I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 70

Fame (7)

 

“Haahp!”

When facing the rampaging Zombie Giant, Kang Ian charged in with a loud battle cry.

That wasn’t just a simple shout.

 

[Skill Book: Shout of Suppression]

[The ancient ancestors of Valhalla were not knights. They were warriors who acted according to their innate nature. Those who pursued only strength and instinct. Their cries contained a power that could bring enemies to their knees and restrict their actions.]

[Upon casting the cry, for 10 minutes, the movement speed of the caster and up to five allies increases by 20%, while the movement speed of enemies affected by the cry is reduced by 5%.]

 

A buff skill he had just recently purchased.

It increased allies’ movement speed and slowed enemies.

The rampaging Zombie Giant, true to its appearance, wasn’t particularly fast.

Instead, it was a monster that possessed a powerful, devastating blow.

The strategy Kang Ian chose against such an opponent was speed.

Why would he need to trade blows with something stronger?

‘So that’s why those minions of evil avoided fighting me head-on.’

They had been darting around, constantly attacking.

Back then, he had only blocked with his shield.

Because of that, the shield from that time was still sitting in his inventory, covered in dents.

Anyway, Kang Ian moved in circles around the Zombie Giant,

striking with his mace whenever he spotted an opening.

Crack!

With Kang Ian’s already great strength, combined with the mace that increased his strength by 1.5 times, one hit was enough to make the monster’s leg buckle.

And his shield didn’t stay idle either.

If he were acting as a tanker, he would have needed to keep the shield fixed in his hand to block attacks, but now it moved freely.

The “Floating Shield” skill lets it spin and fly through the air.

And it wasn’t just any shield.

Blades protruded from between its plates, and it even had a “Lesser Sharpness” enchantment built in.

Krrrrsh!

The shield shredded the Zombie Giant like a blender.

However, unlike ordinary zombies or skeleton soldiers, it didn’t get cut down in a single strike.

Still, it dealt meaningful damage.

That was enough.

“Grrraaaah!”

The Zombie Giant kept taking hits while chasing Kang Ian, swinging its fists.

Boom!

The ground cracked from the force, but it didn’t matter if it didn’t land.

Thanks to Shout of Suppression, Kang Ian was faster, and the monster was slower.

That difference was significant.

He kept circling the monster, striking whenever an opening appeared.

On top of that, Kang Ian’s mace had a 50% chance to deal additional lesser frost damage on hit.

It was already slow… if its body gradually froze on top of that, what could it even do?

Ding!

 

[You have defeated Evil]

[Evil Soul +197]

 

In the end, the monster collapsed far more quickly than one might expect for a boss.

“Phew.”

Kang Ian exhaled.

He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

‘Those minions of evil… they kept grinning while fighting me, like they were having fun. Now I get why.’

Toying with an opponent through speed was quite entertaining.

Defeating a boss without taking a single hit…

That was a new experience.

“……”

“……”

Behind him, the Ohseong Guild members stared blankly.

“H-Haha… Hunter Kang Ian. I’ve seen countless hunters, but I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

Team Leader Lee Jigwang said as he clapped.

As a team leader in a top-tier guild, he had seen many talented hunters.

Kang Ian was the best among all of them.

It felt like just yesterday he was F-rank… how had he become this strong so quickly?

And others felt that gap even more directly.

Go Chanwoo and Sung Soohyeok.

They had acknowledged Kang Ian’s skills and character.

Or so they thought.

But now that they had seen it firsthand, that wasn’t the case.

‘The gap… It’s even bigger than I thought.’

‘That’s supposed to be the same C-rank as me? No way… Even the team leader doesn’t seem that strong…’

They had thought the gap was something they could close with effort.

But not to this extent.

They were so shocked that they could only stare at Kang Ian in a daze.

Kang Ian glanced at them cautiously.

‘Why aren’t they saying anything? Are they upset because I took down the boss alone?’

Ordinary hunters didn’t gain Evil Souls as he did, nor did they receive experience.

That was why he had handled it himself.

But perhaps they didn’t like that.

It was understandable.

Fighting monsters was how they gained real experience… and grew stronger.

And he had monopolized the boss fight.

“Sorry.”

So Kang Ian apologized first.

“I ended up taking down the boss by myself. Even though we’re on the same team, I should have at least asked for your opinions… I acted too independently. I’m sorry.”

“??”

“???”

Of course, the two were dumbfounded.

No… why is he apologizing for that?

“I-It’s okay. Thanks to you, Hunter Kang Ian, we cleared it comfortably.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

In response, Kang Ian smiled brightly.

‘They’ve got good character.’

Their earlier expressions made it seem like they had complaints, but seeing how they smoothed things over like this…

As expected of Ohseong Guild members, their consideration was admirable.

 

***

 

Normally, mission-type gates collapse after the mission is completed and rewards are given.

This time, the mission was to eliminate the ancient Lich’s minions.

After completing it, a mana crystal and several items dropped.

“We’ll measure the mana crystal outside and divide it equally later. As for the items… they’re quite decent this time.”

A small dagger and two strange chunks of flesh.

“Are these really good?”

From Kang Ian’s perspective, they didn’t look impressive at all.

Having grown accustomed to Valhalla’s equipment, these seemed subpar.

“It’s rare for items to drop as rewards in a C-rank gate. These flesh chunks can also be analyzed and sold at a hunter shop for a high price. If used well to craft weapons or armor, they could become quite valuable.”

Or who knew…

They might even turn out to be a completely new material.

Many such discoveries had been made this way, so items obtained from inside gates held immense value.

However, not everything could be taken out… only special items like these rewards.

Lower-tier gates rarely even had missions, so usually only mana crystals were obtained.

Woooong!

“Oh, the dungeon is collapsing. Let’s head out first. We can discuss the settlement later.”

“Understood.”

Since the gates collapsed almost immediately after mission completion, they had to leave quickly.

The hunters exited.

And immediately, they were greeted by reporters.

“Congratulations on clearing the gate!”

“This was a joint raid between the Ohseong Guild and Hunter Kang Ian. How was it?”

Less than a minute had passed between receiving the rewards and exiting.

Go Chanwoo and Sung Soohyeok were still in shock.

The reporters hesitated briefly at their dazed expressions but continued.

“Hunter Go Chanwoo, this is your first time working directly with Hunter Kang Ian. How do you feel?”

The intent behind the question was obvious.

Go Chanwoo and Sung Soohyeok were known for their bad tempers.

They often dismissed reporters and looked down on less talented hunters.

Naturally, the reporters expected sharp remarks.

But…

“He was the best hunter I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t even come close.”

Go Chanwoo spoke calmly.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what I did inside. I just watched Hunter Kang Ian’s performance.”

“…Excuse me?”

The reporters looked confused.

Then they turned to Sung Soohyeok, who nodded in agreement.

“Really? But didn’t you at least feel it was manageable, or that Ohseong Guild showed its strength…”

“There was nothing like that. You can ask the team leader… he’ll say the same.”

At that, the reporters looked at Lee Jigwang, who nodded.

Some reporters shifted their attention to Kang Ian.

“Hunter Kang Ian, what did you think?”

If he said something like, “Even Ohseong Guild wasn’t much,” it would become a huge issue.

Though that was unlikely…

Kang Ian smiled and answered:

“I realized once again why Ohseong Guild is called the best in the country. I was fortunate to work with such excellent people on this request…”

“……”

“……”

He spoke sincerely, but the reporters sighed internally.

‘They said he was nice… and it’s true.’

‘I thought we’d get something more sensational…’

Being too nice could be a problem.

 

***

 

After the raid, Kang Ian immediately went off to do volunteer work.

Skipping the after-party was expected, so Team Leader Lee Jigwang didn’t mind.

But Go Chanwoo and Sung Soohyeok also declined.

“We’re going to train, sir.”

Kang Ian’s performance had inspired them.

They wanted to return to the guild and train immediately.

Lee Jigwang smiled with satisfaction and allowed it.

Afterward, he went to the Happiness Office to meet Shim Junseok.

“I’m telling you, it was a great call assigning that request to Hunter Kang Ian. If those two had stayed the same, they’d have caused a big problem eventually. But now… even their eyes have completely changed.”

“That’s good to hear, hyung.”

“He should’ve joined our guild… I shouldn’t have introduced him to you.”

Lee Jigwang looked at Shim Junseok with lingering regret.

Shim snorted.

“You know he chose our office because of the freedom. If it were about money or treatment, he would’ve gone to Ohseong or Red Rose.”

“That’s true, but… sigh…”

“Thanks to you introducing him, my life’s been great lately. I’m happy every day.”

“Then treat him well.”

“Of course. I’ll send you premium Korean beef this Chuseok.”

“Not me… I mean Kang Ian. His contract with you isn’t that long, right? If you treat him carelessly, another guild or office will snatch him away.”

“….”

Shim winced.

Lee Jigwang was right.

The more famous Kang Ian became, the more “hyenas” would come after him.

Seeing Shim’s troubled expression, Lee laughed.

Then he went on to describe Kang Ian’s performance in detail.

Undead monsters that practically melted before him.

Hearing that, Shim recalled a request sitting in his drawer.

‘He fought that well against the undead…’

A request from the Behemoth Guild is worth over 500 million.

It was for a joint raid in the B- rank danger zone, Land of the Dead… so he had discouraged Kang Ian from accepting it.

But after hearing such praise, he couldn’t just oppose it outright.

‘…I should talk to Kang Ian and send the acceptance email today.’

It seemed Kang Ian might soon head to the United States.

A sudden worry crept in.

He was rising too quickly.

Lee Jigwang’s words stirred unease.

What if even major American guilds started sending offers?

‘No… surely not…’

Shim frowned.

That man always said things that made people anxious.

‘…I should at least book his flight to the U.S. in first class… even if I pay for it myself.’

If it meant extending Kang Ian’s contract, that much was more than worth it.