I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 40 - Assault (1)

The blade pierced the Four-Armed Minotaur’s heart.

 

The monster collapsed to the ground.

 

-Ding!

 

[You have contributed to defeating evil.]

 

[Evil Soul +89]

 

[Level Up!]

 

Messages flashed before Kang Ian’s eyes.  

 

Usually, the message indicated he had defeated evil, but this was slightly different.

 

Contributed to defeating.

 

It wasn’t a solo kill. He had only played the role of a tank, while Choi Seobin delivered the final blow.

 

That was why, even though it was a boss monster, the Evil Soul points didn’t even reach triple digits.

 

Still, leveling up was a good thing.

 

He could feel his physical abilities had improved even further.

 

“······.”

 

But Kang Ian’s expression stiffened slightly.

 

Everything had gone well, and things turned out favorably.

 

Yet, Kang Ian still felt an unsettling discomfort.

 

The reason was simple.

 

‘I’m still too weak.’

 

He hadn’t been able to inflict any significant damage on the Four-Armed Minotaur.

 

At best, he had only drawn aggro while dealing some elemental damage.

 

Could he have defeated the monster alone?

 

It might have been possible if he had taken his time, but the monster might have escaped before then.

 

If he had been the only hunter in the city, it would have been a disaster.

 

‘The Will of Valhalla’ scolded him, saying he was severely lacking.

 

Kang Ian himself also believed he had a long way to go.

 

That was why he felt so down.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian. You’ve worked hard.”

 

At that moment, Choi Seobin approached and patted Kang Ian’s shoulder.

 

“It’s been a while since we hunted a boss monster this easily. It’s all thanks to you, Hunter Kang Ian.”

 

Choi Seobin’s words were filled with sincerity.

 

This was why guilds were so eager to recruit skilled tanks.

 

While dealing with regular monsters was relatively easy, high-ranked monsters and boss monsters required party raids.

 

Naturally, the most crucial role was the tank.

 

The success of a party depended on the presence of a skilled tank.

 

In that sense, although Kang Ian was still low-ranked, he already showed the potential to become a top-tier tank.

 

‘But he doesn’t look very happy?’

 

Choi Seobin tilted her head as she observed Kang Ian.

 

That subtly somber expression.

 

Why did he look like that when everything had gone so well?

 

Then she noticed that Kang Ian’s gaze was directed beyond the Four-Armed Minotaur, towards the road the monster had destroyed.

 

‘Ah. Could it be… that he’s upset about the damage to the city…?’

 

Of course, Kang Ian was just absentmindedly looking in that direction…

But that wasn’t how Choi Seobin interpreted it.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian, gate rampages are practically natural disasters. What you’ve done is more than enough, so you don’t need to blame yourself.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Kang Ian was about to ask what nonsense she was talking about.

 

However, before he could, the reporters nearby rushed towards him.

 

“Hunter Kang Ian! Are you alright!?”

 

“Oh goodness! I heard you’re a D-rank Hunter, but to perfectly block such a giant monster…!!”

 

Although Choi Seobin and her team members had defeated the Four-Armed Minotaur, they had attacked from behind.

 

The monster was rather large.

 

Its massive body had obscured the others.

 

Therefore, what the reporters saw was the imposing Four-Armed Minotaur and Kang Ian standing against it.

 

Moreover, the reporters weren’t the only ones who witnessed this scene.

 

These days, even small news broadcasters conducted live streams on YouTube.

 

Major incidents like Gate outbreaks naturally needed to be broadcast to garner views.

 

Thus, they had been filming live since Kang Ian’s interview before the boss monster appeared.

 

Every moment of him protecting the citizens, including the reporter, and blocking the Four-Armed Minotaur.

 

It was all broadcast live.

 

– Oh my god. I thought I was watching a movie. A superhero action movie lol

 

– Aren’t hunters scared?

 

– The Four-Armed Minotaur is a monster that requires at least a B-rank Hunter to handle.  The reporter said that Hunter was D-rank. He must have been terrified

 

– Then why did he step up?

 

– He must have overcome his fear in order to protect the people.

 

– Wow…

– …

 

Among those filming Kang Ian was Han Yujoo.

 

“Everyone! Did you see that! That Hunter saved me from burning to death! Oh my… To think such a person exists… Shouldn’t we call him a hero instead of a hunter?”

 

Han Yujoo shouted, her voice strained with passion.

 

Countless people surrounded Kang Ian, bombarding him with questions, and these scenes were broadcast live.

 

* * *

 

Back home, Kang Ian collapsed onto his bed as soon as he arrived.

 

“Haa… I’m dying…”

 

Physical and mental exhaustion washed over him simultaneously.

 

This time, he had really overdone it.

 

He’d been running around everywhere without even taking care of his own body.

 

Helping people evacuate, charging at monsters whenever he saw them…

 

‘Even I think throwing myself into a burning building because I was obsessed with nobility was a crazy thing to do.’

 

It was fortunate that this body was superhuman; otherwise, he might have been trapped and died inside the apartment.

 

Or he might have been seriously injured.

 

“All for those points… really…”

 

Still, thanks to that, he’d earned an absurd amount of ‘Evil Souls’ and ‘Nobility.’

 

[Evil Souls in possession: 2603]

 

[Nobility in possession: 3416]

 

Checking his status window brought a smile to his face.

 

‘It feels like just yesterday I was complaining about lacking Nobility. How did I get so much?’

 

A silly chuckle escaped his lips.

 

That was why managing his expression in front of the reporters was so difficult.

 

They kept praising him as a hero, saying other hunters should learn from his spirit of self-sacrifice, and asking uncomfortable questions.

 

It was quite troublesome, especially when he was already exhausted.

 

He somehow managed to get through the interview, but if Chief Choi Seobin hadn’t stepped in midway, he might have ended up saying something he’d regret.

 

‘I should contact Team Leader Choi and thank her.’

 

Choi Seobin had skillfully handled the reporters with the Association staff, answering difficult questions on his behalf.

 

She even took him home.

 

She was truly an angel.

 

He immediately sent her a text.

 

<Team Leader. Thank you for taking me home. Get home safely.>

 

The reply came instantly.

 

<Team Leader Choi Seobin: Don’t mention it. It’s only natural for comrades who faced a crisis together. Get some rest, and I’ll see you soon. I’ll contact you with the request.>

 

“Request? Ah, right. I agreed to take one.”

 

He just remembered.

 

He was supposed to receive a request with favorable conditions from Red Rose as a way of repaying their favor.

 

Come to think of it, he also needed to contact CEO Shim Junseok…

 

“Ah, whatever. Let’s do what I need to do first.”

 

Kang Ian jumped up and sat in front of his computer.

 

He immediately launched Devil Lord 3.

 

“First things first…”

 

-Ding!

 

[You have purchased ‘Valhalla’s Compressed Mastery (P) – Intermediate Enhancement’ by consuming 1200 Nobility Points.]

 

Intermediate Enhancement.

 

He’d wanted to buy this for a while.

 

A pill appeared in his inventory as soon as the message popped up.

 

He took it out, and a blue pill materialized on his palm.

 

“It was so hard to collect, but it’s so easy to use.”

 

The fleeting feeling of emptiness passed quickly.

 

He swallowed the pill without hesitation.

 

He had clearly felt it while fighting the Four-Armed Minotaur.

 

That his skills were lacking.

 

He had held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other.

 

As a result, he couldn’t inflict proper damage with the spear.

 

He was fortunate that he could use lightning and fire elemental attacks; otherwise, he would have only inflicted scratches.

 

It was a blow to his pride as a Knight of Valhalla.

 

That was why he purchased the ‘Weapon Mastery’ skill.

 

Even in the game, this skill significantly boosted the character’s overall attack power.

 

Would it work the same way in real life?

 

He didn’t feel any immediate change.

 

Kang Ian took out a sword from his inventory.

 

His apartment was too small to swing a spear.

 

Instead, he took out the sword he had received with the Valhalla Beginner Knight Set.

 

He lightly gripped and swung it.

 

-Swish!

 

-Swish, swish!

 

-Whoosh!

 

“!”

 

Just three times.

 

He stopped after swinging it that much.

 

The difference was already apparent.

 

“This… the feeling in my hand is insane…”

 

It was the same sword he had used before.

 

In fact, his spear had better stats now, so he’d been using that instead.

 

But if the Kang Ian from yesterday, wielding the spear, fought the Kang Ian of today with this sword, he was confident he could crush himself in thirty seconds.

 

That was how important weapon mastery was.

 

What would happen if he used the spear now?

 

He didn’t know for sure, but it would definitely be different from earlier, when he could only inflict scratches on the Four-Armed Minotaur.

 

He could probably deliver a fatal blow with the spear, even with one hand.

 

‘Maybe I could have defeated that monster alone and taken all the Evil Souls?’

 

Of course, it was a pointless thought now.

 

Besides, there was something even more encouraging.

 

[Evil Souls in possession: 2603]

 

[Nobility Points in possession: 2216]

 

He still had plenty of ‘Evil Souls’ and ‘Nobility’!

 

“Ha… this is… a dilemma.”

 

A happy dilemma.

 

What should he buy?

 

There were so many items and skills he wanted, and even though he had earned a lot, Evil Souls and Nobility were still scarce.

 

He couldn’t even touch the truly powerful items and skills with just a few thousand points.

 

He needed to shop efficiently with what he had.

 

It was a difficult task.

 

Just then!

 

-Ring ring~

 

His smartphone rang.

 

He thought it might be CEO Shim Junseok, but it was someone completely unexpected.

 

“Huh?”

 

[Gym Bro]

 

Gym Bro.

 

(TL note: The actual translation is Gym hyungnim, but I thought Gym Bro is funnier.)

 

The muscular guy he’d worked out with for three hours at the Awakened-exclusive fitness center a while ago.

 

One of his arms was almost as thick as Kang Ian’s waist.

 

That day, he had gotten quite a few messages saying his stats had increased, all thanks to that guy.

 

They had even exchanged numbers at the end, but now that he thought about it, he never did ask for the guy’s name.

 

It seemed ridiculous now, but that was how it was.

 

He had been so exhausted that he just exchanged numbers and parted ways.

 

Kang Ian answered the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

– Hey, friend. You made it big this time, huh? I was watching YouTube and was surprised to see you.

 

“Ah… hahaha…”

 

He’d heard that this incident had become quite a hot topic on YouTube, broadcast live.

 

Kang Ian hadn’t checked it out yet, but Jeong Bora had told him.

 

For this Gym Bro to call him like this, it must have been really big.

 

– It seems like you had a hard time dealing with the reporters.  Am I right?

 

“Yes, well, that’s right.”

 

– Then come out. Let’s work out together.

 

“Huh? I just got home.”

 

Usually, after a battle like this, hunters would rest for at least a day, doing absolutely nothing.

 

Even CEO Choi Seobin, who had a lot to say, knew that, so she quietly took him home.

 

But this guy wanted to work out?

 

“I killed over a dozen monsters today, you know.”

 

– I’m a hunter too, so I can fully understand your situation. That’s why I’m saying this. After a Gate raid, you need to work out to relieve fatigue and sleep well. I’ll give you my full support, so come on out.  Time to pump some iron!

 

“······.”

 

Kang Ian was speechless.

 

What kind of logic was this…?