I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 81

Purification (1) 

 

The Behemoth guild members noticed something was wrong the moment they entered the water.

A black energy is spreading through the sea.

The deathly aura emitted by the source of evil spread like ink, engulfing the surroundings.

At first, they thought they should avoid it, but underwater, movement was restricted, and the black energy spread too quickly… contact became inevitable.

‘Ugh…’

‘My… mind…’

Most hunters had strong mental fortitude, but the moment they came into contact with the deathly aura, they were instantly incapacitated.

Their vision blurred, and control over their bodies began to fade.

No matter how superhuman they were, losing consciousness underwater meant certain death.

However, through their fading vision, they could see someone moving at incredible speed, rescuing them.

‘Who…?’

Like a savior.

That person was Kang Ian.

Holding onto his shield, he swam around frantically, rescuing the Delta team members.

‘I have to save them all!’

It was natural to rescue the Behemoth guild members he had briefly worked with, but after saving one person, he began a full-blown, desperate rescue operation.

The reason was simple.

Ding!

 

[You have rescued a companion before they died from corruption by evil.]

[Nobility +111]

 

‘What? Why is it giving so much Nobility…!?’

After saving just one person, the reward was no joke.

So he swam diligently on his shield, grabbing them one by one and hauling them onto the boat.

Ding!

 

[You have rescued a companion before they died from corruption by evil.]

[Nobility +108]

[Nobility +112]

…

 

A smile naturally spread across his face.

As expected, doing good deeds really is rewarding!

“Cough… hack…”

The first to wake up on the boat was Jonathan.

As a B-rank hunter, he had merely fainted briefly… his mind hadn’t been corrupted.

“Th-thank you… for saving us…”

Spitting out seawater from his stomach, Jonathan spoke with difficulty.

Even then, he checked on his team members, true to his role as a leader.

Then he noticed one person missing.

“Ezra. Ezra is not here.”

Kang Ian quickly scanned the boat as well.

He had hurriedly pulled up everyone he saw… but apparently, Ezra wasn’t among them.

“That’s not good. Please rest!”

Splash!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kang Ian jumped back into the sea.

There was another 100+ Nobility reward waiting! He could take a little risk.

‘Ha…’

Jonathan stared blankly at the sight.

The ocean was extremely dangerous, yet he jumped in without hesitation just because a comrade was in danger.

Moreover, Ezra had initially picked a fight with Kang Ian.

Even if things had been smoothed over, there should have been lingering resentment… but it didn’t matter to him at all.

Jonathan stared anxiously at the water’s surface.

“Ugh…”

“Mm…”

Soon after, the other Delta team members regained consciousness.

“C-captain? What happened?”

“Hunter Kang Ian saved us.”

“…I vaguely remember someone carrying me… that was him?”

“Yes. Make sure to thank him when you see him.”

“When do we see him? What about now?”

“He went back into the water to rescue Ezra.”

“!”

The team member’s eyes widened in shock.

And at that moment…

Splash!

Kang Ian burst out of the water.

Letting go of the shield he had been holding, he spun once midair and landed on the boat.

On his shoulder hung a limp Ezra.

Sunlight broke through the clouds.

Because of the saltwater, Kang Ian’s hair seemed to glisten.

“…….”

“…….”

The Delta team members could only stare, unable to say anything.

 

***

 

Kang Ian’s trip to the United States had drawn significant attention even in Korea.

A hunter departing for a superpower nation like the U.S. on a request… of course, it was intriguing.

Moreover, Kang Ian had been surrounded by major buzz in Korea right up until his departure.

Would he succeed in the U.S. as well?

“What do you think, sunbae?”

“About what?”

“Hunter Kang Ian. He went to the U.S., right? He must’ve started doing something there by now… what do you think will happen?”

Son Juwan, a reporter from the influential Hunter media outlet Hunter Today, asked his senior, Team Leader Pyo Jeonghu.

“Aren’t you honestly excited? Our country’s hunter level is considered lower than the U.S… This could change that perception.”

“Hah. Juwan, I like how optimistic you are.”

“Pardon?”

“Be honest… do you think that’s easy? This is the U.S., not somewhere else. The Behemoth Guild isn’t some easy place.”

A massive guild ranked within the top 30 in the U.S.

Naturally, its hunters were highly talented and heavily supported.

Could Kang Ian really stand out alone among such people?

“It won’t be easy. And he’s going into a dangerous zone, right? It’s his first time there. Most likely, he won’t be able to do much.”

“Ah… is that so…”

“You don’t look convinced. Then let’s check.”

Seeing that Juwan wasn’t convinced, Pyo Jeonghu picked up his smartphone.

“How?”

“At my level, I’ve built connections here and there. I know someone in Behemoth.”

“Ah!”

Juwan was impressed.

As expected, this is what it takes to be a team leader at a media company!

Ring

The time difference between San Francisco and Seoul was about 16 hours.

At this hour, it would be around 8 PM there… not inappropriate to call.

Soon, the other party answered.

“Hey! Emma! It’s Pyo Jeonghu from Hunter Today.”

—Oh! Mr. Pyo!!

Pyo spoke naturally in English.

The other side clearly remembered him and sounded glad.

However, despite her voice, the background noise was very loud.

So loud it was hard to hear.

“But Emma, what are you doing? It sounds noisy.”

—I’m at a party.

“A party? Did you go out after work?”

—No! Come to think of it, you’re from the same country as Mr. Kang, right? We’re having a party for him at our guild right now.

“???”

Pyo was baffled.

“Mr. Kang! You mean Kang Ian?”

—That’s right!

“What kind of party? A welcome party?”

—No. He saved the Delta team members during a mission. His performance was outstanding, and because of that, the guild leader threw a party for him!

“…….”

Pyo and Juwan were speechless.

‘What…!?’

What on earth was Kang Ian doing… even in the U.S.?

 

***

 

The Behemoth Guild had multiple teams.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta…

They were structured like that, with numbers added… Alpha-1, Alpha-2, and so on.

Alpha and Beta consisted of B-rank or higher core hunters, while Gamma and below were slightly weaker.

Teams were mostly filled with promising hunters who lacked a bit of skill.

The Land of the Dead was hunted jointly by Gamma and Delta teams.

“Are you really okay not resting and coming with us again?”

“Of course.”

Kang Ian nodded at the Gamma team leader.

It had already been a week. Kang Ian had gone out hunting every single day.

This was very different from the Gamma and Delta teams alternating.

Even for hunters, intense combat every day was difficult.

Physical stamina was one issue, but mental fatigue was even worse.

If stress built up after combat and exploded, hunters could turn into villains.

That’s why careful management was necessary.

But Kang Ian, by his own strong insistence, went out to the Land of the Dead every day.

‘Where else would I find a place like this?’

A place full of undead.

Now, the remaining duration of Saint Bruta’s Gloves Replica was only about 20 days.

He had to make the most of it.

You couldn’t just enter any gate and expect the undead.

There wasn’t enough time to find a new location; staying here was the best option.

‘I’ve already collected over 30,000 evil souls.’

It was the most he had ever gathered.

With this much, he could even buy proper items from Devil Lord 3.

Though less in quantity, he had also gathered a decent amount of Nobility.

Originally, it only came from destroying sources of evil, but rescuing Delta team members in the sea had contributed significantly.

‘When the request ends, I’ll buy good items and a ranged skill.’

Like the Behemoth guild members, he wanted a balanced set of close- and long-range abilities.

Only being able to fight in close range… aside from throwing his shield, was inconvenient.

Of course, if Behemoth hunters heard that, they’d probably get angry…

Arriving at the site,

Kang Ian buffed the team members and diligently hunted.

Seeing this, the Gamma team leader and members were deeply moved.

‘Even after several days, his sense of responsibility is incredible.’

‘A hunter with that kind of integrity is someone you can trust.’

A buffer who always took the lead.

And the man who had saved all the Delta team members.

They had even thrown a party for him.

Normally, a contracted external hunter wouldn’t be treated this well… but Kang Ian was practically one of them now.

“Good work.”

“Thank you.”

With a simple exchange, the hunters returned.

Silence fell among the Gamma team members.

They actually wanted to talk more with Kang Ian, but his English wasn’t very good, making deeper conversations difficult.

‘I should learn Korean quickly.’

‘I’m starting today.’

Simple English conversations were fine… but anything longer became difficult.

They genuinely wanted to get closer to him, but couldn’t.

A sudden Korean-learning craze began among the Behemoth guild hunters.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian simply tilted his head.

‘I heard Westerners are sociable and outgoing… but that doesn’t seem entirely true.’

They seemed to enjoy silence as well.

And that evening…

As Kang Ian was heading to his assigned room to rest, he received a message from Team Leader Jonathan asking to meet briefly.

He said he was in the conference room.

Kang Ian tilted his head, but went there.

Inside were Jonathan and Shim Junseok.

‘……?’

Just from Jonathan’s expression, Kang Ian felt uneasy.

‘Don’t tell me…?’

“Please sit, Hunter Kang Ian.”

Jonathan gestured to the seat across from him.

Kang Ian sat next to Shim Junseok.

Then Jonathan spoke.

“Mr. Shim Junseok is here to interpret. What I’m about to say is strictly confidential… You must not share it. There’s been a bit of a problem.”

“What kind of problem? Don’t tell me… You can’t pay my commission?”

“…What? No, absolutely not. In fact, upper management is even considering a bonus. Your performance has been exceptional.”

‘Phew. At least it’s not the worst case.’

Kang Ian felt relieved.

He had worried they might stiff him… but that wasn’t it.

“The reason I called you is something else. You remember the place where we hunted the Undead Giant Crab?”

Beep

Jonathan turned on the projector and displayed a map.

It was the same location they had gone to by sea.

Though everyone had been rescued, it was deemed dangerous, so access had been restricted.

“Recently, monsters have stopped appearing there.”

“They’ve stopped appearing?”

“Yes. Strange, right? At first, we thought it was a mistake, but the scouts we sent every day all reported the same thing. It’s as if the area has been purified… there are no monsters.”

“!”

‘Could it be…?’

A thought crossed Kang Ian’s mind.

The dangerous zone he had visited before with Kang Hopung.

After destroying the source of evil there, the air felt cleaner.

And now, the same thing was happening here.

A hypothesis was formed.

‘If you destroy the source of evil… does it purify the dangerous zone?’