I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 26 - Fame (2)

Whenever a villain appeared, the surrounding citizens were gripped by fear.

 

Hunters would eventually arrive and apprehend the villain, but until then, the extent of the damage was unpredictable.

 

Therefore, residents of the affected area would stay holed up in their homes, constantly refreshing the news.

 

They were all waiting for the urgent report that the villain had been captured.

 

And finally, the article they had been waiting for appeared.

 

[Shocking! A Hero Single-handedly Confronts a Villain!]

 

[D-rank Hunter Kang Ian: “I only thought of the citizens’ safety.”]

 

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

 

The headlines were astonishing.

 

Normally, when hunters responded to a villain incident, the news wouldn’t be written in such a dramatic way.

 

Typically, they would simply state that the villain was apprehended thanks to the efforts of hunters from a particular guild.

 

That was usually how it ended.

 

[This reporter was astonished upon arriving at the scene of the villain’s appearance.  The hunters requested from the guild hadn’t arrived yet, but one hunter had already entered the scene. While attempting to inquire about the details, the hunter soon emerged before the reporters. It was as if a light shone from behind his head. The sight of him dragging the unconscious villain was incredibly reassuring… (omitted) …When this reporter asked for the reason, his answer was truly shocking.]

 

[“I had no time to worry about myself, only the safety of the citizens. There was no time to waste.”]

 

[“It’s unavoidable in this capitalist era, but most hunters are only obsessed with obtaining mana stones from Gates.”]

 

[“But today, despite his rank not being that high, I believe I have met a true hero.”]

 

.

.

 

The article read like a fan letter dedicated to Kang Ian, filled with nothing but praise.

 

And it wasn’t just one or two reports—countless breaking news articles were all saying the same thing.

 

<Comments>

 

– Is this article for real? How is this even possible?  ㄷㄷㄷ

 

– The reporters have collectively lost their minds.

 

– According to another article, this guy also volunteered during the Black Gate incident?

 

– He must be just inherently a very kind person. ㄷㄷ

 

Just as the news was spreading, another comment appeared.

 

– Wait a second. Look at this.

 

– (Link)

 

– Seems like he’s more than just a kind-hearted hunter.

 

A user in the comments added a link to another article.

 

[Title: The Hero Who Catches Villains—A Rare Two-Step Rank-Up Hunter!]

 

[A hunter who challenged a two-step rank-up has appeared. Originally an F-rank, Hunter Kang Ian underwent a D-rank examination and, shockingly, completed the trial in less than an hour.]

 

…(omitted)…

 

[Furthermore, Hunter Kang Ian declined the celebratory gathering after his promotion test, stating he had something to do, and left. Curious, this reporter followed him—only to arrive at an unexpected location. An orphanage. As if it had been planned in advance, Kang Ian seamlessly began volunteering.]

 

(Photo of Kang Ian smiling while playing with children)

 

(Photo of Kang Ian serving food with a ladle)

 

(Photo of everyone smiling brightly together)

 

.

.

 

This article had been hastily written late at night by Reporter Shin Sorim.

 

Originally, she had planned to take her time and publish it with a title like ‘Talented and Warm-hearted Hunter!’  But with Kang Ian becoming a hot topic sooner than expected, she published it as was.

 

<Comments>

 

– ???? What did I just read?

 

– Seriously.

 

– And this is all on the same day?  Rank promotion test in the morning, volunteer work from afternoon to evening, and fighting a villain at night?

 

– Is he even human? Even if hunters are superhuman, is this even possible?

 

– It seems like a legendary hunter has appeared.

 

Of course, not all comments were positive.

 

– Legendary hunter? Are you kidding me? He’s barely a D-rank.

 

– There are countless D-rank hunters, both domestically and internationally. Calling him a hero is meaningless; if he can’t grow any further, he’s just a kind-hearted hunter.

 

└ But he did a two-step rank-up.

 

└ That’s just going from F to D. We’ll have to wait and see.

 

Comments laced with cynicism, criticism, and unsolicited advice, seemingly unable to stand someone else’s success.

 

Naturally, ordinary people frowned upon these comments.

 

It was a rare positive news story, and yet, these comments were spoiling it.

 

– Statistically, hunters who have achieved at least one 2-rank promotion have a much higher probability of becoming high-ranking hunters.

 

└ That’s a statistical fallacy. There are plenty of hunters who plateau.

 

└ What’s your deal? Did Hunter Kang Ian beat you up or something?

 

└ I’m an S-rank hunter.  Why would I get beaten up by a D-rank?

 

.

 

The comment section erupted into a heated debate.

 

While there were some issues, one thing was certain.

 

This incident had firmly planted Kang Ian’s name in the public’s mind.

 

***

 

Since the villain was taken down late at night, the articles and comment sections burned with activity all through the early morning hours.

 

At that very moment, when discussions about him were spreading everywhere—Kang Ian was fast asleep.

 

Dealing with reporters was no easy task.

 

Even giving group presentations in college was difficult for him, let alone facing reporters with cameras and flashes constantly going off.

 

At first, he answered their questions casually, but later, their incessant probing became bothersome.

 

– Alright, alright, everyone. I’ll handle the interview from now on. The hunter has just finished a battle and is very tired, so please direct your questions to me.

 

If CEO Shim Junseok hadn’t arrived by taxi just in time, it would have been much more difficult.

 

Thanks to Shim Junseok’s intervention, Kang Ian was able to return home.

 

Subduing the villain wasn’t tiring, but dealing with the reporters afterward was exhausting.

 

It had been a long day, so he went straight to sleep.

 

The next morning, after a good night’s rest, Kang Ian sat in front of his computer.

 

He stared at the monitor for a long time, lost in thought.

 

“Hmm. This is tricky.”

 

He had gained 100 ‘Nobility’ points from capturing the villain.

 

“That weakling only gave me this much…”

 

Of course, since the incident occurred near his home, gaining 100 Nobility points for a brief outing was actually a pretty decent award.

 

But when he remembered that the arsonist villain had given him 250, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

 

“No, wait. If that villain had given me a lot of Nobility, it would have meant he caused a lot of harm to the citizens, right?”

 

Thinking about it that way, he was relieved there wasn’t much damage…

 

Kang Ian turned his attention back to the monitor.

 

“Sigh. What should I buy…”

 

There were too many items and skills he wanted.

 

Thanks to the D-rank dungeon he cleared during the promotion test and the villain he captured, he had accumulated a decent amount of ‘Evil Soul’ and ‘Nobility’ points.

 

The problem was that it was not quite enough.

 

“If I just save up a little more, I could buy something really good…”

 

It was like thinking, ‘This generation’s laptops and smartphones are so-so, let’s wait for the next generation!’.

 

And then ending up not upgrading your devices for years.

 

He actually wanted to upgrade his items.

 

He had acquired new weapons, a spear and a shield, but his armor was still the initial ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Knight Set.’

 

He wanted to replace it with something better.

 

And since there were many skills far superior to the floating shield, he was agonizing over his choices.

 

“Ugh. Whatever.”

 

Finally, Kang Ian flopped onto his bed.

 

***

 

In the end, Kang Ian couldn’t make a decision.

 

Instead, he took a shower and left his house.

 

CEO Shim Junseok had contacted him, asking to meet.

 

He went straight to the Happiness Office.

 

“Oh, Hunter Kang Ian. You’re early.”

 

“Yes, CEO-nim. Thank you again for yesterday.”

 

Kang Ian sincerely expressed his gratitude.

 

Being stuck in a crowd of reporters, then getting pulled out of it—at that moment, Sim Junseok had almost looked handsome in his eyes.

 

“Haha. It was my job.  Many hunters find those interviews burdensome. In such cases, someone from their guild usually steps in. If you need it, Hunter Kang Ian, just let me know. I’ll meet with the reporters for you.”

 

“Um…”

 

However, Kang Ian hesitated to take him up on that offer.

 

The experience of speaking in front of reporters was unfamiliar, but it was also gratifying.

 

It felt like receiving recognition.

 

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

 

After all, he had lived an ordinary life as a college student preparing for jobs. What were the chances of someone like him ever being surrounded by reporters?

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

“Of course. Ah, and here’s your payment from yesterday’s request.”

 

Shim Junseok placed a briefcase on the table.

 

It was filled with bundles of 50,000 won bills.

 

“I prepared cash again, haha.  But starting next time, I’ll transfer your payment directly to your account. Is that okay?”

 

“Yes, I don’t mind. I have to deposit it anyway. That’s more convenient.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Kang Ian tucked the briefcase Shim Junseok handed him under his arm.

 

To be honest, he was starting to think he had some crazy luck with money lately.

 

He hadn’t been thinking about money at all yesterday when he went out to catch the villain; he just wanted to earn some Nobility points.

 

But thanks to Sim Junseok, who had processed the job as an official guild request, he ended up receiving tens of millions of won.

 

‘I really found a great CEO.’

 

Having someone supportive like Sim Junseok, without even needing to ask, was incredibly reassuring.

 

“So you called me this morning because of the payment request?”

 

“That’s part of it, but the real reason is to discuss work.”

 

CEO Shim Junseok took out several files from his desk.

 

“These are requests suitable for a D-rank hunter at our office. There are various types, so you can choose whichever you prefer.”

 

“······?”

 

Kang Ian stared at him with wide eyes.

 

And at that moment, Sim Junseok realized his mistake.

 

‘Oh dear. Was I being too eager?’

 

Kang Ian’s promotion had been confirmed late last night.

 

To be precise, it was while Kang Ian was busy pummeling the villain.

 

Shim Junseok, as his agency CEO, was immediately notified, and he had been itching to give him work ever since.

 

There were so many requests the office needed to handle to maintain its rank.

 

It was so bad that even Shim Junseok, who shouldn’t overexert himself due to past injuries, was constantly in the field.

 

Now that Kang Ian was a D-rank, he could handle more requests, and Shim Junseok was eager to assign him some.

 

However, looking at Kang Ian now, he realized he had been too hasty.

 

“I apologize. Considering the arduous tasks you undertook yesterday, I should have given you more time to rest. I’ll take these back…”

 

“No! It’s alright! This is great! I’ve had plenty of rest!”

 

As Shim Junseok tried to retrieve the files, Kang Ian shook his head and grabbed his hand.

 

He had been eager to earn ‘Evil Soul’ and ‘Nobility’ points, and this was a golden opportunity.

 

‘Did the CEO read my mind? How did he know exactly what I needed?’

 

This saved him the trouble of agonizing over his choices this morning.

 

He could just take on a few requests and accumulate a ton of Evil Soul points.

 

Kang Ian snatched the files from Shim Junseok’s hands.

 

“I’ll read through them and choose which requests I’ll take…”

 

At that moment.

 

[Knight of Valhalla! Do not stand idly by while evil runs rampant!]

 

A thunderous voice echoed in his ears.

 

The voice of the Valhalla knight from his dreams.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

Kang Ian tilted his head in confusion.

 

His vision flickered, and he sensed one of the files glowing with a dark light.

 

-Thump! Thump!

 

As if facing something sinister, Kang Ian’s heart began to race.