I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 129

Overseas (3)

 

Parachuting from a plane is something that even well-trained soldiers can easily get into accidents with if they make even a small mistake.

Even veterans can’t do it casually and must remain highly tense.

But Kang Ian’s expression was relaxed.

With his hands tucked into his suit pockets, his clothes fluttered as he fell.

The wind struck his body fiercely, yet it brought a refreshing sense of liberation.

In truth, even if he landed like this, he might be able to endure it.

That was the level of a superhuman body.

But there was no reason to do that.

“Hup!”

Beside him, Hong Dasom swung both her arms widely.

A genius mage who could freely control the wind.

As she moved her arms, the air surged upward and supported the two of them.

With a floating sensation as if they were drifting, their falling speed slowed dramatically.

Thud

Soon after, the two landed gently on the ground.

Looking up, the plane circled once before disappearing.

Kang Ian gave it a thumbs-up, then looked forward.

At that moment…

“Grrr!”

“Kyaaak!”

Monsters burst out from the ground.

Something like purple tentacles suddenly erupted through the earth.

There was a reason the plane hadn’t attempted to land.

Russia had already sent troops here multiple times and knew exactly how dangerous it was.

Click

Just before the tentacles wrapped around Kang Ian and Hong Dasom, Kang Ian drew his sword.

At the same time, the massive tentacles were cut into pieces and collapsed.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

As if it were nothing, Kang Ian dealt with it and began moving.

The two of them left the airport area.

 

***

 

The danger zone in Vorkuta was enormous.

Large enough to cover an entire city.

The vast land meant that the gate outbreak that had occurred here in the past had been massive… and naturally, there were many dangerous monsters.

[Danger level: A-rank.]

Russia wouldn’t just sit back after entrusting such a place to Kang Ian.

Rather, since he had the ability to purify danger zones, there were hunters assigned to escort and protect him.

‘They said there’s a base camp set up just a little past the airport.’

Even hunters couldn’t just endure endlessly in a danger zone.

So they had undergone special training and were waiting in a concealed and defensible location.

When they arrived at the designated place, they found three hunters with a camouflaged tent set up.

“(Welcome.)”

“….”

The problem was that they couldn’t communicate.

They couldn’t bring an interpreter to a place like this, and it wasn’t easy to find a Russian hunter who spoke Korean.

Especially not at this level.

“Kang Ian. Hong Dasom.”

“?”

“Kang. Hong.”

“Ah. Okay. I’m Nikolai.”

Using gestures and broken words, they managed basic introductions.

They had also been briefed on each other beforehand.

The three were B-rank hunters.

The temporary leader was Nikolai. The other two were Boris and Yeltsin.

“I’ll take the front. I’m the tanker.”

Kang Ian said, tapping the shield he had taken out from subspace.

The Russian hunters nodded.

They didn’t understand the words, but they grasped the meaning.

And so, with Kang Ian at the front, they began advancing.

Beep

They moved while occasionally checking the wave detector Lee Naeun had made.

The danger zone was so vast that there wasn’t just one source of evil.

They were scattered everywhere, and Kang Ian planned to find and destroy them one by one.

‘The amount I get paid depends on how much of the danger zone I eliminate.’

He intended to restore the entire land.

After that, he would go to the research facility Medvedev mentioned, secure the enriched uranium, and dispose of it.

Just thinking about the astronomical amount of money that would soon enter his account made him grin.

Heh heh heh!

And behind him, someone was looking at Kang Ian with displeasure.

‘That Asian really thinks he can purify this land?’

Boris.

A B-rank hunter from Russia, and like many hunters, he had a sense of superiority.

Hunters were completely different beings from ordinary, non-awakened humans.

And Boris took that belief even further.

He also held racist thoughts… that they were superior to Asians.

That was why he didn’t like how Kang Ian was leading from the front as if he were the leader.

If it hadn’t been a direct order from Medvedev, he would have already “taught him a lesson” and taken command.

‘I hope a monster shows up soon. I’ll show him the power of a great Russian hunter.’

And perhaps his thoughts bore fruit…

Rumble

A massive tremor shook the ground ahead, and something huge burst through the snow-covered earth.

“Gwoooaaaar!”

It was a giant bear.

No… a bear-like monster.

Standing on two legs, nearly 5 meters tall, radiating cold air… no normal creature could be like that.

“Ice Grizzly!”

Nikolai muttered, drawing his sword.

A B-rank monster, one that combined brute strength with special abilities… a troublesome opponent.

Boris’s eyes lit up as he reached for his spear…

Flash!

Crackle!

At that moment, Kang Ian’s <Swift Lightning> struck the Ice Grizzly.

The power wasn’t that strong, but it paralyzed the target momentarily.

In that instant, Kang Ian swung his staff widely.

A new spell he had learned after becoming an intermediate knight…

Though it took longer to cast, it had immense power: <Flame Serpent>.

Fwoosh!

The serpent that burst from the tip of his staff wrapped around the immobilized Ice Grizzly.

Ice and fire collided, releasing steam with a hissing sound.

With opposing attributes striking a stunned target perfectly, the monster fell into a groggy state from that single attack.

Then his shield spun through the air and sliced off its head, finishing it.

Ding!

 

[You have defeated evil]

[Evil Soul +216]

 

All Kang Ian had done was slightly move the hand holding his staff… his clothes hadn’t even been disturbed.

“….”

“….”

The Russian hunters behind him stood with their mouths wide open.

Hong Dasom was also surprised, but she had begun to understand Kang Ian.

He suddenly used magic she had never seen before… but Kang Ian had always been someone who seemed to suddenly grow stronger out of nowhere.

So she thought, “I guess it’s like that again.”

But the Russian hunters were different.

‘W-what… a mage? I heard he was a swordsman?’

‘That casting speed… incredible.’

‘The power too…’

Boris, who had wanted to show off his abilities, quietly put his spear back.

His prejudice against Asians had already disappeared.

After all, a great superhuman hunter was impressive regardless of race!

The racist thoughts deep in his heart were corrected.

But afterward, something even more astonishing happened.

Starting with the Ice Grizzly, monsters appeared intermittently, and later, there were so many that Kang Ian couldn’t handle them alone.

Eventually, the Russian hunters had to step in… but Kang Ian stopped them.

“I’ll buff you first. Take this and then go.”

“?”

“Ah, you don’t understand. I’m asking you to help collect Evil Souls.”

Kang Ian smiled kindly as he applied buffs.

When there were too many monsters, handling everything alone wasn’t efficient.

This method was better.

“Go!”

Kang Ian pointed forward.

That much communication got through, and the Russian hunters rushed out.

Slash!

Cut!

“!!”

“!?”

After killing a few monsters, they were shocked.

The buffs on them were significant.

They didn’t grant overwhelming strength, but even a small boost was huge for hunters of their level.

‘I thought he was a tanker… but he’s a mage… and a buffer too?’

Kang Ian’s name was still mostly known only in Korea.

He had gained some recognition after visiting the U.S., but that was it.

Compared to globally famous A-rank or higher hunters, he was practically unknown.

And yet he was this versatile?

“Go! Go! What are you doing? Get to work!”

Kang Ian didn’t let them stand around in a daze.

He couldn’t let the buff time go to waste!

He himself also worked efficiently, trying to make the most of every second.

 

***

 

Crunch!

A space filled with black smoke.

A deadly, toxic gas that could corrupt the mind upon contact.

Pollution is released by the source of evil in times of crisis.

But it didn’t affect Kang Ian, who was protected by the Will of Valhalla.

Moving freely through the fog, he found the source of evil and destroyed it.

Ding!

 

[You have destroyed the Source of Evil.]

[Evil Soul +390]

[Nobility +390]

 

‘That’s one down.’

As soon as the source was destroyed, the surrounding air began to clear slightly.

It was subtle… hard to notice without focus, but definitely improving.

After a few days, this area would no longer be called a danger zone.

“…!”

“!!!”

The Russian hunters felt it too.

They had heard from Medvedev that Kang Ian had purification abilities.

They had wanted to follow him to see how he did it… But the moment they touched the black smoke, they nearly lost consciousness and couldn’t witness it.

Still, not long after Kang Ian came out, they felt the air clearing.

They had been on high alert, so they noticed immediately.

“(This can’t be… purification is actually starting?)”

One of them said it, and the others could only silently agree.

It was truly astonishing.

Now they understood why Medvedev had assigned them to escort Kang Ian.

Kang Ian gave them a thumbs-up and moved again.

He had to destroy the next source of evil.

The Russian hunters snapped out of it and hurried after him.

Nikolai ran up beside Kang Ian and spoke:

“(I understand that you’re strong. But you must not let your guard down.)”

“Hm?”

“(This is an A-rank danger zone. That means, very rarely, A-rank monsters can appear. If that happens, we must run immediately.)”

“Mm. Okay.”

He didn’t understand Russian, but Kang Ian figured it was a warning to be careful.

Which made sense… it was a danger zone.

Not long after, Kang Ian realized what Nikolai meant.

Nikolai’s eyes widened as he stared into the distance.

There stood a giant about 15 meters tall.

Its belly protruded, but its entire body was packed with muscle.

Fortunately, it was sitting on the ground, snoring as if asleep… but even so, its presence was overwhelming.

Without being told, anyone could tell it was an A-rank monster.

Like herbivores facing a tiger, the hunters instinctively knew they must not wake it.

They silently signaled to retreat.

All agreed in less than a second and began to move carefully…

‘Huh? That…?’

Something caught Kang Ian’s eye.

In the giant’s hand was something like a toothpick.

Because of its enormous size, it looked like that… but Kang Ian’s sharp eyesight identified it.

It wasn’t a toothpick.

‘The Spear of the Colossus Soldier?’

The very item Russia had promised as an advance payment.