I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 78

 

Fame (15)

 

‘So that guy is Kang Ian.’

When Kang Ian arrived at Ocean Beach with Behemoth Guild’s Delta Team, someone was watching him.

Not from nearby.

If that were the case, the hunters would have noticed immediately.

He was observing Kang Ian from beneath the sea.

A minion of evil.

That was how they were referred to in the Valhalla quest Kang Ian had received.

They weren’t called minions of evil for nothing.

They truly possessed the powers of demons.

The minion of evil present in San Francisco was no exception.

Having received a portion of the authority of a water demon, he could remain hidden underwater without needing to breathe.

Moreover, perhaps because monsters considered him an ally, they didn’t attack him.

‘Idiots. Even with such power, they couldn’t capture a single hunter like that. No wonder the Master is disappointed.’

The ones who had gone to Korea to kidnap Kang Ian had received a portion of the authority of a wolf demon.

Though it was only a faint fragment of power, they were still inheritors of demonic strength… yet they had been defeated so easily.

He would not be the same.

From that moment, the minion waited patiently, persistently searching for an opening.

Fortunately, for some reason, Kang Ian had begun fighting alone on the beach.

Heaven was helping him.

‘Now, I just wait until he gets tired and strikes!’

…Wait a second.

Why is he so strong?

The minion watching Kang Ian widened his eyes.

Kang Ian rampaging among countless undead was simply too powerful.

The monsters, ranging from F- to C-rank, were swarming… but in front of him, they felt strangely weak.

To the point that they all seemed like F-rank monsters, Kang Ian slaughtered them with ease.

For a moment, he wondered if he had been too harsh on his comrades earlier.

At that level… maybe it wasn’t strange they failed.

‘…No. Still, I’m different.’

What hunter would expect an enemy to burst out from underwater and ambush them?

If he seized the right moment, killing him would be easy.

Moreover, for some reason, Kang Ian was suddenly changing direction toward the shore.

The distance between them was steadily closing.

‘Just a little more. Just a little more!’

And just as he prepared to strike…

WHIRRR!

The shield Kang Ian had thrown came flying toward him.

The spinning blades rotated violently even beneath the surface.

“!?”

Startled, the minion raised his hook-shaped weapon to block.

KRRRK!

But the blades were too sharp.

He hadn’t expected it to come this way, and with a low-grade Sharpness enchantment, it wasn’t something he could block unprepared.

‘N-no…’

In the end, the hook shattered, and the shield sliced clean through his waist.

For someone who had come here with such confidence, it was an empty, futile end.

 

***

 

Ezra hunted monsters frantically.

The surroundings were filled with undead beasts, so he swung his sword tirelessly.

After some time had passed and the area was mostly cleared, he began to regain his composure.

‘At this point, I’ve definitely won.’

He felt like he had performed better than usual today.

Even he was impressed by the result.

So he stepped back slightly and looked toward Kang Ian.

“…?”

His eyes widened.

Kang Ian had already passed the entire beach and was standing knee-deep in the ocean.

Along the path he had taken, an overwhelming sight unfolded…

Countless corpses of undead monsters lay scattered, easily ten times more than Ezra’s.

‘No… not ten times… more like twenty, isn’t it?’

How is that even possible?

And it seemed the beach wasn’t enough… he had even gone into the sea.

Even if Kang Ian stopped right now and rested, the result was already decided.

“Damn it!”

But due to his pride, Ezra couldn’t give up midway, so he kept going until the full 30 minutes were up.

After the time was over, he checked again.

“……”

The gap between the two had only widened further.

 

***

 

‘In the end, I couldn’t find it…’

After 30 minutes, Kang Ian returned from the shoreline.

The wave detector had indicated that a source of evil was nearby, but unfortunately, he hadn’t found it.

It was definitely somewhere in the sea, but perhaps deeper than expected.

Even after going waist-deep into the water, he couldn’t locate it.

Going further would have been risky, and time had run out, so he had no choice but to turn back.

‘Well, at least the quest got completed…’

Still, he wondered why the quest had suddenly completed.

Was something hiding underwater?

But all he had seen were monsters…

‘I don’t get it.’

Anyway…

Kang Ian and Ezra returned from the beach, and the Delta Team regrouped.

Team leader Jonathan approached.

“Ezra. There’s no need to even compare… You lost. Do you admit it?”

“…Yes.”

Ezra nodded gloomily.

John Gibson laughed and patted Kang Ian on the shoulder.

“Haha! Hey, man. That wasn’t even your full strength last time, was it? I almost fainted watching you.”

The other team members were the same.

“Honestly, when John said you were insanely strong, I thought he was exaggerating. Turns out he was underselling it.”

“Ezra’s gonna feel that $400,000 loss really hard.”

They surrounded Kang Ian, visibly excited.

There was no hostility toward him for defeating their teammate, Ezra.

American teams didn’t work like that.

With strong individualism, Ezra’s loss was more like entertaining gossip.

Besides, Kang Ian would soon be part of their team for the mission.

No hunter would dislike having someone that skilled join them.

“Uh… thanks.”

Kang Ian just nodded vaguely.

They were speaking too fast for him to fully understand.

The Delta Team noticed and complained jokingly.

“I should learn Korean fast if I want to talk to my friend.”

“I’ve listened to K-pop a few times… maybe I should start studying Korean too.”

“You? You just drink after every hunt.”

“I’ll cut that in half and study.”

“Yeah, right.”

As things grew noisy, Jonathan intervened.

“Alright, alright. Anyway, we’ve roughly confirmed Hunter Kang Ian’s abilities, so we’ll proceed with the operation immediately. We’ve just been watching, so we’re fine… but do Kang Ian or Ezra need rest?”

“I’m fine.”

Ezra shook his head.

He had been completely defeated… he didn’t want to shamelessly ask for rest.

Kang Ian also shook his head after hearing Shim Junseok’s interpretation.

He wasn’t tired at all.

In fact, he was glad the operation would start right away.

“Good. Then we deploy. Today’s operation area is the beach only. I’ll assign free roles, so spread out and move.”

In a wide area like this, it was better to split up rather than stick together.

Of course, in truly dangerous zones, that could get you killed… but a beach like this was fine.

“Retreat immediately if things get dangerous.”

“Roger.”

Then all Delta Team members looked at Kang Ian…

As if expecting something.

Kang Ian immediately used his skill.

Flash!

White light spread outward.

“Blessing of Judgment Flame,” “Guidance of Xeros.”

Buffs John Gibson had received during the Giant Mantis incident.

The Behemoth Guild had paid a large sum to bring Kang Ian partly because he was a buffer.

“Wow. He really is a buffer.”

“With that kind of skill, and he gives buffs too?”

“If more hunters like him show up, guys like us will be out of a job.”

Smirking, the Delta Team members began moving.

Kang Ian did the same.

Holding his mace and shield, he stepped forward toward his assigned area…

But Jonathan briefly grabbed his shoulder.

“Hunter Kang Ian, supporting from the rear would be more than enough.”

Shim Junseok translated in real time.

Kang Ian frowned slightly.

“I believe I’ve already proven my ability.”

“It’s not that I think you lack skill. We’re treating you as a buffer.”

Buffers and healers were considered nobles among hunters.

In hunts like this, they usually stayed in the rear, providing overall support and management.

That alone fulfilled their role.

“Thank you for the consideration, but I’m fine.”

Kang Ian was firm.

Even though he had buffed the Delta Team, he would still gain some Evil Souls when they killed monsters.

‘If that was all I wanted, I wouldn’t have come here.’

This place was perfect to maximize the effect of Saint Bruta’s Gloves.

His goal: over 10,000 Evil Souls.

And that was just the minimum.

‘I’ll make the most of this and buy a really good item.’

His current gear wasn’t bad, but Devil Road 3 had plenty of ridiculously overpowered items.

Since he also needed to think about ranking up soon, it was time for a major upgrade.

Watching him, Jonathan was impressed.

‘Buffers usually have big egos… but he really does have a good personality.’

There was often a gap between public image and reality… but Kang Ian seemed exactly as described.

 

***

 

Behemoth Guild was a massive guild ranked within the top 30 in the United States.

With its vast land, the U.S. had many hunters and guilds.

Being ranked around 30 in such a place meant they were world-class.

Naturally, they were experts at hunting monsters… but today felt different.

They couldn’t fully focus on the battle.

They kept glancing in one direction.

A man constantly throwing his shield and swinging his mace, smashing undead.

“Hey, Ezra. What were you thinking, challenging a hunter like that?”

“One mistake and $400,000 is gone. Man, you’d better work hard this year. Hahaha.”

“We should’ve recorded that. Would’ve been great to watch when we’re feeling down.”

The Delta Team teased Ezra.

His face turned red.

“Shut up, you bastards. You all thought I’d win, too.”

But his voice lacked strength.

With that one bet, he had completely acknowledged Kang Ian’s superiority.

There wasn’t even a chance to compete… the gap was just too big.

Ezra muttered bitterly.

“This is the Korean Hunter Association’s fault. How does it make sense to keep someone like him at C-rank?”

“Seriously. It wouldn’t be strange if he were already B-rank.”

“Or… what if all Korean C-rank hunters are like that?”

“…No way.”

Their gazes turned to Kang Ian again.

Kang Ian, smiling brightly as he slaughtered the undead.

His skill was one thing, but that expression alone was almost chilling.

Even battle-crazed maniacs wouldn’t smile that happily.

‘…Are all Korean hunters really like that?’

What kind of place raises monsters like that?