I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 77

Fame (14)

 

Ezra’s proposal for a bet.

There was no need to hear more.

Kang Ian accepted it immediately.

Guided by Team Leader Jonathan, Kang Ian met the members of Behemoth Guild’s Delta Team for the first time.

Although this was the first time seeing their faces, he had already reviewed the materials Shim Junseok had given him on the plane.

The team consisted of Jonathan, a B-rank hunter, and the rest were all C-rank hunters.

Of course, there were evaluations saying that American C-rank hunters were comparable to B-rank hunters from other countries, but…

‘I don’t think I’d lose to hunters of the same rank.’

Especially since the place for the bet was the Land of the Dead.

If it were a place where the undead appeared, he was even more confident.

However, Shim Junseok looked worried.

“Shouldn’t you reconsider? Of course, I believe Hunter Kang Ian will win, but is there any need to take on this kind of risk?”

As the head of the Happiness Office, he had watched Kang Ian closely, so he naturally believed Kang Ian would win.

But how many things in this world could one guarantee 100%?

If, by any chance, he lost, the trip to the U.S. would be for nothing.

And if this news reached Korea…

‘Just imagining it is terrifying.’

But Kang Ian was firm.

“No. I’ll do it. Please tell them that.”

‘They’re doubling the commission fee. No way I’m passing that up.’

The original fee was $400,000.

That was over 500 million won.

If it doubled, it would jump to 1 billion won.

Although becoming an advertisement model had eased some of his worries about his home loan, he still had debt.

If he could earn 1 billion won from a single job, it would give him a lot more breathing room.

Shim Junseok let out a faint sigh, then stopped trying to dissuade him and relayed the message.

From experience, he knew he couldn’t change Kang Ian’s mind once it was made.

Ezra, upon hearing the message, grinned.

“Oh. You’ve got guts? Nice. Looking forward to it, bro.”

“Same here.”

The two smiled at each other and shook hands.

Both were convinced of their own victory.

 

***

 

The B-rank danger zone, “Land of the Dead,” stretched from Ocean Beach on the western side of San Francisco.

San Francisco was a city connected to the Pacific Ocean… more precisely, the danger zone lay slightly offshore from Ocean Beach.

Undead continuously formed from the depths of the sea.

After some time, they would rise onto land, and once they reached saturation, they would even advance into the city.

That was why the Behemoth Guild periodically cleaned the area.

“See how the undead have already come up to the sandy beach?”

Jonathan, the Delta Team leader, pointed at the shore.

Skeletons, zombies, fish-like undead, monsters with grotesquely melted skin…

The beach was so filled with undead that the sand was barely visible.

“Normally, we start cleaning when about half the beach is filled, but this time we delayed a bit while waiting for Hunter Kang Ian.”

If left longer, the monsters would overflow past the beach and then advance into the city.

“Hunter Kang Ian and Ezra will split into two directions and begin hunting. Time limit: 30 minutes. The Delta Team, including myself, will stay behind and observe, only intervening in emergencies. How does that sound?”

Jonathan proposed, and both Kang Ian and Ezra nodded.

“Sounds good.”

“Same here.”

With their agreement, Jonathan led the team back.

Standing at a higher vantage point, he smiled.

‘I needed to test Hunter Kang Ian anyway… this works out well.’

He had already received data on Kang Ian, but seeing and experiencing it firsthand was completely different.

Thanks to Ezra stepping forward, the situation had naturally turned into a test, which satisfied him.

Behind him, the team members were sharing their opinions.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Hmm. Probably Ezra?”

“I think Ezra, too. He’s one of the strongest among us.”

As teammates, they knew Ezra’s abilities.

He was a hunter who would almost certainly be promoted to B-rank within a year.

“What about John?”

The team turned to John Gibson, who had been quiet.

A C-rank hunter widely regarded as the best in the world.

Although Kang Ian had risen rapidly during the Yeouido UHN incident, Americans still considered John the top prospect.

“What do you think?”

“Do I even need to say it?”

“So you’re going with Ezra too?”

“Of course not. Mister Kang.”

John replied as if the question was ridiculous.

“You guys saw the CCTV footage of the Giant Mantis fight, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“No more to say. Kang Ian wins. No doubt.”

His voice was filled with certainty.

He smiled.

“But this’ll be fun.”

He was looking forward to how Ezra’s confident expression would change after 30 minutes.

He had already thought meeting Kang Ian again would be interesting… but something like this happening right away?

Even better.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian and Ezra began walking toward the beach.

 

***

 

As he walked, a thought crossed Kang Ian’s mind.

‘Come to think of it, when are those minions of evil going to show up?’

A quest that had suddenly appeared not long ago.

“Threat of Evil 2.”

It contained a warning that minions of evil were targeting him in America.

At first, he thought the reward would just fall into his lap (and he still somewhat thought so), but he couldn’t let his guard down.

The minions that had appeared at the gym were quite strong.

If he got careless and was ambushed, even he could be in danger.

‘If I were them, I’d probably strike in the middle of a chaotic battle like this…’

He glanced around, but saw nothing except undead monsters.

“Heh. Scared?”

“?”

Ezra smirked at Kang Ian.

Seeing him momentarily stiff from thinking about the quest, Ezra assumed he was nervous.

“Don’t worry too much, friend. You came all the way to the U.S… you should at least take something home. Even if I win the bet, I’ll give you about $4,000 as a tip.”

He chuckled at his own joke.

But without Shim Junseok to translate, Kang Ian couldn’t understand him properly.

So he was puzzled.

‘He’s talking and laughing by himself… is he a bit off?’

Soon, they reached the beach and split up.

Standing far apart, they waited for Jonathan’s signal.

Kang Ian looked at the gloves on his hands.

 

[Saint Bruta’s Gloves Replica]

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

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

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

 

An item obtained from a previous quest.

White gloves are currently worn by Kang Ian.

They reduced the strength of undead within a 100m radius by a massive 50%.

Since Ezra was far away, the effect didn’t apply to him.

“Start!”

Jonathan’s shout rang out from afar.

At the same time, both Kang Ian and Ezra moved.

Kang Ian summoned his shield and threw it forward.

Blades shot out from the shield, spinning as they flew.

The combination of the “Floating Shield” skill and “Moose’s Bladed Shield.”

On top of that, the blades were enchanted with a low-grade Sharpness spell.

The undead around Kang Ian were already weakened by 50%… There was no way they could withstand this flying blender.

Crunch!

Thud! Thud!

The undead were swept away instantly.

“Holy shit… what is that guy?”

“I’ve already lost count. He can hunt like that alone?”

The team members responsible for counting kills stared wide-eyed.

Meanwhile, they glanced to the side.

Ezra was also fighting well, but compared to Kang Ian, the gap was enormous.

He was performing exactly as expected.

But Kang Ian was pulling ahead at an incredible speed.

“…It’s only just started, but I think we already know the result.”

One member muttered, and the others nodded unconsciously.

The Delta Team looked at Kang Ian in disbelief.

 

***

 

Ding!

 

[You have defeated evil.]

[+76 Evil Souls]

[+89 Evil Souls]

[+22 Evil Souls]

…

 

Notifications rang nonstop.

Only audible to Kang Ian.

It felt like a fisherman seeing waters teeming with fish.

There were more undead than sand on the beach.

‘This is why I took that long flight to come here!’

He had expected it, but seeing it unfold made him genuinely happy.

Kang Ian charged forward excitedly.

The rate at which Evil Souls accumulated was insane.

The undead, weakened by 50%, couldn’t withstand even a single hit.

It felt like fighting F-rank monsters.

Yet the rewards were massive.

How could it not be fun?

Before he knew it, he had reached near the shoreline.

Going too deep could be dangerous due to being surrounded… but it didn’t matter to him.

More enemies just meant better.

He hunted relentlessly.

He even forgot this was a bet.

With Evil Souls piling up so quickly, nothing else came to mind.

Then…

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“?”

A short alarm sounded.

It came not from outside, but from inside his pocket.

He checked it.

‘Why is this…?’

It was the wave detector he always carried like a talisman…

A device given to him by researcher Lee Na-eun that detects the source of evil.

It had always been silent until now.

The direction it pointed to was the sea.

‘Is the source of evil in the ocean?’

Destroying a source of evil granted a large amount of Evil Souls and Nobility.

Evil Souls were already abundant here, but Nobility was different.

You had to seize the chance when it appeared.

‘I should check it out.’

Kang Ian slightly changed direction.

Toward the sea, not the beach.

The detector pointed there.

The ocean had even more monsters.

Undead didn’t need to breathe, so they filled the waters.

Kang Ian smashed through those blocking his path with his mace.

Each swing crushed two or three monsters.

At the same time, he launched his shield forward.

The spinning bladed shield plunged into the water, tearing through everything nearby.

Scrrrrk!

Something beneath the surface was being shredded.

But suddenly, the shield seemed to catch on something.

Crack…

It spun in place without advancing.

Kang Ian tilted his head.

Then…

Crunch!

The shield moved forward again.

‘Was it a solid reef?’

But that didn’t make sense.

Nothing like that should be able to stop his shield.

What?

At that moment…

 

Ding!

[You have defeated a minion of evil.]

[Quest “Threat of Evil 2” completed.]

[Level Up!]

[Quest rewards have been sent to your inventory.]

 

“???”