I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 138

Assassin (1)

 

Kang Ian opened the box right away.

With a flash, a light burst out, and as the box spun around, it suddenly spat out a single book.

Ding!

 

[You have obtained the intermediate magic book ‘Mantle of Latent Heat’]

[Intermediate Magic Book: Mantle of Latent Heat]

[Summons and wears a cloak blazing with flames. By consuming the caster’s mana, the size and shape of the cloak can be altered.]

 

‘Oh. Not bad.’

Kang Ian smiled in satisfaction.

It wasn’t bad.

To be honest, if he were an ordinary mage, he would’ve thought this kind of magic was mediocre.

It was a spell that wrapped the user in a cloak of flames, but for mages whose combat style was centered around long-range attacks, such magic inevitably had low utility.

It wasn’t like they would engage in close combat just for this spell. At best, it could serve as a lifesaving measure when forced into close quarters.

But Kang Ian was different.

Since swordsmanship was his main focus, this magic would give it wings.

After learning the magic, Kang Ian headed to the Sanctuary of Valhalla while he was at it.

He planned to finish all his shopping in one go.

< Knight. You have come. >

“Yes. Lord Tezeros.”

Tezeros, as always, radiated a majestic light as he looked at him.

At first, Kang Ian had found that sight solemn and reverent, but now his gaze toward Tezeros had changed significantly.

It was filled with distrust and concern!

“…Lord Tezeros. From the reward box of my last mission, I obtained the ‘Mantle of Latent Heat’ spell.”

< Good. It is a spell that will be of help to you. >

“So, about that… do you have anything else to recommend for me?”

Honestly, he wondered if it was even appropriate to ask such a question.

Running a probability-based gambling den (since quest rewards were all gacha), offering outrageous interest-rate loans, and recommending overpriced items…

Despite his sacred appearance, Tezeros often behaved like a villain from the underworld.

Still, he had no choice but to ask.

Tezeros stood at the pinnacle of Valhalla’s knights and knew every item and skill, so there was no one better suited to recommend something fitting for Kang Ian.

< I can recommend as much as you wish. First of all, your mana is far too lacking. >

Tezeros’ words struck the core.

No matter how powerful a swordsman or mage was, if their mana was lacking, they wouldn’t be that threatening.

“I previously bought a lower-tier permanent mana increase potion and an intermediate permanent mana increase potion.”

< That is not enough. With Sahzad’s sword gone, the mana required to operate the sword aura will double, and the number of spells has increased as well. If you keep spending freely, you will experience mana exhaustion. >

As Tezeros flicked his hand, an item from the shop appeared before Kang Ian along with a message.

 

[Upper-Intermediate Permanent Mana Increase Potion]

[Required Evil Souls: 120,000]

[Required Nobility: 15,000]

 

< This would be quite helpful in your current situation. >

“??”

However, Kang Ian could only stare wide-eyed without saying anything.

Inside, however, every possible curse was bursting forth.

What kind of insane price is that!!!

Of course, he could afford it.

After clearing the Vorkuta danger zone, his Evil Souls had long surpassed 100,000, and thanks to Dr. Sergio and the Class-1 Order of St. Andrew medal, his Nobility had also accumulated quite a bit.

 

[Current Evil Souls: 189,240]

[Current Nobility: 25,211]

 

He could definitely buy it, but…

‘…Do they have any idea how hard it was to gather this?’

They say it’s hard to earn but easy to spend.

This was exactly that kind of situation.

Still, he couldn’t just ignore Tezeros’ words.

Hadn’t he already confirmed several times that Tezeros’ recommendations had definite effects?

“I-I see. I’ll think about it carefully.”

< Is there anything else you require my advice on? >

“…Yes. Since you already know that Sahzad’s sword has been destroyed, it’s convenient. I plan to purchase a new sword. Do you have any recommendations…?”

Kang Ian asked with unease.

Tezeros nodded immediately.

< There is something perfect for you. >

With a snap of his fingers, a shop window appeared.

A sword whose handle and pommel were shaped like a dragon opening its mouth.

 

[Dragon-Slaying Sword of Theorasis]

[The sword used by Theorasis, the knight commander, once called a hero of the Selbiz Kingdom, to slay a dragon. After slaying the dragon, a portion of its power imbued the blade.]

[The sword’s cutting power and durability become as strong as weapons made from dragon bones.]

[When using sword aura or aura, Dragon Fear is emitted around the surroundings.]

[The power and range of Dragon Fear are proportional to the amount of mana consumed.]

[Required Evil Souls: 100,000]

[Required Nobility: 5,000]

 

< Considering the points you have remaining, I have selected the most suitable item. >

“…This one?”

Kang Ian asked in disbelief.

No matter how much he had grown, wasn’t this too expensive?

Costs in the range of 100,000 Evil Souls were being treated like nothing.

If he bought the potion from earlier, he wouldn’t even be able to buy the sword.

He had enough Nobility, but he lacked about 20,000 Evil Souls.

Of course, since the level of monsters he hunted had increased, earning 20,000 Evil Souls wasn’t difficult anymore… but it was still a burden.

‘The problem is… this sword is actually really good.’

To be able to emit Dragon Fear when using sword aura.

Just from the options, one could imagine how powerful it would be.

Since the Heavy Rock Sword he was currently focusing on was specialized for one-on-one combat, Dragon Fear was extremely appealing.

“But I don’t have enough points to buy this right now.”

< For someone like you, an intermediate knight who has completed multiple requests, the Sanctuary can easily provide a loan of that amount. A loan of 21,000 Evil Souls. I will set the interest rate at 30%. >

“You scammer…!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, those words slipped out of Kang Ian’s mouth.

Fortunately, he muttered it so quietly that Tezeros didn’t hear.

< What did you say? >

“…Nothing.”

Barely holding onto his sanity, Kang Ian continued.

“…I’ll buy the upper-intermediate potion and Theorasis’ sword.”

He had learned from last time.

If you bought things when the opportunity arose, they would help you one way or another.

No one knew the future. It was best to prepare when you could.

As for paying it back, his future self would just have to work hard and repay it…

< An excellent choice. >

With that, all his Evil Souls were gone, and he had about 5,000 Nobility left.

‘I’ll save this and use it later when I need to buy something…’

< I could recommend an intermediate or lower-tier magic suitable for your remaining Nobility. Frost Explosion costs around 3,500… >

“Never mind!”

Fed up with what seemed like an attempt to squeeze even the last drop out of him, Kang Ian quickly left the Sanctuary.

 

***

 

After the shocking shopping spree, the next day came.

He had spent such a huge amount that he couldn’t even sleep well.

Even thinking about it again, it was a good purchase… but why did it feel so much like he had been scammed?

Early in the morning, Kang Ian headed to the Sword King’s House in Myeongdong.

“You’ve come.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I heard you returned yesterday, yet you’re already training. Good to see.”

Cheon Hajin smiled proudly as he looked at Kang Ian.

His new disciple not only had talent but also a character and attitude he truly liked.

Usually, those with great talent become arrogant, but Kang Ian showed none of that.

If anything, he remained passionate about training.

How could Cheon Hajin not favor him?

“I heard you saved civilians in Moscow and even received a medal?”

“Master, you watch that kind of news?”

“My disciples kept talking about it one by one, so I ended up looking it up.”

Normally, Cheon Hajin didn’t like noise and rarely followed the media.

“Then let’s begin.”

“Yes.”

Kang Ian and Cheon Hajin stood facing each other, each holding wooden swords.

After Kang Ian became able to use the Heavy Rock Sword in just a single day, their lessons were conducted in the form of sparring.

That was the fastest and most effective way to learn.

Cheon Hajin swung his wooden sword with his single remaining arm, and Kang Ian blocked it with both hands.

Guuung

Instead of a simple clash, a shockwave erupted when the wooden swords collided.

“Ugh…!”

Kang Ian’s arms tensed as his legs were pushed back, dragging along the ground.

While Cheon Hajin used only one hand with a relaxed expression, Kang Ian used both hands… yet he was clearly at a disadvantage.

No matter that he had learned <Valhalla’s Advanced Swordsmanship Mastery> and become a genius, Cheon Hajin was someone who had spent decades honing his swordsmanship to perfection.

In pure swordsmanship, Kang Ian couldn’t help but fall far behind.

“You’re putting too much strength into your body. The Heavy Rock Sword is meant to strike heavily, not to be a style where you just pour in unnecessary force.”

“Yes!”

Receiving Cheon Hajin’s advice in real time, Kang Ian corrected his swordsmanship.

With just a single lesson, his proficiency was rising rapidly.

About 30 minutes of sparring passed.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Take a break.”

“Thank you. Good work!”

Drenched in sweat, Kang Ian bowed and stepped back.

In contrast, Cheon Hajin remained as relaxed as ever.

While Kang Ian was exhausted and battered, Cheon Hajin wasn’t even slightly ruffled.

As Kang Ian stepped back, someone approached Cheon Hajin.

A tall man, around 190 cm, one of Cheon Hajin’s previous disciples.

Originally, today had been his lesson, but since Kang Ian suddenly returned, they ended up training together.

‘His name was Lee Geonho, right?’

They had only just met today, but as fellow disciples under the same master, they had exchanged brief introductions.

Since Lee Geonho had been considerate enough to let them share the lesson, Kang Ian had a very good first impression of him.

“Then I’ll begin, Master.”

“Go ahead.”

Cheon Hajin gestured lightly.

Interestingly, Lee Geonho’s weapon was a dagger.

Since a dagger was still a type of blade, it wasn’t strange for him to learn under Cheon Hajin.

However, it wasn’t a wooden practice weapon but an actual dagger, and its shape looked quite familiar.

‘That looks just like a weapon from Devil Lord 3.’

While thinking about how to develop himself as a Knight of Valhalla, Kang Ian had browsed many game community sites.

Because of that, he had naturally seen items from other classes as well, and the dagger Lee Geonho held resembled something he had seen there.

‘The name was… <Seven Darkness Spikes>, wasn’t it?’

At that moment, Lee Geonho began to move.

Despite his size, he was incredibly quick.

With a thud, he kicked off the ground and thrust forward with both hands gripping the dagger.

Normally, daggers were used with light swings, so the way he went all-in on a thrust was unusual.

It almost looked like he had no regard for retreat.

But then, something astonishing happened.

Lee Geonho’s body split into three.

As if using a cloning technique, two additional bodies appeared, each attacking from different directions and targeting different points with their daggers.

“!!”

Kang Ian shot to his feet in shock.

He had seen that skill in Devil Lord 3 as well.

It was a technique used by the “Assassin” class <Triple Shadow Kill>.

The Assassin’s weapon, <Seven Darkness Spikes>, and the Assassin’s skill, <Triple Shadow Kill>.

‘No way…?’

If it had been just one of them, that would be one thing… but if he was using both, a reasonable suspicion arose.