I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 42 – Assault (3)

Author: LyraDhani

“Grrgh-!”

“Good. Keep your core tight! You’re doing great!”

Kang Hopoong was assisting Kang Ian from behind as he lifted the barbell.

The weight was overwhelming.

It was the most intense pressure he had ever felt in his life.

No exaggeration.

‘This feels tougher than blocking the Four-Armed Minotaur’s punches…’

As he squatted, Kang Ian thought to himself.

The Four-Armed Minotaur, the boss monster that appeared during the Hwaseong Gate outbreak.

Kang Ian had blocked its punches head-on with just a shield.

The punches of a 3-meter tall monster.

Even that pressure wasn’t as intense as this.

His legs trembled, and he felt like his bones would break if he lost focus for even a moment.

Focus!

– Clang

Finally, Kang Ian succeeded.

-Ding!

[Your body is strengthened under heavy loads.]

[Strength + 0.1]

[Muscle Endurance + 0.1]

A refreshing message followed.

He felt like he could get addicted to this.

Yes! This was why he worked out!

“Wow. You’ve gotten a lot stronger.”

Kang Hopoong clapped as Kang Ian put down the barbell.

He smiled, looking at Kang Ian with pride.

“Haha… thank you…”

Kang Ian, exhausted, collapsed onto his side.

“Now. Shall I give it a try?”

Kang Hopoong took Kang Ian’s spot and began squatting energetically.

Normally, Kang Ian would have assisted him, but it seemed unnecessary.

“Hup! Ha!”

Even with a much heavier weight than what Kang Ian had used, he continued exercising without showing any signs of struggle.

‘Are all A-rank Hunters like this?’

A-rank Hunter.

Kang Hopoong, ‘The Great Mountain’.

When they introduced themselves at the beginning of the workout, Kang Ian was genuinely surprised to hear his name.

A-rank Hunters were high-tier Awakened beings, few and rare in the country.

They had reached a truly superhuman level, and the number of A-rankers in a nation could even determine its global standing.

Kang Ian had heard the name Kang Hopoong, ‘The Great Mountain’, even before he became an Awakened.

However, he only knew him vaguely from pictures, so he never imagined he’d meet him here.

‘No. This is a fitness center for those below B-rank, so why is a guy like him here…?’

Although there wasn’t an explicit rule, B-rank Hunters usually had enough money to set up private gyms.

It was almost a nuisance for a monster like him to be in a public fitness center.

Still, thanks to that, Kang Ian had made a great connection.

Kang Hopoong had approached him amicably, suggesting they become close like brothers.

– Clang

“Whew. Good. Shall we take a break?”

Kang Hopoong, looking refreshed after finishing a set, came over to Kang Ian.

He rummaged through his bag, took out a bottle, and handed it over.

“Drink this.”

“What is this, hyungnim?”

“Hunter-exclusive special protein.”

“?”

“For hunters, even our organ functions and metabolism are totally different from normal people. No matter how much nutrition you pack in, we absorb it all.”

For ordinary people, it might be harmful to the liver, but for hunters, it was no problem.

“If you don’t follow up your workout with proper nutrition, it’s just hard labor. You get exhausted, but your muscles won’t grow. So drink up.”

“Thank you, I will.”

Hearing that from someone with arms the size of a grown man’s waist was extremely convincing.

Although it didn’t taste very good, Kang Ian diligently drank it, thinking it must be good for him.

“Ah, right. Did you hear? The Association is going to upgrade the equipment in fitness center soon.”

“Really?”

“I kept pestering the Association President every time I saw him to get the latest equipment in here. He always complained about his ears hurting, but I guess he finally gave in, haha. Right now, even maxing out the weights feels a bit light, but the new gear will go beyond double the current maximum. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“······.”

‘This… you call this light?’

Kang Ian had thought he might get crushed and folded in half by that weight.

Kang Hopoong was more talkative than he seemed.

He had so much to say.

Even while Kang Ian was drinking the protein shake, he kept talking non-stop.

What he ate yesterday, what exercises he did, how he’d been doing…

Because of that, even though this was only their second meeting, Kang Ian felt like he already knew quite a lot about him.

“Ah, and we’re planning a get-together with my friends soon. One of my friends runs a business and needs a large mana stone, so he asked for my help. Since even the retired guys are coming along, I think we’ll be getting some good action, haha.”

“Do you mean you’re going into a Gate?”

“That’s right.”

An A-rank party going into a Gate for a mana stone…

‘That’s gotta be worth a fortune.’

Even if it was divided equally, it would undoubtedly be worth a fortune.

Since he’d been thinking about money lately, he felt envious.

“Whew. But one guy is a pain.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Most of my friends are retired and don’t do field work anymore. One of them keeps whining about his back and legs hurting. He’s a buffer, so he should just stay in the back, but he talks too much.”

Kang Hopoong clicked his tongue.

“That’s why I keep telling him to work out with me. How can a Hunter have back pain? He’s just been too lazy.”

Kang Hopoong looked at Kang Ian, as if seeking agreement.

However, Kang Ian’s attention was focused elsewhere.

‘Does that mean… they need a buffer?’

Who was Kang Ian?

Valhalla’s buffer.

There was no one more confident in providing rear support than him!

“Um… Hopoong hyungnim.”

“Yeah?”

“I also have buff skills.”

“What?”

“Could I perhaps join you in that Gate?”

“???”

For the first time since they met, Kang Hopoong looked genuinely taken aback.

* * *

The next day…

“Ugh… I’m dying…”

Kang Ian groaned as he woke up.

He had braced himself last night.

He expected the aftereffects of pushing himself so hard, but it was still tough.

He got up and headed to the bathroom.

“…Huh?”

He was surprised as he undressed to take a shower.

“My body… seems to have improved?”

He turned this way and that in front of the mirror.

It was clear.

There was no way he wouldn’t notice, since he looked at his body every day.

There were definite changes—slight muscle definition, and he looked a bit bigger.

Was this even possible?

If one day of exercise could improve one’s physique this much, the world would be full of ripped people.

‘Is it because I’m a hunter? Or because of the messages saying my stats increased?’

There were a few possible causes he could guess, but he wasn’t sure of the exact reason.

Either way, it was a good thing.

Kang Ian finished his shower and came out.

He sat in front of his computer, but he still didn’t feel like shopping.

It was because of his last conversation with Kang Hopoong.

– Hmm. So you’ve got buff skills too, dongsaeng… You really are full of talent. But this isn’t something I can decide alone. I’ll talk to my friends and let you know. We need to see if your buff fits where we’re going.

– I understand. Then could you tell me what kind of buff skills you need?

– Haha. You say that like you could just go out and buy them if I told you.

– Haha…

– Right. That’s not difficult. I’ll talk to them and send you the details later. Now, go on to your next set. Your break has been too long.

-······.

He might be able to enter the Gate with Kang Hopoong.

The rank difference was a problem, but surely a hunter like Kang Hopoong could resolve that somehow.

‘HHis friends sounded pretty impressive too, from what little I heard..’

If he joined them, Kang Ian would have to act as a buffer.

In that case, having only one buff skill wouldn’t be enough.

He needed at least two, and he needed the ones they required, so he decided to save his ‘Nobility’ for now, preparing for that moment.

“Then… I should get to my main job.”

He needed to earn money and raise his hunter rank.

Kang Ian immediately contacted CEO Shim Junseok.

He asked him to let the Red Rose Guild know that he’d accept their request, and that he’d like to get started today if possible.

* * *

The Gate that the Red Rose guild had requested Kang Ian to clear this time was near Seohyeon Station on the Bundang Line.

More precisely, it was a large Gate that had appeared in the open space in front of the Bundang-gu Office.

In front of the gate, the Red Rose Guild’s Choi Seobin and her team were waiting.

Truthfully, there was no need to request assistance for clearing a mere C-rank Gate.

This was the Red Rose Guild, after all — a top-tier guild often referred to as Tier 1.

For a C-rank gate, they could’ve just sent a few of their own hunters and cleared it in no time.

In fact, Choi Seobin herself was a B+ rank hunter.

She could easily clear this gate all by herself.

But the Red Rose Guild had chosen to hire Kang Ian.

They even offered a hefty commission of 150 million won.

At first, this was just a personal favor from Choi Seobin to repay him for saving her, but now even the guild’s higher-ups had taken an interest.

After the Hwaseong Gate rampage incident, Choi Seobin had reported that Kang Ian possessed a buff skill.

That news had caused a complete uproar in the guild.

A buff specialist — one of the rarest kinds!

Although they had already recognized Kang Ian’s talent and character as exceptional, the fact that he was a buffer changed everything.

The director called Choi Seobin in.

– Team Leader Choi! No, Seobin! Is it true that Hunter Kang Ian also has buff skills?

– Yes. I saw it with my own eyes.

– But… how is that even possible…?

– Director, I told you. We should have brought Hunter Kang Ian into our guild no matter what. We should have offered him 20 billion, no, even 200 billion won back then.

-······.

The director was speechless.

At least he hadn’t been reprimanded by the guild master for this slip-up.

When he had strongly argued for giving Kang Ian a signing bonus of 2 billion, the guild master had even asked him if Kang Ian was a relative.

– Seobin, let’s aim for the next opportunity. The contract Hunter Kang Ian signed with the office won’t be that long. We can bring him over to our side after that.

– You’re right.

– So, during this request, observe Hunter Kang Ian’s abilities carefully. Of course, being both a tank and a buffer is enough, but… I’m curious about his limits. You know I trust you, Team Leader Choi, right?

– Yes, I understand.

Choi Seobin’s team was dispatched under the director’s special order.

However, she had one concern.

‘I wonder if Hunter Kang Ian is in good condition.’

He must have been exhausted after the Hwaseong Gate outbreak, so she thought he should rest for at least a week.

But to think he wanted to enter another Gate after just one day?

She asked Kang Ian several times if he was really okay, but he kept saying he was fine.

Kang Ian warmed up in front of the Gate, swinging his arms.

He made eye contact with her and spoke.

“I’m ready.”

“…Alright. Let’s go in.”

Choi Seobin’s team exchanged glances and nodded.