I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 110

Demon (2)

 

Kang Ian entered Nami Island together with Lim Gayeon, where a thick, poisonous fog had settled.

And not long after entering, he made a surprising discovery.

Ding!

 

[You have protected an ally from poisonous energy.]

[Nobility +1]

 

The buff he had cast on Lim Gayeon had brought him Nobility.

Of course, this was an expected result.

He had even cast it on purpose, fully anticipating something like this.

What was even more surprising came next.

About five minutes later…

Ding!

 

[You have protected an ally from poisonous energy.]

[Nobility +1]

 

The message appeared once more!

‘Nobility… stacks!?’

Just in case, he kept watching… and when the same message appeared again five minutes later, he was certain.

Just like how he had continuously received small portions of the Soul of Evil when applying offensive buffs, the same applied to debuff-cleansing skills.

In theory, as long as they remained inside the poisonous fog, Nobility would keep duplicating endlessly.

Of course, the amount gained from just one person… Lim Gayeon was only 12 per hour, but still, that was something.

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Wait. Since the buff works on up to four people… if I had brought two more along… that would’ve been 36 Nobility per hour?’

A deep sense of regret suddenly washed over him.

He should’ve contacted CEO Shim Junseok and brought more people!

At that moment, Lim Gayeon, who had been moving cautiously while scanning the surroundings, spoke.

“The fog is so thick that visibility is heavily obstructed. Even if we have a debuff-cleansing skill, it still feels unpleasant… Let’s first find a way to get rid of this poisonous fog.”

“Excuse me? Get rid of this?”

“…?”

“No, I mean… It’s just that there are more urgent matters, so shouldn’t we prioritize something else first? If we tamper with it carelessly, the fog might become even stronger.”

Kang Ian reacted so strongly that Lim Gayeon wondered what was wrong with him.

Still, what he said made sense.

“You’re right. Our objective is to deal with those Devil’s Fang bastards. If we get the chance, we’ll try to remove the fog carefully.”

“A chance… yes. That’s what we should do.”

Kang Ian made up his mind.

He would do his best to make sure that “chance” never came!

 

***

 

The ‘Queen of Vipers,’ Han Yeoul, was a villain possessing the abilities of a B-rank hunter.

While that was certainly considered upper-tier, creating a poisonous fog large enough to envelop all of Nami Island was clearly beyond her capabilities.

Moreover, she could observe the inside of the fog.

Even if it was only at the level of sensing the number of people, it was unmistakably over-spec.

If she could use such a large-scale skill while remaining fully functional, she would be worthy of being called a quasi A-rank hunter.

The reason she could do this was that she possessed a special secret unknown even to her subordinates.

An ancient book she had obtained inside a gate in the past.

After successfully deciphering it and following what was written, her abilities had grown stronger.

Because of that, she came to hold a dream.

She had once believed that the path to A-rank was not allowed to her… but now, it seemed possible.

‘That’s why I have to get rid of that sniper.’

Han Yeoul’s desire for revenge against Lim Gayeon wasn’t simply because she had wiped out All Wars.

There was a more fundamental reason.

According to what was written in the book, revenge generated sufficient energy…

“Boss. We’ve sent the first wave of subordinates.”

At that moment, Han Yeoul snapped out of her thoughts at her subordinate’s report.

“About 30 of them went.”

“As expected, you’re amazing. You knew without even looking.”

“As long as it’s within the fog, nothing can escape my sight.”

“Since Kanghoon is leading them, they’ll finish quickly and return.”

Thirty subordinates, including action leader Lee Kanghoon.

If attacked in such a fog, even a skilled hunter would struggle to respond properly.

“On top of that, the Ghost Hunter is a sniper. He may be able to handle close combat, but he won’t be that good at it.”

“Yes. Even if there are minor casualties, it’ll end smoothly. Should we prepare some bonuses for when they return?”

“Not a bad idea. Go big… give each of them a large bill.”

“Haha, a large bill? You seem to be in a great mood today, boss. Understood.”

What villains loved most was cash right in front of their eyes.

The way to reward subordinates who worked hard was with stacks of money.

So the subordinate moved to retrieve cash from the safe.

“…No, wait.”

But suddenly, Han Yeoul’s expression stiffened.

The previously warm atmosphere turned cold.

Startled by the sudden change, the subordinate asked:

“W-what is it?”

“The presence… has disappeared.”

“…Pardon?”

“The ones we sent… they’ve all been taken down!”

Han Yeoul shot up from her seat.

She wondered if she had made a mistake… but she was certain.

Just moments ago, the presence of around 30 subordinates had encountered the presence of two outsiders.

And while she had been chatting, those 30 presences had vanished.

There was only one possible cause.

‘They were… wiped out?’

Her subordinates had been annihilated.

But she simply couldn’t understand it.

How could this happen!?

 

***

 

Inside the fog, villains from Devils Fang had launched an ambush, but Kang Ian and Lim Gayeon didn’t suffer even the slightest injury.

“That was nothing.”

“Yeah. If anything, the fog seems to be throwing them off more.”

Kang Ian had been training consistently with Kang Hoopung.

Though it was focused on strength, his overall physical abilities had improved.

Even with his vision blocked, he could rely on his other senses to fight effectively.

Lim Gayeon also had exceptional hearing and agility, so the fog posed little obstacle.

On the other hand, the villains had relied only on their numerical advantage, and there was a huge gap in actual combat ability.

The fog actually worked in Kang Ian and Lim Gayeon’s favor, allowing them to wipe out the enemies without much difficulty.

‘Even though it was just one day, what I learned from Sword King Master helped a lot.’

He thought he had only been getting beaten during sparring for hours, but now that he swung his sword, he could clearly feel the difference.

Handling the longsword felt freer and smoother than before.

Thanks to that, Lim Gayeon provided cover with her pistols while Kang Ian led the charge, cutting down the enemies like falling leaves.

‘But even though we dealt with them, there’s no real gain.’

Since villains were still human, defeating them didn’t grant Soul of Evil.

And he didn’t gain Nobility either.

From what he had observed so far, the mechanism of Nobility was peculiar.

It wasn’t obtained simply by defeating idle villains.

It only came when they were committing wrongdoing, and he stopped them.

Previously, during All Wars, he gained Nobility because they were involved in human trafficking.

And in the city, defeating those causing havoc also granted Nobility.

‘I should head further inside and find something that can earn Nobility.’

They were villains, after all… they had to be doing something bad.

He needed to find it quickly and deal with it.

“Hunter Lim Gayeon. Let’s move.”

When Kang Ian spoke with burning eyes, Lim Gayeon was momentarily overwhelmed before nodding.

‘He seemed fine earlier… but now that he’s seen the villains in person, he must not be able to forgive them.’

For the usual Kang Ian, it was only natural to be furious at such people.

The two moved quickly.

As they reached the center of Nami Island, a large mansion appeared beyond the fog.

It was the headquarters where Devil’s Fang resided.

Just as they were about to step inside…

 Ding!

 

[A quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Destroy the Altar of Evil]

[Description: Somewhere within the building before you, an altar that summons demonic power has been installed. Although the demonic power has not yet fully crossed over, if sacrifices continue, the demon’s power will fully manifest in this land. Destroy the altar and sever the connection to the demon.]

[Do you accept the quest?]

[Y/N]

 

‘Hm?’

A quest message suddenly appeared.

‘Altar of Evil?’

As he read about the altar connected to a demon, a thought crossed Kang Ian’s mind.

‘They said the boss here is a B-rank villain. I wondered how someone at that level could spread such a massive, poisonous fog… Looks like she’s been using demonic power as described in the quest.’

At first, he thought she might have a special item, but the quest confirmed it was demonic power.

Ding!

 

[A direction toward the Altar of Evil has appeared.]

[Follow the arrow to destroy the altar.]

 

After accepting the quest, a translucent arrow appeared before his eyes.

It seemed to guide him like a navigation system.

The arrow pointed slightly downward.

Since it was a three-story mansion…

‘The basement.’

It seemed the altar was somewhere underground.

Kang Ian subtly glanced at Lim Gayeon.

‘I have to destroy this myself.’

If Lim Gayeon destroyed it and the contribution wasn’t properly counted, that could be a problem.

So he made a suggestion.

“Hunter Lim Gayeon. The mansion is large… how about we split up?”

“Split up? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“With your abilities, close combat shouldn’t pose much risk.”

She was a specialist even in close combat, skillfully handling dual pistols.

Lim Gayeon smirked as if that wasn’t what she meant.

“Of course I’m talking about you, not me.”

“I’ll be fine as well. Even if it does get dangerous, escaping on my own won’t be a problem.”

“Same here. Alright, let’s split up. It’ll save time.”

“Please search from the first floor. I’ll check the basement first, then head up.”

“Ah… right. If there are hostages, they’d usually be in the basement. As expected of you, Hunter Kang Ian. I didn’t even think of that…”

“…?”

Lim Gayeon looked at him with admiration.

Kang Ian awkwardly smiled, unsure how to respond.

After that, the two entered the mansion.

 

***

 

“They’ve entered the mansion.”

The Queen of Vipers, Han Yeoul, wore a grim expression.

Poison swirled around her.

The remaining subordinates had gathered near her office on the third floor.

She had sent 30 subordinates, and they were wiped out instantly.

At this point, sending more would be meaningless.

It was better to face the enemy together here.

‘It’s fine. Inside this mansion, my power becomes stronger. I get close to A-rank. If my subordinates can just draw their attention, even an A-rank hunter would be manageable!’

The ancient book she had once obtained.

By offering sacrifices as instructed, she received power from something otherworldly.

All Wars had been involved in human trafficking, so she had continuously received sacrifices from them, setting up an altar in a hidden underground space to draw power.

Her reckless attempt to take revenge on Lim Gayeon was also because that otherworldly entity had ordered her to punish the one who interfered with the offerings.

‘This works out even better. If I capture that ghost sniper who disrupted the offerings and offer them as a sacrifice… I’ll truly become A-rank.’

Not just pseudo A-rank within the mansion… but a true A-rank hunter!

“…”

“…”

After that came a period of waiting.

She knew the enemies had entered, but not their exact location.

They would likely search from the first floor and move upward.

As she waited, she kept boosting her subordinates’ morale.

“Trust me! I’ll wipe them out-”

Thud

At that moment, a strange wave passed through, and the fog covering the mansion vanished.

“Ah…?”

At the same time, Han Yeoul realized that the connection linking her to the otherworldly being had suddenly been severed.