I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 147

Demon Spirit (4)

 

BOOM!

“Let’s go in.”

“……”

When Kang Ian shattered the barrier blocking their way, Airi was quite flustered.

She had tracked it all the way here, and when she saw the barrier, she had been confident.

Her sorcery specialized in versatility, especially in dealing with magical phenomena like this.

So she had intended to show Kang Ian how impressive she was… but he just seemed to do something in midair and suddenly struck something, breaking it apart.

“I-I was going to dispel it…”

“As long as it’s removed, it doesn’t matter who does it.”

“Cough, ahem. Impressive skill.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Coming from an A-rank Hunter, that’s a bit embarrassing.”

“…?”

Was that mockery?

Come to think of it, Koreans were known to be very humble… and sometimes even disguised sarcasm with humility.

Was this one of those cases?

While Airi was confused, Kang Ian quickly entered the basement.

Inside, even the air felt different.

A thick, evil aura filled the place.

As a mid-ranking Knight of Valhalla, anger naturally surged within him.

The same would likely be true for the other knights connected to the Sanctuary.

Ding!

 

[Quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Search for and destroy traces of the demon.]

[Details: A dense demonic trace can be felt from the air itself. Something related to a demon exists within. Anything related to demons cannot be left on Earth, not even a single word. Eliminate everything.]

[Will you accept the quest?]

[Y/N]

 

Of course, he accepted.

‘I was planning to look for anything demon-related after reaching the U.S. mainland… I didn’t expect to find one here.’

Taking on the CIA’s request had also been a way to build a closer relationship with the U.S.

He wanted to find a demon contractor somewhere in America… and also visit “Meteorite,” the developer of Devil Road 3.

‘Could the American demon contractor mentioned in Sergio’s diary be the one staying here?’

If so, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

With anticipation, Kang Ian rushed forward.

He would’ve liked to inspect everything carefully, but breaking the barrier had made a loud noise.

There was a high chance whoever was inside had noticed.

So he decided to proceed quickly.

Still, he prepared thoroughly.

He floated a <Floating Shield> in front of him, ready for any sudden ambush.

Passing quickly through the corridor, they entered a large room.

A flustered-looking white man in his 30s stood there.

As the man tried to do something, Kang Ian swung his staff first.

Quick Lightning struck him.

“Ghk!”

The man convulsed and collapsed from the shock.

‘What? Why is he so weak?’

Kang Ian, who had been about to follow up, hesitated slightly as the man rolled his eyes back, nearly fainting.

<Swift Lightning> was good for fast surprise attacks, but it wasn’t particularly powerful.

Even B-rank monsters would only flinch slightly, taking minimal damage.

Yet this man collapsed from a single hit?

“Spell! Earth Binding!”

Airi, who had followed, formed a hand seal. The ground rippled and tightly bound the fallen man.

With that, they had some breathing room.

‘He doesn’t seem like much of a threat.’

Next, Kang Ian’s gaze turned to the object floating in midair on the opposite side.

A demonic grimoire.

He didn’t know exactly what it was… but it was clearly suspicious.

A book radiating a vile aura.

As he approached, it felt like the Valhalla Sanctuary in his mind was screaming.

He himself felt intense discomfort.

CLANG!

He swung his sword immediately, but the black aura surrounding the book flashed and blocked the strike.

Kang Ian’s eyes gleamed as blue sword energy surged from his blade.

BOOM!

A strike infused with both sword energy and the principles of the Heavy Rock Sword.

‘Even this is blocked?’

This combination could pressure even A-rank monsters… yet it was stopped?

Kang Ian gripped his sword with both hands, his expression serious.

He would stack all his buffs and unleash every spell he could, then strike again.

If that still didn’t work, he’d just keep smashing it until one side gave in.

“Wait. Stay still for a moment.”

At that moment, Airi grabbed his arm and stepped forward.

“Spell! Urgent Command Talisman!”

She pulled out a talisman from her sleeve and waved it. It ignited on its own and disappeared.

At the same time, the black aura protecting the book weakened significantly.

“Try cutting it again. It should break easily now.”

“Was that your sorcery, Airi?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… then you could’ve used that when we entered earlier.”

“This lady didn’t even have time to do anything before you suddenly smashed the barrier!”

“Ah…”

In his haste to enter, he had asked Hometos to find a weak point in the barrier and simply broke through by force.

He hadn’t given Airi a chance to act.

“Ahem. I see. Thank you. That helped a lot.”

Kang Ian quickly changed the subject and thanked her.

Before Airi could say more, he immediately swung his sword again.

CRACK!

SHATTER!

The weakened barrier resisted briefly but was soon sliced in half.

Kang Ian didn’t stop there… he kept swinging until the book itself was reduced to dust.

The vile aura emanating from it vanished instantly.

And then…

Ding!

[Quest complete.]

As soon as the demonic grimoire was destroyed, the completion message appeared.

The quest had been to eliminate everything related to demons.

Although Asher wasn’t dead, rendering him unconscious and unable to fight seemed to count as completion.

Ding!

[Quest reward: “Magic-type Skill Enhancement Ticket” has been granted.]

‘A skill enhancement ticket?’

Kang Ian was surprised.

Enhancing a skill to evolve it further.

He had already experienced how valuable that was through enhanced swordsmanship.

And this time, it was for magic.

Unlike combat skills like swordsmanship, spear techniques, throwing, or shield skills, magic didn’t usually have enhancement paths.

Instead, one would learn stronger spells.

But unlike the Valhalla shop, quest rewards seemed to allow direct enhancement.

‘Enhancement… QuickLightning.’

His most-used and most efficient spell.

There were stronger spells, but none matched its synergy with his swordsmanship.

Ding!

[<QuickLightning> has been upgraded to <Quick Lightning +1>.]

[At +5 enhancement, a special effect will be added.]

‘…+1?’

So it could be enhanced repeatedly?

And at +5, it would gain an additional effect?

It felt blatantly like a gacha-style system… yet his heart still beat a little faster.

 

***

 

“This guy… seems his name is Asher. He wrote everything in a diary… what he’s done and what he plans to do.”

Asher lay unconscious nearby while Kang Ian and Airi searched the area.

That’s when they found the diary.

Airi was fluent in English, so translating it wasn’t an issue.

Despite appearances, she was trilingual.

‘Sergio in Russia was the same. Everyone seems to keep diaries.’

Probably to document their work… and perhaps to ease the loneliness of working alone.

Kang Ian glanced at Asher lying on the floor.

When the grimoire was destroyed, he had convulsed violently and even foamed at the mouth.

It looked like he would die… but he didn’t. His breathing was faint but present.

Afterward, Kang Ian and Airi left the basement.

There wasn’t anything else useful.

Asher remained unconscious, and judging by his condition, he wouldn’t wake anytime soon.

With the grimoire gone, he seemed to have lost all his power… and he was still bound by Airi’s sorcery.

There was no reason to stay any longer.

They decided to read the diary later and resumed purifying the island.

“Airi, stay behind me. I’ll handle everything.”

“You’ve been doing that all along. You’re quite proactive.”

Airi naturally stepped back.

Being an A-rank Hunter didn’t mean enjoying combat.

Many disliked killing and bloodshed regardless of their strength.

Despite her yokai-like appearance, Airi was sensitive and didn’t like such things.

In that sense, she and Kang Ian got along well.

‘At least I don’t have to worry about her taking my Malice Essence.’

Smiling to himself, Kang Ian thrust his staff toward monsters lingering near Sources of Evil.

CRACK!

CRACKLE!

Quick Lightning activated… nd unlike before, three bolts of lightning shot out from the staff.

With the +1 enhancement, each cast now produced three simultaneous lightning strikes!

Each bolt moved according to Kang Ian’s will.

He could direct them in different directions… or combine them into one thicker, more powerful strike.

That alone dramatically increased his hunting speed.

With a single swing, he could stun up to three monsters at once, then quickly approach and finish them off.

 

***

 

The CIA attempted to observe Kang Ian’s performance in Guam via satellite.

But they failed.

Even after deploying two satellites, they couldn’t track his movements.

They had expected as much.

Even tracking a normal person running was difficult… let alone a superhuman.

So they focused on overall progress instead.

The black energy floating in the air, unique to hazardous zones, could be observed via satellite.

And it was steadily fading.

Shortly after Kang Ian entered the island, it dropped by 20–30%.

Now, it has improved by over 80%.

“Jesus… I never thought I’d see Guam’s blue natural scenery again in my lifetime.”

Someone in the situation room muttered, and others silently agreed.

Guam had been a famous vacation spot… many had visited it in their youth.

The excitement of being able to return to a place that existed only in memories.

At that moment…

“We’ve received a signal from Hunter Kang Ian! He says purification is complete and troops can be deployed immediately!”

“What? Already?”

The CIA East Asia Division Chief was shocked.

Before the operation, they had given Kang Ian a signaling device.

He had activated it.

Meaning: purification complete… send troops to reclaim the naval base.

The chief found the speed unbelievable, but instead of doubting, he acted.

“Move! Move!”

The situation room sprang into action.

At the same time, part of the Pacific 7th Fleet waiting nearby changed course toward Guam.

Three amphibious assault ships carrying naval special forces set off.

Their first objective: secure and restore the naval base.

HOOOOONK

A large amphibious vessel sped forward.

As it neared Guam’s shore…

The sea suddenly surged upward.

From the rising waters emerged a giant, steam rising from its body.

“W-what the hell is that!?”

As Audhumla looked down at them, the highly trained soldiers simultaneously felt one thing:

Death.

Even standing still, the aura of an A-rank monster was overwhelming.

“Wait! Wait! They’re my allies! Hometos! Go stop them!”

<…Understood.>

Kang Ian shouted from the distant shoreline.

He had forgotten that Audhumla was in the sea when he activated the signal, and rushed over when he remembered.

‘What am I, seriously…’

As Hometos flew into the sky, he felt dejected… like a dog obeying its master’s commands.

He had once been a lich who ruled over hell in his prime…

And now he had fallen to this…!