I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 112
Demon (4)
<Young knight of Valhalla. You have accomplished something truly great this time.>
As Kang Ian approached, Tezeros spoke with magnanimity.
<You stopped the schemes of the demon Malphas and prevented his authority from taking root in this world. Truly commendable!>
As he spoke in an excited voice, the wings of light behind his back shone brightly, as if following his emotions.
<Those bastards try to descend by continuously projecting their power into the world like that. Since you destroyed that foundation this time, that bastard Malphas must have suffered great damage.>
“Are the demons trying to invade this land?”
Kang Ian asked something he had been curious about for a while.
Ever since right after he first awakened, the quests of Valhalla had only appeared related to demons.
Everything he was ordered to do was also related to them.
However, on Earth, the word “demon” itself wasn’t actually used.
Rather, terms like “monster” or “gate” were used because beings that could be called demons had not appeared.
<That is because it has not been long since the demons began their invasion of this land. Once the demons begin their full-scale invasion, true demons will reveal themselves.>
“Then… if that full-scale invasion begins, what will happen?”
<Most likely, it will be destroyed. Like our Valhalla.>
“……”
Kang Ian flinched in shock.
It wasn’t something he could just brush off.
“Like Valhalla?”
<Yes. Our homeland, Valhalla, could not withstand the invasion of demons and was destroyed. We captured almost all of the 72 Demon Lords, but we could not surpass the highest-ranking archdemons. Our land was burned and corrupted, and only a handful of Valhalla’s knights, including myself, barely succeeded in escaping to another dimension.>
“Such a thing…”
<Young knight. You are both a knight of Valhalla and the master of this land. Our Valhalla does not wish to lose to demons ever again. We do not wish any world to experience the history of destruction. So do your utmost to deal with the demons. Valhalla is supporting you.>
“…I will do my best.”
Kang Ian nodded with a hardened expression.
<We trust you. However, there is no need to worry too much. It is still a story of the distant future. It can be stopped.>
“I see.”
<Yes. I told you this because you have now gained the qualification to be promoted to an intermediate knight. From now on, remain vigilant and strive even harder.>
At that moment, a message appeared before Kang Ian’s eyes.
Ding!
[You have completed the quest]
[Level up!]
[Rewards will be given]
As soon as the message about rewards appeared, Tezeros suddenly extended his hand.
<Take it.>
“……”
‘Another loot box?’
Though he appeared calm on the outside, Kang Ian almost let out a hollow laugh.
What Tezeros handed over was now a very familiar item.
[Shining Valhalla Random Box]
[When opened, one random skill or item will appear.]
Previously, he had let it sit for a few days before opening it, but today he opened it right away.
Flash!
A burst of light appeared, and a single book materialized in front of Kang Ian.
Items in the form of books were usually skill books.
However, this time there was something a bit different… the edges were glowing gold.
[Skill Book: Quick Lightning]
[Fires a fast bolt of lightning.]
[A skill usable from Intermediate Knight of Valhalla and above.]
‘Uh… this!’
Kang Ian was startled.
Despite its simple name, this was quite a famous skill.
When raising a Valhalla Knight in Devil Lord 3, it was an essential skill frequently used in skill builds.
<Oh? You obtained that skill book. It seems Valhalla is watching over you.>
Tezeros showed an interested expression.
<Good. You now qualify as well. Will you take the promotion test to become an intermediate knight?>
When he reached level 10, he became a low-ranking knight of Valhalla.
As levels increased, the required experience rose exponentially, so only now had he reached level 20.
From here, promotion to an intermediate knight became possible.
‘And from intermediate knight onward, Valhalla knights are called overpowered.’
In Devil Lord 3, the class <Valhalla Knight> was considered boring.
Because it was overwhelmingly strong, people even joked that you could play the game while sleeping.
The starting point of that was precisely from <Intermediate Knight>.
From the intermediate knight onward, Valhalla knights could learn magic.
They could fight using a weapon in one hand while casting magic with the other, and from that point, their combat power increased drastically.
Ding!
[A quest has been generated]
[Quest: Promotion to Intermediate Knight]
[Description: You, who have trained for as long as a knight of Valhalla and completed many missions, have now earned the qualification to shed the title of low-ranking knight and become an intermediate knight. Knight Commander Tezeros is ready to assign you the promotion test.]
[Will you accept the quest?]
[Y/N]
There was no need to even think about it… this was a quest he had to accept.
“I wish to become an honorable intermediate knight of Valhalla.”
<Very well. I will assign a mission suitable for your intermediate knight promotion test soon. Until then, prepare yourself in both body and mind.>
“Understood.”
It seemed the quest details would not appear immediately.
As Kang Ian nodded, Tezeros, having finished his business, floated up and began to fly back.
At that moment, Kang Ian quickly stopped him.
There was still something he wanted to ask.
“Sir Tezeros. I would like to ask for one piece of advice.”
<Hmm? What is it?>
“This time, while destroying Malphas’s altar, I obtained a great deal of Nobility. Is there perhaps a way to find more of these altars?”
By finding and destroying Malphas’s altar, he had completed the quest, gained three levels, and obtained 5,000 Nobility.
The gains from destroying just a small altar were unbelievable.
If possible, he wanted to smash dozens of them.
However, not wanting to appear greedy, Kang Ian asked while hiding his desire as much as possible.
‘I wish to destroy the demons’ altars for the greater good!’… that was the look he tried to convey.
<Knight, your bravery is truly moving. However, unfortunately, there is no way to search for their altars. You can only faintly sense them when you get close.>
“Ah, I see…”
<If we had known, we would have destroyed the altars of evil long ago. It is truly regrettable.>
Kang Ian nodded as if he deeply agreed.
It really was a shame.
If he had known, he would have postponed everything else and focused on finding those first.
“Then I have one more question. I have nearly 6,000 Nobility. Since I have the intermediate test ahead, I would like to spend it… could you give me some advice?”
With this amount, he could buy quite a decent skill.
However, there were too many good skills, and only by combining them well could their true effectiveness be achieved.
If this were a game, he could experiment freely, but in reality, that was difficult.
That was why he was asking for advice.
As the commander of Valhalla’s knights, Tezeros would know all the paths a Valhalla knight could take.
<Each Valhalla knight pursues a different path. I do not know what you desire, but there is something I recommend the most right now.>
“What is it?”
<The skill you possess: [Proficiency Concentration – Intermediate Enhancement]. Raise it to the advanced level.>
“!”
[Valhalla’s Proficiency Concentration (P) – Intermediate Enhancement]
A skill Kang Ian had used since his early awakening and had upgraded once.
Thanks to this, regardless of the weapon he used, he could demonstrate above-average proficiency.
He had used spears, maces, shields, and swords, yet had never once felt unskilled.
‘And it was cheap too. In terms of cost-effectiveness, it was the best skill.’
But from here on, things were different.
“Excuse me, but are you saying I should upgrade it to advanced?”
<Yes.>
“…That is too expensive.”
Kang Ian had no choice but to say that.
Because the next skill was…
[Valhalla’s Proficiency Concentration (P) – Swordsmanship Advanced Enhancement]
[Required Nobility: 10,000]
…an absurd price like that.
A full 10,000 Nobility!
Moreover, from advanced enhancement onward, it no longer applied to all weapon skills.
A skill enhanced with 10,000 points would only apply to swordsmanship.
To apply it to shields, another 10,000 would be needed, and if he later switched weapons, he would need additional enhancements again.
‘Of course, I’ve learned sword energy skills and Valhalla’s secret sword techniques, so I’ll probably use a sword for quite a while…’
But you never know what might happen.
He could obtain an incredible weapon by chance and switch.
<You are currently using intermediate enhanced proficiency concentration. However, from advanced enhancement onward, the quality is on a completely different level. You gain the perspective and senses of those called geniuses. At this point, there is no skill more helpful to you than that.>
Despite Kang Ian’s hesitation, Tezeros was firm.
At that point, Kang Ian had no choice but to change his mind.
However, there was a problem.
“Sir Tezeros. It all sounds good, but I do not have 10,000 Nobility. Unfortunately, I cannot purchase it right now.”
<I can help you with that.>
“…! Are you perhaps going to give a discount to someone who will soon become an intermediate knight!?”
<I will lend it to you. In your land, you call this a loan, do you not? The 4,000 points will be deducted later. Since you are a knight with promising potential, I will not charge interest.>
“……”
In the end, Kang Ian paid the full 10,000 Nobility and purchased ‘Valhalla’s Proficiency Concentration (P) – Swordsmanship Advanced Enhancement.’
***
Kang Ian opened his eyes.
What he saw was the inside of a moving car, and Lim Gayeon was seated beside him.
“Hunter Kang Ian. I thought you were taking a short nap, but it seems you can’t sleep.”
She tilted her head upon seeing him open his eyes.
Although he had spent quite some time in the sanctuary, time flowed differently there.
To Lim Gayeon, it seemed like he had opened his eyes in just a few seconds.
“Well… something like that. By the way, where are we going?”
“They said the military would handle the cleanup, but we still need to report, so we’re heading to the office. The director is also waiting.”
“I see.”
Kang Ian’s eyes sharpened with a serious expression.
Lim Gayeon wondered what was suddenly wrong with him.
“Uh… is something wrong? Your expression doesn’t look very good…”
Something was wrong.
He had suddenly gained a debt of 4,000 Nobility.
‘The apartment I have now is still half debt, and now even my Nobility is in debt. My life is completely buried in debt.’
Having lived with the belief that debt is bad, Kang Ian really disliked this situation.
“…It’s nothing. I’m just… planning to start a new request once we get to the office. I’m thinking of asking the director if there are any good jobs.”
“Wow. You just finished a request, and you’re doing another one?”
Lim Gayeon’s eyes widened.
As someone with a lazy personality, she couldn’t understand it at all.
That’s why she found it admirable.
“Ah, I think I get it. You looked serious after seeing those Devil’s Fang guys get subdued… You just can’t forgive villains, right? Is that why you couldn’t sleep? So you’re going to take another villain-subjugation request?”
“……?”
Kang Ian looked at her as if she were talking nonsense.
Of course, taking down villains was good, but it was dangerous and not something to do carelessly.
Since he had done two such requests in a row recently, he needed to lie low for a while.
“That’s not it.”
Kang Ian shook his head, but Lim Gayeon didn’t believe him.
So after arriving, she met Shim Junseok and told him her guess.
Shim Junseok, with a serious face, tried to stop Kang Ian.
“No! Hunter Kang Ian! It’s really dangerous! You must hold back!”
“…Okay. I’ll hold back.”
“Hmm. Strangely, you agreed so easily… You’re planning to secretly go take down villains behind my back, aren’t you? My instincts are sharp… I know everything!”
“……”
Kang Ian was dumbfounded.
Even when he said he would hold back, they wouldn’t believe him.
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