I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 65

Fame (2) 

 

Just how many Nobility points would he receive from the plaque?

The medal he received from the country last time was a 4th-Class Order of National Merit, almost the lowest rank among medals.

And the Nobility he received then was 500 points.

So this time?

Ding!

 

[You have been awarded a plaque from UHN.]

[Nobility +2000]

 

“!!???”

For a moment, Kang Ian almost let his jaw drop.

‘T-this… two thousand?’

But since cameras were still filming him, he forced himself to maintain his expression with all his might.

Only his eyes widened slightly.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Inside, his thoughts were in complete turmoil.

To be honest, he had expected to gain quite a lot of Nobility.

From 500 to maybe 1000 at most.

But to receive double that maximum?

“Thank you for your dedication to world peace, Hunter Kang Ian.”

An elderly UHN director handed him the plaque with a smile.

It was in English, so he didn’t fully understand… but it didn’t matter.

In this situation, even if they cursed at him, he was confident he could still smile brightly.

Holding the plaque with a beaming smile, Kang Ian turned toward the reporters.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

The photos quickly spread through the news.

 

<Korean Hunter Kang Ian Receives UHN Plaque!>

<Highly unusual for a C-rank hunter!>

<A young man who has brought honor to the nation!>

<A top prospect with a promising future emerges!>

 

Various articles appeared with Kang Ian’s photo as the main image.

Especially, the photo turned out incredibly well.

Kang Ian is holding the plaque and smiling brightly.

No one could think it was acting.

He was genuinely happy. If it were acting, he might as well become an actor.

There was also a lot of discussion in online communities.

 

[Wow. National pride overload, bartender!!]

[A Korean hunter getting a plaque from UHN… even B-rank hunters rarely get that. Our country might finally rise as a powerhouse of awakened individuals. If Kang Ian keeps growing, it’s possible.]

└ LOL, that’s going too far.

└ Agreed. You don’t become a powerhouse with just one or two hunters. You need a system, like the U.S.

└ But we have Kang Ian.

└ He’s still just a C-rank hunter. Sure, he seems nice or whatever, but C-rank is basically mid-tier.

└ Even B-rank isn’t enough to hype like this. Maybe A-rank, but…

└ Want a prediction? Kang Ian will definitely reach A-rank.

└ LOLLLLL. You think A-rank hunters are a joke?

 

A common issue that always followed fame… was the rise of heated debates about the person.

As fans increased, antis naturally increased too.

“How’s public opinion on Hunter Kang Ian? I just checked some communities, there’s a lot of chatter.”

“It’s not bad. Honestly, this is pretty manageable.”

Happiness Office was busy handling public response regarding Kang Ian.

Though the office was mostly made up of hunters, CEO Shim Junseok had recently hired an employee.

A regular office worker.

In reality, they were practically assigned exclusively to Kang Ian.

The other hunters in the office preferred a free lifestyle over work.

They only took on requests when they felt like it.

Which wasn’t often.

That was why they were in an office rather than a guild.

Naturally, they also preferred to stay out of the media.

On the other hand, Kang Ian was arguably the hottest topic among hunters these days.

So it became necessary to manage public perception in case it turned negative.

Shim Junseok couldn’t constantly monitor comments and communities himself, so he hired a dedicated staff member.

“Good. You’re doing well. At this point, we could even prepare something and lean into publicity.”

“Understood, sir.”

Things were going smoothly.

Everything was falling into place.

At that moment…

Ding

A notification sound indicated a new email.

Shim Junseok immediately checked it.

It was unexpected.

“Oh? What’s this?”

A named request targeting Kang Ian.

That alone wasn’t unusual.

He was receiving dozens of requests daily.

But something was different…

It wasn’t from a Korean guild.

Behemoth Guild.

A large American guild ranked within the top 30.

Being “top 30” wasn’t something to underestimate.

Maintaining that rank in the U.S., the strongest hunter nation, meant it was an incredibly powerful guild.

“What? Why would Behemoth Guild want our Kang Ian…oh, John Gibson is there.”

At first puzzled, Shim Junseok quickly understood.

He had heard that Kang Ian fought a Giant Mantis alongside John Gibson at the forum.

That must have led to this.

His guess was almost entirely correct.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

‘Perfect timing, too… right after receiving a UHN plaque. This is a great chance to expand internationally.’

Of course, the payment had to be right.

Even if it was an American guild, they couldn’t work for cheap.

The amount was…

“400,000 dollars?”

400,000 USD.

Over 500 million won.

This was a must-accept.

Even in the U.S., it wasn’t easy to offer that much to a C-rank hunter.

Shim Junseok checked the details with a grin.

Then his smile disappeared.

“Ah… damn. Land of the Dead… that place is tough.”

The Land of the Dead is a dangerous zone near San Francisco.

Classified as a B- danger zone.

A place where near-infinite numbers of zombies and ghouls appeared.

Despite the monsters not being high rank individually, their sheer numbers made it a B-rank zone.

And deeper inside, high-tier undead also appeared.

It was too dangerous to accept lightly.

The request from Behemoth Guild was to go there together.

‘This… I’ll need to discuss it with Kang Ian first.’

For now, on hold.

That was Shim Junseok’s decision.

 

*** 

 

After the ceremony, Kang Ian returned to the car.

He had somewhere to go.

During the ceremony, he had received a message from CEO Oh Youngjun of YJ Company.

 

[Congratulations on receiving the plaque. The sample preparation is complete. When you have time, please visit us so we can take your measurements and begin production. We should also discuss the advertisement, so please stop by.]

 

A polite message.

Kang Ian was touched.

This was a custom suit worth 10 billion won, after all.

He replied immediately.

 

[Can I come right now?]

 

After sending it, he wondered if it was too sudden.

The reply came instantly.

 

[Of course. The researchers and I are all here, so now would be perfect.]

 

“Oh…”

Then he should go right away.

Since the Association had provided a car, Kang Ian headed straight to YJ Company.

He really liked that a vehicle was provided, though he didn’t know how long it would last.

Manager Lee Seyoon couldn’t accompany him due to other duties, which she regretted.

Vroom

The car moved smoothly.

It had been modified for privacy, with a divider between the front and back seats.

Kang Ian took an item out of his inventory.

A small hexagonal box.

A familiar shape.

[Valhalla Random Box]

 When opened, one random skill or item will appear.

“Why does Valhalla love random boxes so much…”

This was a reward for defeating the evil minions at the gym the previous day.

He had saved it for later… but due to the sudden ceremony, he was only opening it now.

Honestly, he was excited.

What would come out?

He opened it immediately.

Flash!

A burst of light, and the box disappeared.

In its place was a pair of pure white gloves.

 

[Replica of Saint Bruta’s Gloves]

[Gloves once worn by Saint Bruta, who rose to the rank of cardinal. They contain the power he used to purge countless undead.]

[While worn, all undead within a 100m radius have their power reduced by 50%.]

[However, as a replica, it cannot fully contain the original’s power. The item will be destroyed after 30 days.]

 

Kang Ian was startled after checking the effect.

It was too good.

Reducing undead power by 50%?

That meant any undead would be halved in strength against him.

‘For the next month, I should only go to places with undead.’

It was a shame it only lasted 30 days… but he could just make the most of it.

He should tell CEO Shim to find such places.

 

*** 

 

After traveling for a while, Kang Ian arrived at YJ Company headquarters.

They occupied an entire large building in Yeoksam.

Seeing the grand building, he realized once again just how wealthy CEO Oh was.

“Welcome, Hunter Kang Ian. Looks like we’re meeting again after just a day.”

CEO Oh, waiting at the entrance, extended his hand.

“I saw the news. Congratulations on receiving the plaque.”

“Thank you.”

“Come on in.”

Kang Ian followed him inside.

“The Skeleton Tiger materials were the final puzzle piece. As soon as we got them, the formula was completed. I didn’t expect it to be this fast, but ever since meeting you, everything seems to be going smoothly.”

Oh Youngjun said this half-jokingly, but also half-serious.

After meeting Kang Ian, their previously stalled research had progressed rapidly.

They took the elevator down to B1, where the labs were located.

Rooms lined both sides of the hallway, with transparent windows showing busy researchers inside.

“Shall we start with measurements? I want to make it perfectly fitted for you.”

“Yes.”

Kang Ian nodded.

He was led to the fitting room, and measurements began.

A middle-aged staff member moved around him, measuring carefully.

“You have an excellent physique. A suit will look fantastic on you.”

“Thank you.”

Kang Ian smiled in satisfaction.

His workouts with Kang Hopung weren’t wasted.

CEO Oh added from the side:

“You’re perfect as you are right now.”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean, don’t become a walking refrigerator like Hoopung.”

“Ah…”

Hearing that said so seriously, Kang Ian unconsciously nodded.

But…

‘But Hopung’s physique is great too…’

Wasn’t that the dream body for gym-goers?

Still, it didn’t feel like something he should say aloud.

“We’re done.”

After finishing the measurements, the staff stepped back.

“That was quick.”

“Yes. We’ll begin production now, but before that, please try on a sample.”

They had already decided on a design.

They selected a size matching Kang Ian and handed it to him.

He entered the fitting room.

Meanwhile, researchers arrived.

“Sir, is Hunter Kang Ian here?”

“Yes. He just went to change.”

“Oh.”

They felt they came at the perfect time.

After all, he was the model who would wear their product.

They had to see this.

Soon…

Shhhk

The curtain opened, revealing Kang Ian in a full suit.

“Wow…!”

“…?”

The researchers unconsciously covered their mouths in shock.

Normally, Kang Ian wore casual tracksuits or hoodies.

Inside the gates, he wore armor.

So most media photos showed him like that.

But in a suit, he felt completely different.

‘He wears it insanely well… add makeup and styling, and he’ll surpass professional models.’

‘He really doesn’t dress up normally. If he did, people would go crazy.’

Those thoughts came naturally.

Then someone muttered:

“Wait a second… he’s kind, capable, rich… and now he has the physique and looks too…?”

…Does that even make sense?