I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 137

Author: Cireng

Overseas (11)

Kang Ian didn’t know it, but the CIA had been closely observing him ever since he went to Russia.

To begin with, it was the United States, not Russia, that first discovered Kang Ian’s ability to purify danger zones.

If they had wanted to, they could have interfered with the entire process of Russia assigning Kang Ian the request.

But they didn’t.

They wanted to see just how perfectly Kang Ian would carry out a danger zone purification request.

This was Kang Ian’s first time officially taking on such a request abroad.

That was why verification was needed… and they had essentially let Russia handle that part.

‘And the result was perfect.’

That thought naturally crossed Agent Vector’s mind.

Kang Ian’s performance had been as close to flawless as possible.

He had cleanly removed the danger zone covering the city of Vorkuta and even recovered enriched uranium.

Not only that, but he also resolved the terrorist incident in Moscow.

The CIA had not yet uncovered the full truth about Dr. Sergio, but they knew that it wasn’t something Kang Ian needed to involve himself in.

And yet, he couldn’t ignore the civilians… he stepped in more actively than anyone else and even earned a medal.

As someone to entrust with a mission, his skill, reliability, everything… he was perfect.

That was why the agent dispatched was “Vector,” an agent stationed in Russia who was also fluent in Korean.

Before approaching Kang Ian, Vector had thought long and hard.

Russia wouldn’t let Kang Ian go easily.

They couldn’t forcibly detain him, as that would damage relations… but instead, they would offer him the best possible treatment.

If someone received state-level hospitality from Russia, there wasn’t much difference compared to the United States.

So how could they persuade Kang Ian to come to America?

That question lingered in his mind all the way until today… and unexpectedly, Vector found the answer in this gym.

“We can arrange a visit to the Rosenstar research facility. No… better yet, we’ll grant you full access. I’ll have to run it by higher-ups, but it will definitely pass.”

He had read reports that Kang Ian liked working out… but seeing him in person, it was even more evident.

Rosenstar was a private company, but since it required a large amount of strategic materials from Gates, the government held significant shares.

That meant with approval from above, access to the research facility was possible.

If they pushed it, they could even provide unrestricted access.

At Vector’s confident proposal, Kang Ian’s eyes flickered slightly.

“I’ll take it…I mean. What’s the request?”

‘So close.’

Seeing Kang Ian hesitate before answering, Vector sighed inwardly.

He had almost convinced him completely!

But maintaining his professionalism, he continued:

“We would like you to purify the danger zone in Guam.”

“Guam?”

“Yes.”

If the first hook was Rosenstar, the second was honesty.

“To be frank, we need to restore the naval base in Guam to recover America’s influence in the Pacific.”

Guam… a small island in the western Pacific.

It used to be a famous tourist destination, but now it has become a place people cannot enter.

Due to a Gate outbreak, the entire island had turned into a danger zone.

If it had only been a tourist spot, it wouldn’t have mattered much… but Guam was a key military stronghold, serving as a midpoint base for the Pacific Seventh Fleet.

It was a crucial stop between the United States and Japan.

With it blocked, America’s influence across the Pacific had weakened.

“Ah… so that’s the reason.”

Kang Ian was slightly taken aback by the unexpected explanation, but nodded.

“Of course, these days, hunter forces are treated as a measure of national power. However, traditional military strength still cannot be ignored.”

In the past, the United States had such overwhelming military power that it was called the world’s police.

Some even claimed that if it were the U.S. versus the rest of the world, the U.S. would win.

Even now, with hunters and monsters, America’s status had not diminished.

The strongest hunter nation, with the largest number of skilled hunters competing freely.

That was the United States.

And if they restored their former military strength on top of that?

“For example, if a war were to break out with China, even just having the Guam base would drastically change the difficulty. If the Seventh Fleet could eliminate a few A-rank hunters on the Chinese side with long-range bombardment, the outcome of the war would tilt significantly.”

“Ah… I see.”

“And it would also be helpful when providing military support to someone like you, Hunter Kang Ian, who possesses the ability to purify danger zones.”

“…You’re not going to kidnap me and take me to the U.S., are you?”

“Of course not. That’s something you’d only see in CIA movies from the ’80s. We have no intention of violating your free will.”

“I understand. I clearly see what you want.”

But Kang Ian was a freelance hunter.

For someone like him, what mattered was the contract fee.

As long as it wasn’t illegal or crossing a line, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“It’s the same as the request you took in Russia. We’ll ensure the compensation is more than satisfactory.”

Vector showed Kang Ian the documents he had prepared.

Since there was already a good precedent in Russia, the CIA could simply follow that model.

An advance payment… like the Giant Soldier’s Spear.

Then an enormous commission afterward.

They mirrored it closely.

“As an advance, we will provide armor owned by our government. Unlike those Russians, we won’t tell you to go find and use it yourself. What kind of unethical business practice is that…?”

He even slipped in a small jab at Russia.

“It’s the <Sea Dragon Scale Armor>. It was permanently loaned to an A-rank hunter who recently retired and has now been returned to the government. We will give it to you.”

“A loan?”

“A permanent transfer.”

Kang Ian liked that.

Even though the suit he currently wore was made of special materials and offered decent defense, it couldn’t compare to the armor used by an A-rank hunter.

If it was better than what he bought from Valhalla’s shop, he could save Evil Souls.

‘Or just sell it.’

An item of that level would be enough to live comfortably for generations.

“And we’ve heard that Russia is building you a residence.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“In that case, we’ll give you a villa. Do you like Hawaii?”

“…What?”

“We’ll provide a decent villa in Hawaii. It will come with a clean private beach.”

“Hmm…”

“And we’ll also arrange for Rosenstar equipment of your choice to be installed in the villa.”

“!!!”

Kang Ian finally nodded.

“Yes. I’ll take the request.”

He needed to maintain a good relationship with the United States anyway because of the quest.

To find the “senior” mentioned in Sergio’s diary, he would need to dig around in the U.S… and having the CIA as an ally would make things easier.

“Thank you for your decision. As business partners, we will fully cooperate.”

Agent Vector bowed at a 90-degree angle in an Eastern manner.

“Oh, right. What’s the difficulty level of the danger zone?”

“A-minus. It contains many B-rank monsters and a small number of A-rank ones. Of course, considering that you are officially a B-rank hunter, we will assign U.S. hunters as escorts. You only need to focus on purifying the danger zone.”

“No. I don’t need escorts.”

“?”

Kang Ian shook his head.

He had no interest in people who would steal the Evil Souls he needed under the pretense of escorting him.

***

The initial negotiation with the CIA was completed verbally.

Since both sides’ interests aligned well, it ended smoothly.

After wrapping up his schedule in Russia, Kang Ian returned to Korea.

He had wanted to stay a few more months because he liked the Kremlin Red Gym so much, but he didn’t want to be away from Korea for too long.

Besides, since he would be granted access to the Rosenstar research facility in the U.S., he could endure it.

“You must be tired from the flight.”

“Tired? Not at all. Russia sent a private jet… I slept the whole way comfortably.”

Shim Junseok, who had come to pick him up at the airport, took his luggage.

He had come personally after hearing about Kang Ian’s return.

“You must be busy yourself… did you really need to come all the way here?”

“Oh, come on. Of course, I had to come for our Hunter Kang Ian. I’m not busy at all.”

Shim Junseok laughed.

In truth, he really wasn’t busy while Kang Ian was away.

Without Kang Ian, there was almost nothing for him to manage.

Most hunters barely took on one request per year.

That only made him realize Kang Ian’s importance even more.

Additionally, the office had earned a massive amount of money from this Russian request.

With a 9:1 split, even that 1 portion was enormous.

‘The contract renewal period is coming up…’

Kang Ian’s contract with the Happiness Office was on a one-year basis.

If they wanted to renew, this level of treatment was only natural.

“Oh, right. This is a gift. I picked up a souvenir.”

Kang Ian handed him a small wrapped item.

“This is…?”

“It’s a Rosenstar Prime emblem. Since the gym only had Prime equipment, they were selling souvenirs like this. I couldn’t resist and bought a few. I’m planning to hand them out.”

“….”

Seeing Kang Ian’s expression as if he were giving something incredibly valuable, Shim Junseok forced a smile.

“Haha… I’ll make good use of it. It’s very nice.”

“Right? I knew you’d recognize it, sir.”

“….”

***

Although Shim Junseok had come to pick him up, Kang Ian didn’t go to the office.

There was no need.

He had already decided his next request would be with the CIA.

There was no need to ask Shim Junseok to find a good contract.

The only thing Shim Junseok needed to do now was support him in handling the U.S. request.

Kang Ian first went to check on the mansion being built in Samseong-dong.