I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 28 - Fame (4)

 

Kang Ian naturally turned his steps away.

 

The Hunter Shop was not a place he should be.

 

On his way home from the Hunter shop,

 

The amount of 1 billion won kept flickering in Kang Ian’s mind.

 

‘Come to think of it, if I had signed a contract with the Red Rose Guild, I could have bought at least one magic iron armor outright.’

 

They had offered a signing bonus of 1 billion won and an annual salary of 1 billion won.

 

There were several other minor perks, but the main point was that they would give him 1 billion won as soon as he signed.

 

Of course, even if he had received it, he had no intention of buying anything.

 

Magic steel armor.

 

It seemed better than the ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Knight Set’ he currently possessed, but that was all.

 

Wouldn’t the armor he could buy by investing the Evil Souls he was saving be better than that?

 

He lost all interest.

 

Unless he earned an exorbitant amount of money in the future, he wouldn’t be going there for a while.

 

Suddenly, a pointless thought popped into his head.

 

‘It would be nice if I could resell game items in reality.’

 

Countless items within Devil Lord 3.

 

Kang Ian could purchase them and bring them to reality.

 

If he could sell them to others, it would be a jackpot!

 

He had no intention of selling anything right now, as he didn’t have anything to spare.

 

However, if time passed and he had a surplus of Evil Souls or Nobility, things might change.

 

‘But I don’t know if others can use these items.’

 

He hadn’t tested it, but he assumed they probably couldn’t.

 

Items in Devil Lord 3 had class restrictions.

 

For example, an item that a ‘Knight of Valhalla’ could equip could not be equipped by a ‘Berserker’.

 

The reverse was also true

 

Besides, in the first place, each class could only purchase items for their own class in the shop.

 

This was because the game itself was a hack-and-slash genre designed primarily for single-player.

 

Items could be transferred to other classes through the warehouse, but since they were unusable, it was meaningless.

 

Even if he gave items to ordinary hunters, there was a high probability they wouldn’t be able to use them because they weren’t a ‘Knight of Valhalla’.

 

‘They might be able to equip and swing them, but they won’t be able to utilize their full potential.’

 

Furthermore, since all items were connected to Kang Ian’s subspace, he could summon and unsummon them whenever he wanted.

 

If others knew that, would they even want to buy them?

 

“Sigh. I should focus on collecting Evil Souls.”

 

With that thought, Kang Ian continued walking home.

 

* * *

 

A D-rank Gate had appeared at Pangyo Station.

 

Fences were set up to restrict public access, causing significant inconvenience for commuters.

 

But it was a necessary measure to prepare for any potential danger.

 

Early that morning, Kang Ian arrived at the scene.

 

He was dressed no differently from the average passerby.

 

Hunters usually attracted attention.

 

People taking pictures was common, and some even followed them around, filming videos.

 

Before entering a gate, hunters typically equipped their weapons and armor, naturally drawing the public’s gaze.

 

But Kang Ian was an exception.

 

Since he could summon his equipment from his subspace at any time, he could simply wear comfortable clothes until he reached the Gate.

 

And so, he arrived at the Pangyo Station Gate.

 

After showing his ID, he stepped inside the fenced-off area.

 

Since this was an official request from the Hunter Association, an association staff member was already there waiting.

 

And next to the employee was a woman dressed in a robe.

 

“Ah, Hunter Kang Ian. You’ve arrived.”

 

“Yes. But who is this…?”

 

“Let me introduce you. This is Hunter Hong Dasom, who will be working with you on this request.”

 

The woman with short hair and an expressionless face bowed her head.

 

“Hello.”

 

“Ah… yes. Hello.”

 

Kang Ian felt a little awkward.

 

‘So I’m not going in alone?’

 

He naturally assumed he would enter alone.

 

But thinking about it, the Association hadn’t explicitly said anything about that.

 

They simply put in the request.

 

And Kang Ian accepted it.

 

The woman in the robe was probably another hunter from a different office or a freelancer who had received the request in a similar manner.

 

‘But will having another hunter affect my quest?’

 

He had rejected CEO Shim Junseok’s offer to assign him another hunter because of the quest.

 

What if the quest couldn’t be cleared properly if he entered with other hunters?

 

But now that things had turned out this way, there was nothing he could do.

 

The Hunter Association was the one issuing the request, so it was their call.

 

Besides, the association was the one paying the additional hunter fee, and having more hunters would increase the chances of successfully clearing the Gate.

 

“The two of you will be handling this raid together. I’ll be counting on you both.”

 

The Association employee looked at the two with a trusting gaze.

 

‘Hunter Hong Dasom is already famous, and the other one has gotten his second promotion, so it should be fine.’

 

Both were D-rank, but they had surpassed that level.

 

So, it was safe to entrust them with the task.

 

“Then I have to go check on another Gate nearby… good luck.”

 

The Association employee said so and left first.

 

Only Hong Dasom and Kang Ian remained.

 

Kang Ian was lost in thought, worried about the quest, and Hong Dasom misunderstood his serious expression.

 

“Don’t worry too much.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It’s just a D-rank gate. Just stay behind me, I’ll finish it in no time.”

 

“……?”

 

Hong Dasom smiled faintly.

 

Then she entered the Gate first.

 

‘What is she talking about?’

 

Kang Ian tilted his head in confusion, then quickly followed her inside, worried there might be a time limit for entry.

 

* * *

 

The scenery Kang Ian usually encountered upon entering a Gate was mostly similar.

 

He would be dropped somewhere in a wide area and would exterminate the surrounding monsters.

 

But this time was different.

 

The first thing that came into his view was a ruined medieval city.

 

He was standing on a tall spire in the middle of the city.

 

Its structure allowed him to look around in all directions.

 

– Ding!

 

[Mission assigned.]

 

[Mission: Protect the spire’s bell from the incoming enemies. The mission will automatically fail if the bell is destroyed.]

 

A message suddenly appeared before his eyes.

 

It was slightly different from the usual Devil Lord 3 messages that Kang Ian saw. The font was also crude.

 

‘Bell?’

 

Kang Ian turned his head.

 

The top of the spire was open, and in its center hung a massive bell.

 

‘I have to protect this?’

 

At that moment, Hong Dasom, who was standing next to him, nodded.

 

“It’s a mission-type dungeon. I heard they’re rare in D-rank Gates. Now I understand why there were two previous failures.”

 

Hong Dasom nodded again.

 

And this message wasn’t only visible to Kang Ian.

 

The interior of these so-called Gates, or dungeons, were divided into several types.

 

Lower-level dungeons were usually Type A, where you simply proceeded straight and destroyed the core, but as the rank increased, various types appeared.

 

The Gate itself would assign various missions and provide rewards accordingly.

 

If the mission failed, the hunters inside the Gate would die.

 

However, it was rare to see a mission type in a D-rank Gate, so it was understandable why the other hunters had failed before.

 

Hong Dasom looked at Kang Ian.

 

“Shall we briefly share information? What’s your name? I’m Hong Dasom. My skill is wind manipulation.”

 

“I’m Kang Ian. I use close-range weapons.”

 

Kang Ian said, pulling out the long spear and shield strapped to his back.

 

“You’re a close-range type. Then leave this mission to me.”

 

Hong Dasom stepped forward.

 

Freelance D-rank Hunter Hong Dasom.

 

Kang Ian didn’t know, but she was secretly considered a prodigy in the hunter community.

 

She was also the younger sister of the renowned A-rank hunter, Hong Dayeon. Setting aside her background, her awakened skill was remarkable.

 

It was the ability to manipulate ‘wind’.

 

Hunters who acquired magic-type skills were usually only capable of specific actions.

 

Such as shooting fireballs or emitting a bolt of lightning.

 

But Hong Dasom was different.

 

She could manipulate the wind freely.

 

She could sharpen the wind into blades for attack, gather it into a ball, or spread it out for control.

 

She could move it as she imagined.

 

In terms of versatility, she was incredibly different from other hunters.

 

Moreover, her power was excellent, which was why she was called a genius.

 

With such outstanding talent, there was no need for her to belong to a guild.

 

Her older sister, an A-rank Hunter, had advised her to increase her value by working as a freelancer.

 

‘A dungeon that’s failed twice.  If I clear this, my reputation will rise significantly.’

 

With that thought, she accepted the Association’s request.

 

She heard about another hunter joining her upon arrival, but she didn’t pay much attention.

 

She intended to handle it alone anyway.

 

And a little while later,

 

– Grooooar!

 

– Kuooooh!

 

Roars began to echo from all directions.

 

Hands and heads popped out from beneath the earth in the ruins.

 

E-rank monster Zombies, D-rank monster Ghouls.

 

They slowly began to move towards the spire.

 

“Zombies and Ghouls? Just those guys…?”

 

Hong Dasom muttered.

 

Zombies were so slow that they were the weakest among E-rank monsters, and Ghouls were also relatively weak among D-rank monsters.

 

Why had this Gate seen two failures?

 

She soon found out.

 

The horde of Zombies and Ghouls slowly advanced.

 

But their numbers were immense.

 

They kept popping out of the ground.

 

A few at first, then dozens.

 

Now, their numbers had surpassed hundreds and were breaking into the thousands.

 

Looking around from atop the tall spire, it seemed as if a wave of swarming Zombies and Ghouls was approaching.

 

“······.”

 

Hong Dasom’s face turned serious.

 

Her previous confidence vanished, replaced by caution.

 

Now, she understood why this gate had failed twice.

 

There was an old saying—’No one can fight against sheer numbers’.

 

No matter how weak the enemies were, if they outnumbered you by this much, you were doomed.

 

‘This is only a D-rank Gate in name, but it seems like it would take a C-rank Hunter to clear this…’

 

– Shhhwing!

 

– Boom!

 

Hong Dasom started to manipulate the wind and shoot it out.

 

The wind, transformed into blades, swept through the monsters, slaughtering them.

 

Gaping holes appeared in the monstrous tide.

 

But only for a moment.

 

The empty spaces were quickly filled by the continuously replenished Zombies and Ghouls.

 

“Uh, uh…”

 

Fear now filled Hong Dasom’s eyes.

 

No matter how much of a genius she was, as a human, she couldn’t help but be terrified by such an overwhelming sight.

 

– Tap.

 

“Huh!?”

 

At that moment, a hand touched her shoulder from behind.

 

“It seems difficult to handle alone. Let me help.”

 

It was Kang Ian.

 

He pulled her back slightly and stepped forward.

 

He stood at the edge of the spire.

 

The whole world was covered in Zombies and Ghouls.

 

“Phew…”

 

But Kang Ian’s eyes, looking at them, were burning brightly.

 

The Knights of Valhalla never cowered before evil, no matter how strong or numerous.

 

If they were afraid of them, they wouldn’t be worthy of being a Knight of Valhalla.

 

Instead, they would only burn with greater anger towards them.

 

Furthermore, Kang Ian felt not only anger.

 

Half was anger, and the other half was ecstasy.

 

‘If there is a God out there, they must surely be looking after me!’

 

He couldn’t help but think that way.

 

After all, so many monsters had been graciously provided for him!

 

The swarming monsters looked like nothing more than lumps of ‘evil soul’ points to Kang Ian.

 

Kang Ian picked up his shield and flung it forward.

 

The ‘Floating Shield’ skill activated, and the shield turned horizontally, rotating like a blender.

 

Zombies were swept away.

 

– Crackle!

 

– Thud!

 

– Ding!

 

[You have defeated evil.]

 

[Evil Soul + 1]

 

[You have defeated evil.]

 

[Evil Soul + 1]

 

[You have defeated evil.]

 

[Evil Soul + 6]

 

.

 

.

 

As the messages piled up, Kang Ian grinned.

 

Then he leaped from the spire.