I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 73

Fame (10)

 

At the warning of a villain’s appearance, Kang Ian rushed out.

“Wow…”

Hong Dasom watched his retreating figure and felt deeply moved.

Freelancer hunters like Kang Ian or herself didn’t really need to step in for incidents like this.

No, other hunters were the same.

Only guild-affiliated hunters who received a mandatory mobilization request from the Association would usually move; most people prioritized their own safety.

A hunter’s body was their livelihood… if they got injured fighting a villain, that would be a huge problem.

On top of that, villains appeared far more frequently than one might expect. If someone stepped up every single time, their body wouldn’t last.

Unlike monsters, whose attack patterns were somewhat predictable, villains were human… and therefore far more dangerous.

‘And yet… he ran out without a moment’s hesitation…’

Before, when she saw Kang Ian, she felt a wall because of his genius. And now, she felt something similar again.

A hunter worthy of respect.

Different from the selfish hunters of today, who only move for money.

She glanced around.

The staff and researchers present all seemed to feel the same.

Everyone was staring blankly at the place Kang Ian had run toward.

Finally, Hong Dasom’s gaze turned to CEO Oh Youngjun.

Since things had fallen apart right before the commercial shoot, wouldn’t he be upset?

“Well, this works out.”

But he merely shrugged.

“We’ve been wanting to test the suit we developed on a real villain someday. Didn’t expect that opportunity to come this soon.”

He was smiling, clearly in a good mood.

“Let’s wait until Hunter Kang Ian returns. Or… would you like to go as well, Hunter Hong Dasom?”

CEO Oh Youngjun asked.

He wouldn’t ask such a question to an ordinary hunter.

But Hong Dasom’s eyes had been wavering intensely since earlier, as if caught in a storm.

He recognized the burning determination within them.

Hong Dasom clenched her fist and nodded.

“Yes!”

Then she ran toward where Kang Ian had already disappeared.

“Wait for me! let’s go together!”

She hurriedly chased after him.

Watching her back, Oh Youngjun broke his usual cold expression and smiled warmly.

‘If I had more juniors like these, I wouldn’t have retired and would still be working as a hunter.’

He could now understand why Kang Hoopung was still active.

It must be fun to discover and nurture juniors who share the same ideals.

 

***

 

When a villain’s warning is issued, civilians usually evacuate.

Realistically, they can’t always reach a shelter, so most stay indoors… at home or in offices, and those outside try to get inside somewhere as quickly as possible.

But on the contrary, some people headed toward such villains.

Reporters.

Whether out of a sense of duty or for the sake of views, they willingly risked their lives to come to the scene.

Of course, they didn’t get too close… they kept a minimum distance and stayed nearby.

“U-uh… uh…”

But this time, that distance didn’t matter.

“Haha. Mr. Reporter. Why are you shaking so much? Huh? You think I’m gonna kill you?”

A young thug-looking man with piercings and tattoos all over his face leaned into the reporter’s camera.

“You’re recording this, right? Is it coming out well?”

“……”

The reporter trembled, unable to respond.

The villain, who had been wandering the streets firing off skills and attacking randomly, approached the reporters when they arrived.

Then he grabbed one of them and grinned.

“Hehe. What should I do to make this fun~”

He deliberately stuck out his tongue as he laughed.

His tongue was also filled with piercings, making for a grotesque sight.

However, unlike his appearance, the villain was quite intelligent.

Despite acting clueless, he constantly scanned his surroundings, assessing the situation.

‘Should I start soon?’

Lee Jongchan.

Unlike villains who suddenly lost their minds or lashed out recklessly, he belonged to an organized villain group.

A rookie of the villain organization “Belfam.”

He was someone who had decided to become a villain right after awakening.

There were more people like that than one might expect.

 

[Why should we, who have power, be controlled by the country and the Association?]

[I refuse. We will live as we please!]

 

Groups that followed such ideals.

The state labeled them as villains and regulated them.

Villain organizations in Korea usually operated in the shadows, so their members had to stay hidden.

Causing trouble would only make things complicated.

Lee Jongchan hated that.

Starting from the bottom as a rookie… how long would it take to rise?

He figured if he made a flashy debut, he could rise quickly.

So he caused this incident.

If his face and name became known, Belfam would have no choice but to notice him.

“Hey, reporters. Make sure you film me well, alright? Did I say my name? I’m Lee Jongchan. Don’t forget it.”

Lee Jongchan grinned.

He planned to cause a scene here and run away as soon as someone strong from the Association showed up.

That way, he’d make headlines immediately.

Korea had good land and strong public safety, making things risky, so he even planned to go abroad.

Some countries had fallen into the hands of villains.

He’d stay somewhere like that, then sneak back in once things cooled down.

Then even Belfam wouldn’t be able to ignore him.

Lee Jongchan raised his hand.

He intended to make the reporter he grabbed into a sacrifice.

As he brought his hand down…

Swoosh!

“!”

Something flew in and blocked him in front of the reporter.

Clang!

His punch was stopped.

“…A shield?”

It was a shield, floating in midair.

Startled, Lee Jongchan let go of the reporter.

The reporter collapsed to the ground, legs giving out, unable to even run.

Lee Jongchan stepped back slightly, and in that moment, someone rushed in at incredible speed and stopped.

“…What’s with this guy in a suit?”

He thought a hunter sent by the Association had arrived… but instead, it was a man dressed in a suit.

And annoyingly handsome, too.

Lee Jongchan frowned.

“Are you alright?”

Kang Ian didn’t pay him any attention.

He simply kept the villain in check with the shield while helping the reporter up carefully.

Ding!

 

[You have rescued a civilian from a villain.]

[Nobility +97]

 

‘Nice. This is it!’

Kang Ian cheered inwardly.

This was a level of Nobility he could never get from his usual daily volunteer work.

“Stay behind me. It’s dangerous if you come forward.”

“Y-yes… th-thank… thank you…”

The reporter muttered, still out of his mind.

Kang Ian then turned his gaze to Lee Jongchan.

Lee Jongchan was wondering who this suited guy was, but then realized the face looked familiar.

“Ah! You!”

“?”

“Kang… Kang… Kang Ian! Right! It’s him!”

Since Kang Ian had been on the news multiple times recently, Lee Jongchan recognized him.

“Oh! What is this! A celebrity showed up?”

Kang Ian looked quite different now, dressed neatly in a suit.

But Lee Jongchan had remembered his face well.

“Hahaha. I always wanted to beat you up if I ever met you. The way you act pisses me off… and I figured beating you would make me famous. And now we meet here?”

He grinned.

Crackle!

Yellow lightning began to spark around him.

Lee Jongchan had lightning-type abilities, a troublesome opponent.

There was a reason he dared to cause such an incident.

In terms of skill, he believed he shouldn’t even be considered a rookie.

“If someone strong showed up, I was gonna run… but I’ll kill you first. Hey, reporters over there! Film this properly!”

He shouted to other reporters hiding at a distance.

Then he looked at Kang Ian.

The lightning around him expanded to about a 3-meter radius.

Kang Ian stood at the edge of it.

“Heh. Stings, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

Kang Ian tilted his head.

It did sting… but only barely.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of the suit or his own resistance.

‘Not sure what his ability is… but I’ll deal with him first.’

Kang Ian pulled out a mace from his subspace.

It materialized in his hand, and he swung it immediately.

Lee Jongchan’s eyes widened.

Kang Ian, who should’ve been immobilized by the lightning, was moving… perfectly fine.

And not just moving, attacking.

He hurriedly raised his arms to block.

Boom!

“Gahhh!”

He was sent flying, coughing blood.

Both his arms twisted grotesquely.

On top of that, the mace’s effect was activated, freezing the surface of his arms.

‘W-what is this?’

He couldn’t process the situation.

Nothing was going as he expected.

But he didn’t have time to lose focus.

He struggled to stand up.

Kang Ian, who had been standing far away, began walking toward him.

Pure fear.

Lee Jongchan’s expression completely changed.

He released lightning again.

Crackle!

This time, instead of spreading, the lightning gathered.

It compressed into the shape of an arrow and shot toward Kang Ian.

Seeing that, Kang Ian summoned all his armor from subspace and equipped it.

Then he called his shield into his hand and blocked the lightning arrow.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted.

The asphalt shattered, and dust scattered everywhere.

Moments later, Kang Ian emerged from the settling dust… completely unharmed.

“N-no way!”

Lee Jongchan screamed in shock.

This attack was his strongest.

At such close range, no one should be able to block it head-on.

Even if blocked, they should be paralyzed from electrocution.

But Kang Ian was walking toward him as if nothing had happened.

The same as before.

Covered in armor, he looked terrifying.

“Damn!”

Lee Jongchan immediately decided to run.

Lightning abilities were versatile… including high-speed movement.

Not quite lightning speed, but fast enough to escape even Association hunters.

‘He won’t be faster than me wearing that armor.’

Just as he tried to run…

“Ha!”

Kang Ian shouted.

The booming voice made Lee Jongchan’s legs weaken.

Kang Ian’s skill “Shout of Suppression” activated.

It increased his own speed by 20% and reduced the enemy’s speed by 5%.

Whoooosh!

At the same time, a powerful wind surged along Lee Jongchan’s escape route.

An invisible wall of wind blocked him.

Hong Dasom had arrived and supported Kang Ian.

“Ah… ah…”

With his escape cut off, Lee Jongchan’s mind spiraled into chaos.

Kang Ian leapt forward and instantly closed the distance.

Then swung his mace.

Boom!

“Ghk…”

It struck his chest.

He controlled his strength so as not to kill him.

Lee Jongchan’s eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

Ding!

 

[You have subdued a villain disturbing society.]

[Nobility +310]

 

Kang Ian grinned at the message.

A happy smile spread across his face.

‘Just like last time… villains really are generous.’

Click

The reporter Kang Ian, whom he had saved, was still lying nearby and instinctively took a photo of him.