I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 55

Author: Cireng

Assault (16)

Kang Ian received the wave detector.

He carefully placed it inside his coat.

Ideally, he would have liked to store it in his subspace, but unfortunately, objects from reality couldn’t be put into subspace.

‘I owe her a big one.’

Lee Naeun’s research had been a success.

However, it was too dangerous.

Guild Master Tezeros had said that if the source of evil left the Gate, the world itself would become contaminated.

If her research continued, she would likely try to locate the source of evil and study it.

And then a problem might occur.

It would be better to stop the research here.

Anyway, she said she would soon have to start working on projects sponsored by corporations, so she wouldn’t be able to touch this matter anymore. In that sense, it worked out well.

And since Kang Ian had taken the wave detector with him, there was little chance that anyone else would get their hands on the source of evil and do something stupid with it.

‘With this, I can go around finding the sources of evil and destroying them myself. I’ll get evil souls and nobility too… two birds with one stone.’

So Kang Ian took a scroll out of his pocket.

“This hasn’t been used, so I’ll return it.”

He had received such a big gift already; Kang Ian wasn’t shameless enough to swallow the scroll on top of that.

“Ah! Hunter Kang Ian!”

Shim Junseok cried out in surprise.

Once you received something, there was no need to give it back, whether you used it or not.

Especially when the item was something as valuable as a Dungeon Escape Scroll.

And he was trying to return it!?

Shim Junseok quickly leaned in and whispered in Kang Ian’s ear.

“You don’t have to return that! Just quietly keep it!”

But Kang Ian shook his head.

“You must’ve gone through trouble to obtain this, Researcher. It’s only right that I return it.”

At those words, Lee Naeun was genuinely surprised.

‘Wow… there’s actually a hunter like this in the world.’

She had heard that he was a rare kind of person these days… kind and righteous.

But she had been half-skeptical.

After all, the media could fabricate whatever they wanted.

On top of that, being a hunter was a profession with power, money, and prestige.

Because of that, most hunters acted bluntly without caring about what others thought.

There was a reason hunters were often described as “rude” or “acting like they’re nobles.”

But the Kang Ian she saw in person was different.

“…You don’t have to give that back. I received it from a sponsoring company anyway. I don’t have any use for it.”

“But still…”

“Instead, could you give me your number?”

“Excuse me?”

Startled by the unexpected request, Kang Ian flinched slightly. Lee Naeun let out a small laugh.

“It’d be good to stay in touch from now on. I’m actually a pretty capable researcher in this field. We might end up working together someday.”

“Ah. In that case, I should be the one asking for that favor first.”

A researcher like Lee Naeun would be an enormous help if he formed a connection with her.

The wave detector alone proved that.

Likewise, for Lee Naeun, having a hunter she could trust when it mattered was also a good thing.

A win-win situation.

The two smiled as they exchanged numbers and shook hands.

***

Modern people walked with straighter shoulders when their bank balance was reassuring.

By that standard, today was the day Kang Ian walked with the straightest shoulders of his life.

Balance: 1,163,641,000 won

1.16 billion won!

As soon as the request was completed, Lee Naeun immediately transferred the money to his account.

Since the split with the Happiness Office was 9 to 1, an additional 460 million won, including the advance payment, had been deposited.

He had also completed several expensive requests before this, so before he knew it, this much money had accumulated in his bank account.

‘I… have over a billion won?’

It felt like a dream.

It hadn’t been long since he was just a job seeker.

Back then, even ordering a single 20,000-won fried chicken required serious deliberation.

The contrast between then and now felt surreal.

Of course, next year he would have to pay a massive comprehensive income tax, but for now, the balance he saw in his bank account was incredibly reassuring.

‘I should move.’

So he finally decided to move, something he had been putting off for a long time.

After parting ways with Lee Naeun, Kang Ian and Shim Junseok arrived together at the Happiness Office.

“Director.”

“Yes?”

“I’m planning to move. Could you help me find a good place?”

“Oh! Of course!”

Shim Junseok brightened immediately.

Honestly, Kang Ian handled everything so efficiently on his own that Junseok often felt like he had nothing to do.

If he could help even with something like this, he welcomed it.

“Offices and guilds like ours receive a lot of good real estate listings.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Hunters tend to have strong financial power.”

As he spoke, Shim Junseok quickly printed several documents.

He handed them to Kang Ian.

“How about this place? It’s an apartment with a direct view of the Han River. It’s a luxury residential complex, so security, living environment, internal facilities… everything is top-notch. The view is excellent too.”

He flipped through several photos.

Through the wide living room windows, the Han River stretched out beautifully.

It was a breathtaking sight.

“Ah…”

Without realizing it, Kang Ian found his gaze drawn to the photos.

He had never lived in a house like that in his life, and it immediately captured his heart.

“I… I’ll take this one.”

“A great choice. This is truly a good listing.”

Shim Junseok gave a thumbs-up.

“But how much does it cost?”

“8.5 billion won.”

“???”

What?

How much?

The confidence Kang Ian had been overflowing with just moments ago instantly deflated.

“Um… aren’t there other places?”

“Other places? Don’t you like it? For the price, it’s hard to find a listing this good. It’s amazing value…”

“I like it, but… I only have about 1.1 billion won…”

Kang Ian’s shoulders slumped.

Seeing that, Shim Junseok laughed.

“Haha. What are you worried about? Just take a loan.”

“…How do you take a 7-billion-won loan?”

“Hunting professionals can get loans like that. Of course, not just any hunter… usually B-rank and above. But even though you’re officially C-rank, Hunter Kang Ian would pass immediately with the Association.”

Shim Junseok spoke confidently.

For extremely high-income professions like hunters, loans of that scale were possible.

And if it somehow didn’t work out, Shim Junseok was even considering pulling money together and lending it himself interest-free.

If spending that kind of money could firmly earn Kang Ian’s favor, it would be a profitable deal!

“So you like the house, right?”

“Uh… yes.”

“Understood. Then I’ll handle the rest. Please get some rest.”

Shim Junseok stood up to get moving.

‘Seven billion? For Hunter Kang Ian, it wouldn’t even take a year to pay it back.’

Actually, maybe not even a year.

At the rate he was progressing, it might even be done in six months.

***

While Kang Ian was busy entering Gates and handling requests,

South Korea… and the entire world, fell into chaos.

<Shock! Monster Appears at Hunter Forum!>

Normally, monsters only emerged when a Gate went out of control.

But that hadn’t happened at this forum.

Yet one still appeared.

And it wasn’t a weak monster… it was a Giant Mantis.

The Hunter Forum attracted global attention.

Although the C-Rank Forum was the lowest tier, it was still a gathering place for promising hunters who would lead the future.

Naturally, public attention was focused on it.

UHN even released CCTV footage.

People were shocked by two things.

First, a monster had appeared in the middle of Yeouido… inside the banquet hall where the forum was taking place.

Second, Kang Ian’s combat ability.

—Oh my God! Who is that hunter?

—Isn’t he doing more than John?

—He’s practically holding the Giant Mantis down by himself!

—The other hunters look like they’re just assisting him.

—And those “supporting hunters” are John and Nakao Ryusei??

In terms of global fame, Kang Ian was still almost unknown.

At best, he had recently gained a bit of recognition within Korea.

Yet in the released CCTV footage, it wasn’t John Gibson of the U.S. or Nakao Ryusei of Japan who stood out… it was Kang Ian.

At the same time, UHN subtly released materials online.

Kang Ian’s achievements.

His volunteer activities in Korea.

Photos of him running into a burning apartment during a Gate outbreak.

This was an era where hunters pursued power and capital.

That wasn’t wrong.

The world was ruled by capitalism.

And because of that, the world cheered at the appearance of a hunter like Kang Ian.

—He’s a hero!

—If he were American, I’d call him Captain immediately.

—He even uses a shield!

—I’m calling him Captain even if he’s Korean!

And at that moment, Kang Ian’s fan café was launched.

“Please give lots of love and support to KangSaMo~!”

Han Yuju enthusiastically promoted it during her livestream.

—KangSaMo? The Kang Ian Lovers Club?

“Yes, that’s right~.”

—What’s with that fake expression?

—Just talk normally like you always do. Why the formal speech… It’s awkward.

“Seriously. This will be edited and uploaded to YouTube later. If I talk casually to you guys there, it’ll look weird.”

—That’s exactly what being fake means…

“Do you want to die? Should I perform the sword dance again?”

—sry sry

—Who dares criticize Goddess Yuju!

—Strike that man down!

—Tyrant… mmph!!

—Anyway, great timing. I think Kang Ian has been appearing in foreign news lately. How did you launch the fan café right now?

Han Yuju’s eyes sparkled as she read the last comment.

“Hehe. Doesn’t it mean Kang Ian-nim is blessed by divine protection? So hurry up and join. Foreign fans are already joining too-kyah!”

Han Yuju held onto a hopeful thought.

If she kept growing the fan café, she might one day meet Kang Ian again.

A slightly selfish hope from the fan café’s administrator.

***

Kang Ian had started attracting attention not only domestically but internationally.

Thanks to that, UHN was able to hide the truth… that the monster had burst out from inside a human body.

Just as they had planned.

News about Kang Ian flooded the media.

As a result, even his family couldn’t avoid seeing how famous he had become.

“…What the hell.”

Kang Isol.

She was Kang Ian’s younger sister.

Her dreadful exam week had finally ended.

She had barely gotten a single day off and could finally reconnect with civilization.

So she turned on the news… and the first thing she saw was her brother’s name.

“Is that really my brother?”

No matter how she looked at it, it was him.

The photos and videos made it obvious.

His clothes were different, but…

After living together for more than twenty years, how could she not recognize him?

The last time she talked with her classmates about it, she was already dumbfounded, but she had been too busy preparing for exams to contact him.

Now she has finally called.

Normally, she only heard updates about him from their parents once in a while.

Ring… ring…

She called her brother for the first time in a long while.

Soon, he answered.

—Yeah. What’s up?

“Oppa, where are you?”

—Me? Moving.

“Moving?”

Suddenly?

“Where to? Actually, that’s not even important right now. I have a ton of questions. When did you awaken? What are all these news reports about? And…”

—Wait. Wait a second. Just come here first. I’m busy right now anyway, and it’ll be faster to talk in person.

“Alright. Where is it?”

—I’ll send you the address.

The call ended.

A moment later, an address arrived.

She opened the map and searched for the location.

Then…

“…In front of the Han River?”

Kang Isol’s eyes widened.