I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 121

Commander of the Dead (3)

 

After summoning countless undead, Hometos floated in front of the gate off the coast of Busan.

“Isn’t this monster wave over if we just kill that thing?”

“It totally looks like a boss monster. If we take that down, we’d probably get first place in contribution and secure priority entry to the Black Gate.”

To the hunters, it was a massive target.

With a Black Gate, simply entering guaranteed a skill stone.

If someone got incredibly lucky and obtained an absurdly good skill, their rank could skyrocket instantly.

That’s why hunters became so obsessed with skill stones.

And right now, by sheer coincidence, there were no A-rank hunters in Busan.

Only a handful of B-rank hunters remained, and greed filled their eyes.

‘If I kill that, does that mean I get a skill stone too?’

‘Honestly, A-rankers just got lucky with good skills anyway. Why can’t I become one?’

Of course, reality was a bit different.

Even if one obtained a good skill, their future depended on their training and growth potential.

And even with everything, A-rank was an extremely high wall.

But blinded by greed, the hunters rushed toward Hometos.

There was a reason Kang Ian frequently made the news for being “noble” just for being kind.

Most hunters acted for their own benefit.

Some didn’t care if Busan was reduced to ruins, as long as they secured entry into the Black Gate.

That’s why, rather than helping evacuate civilians, they were fixated on hunting Hometos.

“Anyway, if we kill that thing, this situation will be resolved, right? Then it’s better to take it down quickly instead of helping with the evacuation!”

“Yeah, makes sense! Let’s go!”

Justifying themselves, they charged toward Hometos.

At the level of B-rank hunters, even enhanced undead were nothing to them.

Especially those with flight skills flew close to Hometos.

“Haha! I’ll land the first hit!”

They planned to test the waters first, and if it seemed doable, finish it themselves.

‘It’s huge, but mage-type monsters are usually terrible in close combat. This might be manageable.’

At that moment, Hometos lightly flicked its staff.

A gloomy wave spread out and struck the flying hunter.

“Ghk!?”

<Soul Harvest>.

As expected, despite its size, Hometos had almost no close-combat ability.

Instead, it could use various undead buff and debuff spells, and Soul Harvest was one of them.

A spell that shook the soul of a living being, temporarily reducing all overall abilities.

The hunter’s body grew heavy, energy drained away, and even holding his weapon became difficult.

His skills wouldn’t be maintained properly either.

The flying hunter felt his mana cut off as his body fell downward.

Splash!

Falling into the sea, he was greeted by an undead shark.

A massive shark made of bones swallowed him whole.

The hunters on the ground were no different.

When Hometos moved its staff once more, the hunters charging in lost their strength and slumped.

The surrounding undead swarmed over them.

They tried to resist, but under debuffs and overwhelming numbers, their injuries steadily increased.

Eventually, they too were buried beneath the undead with short screams, and soon fell silent.

Around Hometos, only undead emitting eerie glows remained.

 

***

 

As the Black Gate incident erupted in Busan, the government became busy.

Busan, Korea’s second-largest city.

Not only had a gate appeared there, but a giant monster dozens of meters tall had emerged.

The Hunter Association became frantic, as if struck by a bomb.

A-rank hunters who were off-duty hurried toward Busan.

However, even with government helicopters, it would still take time, and everyone was anxious.

Vroooom

Meanwhile, a group headed toward Gangwon Province.

More precisely, two groups.

Russia’s SVR and America’s CIA.

Even in this dangerous moment, there was something they absolutely had to confirm.

They arrived at what used to be the village of Gungchon-ri.

The residents had relocated, and even grave relocations were completed, leaving nothing behind.

The SVR and CIA agents glared at each other briefly before moving quickly.

They headed to a place where a labyrinth-type danger zone had once existed.

And now…

“As expected, it’s gone.”

“A hunter who can purify danger zones… To even cleanse a labyrinth-type area…”

The SVR agents muttered with bright expressions.

Their superior, Medvedev, had come all the way to Korea specifically because of a hunter who could purify danger zones.

Their trip had not been in vain.

They could now deliver the report he wanted.

The CIA agents were the same.

“Not just ordinary danger zones… but even areas where the terrain itself was altered like a labyrinth can be restored…”

The United States, with its vast land, had many danger zones, including labyrinth-type ones.

Some of those lands were once critical military and economic hubs.

If Kang Ian could restore them, it would bring great benefit to the nation.

“……”

“……”

After another tense stare-down between the two groups, they got back into their cars and headed to Seoul.

 

***

 

Ding!

 

[You contributed to saving a civilian in danger]

[+1 Nobility]

[You contributed to saving a civilian in danger]

[+1 Nobility]

…

 

‘Mmm… this is melting in my mouth!’

Automatically gaining Nobility from Lee Chaewon’s undead was incredibly sweet.

Since the Black Gate had appeared suddenly, there were many civilians in need of help.

No matter how hard Kang Ian ran around, there was a limit to what one person could do.

But with the undead moving alongside him, it was incredibly efficient.

Moreover, the undead didn’t need rest.

Infinite-motion Nobility farming!

‘If only my class were Necromancer.’

What if he deployed an undead army across all volunteer areas in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province?

Wouldn’t he gain hundreds of Nobility per day?

Thinking about it, being a Necromancer seemed even better than being a Knight of Valhalla…

“Hunter Lee Chaewon. Let’s get along well.”

“……?”

Chaewon looked at him strangely at his sudden comment.

Then she seemed to realize something and nodded.

‘He must be acknowledging me.’

Kang Ian had been pushing her hard, so she was also doing her best to help civilians.

She too, had been carefully selected by the Happiness Office, making her one of the more decent hunters.

She would have helped anyway, but Kang Ian’s intensity made her work even harder.

It seemed he appreciated that.

Boom!

At that moment, a building collapsed with a loud crash, snapping them back to alertness.

There wasn’t even time for a brief conversation.

Despite their efforts, there were simply too many enemies.

A significant number had already entered the city.

‘We can’t stay like this. We have to finish this before more come in.’

Simply killing undead on the frontlines was meaningless.

Kang Ian turned his head and looked at Hometos floating near the gate.

That thing had to be dealt with.

‘Those who rushed it earlier… they’re all dead, aren’t they?’

While helping civilians, he had been carefully observing Hometos.

And he had seen it clearly…

Hunters collapsed like drained dogs when it swung its staff.

‘It’s definitely a debuff type.’

That skull-headed bastard was a pure necromancer type.

Summoning minions, buffing them, and debuffing enemies.

Because of that, Kang Ian was certain.

‘If I get in close, I’ll definitely win!’

He couldn’t lose.

“Hunter Lee Chaewon. Just in case… if we kill that thing up there, the other undead will disappear too, right?”

“Most likely. Necromancy usually works that way… when the caster falls, the mana sustaining the summons collapses too.”

“Then I’ll go take it down.”

“What? Leaving here?”

“There’s no point holding the line like this forever. We need to end it somehow.”

“But… wouldn’t it be too much to handle alone?”

Chaewon looked at Hometos anxiously.

For a single B-rank hunter, it looked far too massive and powerful.

It was nearly the size of an apartment building.

“It’s fine. I’ll definitely win.”

His confident voice carried strong conviction.

His daily volunteer work often involved reassuring the weak.

Naturally, his voice had gained a strong persuasive power.

Without realizing it, Chaewon nodded.

“…Okay. Then I’ll hold things here as best as I can.”

“I’m counting on you!”

With that, Kang Ian kicked off the ground and ran.

Thanks to Chaewon, the automatic Nobility gain wouldn’t stop just yet.

Soon, Kang Ian arrived at Haeundae’s sandy beach.

Even though many undead had moved into the city, the beach was still filled with them.

As expected, killing them all was the wrong approach.

Step!

Kang Ian kicked off the sand and leapt high.

With a single jump, he reached Hometos, who was floating in the air.

For the first time, Hometos turned its head toward him.

As if an annoying insect had arrived, it lightly swung its staff.

Soul Harvest.

The same debuff that had rendered B-rank hunters helpless spread out.

The sensation of one’s soul being shaken was completely different from ordinary mental attacks.

If experienced for the first time, it was almost impossible to resist.

“I knew it!”

But Kang Ian raised his sword high without hesitation.

The Will of Valhalla surged from within his heart, blocking Soul Harvest.

A skill that granted near-absolute immunity to vile mental attacks.

Only then did Hometos seem to sense danger… but it was already too late.

Crackle!

Kang Ian’s <Quick Lightning> struck it.

Combined with the power of lightning and his holy attribute buffs, even this instant spell was enough to make it flinch.

That brief moment was all he needed.

He closed the distance completely and swung his sword.

Wooooong!

A blue aura surged from Sajade’s longsword.

Sword Aura.

Still reliant on skills, it consumed massive mana, allowing only a few uses.

On top of that, it incorporated the principles of the Heavy Sword technique he learned from Cheon Hajin.

A crushing force infused with sword aura…

Power enough to split even a giant monster in a single strike gathered at the blade’s tip.

CRASH!!

Hometos’s body was cut apart.