I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 52

Assault (13)

 

Kang Ian opened two random boxes.

What came out of them were a “Gate Mission Ignore Scroll” and a “Helm of Twilight.”

The Gate Mission Ignore Scroll seemed like something whose usefulness would only become clear once it was actually used, but the Helm of Twilight alone was already a decent reward thanks to its set effect.

“It looks like they give something like this every 10 levels. If that’s the case, I should move even more actively just to level up.”

Just as Kang Ian was thinking that and considering what to do next…

Knock knock.

“?”

Someone knocked on the door outside.

Tilting his head slightly, Kang Ian spoke.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

The one who entered was Director Song Sangmin.

Kang Ian immediately stood up from his seat.

Not only was the man much older than him, but he was also a director of the UHN.

And aside from all that, he was a former A-rank Hunter.

That alone made him someone who could not be treated casually.

“Ah, please sit down. An injured person shouldn’t be standing up like that. You should be resting.”

“Oh, I’m not injured. I just happened to be guided here and was resting.”

“Really?”

While holding the meeting with the UHN staff, Song Sangmin had replayed Kang Ian’s combat footage from the CCTV several times.

It was an incredible performance and outstanding skill.

So much so that it was hard to believe he was a C-rank Hunter.

‘And yet he doesn’t have a single injury?’

Moreover, from the moment he entered, Song Sangmin had been carefully observing Kang Ian’s eyes.

A person’s eyes often reveal many emotions.

After going through such a major incident, most people would have all kinds of negative emotions swirling inside them.

But Kang Ian was different.

Within those kind eyes was firmly settled powerful strength.

“In truth, I came to ask Hunter Kang Ian for a rather difficult favor.”

Song Sangmin carefully began speaking.

“What do you think about the monster that burst out of Hunter Meladin’s body this time?”

“Uh…”

The sudden question caught Kang Ian off guard for a moment.

What did he think about it?

That the quest reward was nice, that the level-up reward was good… something like that?

But of course, he couldn’t say that, so while he was choosing his words, Song Sangmin continued.

“I imagine you must have been extremely shocked. We secured the CCTV footage and checked it, and judging from the circumstances, Meladin appeared to be attempting a terrorist attack. If it hadn’t been for Hunter Kang Ian, I believe enormous damage would have occurred. Once again, as a member of UHN, I would like to express my gratitude.”

After saying that, Song Sangmin stood up and bowed his waist 90 degrees.

Kang Ian hurriedly stopped him.

“Please don’t do that. It’s not something that deserves such thanks.”

“No, it absolutely is. You prevented a catastrophe. If things had gone wrong, the forum could have suffered massive casualties. Not only stopping the bomb attack, but also responding to the monster that suddenly appeared… that was an extremely admirable decision.”

“Haha…”

Kang Ian scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Being praised like this by a former A-rank Hunter made him embarrassed.

Besides, hadn’t Kang Ian seen it himself?

After defeating the Giant Mantis, the creature that tried to burst out of its stomach.

So-called Phase 2.

Kang Ian, John Gibson, and Nakao Ryusei… just standing before that thing had made their bodies freeze.

Yet hadn’t Song Sangmin dealt with it easily?

The nickname “Mage” hadn’t been given to him for nothing.

He truly wielded magic and eliminated the creature.

“Thanks to that response, what could have become tremendous damage was prevented. I will definitely repay this favor later. I swear it on my title of Mage.”

In truth, since it had been a quest objective, Kang Ian would have had to stop it even if no one had asked him.

But he simply stayed silent.

If someone was offering to do something for him on their own, it was only natural to keep his mouth shut.

“So, about that… may I ask you for a difficult favor?”

“What is it?”

“The fact that a monster came out of a person’s body is a serious matter. If that were revealed as it is, society would fall into great chaos. So we would like to borrow Hunter Kang Ian’s fame.”

“My fame…?”

“Who else has been receiving as much attention as you lately?”

A righteous man who didn’t chase money despite being a low-rank Hunter.

Somehow, that was how Kang Ian had become known.

Volunteer work, various rescue activities, and so on.

Normally, it was difficult for a low-rank Hunter to gain attention, yet Kang Ian had become famous.

Especially since he had recently received a medal.

“We’d like to ride on that fame a bit. We plan to hide the fact that the monster came from inside a human body, and only report that Hunter Kang Ian defeated it. Please. Help us.”

If that happened, the media’s attention would inevitably focus on Kang Ian.

Among Hunters, many disliked or found such attention troublesome.

Once exposed, the media kept following you endlessly.

So it was indeed a difficult favor.

However…

‘Becoming even more famous in the media…’

When Kang Ian heard that, he wondered if it really meant anything.

Wasn’t he already quite well known?

Would anything really change if more were added?

Rather than that, it would be better to place Song Sangmin in his debt.

Despite having once been a high-ranking Hunter, Song Sangmin showed no arrogance and maintained a polite attitude throughout.

Kang Ian found that favorable.

If he treated someone like this well, he probably wouldn’t be stabbed in the back.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

When Kang Ian nodded readily, Song Sangmin broke into a bright smile.

“This may have been a request you would dislike, yet you accepted it so willingly. Thank you very much!”

“Haha…”

Kang Ian didn’t say, “You won’t forget you promised to repay the favor later, right?”

Wouldn’t that look petty?

So he phrased it indirectly instead.

“You said it was for the public good, not for personal reasons. I thought it would be wrong to refuse simply because it might inconvenience me.”

So Director Song, when I ask for something later, please don’t refuse.

He hid that unspoken implication.

“Ah…!”

For a moment, Song Sangmin was speechless and stood there with his mouth slightly open.

In this era overflowing with money-obsessed fiends, did someone with such noble intentions exist?

It was as if a halo was shining around him.

Song Sangmin was sincerely moved.

‘Good heavens… Perhaps a true hero has appeared in our country…’

Of course, he would have to observe a little longer.

But Song Sangmin had definitely glimpsed that possibility.

 

***   

 

The moment Shim Junseok saw the breaking news about the Hunter Forum, he immediately jumped into a taxi and rushed over like a bullet.

“Kang Ian Hunter! A-are you injured anywhere?!”

When he heard Kang Ian was in a private hospital room, Shim Junseok had been so shocked he practically flipped out.

He ran over like crazy, but Kang Ian looked perfectly fine.

“I’m not injured. I was just resting.”

“Really? You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Phew.”

Shim Junseok sighed in relief.

Kang Ian was the golden goose of their office… if he had gotten hurt, that would have been a disaster.

Even though Shim Junseok himself was also a Hunter, he had rushed so quickly that he was slightly out of breath.

“So… what exactly happened here?”

“Ah, well…”

Kang Ian began explaining step by step.

Since he couldn’t talk about the quest, he simply said that Meladin had seemed suspicious, so he kept an eye on him.

Then he described knocking away the object in Meladin’s hand, revealing it to be a bomb, and the monster suddenly bursting out, which he then killed.

“A monster burst out? From inside a person’s stomach?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…”

Shim Junseok immediately realized how serious the situation was.

If this became public knowledge, unimaginable chaos would sweep through society.

“Did UHN say anything about it?”

“They did. Director Song Sangmin came and said he wanted to make use of my fame. Though it’s not like I have much fame… haha.”

“Come on. Aside from already famous Hunters, you’re probably the fastest-rising one these days. And if it’s Mage Song Sangmin… that’s a big figure who came personally. Well, of course. If they’re proposing a cover-up, someone responsible has to come. So what did they offer?”

“Nothing specific. For now, I just left it as a debt.”

“Really?”

Shim Junseok thought for a moment.

“Hm. You handled that well. Director Song can do an enormous number of things for you. In situations like this, rather than hastily naming something specific, it’s better to negotiate carefully. Leave that to me.”

Shim Junseok spoke with confidence.

“Is that alright? It’s something I should handle myself, so I feel a bit sorry.”

“Isn’t that exactly why the office exists? Leave things like this to me. I’m fairly confident in this kind of field. I’ll squeeze as much as possible out of Director Song.”

Shim Junseok clenched his fist tightly.

He looked incredibly reliable.

“Oh, right. Before I go, I’ll send you an email. Just take a look and review it.”

As he stood up to leave, Shim Junseok sent Kang Ian a file.

It was a request proposal.

“To summarize, it’s a request from the National Mana Crystal Research Institute. It’s a direct request for Hunter Kang Ian. Fifty million won upfront, and 450 million upon completion. A total contract worth 500 million won.”

“Five hundred million?”

Kang Ian was so surprised that he asked again.

Even the request Red Rose had offered earlier as repayment had been 150 million per job, totaling 300 million.

Even if Kang Ian had ranked up since then, 500 million for a single request was an enormous amount.

Didn’t that mean 6 billion a year if he did just one per month?

“Right? It’s strange, isn’t it? So I looked into it, and apparently that institute is stuck in a very troublesome dungeon.”

On the way in the taxi, Shim Junseok had used his connections to gather as much information as possible.

Even when in a hurry, he never forgot to do his job.

That was the kind of man Shim Junseok was.

“It’s a mission-type dungeon, and apparently it’s not something you can clear just by being good at killing monsters. They even sent in a B-rank Hunter. According to the information they got from a Hunter who escaped using a Dungeon Escape Scroll, clearing it was extremely difficult. They said they escaped right before failure due to the time limit.”

“A Dungeon Escape Scroll? Isn’t that extremely expensive and rare?”

“Yes. Apparently, the institute provided it as a precaution. Since it’s a national organization, they must have a few in stock.”

A Dungeon Escape Scroll.

A rare item that sometimes appeared as a gate-clear reward.

When used, it allowed you to escape from the dungeon.

For Hunters, it was practically an extra life, which made it extremely expensive.

Not to mention incredibly rare.

Naturally, mid- and low-rank Hunters would never even see one.

Only A-rank Hunters or higher, who were considered strategic national assets, used them.

At that moment…

‘A mission-type dungeon? Wait a second.’

A thought flashed through Kang Ian’s mind.

An item he had obtained from the random box and that was still sleeping inside his subspace.

 

[Gate Mission Ignore Scroll]

[ Item Effect: Any mission given inside the gate is treated as automatically successful.]

[Item Restriction: Can only be used in C-rank gates or lower.]

 

‘…Can’t I just use this?’

“Director, what’s the gate’s rank?”

“On the surface, it’s C-rank. That’s why the request came to you.”

“Then please accept the request. I’ll do it.”

“What? No… wouldn’t it be better to think about it more? Of course, I know Hunter Kang Ian’s ability is excellent, but this probably isn’t something you can clear just by having strong combat power. Don’t be blinded by the reward.”

“It’s fine. Tell them I’ll accept the request. I think I can clear it in ten minutes. Let’s go right away.”

“…What?”

Seeing Kang Ian so full of confidence, Shim Junseok felt worried.

‘Oh no. Things have been going too smoothly for him… his confidence must have grown too much…’

Times like this were dangerous.

The Hunter world was full of people who lost their lives after one small mistake.

Shim Junseok put on a serious expression.

Even if Kang Ian disliked it, he would have to say something harsh here.

That was his role.

“Hunter Kang Ian. Please don’t take my words the wrong way… just think of it as advice from someone who walked this path first. Of course, you’re extremely talented, but historically, there have been many Hunters like that, and the ones who died the most were those who overestimated their own abilities and–”

Blah blah blah.

“N-no… Director…”

“Just a moment. I’m not finished speaking yet. Please let me finish before you respond.”

“……”

Understanding his concern, Kang Ian decided to just listen for now.

And so…

Shim Junseok’s lecture continued for a full hour.

In Kang Ian’s life… it was the longest hour he had ever experienced.