I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 33 - Fame (9)

The internet was buzzing about Kang Ian.

 

Oblivious to the commotion, Kang Ian finished his interview and arrived home.

 

He felt a bit mentally drained, but the gate had been relatively easy, so it hadn’t been physically exhausting.

 

In fact, he was feeling a bit exhilarated.

 

He had gained so much from this recent gate expedition.

 

‘Quests are definitely the most efficient.’

 

First of all, he had leveled up twice.

 

Considering how exponentially the experience required for leveling up increased, gaining two levels just from quest rewards was a huge deal.

 

On top of that, he had completed a mission and earned a random item box—one that was of even higher grade than usual.

 

He hadn’t opened the box yet, but it certainly didn’t look ordinary.

 

And to top it all off, this was an official request from the association.

 

A job worth a staggering 54 million won.

 

Technically, the request was 60 million won, but after splitting it 9:1 with his agency, his share came to 54 million.

 

Not that he had any complaints.

 

‘I got Evil Souls, leveled up twice, completed the quest, and I still get 54 million won… If I complain about this,  I’d deserve to be struck down.’

 

He wasn’t that shameless.

 

Kang Ian sat at his desk.

 

“Phew.”

 

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he retrieved the quest reward from his inventory.

 

A faint golden glow shimmered around the box.

 

Its official name was ‘Guaranteed Rare or Higher Random Item Box’.

 

‘It’s supposed to give a random item from those obtainable within the dungeon.’

 

Items found in dungeons were vastly different from the mass-produced ones on Earth.

 

Most of them were common, but occasionally, rarer and more powerful items would appear.

 

Rare, Unique, Legendary…

 

‘Just like Devil Lord 3.  The game copied the real-world system.’

 

In reality, Legendary items were rare, but in Devil Lord 3, players adorned their characters in Legendary gear from head to toe.

 

They even went to great lengths to reroll and enhance their gear for better stats… it was quite the grind.

 

‘If I had enough Evil Souls, I could do that too…!’

 

Of course, that was a dream for the future. For now, he needed to focus on the present.

 

Kang Ian turned his attention back to the box.

 

This box would grant him a single random item from everything available in that gate.

 

Even though it had been a D-rank gate, he knew better than to underestimate it.

 

There had been rare instances where unexpectedly powerful items emerged from low-rank gates.

 

“Alright. Let’s open it!”

 

Muttering to himself, Kang Ian opened the box.

 

A brief flash of light.

 

The box crumbled into dust, vanishing, leaving behind a single book.

 

‘A book?’

 

Tilting his head, he focused his gaze, and information appeared.

 

[Skill Book: Blessing of Judgment Flames]

 

– Effect: Creates an aura within a 10-meter radius of the caster.  Those within the aura inflict additional fire damage with their attacks for a certain duration. This effect can be applied to up to 4 people at a time.

 

– The aura lasts for 1 hour and has a 6-hour cooldown.

 

‘A… A buff skill?’

 

Kang Ian was stunned.

 

‘Jackpot!!’

 

One of the reasons the Knight of Valhalla was considered overpowered in Devil Lord 3 was their buff skills.

 

They could stack numerous buffs on themselves, becoming walking fortresses.

 

Even though Devil Lord 3 was primarily a single-player game, players would form parties to hunt world bosses, and a Valhalla Knight was always in high demand.

 

Their buffs could strengthen an entire party.

 

Naturally, Kang Ian had planned to acquire buff skills one day.

 

‘I was going to save up my Nobility for that… but to get it like this…’

 

This skill would have cost him hundreds of Nobility points in the game.

 

 Receiving it unexpectedly felt like an early Christmas gift.

 

Moreover, Kang Ian had felt the lack of AoE skills in dungeons.  

 

This buff skill could be the key to solving that problem.

 

‘This Gate raid… I’m so glad I went!’

 

After a moment of silent celebration, Kang Ian turned on Devil Lord 3. 

 

He’d earned over 1,000 Evil Souls from the zombies and the boss.

 

Previously, he had used 500 Souls of Malice to purchase ‘Saint Kushnu’s Kite Shield’, and he’d been putting it to good use. 

 

Now he could buy two items of similar value and still have some left over.

 

“Heh heh. What should I buy?”

 

He wanted so many things.  

 

Yet, even with his current wealth of Souls of Malice, it still wasn’t enough.

 

And a more pressing concern…

 

‘…My Nobility is too low compared to my Evil Souls.’

 

Killing monsters didn’t increase Nobility. 

 

He needed to do volunteer work or hunt villains for that. 

 

Acquiring Nobility was more urgent than Evil Souls.  

 

He’d gotten a skill book from the random item box, but he still craved many more skills.

 

‘Hmm…’

 

Lost in thought, Kang Ian suddenly stood up.

 

“I should go do some volunteer work.”

 

He didn’t have any immediate plans to enter another gate.

 

That meant there was no rush to go shopping.

 

So, while he had some downtime, why not accumulate more Nobility points through volunteer work?

 

If he continued living diligently every day, eventually, both his Souls of Malice and Nobility points would pile up.

 

With that thought in mind, Kang Ian stepped out of his house.

 

* * *

 

The next day arrived.

 

Just as Kang Ian had rejoiced over his skill book acquisition the previous night, Shin Sorim was now beaming, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.

 

“Puhaha! To think that octopus-headed director would act like that.”

 

The Viewers TV employees usually ate lunch together, with the director typically deciding the menu. 

 

It was always the same rotation: jjajangmyeon, pork cutlets, spicy pork with rice… 

 

Shin Sorim didn’t dislike them, but the constant repetition was getting incredibly tedious.

 

Today, however, was different.

 

– “Shall we have brunch today, everyone?”

 

– “B-Brunch?”

 

– “Yes!”

 

The director gave her a bewildered look, but Shin Sorim stared him down with unwavering determination.

 

Normally, he was an authoritarian figure, but this time, he didn’t push back.

 

– “Well… If Reporter Shin insists, then I suppose we can.”

 

With an awkward nod, he conceded.

 

The reason was simple: Shin Sorim’s article about Kang Ian had exploded in popularity.

 

It had garnered the highest views of any article on Viewers TV this month. 

 

The CEO had even personally come down to congratulate her, patting her on the shoulder. 

 

The bonus she received was just the icing on the cake.

 

At this moment, she felt the power of success backing her. It was only natural that the director couldn’t refuse her request.

 

And considering the article had only been up for a day, who knew?

 

Given a little more time, it might even become the top article of the quarter.

 

Normally, articles faded into obscurity as new ones flooded in each day.

 

But this time was different.

 

Reporters who had interviewed Hong Dasom were eagerly publishing their own pieces.

 

<Shocking! Genius Hunter Hong Dasom: ‘I was just ordinary’>

 

<Is there a true genius out there?>

 

<A difficult D-rank Gate mission, yet completed without a scratch!>

 

With Hong Dasom, an already rising star, making such statements, it naturally drew attention. 

 

People would be curious about the person she was referring to, leading them to search for Kang Ian.  

 

And where would that search lead them? 

 

To Shin Sorim’s article!

 

Thanks to this, her view count continued to climb.

 

Shin Sorim grinned from ear to ear.

 

She made up her mind once again.

 

“Hehehe. I must continue to follow Hunter Kang Ian!”

 

Everything was thanks to him.

 

Oh, Kang Ian! I believe in you!

 

* * *

 

Kang Ian’s story didn’t just catch the public’s eye.

 

The Hunter Association was also paying close attention.  

 

Or rather, they were observing him with fervent interest.

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon of the Association had meticulously read articles related to Kang Ian a staggering 17 times.

 

“As expected… my judgment wasn’t wrong.”

 

He first met Kang Ian during the Black Gate incident.

 

Even back then, he knew there was something special about him.

 

An outstanding character, backed by undeniable talent.

 

He had extended an invitation for Kang Ian to join the Association, but it was regrettably declined.

 

However, it couldn’t be helped.

 

If Jeon Jaewon himself were a Hunter, he wouldn’t have stayed with the Association.

 

‘Having to clean up every mess the country throws at you… I’d rather join a Guild, earn a hefty salary, and just focus on raiding Gates.’

 

Kang Ian, with his unusually strong sense of justice and deep commitment to service, seemed to have genuinely considered joining the Association… but ultimately refused.

 

Still, it wasn’t a problem.

 

‘Him joining an office is much better than a Guild.’

 

If they requested his help with crucial tasks, it seemed likely he would comply.  

 

Kang Ian had already resolved two requests for them.

 

Tthe villain incident and this recent D-rank Gate. 

 

Both were challenging situations, yet Kang Ian had handled them flawlessly.

 

Exceptional character combined with outstanding skill.

 

‘At this rate… he might be worth grooming into a national-level Hunter.’

 

If Kang ian continued to grow at his current rate and maintained his upstanding character, he could become a representative Hunter for the nation.

 

Hunters around the world cooperated more often than one might think.  

 

Sometimes, a Gate would rage out of control, exceeding a single nation’s capacity to handle it.

 

Other times, colossal monsters would emerge.

 

A skilled Hunter who could represent Korea in such situations…

 

‘If he keeps this up… he could become one of them.’

 

Section Chief Jeon Jaewon resolved to start providing subtle support to Kang Ian.

 

* * *

 

The viral news about Kang Ian led to a surge of inquiries at his agency, Happiness Office.

 

Most of them were direct request inquiries.

 

Even though he was a D-rank Hunter, his capabilities were clearly beyond that.

 

Difficult requests weren’t exclusive to high-ranked Hunters.

 

Many people needed help obtaining items from low-tier Gates as well.

 

In that regard, Kang Ian was an extremely appealing choice.

 

“Hehehe. As expected, I have a good eye for talent.”

 

Representative Shim Junseok chuckled, reviewing another incoming request.

 

He wasn’t the type to hire just anyone, so when his choices proved to be correct, it gave him immense satisfaction.

 

As he grinned, contemplating how best to pave the way for Hunter Kang Ian’s future, a knock echoed through the office.

 

– Knock, knock.

 

Shim Junseok personally went to open the door, anticipating the visitor. 

 

A scheduled visitor had arrived.

 

“Oh, welcome. Thank you for coming all this way.”

 

“Not at all. It’s still within Seoul. It’s been a while, CEO.”

 

Choi Seobin, the team leader of the Red Rose Guild, entered with a smile, accompanied by her niece, Jeong Bora.

 

Shim Junseok led them to the guest sofa and served them coffee.  

 

He then sat opposite them.

 

“So… let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. I heard you’re here to make a request to Hunter Kang Ian?”

 

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a request, but also a way to repay a favor.”

 

“A favor…?”

 

Shim Junseok tilted his head, puzzled.  

 

Choi Seobin chuckled slightly.

 

“I’d like to discuss this with him directly. Could you contact Hunter Kang Ian? A phone call would suffice, no need for a meeting.”

 

“Certainly.”

 

Shim Junseok nodded and called Kang Ian.

 

– Ring…

 

The phone rang.

 

“He might not answer. As you know, Team Leader, many hunters prefer to rest completely after returning from a Gate due to accumulated fatigue.”

 

“I’m well aware.”

 

“That’s why I was planning to give Hunter Kang Ian a week of complete rest without any contact.”

 

Just as Shim Junseok finished speaking, Kang Ian answered the phone.

 

– “Hello?”

 

“Hunter Kang Ian, are you resting by any chance?  I wanted to have a quick word with you.”

 

– “I’m not resting, but a short call is fine.”

 

“Ah, are you out somewhere?”

 

– “No, I’m volunteering.”

 

“······?”

 

“······?”

 

CEO Shim, Choi Seobin, and Jeong Bora all made the same puzzled expression.

 

Volunteering…? 

 

After clearing a Gate that had become such a hot topic just yesterday…?