I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter – Chapter 74

Author: Cireng

Fame (11)

The villain collapsed, unconscious.

After that, Kang Ian dismissed the armor he had been wearing.

The armor turned into particles and disappeared, revealing Kang Ian in a suit underneath.

Click! Click! Click!

The reporters who had been standing at a distance realized the fight was over and quickly approached, snapping photos of Kang Ian.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian was thinking hard as he looked at them.

‘They’re getting good shots, right?’

In truth, Kang Ian had deliberately dismissed the armor.

He had rushed out right before filming a commercial for YJ Company.

He came because an opportunity to gain a lot of Nobility had appeared… but now he was worried.

‘I acted too much on my own.’

It wasn’t just a few employees there.

There were photographers, directors, other staff for the shoot, researchers, YJ Company employees, and even the CEO.

All of them were likely left waiting because of him.

Now that the situation was over, that thought hit him.

So he hurriedly dismissed the armor.

Since he was still wearing the suit, he might as well promote it like this.

Fortunately, thanks to the villain being weak (?), Kang Ian wasn’t even slightly disheveled.

Having been photographed many times before, he even had a rough idea of how to pose.

He casually brushed back his hair and controlled his expression.

At that moment, a breeze blew.

The suit jacket fluttered lightly.

The reporters couldn’t help but admire the sight.

‘…What is this? It’s like a picture.’

‘I think this is the first time Hunter Kang Ian has appeared in public wearing a suit… he looks like a celebrity…’

The reporters eagerly took photos as they approached.

Once they got closer, they spoke.

“Hunter Kang Ian! Thank you for taking down the villain! First, let me thank you as a citizen.”

“Thank you!”

“That was truly an incredible performance!”

They spoke while subtly positioning themselves around him.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you spare a moment for an interview?”

They asked cautiously.

Fighting villains often meant risking one’s life, so most hunters were sensitive after battles.

Some ill-tempered hunters even acted aggressively toward reporters.

‘Judging by how he’s been portrayed in the media, Hunter Kang Ian probably isn’t like that… but we should still be careful.’

‘He just fought a… well… intense battle with a villain.’

Though from the reporters’ perspective, it didn’t look that intense.

Something just thudded, and the villain was sent flying. Then, when he tried to run, he seemed frightened of Kang Ian, got hit once more, and collapsed.

“I can do an interview anytime.”

Kang Ian smiled.

Of course, he would.

Since he had delayed the commercial shoot on his own, he might as well promote things here.

“Thank you. First, did you come here after accepting a request from the Association?”

“No. I was nearby for something else when I got a message about a villain appearing. So I just ran over immediately.”

“…Pardon?”

The reporter’s eyes widened.

Kang Ian’s good deeds had been reported before, but few had witnessed them directly.

So hearing this in person was shocking.

A hunter coming without a mandatory call-up or a request…?

“And there’s a reason I was able to defeat the villain so easily.”

“?”

“It’s all thanks to this suit I’m wearing.”

Kang Ian lightly tapped his body.

“This is a new product from YJ Company. What I’m wearing is a prototype. It may look like ordinary clothing, but it’s sturdier than most armor.”

“Stronger than armor? That suit?”

“Yes. It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. That villain was emitting lightning, wasn’t he? But thanks to this outfit, I didn’t take much damage. And when I wore armor over it, I barely felt anything at all. The reason I could defeat the villain so easily is because of this.”

“Oh… that’s incredible!”

The reporters were astonished.

If true, this was essentially a suit-form hunter armor!

Since nothing like this had been released before, it could create a whole new paradigm.

The reporters’ eyes sparkled as they asked more detailed questions about the suit.

Kang Ian answered kindly within the limits of what he knew, feeling satisfied inside.

‘This should be enough for the CEO not to complain, right?’

***

The appearance and defeat of a villain.

By itself, it was common news.

But this time, the central figure was Kang Ian.

Recently, he had already been making headlines repeatedly, and now another major incident had occurred.

└Wow, Kang Ian again? He did something big again?

└He’s seriously amazing. I keep hearing his name everywhere.

└Well, it makes sense. He only does insane things. What other hunter acts like that?

└True. Honestly, if it were someone else, I’d call it bullshit. Who runs to a villain just because they heard about it?

└Yeah. Only Kang Ian could do that.

In reality, Hong Dasom’s help played a big role in capturing the villain.

She created a wind barrier that prevented him from escaping, allowing Kang Ian to finish things quickly.

However, the wind barrier wasn’t visible, so the reporters didn’t notice it… and Hong Dasom didn’t step forward to reveal herself.

As a result, the incident appeared as if Kang Ian had handled everything alone, drawing enormous attention.

Also…

└Wait, why is everyone only focusing on Kang Ian’s performance?

└Then what should we focus on?

└Look at his face! What is that formal look? He’s ridiculously handsome.

└I didn’t realize our oppa was this handsome until today…

The article about capturing the villain became popular not just for its content, but also for the large photo of Kang Ian.

He had already finished hair styling and makeup for the commercial shoot before heading out.

On top of that, the fight hadn’t been difficult, so he looked completely composed.

As a result, what the reporters captured was a Kang Ian who looked like a celebrity.

And YJ Company didn’t miss this opportunity.

They had still been deciding when to release the advertisement, but with Kang Ian trending, they launched it immediately.

CEO Oh Youngjun and the researchers had expected purchasing power from hunters.

Though priced at over 10 billion won, it was something hunters could afford.

They could wear armor over it, and it was suitable for daily wear, so there was clear motivation to buy.

But once they actually launched it, the situation was a bit different.

“Sir! O-orders are flooding in!”

“Are hunters buying that many?”

“It’s not just hunters! Ordinary people are buying it too!”

“!?”

Typically, people who wear suits are office workers.

Naturally, ordinary workers couldn’t afford a suit of this price.

Only top-level corporate executives or chaebol families could even consider it.

“Are those kinds of people ordering? But why…?”

What didn’t make sense was that they had no reason to.

If they were worried about safety, hiring security would be far cheaper and more practical.

Why would a corporate chairman need to rely on a suit’s defensive power?

It would be for extremely rare situations.

Spending tens of billions for that would be inefficient.

No businessperson would spend money like that.

“Our PR team believes it’s thanks to Hunter Kang Ian.”

“Kang Ian? Ah, did his image work?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Kang Ian had recently gained fame as a skilled hunter with good character.

That image worked perfectly.

Wealthy people already had money… what they sought next was prestige.

A suit advertised by Kang Ian was perfect.

Just wearing the same clothes gave off his virtuous image.

‘Looks like I chose the right advertising model.’

Oh Youngjun grinned.

He expected it to do well, but thought it would take time for word-of-mouth to spread.

But it was happening far faster than expected.

‘I should give him a generous bonus.’

Though Kang Ian’s contract already gave him a larger share with higher sales, that wasn’t enough.

He decided to reward him further.

***

Kang Ian defeating the villain and the release of the Monster Ceramic Suit became a massive sensation in Korea.

YJ Company was also aiming for overseas markets.

Korea wasn’t particularly strong in terms of hunter level.

It barely ranked among major powers.

So to truly sell their product, they needed to break into overseas markets.

YJ Company translated the news about Kang Ian defeating the villain into English and spread it abroad, while also producing international advertisements.

Kang Ian’s name slowly spread worldwide.

And in the darkness, someone watched that advertisement.

“So I sent people to capture him, but there’s been no news.”

They were little more than slaves, but their combat ability wasn’t bad… he had sent two of them.

Yet they hadn’t returned or responded.

That likely meant they failed and died.

‘I thought a Korean C-rank hunter would be easy to capture… was I wrong?’

Perhaps it was true that he was a promising talent surpassing John Gibson.

If so, it wasn’t strange that two subordinates failed.

‘Or maybe he’s more than just a promising talent…’

Countless possibilities crossed his mind.

But nothing was certain.

He would have to capture him and confirm.

He could send more subordinates, but he chose not to.

While looking into Kang Ian, he had found prior information.

‘The Behemoth Guild sent him a request. He accepted it, so he’ll come to San Francisco soon.’

The man in the darkness smiled faintly.

San Francisco was much easier to operate in than Korea.

Next time, he wouldn’t fail.

‘I hope he comes soon.’

***

At that moment…

Ding!

A message appeared in front of Kang Ian.

[Quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Threat of Evil 2]

-Content: You who previously dealt with a servant of evil. They have not come to their senses and are targeting you again. They plan to attack you in America. Show those who dare target a knight of Valhalla what justice truly is.

[Do you accept the quest?]

[Y/N]

“?”

Kang Ian flinched at the sudden quest.

‘…What?’

So… does that mean a gift is coming?