woke up even earlier than that.

Since it was a high-end apartment complex, there was a well-developed park-like area inside. Carrying his longsword, Kang Ian headed there.

To practice swordsmanship.

 

[Skill: Valhalla’s Secret Swordsmanship]

[A secret sword art that can be learned starting from a high-ranking knight of Valhalla. With special blessings, it can be learned even before reaching that rank.]

[With consistent training, both overall swordsmanship ability and physical capabilities increase.]

[Upon reaching a certain level, one can manifest the Vision of Valhalla.]

[If guided by a highly skilled swordsman, proficiency growth can increase by up to 2 times.]

 

The newly acquired Valhalla’s Secret Swordsmanship.

The process to obtain it had been extremely difficult.

Even after completing the quest and gaining the qualification, he had to pour in a massive amount of Evil Souls and Nobility to acquire it.

Having gone through all that trouble, there was no way he would just leave it unused.

Kang Ian immediately began training.

‘It’d be nice if my place were a bit bigger.’

It was still early dawn, so there weren’t many people around… but practicing swordsmanship in an open space was still quite embarrassing.

Of course, unless it was a rural house in the countryside, finding a place in the middle of Seoul where you could swing a longsword freely wasn’t easy.

This was already an apartment worth 8.5 billion won, yet he was already starting to desire an even bigger place.

Shing

Shaking off his thoughts, Kang Ian drew his sword.

Whoosh!

Valhalla’s Secret Swordsmanship had a combat flow.

Following the patterns that had been imprinted into his mind, he practiced.

Unlike ordinary skills that were learned once and done, this required constant dedication to see results.

‘Hm?’

Kang Ian realized the reason why.

As he continued practicing, a faint energy began to accumulate inside his body.

It was so subtle that he wouldn’t have noticed without focus… but it was unmistakable.

What hunters call mana is used when activating skills.

Mana capacity was determined at awakening and then naturally increased little by little over time.

The amount varied greatly from person to person, and could be altered with special items.

Those items were, of course, extremely rare and expensive.

Yet here he was, increasing mana through training alone.

‘I need to train harder.’

Moreover, the more he practiced, the more the swordsmanship felt ingrained in his body.

For now, his goal was clear:

To reach the level where he could freely wield the aura.

 

***

 

Back to the present.

Inside the gym.

Kang Hoopung wasn’t surprised at all when Cheon Hajin suddenly spoke to them.

He only looked annoyed.

“What, the old fossil showed up?”

“Tsk tsk. That mouth of yours hasn’t changed either. You’ve gotten old, yet you still lack any sense of weight or dignity.”

Cheon Hajin clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Though they had been comrades who cleared gates together decades ago and weren’t far apart in age, the two didn’t get along well.

They were fundamentally different.

While Cheon Hajin valued etiquette and propriety, Kang Hoopung was, at best, straightforward… and at worst, crude and aggressive.

“You wanna go at it again over that? Miss the taste of my fists, old man?”

Kang Hoopung clenched his fist.

Just that motion alone released a mountain-like pressure.

“Such a brawler’s temperament… I could fix that bad habit of yours today.”

Cheon Hajin spoke calmly but placed a hand on his sword hilt.

A sharp, cutting aura radiated from him… so intense it felt like it could slice steel.

He hadn’t even drawn his sword, yet killing intent leaked out.

After staring each other down for a moment, Cheon Hajin was the first to step back.

“Enough. What’s the point of brawling with you?”

At that, Kang Hoopung also relaxed his fist.

Having known each other for so long, they had fought plenty before.

They also knew that if they fought here, the surroundings would be destroyed.

“So, why are you here? Got something to say?”

“Nothing for you. But have you been in touch with Song Younggil? I had something urgent to ask, but he’s overseas and unreachable. Since he’s closest to you, I thought you might know… so I stopped by.”

“How’d you even know I was here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You practically live in this gym.”

Recently, this association gym had practically become Kang Hoopung’s personal space.

Training alongside a near-elder A-rank hunter like him was intimidating, and people naturally drifted away.

So most of the time, he had the place to himself.

“I haven’t contacted Song Younggil lately either… but I’ll try and let him know you’re looking for him.”

“Much appreciated.”

Cheon Hajin turned to leave.

At that moment, Kang Ian carefully called out to him.

“Um… Sword King, sir.”

“Hmm?”

“If it’s alright… could you teach me some swordsmanship?”

Kang Ian wasn’t someone who made such bold requests to strangers, even if they were A-rank hunters.

But the secret swordsmanship was on his mind.

If guided by a highly skilled swordsman, proficiency growth can increase by up to 2 times.

The skill’s effect.

And if “highly skilled swordsman” was the requirement, who better than the Sword King standing before him?

“Who are you?”

“I’m B-rank hunter Kang Ian.”

He secretly hoped Cheon Hajin might recognize him.

After all, he had been making quite a name for himself lately.

“B-rank, huh. That’s sufficient qualification.”

But Cheon Hajin didn’t recognize him.

Kang Ian felt a little disappointed, but brushed it off.

He wasn’t a celebrity, after all… no reason to expect everyone to know him.

“You wish to learn from me?”

“Yes.”

“I already have many disciples, so that’s not an issue. But aren’t you this man’s student? Then I’d assume you don’t use a sword.”

In his later years, Cheon Hajin focused on mentoring the next generation.

He had trained numerous skilled swordsmen.

If hunters came asking for guidance, he rarely turned them away.

Because of that, he was regarded as a great master with disciples all across the hunter world.

“No. I mainly use a sword now.”

“In that case, fine. Contact me later and come by. I can at least give you some guidance.”

Cheon Hajin handed him a business card and left.

 

***

 

With the emergence of gates, monsters, and awakened individuals, many nations had risen and fallen repeatedly.

Yet some traditional powers remained strong.

Russia was one of them.

The United States, China, Russia, Japan, Germany…

Countries that were already top-ranked before continued to dominate even in the hunter era.

“Vice Chairman. I have an urgent report.”

Deep within Russia.

Sergei, Director of the SVR, approached Dmitry Medvederev, the Vice Chairman of the National Security Council and right-hand man of the current president.

“What is it?”

“We believe we’ve found a way to reclaim Vorkuta.”

“!”

Medvederev’s eyes widened.

Vorkuta was a city near the Arctic region in northern Russia.

Once a mining city, it was now relatively unremarkable, with a population of about 50,000.

But Russia’s leadership had always kept a close watch on it.

Because of a hazardous zone that had formed there in the past.

A gate rampage had occurred, followed by the creation of a dangerous area.

Part of Vorkuta had turned into such a zone.

It was slightly removed from the city, so civilians weren’t heavily affected.

But in reality, that location had housed Russia’s secret nuclear development facility.

A place where enriched uranium experiments were conducted.

When the area became a hazardous zone, the facility was abandoned.

The problem?

The enriched uranium was left behind… and there was no way to retrieve it.

“You don’t mean you found a way into the facility?”

Even though it was a hazardous zone, it was only around B-rank.

Russian hunters could theoretically reach its depths.

But the facility was underground, and the hazardous zone above it had blocked access.

The twisted, sinister energy covering the land prevented any excavation downward.

For now, the uranium remained stable.

But if left too long, it could deteriorate.

In other words…

A ticking nuclear bomb.

Vorkuta wasn’t far from Moscow.

If the uranium collapsed, it could directly impact the capital.

So all they could do was monitor radiation levels anxiously.

“That’s not it. The ground around the facility is entirely hazardous, so underground entry remains stalled.”

“Then what!? Sergei, are you playing games with me!?”

As Medvederev snapped, Sergei quickly continued.

“Instead, we intercepted CIA communications and obtained valuable intel.”

“CIA?”

The SVR and CIA had long monitored each other, intercepting communications and clashing in the shadows.

Despite efforts to eliminate each other’s agents, both sides still had operatives… and this time, they uncovered something major.

“Do you know who they consider their highest-priority individual right now?”

“Let me guess… S-rank hunters?”

“No. A hunter from South Korea. They believe he can purify hazardous zones.”

“!!!”

The moment he heard hazardous zone purification, Medvederev felt a chill run down his spine.

He instantly grasped the value of such an ability.

How many areas on Earth have been contaminated by hazardous zones?

Most were useless land, but some were critically important.

Vorkuta was one of them.

“Who is it? If we have that ability, even His Excellency at the Kremlin won’t have to worry anymore!”

“A B-rank hunter named Kang Ian.”

“Kang Ian…”

Medvederev stood up.

“Prepare a private jet to Korea.”

“You’re going personally?”

“Of course. I can’t sleep peacefully with that ticking bomb above us. This needs to be handled immediately.”

“But we haven’t verified the information yet.”

“Sergei. Do you know what I’ve learned from dealing with the Americans for so long?”

“What is it?”

“That the CIA is disgustingly competent. If they believe he can purify hazardous zones, then it’s true. They’ve already made their move… so we need to follow, even if we’re late.”

With that, Medvederev canceled all his schedules and boarded a flight to Korea.

Not long after…

The South Korean government began moving frantically in response to the sudden visit of Russia’s second-in-command.