I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 12 - Exploits (8)

Inside the Black Gate.

 

The floor was uneven stone, and the surroundings were vast and expansive.

 

– Kyaaaaah!

 

– Kraoooo!

 

Monster roars echoed from afar.

 

Upon entering, the Red Rose Guild did not move immediately.

 

They used the surrounding stones and their equipment to form barricades, establishing a base camp.

 

Then, they sent out guild members with reconnaissance skills to scout the area.

 

A short while later, the scouts returned with their report, and Team Leader Choi Seobin smirked.

 

“This Black Gate is Type A.”

 

“Oh!”

 

“Wow. That’s a relief.”

 

The hunters sighed in relief.  

 

Kang Ian, however, tilted his head.

 

‘Type A? What does that mean?’

 

Seeing Kang Ian’s confusion, Team Leader Choi Seo-bin approached him with a gentle smile.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Have you heard about gate types?”

 

“Um, no.”

 

Kang Ian shook his head.  

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin nodded understandingly.

 

“That’s understandable. You said it’s only been a week since you Awakened, right? It’s natural that you wouldn’t know much about the industry yet.”

 

Hunters were known for making a lot of money, but ordinary people had little insight into the actual workings of their world.

 

All they knew was that hunters were strong and wealthy.

 

Originally just a job seeker, Kang Ian had spent his time focusing on resumes, TOEIC scores, and various certifications. He hadn’t paid much attention to the practical aspects of hunting.

 

“Gates of rank D and above have different internal types. This one is Type A, the simplest to clear. We just need to eliminate all the monsters and destroy the core at the far end.”

 

Gates from rank D and above were categorized into various types. From Type A, which involved extermination and core destruction, to Type G, which involved special missions, the variety was extensive.

 

While luck might lead to an easy mission, Type A was generally considered the easiest. It simply required overwhelming force.

 

“Ah, I see. Thank you for the explanation.”

 

“No problem. It wasn’t anything complicated. We’ll be moving out soon, so get ready.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Exactly five minutes later, the Red Rose Guild began to advance.

 

They quickly closed the distance to the roaring monsters, and a fierce battle ensued.

 

– Kwaaaang!

 

– Crackle!

 

Hunters with ranged skills fired their attacks, while those with melee skills engaged the monsters in close combat.

 

Assigned an observer role, Kang Ian watched from behind. 

 

He imagined himself wielding a sword and shield, surrounded by monsters like the Red Rose Guild members.

 

He quickly reached a conclusion.

 

‘…At my current level, it would be dangerous to join them.’

 

Equipped with the ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Set,’ Kang Ian’s gear wasn’t bad.  

 

While not exceptionally good compared to other hunters, it wasn’t lacking either. It was average, sufficient for combat.

 

The problem was Kang Ian’s physical abilities.

 

‘Mid-Low Rune of Lightning Imbuement. I don’t know its power yet, but if I make a mistake and get surrounded, it’ll be dangerous.’

 

He could handle one or two monsters head-on.  

 

However, an unseen attack from behind could cause serious injury.

 

This was different from the beach. 

 

Back then, he moved around from behind, rescuing only the hunters in danger. 

 

But here, he would need to be aware of all directions.

 

What good was potential if he was only a week-old hunter?

 

The Red Rose Guild, true to its reputation, boasted members with exceptional talent and skill.

 

It took considerable training for skilled hunters to attain superhuman strength, and Red Rose had many such individuals.

 

Kang Ian was still lacking compared to them.

 

With wide eyes, Kang Ian observed the ongoing battle. 

 

The experience he lacked was being vividly filled through his senses.

 

His fingers twitched repeatedly.

 

As a ‘Knight of Valhalla,’ fighting spirit surged within him whenever he saw monsters. 

 

He wanted to rush in and slay those demons.

 

He resented his own lack of ability.

 

‘Once I get back home, I need to upgrade my items and abilities properly.’

 

He keenly felt the need to improve his stats.

 

Meanwhile, Team Leader Choi Seobin, commanding from the rear, glanced at Kang Ian from time to time.

 

‘What? He’s not scared at all?’

 

After agreeing to Kang Ian’s request to observe, she had inquired about him during the break.

 

She asked Team Leader Lee Jigwang of Ohseong Guild and also contacted an acquaintance to check the Association’s database.

 

The results were surprising.

 

An F-rank hunter, Awakened only a week ago!

 

She knew he was unaffiliated, but she hadn’t expected him to be so inexperienced.  

 

Worried, she decided to keep a close watch on him inside the gate.

 

Beginners were prone to panicking in higher-ranked gates they’d never experienced before.

 

But Kang Ian showed none of that.

 

He calmly analyzed the battle, like a seasoned veteran.

 

And it wasn’t just that—he was burning with an eagerness to charge in at any moment.

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin was deeply impressed.

 

‘He’s ambitious. Hunters like that are one of two types: they either succumb to their ambition and die from overreaching, or they overcome it and grow rapidly.’

 

If his abilities matched his ambition, he could become a renowned hunter in Korea…

 

‘I wondered why Team Leader Lee Jigwang was so desperate to recruit him… Now I understand.’

 

He definitely had potential.

 

His personality and mentality passed the test.  The remaining question was the extent of his talent.

 

She intended to find that out in due time.

 

***

 

The Ohseong Guild narrowly lost the priority access to the Black Gate to the Red Rose Guild.

 

Afterward, Team Leader Lee Jigwang and his team were driving back to Seoul.

 

Although they were second in line for the gate raid, the probability of them actually entering the Black Gate was practically zero.

 

Moreover, the guild headquarters had just requested their immediate transfer to their next mission.

 

Team member Lim Eunjun sighed deeply.

 

“Sigh… Team Leader, do we get no time to rest?”

 

“Don’t complain to me, complain to the support team. No, complain to the Guild Master.”

 

“…”

 

“Why are you quiet now? Should I call the Guild Master for you? Huh? Should I pass the phone to him?”

 

“…No, sir.”

 

Lim Eunjun shook his head with a gloomy expression.  

 

Lee Jigwang, feeling a little bad for him, patted him on the shoulder.

 

“Hey, this is a support request from the police. That’s why we have to go.”

 

“But we haven’t even had a day of proper rest.”

 

“You brat… Do you want to pay taxes instead then? Don’t you need the tax benefits?”

 

“Of course, I need them!”

 

Even an E-rank hunter could make over 500 million won a year with all the bonuses.

 

Simply awakening as a hunter guaranteed a seven-figure salary.

 

And they weren’t just any hunters—they were part of Ohseong, Korea’s top-tier guild.

 

If they had to pay full taxes, at least 250 million won of that income would vanish.

 

To offset this, the government offered tax benefits under certain conditions—one of which was responding to state-issued support requests.

 

For example, accepting and successfully completing a set number of government-assigned missions per year could reduce taxes by a certain percentage.

 

Naturally, guilds had to accept government requests, and the hunters, directly affected by this, readily complied.

 

Lim Eunjun understood, but the lack of rest was taking its toll.

 

Team Leader Lee Jigwang patted his shoulder again.

 

“I understand how you feel. But you know we can’t avoid these requests from public institutions. They’re either mandatory or tied to tax benefits.”

 

“Sigh… That’s true. This is going to be brutal. Okay, I’ll stop complaining, Team Leader. You must be tired too.”

 

During the Black Gate incident alone, Lee Jikwang had personally taken down an enormous number of monsters.

 

Yet, with his superior physical abilities, he was the most energetic among them.

 

However, Lim Eunjoon and Shim Seoho had just returned from clearing an E-rank gate with Kang Ian before this—hence their complaints.

 

“Yeah, I understand how you feel. That’s why I’m driving. Try to get some sleep.”

 

Since he was in the best condition, Lee Jikwang had taken the wheel himself.

 

His team members were quietly moved, thinking, Where else would we find a team leader like this?

 

“Yes, sir. Sorry, Team Leader.”

 

“If you’re sorry, then behave, you rascals.”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

Vrooom—

 

The Ferrari sped down the highway towards Seoul.

 

***

 

Inside the Black Gate.

 

– Booom!

 

“Kraaa!”

 

“Keerr-!”

 

Explosions, deafening roars, monstrous screams, and human battle cries—

 

All kinds of chaotic sounds merged into a discordant harmony.

 

“…”

 

Kang Ian watched with slightly bored eyes.  

 

He had been engrossed at first.  

 

But after a while, he no longer felt the need to observe further.

 

‘They said Type A is the easiest. It really is nothing special.’

 

It was identical in format to the E-rank gate, the Krufan dungeon, that he had visited. 

 

Only the level of the monsters was higher.

 

The solution was simple: increase his skill and build up his stats.

 

Then, he could sweep through this place just as he had done in the Krufan dungeon.

 

He was starting to feel bored just standing around.

 

‘No, think positively. This means I can complete the quest easily.’

 

The quest required him to participate directly in destroying the Black Gate’s core. 

 

There was no requirement to hunt monsters.

 

He had hoped to gain additional ‘Evil Souls’ or ‘Nobility,’ but observing the Red Rose Guild members, it seemed they didn’t need any help.

 

At that moment.

 

“Uh, oh!?”

 

One of the Red Rose Guild members lost control of a monster they had been keeping aggro on.

 

It was a beast resembling a kangaroo, which leaped high into the air and bolted away in an instant.

 

“D-Damn it!! Watch out!”

 

Just as Kang Ian had started feeling bored, the Red Rose Guild members had also begun to let their guard down due to how easy the raid was going.

 

That moment of carelessness led to their mistake.

 

Normally, another hunter in the back would cover for slip-ups like this, but this time was different.

 

The kangaroo-like beast had exceptional mobility. 

 

Once it got loose, it was already too far out of reach.

 

And, by sheer coincidence, the direction it leaped toward was where Kang Ian was standing.

 

“Quickly, chase after it!”

 

“That idiot Jung Soochan!”

 

The Red Rose Guild members had been informed by their team leader that Kang Ian was an F-rank hunter.

 

They immediately envisioned a grim outcome.

 

An F-rank hunter wouldn’t be able to run away or hold his ground against that monster.

 

He would be seriously injured in an instant. 

 

All they could do was pray that he wouldn’t die.

 

At least then, they could use a potion for emergency treatment.

 

– Thump!

 

The kangaroo monster landed right in front of Kang Ian.

 

It glared at him with furious eyes, as if intent on venting its frustration from being attacked earlier.

 

Their eyes met for a moment.

 

The monster swung its foreleg, and simultaneously, Kang Ian’s sword flashed downwards.

 

– Bzzzzt!

 

Blue lightning coursed through the sword, and the monster’s fur stood on end as it was instantly roasted.

 

– Ding!

 

[You have defeated evil.]

 

[Evil Soul + 8]

 

The monster collapsed to the ground with a thud. 

 

The Red Rose Guild members blinked, staring blankly at Kang Yi-an.

 

‘What the hell…!?’

 

‘Wasn’t he supposed to be an F-rank hunter…??’