I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 141

Tactical Nuke (1)

 

Fwoosh!

Hao Ran was engulfed in a serpent of flames.

At that moment… the fire split apart, and he emerged with both hands pressed together.

“An ability user who handles spells?”

“Spells? This is a skill.”

Strictly speaking, it was magic from a game, but from the perspective of ordinary hunters, it was a skill.

“That is a spell. And-”

Pak!

“What I use is martial arts, you small-country bastard!”

Hao Ran lunged in like an ambush and threw a punch.

Clang!

Kang Ian swiftly drew his sword and unleashed the Heavy Rock Sword.

He aimed to sever the neck in one strike, but Hao Ran, eyes wide, swung his fist to block it.

“A swordsman?”

A blue light scattered from his fist.

Aura.

Being an A-rank hunter, he maintained stability even while manifesting an aura.

‘Tsk. As expected of an A-rank hunter, his reaction speed is incredible.’

The method for dealing with magic-type hunters is usually the same.

Don’t give them distance… close in and deal with them up close.

Once you’re in close range, melee hunters have overwhelmingly higher odds.

And if the opponent knows that, it becomes very easy to counterattack.

That’s why he aimed for precise timing and launched a counter… but it was blocked.

Kang Ian stomped the ground once and began to press him.

The Heavy Rock Sword could crush even giant monsters, yet Hao Ran only stepped back little by little, not seeming overly burdened.

Fwoosh!

At that moment, flames burst out behind Kang Ian’s back and spread wide, surrounding the area.

It was the mid-tier magic <Mantle of Smoldering Heat> he had learned from a recent quest.

Blazing flames surrounded the area, continuously dealing damage to Hao Ran.

Clang! Claaang!

“Ghk!”

Normally, he could have escaped, but because Kang Ian was pressing him, Hao Ran couldn’t break away.

“How annoying!”

Enduring the intense heat, he unleashed his fist techniques… mystical principles of Chinese martial arts executed with superhuman strength.

The Heavy Rock Sword had immense power but lacked variation. It was a straightforward sword style.

Thus, it was insufficient to block all of Hao Ran’s techniques… but magic filled in the gaps.

Crackle!

Rapid lightning burst forth repeatedly, compensating for the swordsmanship’s openings.

With the sword in his right hand and magic in his left working in harmony, even an A-rank hunter couldn’t easily seize the upper hand.

Rumble!

“!!”

Moreover, the moment sword energy spread from Kang Ian’s blade, Hao Ran’s body stiffened.

The effect of <Dragon-Slaying Sword of Theorasis>.

As sword energy was used, Dragon Fear spread through the surroundings.

Even an A-rank hunter froze momentarily.

If he had known, he might have responded… but Kang Ian had concealed it for this moment.

Thanks to that, he cut into the defenseless Hao Ran with sword energy.

Crunch!

“KRAAAAGH!”

However, just before the blade made contact, Hao Ran broke free from paralysis and leapt backward as if falling, narrowly avoiding instant death.

His eyes turned bloodshot from the burning pain.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!”

Only killing intent and rage toward Kang Ian filled him.

His vision narrowed… he only thought of killing him immediately.

And because of that, he missed it.

“You shouldn’t forget about me.”

Lee Geonho appeared behind him like a ghost and stabbed a dagger in.

All of Hao Ran’s attention had been on Kang Ian, so he noticed too late.

Blood splattered.

“Ghk! You bastard!”

Hao Ran spun around to grab Lee Geonho, but this time Kang Ian didn’t let him.

Fast lightning restrained him while the Heavy Rock Sword pressured him.

Though an A-rank villain, Hao Ran was gradually pushed onto the defensive.

Even in perfect condition, Kang Ian and Lee Geonho were not easy opponents.

He needed to remain calm and composed to stand a chance… but his emotions had boiled over.

Crunch!

In the end, the Heavy Rock Sword cut through his shoulder, tipping the balance of the battle.

Throughout the fight, Kang Ian recalled a conversation with Cheon Hajin.

 

—When handling a sword, you must always maintain an unmoving mind. Especially when wielding a heavy sword like the Heavy Rock Sword.

—Do you mean the weight like Mount Tai?

—You grasp beyond what is taught in just one lesson. Excellent!

—Mount Tai… Then isn’t Hyung Hoopung’s nickname “Mount Tai (Taesan)”?

—…Don’t bring that guy up. His nickname shouldn’t have been Mount Tai, but something like Mount Hua. A blazing volcano with lava boiling over.

 

Even that final exasperated voice of Cheon Hajin came to mind, but anyway…

After suffering a fatal wound and losing the use of one arm, Hao Ran could no longer properly use the fist techniques he had prided himself on.

His face turned pale as he muttered urgently:

“W-wait. If I die, the Triad won’t stay quiet!”

But what Hao Ran saw was Kang Ian’s terrifyingly cold expression.

Thrust!

In the end, the longsword pierced through Hao Ran’s abdomen.

When a rapid lightning current was sent through it, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

 

***

 

‘Hoo. That wasn’t easy.’

Looking down at the fallen Hao Ran, Kang Ian thought that.

As expected of an A-rank villain… it made sense.

If he had made even one mistake, he would be the one lying there.

Each move had been lethal.

Still, there was something he liked.

The combination of swordsmanship and magic worked quite well in real combat.

Especially <Mantle of Latent Heat>, which he used for the first time.

It paired extremely well with the Heavy Rock Sword.

Flames surrounded the area, applying pressure with heat, while within it, he continuously attacked with the Heavy Rock Sword.

The enemy, overwhelmed by insanely heavy attacks and flames, would inevitably have both mind and body shaken.

“Haah… Thank you for helping.”

Lee Geonho approached with a sigh and bowed his head.

“No, thank you. I only managed to win because you interfered with him from behind.”

That was sincere.

Without Lee Geonho, it would have taken much longer to defeat him.

“Did you deal with Yang Sehyeon?”

“Yes.”

“Judging by the time, you must have taken him out instantly. He wasn’t that strong, but still a B-rank villain… wow.”

Lee Geonho shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“When Hunter Kang Ian was exposed, I moved alone first.”

“Ah. That was only natural. Strategically, that was the right move.”

Kang Ian shrugged as if asking why he was apologizing for that.

“Haha. Hearing you say that puts me at ease.”

Now that everything was resolved, tension seemed to have left Lee Geonho, and a smile appeared.

The moment when a person’s guard softens the most.

Kang Ian seized that moment and casually asked:

“By the way, you used some unusual techniques earlier. Are those your skills? Your weapon has a unique pattern too… it looks quite good.”

“Ah, this?”

Lee Geonho showed the dagger he was holding.

Seeing it up close, Kang Ian became certain.

‘It’s definitely the <Seven Dark Wedges> from Devil Lord 3.’

It was the weapon used by assassins.

The skills made it even clearer.

Lee Geonho shrugged.

“I obtained it by chance at a gate.”

“…What?”

“Come to think of it, Hunter Kang Ian, you haven’t been a hunter long compared to your rank. You probably haven’t entered many gates either.”

He glanced at him curiously and continued:

“Among high-rank gates, there are many unusual ones. The types are highly specialized, and some can be considered fortuitous encounters.”

“Fortuitous encounters?”

“Martial arts that seem to have existed in ancient times, magic, superpowers, ether technology, items with absurd performance… Very rarely, such things are discovered. Most of them occur in A-rank or higher gates.”

Then he shook his dagger.

“This dagger and my skill <Three Shadow Kill> were learned that way. I found something like a thatched hut inside a gate, and inside it were a sword and a book. That’s how I learned it.”

Lee Geonho did not have the Assassin class from Devil Lord 3.

Everything had been obtained from the gates.

Even Ataruk’s Spear likely originally came from a gate, so it made sense.

His curiosity was resolved, yet it became even more puzzling.

Then where did those things come from?

And how did the game Devil Lord 3 know about such items and turn them into a game?

‘Should I try visiting the game developer…?’

The globally famous game company, “Meteorite.”

Its headquarters was also in the United States.

More and more reasons to go to America were piling up.

 

***

 

They contacted the Association and requested a cleanup.

The staff who rushed over repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

They said tension had been high in Incheon because of these guys, and they were relieved they had been dealt with.

Hao Ran was dangerous, but they kept him alive instead of killing him.

Since he was a Chinese villain, the Association could make use of him.

No matter how strong an A-rank villain was, the Association wouldn’t lose a dying one, so they fully restrained him and transported him.

Ding!

 

[You have contributed to increasing public safety in Incheon.]

[Nobility +336]

 

Seeing the message, Kang Ian smiled warmly, forgetting all the hardship.

He even kindly helped put restraints on him and load him into the transport vehicle.

Ding!

 

[You have assisted in transporting a villain.]

[Nobility +1]

 

Extracting every possible benefit!

However, seeing this, the Association staff were moved.

“No hunters ever help with things like this… I can see why Hunter Kang Ian is so praised.”

“Haha…”

Kang Ian avoided their gaze awkwardly.

That wasn’t really his intention, so accepting their gratitude felt a bit guilty.

After that, Kang Ian went to the Happiness Office.

“Next time something like this happens, please make sure to tell me…”

And his good mood vanished as he lowered himself.

“I’m sorry…”

In front of CEO Shim Junseok, who sighed deeply, Kang Ian couldn’t raise his head.

He had already been listening to his scolding for nearly an hour.

As the head of the agency, how many times had Shim Junseok heard about Kang Ian’s actions only after the fact?

This time, it wasn’t even a gate or monsters… it was dangerous villains.

Unlike low-intelligence monsters, villains are unpredictable and often act in groups, making them far more dangerous.

“And you just went there like that? Even if you were with an A-rank ‘Dark Knight,’ you could have lost your life!”

“…I’m sorry.”

He had many excuses, but Kang Ian simply apologized.

Because he knew it all came from concern.

Shim Junseok checked the time.

“Haah. Let’s stop here for today.”

“…For today?”

Kang Ian brightened, thinking it was over, then froze.

“It seems you have poor safety awareness. For the time being, I’ll personally give you safety training one or two hours a day. Why? Don’t like it?”

“…Not at all. I just feel bad taking your time.”

“You can take as much as you want.”

Kang Ian avoided his intense gaze.

It was clearly his fault for going to Incheon without saying anything.

“That’s it for today. I have an appointment.”

“Going somewhere?”

“I’m not going… they’re coming. And you’ll meet them too, Hunter Kang Ian.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

At that moment…

Knock knock.

The office door opened, and several Westerners in suits entered.

The one who seemed to be the representative stepped forward.

She looked Korean.

“Hello, Hunter Kang Ian. And CEO Shim. I’m Susan, the head of the CIA Korea office. I’m here to discuss a request.”

Kang Ian had previously agreed to accept a request from the CIA, and they had come to discuss it.

“First, we’ve brought the promised item as payment.”

Susan gestured behind her.

Several agents carried a large box.

A box taller than a person.

When opened, it revealed armor made of thousands of blue scales.

<Sea Dragon Scale Armor>

“This is armor once worn by an A-rank hunter from the United States. It’s lightweight with excellent defense.”

In other words, free armor.

Kang Ian’s eyes sparkled as he reached out to touch it.

And at that moment…

“?”

Vrrrr…

The sword at his waist began to vibrate.

He had used Dragon Fear earlier against Hao Ran, but the vibration now was even stronger.

‘What’s wrong with this?’

In such a serious situation, this suddenly happened, and Kang Ian felt flustered inside.