I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 17 - Leap (4)

Myeongdong had always been a popular tourist destination for foreigners.  

 

Because of this, there were many newly reconstructed buildings, but if you went a little deeper inside, there were also plenty of rundown areas.

 

Old concrete buildings that had existed since the 1980s.

 

These structures collapsed and became ruins after the appearance of the Gates. Later, refugees temporarily settled there, and over time, a slum formed.

 

The slums hidden in Myeong-dong’s backstreets, woven like a spider’s web—that was the current state of the slums.

 

“The atmosphere is unsettling.”

 

Kang Ian walked through those streets alongside Team Leader Lee Jigwang and CEO Shim Junseok.

 

“Well, considering where we are, it’s understandable.”

 

CEO Shim Junseok said, glancing around. 

 

Though he was always smiling, his demeanor turned sharp when he locked eyes with figures lurking in the shadows of the alleys.

 

He was a hunter who used to be influential, so his aura naturally radiated dominance.

 

“……”

 

At that moment, the eyes peering at them from various corners disappeared.

 

Kang Ian, sensing something unusual, looked at him questioningly, and Shim Junseok responded with a grin.

 

“If you look weak here, you’ll attract all sorts of annoying people. This is the best way to keep things quiet.”

 

Team Leader Lee Jigwang, standing next to him, seemed to agree, nodding his head without saying anything.

 

The slums reeked of death.

 

The one-room neighborhood in the old Seongnam city where Kang Ian currently lived wasn’t a great place either, but compared to this, it was like heaven.

 

“By the way, Team Leader Lee Jigwang is coming along too?”

 

“The police department also requested our guild’s cooperation.”

 

Lee Jigwang answered briefly. 

 

To maintain tax benefits, it was best to accept cooperation requests from national public institutions.

 

The more they accepted, the greater the tax reduction.

 

On the other hand, Shim Junseok’s Haengbok Office had received this as a formal request.

 

CEO Shim Junseok said,

 

“Usually, it’s either just a request to a guild or a commission to freelance hunters, but this time it’s both. It must mean this is important and needs to be handled quickly.”

 

“Is that why you personally came here, CEO?”

 

“Ha, haha… No, that’s not it.  My office doesn’t have many employees. If the CEO doesn’t take requests by himself, the business won’t run.”

 

CEO Shim Junseok answered, scratching his head. 

 

Since he was picky about the hunters he worked with, his office didn’t have many members, and to maintain the office’s standards, even the CEO had to actively work in the field.

 

“If Hunter Kang Ian joined our office, I’d have a bit more breathing room.”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

“Tsk. I was trying to recruit you subtly, but it didn’t work.”

 

– Sniff. Sniff.

 

At that moment, the smell of something burning wafted from somewhere.

 

Kang Ian tilted his head in confusion.

 

Moments later, as they turned a corner, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a devastated slum.

 

Burnt-down houses. People staring blankly at the ruins of their homes with lifeless eyes.

 

“Oh dear… Oh dear…”

 

“Waaaah… How am I supposed to live now…”

 

The negative emotions radiating from them hit Kang Ian hard.

 

“What in the world…”

 

“Hm. The villain we’re after reportedly has fire-based abilities. But I didn’t expect them to do something like this…”

 

CEO Shim Junseok muttered with a hardened expression.  

 

There were plenty of scoundrels in the slums who exploited others, but there were also many who were simply poor but good-hearted.

 

The houses where they could barely lay their bodies. They were all burned down.

 

It was understandable that they were frustrated and in despair.

 

“… …”

 

Kang Ian had only ever heard the word ‘villain’ on TV or the internet.

 

Infamous villain organizations, groups that had taken over entire nations, some even turning into corporations.

 

Some media even romanticized them.

 

But seeing it firsthand was different.

 

The things villains did were nothing short of atrocious.

 

“…What could they possibly gain from this?”

 

Kang Ian didn’t consider himself particularly righteous.

 

Like most people nowadays, he had a practical mindset—he would act in his own interest when necessary.

 

However, he believed that whatever he did, it shouldn’t harm others like this.

 

It seemed that the ‘Knight of Valhalla’ spirit also deemed this unacceptable.

 

The chivalry in his head cried out incessantly.  

 

Go and punish the ‘evil’ that tormented good people.

 

“Ah, you’re here.”

 

The police officers managing the scene noticed them and gave a small nod.

 

They seemed to recognize Team Leader Lee Jigwang.

 

Journalists were present as well.

 

They wore serious expressions as they took photos and typed away on their laptops.

 

Some cameras turned toward them.

 

—Click!

 

A flash went off.

 

“It looks like the Hunters have arrived to capture the villain. We, Viewers TV, would like to conduct an interview!”

 

A reporter with a cameraman approached them.

 

“Hello! I am Reporter Shin Sorim from Viewers TV! May I ask which guild you’re from?”

 

At the reporter’s question, Team Leader Lee Jigwang glanced at Kang Ian and Shim Junseok before answering.

 

“Ohseong Guild.”

 

“Ah! As expected of the Ohseong Guild, known as Korea’s top-tier guild. The residents here must have been desperately waiting for you! If it’s not too much trouble, could you give us an interview?”

 

“Well…”

 

– Bang!

 

– Whoosh!

 

At that moment, an explosion and flames erupted quite a distance away.

 

‘Over there!’

 

Kang Ian immediately realized that the person responsible for this tragedy was there.

 

He kicked off the ground. 

 

CEO Shim Junseok quickly tried to stop him.

 

“Wait a minute! You’ll get lost if you go in recklessly!”

 

The slums weren’t structured with planned roads. The buildings were haphazardly arranged.

 

If he moved without thinking, he could end up lost in the maze-like streets.

 

Even if the destination seemed close, he might unknowingly end up somewhere else.

 

-Thud!

 

But at that moment, Kang Ian leaped into the air.

 

The wind carried him forward as if pushing him along.

 

It was because of the ‘Golden Eagle’s Blessing’ he recently bought to upgrade his specs. 

 

That Valhalla Knight buff skill increased the caster’s speed, made them friendly with the wind, and allowed them to control it to a small extent.

 

Most knight-class characters lacked mobility skills and had to walk everywhere.

 

However, thanks to the ‘Golden Eagle’s Blessing’, the Knight of Valhalla could ride the wind for short distances.

 

And that in-game skill was unfolding through Kang Ian.

 

‘A villain with fire abilities. If that’s the only skill they have, I think I can handle them quite well.’

 

And he had just acquired a new shield, resting in his inventory.

 

With that thought, Kang Ian stepped on the wind and soared beyond the barricades.

 

“Uh, uh… !?”

 

CEO Shim Junseok was startled and stared at him, but he quickly disappeared, riding the wind far away.

 

With that ability, there was no need to worry about getting lost in the slums. 

 

No matter how complex the ground was, flying in the sky helped finish things faster.

 

“Wow, Hyung-nim. You said he was a melee fighter, right?  But he has that kind of movement skill, and that’s why Hyung-nim praised him so much? He’s still F-rank, but with that level, I can’t imagine what he’ll be like later.”

 

“…No.  I’ve never seen a skill like that before.”

 

“Huh?”

 

CEO Shim Junseok looked at him as if asking what he meant. 

 

But Lee Jigwang looked even more surprised as he stared in the direction Kang Ian had disappeared.

 

‘What I saw before was a skill that channeled lightning into a weapon. Could it be that he has more abilities on top of that?’

 

What kind of F-rank hunter had so many hidden abilities?

 

The two stared blankly in the direction Kang Ian had disappeared, then they came to their senses and started moving in a hurry.

 

And the reporters kept filming that scene.

 

“Hey! Get the hunter who flew off just now! That’s our main photo for today!”

 

“Yes! I got it perfectly!”

 

“What are you waiting for! Then upload it as an exclusive right away!”

 

“But we don’t know his name.”

 

“We can add that later! Just upload it saying he’s a hero who came to save the slum dwellers!”

 

“Yes!”

 

The reporters also opened their laptops and busily moved their fingers.

 

***

 

“Keuh… I’ll… kill… kill you all… Heuh…”

 

A man, his eyes bloodshot and his entire body covered in bloodstains and ashes, muttered those words.

 

His expression was so grotesque that it was impossible to tell whether he was laughing or crying. His body swayed unsteadily, as if he could barely stand.

 

Anyone could see that he was under the influence of drugs.

 

Standing before him was Choi Seobin, a team leader from the Red Rose Guild.

 

She glared at him with cold, piercing eyes.

 

“An Awakened, and you’re addicted to drugs, just recklessly wielding your power. It’s because of bastards like you that other hunters get a bad rap, no matter how well they do.”

 

Choi Seobin, like Team Leader Lee Jigwang, arrived at the scene at the request of the police department. 

 

She happened to encounter this villain while wandering through the slums.

 

She considered herself lucky to have encountered him without wandering too much in this complex place. 

 

This meant she could wrap things up sooner.

 

She flicked her fingers, and the dagger in her hand sliced through the air.

 

For a villain high on drugs, there was no chance to react.

 

The dagger plunged into his forearm.

 

—Thud!

 

That was when the problem arose.

 

“Kaaaaah!! It hurts!!!”

 

– Whoosh!

 

The moment he was injured, a huge flame erupted from the wound and spread wildly around him.

 

Although Choi Seobin was skilled enough to avoid harm, the fire didn’t discriminate between friend and foe—it spread indiscriminately.

 

The once-intact slum ignited, and screams erupted from everywhere.

 

Team Leader Choi Seobin’s expression hardened.

 

‘…What kind of troublesome skill is this…’

 

She couldn’t recklessly attack him like this.

 

Flames erupt every time he was injured.

 

If it were a wide-open area, it might be a different case, but here, just a little further, there were densely packed buildings and people who couldn’t evacuate.

 

There was no telling how massive the flames would be if he suffered a fatal wound or was killed outright.

 

This meant he was effectively holding the entire area hostage.

 

And the villain knew it too.

 

“Heh… Hehehe. Try hurting me again, and everyone will burn to death!!”

 

As the pain subsided a little, he grinned at Choi Seobin.

 

And then he slowly backed away.  

 

As Team Leader Choi Seobin tried to follow, he raised his hand.

 

“Don’t come closer! I’ll shoot! I’m going to shoot, you know!?”

 

“… …”

 

Flames flickered from the hand he held out, and Team Leader Choi Seobin stopped. 

 

Killing that bastard wouldn’t be difficult, but what if, after she cut his throat, a tremendous flame erupted from it and engulfed the surroundings?  

 

She had to subdue him without injuring him as much as possible, and definitely without killing him.

 

‘Damn it. This is tricky.’

 

As she frowned in frustration, the villain widened the distance between them, still grinning maniacally.

 

“Heuh. Kihihihi. Fireworks… Fireworks!!”

 

Then, he suddenly extended his hand in the opposite direction. 

 

True to his drug-addicted madness, she couldn’t rationally predict his actions.

 

Flames shot out.

 

The thought ‘Oh, I’m screwed’ automatically popped into Team Leader Choi Seobin’s head.  

 

She couldn’t run over there and stop it now. 

 

A catastrophe would occur. 

 

She gritted her teeth.

 

It was at that moment.

 

Like a descent from heaven, a hunter clad in armor dropped down.

 

– Thump!

 

He was watching the approaching flames with cold eyes, and he raised a single-handed shield, which she hadn’t noticed him draw, in front of him.

 

To Choi Seobin’s eyes, it looked like a scene from a movie, in slow motion.

 

The shield, its edges glowing gold, collided with the flames.

 

– Whoosh!

 

And the flames vanished just like that.

 

“……?”

 

“???”

 

The villain and Choi Seobin simultaneously looked at the newly appeared man, Kang Ian, with bewildered expressions.