I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 128

Overseas (2)

 

When clearing a gate, there is a low chance of obtaining a specific item.

It could be an item related to the gate, a consumable, or even an item of tremendous power.

The Spear of the Colossus Soldier was one of those cases.

“Y-you’re giving us the Spear of the Colossus Soldier?”

The one who spoke in shock at Medvedev’s words was Shim Junseok, who had been listening from the side.

Kang Ian, on the other hand, just stood there blankly since he didn’t really know what it was.

Which made sense—because the equipment from Valhalla was so good that he didn’t pay much attention to real-world items.

 

Anything that could satisfy his standards was also extremely expensive.

 

—

 

“What is the Spear of the Colossus Soldier?”

 

“…What? Hunter Kang Ian, you don’t know it?”

 

“Is it something I’m supposed to know?”

 

“Well… no, not necessarily, but…”

 

Still, it was something that any decent hunter would usually know.

 

Maybe he just wasn’t interested in that kind of information because he spent all his time doing volunteer work?

 

Keeping that thought to himself, Shim Junseok explained:

 

—

 

“It’s an item that came out of a C-rank gate that appeared in Moscow in the past. It’s a spear powerful enough to hit enemies from hundreds of kilometers away. The hunter who obtained it back then was only C-rank, yet was able to fight A-rank monsters head-on.”

 

“A C-rank fighting A-rank?”

 

“Of course, not in close combat—he just kept throwing the spear from afar. Still, that’s impressive, isn’t it? It’s an item that lets you achieve results safely, so a lot of hunters are drooling over it.”

 

—

 

And Kang Ian was no exception.

 

‘Not bad.’

 

Right now, he held a sword and a staff, so using a spear separately seemed difficult—but throwing it was a different story.

 

—

 

“But you said the original owner died after entering the danger zone, and the item was left there. You’re asking me to retrieve it and use it myself… but if I pick it up there, doesn’t it just become mine?”

“Usually, ownership is recognized in such cases, but the Spear of the Colossus Soldier is a bit different. It’s too powerful, so the Russian government won’t just leave it alone. If it were something lost in a danger zone of another country, that’d be one thing…”

In other words, even if he obtained it, the Russian government would likely raise objections.

If they officially recognized his ownership, that wasn’t bad.

“And besides, this is just the advance payment. The success reward will be discussed later… but it definitely won’t be small.”

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Kang Ian nodded.

He was going to accept it anyway, even if the conditions weren’t great.

Because of his intermediate knight mission… and because he had to destroy the sources of evil to stop the demons’ terraforming, he needed to visit danger zones regardless.

If he could receive compensation in the form of a request, even better.

As Kang Ian gave a positive answer, the interpreter quickly relayed it to Medvedev, who smiled.

“Good. We’ll show you just how generous Russia can be.”

At Medvedev’s gesture, one of his aides laid out a stack of prepared documents across the table.

“In the danger zone of Vorkuta, there is an abandoned research facility. Inside, enriched uranium is stored, but we cannot access it because of the danger zone.”

Vorkuta was located near the Arctic, far from Moscow.

However, if a radiation accident were to occur, the surrounding land would be devastated… and if the wind blew the wrong way, even Moscow wouldn’t be completely safe.

That was why Russia was so serious about entrusting this mission to Kang Ian.

“This is the compensation we have calculated. Please take a look.”

After saying that, the aide stepped back.

 

The documents listed rewards for each achievement:

How many hectares of the danger zone were reduced,

How much for clearing a path into the research facility,

How much for safely recovering and handling the enriched uranium, and so on.

 

And the amounts written next to each were enough to make one’s eyes pop out.

Shim Junseok’s hands trembled as he examined the documents.

“T-this much? This is the kind of amount you’d pay a veteran A-rank hunter…!”

“That’s how serious we are about Hunter Kang Ian.”

“We accept!”

Shim Junseok said it, and Kang Ian’s eyes gleamed as well.

With just this one job, it seemed like he could live comfortably for generations.

 

***

 

After signing the contract, Kang Ian headed to the fitness gym.

‘I’ve been busy lately and couldn’t properly work out with Brother Hoopung. Glad our schedules finally match today.’

There had been too much work to even make time for exercise.

And when he barely managed to, Hoopung would be busy, leaving him to train alone.

When he arrived, he saw some familiar faces.

“Alright. One more!”

“Ghhhk”

“You can do it! You’ve got this!”

The one shouting in front of the leg press was Ryusei, who had become quite fluent in Korean, and the one pushing was Hong Dasom.

Kang Hoopung was beside them, catching his breath after finishing a set.

Hong Dasom had come to the gym once before thanks to Kang Ian.

After that, she never wanted to come again… but once she got caught by Ryusei and Kang Hoopung, escaping wasn’t easy.

She was a talented hunter, and quite good at exercising too.

“Let’s do it together next time!”

Hoopung had suggested it with good intentions, but Hong Dasom’s face turned slightly pale.

She couldn’t refuse.

After all, Kang Hoopung carried the nickname “Taesan (Great Mountain).”

Her older sister was also an A-rank hunter, but compared to Hoopung, she fell short in both reputation and skill.

Clank

Barely finishing one set, Hong Dasom staggered off the machine, her head spinning.

“You’re working hard. It’s great to see.”

“…Hunter Kang Ian?”

As Kang Ian approached, Hong Dasom’s eyes widened.

He thought she was just happy to see him after a while.

But it was a little different.

‘I-if Hunter Kang Ian is here… does that mean I can finally go home?’

Hope filled Hong Dasom.

From working out together, she had realized that these people liked training in groups of three.

While Kang Ian had been busy, she had been filling his spot.

Now that he was back, maybe she could escape.

“I’ll go change right away. Let’s work out together.”

But contrary to her hopes, Kang Ian quickly changed and joined them.

“Brother Hoopung.”

“Hey. Looks like we’ll have to split up today.”

“Yes. With four people, the rest time gets too long.”

“Right. How should we divide?”

If four people trained together, the rest periods became too long.

It was better to split into pairs.

Kang Ian glanced at Hong Dasom.

She was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

A look he couldn’t ignore.

‘…Sigh. Can’t be helped.’

Clicking his tongue lightly, Kang Ian spoke:

“I’ll pair up with Hunter Ryusei. Brother, please partner with Hunter Hong Dasom.”

Even as he said it, he felt regret.

You improve more by training with someone stronger.

Ryusei was excellent, but compared to Kang Hoopung, he was lacking.

So he wanted to train with Hoopung, but…

‘I can’t take him away after seeing that hopeful look.’

For a gym newbie, it’s only natural to want to train with a veteran!

Just look at those earnest eyes.

He didn’t even need to hear it.

Hong Dasom clearly wanted to train with Kang Hoopung!

“Good. When we get tired later, let’s all train together again.”

“Yes!”

And so began a workout where everyone could smile.

It was quite a pleasant and heartwarming scene.

 

***

 

Russia handled things extremely quickly.

They seemed confident from the start that Kang Ian would accept the request.

They had a private jet waiting at Incheon Airport and said they could depart anytime according to his schedule.

“Then let’s go tomorrow.”

And just like that, the overseas trip was decided for the very next day.

A Gulfstream G650ER.

The aircraft that would safely carry Kang Ian to Russia.

“Wow. It’s my first time on a private jet.”

Hong Dasom sat beside him, looking around with sparkling eyes.

Originally, the mission was meant for Kang Ian alone, but Hong Dasom ended up joining.

While doing partner workouts, she happened to hear about the Russia mission and volunteered to go along.

“You want to go to Russia with me?”

“Yes! I’ve been thinking about what request to take lately anyway. Going on an overseas mission would be great for my career.”

That was her stated reason… but in truth, she just wanted to escape the fitness gym for a few days.

At times like this, she was really glad to be a freelancer.

If she were tied to a guild, she wouldn’t be able to leave just because she wanted to.

“Hmm… I’ll ask.”

Kang Ian also didn’t mind her coming along.

Her combat power might be lacking compared to his, but her ability to freely control wind could be helpful in many ways.

When Ryusei heard the news later, he also really wanted to go.

But as a rising prospect from Japan, there were too many coordination issues between the two countries, so he couldn’t match the schedule of departing the very next day.

‘Nice! A few days of rest at last!’

She was inwardly overjoyed.

She didn’t hate working out, and as a hunter, she had good physical abilities… but Kang Hoopung’s style was truly hellish.

She deeply realized this time that extreme training felt no different from torture.

So she wanted to join this mission even without pay, but Russia decided to pay her the standard fee for a C-rank hunter.

Leaning back comfortably in her seat, Hong Dasom closed her eyes.

Kang Ian spoke to her:

“Bored, aren’t you?”

“Huh? No, I’m fine.”

“I know you’re feeling stiff. That’s why I brought something good.”

“?”

As Kang Ian rummaged through his bag and pulled out adjustable-weight dumbbells, Hong Dasom tilted her head.

“That’s…?”

“As you can see, dumbbells.”

“I mean… I know… but why did you bring those on the plane…?”

“Brother Hoopung gave them to me as a gift. I used them on a flight before… they’re great. Let’s do it together!”

“….”

Facing Kang Ian’s bright smile, Hong Dasom couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

 

***

 

The place Kang Ian had to go for the mission was in northern Russia… Vorkuta, a city near the Arctic.

Vorkuta originally had an airport.

But now it had turned into a danger zone, becoming uninhabitable.

Runways require constant maintenance for safe landings, but now they are damaged in many places.

“Are you ready?”

A crew member in safety gear looked at Kang Ian and Hong Dasom.

Unlike the tense crew member, the two of them looked calm.

Kang Ian, in particular, was dressed unusually.

Although hunters dressed freely, he was wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

As if he were going on a business trip.

‘I heard that suit costs a fortune.’

A suit that offered protection comparable to high-grade armor, yet looked sleek rather than bulky.

Its price had become a hot topic both in Korea and overseas.

“Anytime.”

At Kang Ian’s reply, the crew member cleared his thoughts and focused.

This mission would begin with a drop.

Landing was difficult, and if they were attacked before takeoff again, it would be dangerous.

Going to another city and taking a helicopter would take too long, so Kang Ian had suggested dropping in directly.

“Opening!”

Clank

The plane door opened.

Even though the altitude had been lowered significantly, it was still an immense height from the ground.. but Kang Ian remained relaxed.

Hands in his pockets, smiling as the wind fluttered his clothes…

Kang Ian and Hong Dasom leapt out into the air.