I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 133

Overseas (7)

 

The Spear of the Colossus Soldier changed within Tezeros’s hand.

Its appearance didn’t change much, but it now emitted a faint divine power.

<In the past, our ancestor Ataruk pierced countless demons with this spear. He eventually met a glorious end among them, but I never imagined that his legacy would be passed down to you.>

Saying that, Tezeros handed the spear back to Kang Ian.

<Take it. If this spear has come into your possession, then there must be a reason. Valhalla is surely watching over you.>

“Thank you. I will make good use of it.”

Kang Ian bowed politely.

The spear had already turned a C-rank hunter into something comparable to an A-rank.

Now it had been upgraded for free… bowing his head was nothing.

He even glanced at Tezeros, wondering if he might ask for something in return, but thankfully, it didn’t seem like it.

Perhaps because Tezeros had adjusted it, detailed information about the spear began to appear like a game item.

 

[Spear of Ataruk]

[The spear of Ataruk, a veteran knight of the order in the past. It has been deeply blessed by Valhalla and is specialized for throwing. It is said that Ataruk skewered countless demons with this spear.’]

[When thrown, the spear’s power increases by 1650%.]

[Automatically returns after being thrown.]

[Constantly imbued with the intermediate blessing ‘Holy Touch.’]

 

‘A 1650% increase in power when thrown… So that’s why it was so strong.’

It was absurd.

That meant its power increased more than sixteenfold compared to a normal throw.

No wonder even a C-rank hunter could be considered A-rank using it.

On top of that, with automatic retrieval, it could be thrown endlessly until one’s arm gave out.

And thanks to Tezeros, it now emitted divine power.

Since it possessed a holy attribute, it would be even more effective against demons.

‘This is easily worth at least hundreds of thousands of Nobility…’

You couldn’t buy something like this with just tens of thousands.

Kang Ian glanced at Tezeros.

‘He’s really giving this for free… right?’

What if he suddenly called it a debt later?

But Tezeros was a man of integrity.

With a generous expression (or at least that was the feeling… his face was hidden behind a helmet), he simply looked down at Kang Ian.

“Thank you, Sir Tezeros.”

<No, I should be the one thanking you for retrieving our ancestor’s weapon. If you don’t mind, may I offer you some advice?>

“Of course.”

<With your insufficient throwing skill, you won’t be able to properly handle that spear. To hold such a weapon and not use it properly… as the commander of the knights, I cannot bear to watch that.>

“……”

Kang Ian felt something new.

Recently, every hunter he met praised him as a genius.

Even Sword King Chun Hajin had done the same.

But in Tezeros’s eyes, he didn’t meet the standard at all.

<With your current basic weapon proficiency, you cannot draw out the spear’s true power.>

Kang Ian nodded in agreement.

Hadn’t he just experienced that against the Frost Phoenix?

Once the distance increased even slightly, his accuracy dropped drastically.

<Buy advanced throwing proficiency. And you also seem interested in magic, so you should purchase combat magic proficiency as well.>

As soon as Tezeros finished speaking, a shop window appeared before him.

 

<Valhalla Proficiency Consolidation (P) – Advanced Throwing Enhancement>

[Required Nobility: 10,000]

 

<Valhalla Combat Magic Proficiency Consolidation (P)>

[Standing still and casting magic in battle is no different from asking the enemy to kill you. The battle mages of Valhalla have long worked to overcome this weakness. Spells up to intermediate level can be cast without incantation.]

[Required Evil Souls: 50,000]

[Required Nobility: 20,000]

 

“……”

Kang Ian let out a hollow laugh.

He had expected the advanced throwing enhancement.

Like swordsmanship, he assumed it would cost 10,000 Nobility.

But the combat magic proficiency was unexpected.

Reading the description, it was clearly extremely useful.

His current spells were Quick Lightning and Flame Serpent.

Quick Lightning was very useful, but Flame Serpent was less efficient.

Although powerful as an intermediate spell, it required some casting time.

In fast-paced combat, there was no time to leisurely cast spells.

Openings appeared and vanished in an instant.

So for Kang Ian, who aspired to be a mage, this was the perfect item.

‘Yeah. I know it’s good. But… how am I supposed to buy this?’

50,000 Evil Souls wasn’t the problem.

He had been earning a lot recently from stronger monsters.

He currently has over 100,000 Evil Souls.

The problem was Nobility.

 

[Current Nobility: 25,435]

 

Even that had only been accumulated from leftovers after buying mana potions and Flame Serpent, plus the recent destruction of sources of evil.

But it was still not enough.

“I really want to buy it, but unfortunately, I don’t have enough Nobility.”

 

<Hmm. Although this was a mission of the order, you have destroyed many Evil Souls. Therefore, I shall grant you a special benefit.>

 

“Could it be… you’ll discount the missing Nobility?”

<Don’t talk nonsense. Instead, I will offer you a Nobility loan at a low interest rate.>

“……?”

Kang Ian tried to remain calm as he asked:

“What’s the interest rate?”

<12.5%.>

“……”

<That’s already cheap.>

Isn’t that basically loan sharking!?

Is he really the commander of knights?

‘If this is the special benefit… what’s the normal rate?’

He didn’t even want to ask.

Logically, it would be better to buy it later.

But it felt wasteful to leave.

Now that he had seen it, it would keep lingering in his mind.

“J-just 5,000, please.”

<Very well.>

In the end, Kang Ian couldn’t resist the temptation.

Ding!

 

[You have purchased Valhalla Proficiency Consolidation (P) – Advanced Throwing Enhancement]

[You have purchased Valhalla Combat Magic Proficiency Consolidation (P)]

 

He spent everything he had.

He still had tens of thousands of Evil Souls left, but his Nobility was nearly depleted.

‘Do you know how hard it was to gather that…’

But he didn’t regret it.

His combat power had clearly increased.

<Now that you can cast intermediate magic without incantation, I’ll recommend a few more spells that seem suitable for you…>

“Not buying! I’m not buying!”

Kang Ian fled the Sanctuary of Valhalla, escaping the temptation as if it were Satan himself.

 

***

 

After leaving the Sanctuary of Valhalla, Kang Ian returned.

Since it had only taken a moment, he was still inside the helicopter heading to Moscow.

This time, he closed his eyes and actually rested.

He had faced an A-rank monster and even participated in battle.

That kind of experience was exhausting, even for him.

After a short nap, when he woke up, the helicopter was already over Moscow.

It landed on the rooftop of a tall building.

“The Vice Chairman is waiting. I will guide you.”

An SVR agent approached and spoke.

He was taken to meet Medvedev.

The building looked newly constructed, and he was guided to the top floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened with a ding, he saw Medvedev standing in what looked like a lobby.

He had personally come out to receive him.

It showed how highly he regarded Kang Ian.

Seeing him, Medvedev smiled brightly and approached.

“Oh, my friend. You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

With the interpreter between them, the two exchanged warm words with smiles.

Kang Ian couldn’t help but smile as well.

He had fulfilled every objective of the mission.

He purified all of Vorkuta and safely secured the uranium.

The amount he would receive was astronomical.

How could he not smile?

“This way, please.”

Kang Ian was led into a luxurious room and chatted with Medvedev for nearly an hour.

Medvedev had a tight schedule, making it unfortunate that he couldn’t spend more time.

“What a shame. If I didn’t have matters to attend to, I would have joined you for a meal.”

“Let’s leave it for next time, Vice Chairman.”

“Ha ha, very well.”

Including the time spent waiting for Kang Ian, Medvedev had clearly pushed his schedule.

Now he had to leave.

As he was about to go, Kang Ian stopped him.

“By the way, Vice Chairman. I heard that the director of the research facility we visited in Vorkuta is currently in Moscow.”

“Yes. He safely evacuated when the area became a danger zone. Why do you ask?”

“Ah, I saw some things at the lab. He seemed like an impressive scientist, so I wanted to meet him.”

“Hmm. Dr. Sergio is a busy man, but if it’s my request, he will make time.”

Medvedev checked his watch and gestured to a guard.

“This man is an SVR agent fluent in Korean. He will guide you to Dr. Sergio and interpret for you.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“It’s nothing. For a friend, this is the least I can do.”

With a smile, Medvedev shook hands once more and hurried off.

 

***

 

The research director, Sergio, was at the Moscow Institute of Crystal Physics.

As a renowned scholar in his field, he held an important position even after moving institutions.

In Russia, Medvedev’s power was second only to one.

What he said usually became reality.

Dr. Sergio was no exception.

If an unknown hunter suddenly came asking to meet him, he would normally refuse.

But not this time.

Sergio even wore a polite business smile.

“Nice to meet you. I hear you are a famous hunter. I am Dr. Sergio.”

“Yes. I’m Hunter Kang Ian.”

They shook hands.

At the same time, Kang Ian’s gaze subtly shifted to the side… to Homertos, who only he could see.

Homertos was floating beside Sergio’s face, staring at him.

‘What do you think?’

<It’s certain. This guy… as a human, has made a contract with a demon. Impressive.>

‘I couldn’t tell just by looking.’

<That spear you have—the one emitting divine power now.>

‘Ataruk’s Spear?’

<Yeah, that. If you take it out, he won’t be able to endure it. He’s covering himself with chimera magic, but it’s really sloppy.>

While Kang Ian was conversing with Homertos, Sergio spoke.

“Is there a reason you came to see me?”

From Sergio’s perspective, there was no reason a hunter would visit a pure researcher like him.

“Yes. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Kang Ian smiled slightly and took out Ataruk’s Spear from his subspace.

A faint golden light flowed from it.

“Gaaah!”

At that moment, Sergio clutched his face and collapsed to the ground.

“The light! it burns!!”

Through the gaps between his arms, his facial skin could be seen melting.

<As expected. Trying to hide with such crude chimera magic… of course, even weak divine power exposes it. A renowned doctor? He’s completely an idiot.>

Homertos circled him, mocking him.

To a master of magic like him, the disguise was unbearably crude.