I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 11 - Exploits (7)

After the tedious speech by the association staff finally ended, the priority order for the Black Gate was announced.

 

Although the major guilds had already heard the results from their support teams, the official rankings were as follows: Red Rose Guild secured the first priority, while Ohseong Guild took second place.

 

The order was established for the remaining guilds, but it was effectively meaningless. 

 

Typically, the first-ranked guild finished the job, and even if they failed, the second-ranked guild would handle it.

 

“Sigh…”

 

Team Leader Lee Jigwang sighed.

 

Feeling regretful, he looked towards the spot where the association staff, now gone, had been standing.

 

Truthfully, the offer he’d made to Kang Ian was preposterous.

 

If the kills recorded while someone was unaffiliated could later be added to a guild’s tally upon joining, it would create serious issues. If that were possible, they would have poached members from other guilds entirely.

 

Even if Kang Ian had come to Ohseong Guild, they wouldn’t have received the Black Gate priority without proper acknowledgment.

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin approached Team Leader Lee Jigwang with a faint smile.

 

“Hehe. We won this time.”

 

“…It won’t happen again next time.”

 

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?”

 

The Black Gate tended to appear fairly frequently.

 

And whenever it did, these large guilds would engage in fierce competition like this.

 

Lee Jigwang was already determined to win next time, but Choi Seobin simply chuckled.

 

With nothing more to do here, Lee Jigwang left.

 

Choi Seobin also started moving, planning to take a break before tackling the Black Gate.

 

Her team members were exhausted, and they had enough time to recover before starting the raid.

 

Just then,

 

“Excuse me, Team Leader.”

 

Kang Ian approached Team Leader Choi Seobin.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian. What’s up? Oh, are you here to accept my recruitment offer?”

 

“Haha… No, that’s not it. Earlier, you told me that since I saved your niece, I could contact you if I ever needed a favor.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Well, I’d like to make that request now.”

 

“Now? What kind of request could you possibly have now?”

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin tilted her head.

 

What could he possibly want here, far from the guild headquarters in Seoul? 

 

She couldn’t think of anything.

 

Kang Ian smiled faintly and said,

 

“Yes. I’d like to enter the Black Gate with you.”

 

He didn’t want to fail his quest just like that.

 

“The Black Gate…?”

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin tilted her head at Kang Ian’s request. 

 

Then, as if realizing something, she gave a small nod.

 

“If you want a share of the crystal stones and skill stones, I am afraid that’s not something I can promise. It requires the Guild Master’s approval.”

 

Black Gates guaranteed skill stone drops upon clearing. 

 

They also yielded larger crystal stones compared to similar-level regular gates.

 

Naturally, any hunter would want a piece of that.

 

However, Kang Ian shook his head.

 

“Ah, that’s not it. I don’t need shares or anything. I just want you to let me go inside with you.”

 

Skill stones? 

 

Kang Ian had no need for such things.

 

Skill stones, which bestow random new skills, were practically dream items for Awakened.

 

Naturally, everyone desired and coveted them, and they were traded at astronomical prices.

 

Even hunters with numerous skills never stopped desiring more.

 

‘But not me.’

 

He could obtain any power he desired within the game. 

 

Why would he need random skills from skill stones?

 

‘Devil Lord 3’ also had items similar to skill stones, or he could acquire items with built-in abilities.

 

Of course, to do so, he’d need far more ‘Evil Souls’ and ‘Nobility’ than he currently possessed…

 

“You just want to tag along? Why?”

 

“Haha. I’m just curious about the inside of a Black Gate, and I’d like to see how a large guild like Red Rose raids it. Would that be possible?”

 

“There’s no reason why not.”

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin readily agreed.  

 

Hunter guild raid strategies were considered strategic assets, requiring extensive tactical planning.

 

However, since she owed Kang Ian a favor and was also interested in recruiting him, she judged this as an acceptable exchange.

 

‘A hunter with no ulterior motives, simply eager to learn. It’s always good to have connections with a hunter like him.’

 

Through her years of experience, she knew one thing well—

 

That kind of proactive attitude was the best foundation for rising to the top.

 

Besides, Kang Ian was someone even Ohseong Guild had tried to recruit.

 

This would be a perfect opportunity to observe him closely inside the gate.

 

* * *

 

“Whew. Looks like this Black Gate incident will pass without issue, too.”

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon of the Hunter Association breathed a light sigh.

 

The most critical period after Black Gate opened was the first three days.  

 

It was during this time that monsters poured out relentlessly.

 

The association mandated dispatch requests to various hunter guilds, but sometimes, if luck wasn’t on their side, the situation could escalate beyond control.

 

For instance, if the gate appeared in a location difficult to access quickly or if all nearby hunters happened to be inside other gates, things could turn dire.

 

Though it had been a long time since the last civilian casualties occurred due to a Black Gate incident, any property damage would still bring heavy criticism upon the Association.

 

That was why they had deliberately taken plenty of photos and given a formal speech—so they could widely publicize this successfully resolved incident.

 

“Though, in the end, this is all just a temporary fix.”

 

The problem was simple: the Hunter Association lacked power.

 

While they coordinated between different guilds and freelance hunters, the Association itself had no hunters of its own.

 

And for good reason.

 

Hunter Association staff were government employees.

 

The state provided their salaries, but it simply couldn’t afford to pay hunters at the going market rates.

 

Even a newly awakened hunter, upon joining a guild, could easily earn tens of millions of won.

 

For a talented and promising hunter, that value skyrocketed even further.

 

The Association, however, had no way of matching those figures.

 

In this era of free-market competition, they naturally couldn’t outmatch hunter guilds backed by wealthy corporations.

 

No, they couldn’t even come close.

 

Moreover, the Association needed hunters skilled enough to handle emergencies.

 

“Any hunter with that level of skill would be getting paid billions in a guild. No way they’d join the Association…”

 

Since the Association had no hunters of its own, whenever a problem occurred, all they could do was request support from the guilds and anxiously wait.

 

That was why every time an incident broke out, his nerves were on edge.

 

“It would be great to have a competent hunter who’s righteous, patriotic, and has a strong sense of service…”

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon chuckled wryly.  

 

What a ridiculous thought.

 

Where would they ever find someone like that?

 

Shaking his head, he pulled out his smartphone, intending to check the news.

 

The top-ranked article immediately caught his eye.

 

[New Hunter News: Even in these times, heroes still exist!]

 

“…Huh?”

 

What on earth?

 

He had intended to check the public’s reaction to the Association’s successful handling of the Black Gate incident.

 

But why was this unexpected news article ranked number one?

 

He clicked on it.

 

A large photo dominated the top.  

 

It showed a well-equipped hunter walking past soldiers, stepping through the perimeter fence.

 

‘This place?’

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon immediately recognized the location in the photo as Lighthouse Beach.

 

– Another Black Gate incident has occurred. Although the Association’s preparations mitigated casualties compared to the past, it’s still understandably unsettling for civilians.

 

– In that tense situation, this reporter encountered a hero.

 

– Despite being an F-rank unaffiliated hunter, possibly recently Awakened, this hunter willingly came to help.

 

‘F-rank? And unaffiliated?’

 

Slightly surprised, Section Chief Jeon Jaewon checked the photo again.

 

Well-maintained armor, one-handed sword, and even a one-handed shield. 

 

It was excessively good equipment for an F-rank hunter.

 

Well, it wasn’t entirely strange—expensive equipment could always be purchased if someone had the money.

 

– As readers of this article are well aware, low-ranking, unaffiliated hunters are not subject to mandatory national conscription. Yet, some still act out of a sense of justice and patriotism.

 

– We call such people heroes. Even in these times, heroes still exist.

 

Yes, this was the crux of the matter.

 

‘An actual F-rank, unaffiliated hunter willingly came here?’

 

The Association had been monitoring the hunters via drones, but their focus had primarily been on guild-affiliated hunters.  

 

If there was an error in their measurements and the gate entry order was incorrect, it would cause serious problems.

 

Preoccupied with other matters, they must have overlooked this hunter.

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon reread the article repeatedly.

 

Though it was a side profile, the man’s face was firmly imprinted in his mind.

 

He turned off his smartphone and began to move.

 

He intended to review the footage captured by the drones.  

 

He had only focused on hunters from large guilds, but this time, he would search for this man. A

 

 sudden surge of anticipation crossed his mind.

 

‘If this hunter possesses such a sense of justice… the Association should try to reach out to him.’

 

* * *

 

The Red Rose Guild slept and rested for about three or four hours.  

 

Before coming here, they had already cleared another gate, and after that, they spent the entire day battling monsters from the Black Gate.

 

Of course, they were utterly exhausted, but as hunters possessed superhuman stamina, just a few hours of rest was enough to recover completely.

 

‘Amazing.’

 

Kang Ian marveled at the sight.  

 

The Black Gate incident had lasted until late dawn, so he too had been fighting monsters until then.  

 

Fighting continuously for over ten hours brought immense fatigue.

 

Even though he had rested a bit, he still felt tired, but the Red Rose Guild members seemed perfectly fine.

 

‘That just means their stamina is on another level compared to mine.’

 

Kang Ian had only awakened about a week ago.

 

No matter how talented he was, it was natural that he couldn’t yet match the hunters of a top-tier guild.

 

‘I need to raise my level and improve my skills.’

 

The desire to become stronger quickly welled up inside him.

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin approached him.

 

“Mr. Kang Ian, how are you feeling?”

 

“I am fine.”

 

“That’s good. Your position is in the rear. Unless I give specific instructions, do not act on your own.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Kang Ian nodded. 

 

Since he was tagging along with the Red Rose Guild, he had no intention of overstepping his bounds.

 

“Alright then, we’ll enter in 10 minutes.”

 

Afterward, the Red Rose Guild and Kang Ian boarded a small boat and approached the Black Gate, which floated above the sea.

 

Touching it would allow them to enter.

 

One by one, the Red Rose Guild members stepped into the gate, led by Team Leader Choi Seobin.

 

And when it was Kang Ian’s turn…

 

“…”

 

He looked at his sword.  

 

At first glance, it appeared to be the same one-handed sword from the ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Set,’ but a closer look revealed a difference.

 

He had applied the ‘Mid-Low Rune of Lightning Imbuement’ he received as a quest reward.

 

‘The low-grade rune was quite useful, so I wonder how effective the mid-low grade will be.’

 

With anticipation gleaming in his eyes, Kang Ian followed the Red Rose Guild members into the Black Gate.