I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 25 - Fame (1)

Rewinding time slightly…

 

Kang Ian, propelled by the wind, landed abruptly in front of the villain.

 

“Wh-What?!”

 

The villain, startled by Kang Ian’s sudden appearance, raised both hands.

 

“…?”

 

Kang Ian tilted his head, puzzled. 

 

The villain was trembling slightly, his eyes darting nervously.

 

‘What? Is he scared?’

 

It was the reaction of a frightened man. 

 

The previous villain Kang Ian had dealt with was a drug-addled arsonist, a complete madman.  

 

This one was different.

 

The man’s name was Jang Sunghyun. 

 

He hadn’t started as a villain; he was originally an ordinary hunter. 

 

A fairly common D-rank hunter. 

 

However, he harbored a sense of superiority, believing hunters should rule the world and ordinary people should submit to them.

 

Thinking that way was one thing, but he often voiced his thoughts out loud—especially when drinking.

 

Even Awakened individuals lost their judgment when intoxicated.

 

He had shouted his beliefs loudly at a bar, picked a fight with another patron, and when he threw a casual punch, the man died.

 

“Damn it… I didn’t mean to kill him. I didn’t…”

 

Jang Sunghyun said, his eyes bloodshot.

 

“I just nudged him, and he died!”

 

He felt wronged.  

 

The incident sobered him up instantly, and he fled. 

 

Then, he’d tried to silence some screaming civilians, injuring them in the process…  

 

By the time he’d reached this alley, he was undeniably a villain.

 

“I’m innocent!”

 

“That’s not for me to decide.”

 

Kang Ian shrugged.  

 

Determining guilt or innocence was a judge’s job; his role was simply to apprehend the villain. 

 

Still, hearing the man’s plea made him reconsider killing him outright.

 

With that in mind, Kang Ian took a step forward.  

 

The startled villain stretched out his hands.

 

Whum!

 

Small orbs of mana materialized in front of the villain’s hands. 

 

Five or six orbs shot out like bullets, following his gestures.

 

Kang Ian’s eyes gleamed.  

 

This was the ability the police had described. If this was his only skill, dealing with him would be easy.

 

Woosh!

 

With a flick of his wrist, Kang Ian’s shield floated in front of him, intercepting the mana bullets’ trajectory using the ‘Floating Shield’ skill.

 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

 

He didn’t know the mana bullets’ power, but he was confident in his shield.

 

‘This thing cost 500 Evil Souls, you punk!’

 

While his shield blocked the attack, Kang Ian closed the distance between them.

 

“Eek! Stay back!!”

 

Jang Sunghyun, panicked, fired more mana bullets.  

 

However, the shield, orbiting automatically, intercepted them all, allowing Kang Ian to reach him.

 

Thump!

 

He stomped the ground and swung his spear, holding it by the blade and striking with the opposite end.

 

Whack!

 

“Ugh…”

 

Jang Sunghyun, struck in the solar plexus, collapsed to his knees.  

 

The world spun, and he couldn’t breathe.

 

Since the villain lacked close-combat skills, that was the end of it.  

 

If he were an enemy, Kang Ian would have impaled him, but since he needed to stand trial, he showed mercy.

 

‘Hmm…’

 

Kang Ian stared at the unconscious man, pondering. 

 

He didn’t have anything to tie him up with.

 

It would be troublesome if the villain resisted or went berserk while being escorted.

 

But his contemplation was brief. The solution was simple.

 

Thwack! Thwack!

 

Bam!

 

As long as the guy was too battered to fight back, it wouldn’t be a problem.

 

Ding!

 

[You have contributed to a brighter society by defeating a social menace.]

 

[You have gained +100 Nobility.]

 

Seeing the message, Kang Ian’s eyes flashed.

 

“100? Are you kidding me? I got 250 last time.”

 

Of course, considering the villain’s level and actions, he wasn’t comparable to the arsonist.

 

That was likely why the reward was lower…

 

Still, he felt cheated.  

 

His punches carried a newfound intensity.

 

The villain finally succumbed and lost consciousness again.

 

Kang Ian dragged the unconscious man back the way he’d come. He planned to hand him over to the police and go home to rest.

 

That was, until he was met with a barrage of camera flashes and reporters thrusting microphones in his face.

 

Click! Click! Click!

 

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!

 

“Hunter! Did you subdue the villain alone?”

 

“Excuse me, but what is your name?”

 

“Which guild are you with? Weren’t you scared facing a villain?”

 

“They said you’re a D-rank hunter. Why didn’t you wait for backup?”

 

Kang Ian stared blankly at the reporters.

 

‘What… is going on?’

 

***

 

The villain issue was among the most pressing concerns facing society.  

 

Rampaging villains posed a far greater threat than most terrorist groups.  

 

However, dealing with them was incredibly difficult.

 

In open areas, they could be targeted with firearms and tanks. 

 

But within the dense urban landscape, villains were terrifyingly dangerous. 

 

Deploying the military risked heavy casualties and immense property damage.

 

After several such incidents, the government entrusted villain subjugation to hunters.

 

Naturally, hunters were reluctant.  

 

Monsters had predictable patterns; villains were unpredictable and dangerous.  

 

The rewards were often insufficient to incentivize most hunters.

 

In this context, Kang Ian had single-handedly captured the villain.

 

The police, previously in a difficult position, were overjoyed. 

 

They had been on the verge of being lambasted by the media for their perceived incompetence, but Kang Ian had salvaged the situation.

 

They quickly set up a podium and escorted Kang Ian to it.  

 

A makeshift press conference was arranged in moments.

 

“…”

 

Countless cameras and eyes focused on him.

 

Kang Ian introduced himself.

 

“Mmm… I am D-rank Hunter Kang Ian. I’m affiliated with the Happiness Office.”

 

The reporters stirred.

 

“D-rank Hunter? Kang Ian? Does anyone know him?”

 

“I know most hunters, but this is the first time I’m hearing this name.”

 

Kang Ian had Awakened less than two weeks ago. 

 

He hadn’t even been active for the first week.  

 

It would be strange if anyone recognized him.

 

Then, a reporter, scrutinizing Kang Ian, raised his hand.

 

“Ah!  Weren’t you at the Black Gate incident last week?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Oh my god! The F-rank Hero!”

 

The reporter’s exclamation initially drew confused looks from the others. 

 

But they quickly caught on.  

 

The heroic actions of an F-rank hunter during the Black Gate incident had gone viral.

 

Naturally, the reporters present had seen the news.

 

“The F-rank hunter who volunteered at the Black Gate incident?”

 

“Now that you mention it, he does resemble the profile I saw…”

 

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. 

 

Another reporter raised his hand and asked, 

 

“Hunter! You mentioned being part of an office. From what I understand, office hunters don’t have many obligations, correct?”

 

“Yes, I wasn’t sent here by obligation.”

 

“So, you took this as a request?”

 

In truth, Kang Ian had arrived before even hearing about the request from CEO Shim Junseok, but the reporter couldn’t know that.

 

“But why did you enter alone without waiting for other hunters?”

 

Kang Ian considered the reporter’s question.

 

‘Hmm…’

 

He couldn’t answer truthfully. 

 

He couldn’t say he’d rushed in to grab the Nobility before anyone else.

 

He searched for a suitable excuse.

 

“The police officers told me the villain had a skill that fired something like bullets. Villains are dangerous in general, but such skills are especially lethal against people. I felt there was no time to waste.”

 

“!”

 

“!!”

 

The reporters gasped.

 

“So you mean you went in alone because you judged that waiting for other hunters would put civilians at risk?”

 

“Yes, well…”

 

Kang Ian gave a vague smile and nodded.  

 

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

 

He truly believed there was no time to waste.  

 

He wanted to secure the Nobility quickly.

 

He also believed waiting for other hunters would be too late.  

 

They might defeat the villain and rob him of his Nobility.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The usually boisterous reporters were momentarily silenced by his response.

 

Then, a moment later…

 

They erupted.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian! Can you elaborate on how you felt at that moment?”

 

“A lone hero venturing forth to confront a villain… weren’t you afraid?”

 

“Was there a particular reason that led you to develop such a noble mindset…?”

 

***

 

Shin Sorim, a reporter for ViewersTV, lay on her couch at home, a satisfied smile on her face.

 

“Hehehe. Another day, another compliment.”

 

She’d received praise from the bald news director for two weeks in a row. 

 

The reason was simple.  

 

Her latest article was a potential hit.

 

Kang Ian’s promotion and his subsequent volunteer work at the orphanage.

 

She’d known it would be a hot topic. 

 

Double promotions were extremely rare, and a hunter who immediately went to volunteer after such an achievement? 

 

It was a heartwarming story.

 

The director seemed to agree, giving her a thumbs-up after reviewing her script and photos.

 

– Polish it up and post it tomorrow morning. It might be our top story this month.

 

– Yes, sir!

 

– Good. As expected of Reporter Shin. You’re the backbone of our company!

 

After the pleasant exchange, she’d left work. She planned to relax tonight and return to work refreshed tomorrow.

 

Shin Sorim closed her eyes, ready for an early night.

 

Just then!

 

Ring!

 

Her phone rang.

 

Shin Sorim frowned, checking the caller ID.

 

[Baldy News Director]

 

“Ugh. What is it now?”

 

Her boss calling after work? 

 

What terrible manners.  

 

But she couldn’t ignore it.  

 

They’d been on good terms today, but if she ignored his call, he might find a reason to make her life difficult tomorrow.

 

Sighing, she answered.

 

“Hello?”

 

– Hey!!

 

The director’s booming voice made her pull the phone away from her ear.

 

“What is it, sir?”

 

– What is it? Are you kidding me?

 

“…”

 

She had no idea what he was talking about. 

 

She racked her brain, but nothing came to mind.  

 

She asked cautiously/

 

“I… I’m sorry, did I make a mistake?”

 

– Turn on the internet news right now!

 

News?

 

Confused, she opened a news portal on her phone. 

 

The headlines screamed at her.

 

[Shocking! A Hero Confronts a Villain Alone!]

 

[D-rank Hunter Kang Ian: “I Only Thought of the Citizens’ Safety”]

 

[A Hunter Who Fears Villains But Cares More for Citizens!]

 

The name and photo were familiar.

 

“Huh? Uh…”

 

Hearing her confused stammer, the bald director yelled, 

 

– Why haven’t you posted your article yet? Strike while the iron is hot!!

 

“Yes, sir! I’ll post it right away!”

 

Shin Sorim jumped out of bed, opened her laptop, and hurriedly began writing.