I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 148

Demon spirit (5)

 

Fortunately, Hometos arrived just in time and managed to stop Audumla.

<You foolish giant! These people are the master’s friends. They’re not food!>

“Grrr!”

Audumla nodded as if she understood.

Even now, intense heat continued to leak from her body.

Having absorbed the essences of the Steel Monkey King and the Venomous Imugi, his body was evolving even further.

He had clearly surpassed A-rank now… he was a monster that should be called A+ rank.

All monsters of the demon realm were so obsessed with becoming stronger that they would risk their lives for it, and Audumla felt deep gratitude toward Kang Ian for giving him such an opportunity.

Though their species and sizes were different, he believed this was a true friendship formed by sharing hearts.

And so, he wanted to help her friend.

To make it easier for the approaching prey… no, his friend’s friends, to arrive more comfortably…

He lifted the assault landing craft with both hands and began carrying it toward the shore.

“A–Aaaah!!”

“P-Please eat me painlessly! I don’t taste good! Please, just kill me in one bite without pain…!”

Naturally, the soldiers aboard the landing craft were terrified out of their minds.

A few with weaker mental fortitude were completely overcome with fear and fainted on the spot.

Seeing the commotion inside the craft, Audumla assumed the humans were delighted by his kindness.

He set the landing craft down in front of Kang Ian on the shore.

“Uh… y-yeah. Thanks.”

Seeing his grin brightly and looking at him expectantly, Kang Ian reflexively responded like that.

Hometos let out a short sigh from the side and translated for him. Hearing it, Audumla burst into hearty laughter and returned to the sea.

He still needed more time to cool down.

“Um… are you alright?”

When Kang Ian approached the landing craft and asked, the soldiers who hadn’t fainted yet smiled in relief… and then promptly lost consciousness.

Only a very small number who managed to stay awake ran toward him, crying and clinging to him.

The relief of having a hunter like Kang Ian nearby, someone who would ensure their survival, overwhelmed them.

‘Can they really reclaim a naval base with people like this…?’

Even as he patted them reassuringly, that thought naturally crossed Kang Ian’s mind.

 

***

 

In the end, there were no problems in reclaiming the naval base.

After all, Kang Ian had eliminated every monster on the island to farm evil souls.

Literally every single one.

There were no monsters hiding somewhere, nor any that reappeared after wandering off elsewhere.

With Airi’s detection sorcery, they had thoroughly scanned the entire island multiple times and confirmed that not a single monster remained.

“Incredible. It was our request, but I didn’t expect it to be handled this perfectly.”

“I had the impression that hunters not affiliated with top-tier guilds were somewhat lacking, but looking at him… that’s clearly not the case.”

The upper ranks of the CIA were also impressed after receiving the report.

They believed American hunters were the best in the world… and in reality, both public opinion and results supported that belief.

However, judging from Kang Ian’s results, he was in no way inferior to their own hunters.

No, considering he even possessed purification abilities, he should be regarded as even more remarkable.

“We’ll have to assign him more hazardous zone purification requests in the future. Judging by his performance this time, we can entrust him with other requests as well.”

“It’s been difficult to dispatch our own hunters to Asia, so it would be good to leave that side to him.”

Within their internal evaluation, Kang Ian’s reliability skyrocketed.

 

***

 

Afterward, Kang Ian boarded a private jet and left Guam.

There was nothing left for him to do on the now-purified island.

Now it would be the U.S. military’s turn to get busy.

‘The CIA said they’d share the results of interrogating Asher… I guess I’ll trust them.’

Asher, who had been researching the demonic grimoire, never woke up even after everything ended, so Kang Ian handed him over to the CIA.

From a quick glance at his diary, it didn’t seem like Asher knew much in detail about demons.

The quest was already complete, so he was no longer an important figure.

Since a trust relationship had been established with the CIA, they would likely share any useful information with him.

They had promised as much.

As the plane took off, far out over the Pacific Ocean, Audumla could be seen poking just his head above the water, waving.

It seemed he had taken a liking to the sea and had decided to swim across the Pacific.

‘The Pacific monster ecosystem is going to get complicated from now on.’

Sea monsters had mostly stayed deep underwater and rarely surfaced.

Because of that, even after the Gate incident, global logistics could still be transported by ship.

But with Audumla now swimming across the ocean like that, it felt like a storm was coming.

Kang Ian placed his hand on the window and waved back. Seeing it, he grinned and dove back beneath the sea.

“What are you waving at?”

Airi, seated across the aisle, asked.

 

The window was too small for her to see Audumla unless she came closer.

 

“I was saying goodbye to Audumla.”

“Audumla? That giant?”

“Yes.”

“…You exchanged greetings from this distance?”

Airi looked at him as if he were absurd.

Handling such a monstrous giant so casually… it was truly astonishing.

She had decided to accompany Kang Ian to Korea.

There were multiple reasons.

She didn’t want to part from someone who treated her without discrimination, she wanted to observe his immense potential, and she had always liked K-POP, so she wanted to visit Korea.

The flight from Guam to Korea would take about five hours.

Having moved tirelessly on the island, the two soon fell asleep.

They woke up only when they were close to Incheon Airport.

As if something suddenly came to mind, Kang Ian asked carefully:

“By the way… when entering Korea, you’ll have to remove your mask… is that alright?”

Airi always wore a mask that covered her entire face.

He personally didn’t mind, but he knew that the mask wasn’t just hiding her face… it was protecting her pride.

However, identity verification during entry would require her to remove it, and most people would struggle to hide their shock at her half-monster-like appearance.

Would she be able to endure that…?

“No. I won’t take it off.”

“Even during entry?”

“Yes. No one can forcefully remove my mask.”

Airi responded firmly, and Kang Ian looked slightly troubled.

‘Hmm. Maybe I should contact the Association or the boss beforehand and ask for some accommodation…?’

Given how much he had contributed, it seemed like a reasonable request.

“Please have some coffee.”

At that moment, a CIA agent who had brought coffee spoke up.

“I unintentionally overheard your conversation just now. But regarding that matter, you don’t need to worry. If we vouch for you as our guests, your identity can be guaranteed. And since you are an A-rank hunter affiliated with Japan, it should be even easier.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

The problem was easily resolved.

With that final concern gone, there was nothing left to worry about.

“Hmm. Well then, I’ve rested enough and recovered my energy.”

“?”

As Kang Ian suddenly began rummaging through his backpack, Airi looked at him with curiosity.

What he pulled out was a dumbbell.

It had now become an essential item whenever he boarded a plane.

Even though it was made of a special material from inside a Gate, its maximum weight was just over 100 kg.

That was only enough for smaller muscle groups like biceps, triceps, or rear shoulders.

Still, it was better than nothing.

Kang Ian began making up for the workouts he had missed while in Guam.

Airi stared at him with a baffled expression.

‘…Should I just go back to Japan?’

For a moment, she wondered if deciding to follow him had been a mistake.

 

***

 

“Lead the way.”

Lin Wei was an executive of the Triad in the underworld, but in the legitimate world, she was a director of “Meig,” one of the top five conglomerates in China.

Entering Korea, receiving VIP treatment was easy.

A few polite exchanges with government officials and corporate figures, mentioning possible business partnerships, and they would eagerly provide all kinds of conveniences.

After finishing her schedule, she headed toward Kang Ian’s location, which her subordinates had tracked down.

The audacious man who dared to kill a Triad executive.

Of course, Hao Ran had been a low-ranking executive… but still an executive.

He had once been her direct subordinate, so it was only fitting that she personally came.

‘If that Haoran bastard had his eyes on Korea, there must have been a reason. I was already thinking about expanding my operations lately. This is a good excuse.’

She had come to Korea under the pretense of avenging Haoran.

But that was merely a surface-level justification.

Executives managed their own territories across China, and Lin Wei controlled a mid-sized one.

If she could expand into Korea’s underworld through this opportunity, it would be highly beneficial.

A subordinate’s death was a death, but anything usable should be used.

‘For now, I’ll just go and give him a warning.’

Causing trouble from the start could force her to return to China before establishing herself.

Still, at least a verbal warning would serve as justification when dealing with other Triad executives later.

The car she was riding in eventually followed a specific vehicle on the highway.

“That’s the car. The man you’re looking for is inside. We intercepted CIA intel about his return today.”

“Follow quietly. When they stop, we stop next to them.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After some time, the car stopped.

“So he didn’t go home. Is he busy with something?”

It wasn’t his residence, nor the Happiness Office where he was affiliated.

Slightly puzzled, Lin Wei stepped out of the car.

No matter what, this was the best time to approach him alone.

Click

Her black heels echoed.

But before she could reach his car, someone else approached it first.

It was Kang Hoopung.

“!”

She flinched upon seeing him.

‘Taesan? Why is he here…?’

Even if she underestimated Korea, she wouldn’t underestimate an A-rank hunter.

Moreover, some Korean A-rank hunters were known to rival S-rank hunters.

She had seen records of their legendary battles in the past.

“Brother. You’re here?”

“Yes. Came straight from the airport.”

“Good. The best way to relieve travel fatigue is exercise. After a long flight, your body must be stiff… gotta loosen it properly.”

“You’re absolutely right. Oh, and I brought someone else to work out with us today.”

“Oh? Really? What level are they?”

“One moment. Airi, how much experience do you have with working out?”

When Kang Ian asked, Airi responded with a slightly incredulous look:

“…Working out? I haven’t really done it.”

“You can consider her a beginner, hyung.”

“Beginners are always welcome!”

Kang Hoopung beamed and personally led them inside.

A good younger brother with matching workout level… and even a teachable newbie.

What more could one ask for in life?

“Come, come. Let’s go in. I’ve already set everything up inside according to your arrival time.”

“Hyung… I’m touched!”

“Hahaha! See? Isn’t your big brother amazing?”

“You’re the greatest elder I’ve ever seen!”

Watching the two of them, Airi couldn’t help but repeatedly question whether she had made the right decision coming here.

Then suddenly, all three of their gazes turned toward Lin Wei.

A black qipao embroidered with golden flowers and phoenixes, paired with black heels.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell.

Kang Hoopung tilted his head.

“Are you here to work out too?”