I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 119

Commander of the Dead (1)

 

“I’m busy as hell, and she keeps calling. Tch.”

Even though she was his younger sister, Kang Ian couldn’t understand how she could be so shameless.

What? He forgot to give allowance to his lovely little sister?

The fact that she could send a message like that after stabbing him in the back first was astonishingly thick-skinned.

‘She’s really my blood? Maybe I should ask Mom later if she picked her up from somewhere else.’

No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t think he could ever act like that.

“Hunter Kang Ian. If it’s something important, you can take the call.”

CEO Shim Junseok spoke from across him.

Kang Ian was currently at the Happiness Office.

After stopping by his family home in Cheongju, he had come up to Seoul and headed straight here.

He needed to report that the Gungchon-ri request had been successfully completed and also take on a new request.

“It’s fine. It’s nothing important.”

“But your phone keeps ringing.”

Shim Junseok pointed at Kang Ian’s vibrating phone.

Kang Ian frowned slightly, then blocked the number altogether.

“Now it’s really fine.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Then shall we continue talking about work?”

“Understood.”

Shim Junseok nodded and handed over several bundles of documents.

Kang Ian began examining them carefully.

‘I gained a lot of Nobility points this time in Gungchon-ri, but I still have a lot left to repay.’

Out of 4,000 points, he had quickly paid back over 2,000.

But even so, nearly half still remained.

“I’d like to take on a few more requests like the last one.”

Gotta clear the debt quickly.

“Are you sure it’s okay to keep going without rest again?”

“Yes. It wasn’t particularly difficult. I stopped by my family home and got plenty of rest.”

“That was barely even a day… well, if that’s your decision, Hunter Kang Ian, I understand.”

Just as Shim Junseok was about to mark some recommended requests…

At that moment!

“!!?”

Flinch

Kang Ian instantly realized that his vision had changed.

Instead of seeing the Happiness Office and Shim Junseok, he saw the sanctuary of Valhalla.

<Knight!>

“Sir Tezeros?”

<The intermediate knight mission to be granted to you has been decided.>

As Kang Ian reached level 20, he had qualified to become an intermediate knight.

However, it had been said that the promotion-related quest would be assigned later…

<In the near future, a great evil will appear in your land, a place called Busan. Defeat that evil and protect your land.>

“Busan… understood. You said ‘in the near future,’ but what exactly is the date?”

<That much cannot be known.>

“I see.”

Kang Ian nodded, somewhat disappointed.

With that, Tezeros disappeared, as if the matter was concluded.

Blink.

“Hunter Kang Ian? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Shim Junseok looked at Kang Ian with concern as he had suddenly blanked out with his eyes closed for a few seconds.

“Wouldn’t it be better to at least get some rest? It’s not good to keep taking on requests nonstop.”

Even as he said that, Shim Junseok found it a bit amusing internally.

To his other affiliated Hunters, he was always asking them to be more diligent and take more requests, yet here he was telling Kang Ian to rest.

Of course, knowing Kang Ian’s personality, he probably wouldn’t rest anyway…

“You’re right. Understood. I’ll follow your advice, CEO.”

“Y-you really mean that?”

“Yes. I’ll take this opportunity to go on a short vacation.”

As he said that, a quest message flickered before his eyes.

Ding!

 

[A quest has been generated]

[Quest: Promotion to Intermediate Knight]

[Content: Signs have been detected that a great evil will soon descend upon Busan. As an honorable knight of Valhalla, eliminate the evil and earn recognition from Knight Commander Tezeros!]

[Reward: Promotion to Intermediate Knight]

 

Things hadn’t gone according to plan, but it couldn’t be helped.

What if the evil Tezeros mentioned appeared while he was in the middle of another request somewhere else?

If he made even a small mistake, he could fail the promotion, so it would be better to stay on standby for a while.

“That’s an excellent idea! I’ll prepare a full package for you! Just tell me where you want to go! Japan? The U.S.? Europe or Australia is also a great choice!”

Shim Junseok said confidently.

To ensure Hunters would renew their contracts, it was necessary to provide various welfare benefits.

For example, if they went on a trip, providing first-class flights, five-star hotels, full travel planning, restaurant reservations, and activities.

Shim Junseok had partnered with several travel agencies for times like this.

‘This is a good chance to show how excellent our Happiness Office benefits are!’

Especially since Kang Ian’s contract was only for one year, and the renewal season wasn’t far off.

It wasn’t too early to prepare.

“I won’t go that far. I’ll just visit somewhere nearby, like Busan.”

“Busan is great! For those who find long trips troublesome, domestic destinations like Busan or Jeju are perfect. I’ll prepare everything for you there!”

Shim Junseok was so happy to be able to do something for him that Kang Ian couldn’t bring himself to say he’d just go quietly on his own.

 

***

 

In deep darkness…

“This time… I will definitely… definitely restore my shattered pride…”

A man wearing a robe muttered endlessly as he handled a summoning circle.

Last time, as his trump card, he had summoned a demon to Korea.

The summoning circle had definitely worked properly.

Though he hadn’t seen the result, a demon should have been summoned in Korea.

But the result had been the worst possible.

“It should have appeared near the end of the Black Gate. Why was there no damage at all?”

At the time, he had been beyond shocked… he was dumbfounded.

If a demon had been summoned, at least half of Gyeonggi Province should have been turned into a sea of fire.

Yet there had been no damage.

Even the A-rank Hunter guarding the Black Gate, along with most B-rank and lower Hunters, had survived unharmed… something had clearly gone wrong.

“This can’t be left as it is!”

So he began the process again.

His slaves had tried hard to stop him.

They told him he should summon a demon in the United States, the strongest nation… and restrain them, not repeat it in Korea.

But to restore his shattered pride, he chose this path.

“I’ll try just one more time!”

To carry out another summoning in Korea.

However, due to a lack of “materials,” he couldn’t summon a demon from another world like before.

Even summoning the true body of the weakest demon required an enormous cost.

His main enemy was the United States.

If the U.S. fell, the rest of the world would collapse in sequence.

He knew this well, so he had no intention of focusing all his efforts on Korea.

He only intended to deliver one decisive blow to restore his pride, then shift his focus to the U.S.

“Summoning a demon may be impossible…, but the right arm of a demon should be doable.”

A Death Commander.

A being originally born as a monster who rose to become the right arm of a demon.

Clearly weaker than a demon, but if its abilities were used well, it could cause even greater destruction.

“Heh heh… It’s almost complete…!”

In the darkness, a sinister red glow shone from within the robed man’s eyes.

 

***

 

As Shim Junseok had promised, the vacation package he provided was enjoyable.

Busan also had plenty of luxury hotels and food.

He stayed in the best room at a top-tier hotel, ate breakfast buffets, and swam during the day.

‘I’ve only been working lately… this kind of life is nice too.’

Of course, even then, he didn’t skip his routine.

Though he couldn’t do it with Kang Hoopung, he worked out every morning (perhaps because it was a luxury hotel, the fitness center even had weights suitable for Awakened individuals) and continued doing volunteer work.

Elder care services, short-term caregiving, and more.

There was plenty he could do.

Since he still had debts to repay, he didn’t skip a single day.

He rested before and after the time he could do volunteer work and went whenever possible.

However, there was something slightly unusual…

The number of people glancing at him around the hotel, the pool, and outside had noticeably increased.

‘What’s going on?’

Even though he had become fairly famous, it wasn’t to the point where people would recognize him on the street and approach him.

Yet some people even approached him hesitantly.

“Um… aren’t you Hunter Kang Ian?”

“That’s correct.”

“Wow, I’m a huge fan! I was really moved by your recent video. Could I get your autograph?”

“?”

Video?

He didn’t understand what they meant, but he signed anyway and sent them off.

After finishing his volunteer work, Kang Ian finally noticed a message from Lee Seunghoon.

—Hunter! The video we filmed last time has been fully edited and uploaded!

Lee Seunghoon had uploaded Kang Ian’s video to the Life of Everyone channel.

‘Ah. So that’s why.’

[The Hero of Gungchon-ri. A Hunter Who Knows How to Care for the Weak!]

The title was plain and old-fashioned, but the channel had loyal subscribers, so initial views were guaranteed.

And soon, word of mouth spread.

 

—(link)

└ Watch this video. It’s honestly insane. I’ve already watched it several times and I’m going again.

└ What’s with that title? If you’re promoting, go somewhere else. No, change the title first. It’s seriously bad.

└ I swear this uploader isn’t the one in the video. Honestly wish they were… they’d make a ton of money. Anyway, just watch it. I’m serious.

 

True to the channel’s nature, the video was a documentary.

It showed the suffering of Gungchon-ri residents whose ancestors’ graves were being dug up.

They tried to hire a Hunter with what little money they had, but no one came…

Until Kang Ian appeared like a miracle.

Not only did he clear the dungeon instantly, but he also personally helped with the grave relocation work.

 

└ A Hunter holding a shovel and getting covered in dirt… this is rare.

└ And he’s not even F-rank, he’s B-rank. That makes it even rarer.

└ You can tell just from that how good his character is.

└ Is this a concept?

└ The Life of Everyone channel is known for honesty. If he acted badly, they would’ve shown it as it is.

 

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

Kang Ian’s good deeds had often appeared in articles, but never in such detailed video form… so it drew even more public attention.

That was why more people recognized him while he was in Busan.

Even today, while heading to volunteer work after swimming, a passerby bought him coffee and handed it to him.

“It’s hot, so please have this at least!”

“Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”

He tried to refuse, but seeing them run to buy it sincerely, he couldn’t ignore the gesture.

“Are you on vacation in Busan?”

“Yes.”

“Then where are you heading now?”

“I’m going to volunteer.”

“…? Volunteering even on vacation… that’s… amazing!”

The woman, who said she was a fan, flinched and looked at him with disbelief.

Even so… doing volunteer work while on vacation…?

And at that moment…

“!?”

Kang Ian suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His head snapped toward the distant sea.

He could feel a massive, malicious presence writhing…

And at the same time, a message appeared.

Ding!

 

[Intermediate Knight Promotion Quest has begun]

[Defeat Death Commander <Hometos>]