I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 139

Author: Cireng

Assassin (2)

Devil Lord 3 has five classes.

[ Berserker ]

[ Eye of Nephilim ]

[ Necromancer ]

[ Assassin ]

[ Knight of Valhalla ]

The easiest to raise and often called overpowered is the Knight of Valhalla, but the other classes also had incredibly high ceilings once they grew.

It’s just that the path to that growth is difficult and harsh.

‘Is there someone besides me who can use the power of Devil Lord 3 in reality?’

As Kang Ian looked at Lee Geonho, his heart pounded.

The power Lee Geonho used was unmistakably that of an <Assassin>.

Before, when he casually asked Tezeros whether there were other classes, he had answered that he didn’t know.

But for something like this to happen!

‘Right. I did think I might not be the only one using this power.’

After that, Kang Ian continued to observe Lee Geonho closely.

After first showing <Seven Dark Wedges> and <Three Shadow Kill>, Lee Geonho didn’t use any particularly special skills.

He mainly attacked Cheon Hajin with stealth and surprise attacks using a dagger, but Cheon Hajin easily blocked everything with light swings of his sword.

It wasn’t a heavy greatsword, but a very light one.

he flexible blade whipped toward Lee Geonho as he aimed for blind spots, and each time he was hit, he staggered and was knocked back.

Lee Geonho trying to break through, and Cheon Hajin standing still and continuously blocking.

After some time passed, the sparring ended.

Naturally, the winner was Cheon Hajin.

Cheon Hajin lowered his sword with a relaxed expression, just like when facing Kang Ian, while Lee Geonho was breathing roughly.

“Huff. Huff.”

“Good work.”

“Ah… thank you.”

When Kang Ian brought a towel so he could wipe his sweat, Lee Geonho bowed his head.

Despite his large build and cold impression, he seemed rather simple and sincere.

“You both did well. Let’s take a short break.”

As Cheon Hajin approached and spoke, Kang Ian seized the moment and casually started a conversation.

“By the way, which guild do you belong to, Mr. Geonho? I don’t have the widest experience, but I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Judging by the fact that he was sparring with Cheon Hajin, Lee Geonho’s skill was at least at the level of a team leader in a major guild.

Moreover, if he was using Devil Lord 3 abilities like Kang Ian, then his potential would be enormous.

With someone this strong, he should have at least heard rumors… but this was completely new.

Even if Kang Ian didn’t pay much attention to other hunters, this was clearly strange.

“Hm. Would it be alright if I told him?”

“……”

Cheon Hajin glanced at Lee Geonho as he asked, and Lee Geonho calmly nodded.

“Yes, Master.”

“In that case. This man is an A-rank hunter known by the alias ‘Dark Knight.’”

“A-rank!?”

Kang Ian was startled.

He had thought at least B-rank or higher, but A-rank.

‘They say that even within A-rank, the difference in level is enormous… This must be exactly that case.’

Cheon Hajin was also A-rank, but from their sparring, there was clearly a gap in strength.

Of course, in a real fight, Lee Geonho might bring out hidden killing moves, so the outcome could change… but it still didn’t seem like Cheon Hajin would lose.

“But… maybe I’m just out of the loop, but I’ve never heard the alias ‘Dark Knight’ before.”

A hunter’s alias is usually well known; the higher their rank is.

Like Taesan Kang Ho-pung or Sword King Cheon Hajin.

But ‘Dark Knight’ was unfamiliar.

“That makes sense. He’s not known to the public. Only association officials or executives of major guilds would know.”

“Really?”

“He doesn’t like gaining fame or being exposed, so he works quietly alone. And he doesn’t hunt monsters much… he only goes after villains.”

Dark Knight, Lee Geonho.

A man who operates alone, capturing villains without taking any specific requests.

“You’re doing good work.”

Among hunters, many didn’t want their identities exposed and preferred to live quietly without people bothering them.

Kang Ian thought Lee Geonho was one of those.

“That’s not it.”

But Lee Geonho shook his head.

“Before I awakened, my family was killed by villains. I’m just taking revenge.”

“……”

At Lee Geonho’s calm statement of such a heavy topic, Kang Ian was momentarily speechless.

“Ah… I see. Still, taking down villains is a good thing. I’ve done it a few times myself through requests.”

After gauging his reaction, Kang Ian spoke again.

“Since this is a connection, how about going together next time you go to eliminate villains?”

He wanted to observe Lee Geonho more closely.

What kinds of items and skills would he use in real combat, and so on.

“With you?”

“Yes. I may be lacking, but I’m confident I can be of help.”

“I wouldn’t say your skills are lacking…”

Lee Geonho had seen Kang Ian’s sparring and had already gauged his ability.

It would certainly be helpful to work together.

“But what I do isn’t a request. There’s no payment.”

“That’s fine.”

Besides, if it were eliminating villains, he might gain Nobility as well.

All things considered, it wasn’t a bad choice.

“Alright. I was planning to go somewhere tomorrow anyway… let’s go together.”

“Yes!”

And so, the two made a promise.

***

The next day.

Kang Ian and Lee Geonho met again and traveled in Lee Geonho’s car.

Living up to the name ‘Dark Knight,’ Lee Geonho had eliminated many villains in the underworld.

Some of them were even organizations Kang Ian had heard of.

“You’re the one who took down the Chilseong Bear Gang?”

“……”

Lee Geonho silently nodded.

The Chilseong Bear Gang.

A villain organization that once rampaged across Incheon, northern Gyeonggi, and parts of Seoul.

They controlled the underworld with numerous ordinary thugs and ran various businesses.

Naturally, most of those businesses were illegal and corrupt, and even the Association found it difficult to deal with them.

At the time, the boss of the Chilseong Bear Gang was an A-rank hunter.

He could have lived comfortably as a hunter, but his greed led him to run a villain organization.

He was even cunning enough to evade joint operations by multiple guilds.

An A-rank hunter hiding in the shadows.

Naturally, he was a headache for both the Association and many guilds… but one day, he vanished without a trace.

The organization disappeared with him.

‘There were all sorts of speculations about why that happened… Was it Geonho who did it?’

Some said rival villain groups united and attacked them.

Others said they died at a gate.

Or that a top-tier A-rank who had been in seclusion appeared.

The truth was never revealed… until now.

“Today, we’re going to deal with the remnants of that Chilseong Bear Gang.”

Lee Geonho said as he drove a large SUV.

Kang Ian sat in the passenger seat. They were heading to Incheon.

“Even though the Chilseong Bear Gang was dismantled, not all members were killed. Quite a few survived.”

“But aren’t those people still just civilians, even if they’re from the underworld?”

“There are hunters among them. Especially Yang Sehyeon, who was the number two at the time… he survived and rebuilt the organization in Incheon.”

The Strongest Black Bear Gang.

An organization created by Yang Sehyeon is mainly engaged in illegal smuggling with China.

“They’re connected to Chinese triads and are distributing drugs.

They’re slowly spreading them using the remaining distribution networks in Seoul. We can’t leave them alone any longer, so I plan to take care of them.”

Lee Geonho said that, but in truth, it didn’t matter whether they distributed drugs or not.

If they were villains, he would eliminate them.

Moreover, the Chilseong Bear Gang was suspected to be responsible for his parents’ deaths.

And if it was someone who had been number two there, he couldn’t let him live.

‘A villain organization spreading drugs… This should raise my Nobility quite a bit.’

Kang Ian felt motivated.

Seeing that, Lee Geonho looked surprised.

Normally, even confident hunters would hesitate upon hearing such things.

Fighting villains wasn’t just about rank.

A B-rank hunter could easily die from a C-rank villain’s blade from behind.

Yet Kang Ian showed no hesitation.

‘Is that… a sense of justice?’

It was different from Lee Geonho’s driving force of revenge.

It almost seemed like it shone with light.

That must be why he was admired in the public eye.

As for himself, being the Dark Knight suited him.

“Oh, by the way… do you like games?”

“Games?”

At Kang Ian’s sudden question, Lee Geonho tilted his head and shook it.

“No. I’ve been too busy, so I’ve never really played.”

“Not even when you were young?”

“No. I might have played arcade games once or twice as a kid, but not much.”

“I see…”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, haha.”

Kang Ian smiled, but his mind was racing.

‘What? He hasn’t played Devil Lord 3?’

There were too many questions.

Lost in thought, they arrived at a dock in Incheon.

A sign read: No unauthorized entry.

“It’s inside.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I’ll use stealth to scout inside. You should wait here.”

That wasn’t acceptable.

He had come to observe Lee Geonho.

“I don’t have a stealth skill, but I’m confident in my ability to hide.”

With a superhuman body, moving between shadows alone would be enough.

Kang Ian insisted he could follow.

“Then do as you wish.”

Lee Geonho nodded.

The two climbed over a wire fence and entered the dock.

***

“Hurry it up, you bastards.”

“Yes, sir!”

“You’re so damn slow.”

Yang Sehyeon, boss of the Strongest Black Bear Gang, clicked his tongue as he watched his subordinates unload cargo.

As an awakened individual… moreover, a B-rank, their speed was unsatisfactory to him.

He wished they would move faster.

But he couldn’t impose his standards on them.

“Mr. Hao Ran, the unloading will be done by morning.”

“Alright.”

“The quality is reliable this time too, right?”

“Top grade. You can check if you doubt it.”

“Ugh, what a hassle… I trust you.”

Yang Sehyeon laughed.

His counterpart was a Chinese man named Hao Ran, said to hold a position in the triads, with a shaved head and tattoos covering half his face.

It seemed the triads were bringing goods from Europe and Asia into Korea.

“Then please rest. I’ll inform you once the work is done.”

“More importantly… you’re not worried about an attack? Safety should be the top priority in this kind of business. Your organization already collapsed once.”

Hao Ran stared coldly.

Even under that snake-like gaze, Yang Sehyeon kept smiling.

“That happened because of that bastard Dark Knight, but don’t worry. How would he even find this place? And with you here, Mr. Hao Ran, if he comes, it’ll be his funeral day. We can even avenge the old Chilseong Bear Gang.”

“You’ve got quite the thick skin. Very well.”

Hao Ran turned slightly as if dismissing him.

Yang Sehyeon bowed his head and walked off.

In a corner behind a container…

“Damn Chinese bastards. Rude as hell.”

Despite being a B-rank hunter himself, having to watch others’ moods irritated him.

“Phew.”

He lit a cigarette.

For a brief moment, the lighter illuminated the darkness… and revealed a silhouette.

“?”

Yang Sehyeon’s head snapped toward it.

“Ah… haha.”