I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 136

Author: Cireng

Overseas (10)

The magic circle that had been emitting an ominous aura… and even carried the voice of a demon.

Thinking that leaving it alone might cause trouble later, he blasted it with magic and destroyed it.

The magic circle had held out for a few hits, but under the continuous barrage of spells, it was completely swept away… along with the desk.

A clean finish.

But there was a loss.

‘The sword… is completely unusable now.’

Sajade’s longsword had completely reached the end of its durability.

When he pulled it out of the magic circle, the blade had fully corroded and crumbled apart.

Only the hilt remained.

If it had only been moderately damaged, its internal auto-repair function would have restored it… But this exceeded that limit.

It was completely ruined.

Kang Ian’s eyes gleamed coldly.

‘I won’t forget this grudge.’

Sajade’s longsword was an item worth 15,000 Evil Souls.

On top of that, it had the perfect effect for him right now… cutting mana consumption in half when using sword aura.

He hadn’t liked demons to begin with, but now this was practically an irreconcilable grudge.

‘…Might as well buy a decent new sword.’

Unlike Nobility, he had plenty of Evil Souls to spare, so it was about time to go shopping.

Of course, high-grade items required hundreds of thousands of points and sometimes even Nobility, so he would have to choose carefully.

Ding!

[Quest rewards will be distributed]

[‘Random Intermediate-or-Lower Magic Spell Box’ has been granted]

Once the magic circle was completely destroyed, the quest was completed and the reward was given.

A small box emitting light and spinning in front of Kang Ian’s eyes.

He had seen it a few times before.

‘Valhalla really loves gacha, doesn’t it.’

Did his ancestors like gambling or something?

Anyway, Kang Ian carefully stored it away.

He would open it later when he had time… right now, more urgent matters came first.

Even after destroying the magic circle connected to the demon, Kang Ian carefully examined the surroundings.

Sergio had been a man who gave many “gifts.”

From chimera test subjects to the demon-linked magic circle.

Thanks to that, he completed several quests and gained a lot of Nobility.

Someone like that… wasn’t it possible he left something else behind?

And Kang Ian’s expectation was correct.

Just like before, he found a notebook written in the demon language.

“Can you read it?”

Hometos nodded.

“What does it say?”

<Wait. I’ll read it to you in order.>

After that, Hometos explained what kind of research had been conducted in this lab and how it had progressed.

Case 1, Case 2…

Days of chimera experiments were carried out with slightly different conditions each time.

Naturally, it wasn’t very useful to Kang Ian.

Hometos also said it was basic material and showed little interest, telling him to skip those parts quickly.

<Hmm. This part seems worth hearing.>

“What is it?”

A senior?

Was there another person like Sergio in the United States?

‘Come to think of it… that unknown enemy who attacked before… that quest also happened in the U.S.’

It had been resolved easily, but the important thing was that an attack had occurred.

‘Maybe I should look into the U.S.’

At that moment…

Ding!

[Quest has been generated]

[Quest: Track the Demon Contractor in the United States]

[Description: Through the notes of the deceased demon contractor ‘Sergio,’ you have discovered a clue about another demon contractor in the United States. Demon contractors are beings that should not exist. Track him down and uncover his identity.]

[Will you accept the quest?]

[Y/N]

Without hesitation, Kang Ian immediately accepted the quest.

***

After that, Kang Ian returned to the surface and focused on eliminating the chimera test subjects.

When monsters appear in a city, one of the most troublesome situations is when they hide.

If they conceal themselves within the complex urban landscape, dealing with them becomes a major ordeal.

However, thanks to Hometos… who had an uncanny ability to detect anything related to demons, Kang Ian was able to eliminate even those hiding in the shadows.

Ding!

[You have freed a soul forcibly turned into a chimera]

[Nobility +100]

‘That’s a shame.’

With this, all the chimeras had been dealt with.

Each one granted 100 Nobility… absurdly valuable monsters.

Part of him even wished more would appear.

Kang Ian, who had worked harder than anyone, running all over Moscow…

Naturally, he caught people’s attention.

Even on social media, numerous videos of his exploits were uploaded.

The Russian government, already interested in forming a deeper relationship with him after seeing him purify the danger zone… had no intention of missing this opportunity.

Order of St. Andrew, First Class.

It was the medal awarded to Kang Ian.

The presenter was none other than Dmitry Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the National Security Council.

“Thank you for saving Russia.”

With a smile, he pinned the medal onto Kang Ian’s chest.

But something was puzzling.

Before the ceremony, the two had a private conversation.

—Thanks to you, we were able to quickly suppress the chaos in Moscow. We didn’t formally request your help, but Russia is not stingy with such matters. What do you want? We could prepare a clean slush fund that won’t be traced by the Korean government, or provide valuable items or jewels.

—Hmm. Instead of that, could I get something like a medal?

—A medal… You say?

—Yes.

—It’s not impossible… but are you really sure that’s enough?

—Of course. That would be more than enough.

Recalling that conversation, Medverev looked at Kang Ian with curiosity.

‘Is he simply not greedy, or just a good person…? No… both?’

Through prior investigation by SVR agents, they knew he had that kind of personality, but hearing him say this directly… was still surprising.

If Kang Ian had wanted, they would have been willing to hand over a bank account filled with clean money… yet he was satisfied with a medal that held only honor.

But for Kang Ian, this was the best possible choice.

Ding!

[You have been awarded Russia’s ‘Order of St. Andrew, First Class’]

[Nobility +5000]

[Since the medal was received from a foreign nation, the acquired Nobility is doubled]

[Nobility +5000]

Kang Ian couldn’t hold back and broke into a wide smile.

A full 10,000 Nobility!

‘This is insane!’

***

Kang Ian received state-level hospitality in Russia.

Having been awarded a medal and with videos of his heroic actions spreading everywhere, some people had even started calling him “The Hero of Moscow.”

He was accommodated in one of Russia’s finest hotels.

Though he considered returning home after finishing his work, the Russian government held him back.

Even though he had worked hard to prevent disaster, there were still many casualties.

In such situations, resentment could easily flow upward toward leadership.

The easiest way to suppress that… was to create a hero.

Fortunately, Kang Ian had performed perfectly for that role, so Russia continuously emphasized how much he had done for Moscow.

They asked him to stay for that period, and since he had received 10,000 Nobility, he accepted.

—Thank you. We will ensure you experience no inconvenience during your stay. If there’s anything you want, please let us know.

—Hmm… then I have one question.

—Yes, what is it?

—Is there a high-quality hunter-exclusive gym facility here?

—……?

The SVR agent was momentarily taken aback, but quickly guided him professionally.

—We have the finest facilities prepared.

The country most serious about bodybuilding in the world might be the United States, but Russia was no slouch either.

Especially since the president favored a macho image, an expensive gym had been built.

“Kremlin Red Gym.”

Kang Ian was granted access to it.

“Huup! Hup!”

After trying one of the red-painted machines, Kang Ian exclaimed:

“Wow… this is seriously good.”

—Heh… little brother. Is it really that good?

“Yes. This isn’t something you can describe with words. You have to try it yourself to understand.”

And someone was watching him with envy…

Kang Hoopung, appearing through a video call from thousands of kilometers away.

Pointing at the machine Kang Ian had just used, he asked:

—All of those are Rosenstar Prime machines?

“Yes. Every single one.”

Rosenstar… a U.S. company that manufactures hunter-exclusive fitness machines.

Using special materials from Gates, they could achieve extremely high weights relative to their size.

Korea’s association also used their equipment… but not the Prime grade.

Those were too expensive, so only standard-grade machines were installed.

Kang Hoopung had once considered building a private gym filled with Prime-grade equipment…

but even if he ordered now, he wouldn’t receive them for at least five years.

Countries like the U.S., Russia, and Europe had already placed massive pre-orders.

Even with money, you couldn’t get them.

—Man… little brother, I’m seriously jealous.

Through the screen, Kang Hoopung looked like he might start drooling.

He even leaned closer to the screen to get a better look.

—Ah… should I take an overseas request and go abroad too? Someone like me would probably get access to a gym like that.

“Want to come to Russia, hyung?”

—I want to… but honestly, it’s a hassle.

Kang Hoopung didn’t like going anywhere that wasn’t near his home in Seoul.

He didn’t even like leaving Seoul, let alone flying overseas.

It would take a huge decision.

But the quality of the machines shook his resolve.

Even if the difference wasn’t massive… premium equipment had a certain soul that made gym enthusiasts’ hearts race.

And Kang Hoopung, a hardcore fitness fanatic, was no exception.

“I’ll try everything here and tell you how it feels later.”

—Ugh… if I keep watching, I’ll just get more jealous. I’m hanging up. I’ll go work out too.

“See you when I get back.”

—Yeah. Get those gains.

Only a gym enthusiast truly understands another.

After subtly bragging, Kang Ian focused on his workout.

About three hours.

‘Very satisfying.’

After finishing his workout and shower, Kang Ian smiled contentedly.

From the equipment to the shower facilities… everything was top-tier.

Being able to work out like this every day… made him want to stay in Russia for a few months.

As he finished and was about to return to the hotel…

“Mr. Kang. Hello.”

“?”

A white man in a suit, who had been sitting on a gym bench waiting, approached him and offered a handshake… speaking fluent Korean.

Kang Ian tilted his head.

“Are you from the government?”

“Something like that, but not the Russian government. I’m Vector, from the CIA.”

“The U.S.?”

“Yes.”

Agent Vector smiled.

“We would also like to offer you a request from the United States.”

“Hmm…”

It was a sudden proposal, but he wasn’t particularly inclined to go immediately.

Of course, there was a quest that required him to go to the U.S., but for now, Russia was…

“Oh, and as a bonus… I should mention: if you come to our country, we can arrange for you to visit the Rosenstar Prime company’s research facility. There are several products there that haven’t been released to the public yet. What do you think?”

“!!!”

Kang Ian almost nodded on the spot.