I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 109

Demon (1)

 

As he opened the random box, various thoughts passed through his mind.

What do I want to obtain?

A good item? A good skill?

The items and skills he had recently invested in were quite satisfactory.

He had only entered a B-rank gate so far, but in terms of attack power, he lacked nothing.

Of course, he did feel the need for detection abilities, but that depended heavily on luck.

‘Getting a detection-type skill from a chance like a random box would be a waste. If anything, an attack skill would be better.’

A long-range type.

That would be very helpful in his current situation, where most of his attacks were close-range.

Flash!

As the box opened, a bright light burst out.

Then the box disappeared, leaving behind a single book.

 

[Skill Book: Lesser Blessing of the Divine Beast Black Tortoise]

[The divine beast Black Tortoise possesses the ability to protect against impure energies.

[Upon learning its auspicious power, you can protect up to 4 people, including yourself, from external impure energies for 1 hour.]

[However, as it is only a lesser blessing, it will disappear upon contact with energy beyond a certain level of strength.]

 

“…A buff skill?”

Kang Ian was startled.

Buffers, along with healers, were treated like nobility among hunters.

Moreover, with a skill like this, he could cast it on others and obtain a portion of nobility and evil soul essence by proxy.

‘I could seriously switch my profession to a buffer.’

How many buff skills did he have already?

It wasn’t the long-range skill he wanted, but it was still a good result.

Unlike the Saint Bruta’s Gloves replica he got last time… which had a 30-day limit, skills were permanent.

Kang Ian went to sleep with a satisfied smile.

 

***

 

The next day.

Kang Ian arrived early in the morning at the Happiness Office.

Someone was already there before him.

A woman wearing a tight-fitting combat suit, carrying a sniper rifle on her back, and smoking an e-cigarette… LLim Gayeon.

“Good morning~. Did you sleep well, Hunter Kang Ian?”

“Yes. And how is your condition, Hunter Lim Gayeon?”

“Of course. Catching villains isn’t something I’ve been doing for just a day or two. I’ve long passed the stage of getting nervous over this.”

After taking another puff, she put the device into her bag and spoke.

“Shall we get going?”

“Yes.”

By coincidence, it was a day the two of them would carry out a mission together.

The office provided a car and driver, so they traveled comfortably.

Their destination was Nami Island in Gapyeong.

It used to be a famous tourist spot, but now it is different.

“A villain group called Devil’s Fang has taken root there.”

Devil’s Fang.

It was a villainous organization currently targeting Lim Gayeon.

Originally, she only took on missions about once a year, but this time, Devil’s Fang had set its sights on her.

“Normally, villains know they’re criminals and have to be wary of the government and large guilds, so they don’t usually go for revenge. But I’ve wiped out so many villain groups that I guess they couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t know how they figured out my identity, but they attacked me, which was honestly annoying.”

All Wars was a villain group she had annihilated together with Lim Gayeon.

They were trash who engaged in human trafficking.

He had dealt with them well, but he hadn’t expected to suffer like this even after their destruction.

“Rather than constantly getting attacked by killers, I figured it’d be better to uproot them entirely, so I accepted a request to take care of Devil’s Fang.”

“Requests like that exist?”

“Of course. Do you know how many groups hate villain organizations? The problem isn’t lack of requests… it’s a lack of people willing to carry them out.”

There were many requests to deal with villains.

Kang Ian firmly stored that fact in his mind.

They were dangerous, but they also provided a lot of nobility.

“But if they’re just a villain group on Nami Island and not a danger zone, couldn’t the government or guilds lead a subjugation? Why leave them alone?”

Danger zones kept generating monsters no matter how many you killed.

Permanently contaminated land.

At best, humans could only prevent the monsters inside from spilling out.

But villains were different.

If they became a nuisance, humanity’s greatest inventions… guns and tanks, would be enough.

A few volleys of long-range artillery would turn Nami Island into a sea of fire in no time.

That’s why villain groups either hid deep in the shadows or settled underground in cities.

No matter how strong a hunter was, they couldn’t survive a missile barrage in an open area.

They didn’t have the kind of energy shields monsters possessed.

“That’s usually true, but Devil’s Fang is different. More precisely, their boss is… unusual.”

“Unusual ability…?”

“First, her nickname is Queen of Venomous Serpents. She’s a hunter with poison-based skills, and apparently, she formed a poison core inside her body. If she’s killed carelessly, the poison will spread.”

“…Is that dangerous?”

“There’s a prediction that the poison could spread over a radius of more than 200 kilometers.”

“……”

Only then did Kang Ian understand.

Even though it was an openly exposed villain hideout, they couldn’t attack it.

If they carelessly fired rockets and killed the boss, it would be disastrous.

A 200 km radius would include Seoul.

“Regardless of how potent the poison is, ordinary people would definitely be in danger.”

“Exactly. Of course, the Queen of Venomous Serpents is only a B-rank hunter. If the poison spreads that wide upon death, its potency probably isn’t that high. It wouldn’t affect hunters much. But for civilians, it would almost certainly cause problems.”

“Even aside from that, the poison could seep into rivers, groundwater, or the soil. That could cause long-term issues.”

“Exactly. That’s why the government doesn’t touch Devil’s Fang.”

Unless they were committing extremely dangerous acts, Devil’s Fang knew how to stay within limits.

No one knew exactly what they did, but they stayed holed up on Nami Island, focusing only on defense.

As they chatted, the two arrived near Nami Island.

Surrounded by the Bukhan River, the place could only be accessed by boat.

As usual, Lim Gayeon took a position on Saedeoksan near the island.

‘Even if “near” means almost 4 km away.’

Her ability was absurd.

From extreme distances, even powerful hunters would die with a hole in their heads if sniped.

“Hmm… this might be difficult.”

However, once she settled into position, she said that.

Nami Island was covered in thick fog.

And not just ordinary fog.

Purple and green hues shimmered within it… clearly unnatural.

“They’ve spread poison fog. This blocks visibility, so sniping won’t work.”

No matter how skilled she was, she needed to see her target.

Otherwise, even if she managed to fire, the accuracy would be extremely low.

“…They actually used their heads. But we can’t just leave…”

Usually lethargic and indifferent, she now looked troubled.

She had come this far because the villains kept attacking her.

Even if she left, the attacks would continue.

It was better to settle things here once and for all.

Moreover, the killers openly indicated they were hired by Devil’s Fang.

It was clearly a message: they wouldn’t stop until the matter was finished.

At that moment, Kang Ian spoke.

“Then let’s take the bait. We’ll go inside and deal with them.”

“Through that poison fog? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I have a debuff removal skill.”

Lesser Blessing of the Divine Beast Black Tortoise.

A skill that removes debuffs up to a certain level.

“…Debuff removal?”

Lim Gayeon unconsciously widened her eyes.

She already knew his combat ability, and she knew he had buff skills… but she hadn’t imagined he possessed something like this too.

“Yes. Ah, do you not trust it?”

“Huh? Ah, no, of course not.”

“We don’t know how strong that poison fog is, but since the boss is only B-rank and spread it over such a wide area, I think we can block it.”

Seeing her expression, Kang Ian misunderstood, thinking she doubted his skill.

‘Makes sense. If a close-range dealer says he can use buffs too, I wouldn’t believe it either.’

The solution was simple.

Prove it with ability.

Flash!

Kang Ian cast the Lesser Blessing of the Divine Beast Black Tortoise.

A pink light wrapped around her briefly.

“It lasts one hour. After that, I’ll have to reapply it, so don’t go too far.”

“Wow… th-thank you. Then shall we go?”

But Kang Ian shook his head.

“Wait. I’m not done yet.”

Then he added more buffs.

Blessing of Judgment Flame, Guidance of Xeros, and Shout of Suppression.

Each granted flame damage, minor light attribute, and movement speed.

“Alright. Done. Let’s go.”

“……”

Lim Gayeon stared at him as if he were a monster.

She couldn’t understand it, but one thing was certain.

She had brought the best possible ally.

 

***

 

Inside Nami Island.

Within the poison fog, members of Devil’s Fang were stationed everywhere.

At the deepest point was their boss, Han Yeoul, the Queen of Venomous Serpents.

She suddenly flinched and opened her eyes.

“They’re here! They’ve entered!”

“The Ghost Hunter?”

“Probably. With the poison fog spread out, who else would come here besides her?”

Ghost Hunter.

That was the nickname villains gave Lim Gayeon.

It meant she hunted while hiding like a ghost… and it had become a name of fear among them.

By chance, they had recently discovered her identity.

One subordinate had a skill that randomly read the memories of the land, and that’s how they saw her.

Since the skill had many limitations, discovering her identity was pure luck.

“But boss… is this really the right move? If we kill a hunter, the government won’t stay quiet…”

A subordinate spoke anxiously.

The boss’s poison ability was the only reason they had been tolerated.

Killing a hunter would cross a line.

That’s why they hadn’t retaliated against Kang Ian earlier.

If their hideout was exposed and missiles rained down, it would be over.

“Did you forget my ability? If the government kills me, poison will spread all the way to Seoul. They won’t act carelessly.”

“That’s true, but…”

“We’re only taking revenge on the Ghost Hunter. This has to be done.”

“…All Wars worked with us often, but we weren’t that close. Did you have a connection there?”

“That… is a secret.”

With that, the subordinates couldn’t ask further.

They sighed in resignation.

After learning Lim Gayeon’s identity, the boss suddenly insisted on revenge and sent out killers.

It was madness.

If they were a hidden organization, maybe… but acting this openly was suicidal.

But the boss was resolute, and things had come this far.

“…Alright. Since it’s come to this, let’s at least finish it properly.”

“Good thinking. She’s a sniper… if she’s inside, we have the advantage.”

“Is she alone?”

“No. Two outsiders entered the fog.”

They could detect the number of intruders, but not their identities.

“Just two? And one’s a sniper… they’re underestimating us.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

The Queen of Venomous Serpents smiled coldly.

“Since we’ve been laying low, they must think we’re easy prey. Let’s all move out and teach them a lesson.”

“Yes, boss!”