I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 53

Author: Cireng

Assault (14)

It was extremely difficult to calm Shim Junseok down.

He couldn’t reveal that he possessed an item that would guarantee success for any gate’s internal mission, so all he could do was ask Shim Junseok to trust him.

Shim Junseok kept advising that they should remain vigilant.

Since Kang Ian understood his concerns, he listened without thinking of it as nagging… but it was still very long.

“Director. Then why don’t you come with me? I’ll show you as well.”

“…Yes. Let’s do that.”

Shim Junseok nodded.

It might actually be better for him to go together with Kang Ian.

After all, it would be difficult to meet Director Song Sangmin right now.

He would be running around busily trying to deal with the incident that broke out at the Hunter Forum.

‘I’ll have to contact Director Song later myself.’

Shim Junseok stood up from his seat.

“You said you weren’t injured, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then if we stay here any longer, we might get dragged into something troublesome, so should we leave first?”

Right now, people were still evacuating, and the situation hadn’t been fully grasped yet, but it wouldn’t be long before reporters swarmed in like a hive of bees.

Moreover, Director Song had said he would cover up the issue of this incident with Kang Ian’s performance, so escaping quickly was the best option.

The two of them quickly left the Hunter Forum.

***

A YouTuber named Han Yuju, who runs a channel called “Yuju Unni”, started another live broadcast today.

“Yu-ha~ Welcome everyone~.”

[hi! hi!]

[Yuha!]

[Your face is working hard again today!]

Even though she had just started the livestream, the viewer count had already exceeded 2,500.

She had become quite a sizeable YouTuber.

Originally, the Yuju Unni channel mostly focused on beauty, mukbang, and talk content, but recently, things have changed slightly.

She still did those things, but the topic of her talks had become almost entirely focused on one thing.

“Actually, the reason I came on, even though this isn’t my regular broadcast time, is because I saw some breaking news. You all saw it too, right?”

[I knew it… figured that’s why you started the stream.]

[I hoped it wouldn’t be, but… of course it is.]

[As expected, you never fail our predictions.]

Han Yuju pulled up several breaking news articles.

The last article included a photo of Kang Ian charging toward the Giant Mantis.

It seemed to have been taken accidentally in the chaos; the composition was terrible, and the image was blurry.

But ironically, that made Kang Ian stand out even more.

The figure of a hero running straight into danger!

“Kyaaa! Look at this! It’s Hunter Kang Ian! Isn’t he super handsome?!”

Han Yuju clasped her cheeks and squealed dramatically.

[Isn’t it a stretch to call him super handsome?]

[More like… pleasant looking?]

[Pleasant looking my ass. I’m more handsome than him lol. He’s totally average.]

“What are you talking about? Someone like him could debut as a celebrity immediately. Who just said that? I’m putting you on the blacklist.”

[Tyranny! Tyranny!]

[She only listens to what she wants to hear lol.]

“Yep~ My channel. Anyone insulting Hunter Kang Ian gets banned~.”

And just like that, Han Yuju actually added the user who called Kang Ian average to the blacklist.

[Wait… she really banned him.]

[R.U.N.]

[Move! Move!]

[Run!]

[Hunter Kang Ian really is handsome ^^]

[Good personality, great skills, and handsome too! Seems like the best man in the country.]

The chat scrolled rapidly.

Han Yuju snorted.

“See? You only start telling the truth once the sword comes out. And also…he’s not just the best in the country.”

[? Then what?]

[Ah. So you admit he’s still lacking compared to A-rank hunters.]

“He’s not the best in the country… he’s the best in the world. Where else could you find someone like Hunter Kang Ian?”

Han Yuju cupped her now-reddened cheeks with both hands.

[ …She’s seriously gone.]

[Who said he’d marry you?]

[If Kang Ian saw this, he’d sue you for defamation.]

“Hey! What defamation? Am I not allowed to say what I want?!”

Han Yuju slammed the desk with a bang.

Ever since Kang Ian saved her from a burning apartment during the Mars Gate Rampage Incident, she had become his hardcore fan.

About every thirty minutes, she searched his name on portals to see if any new news appeared, scoured communities for sightings…

It was practically a feverish obsession.

If she were just a little more sinister, she might have become a stalker.

Instead of doing anything illegal, she used her profession and talked about Kang Ian a lot on her broadcasts.

Fortunately, public perception of Kang Ian had recently been good, so many viewers had flowed into her channel.

As the saying goes, crisis and opportunity arrive together.

Her channel had exploded during the Mars Gate Rampage incident, and somehow she continued rising smoothly afterward.

“Sigh. But what’s the point of talking about him here with you guys? Hunter Kang Ian won’t even notice. It’s all pointless. Totally pointless…”

[ Hey… pointless? Other YouTubers work so hard just to secure viewers.]

[The disrespect toward viewers lol.]

[I like it! Thrilling!!]

[??? Who wrote that above chat… what a dangerous guy.]

Quite a few peculiar(?) viewers actually enjoyed Han Yuju’s attitude.

Then…

[Why not make a fan café? Sometimes celebrities meet the fan café managers if the café becomes active.]

“Hunter Kang Ian’s fan café?”

Han Yuju noticed the chat message and murmured.

“Wait… why didn’t I think of that? That’s actually a great idea.”

Suddenly energized, Han Yuju jumped up from her slouched posture.

“Starting today, I’m making a fan café for Hunter Kang Ian. All my channel subscribers will join, right?”

She smiled sweetly toward the camera.

[As if.]

[Why would we?]

[Did you already forget you said everything here was pointless one minute ago?]

“Ah. I sincerely apologize for that. So everyone join! While I’m asking nicely!”

[Since when was Korea a dictatorship?]

[That’s scary lol.]

***

National Crystal Research Institute.

At first, it had been established as a public institution to study crystal stones.

After the new material called crystal stones appeared, it was thanks to research institutions like this that their applications were discovered.

A nearly perfect eco-friendly energy resource.

On top of that, the energy output was enormous, so most power plants now operated using crystal stones.

Of course, oil was still used, but things had changed greatly compared to the past.

Because of crystal stones, the status of hunters had risen.

Wasn’t each hunter practically like an oil-producing country?

Kang Ian and Shim Junseok arrived in front of the institute.

“You’re really going to do it right away? After what just happened at the Hunter Forum…”

“Yes. I’m confident I can finish it quickly. It’s better to finish everything and rest afterward.”

Shim Junseok tried persuading him to take a break, but Kang Ian was firm.

Since he said so, Shim Junseok, who stood in the position of advisor, had no choice.

Instead, he resolved inwardly.

‘I’ll squeeze out everything we can from them.’

Soon, the appointment time arrived.

Inside the institute, they met someone.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Naeun, the research team leader.”

She had long brown hair tied loosely into a ponytail.

If she hadn’t introduced herself as a researcher, she could easily have been mistaken for an actress.

Her white lab coat was stained with various things, and dark circles were visible beneath her eyes, along with obvious fatigue.

Even so, it couldn’t hide her beauty.

“So you’re the famous hunter these days. Hunter Kang Ian, right?”

“Yes.”

Kang Ian nodded as Lee Naeun looked at him.

It seemed she still hadn’t seen the breaking news released today.

“Since you came here, that means you’re accepting the request, right?”

“Before that, we’d like to clarify a few things.”

Shim Junseok stepped forward.

Kang Ian leaned back slightly, as if entrusting everything to him.

Lee Naeun’s gaze shifted to Shim Junseok as he continued.

“Fifty million in advance and four hundred fifty million upon completion. Correct?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re requesting that we clear the gate and hand over all by-products obtained inside?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll also provide a Dungeon Escape Scroll, correct?”

“…Excuse me?”

Lee Naeun blinked as if she didn’t understand what he meant.

“We heard roughly what happened. Even a B-rank hunter entered but failed to clear it and had to retreat. Hunter Kang Ian is currently C-rank. If something goes wrong, he could lose his life for nothing. You should guarantee a safety measure.”

“……”

Lee Naeun couldn’t answer.

After all, a Dungeon Escape Scroll wasn’t something easily handed over.

However…

“Yes. I’ll provide one. Then will you accept the request?”

“???”

This time, it was Shim Junseok who was shocked.

His eyes widened.

‘She’s really giving us an escape scroll? What on earth are they trying to obtain from that gate?’

Dungeon Escape Scrolls were extremely rare items.

You couldn’t obtain them just because you had money.

If that were possible, the guilds backed by countries all over the world would have bought them all already.

In fact, that was basically happening already… but even so, their numbers were extremely limited.

Yet she was willing to give such a valuable item just to commission this request?

No one knew what items might be obtained inside a gate until you actually entered it.

Aside from the guaranteed crystal stones, no one could know what else would appear.

“Then I’d like to go immediately instead of wasting time. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

When Lee Naeun looked at Kang Ian, he nodded.

In fact, finishing quickly was exactly what Kang Ian wanted.

“Then let’s go. The gate isn’t far from here. I’ll guide you.”

***

Shrrrk.

Kang Ian disappeared into the gate.

Shim Junseok watched his back.

Though he was still uneasy, he felt somewhat reassured.

He had told Kang Ian to use the scroll and escape immediately if anything happened.

Meaning Kang Ian shouldn’t be in real danger.

Shim Junseok turned his gaze.

“Alright. Now that the player has entered, let’s talk among ourselves. What exactly are you trying to obtain here? And why Hunter Kang Ian in particular? Even giving a treasure like a dungeon escape scroll.”

“……”

Shim Junseok’s sharp questions.

Lee Naeun didn’t answer.

“Are you really going to stay silent like this?”

“…The first question is classified. I can’t answer it. But I can tell you why we requested Hunter Kang Ian.”

“Then tell me that at least.”

“It’s simple. There are many news reports saying Hunter Kang Ian is a kind person. That’s why.”

“…What?”

“We heard some information from the hunters who escaped midway. They said that unless a hunter truly has a kind and gentle heart, completing the mission would be difficult.”

“What kind of…”

What kind of ridiculous reason was that?

Just as Shim Junseok was about to question further…

Wooooong!

“!!!”

“!!?”

The gate vibrated, then gradually faded and began to disappear.

Any hunter would immediately recognize this phenomenon.

It meant the gate had been cleared.

“How is that even possible!?”

But what was truly shocking was the time.

It felt like it had only been about ten minutes since he entered!