I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 47

After ending the call with Kang Hopoong, Kang Ian looked at the skill he had just purchased.

 

[Skill: Zeroth’s Guidance]

 

– Zeroth, one of the priests who guided the knights of Valhalla to the land of light. His blessing illuminated the path for the knights to advance.

 

– Effect: Designates up to 4 people, including the skill user, and grants them a minor light attribute.

 

– Duration: 1 hour, with a 12-hour cooldown.

 

“So this is what 1500 Nobility gets you…”

 

Honestly, it was a big purchase. 

 

He’d diligently accumulated Nobility on Hwaseong, received medals, and volunteered daily, but his current Nobility was less than 3000. He had spent more than half of it on this single buff skill.

 

He wouldn’t have been able to buy it so impulsively if he’d been thinking straight. It was only possible because he was in the middle of a conversation with Kang Hopoong.

 

– You really have both fire and light attribute buffs?

 

– Yes, I do.

 

– Huh. From what I saw on the news, I thought you were a melee warrior… Well, alright. Are you free this weekend?

 

– Of course, hyungnim.

 

– Then let’s meet early Saturday morning, warm up with some exercise, and get moving. We can also check how effective the buffs are.

 

– Uh… ha, haha. That sounds great, hyungnim…

 

– Haha. Alright, see you then.

 

Thanks to purchasing the skill, he was able to make plans with Kang Hopoong, an A-rank Hunter.  

 

It would definitely be a valuable experience.

 

‘Besides, I’ll need all sorts of attribute buffs eventually.’

 

Until now, he had only dealt with low-rank Gates.

 

But moving forward, it would be different. Even high-tier C-rank Gates often featured a wide variety of environments and monster attributes.

 

Among them were the undead.

 

And light attribute buffs were particularly effective against them.

 

So this was an investment. There was no need to regret it.

 

‘While I’m at it, I should buy some other things too.’

 

Today was the day.

 

The items Kang Ian purchased afterward were…

 

[Skill: Floating Shield – Intermediate Enhancement]

 

– Effect: Improves the ability and efficiency of Floating Shield. The shield now moves farther and faster.

 

– Required Nobility: 1300.

 

An enhancement for ‘Floating Shield,’ a skill he’d been using effectively. This was a necessity.  

 

It not only boosted his lacking defense but also excelled at protecting others and could even be used offensively.

 

And with that…

 

[Nobility Remaining: 12]

 

“…Is this for real?”

 

It was so hard to accumulate, yet two skills had completely drained his reserves.

 

Shaking his head in disbelief, Kang Ian opened the item list.

 

[Evil Souls in possession: 2653]

 

He currently had 2600 Evil Souls.

 

He decided to equip a weapon first.

 

He had tried using a spear, and it proved to be quite a decent weapon with good range.

 

He wanted to stick with spears, but as he browsed the item list, he saw…

 

[Frost Strike Mace]

 

– On hit, inflicts minor frost damage to the enemy with a 50% chance. Enemies lacking resistance will have the affected area frozen.

 

– Increases strength by 1.5 times when equipped.

 

– Evil Souls Required: 1600.

 

A weapon under 2000 Evil Souls with two options attached. This was extremely rare; in other words, it was incredibly cost-effective.

 

Moreover, the options were frost damage and strength increase. They weren’t useless at all.

 

‘I have to buy this.’

 

He had never used a mace before, but he wasn’t worried about adapting. 

 

It wasn’t like he had prior experience with swords or spears either. 

 

He relied on his Weapon Mastery skill.

 

Besides, the combination of shield and mace had its own unique appeal.

 

Next was armor. 

 

Currently, Kang Ian wore the ‘Sun Insignia Armor’ on his torso and the initial ‘Valhalla’s Beginner Knight Set’ for the rest.

 

It was time to upgrade from the beginner set, even if he kept the Sun Insignia Armor.

 

[Twilight Greaves]

 

– Crafted under the light of dusk. Imbued with the blacksmith’s passion, it offers sturdy protection.

 

– Evil Souls Required: 350.

 

[Twilight Shoulder Guards]

 

– Crafted under the light of dusk. Imbued with the blacksmith’s passion, it offers sturdy protection.

 

– Evil Souls Required: 350.

 

[Twilight Boots]

 

– Crafted under the light of dusk. Imbued with the blacksmith’s passion, it offers sturdy protection.

 

– Evil Souls Required: 350.

 

These Twilight series items were definitely more robust than his previous armor. Although they lacked special options like the mace, they were affordable enough to get all three.

 

There was another reason Kang Ian chose the Twilight series.

 

[Twilight Set Effect]

 

– When equipped with 3 or more Twilight items: All physical abilities are increased by 20% during dusk.

 

The set bonus. Some items in Devil Lord 3 had set effect bonus like this.

 

It wasn’t a great effect, but it offered the best value for his current Evil Souls.

 

“Sigh… It’s so easy to become broke.”

 

Kang Ian leaned back in his chair, feeling drained.  

 

All the Evil Souls and Nobility he had gathered were gone in a flash.

 

It would be nice if he could sell his old items. Then he could recover the spent Evil Souls and Nobility. Unfortunately, that was impossible with his current abilities. He could only buy, not sell.

 

‘Of course, there are ways to utilize them…’

 

Among the NPCs in Devil Lord 3 was an ‘Enhancement’ NPC.

 

This NPC would grind down unused equipment and enhance items with a certain probability.

 

However, this also required Evil Souls and later on, special materials, so it wasn’t an option right now.

 

He’d try that next time.

 

***

 

For the past few days, Kang Ian prided himself on working harder than anyone else.

 

Quests, quests, and more quests…

 

He was buried in work from morning to night.

 

Even CEO Shim Jun-seok was moved to tears by Kang Ian’s dedication.

 

– To have such a passionate hunter in my office… It brings tears to my eyes!

 

Shim Junseok had carefully selected his hunters, and as a result, many of them weren’t particularly driven by money. 

 

Several had joined his agency to escape the strict rules and restrictions of guilds, rather than for financial reasons.

 

Naturally, these hunters weren’t eager to take on requests. They worked at a leisurely pace, leaving Shim Junseok, the CEO, feeling anxious.

 

In this situation, Kang Ian proactively asking for requests without being prompted was a godsend.

 

‘If I only had Hunters like this, I’d work myself to the bone!’ 

 

He felt like he could run around and find requests all day long.

 

Meanwhile, Kang Ian was also satisfied with the current situation. 

 

Life felt rewarding when you stayed busy—and to top it off, he was using brand-new gear.

 

His new mace and armor.

 

Using them was incredibly satisfying.

 

He had already found C-rank Gates easy, but now they felt like a casual stroll in the park.

 

“Time for another one.”

 

He stepped into a C-rank Gate that had been assigned to him by the Association.

 

The Association also needed magic stones sometimes, so when they did, they would commission requests directly instead of going through guilds.

 

“Kroo! Kroo!”

 

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by two Minotaurs. The same creatures he had grown tired of seeing on Hwaseong.  It was almost nostalgic to see them again.

 

Kang Ian glanced at the sky. The sun was setting.

 

– Ding!

 

[Twilight Set Item effect activated.]

 

[Physical abilities increased by 20% until sunset.]

 

Kang Ian walked steadily towards the Minotaurs. 

 

A mace in one hand, a shield in the other.

 

“Koo-oooh-!”

 

One of the Minotaurs charged towards Kang Ian, fists clenched.

 

The sight of a massive, muscular monster charging could be intimidating, but Kang Ian’s gaze remained steady.

 

He waited for it to get closer.

 

– Thwack!

 

Headshot!

 

He swung the mace, crushing the Minotaur’s skull and sending it collapsing to the ground.

 

The giant creature fell with a single blow.  It was different from using a spear. Back then, he aimed for vital points. This time, he simply smashed its head.

 

The ‘Frost Strike Mace’s’ frost effect didn’t even trigger.  The freezing effect only applied to living targets. If they died in one hit, it didn’t activate.

 

However, the second option, ‘strength increased by 1.5 times,’ was quite significant.

 

It allowed him to overpower the Minotaur with sheer strength.

 

If he were to encounter the Four-Armed Minotaur, the boss monster from Hwaseong, again, he was confident he could win a one-on-one fight.

 

At his current level, with Intermediate Weapon Mastery, he could handle it alone.

 

‘I wonder how I’d fare in a B-rank Gate at this rate.’

 

He’d have to try raising his rank soon.

 

Kang Ian continued his steady advance. 

 

He moved confidently, casually dispatching any approaching monsters with a swing of his mace, reaching the end and acquiring the magic stone.

 

Completing a request was about as difficult as a walk in the park.

 

No, actually, since it doubled as a good workout, maybe it was even better.

 

***

 

Friday.  

 

Tomorrow was the weekend.  

 

Kang Ian had cleared his entire schedule for his appointment with Kang Hopoong.

 

However, he had something to do beforehand.

 

He arrived in Yeouido.

 

<Welcome to the International C-rank Hunter Forum!>

 

Similar banners hung everywhere.

 

The C-rank Hunter Forum, held annually. This year, the venue was Yeouido.

 

As a C-rank Hunter, Kang Ian was eligible to attend.

 

However, the real reason he was here was for the quest.

 

A quest to participate in the C-rank Forum and find a hidden Devil’s Artifact within.

 

‘Where could it be…’

 

The forum venue was quite large, so he hoped to find it quickly.

 

The forum was being held in a large building. As he was about to enter, he noticed a group of hunters gathered outside.

 

Curious, he approached and saw a punching machine. Not just any punching machine, but a special one designed for hunters.

 

A Japanese man stood before it.  With a confident expression, he took a stance and threw a punch.

 

– Bang!

 

A sound like an explosion echoed, and the score on the machine rapidly climbed.

 

Gasps of admiration rippled through the surrounding hunters.

 

“Wow. Look at him. That’s Nakao Ryusei.”

 

“Ryusei? That name sounds familiar.”

 

“You know, the genius hunter from Japan. The one specializing in strength.”

 

“Ah! I remember. The one they say will lead the next generation of Japanese Hunters?”

 

“That’s him.”

 

Intrigued, Kang Ian checked the score on the punching machine.

 

122,600

 

Around 120,000 points.

 

Was that high?

 

Tilting his head, Kang Ian felt a spark of interest and stepped forward. As a man, he couldn’t just pass up something like this.

 

Ryusei looked at Kang Ian with surprise.

 

After his punch, the other Hunters had only expressed admiration; none had shown any intention of trying themselves.

 

It was understandable.  Anyone who tried would be compared to him.

 

Yet, someone stepped forward confidently.

 

‘Brave, I’ll give him that.’ 

 

Ryusei chuckled inwardly.

 

He gestured for Kang Ian to give it a try.

 

Kang Ian stood before the punching machine.

 

Since it was the Hunter Forum, he was fully equipped.  He carried his mace on his back, which gave him the 1.5x strength boost. 

 

If others knew, they might call it cheating—but hey, nothing was stopping them from getting good gear too.

 

‘I’m curious.’

 

He’d overheard that the Japanese man was a hunter with considerable strength.  How would he measure up?

 

– Bang!

 

Kang Ian struck the punching machine with full force.

 

177,861

 

NEW RECORD!

 

The numbers flashed on the machine.

 

“???”

 

“????”

 

Ryusei and the surrounding hunters stared wide-eyed.