I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 82

Purification (2)

 

Kang Ian had only recently become a hunter, so he had only visited dangerous zones twice.

Yet in both of those places, he had found sources of evil… and when he destroyed them, the land had been purified.

He had thought about this before.

That destroying a source of evil might purify the surrounding dangerous zone.

‘If this works out… I might be able to make use of this somehow.’

He still needed to confirm it further.

“So, starting tomorrow, I’m thinking we’ll take the boat and head back out to sea.”

Team leader Jonathan said.

Because of the incident where the entire Delta team had nearly drowned, the guild had prohibited entering the sea.

They had instead focused on reducing monsters on the sandy shore.

However, if the underwater monsters were disappearing, they had to at least verify it.

“Can I come along too?”

“Yes, of course. That’s actually why I called you here.”

Jonathan nodded.

He had expected Kang Ian might want to go as well.

Kang Ian thought this worked out well.

To verify his ability, he needed to return to the sea.

 

***

 

The dangerous zone in San Francisco, the “Land of the Dead,” was vast.

The area where monsters had decreased was only around the place where Kang Ian had destroyed the source of evil.

If they moved elsewhere, countless monsters still lay beneath the water.

Kang Ian and the Delta team boarded a boat and headed in a different direction.

“Grrr!”

“Kyaaaak!”

Large undead sea monsters attacked them frequently.

Each hunt yielded a considerable number of evil souls.

Normally, Kang Ian would have struggled to hide his excitement… but his mind was focused elsewhere.

Beep beep beep!

‘Here it is!’

He found another location where the wave detector reacted.

After hunting nearby monsters for a bit, he said he wanted to investigate underwater and went in.

Since they knew his abilities, the Delta team only told him to be careful… they weren’t overly worried.

Ding!

 

[You have destroyed the source of evil.]

[Evil Souls +450]

[Nobility +450]

 

As the source of evil was destroyed, black energy spread outward.

Just like before.

However, since he had told the Delta team not to follow him, there was no risk of them being corrupted.

Afterward, he returned to the boat and observed for a moment.

It was certain.

‘The deathly aura is fading.’

A dangerous zone normally had an ominous energy spread everywhere.

Even ordinary people could feel it… so how much more would sensitive hunters?

But that energy was decreasing.

It was literally being “purified.”

Of course, the change was subtle and gradual, so other hunters couldn’t immediately feel it.

But given time, they would.

“Let’s move to another location.”

There was still one more thing to confirm.

After traveling for quite a while, he found another place with a source of evil.

Splash

Kang Ian entered the water.

But this time, he didn’t destroy the source.

The seabed wasn’t very deep… he dove about 300 meters, dug out the source buried in the sand, and brought it back up.

“What is that?”

“I picked it up from below.”

“That’s an unusual-looking stone.”

Jonathan didn’t think much of it when he saw the source of evil in Kang Ian’s hand.

He seemed to think it was just a stone from the sea.

“Could you try breaking it?”

“This?”

“Yes.”

At Kang Ian’s request, Jonathan tilted his head.

Why break something he brought up because it looked nice?

Still, it wasn’t difficult.

Seeing Kang Ian’s serious expression, Jonathan lightly applied force and crushed the stone.

Crack

“…Why are you suddenly in such an awkward stance?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Kang Ian, who had been ready to react in case something happened, relaxed awkwardly when nothing did.

Still, he stared at the crushed remains.

‘So… does it only work if I destroy it?’

The first time he destroyed a source of evil, it had been triggered by a quest.

That was how he learned about them, and destroying them purified dangerous zones.

The final test was whether others could achieve the same effect.

The result was no.

Then what made him different?

‘Unlike ordinary hunters… I am a Knight of Valhalla.’

Perhaps that was the key factor.

He decided he would ask Tezeros about it later.

That concluded the day’s experiment.

 

***

 

United States Central Intelligence Agency – Hunter Support Division.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the CIA managed not only U.S. information, but global intelligence.

And within it, the Hunter Support Division had recently become the most powerful department.

With the emergence of awakened individuals and monsters, and hunters rising to the ruling class, this was only natural.

And now, that division had obtained top-level intelligence.

“The dangerous zone has weakened? Does that even make sense?”

“We’ve verified it multiple times. It’s confirmed, Deputy Director.”

The one reporting to Deputy Director Frank was Howard, the head of the Hunter Support Division.

As the head of the most powerful department, Howard’s work was always meticulous.

Frank had known him for over ten years… he knew Howard wouldn’t report nonsense.

But still…

“…A dangerous zone weakening. Fewer monsters. Cleaner air. This is absurd.”

The deputy director muttered.

Long ago, during the Great Cataclysm, countless gates had appeared.

Many had gone out of control due to failed responses.

Humanity had lost vast lands to monsters.

Some had been reclaimed, but others were lost forever.

Unused land wasn’t a big issue.

But areas near major cities or containing key strategic resources had to be secured.

Over time, hunters were deployed to reclaim such dangerous zones.

But they failed.

They had enough power… but the land itself was the problem.

Once a place became a dangerous zone, it remained contaminated and continuously generated monsters.

The air was bad, and an unsettling feeling always lingered.

Naturally, humans couldn’t live there… and they had to retreat.

But now…

Could those zones be turned back into normal land?

“This is purification… Where did it happen?”

“San Francisco. In part of the dangerous zone, ‘Land of the Dead’ near Ocean Beach.”

“How?”

“That part is unclear. It happened after the Behemoth Guild conducted operations there, so they likely did something…”

“They operate there regularly. Was there anything unusual?”

“Yes. They brought in a Korean hunter on request.”

“A Korean hunter? What’s unusual about that?”

“There was an incident where the Delta team nearly got wiped out. They lost consciousness underwater due to a strange energy… but that hunter rescued them.”

“And?”

“That location is where the dangerous zone was purified.”

“……”

Deputy Director Frank fell silent.

Howard continued.

“Shall I proceed with the report?”

“There’s more?”

“Yes. A week later, they went out again by boat and did something there as well. Our agents confirmed that purification has begun at two additional locations.”

“My God… then it’s practically certain.”

“Yes. A hunter with purification abilities. Whether it’s a skill or something unique… we don’t know.”

The deputy director trembled slightly.

If this were true, it was an extraordinary ability.

Something that could completely change the world’s paradigm.

“Can we naturalize him as an American?”

“…We’d have to try, but it won’t be easy. He’s known to have lived his entire life in Korea.”

“Then we’ll approach this gradually. Start by building a positive image of the U.S. for him.”

In the past, the CIA had conducted extreme operations.

Kidnapping, torture… even staged acts of terror to achieve their goals.

But times had changed.

Doing that now would land the director in a congressional hearing instantly.

And such methods couldn’t truly win someone’s loyalty.

If purification was his ability, he could simply choose not to use it.

A soft approach was necessary.

“Do we have a profile on him? What’s his name?”

“He’s a Korean hunter named Kang Ian. Here’s his detailed profile.”

Howard placed a document on the desk.

Frank skimmed the basic information, then checked notable traits…

“Diligent, trustworthy, and enjoys doing good deeds? Is this accurate?”

“I double-checked multiple times. It’s confirmed.”

“…A hunter like this actually exists.”

Many hunters had a superiority complex and saw themselves as special.

American hunters were no different.

They were praised as heroes partly to encourage proper behavior.

If they were called heroes long enough, perhaps they would become real ones.

But a hunter with genuine kindness and regular volunteer work?

“…This is rare. But from our perspective, it’s good. He seems to enjoy recognition too, given how often he appears in the news.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“Then let’s elevate him from our side as well. Let’s start building a positive image of the U.S. for him.”

“Understood.”

 

***

 

<Korean Hero Saves America—The Hero Who Rescued Behemoth Guild Members!>

—CNN

<Hunter Kang Ian, who received a plaque of appreciation from UHN, has now become the savior of the Behemoth Guild!>

—The New York Times

<John Gibson, once the world’s top prospect: “Now that title belongs to Kang Ian.”>

—New York Post

<A name San Francisco will remember forever—A hunter who practically lived in the Land of the Dead for the sake of civilians!>

—San Francisco Chronicle

 

Articles about Kang Ian began pouring out across major U.S. media outlets.

They detailed how he rescued the Behemoth guild members and what he did afterward.

Interviews with guild members, stories of him hunting daily without rest, unlike other hunters.

These were truly the actions of a hero.

And when such foreign news spread…

Korea erupted.

 

[Am I actually reading real news right now? Is this not some isekai article?]

[Wait… why is this real? I thought it was one of those fake patriotic channels, but I checked the source… It’s legit.]

[What the hell is Kang Ian even doing???]