I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 104

Training (3)

 

The next day.

Kang Ian set out to carry out a request from the National Crystal Research Institute.

‘I should quickly finish the request and then go see the Sword King.’

If he received the Sword King’s guidance, he could double the growth rate of his secret swordsmanship.

The request and money were good, but for now, he wanted to focus on his own growth.

That 10-meter monster he had encountered in front of the Black Gate last time.

He had only won easily because he happened to catch it off guard… if something like that had come out in a normal state, it would have been difficult to deal with.

He needed to become stronger.

“The National Crystal Research Institute’s requests are said to be quite interesting. I’m looking forward to it.”

Hong Dasom said from beside him.

This request was made together with her.

When he had gone to visit her in the hospital last time, the conversation somehow led to him mentioning that he had accepted a request from the research institute.

After hearing that, Hong Dasom had asked if she could come along as well.

In truth, since Kang Ian could now even handle sword energy, it was unclear how much help Hong Dasom would be… even if she was a genius…

‘Still better than going alone. And her older sister seems to like it too.’

Hong Dasom had asked to join without taking any share of the reward, just letting her tag along.

Since he could make use of such a talented person for free, and it would also leave a good impression on her older sister, Hong Dayeon, he agreed right away.

‘I can’t really use her completely for free… I should give her some of the reward depending on how she performs.’

The place they arrived at was Hongcheon, Gangwon Province.

After driving for a while, they reached a massive research complex.

After passing through several security checkpoints, Kang Ian and Hong Dasom were guided to a guest reception room.

After waiting a bit, researcher Lee Naeun arrived.

“Welcome. The trip here couldn’t have been easy. Thank you for coming.”

Even in a lab coat and looking worn out from fatigue, her beauty couldn’t be hidden.

She sat across from the two.

“First, the two of you will need to clear a B-rank gate. Hunter Kang Ian is impressive, but since you were alone, I was a bit worried. It’s reassuring that another person has joined.”

Lee Naeun’s personality was also direct and sharp.

A natural-born researcher.

So she went straight to the point.

“Please take these first.”

She held out two scrolls.

“This is…?”

“They’re Gate Escape Scrolls.”

“!”

After the incident involving Ryusei and Hong Dasom, the Association had become obsessed with acquiring Gate Escape Scrolls.

However, they were extremely rare, and since every country in the world wanted them, their price was absurdly high.

Because of that, even in Korea, they were only provided when A-rank or higher hunters entered dangerous gates… but despite his rank still being insufficient, Kang Ian also received that support.

“These are two we barely managed to obtain. The Association treats its hunters like half-civil servants, pays poorly, and doesn’t treat them well… but I guess they still use their influence in situations like this.”

“Is it okay to criticize the Association like that?”

“They deserve some criticism. Watching what they do is frustrating enough to drive you crazy. Ugh.”

Lee Naeun let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll explain the request in detail first. Last time, I only told you that you needed to enter the gate.”

“Yes.”

“First, I should explain why you need to enter the gate. Do you still have the wave detector I gave you before?”

“!”

Kang Ian flinched at her sudden words.

He almost instinctively covered his chest.

Of course, the wave detector was safely kept in his inner pocket.

This item, capable of detecting the source of evil, could be considered his number one treasure and greatly helped him acquire evil souls and nobility.

‘Don’t tell me… she wants it back?’

He answered while looking slightly anxious.

“Uh… yes. It was a gift from you, wasn’t it? Of course, I’m keeping it carefully.”

“Hehe. Thank you. It’s practically a failed product born from my obsession, yet you speak so kindly of it.”

Lee Naeun smiled with a complicated emotion.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she wanted it returned.

“Anyway, the new research I initiated is similar to that detector. The goal is to detect inside the gate.”

Currently, until you actually enter a gate, there is no way to know what is inside.

What type of dungeon it was, what monsters appeared, and so on.

You had to face the unknown directly and judge.

That was why, despite hunters being superhuman and powerful, the mortality rate remained high.

“Don’t tell me… You can now know what’s inside a gate in advance? Like what monsters appear and what rewards you get?”

“No. Not to that extent. We still can’t identify the type or monster species. The focus of this research is identifying items.”

“Huh.”

“And even that isn’t exact. We can only estimate things like the probability of obtaining certain types of items, or the probability of obtaining items with certain attributes… like that.”

Even that was incredible.

Until now, such predictions had been completely impossible.

“And this time, the research institute has secured a gate for testing. It’s a B-rank gate, and we need a trustworthy hunter to clear it.”

“I’m quite good at keeping my mouth shut.”

It seemed they chose Kang Ian not because he was the strongest, but due to security concerns.

When it came to a kind and trustworthy image, there weren’t many better candidates than Kang Ian lately.

“Actually, it’s less about keeping secrets and more about worrying that the item might be used.”

“Used?”

“Yes. According to our research, there’s a high probability that a skill stone will drop in this gate.”

“!”

A skill stone… when used by a hunter, it allows them to randomly acquire a new skill.

Unlike crystal stones, which serve as the core of gates and energy sources for various fuels, skill stones could only be used by hunters.

And they were also extremely rare and expensive.

Since all hunters desired new skills, they searched for them desperately.

That was why hunters rushed out whenever a Black Gate appeared.

Even if it was a duty, it was to become the top contributor and secure a guaranteed skill stone.

‘As for me, I just learn skills from Devil Lord 3, so I don’t really need it… But it’s different for ordinary hunters.’

He glanced at Hong Dasom, who had been quietly listening beside him… her eyes were wide open.

Even though she already possessed an incredible skill, her desire for a new one was unavoidable.

“……”

Lee Naeun paused for a moment and stared at Kang Ian.

‘As expected… he’s different from other hunters.’

When talking about this, most hunters couldn’t hide the desire in their eyes.

No matter how well they concealed their emotions, Lee Naeun had a natural ability to detect them.

But Kang Ian showed none of that.

Even when she mentioned skill stones, there was no change, so she smiled faintly.

‘It was a good choice recommending Hunter Kang Ian.’

This had been a long-debated topic among the researchers.

They had been assigned a gate with a high probability of producing skill stones based on their research.

All that remained was to confirm whether one would actually drop.

But what if the hunter secretly kept it?

Since skill stones disappeared immediately upon use, an unscrupulous hunter (and there were many) could just use them and feign ignorance.

That was why they had carefully selected someone to entrust this to… and fortunately, it seemed like a good choice.

“Then, shall we ask you to proceed with the raid right away? Is that alright?”

“Of course. Hunter Hong Dasom, you’re fine with it too, right?”

“Yes.”

At Kang Ian’s glance, Hong Dasom nodded.

The gate wasn’t far from the research institute.

And just before entering…

“Still, it’s a relief that you can go in with at least some level of safety guaranteed. Ah, right. If you don’t use those, you’ll need to return them. Otherwise, our institute’s budget gets cut.”

“Haha…”

Kang Ian had been planning to keep the escape scrolls for later use or sell them if not.

At Lee Naeun’s words, he gave an awkward smile.

Then, they entered the gate.

 

***

 

Veteran A-rank hunters usually didn’t have good personalities.

Unless they rose instantly through absurd talent, most hunters steadily developed themselves and reached higher levels.

But the Sword King Cheon Hajin was a bit different.

He was a symbol of human perseverance.

He had not been a high-grade hunter, and even his first skill was just ordinary swordsmanship.

But through decades of training and real combat experience, he reached A-rank.

Unlike typical A-rank hunters who overwhelmed others with sheer power, Cheon Hajin possessed near-perfect technique.

Moreover, in his old age, he devoted himself to nurturing juniors, willingly teaching swordsmanship to those who sought him out.

There was even a saying that all sword-using hunters in Korea respected Cheon Hajin.

Some went so far as to pledge themselves to him and follow him around.

As a result, without him doing anything, a faction naturally formed around him.

The Sword King Family.

Not a guild, but a force that no major guild could ignore.

“Master, there’s a hunter recently who might interest you.”

“Hm. Is that so?”

The Sword King Family’s headquarters was a 30-story building in the middle of Seoul, designed like a traditional tiled house.

A world-renowned architect had been invited to construct it that way.

It was all funded by donations from those who respected Cheon Hajin.

Deep inside, Cheon Hajin was enjoying tea time with one of his disciples.

“Yes. Unlike most hunters these days, he seems to understand benevolence and propriety.”

“Oh? In a world where everyone is only concerned with filling their own stomachs, there’s someone like that?”

“He’s already appeared in the media several times. You might not know since you don’t watch the news anymore.”

“There are too many unpleasant things. It’s better to meditate than watch such things.”

“Wise words. But I would like to introduce this hunter to you at least once.”

Hearing his disciple speak so highly, Cheon Hajin grew interested.

He didn’t value only swordsmanship skill.

If only the blade became sharp, it would ultimately harm people.

The many villains lurking in the world proved that.

One had to refine the mind before technique.

Many followed him, but only those who passed his character test were considered true disciples.

The disciple before him was one such person… so if he spoke like this, Cheon Hajin wanted to meet this hunter.

“What was his name?”

“Yes. Kang Ian. He awakened less than six months ago but has already reached B-rank. He also played a role in the recent Black Gate incident, and apparently used a sword there.”

“Kang Ian… Kang Ian… That name sounds familiar.”

“Huh? Have you seen the news?”

“No. Not the news… I think I heard it somewhere else…”

After thinking for a moment, a memory surfaced in Cheon Hajin’s mind.

The gym where he had gone to meet Kang Hopung.

There had been a young guy training like a madman alongside that strange friend of his.

—“I’m B-rank hunter Kang Ian.”

He had definitely introduced himself like that.

But Cheon Hajin had a doubt.

‘…That guy understands benevolence and propriety?’

Why was he with Kang Hopung…?