I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 24 - Promotion (4)

The villain appeared near Sinheung-dong, Seongnam.  

 

Not far from where Kang Ian lived.  

 

With his awakened, enhanced physique, he could reach it quickly on foot.

 

Arriving at the scene…

 

Sirens wailed, and police officers stood guard, controlling the streets. 

 

They stopped Kang Ian as he approached.

 

“This area is currently blocked off. Please use an alternate route.”

 

“I’m an Awakened.”

 

Kang Ian presented his identification.

 

“Huh!? Which guild are you affiliated with? We sent out a support request, but we didn’t expect anyone so soon…”

 

“I’m not with a guild, but an office. By the way, am I the first to arrive?”

 

“Ah, yes. We’ve issued an emergency request, so other hunters should arrive shortly. Please wait here for a moment.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

That wouldn’t do.  

 

If other hunters arrived first and took down the villain, all of this would have been for nothing.

 

Coming all the way here would have been a waste.

 

“I’ll go in first. There might be citizens still trapped inside, and we don’t know what the situation is like.”

 

Offering a plausible excuse, Kang Ian quickly moved forward. 

 

Even if the police tried to stop him, he planned to pretend not to hear them.

 

“Huh…”

 

The police officers stared after him in surprise.

 

“He’s going in without waiting for other hunters? Because he’s worried about the citizens?”

 

Confronting villains was extremely dangerous. 

 

Even though hunters were superhuman, so were villains.

 

The risk of severe injury—or even death—was high.

 

Statistically, more hunters lost their lives fighting villains than clearing dungeons.

 

Yet, he proceeded without hesitation.

 

Like a firefighter rushing into a burning building.

 

“Amazing…”

 

Even from a man’s perspective, it was an admirable sight.

 

***

 

The alleys of Sinhyeong-dong were quite complicated.

 

 Unlike planned city blocks, they branched off haphazardly, frequently intersected by hills, easily disorienting anyone unfamiliar with the area.

 

However, Kang Ian’s apartment wasn’t far, so he’d been through here a few times, and that was enough for him.

 

He moved through the alleys, searching for the villain.

 

With his enhanced physical abilities, Kang Ian could quickly navigate the narrow passages.

 

Furthermore, the ‘Blessing of the Golden Eagle’ allowed him brief bursts of wind-assisted movement.  

 

It was perfectly suited for this complex terrain.

 

“!”

 

Then, in the distance, he spotted the villain leaning against a wall, panting heavily.

 

From an ordinary person’s perspective, the villain would have appeared as a mere dot.  

 

If not for his enhanced eyesight from his awakening, Kang Ian wouldn’t have recognized him either.

 

Yet, he was certain it was the villain.

 

The warning sirens were still blaring, and that person was the only person out in the open.  

 

More importantly, Kang Ian’s instincts screamed that this individual was ‘evil.’

 

‘Calm down. Wait.’

 

Kang Ian urged himself to be patient.

 

Before coming here, the police had told him something.

 

“-Just a moment, Hunter. We’ve confirmed some of the villain’s abilities. Please listen before you proceed.”

 

It was sound advice, so Kang Ian had listened attentively. 

 

Now was the time to observe and see if anything contradicted what he’d been told.

 

Rushing in blindly would be foolish. 

 

He had no idea what abilities the villain possessed.  

 

Reality wasn’t a game; caution was necessary.

 

If the villain turned out to be far too strong for him to handle—

 

Well, he would have no choice but to retreat.

 

Even if it meant letting down the nearby residents, his life came first.

 

Kang Ian watched the villain from afar, holding his breath, for a long time.

 

The villain would occasionally lash out, striking walls or using his abilities as if venting his frustration.

 

‘…Nothing special so far.’

 

There was nothing different from what the police had described.  

 

No need to wait any longer.

 

Kang Ian prepared to engage.

 

Just then!

 

Bzzz!

 

‘Oh, that startled me!’

 

He jumped at the vibration in his pocket.  

 

His phone was ringing. 

 

He quickly checked and saw it was CEO Shim Jun-seok.

 

‘The CEO?’

 

Kang Ian tilted his head and answered the call, keeping his voice low. 

 

They were far enough away that the villain shouldn’t hear him, and the villain didn’t appear to have enhanced senses.

 

“Hello?”

 

– Ah, Hunter Kang Ian. It’s Shim Jun-seok.

 

“Yes, CEO. What’s up?”

 

– First of all, thank you for your hard work during today’s promotion evaluation. I’ve heard about it, and it seems your D-rank promotion is a certainty, haha.

 

“Oh, really?”

 

Kang Ian’s voice rose in excitement.

 

The examiners had given positive feedback, but there was always a chance he failed… 

 

Hearing this from the CEO was reassuring.

 

– Yes. Of course, the official announcement is yet to come, but it’s 99% certain.

 

“That’s great.”

 

-Haha. Indeed. As expected of Hunter Kang Ian. Bringing someone like you into our office was the right decision. I personally contacted the examiners, and they were incredibly impressed…

 

For a while, Director Shim continued to shower him with praise.

 

He was the kind of man who knew how to lift others up.

 

Even the most ordinary actions seemed extraordinary when he described them.

 

That’s probably why people called him a networking genius.

 

Normally, Kang Ian would have felt his chest swell with pride, but now he felt differently.

 

‘I wish he’d get to the point.’

 

Even while on the phone, his gaze remained fixed on the villain. 

 

The villain was still leaning against the wall, but he could move at any moment.  

 

Chasing after him again would be a nuisance.

 

– Mmm… Hunter Kang Ian, are you resting at home by any chance?

 

Shim Junseok asked cautiously.  

 

This felt like the lead-in to the main topic.

 

“No. I’m out at the moment.”

 

– Ah. You have something to do.

 

“Well, if you can call it that… Why do you ask?”

 

-Haha… well. Your residence is near Seongnam, isn’t it? There’s been a villain sighting there, and our office received a request.

 

“A villain?”

 

– Yes. I’d really like to take this one due to the office’s circumstances, but we’re short-handed right now. Since you’re near the area, I thought I’d contact you. Of course, I know you’re tired after the promotion evaluation…  I just wanted to see if you were available. I apologize if I’m disturbing your rest.

 

“CEO, I’m already here to catch him.”

 

-…What?

 

Kang Ian could practically hear Shim Jun-seok’s gasp of surprise through the phone.

 

***

 

When a villain appeared, government agencies would request assistance to guilds in the area.

 

However, they couldn’t send these requests indiscriminately.

 

Guilds had a set number of times they were obligated to respond to the government’s call.

 

Most hunters disliked government-mandated missions since they didn’t pay well. Once they fulfilled their mandatory quota, they usually refused any additional requests.

 

Even offering a reward didn’t change much.

 

Unless the amount was significant, it was not worth their time.

 

Instead of accepting those requests, they would rather clear gates and collect mana stones—it was far more profitable.

 

That was why the government had to be strategic when requesting cooperation from guilds.

 

Instead, they also reached out to independent offices and freelance hunters.

 

It cost money, but it was a better option.

 

The Association oversaw the market for mana stones, skill stones, and monster byproducts.

 

That meant they had plenty of funds.

 

With that money, they sent out multiple requests to various offices.

 

For offices, the more requests they handled, the higher their ranking would rise.

 

Conversely, declining too many requests could result in a demotion.

 

“We have to take this one…”

 

CEO Shim Junseok had thought so from the moment the villain subjugation request came in from the Association and the police.

 

His Happiness Office was severely understaffed.  

 

He was highly selective in his recruitment, resulting in a high mission success rate and a high office rank, but the problem was the sheer volume of incoming requests.

 

Limited personnel, abundant work.

 

He had no choice but to decline many requests, and the accumulation of rejections threatened to lower his office’s rank.  

 

That was why he was determined to accept this request.

 

That was also why he had contacted Kang Ian despite feeling hesitant. He’d agonized over pressing the call button.

 

Logically, Kang Ian had just completed his promotion evaluation. He had to be exhausted.  Asking him to go after a villain…

 

‘Well, just proposing it should be fine.  I won’t know unless I ask.’

 

He intended to immediately withdraw the offer if Kang Ian declined.

 

With that in mind, he made the call, only to receive a shocking response.

 

“-I’m already at the scene.  I have to go catch him now, so I’ll hang up. I’ll contact you later.”

 

Kang Ian ended the call.

 

“Ha, hahaha…”

 

He couldn’t help but laugh.  

 

He’d anticipated it would be an unreasonable request, but Kang Ian was already there?

 

“Right… that’s the kind of person he is.”

 

A talented hunter with an unusually compassionate and selfless personality.

 

He’d probably been resting at home, seen the news, and dragged himself out, driven solely by the desire to help people!

 

If Kang Ian had been merely skilled but with a terrible personality, Shim Junseok wouldn’t have recruited him.  

 

Lee Jigwang wouldn’t have even introduced him in the first place.

 

‘I should thank Jigwang hyungnin again.’

 

He suspected that soon, Ohseong Guild would deeply regret not recruiting Kang Ian. 

 

He should buy Lee Jigwang some beef in preparation for that day.

 

***

 

News of a villain’s appearance always caused a stir.

 

Unlike gates, which didn’t release monsters unless they go berserk, villains could appear anywhere, anytime.

 

Even a perfectly fine hunter from yesterday could become a villain today, simply because of stress.

 

And when they lashed out, their casually thrown punches and kicks could be fatal to ordinary people.

 

“The police SWAT team is already on-site, right? When will they make their move?”

 

A reporter held out a microphone toward the police officers.

 

Several armed officers were stationed near Sinhyun-dong.

 

However, they hadn’t entered the scene.

 

The reason was obvious.

 

If this were a normal criminal, they would have stormed in and taken them down immediately.

 

But their opponent was a villain.

 

One wrong move, and the hunters’ skills could wipe out the entire police unit.

 

The SWAT team was only there as a precaution.

 

“We’ve sent out cooperation requests to multiple hunter guilds.”

 

A veteran police officer answered the reporters’ questions. 

 

His superiors had instructed him to manage the situation and ensure positive press coverage.

 

‘Easier said than done…’

 

The reporters were like sharks circling, looking for any opportunity to criticize. 

 

They wanted headlines like <Delayed Police Response? Leads to Civilian Casualties!>

 

The veteran officer wiped the sweat from his brow. 

 

One of the hyena-like reporters asked, 

 

“You’re still waiting? It’s been a while since the villain appeared. Do you think this is right?”

 

“Right or not, it’s standard procedure…”

 

“So you’re saying you think it’s not right. Understood.”

 

“…”

 

He almost swore.  

 

But he managed to restrain himself, aware of the numerous camera flashes.

 

Just then, another officer approached and whispered something in his ear. 

 

He nodded several times, his expression shifting to one of surprise.  

 

He turned back to the reporters.

 

“Ah, correction. There’s one hunter who has already entered the scene.”

 

“What?”

 

“An F-rank… uh, no. A D-rank hunter, apparently.  A D-rank hunter has already entered the scene.”

 

The rank correction was due to another officer providing updated information.

 

“The area is complex, so it will likely be difficult for one person to locate the villain. As soon as other hunters arrive, we’ll send them in…”

 

At that moment…

 

BOOM!

 

A loud explosion echoed from within the police barricade.

 

The reporters’ heads snapped around.

 

Moments later, they saw…

 

“!”

 

“!!”

 

Kang Ian emerging from the alley, dragging an unconscious man by the collar.