I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 38 - Fame (14)

The Red Rose Guild was dispatched to the Hwaseong at the mandatory request of the Association.

 

Team leader Choi Seobin, her niece and team member Jeong Bora, and two other team members.

A total of four people.

 

Even though Red Rose Guild was a Tier 1 guild, there weren’t many members with free time.

 

Hunters usually lived tightly packed schedules.

 

Top-tier guilds had a full slate of Gates assigned by the government, with raid schedules planned far in advance.

 

Even on non-raid days, they weren’t exactly free.

 

Rest was essential for maintaining hunters’ physical and mental health.

 

They had to keep themselves in top condition through meditation, yoga, personal relaxation, or mental training.

 

That was why, during this recent gate runaway incident, there weren’t many hunters available to respond.

 

“Sigh. It’s us again…”

 

“Other teams are busy this time. It’s not just us.”

 

“But, Aunt…”

 

“Hey! Don’t call me Aunt during missions!”

 

“…Yes, Team Leader.”

 

Jeong Bora pouted.

 

Her aunt was right, but it still felt harsh.

 

In fact, since Choi Seobin’s team had been deployed during the recent Black Gate incident, another team should have been dispatched for this mandatory call.

 

However, the team originally scheduled to be deployed was currently dealing with a villain appearance in Namyangju.

 

Because the gate outbreak in Hwaseong happened so suddenly, Choi Seobin’s team had no choice but to step in.

 

“Team Leader, don’t you think there have been a lot of abnormal situations lately, like Gate outbreaks and Black Gates?”

 

“Well…”

 

“It would be nice if Korea had an S-rank hunter. I saw a Chinese S-rank hunter take care of a rampaging Gate in a few slashes.”

 

Choi Seobin nodded at Jeong Bora’s words.

 

Indeed, the top hunters representing each country displayed incredible power.

 

Unfortunately, South Korea’s S-class hunter position was currently vacant — and that was the problem.

 

Choi Seobin glanced at Jeong Bora and said,

 

“No matter how tough it is, we have to endure it. That’s the life of a hunter. Try to get some sleep while we’re on the way.”

 

“I’m not sleepy.”

 

“It’s not about being sleepy. It’s mental care.”

 

Choi Seobin’s team was in a car heading to Hwaseong.

 

The guild had provided a driver, so the team members could relax, close their eyes, or rest in their own ways.

 

They were following their individual routines to adjust for the battle ahead.

 

But Jeong Bora shook her head.

 

“I’m fine. I can manage like this.”

 

“Oh dear.  Whose stubbornness did you inherit… If you say you’re fine, then you’re fine. Do as you please.”

 

Choi Seobin shrugged, and Jeong Bora put on her earphones, thinking she might as well watch some YouTube.

 

“Huh?”

 

Then she happened to see a live broadcast video that appeared on the main page due to the algorithm.

 

A channel called ‘Yujoo Unnie’ was broadcasting the Hwaseong Gate outbreak in real-time.

 

Jeong Bora watched the video for a while, then, perhaps thinking she couldn’t watch this alone, urgently grabbed Choi Seobin’s arm and showed her the screen.

 

“A–Aunt!  I mean, Team Leader!”

 

“What?”

 

Choi Seobin, after reading the title, tilted her head.

 

“What is it? Hwaseong? Ah, is someone filming the monsters there instead of evacuating?”

 

“No. She says she’s trapped in an apartment building because of a fire.”

 

“Oh dear…”

 

“But that’s not the important part. There’s someone who rescued this YouTuber. Look who it is.”

 

Although it was a live broadcast, she could rewind by swiping the bar at the bottom.

 

She found the part she was looking for.

 

An apartment building engulfed in flames.

 

Han Yujoo seemingly giving up on life.

 

And Kang Ian, breaking through the flames to rescue her.

 

“Huh???”

 

“Right? That’s Hunter Kang Ian, isn’t it?”

 

“T-That’s right… But why is he there…?”

 

“And that’s not all.”

 

In the following video, despite the poor quality, they could clearly see Kang Ian in action.

 

He entered the smoke-filled, blazing apartment without hesitation, rescuing people trapped inside.

 

He fought off monsters, led evacuees to safety, and handed them over to public officials.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Choi Seobin and Jeong Bora were speechless.

 

Hunters didn’t just have strong skin, bones, and muscles — their internal organs were also enhanced.

 

Their hearts pumped stronger, and their lungs were far more advanced.

 

That was probably why he could continue rescuing people without any problems even after inhaling carbon monoxide in the fire.

 

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard.

 

It had to be painful.

 

Scorching and agonizing.

 

And yet, he kept going.

 

“He’s… amazing…”

 

Jeong Bora murmured, covering her mouth with one hand.

 

While they were grumbling about being tired from the emergency call-up, he had gone ahead of anyone else and silently carried out such heroic deeds.

 

He truly deserved to be called a hero.

 

Her eyes were practically sparkling with admiration.

 

During the Black Gate incident, Kang Ian had also saved her in a dangerous moment.

 

Seeing him like this now, her heart couldn’t help but be swayed.

 

They arrived in Hwaseong before they knew it, engrossed in the video.

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

“Thank you. You can go straight back to the guild now, driver.”

 

“Yes. Good luck!”

 

After the driver left, Choi Seobin’s team quickly moved into action.

 

Finding Kang Ian wasn’t difficult.

 

During the city redevelopment, sensors that detect monsters were installed, so there were lights blinking towards where monsters were present.

 

They quickly found Kang Ian as they headed in that direction.

 

Kang Ian looked quite exhausted, even at a glance.

 

Ordinary people wouldn’t have noticed, but the sharp-eyed hunters could see Kang Ian’s limbs trembling slightly.

 

He was completely exhausted.

 

Nevertheless, he was charging towards a Minotaur without hesitation.

 

Choi Seobin, thinking she should lighten Kang Ian’s burden, moved with all her might and took down the Minotaur first.

 

Then she approached Kang Ian.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian! Are you alright?”

 

“Uh… Team Leader Choi? How did you get here…?”

 

“I’m here on a mandatory call.  Anyway, I saw everything, Hunter Kang Ian. Really… how could you put yourself in such danger without a thought for your own safety?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“You went into that burning apartment building to rescue the citizens. Even if hunters are superhuman, that was incredibly reckless!”

 

“???”

 

Kang Ian, his face dumbfounded, seemed to be wondering how she knew that.

 

“Of course… I do think what you did was amazing. But you shouldn’t push yourself like that without regard for your own safety.”

 

Choi Seobin offered advice based on her experience as a senior hunter.

 

“…”

 

Kang Ian silently nodded.

 

He had a lot to say.

 

He hadn’t acted recklessly.

 

He had calculated the risks and determined it was doable.

 

But seeing Choi Seobin’s expression, he felt it was best not to offer any excuses.

 

“For now, Hunter Kang Ian, why don’t you move with our team members. You’ve met them before, during the Black Gate incident, right?”

 

Choi Seobin gestured towards Jeong Bora and her two team members.

 

They had exchanged names while raiding the Black Gate together.

 

The two team members bowed their heads in greeting.

 

Kang Ian did the same.

 

“…”

 

Jeong Bora, on the other hand, couldn’t greet him properly.

 

She started avoiding his gaze for some reason.

 

Kang Ian, tilting his head in confusion, spoke first.

 

“Hunter Jeong Bora? It’s good to see you again.”

 

“Y-Yes…”

 

“Let’s work well together, even if it’s for a short time.”

 

“Yes…”

 

Jeong Bora lowered her head and replied in a mosquito-like voice.

 

The tips of her ears, barely visible, were flushed red.

 

‘What’s wrong? Is she sick?’

 

Did she catch a cold, despite being a hunter?

 

As Kang Ian was puzzled, Team Leader Choi Seobin chuckled and changed the subject.

 

“Alright. Let’s move.  Fortunately, there aren’t that many monsters that escaped the Gate.”

 

An aunt has to help her niece when she’s in trouble.

 

Thinking that, Choi Seobin started moving forward.

 

* * *

 

Hunting down the monsters rampaging through the city was quick work with Choi Seobin’s team by his side.

 

She was, without a doubt, someone worthy of being called a team leader in the Red Rose Guild.

 

A B+ rank hunter.

 

Just one step below A-rank, she excelled at leading hunters and keeping people under control.

 

As soon as she took command, the city’s evacuation plan began to operate like clockwork.

 

‘Sigh…’

 

However, Kang Ian felt a twinge of regret.  

 

Working with Choi Seobin’s team meant he couldn’t hoard all the monsters for himself.

 

Whenever they encountered two Minotaurs, Choi Seobin’s team would take down one. 

 

He only managed to secure one for himself because he rushed in, otherwise, he would have lost them all.

 

Seeing Kang Ian desperately hunting down monsters, Choi Seobin cautioned him with a worried tone.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian. You’ve worked hard so far, so you can rest for a bit. We can handle these monsters.”

 

“No. I don’t know how much more damage will accumulate here if I rest even a little. It’s better to finish quickly and rest.”

 

Kang Ian shook his head.

 

How could he rest when he was witnessing the disappearance of Evil Souls right before his eyes?

 

Besides, hunters had monstrous stamina to begin with. Now that he had a bit more breathing room after joining Choi Seobin’s team, his strength was returning fast.

 

Of course, he couldn’t exactly say it was because of the Evil Souls, so he gave a reasonable excuse.

 

“…”

 

Seeing Kang Ian like that, the entire Choi Seobin team was left speechless.

 

‘How can a person be like this…?’

 

Was he perhaps the reincarnation of a saint?

 

Choi Seobin was once again amazed, but when she glanced sideways, Jeong Bora looked like she might faint.

 

As they continued to wipe out the monsters, at some point, the monstrous howls echoing through the city fell silent.

 

The flashing red monster alerts also disappeared.

 

“Phew. It seems like we’ve dealt with all the monsters that escaped from the rampaging Gate.”

 

“Already? Although we took care of many, I don’t think we got them all.”

 

“Other guilds probably came to support us. We must have missed them since they went to other districts.”

 

“…”

 

Kang Ian swallowed his disappointment at Choi Seobin’s words.

 

Such a missed opportunity…!

 

In any case, he was relieved that all the escaped monsters were gone.

 

No matter how fiercely he fought, one person alone could never save an entire city.

 

‘Better this way than letting my greed cause casualties.’

 

Kang Ian let out a breath of relief.

 

Then, several people started approaching him.

 

“Excuse me… are you Hunter Kang Ian?”

 

“…? Ah, yes. That’s me.”

 

“Oh my god!! I was so moved by what you did!”

 

“???”

 

A reporter, looking as if she was about to cry, grabbed Kang Ian’s hand.

 

As the monsters disappeared and the situation eased, the first to act were the reporters.

 

These people lived for news.

 

Even during the war in Afghanistan, amidst the hail of bullets, there were reporters riding around in jeeps, filming and conducting interviews.

 

It was the same in Hwaseong.

 

They were people who were driven by a sense of duty to inform people of the current situation, even as civilians.

 

Of course, among them were some snobs who were only thinking about how to get more views, even at the risk of their lives.

 

And they had watched Kang Ian’s heroic actions on the <Yujoo Unnie> channel while waiting.

 

They were utterly astonished.

 

They had already researched who this hunter was, his rank, and his past achievements while they waited.

 

Volunteering for the Black Gate, capturing villains…

 

Even the reporters themselves were surprised to learn how much of a hero he was as they conducted their research.

 

So, as soon as the situation seemed safe, they flocked to Kang Ian.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you saved Hwaseong. How do you feel about that?”

 

“Weren’t you afraid of the burning apartment building? How did you go in there?”

 

“Even though you’re a D-rank hunter, was it your spirit of self-sacrifice that led you to such heroic actions?”

 

Suddenly bombarded with questions…

 

“Haha…”

 

Kang Ian could only give an awkward laugh as he looked at the reporters.