I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 27 - Fame (3)

His vision shifted.

 

It swirled like a vortex, and suddenly, the ‘Sanctuary of Valhalla’ stood before him.

 

‘What? I thought this place only appeared in my dreams.’

 

The Sanctuary of Valhalla, a place he had only visited in his dreams.

 

But just moments ago, his eyes had been wide open.

 

It seemed he had been pulled here in the blink of an eye.

 

Several knights were present in the sanctuary, and the most imposing figure among them approached.

 

A knight clad in thick armor from head to toe, his entire body wrapped so tightly that even his eyes were not visible.

 

With luminous wings fluttering behind him, he placed a hand on Kang Ian’s shoulder.

 

[Young knight. Move to protect your star. Great calamity will befall it if left unchecked.]

 

A voice boomed like thunder.

 

He had a lot of questions.

 

“What do you…”

 

– Whoosh

 

“…?”

 

But Kang Ian had no time to ask anything.

 

His vision reversed again, and he was back in reality.

 

CEO Shim Junseok was standing in front of him.

 

Judging by his posture, not even a second had passed.

 

‘…What was that? He just said what he wanted and that’s it?’

 

It was absurd.

 

Kang Ian looked at the files.

 

A dark light still shimmered from one of them.

 

‘So this mission is the problem?’

 

The suddenly glowing file and the booming voice.

 

Kang Ian picked up the file in question.

 

And the moment he opened it!

 

– Ding!

 

[You have received a quest.]

 

[You have received a quest.]

 

[Quest: Suppress the Rise of Evil.]

 

– Description: The rise of evil is occurring within a Gate that has appeared at Pangyo Station. Knight of Valhalla, annihilate them.

 

[Would you accept the quest?]

 

[Y/N]

 

[Warning: The quest will automatically fail if a Gate surge occurs.]

 

Kang Ian carefully read the quest description.

 

The Rise of Evil.

 

It sounded serious, but the solution was simple.

 

Just enter the Gate and clear it.

 

“I’ll take this one.”

 

Kang Ian handed the darkly glowing file to Shim Junseok.

 

“That one?  Hmm. You’re choosing a difficult path.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Difficult?

 

Startled, Kang Ian opened the file again.

 

A detailed explanation of the Gate was written inside.

 

The location was Pangyo Station.

 

It had appeared in the middle of the subway station, causing transportation disruptions as the area was cordoned off.

 

And then he saw the special note:

 

<Two previous attempts to clear this Gate have failed!>

 

Failed attempts.

 

That meant one thing.

 

The hunter teams that entered had been wiped out.

 

Two teams had been annihilated in this Gate.

 

“As expected of Hunter Kang Ian.  Choosing such a difficult mission.”

 

Shim Junseok’s eyes gleamed.

 

To maintain the office’s rank, they needed to complete many requests.

 

Successfully completing a difficult mission like this would significantly boost the office’s reputation.

 

‘And it’s good for the hunter as well.’

 

It wasn’t just beneficial for the office.

 

The hunter who accomplished this would receive a medal from the association.

 

That would be a huge boon to their future career.

 

Kang Ian finally understood why a request for a Gate in a prime location like Pangyo Station had reached a small office like theirs.

 

‘This Gate must have some issues, that’s why it trickled down to the office level.’

 

Gates appeared randomly across the country.

 

Their color indicated their rank, and the Association distributed them to guilds through a bidding process.

 

However, the number of Gates available to guilds wasn’t unlimited.

 

Each guild had a quota: a certain number of A-rank Gates, B-rank Gates, and so on, per month.

 

If a guild failed to clear a Gate, they lost their priority.

 

The right to enter the Gate reverted to the Association, which would then redistribute it to other guilds.

 

The problem was that even if a guild lost their rights to a Gate, they weren’t given a new one to replace it.

 

For guilds, failure was not an option.

 

Failure meant fewer Gates, lost hunters, and substantial losses.

 

“But CEO-nim, I understand that the Association sent this request to us because two attempts have failed. But it’s still a D-rank Gate, right? Why not send high-ranking hunters from a guild to clear it?”

 

Kang Ian asked out of curiosity.

 

If the first attempt had failed, the next guild would have sent higher-ranked hunters.

 

If they sent a B-rank hunter, there was no way they would fail…

 

CEO Shim Junseok gave a simple answer.

 

“That’s simple. It’s not cost-effective.”

 

“Cost-effective?”

 

“No matter how difficult a D-rank Gate is, the mana stones you obtain from clearing it are the same. There’s a chance of obtaining special byproducts within the Gate, but the probability is low. Sending high-ranking hunters to such a Gate is too expensive; their fees are too high.”

 

The difference in abilities between hunter ranks was significant.

 

Even between a D-rank and a C-rank, there was a huge gap in their capabilities.

 

The magic stones from D-rank and C-rank Gates also differed greatly in density and price, and the gap widened as the Gate rank increased.

 

“Even top-tier guilds don’t have many high-ranking hunters. Deploying them to low-rank Gates would cost more in labor than the profit from the mana stones. Their appearance fees alone are astronomical. And it would also deprive lower-ranking hunters of growth opportunities.”

 

Most guild members were low and mid-ranking hunters.

 

Guilds needed to nurture them; relying solely on high-ranking hunters to clear Gates would be detrimental.

 

If those lower-ranking hunters left, the guild would be in trouble.

 

Moreover, what if the high-ranking hunters got injured?

 

The cost of treatment, the losses incurred by the guild during their recovery period…

 

The potential losses were immense.

 

Therefore, it was common practice to match the hunter’s rank with the Gate’s rank.

 

“Of course, if the gate gets too dangerous and is on the verge of a rampage, the Association will forcibly mobilize high-rank hunters. But before that, guilds try to handle it themselves. If they can’t, the request gets passed down to smaller offices or freelancers.”

 

“I see.”

 

Kang Ian nodded.

 

“Well, I’ll take this one anyway.”

 

A Gate with two failed attempts?

 

He would take it even if it had twenty failed attempts.

 

A quest had been issued, and not just any quest, but one with a serious warning.

 

This likely meant a substantial reward.

 

Quests usually offered good rewards upon completion, making them a must-do, and this one was no exception.

 

“Um. But it could be dangerous. Do you need any support?”

 

“No. I’ll go alone.”

 

Kang Ian shook his head.

 

He didn’t want the quest to take an unexpected turn if he went in with others.

 

And he was confident.

 

Even though two attempts had failed, it was still a D-rank Gate.

 

With his current abilities, he didn’t think a D-rank Gate would be dangerous.

 

He believed so, and Shim Junseok agreed.

 

Therefore, Shim Junseok nodded.

 

“Alright. I’ll leave this to Hunter Kang Ian. I’ll gather some more information in the meantime.”

 

***

 

Before embarking on the quest, there was one place Kang Ian needed to visit.

 

His destination: the ‘Hunter Association Shop’.

 

A place that sold items exclusively for Awakened.

 

Modern weapons were largely useless inside Gates.

 

Monsters were enveloped in a thin membrane that could only be broken and damaged by a hunter’s abilities.

 

Hunters could apply their skills to modern weapons.

 

However, only a select few could imbue a small bullet with their power and maintain it over a long distance; most preferred melee weapons.

 

Moreover, weapons and armor crafted from monster byproducts could amplify a hunter’s skills or sometimes even grant new abilities.

 

Occasionally, complete items were found within dungeons. These items were beyond exceptional, truly deserving of the label ‘legendary’.

 

Naturally, such items were incredibly rare, difficult to craft or acquire, and boasted astronomical prices.

 

But Kang Ian walked with his shoulders held high.

 

‘Who am I? The man who earned fifty million won in two weeks!’

 

Such thoughts surged through his mind.

 

The total he earned from two villain subjugation requests had well exceeded 50 million won.

 

He had given some money to his parents, but his bank account still held over 50 million won.

 

With this much, even if hunter-exclusive items were expensive, he could at least look around, couldn’t he?

 

His full wallet boosted his confidence.

 

“Welcome. We’re glad to have you.”

 

As he entered the Hunter Shop, the employee at the reception desk greeted him politely.

 

“What kind of item are you looking for?  I can direct you to the appropriate section.”

 

“I’d like to see some armor.”

 

“Certainly. Please proceed to the third floor.”

 

Following the employee’s instructions, Kang Ian took the elevator to the third floor.

 

He didn’t need to replace his weapons or shield.

 

In fact, he felt they were too good for his current skill level.

 

Weapons that were too powerful for one’s abilities could hinder growth.

 

In that sense, his current equipment was perfect.

 

However, he was still wearing the ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Knight Set’ and hadn’t gathered enough Evil Soul points to buy new armor.

 

The reason he came to the Hunter Shop today was to browse the armor selection.

 

‘Who knows, I might find something cost-effective.’

 

He hadn’t gathered enough Evil Soul points yet, but his bank account was overflowing.

 

He couldn’t spend all fifty million won though.

 

He was also planning to move soon.

 

Let’s set a budget—about thirty million won.

 

– Ding

 

The elevator stopped on the third floor, and Kang Ian walked towards the nearest display.

 

A suit of armor was on display. It was a magnificent piece.

 

[Magic Steel Armor Set]

 

There was a monster called the Ironclad Caterpillar found in C-rank dungeons.

 

Upon defeating it, there was a low chance of obtaining ‘Magic Steel.’

 

This armor was made from that material, and the description stated that it increased defense by 10% when worn by hunters with defensive skills.

 

But what was truly shocking wasn’t the description, but the price tag below it.

 

– Price: 1,009,500,000 won.

 

“…”

 

Kang Ian was speechless.

 

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he might have miscounted the zeros, but the price remained the same.

 

He muttered in disbelief,

 

“…1 billion won? Are they insane?”

 

Kang Ian, who had lightly touched the Magic Steel Armor, quickly withdrew his hand.

 

If he accidentally scratched it, his life would be over.

 

It was just absurd.

 

1 billion won for a single suit of armor?

 

Even the average armor in the Devil Lord 3 shop was better than this.

 

Legendary items were in a league of their own.

 

Now that he thought about it, the soaring demand for Hunters had led to massive capital influx into related industries.

 

It seemed inflation was hitting hard here as well.

 

‘…Guess I’d better focus on collecting Evil Souls.’

 

That thought naturally settled in his mind.