I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 18 - Leap (5)

“Huh? Uh… what? Where did my fire go?”

 

The villain mumbled in confusion.

 

Choi Seobin was equally astonished, staring at him.

 

If it had been blocked, then how did it vanish?

 

The flames the villain unleashed weren’t so simple as to be merely blocked. Even if the one who blocks remains unharmed, flames tend to spread sideways.

 

If they burned everything around, that would be an even bigger problem.

 

‘But how?’

 

The Hunter, Kang Ian, who had suddenly dropped down, had a shield that completely extinguished the flames it touched.

 

And Kang Ian himself was also amazed by this situation.

 

‘Nice. This is awesome.’

 

<Saint Kshunu’s Kite Shield>

 

It was an item he received as a reward for the Black Gate quest. A pricey item that required 500 ‘Evil Souls’ to purchase! Its effect truly lived up to its reputation.

 

Though its basic defense was impressive, the true value of Kshunu’s Shield lay in its special effect.

 

– It has a chance to completely nullify perfectly blocked magical attacks.

 

The condition was strict, though.

 

It had to be ‘perfectly’ blocked, and the extinguishing wasn’t guaranteed, it was based on probability.

 

Honestly, when Kang Ian blocked the flames, it was more of an instinctive action than an intentional attempt to extinguish them.

 

“You, you… who are you!!”

 

The villain, momentarily stunned, started shouting after seeing his flames blocked.

 

“I’ll kill… I’ll kill you!!”

 

Drugs temporarily heighten the mind and make it impossible to control emotions and instincts.

 

It was even more dangerous when a hunter used drugs. It was like giving a bomb to a child.

 

Of course, hunters had enchanced mental strengh along with physical abilites, so they had a strong resistance to drugs.

 

If they wanted to resist, they could withstand the drugs.

 

However, this villain wasn’t one of them. On the contrary, he was further agitated by the drug’s effects.

 

– Whoosh

 

Flames were about to erupt from the villain’s hands again. 

 

Startled, Kang Ian shouted.

 

“What are you doing! Now’s the time!”

 

He was calling out to Team Leader Choi Seobin.

 

He wasn’t sure he could extinguish the flames again.

 

This was the moment to subdue the villain.

 

“Ah!”

 

At Kang Ian’s shout, Choi Seobin finally came to her senses. 

 

She dashed forward like lightning, striking the back of the villain’s neck with the hilt of her dagger.

 

“Ugh…”

 

The villain, focused entirely on Kang Ian, failed to notice Choi Seobin’s movement. 

 

Choi Seobin was already capable of easily defeating the villain, but thanks to Kang Ian, she was able to execute a perfect surprise attack.

 

The villain’s eyes rolled back white, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

 

That was the end of it.

 

As the villain fainted, the flames that were about to erupt disappeared, and Choi Seobin quickly restrained his entire body.

 

So that even if he woke up, he wouldn’t be able to move.

 

Afterward, she expressed her gratitude to Kang Ian.

 

“Phew. It’s good to see you again here, Hunter Kang Ian. Thank you so much for your help just now. Things could have gotten really bad.”

 

“Don’t mention it. I just did what I had to do.”

 

“What you had to do… Haha. I feel ashamed. I only came here out of a sense of duty.”

 

Choi Seobin smiled wryly.

 

She had come because the Guild ordered her to; otherwise, she honestly would have been relaxing at home.

 

‘Did Hunter Kang Ian volunteer to come here again without even resting?’

 

Probably.  In that short time, the F-rank unaffiliated hunter Kang Ian hadn’t changed clothes at all.

 

Even though he was just an observer, he had experienced the Black Gate.

 

After such an event, it would be normal to rest at home, but to come out like this again…

 

It must be because of his strong sense of justice and dedication to helping others!

 

Just by his character alone, Kang Ian was the kind of hunter everyone would want on their team.

 

It was at that moment.

 

– Flinch.

 

Kang Ian’s body stiffened.

 

It wasn’t due to any external factor, but because a message had appeared before his eyes.

 

– Ding!

 

[You have contributed to creating a brighter society by eliminating an evil of society.]

 

[You have acquired +250 Nobility.]

 

‘What!?’

 

A whopping 250 Nobility.

 

Kang Ian was astonished.  

 

The Nobility he earned by diligently rescuing Hunters on the coast during the Black Gate incident was a little under 300.  

 

And now he had gained an amount almost comparable to that in just this one instance.

 

‘Wow…’

 

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

 

He almost let it slip out loud in front of Choi Seobin.

 

Kang Ian’s mind raced.

 

‘Should I just focus on hunting down villains from now on?’

 

Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

 

Unlike monsters, villains were human.  

 

They could think, and if he wasn’t careful, he could be the one hunted instead of the hunter.

 

It seemed that the more a villain harmed society, the more Nobility they yielded.

 

Naturally, such villains were powerful and couldn’t be taken lightly.

 

Moreover, he didn’t gain ‘Evil Souls’ from catching villains, so he still needed to hunt monsters.

 

‘Hmm. Then joining a Guild doesn’t seem to be the best idea.’

 

No matter how many mandatory calls there were from the government, Guild-affiliated hunters would definitely focus on Gates.

 

Diligently catching villains didn’t really benefit other hunters. It would only increase the risk of injury.

 

On the other hand, things were a bit different for Kang Ian.

 

At first, accumulating a lot of Essences of Evil might seem appealing, but eventually, his Nobility stat would fall short.

 

Thinking about that, it might be better for him to join an association, an office, or work as a freelancer.

 

‘This is a dilemma.’

 

-Flash! Flash!

 

And as Kang Ian pondered deeply, a large camera flashed repeatedly, capturing his serious profile.

 

* * *

 

Team Leader Lee Jigwang and CEO Shim Junseok arrived late at the scene.

 

And following them was Shin Sorim, a reporter from ViewersTV.

 

It was absurd for her, a civilian, to be chasing after Hunters.

 

However, this was a back alley in chaos.

 

Even for hunters with superior physical abilities, it was difficult to move at high speeds in such an obstacle-ridden environment.

 

That was why Reporter Shin Sorim was somehow able to follow them.

 

When the three arrived at the scene, it was already over.

 

The villain was tightly bound, with Choi Seobin and Kang Ian standing beside him.

 

She quickly filmed the scene with her camera.

 

‘Exclusive! This is going to be a huge hit!’

 

She was the only reporter here. This meant she could publish an exclusive story.

 

– Flash! Flash! Flash!

 

She diligently snapped photos from all angles. Then, recognizing Choi Seobin, her eyes sparkled as she approached her.

 

“Hello! You’re Team Leader Choi Seobin of Red Rose, right? I’m Shin Sorim from ViewersTV.  We’ve met once before.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

“First, as a citizen, I’d like to thank you for capturing this villain. If it’s not too much trouble, could we have a short interview?”

 

Choi Seobin smiled wryly and shook her head at her question. 

 

Shin Sorim let out a disappointed sigh.

 

“Ah… You must be exhausted. Then I’ll ask for an interview another time.”

 

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that the one who played the major role in capturing this villain wasn’t me, but Hunter Kang Ian here.”

 

Choi Seobin wasn’t rejecting the interview because she disliked it; she was simply clarifying the facts.

 

“Is that so?”

 

Shin Sorim looked at Kang Ian with sparkling eyes full of interest.

 

A hunter she’d never seen before.

 

‘Who is he? A new member of Red Rose?’

 

Sometimes, guilds put forward a hunter they want to promote as the face for such noteworthy events.

 

“Hello~ Are you a new guild member of Red Rose?”

 

“No.”

 

“No? Then…?”

 

“Um…I’m unaffiliated for now.”

 

“?”

 

Shin Sorim tilted her head.

 

Wasn’t he a rookie being promoted by Red Rose?

 

“Ah! Are you the hunter who flew into the sky earlier!?”

 

“That’s probably me.”

 

“I see!”

 

Shin Sorim’s eyes sparkled excessively.

 

She had only seen his back for a brief moment, which was why it had taken her a while to recognize him.

 

“Wow! Flying into the sky and bam! Catching the villain. You’re a true hero! If it’s okay, could you tell me your name and rank?”

 

“I’m F-rank Hunter Kang Ian. Um, is this interview going to be aired? It’s a little embarrassing…”

 

Kang Ian scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward.  

 

However, Shin So-rim wasn’t in the right state of mind to care about that.

 

‘F-rank? An F-rank Hunter? No way!!’

 

An F-rank hunter flew like that?

 

Okay, let’s assume he had a great skill.

 

But he even took down a villain. And the Red Rose team leader vouched for it, so it couldn’t be a lie.

 

At that moment, a newsworthy thought flashed through her mind.

 

Recently, there had been an article about an F-rank hunter who bravely went to the site of the Black Gate incident.

 

That article had gone viral.

 

“By any chance, have you been to the Black Gate recently?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“Wow! I read about it in an article. So you were the protagonist of that story!”

 

“Haha…”

 

Kang Ian knew exactly which article she was referring to.

 

It had gotten so many views that he had come across it by chance.

 

Since he was the subject of the story, he had felt pretty embarrassed. Hearing it mentioned in person made it even more so.

 

Still, embarrassment aside, it felt good to be praised.

 

Maybe this was why people sought fame.

 

“Could you tell me in more detail how you ended up here today?”

 

“Um… I can do a short interview. But I need to help these people soon, so I can’t talk for long.”

 

Just because they caught the villain didn’t mean it was over.

 

The damage the villain had caused wouldn’t magically repair itself.

 

People who had lost their homes and suffered injuries needed to be taken care of and relocated to safety.

 

Kang Ian wasn’t doing this out of a strong sense of selflessness… not exactly. 

 

 Of course, he intended to help out of goodwill, but this time, there was a bit of self-interest involved.

 

‘An opportunity to help so many people at once doesn’t come easily.’

 

He could accumulate a lot of ‘Nobility’.  

 

He couldn’t miss this opportunity.

 

Meanwhile, Shin Sorim felt a sense of shame as she looked at Kang Ian.

 

‘Wow…he’s a true hero. I was only thinking about views, trying to get an interview somehow…’

 

She was embarrassed by the stark realization of her own materialistic nature. 

 

Nevertheless, being the reporter she was, a story idea immediately popped into her head.

 

‘If I write about the hero from the Black Gate incident making another appearance…it’s definitely going viral!’

 

With that, she willingly spoke up.

 

“I’ll help you too!”

 

She wasn’t usually into volunteer work, but this time, she wanted to stand alongside a hero.

 

No matter how tough it was, it would be fulfilling if they did it together.

 

“No, it’s okay. Don’t. If you’re going to do it, go somewhere else far away.”

 

“?”

 

However, Kang Ian shook his head with a serious expression.

 

How dare she try to steal his Nobility!