I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 83

Purification (3)

 

Articles about Kang Ian began popping up all over the United States like mushrooms after rain.

Since Korea had also been keeping a close eye on the situation, multiple media outlets reacted immediately.

“CNN? Is this real? CNN is saying this about Hunter Kang Ian?”

“It’s confirmed, chief editor!”

“This is insane! New York Post, New York Times… no, what is this? Why are these massive media companies hyping up a hunter from our country like this?”

As a journalist, he usually tried not to use crude language, but this time he couldn’t help himself.

When something beyond common sense happens, it’s unavoidable.

A Korean hunter going to the U.S. on request and performing well… that much was possible.

Hunter Kang Ian was already being called a huge prospect and had done quite a few impressive things in Korea.

But he was still only a C-rank hunter.

A rank that sits roughly in the middle of the hunter world.

He hadn’t even reached B-rank, which could be considered the “main tier,” yet his name appearing in such major media outlets made no sense.

But what did it matter?

“Hey! Hurry up and translate and post it! We have to be first!”

Just reposting foreign articles like these guaranteed views.

Why else would media companies have kept such close watch on Kang Ian’s trip to the U.S.?

This was a race against time.

However, in response to the editor’s order, an employee spoke with a troubled expression.

“Th-there’s already someone moving faster than us.”

“What? Who?”

“It’s a place called Viewers TV…”

There was an even more obsessive group than them.

 

***

 

“Haha! Reporter Shin! As expected of you! I trusted you!”

“Phew.”

The bald director clapped enthusiastically.

Reporter Shin Sorim leaned back in her chair and let out a deep sigh.

At some point, she had practically become Kang Ian’s dedicated reporter.

Thanks to that, she had become the ace of her team.

And this time, she had proven her skills once again.

She threw aside all other tasks and focused solely on checking whether there was any news about Kang Ian.

As a result, the moment U.S. articles went up, she found them faster than anyone else, translated them, and posted them.

For any article, being first was the most important thing.

Naturally, massive traffic poured into Viewers TV’s article.

“Director, I’m going to take a break now.”

“Yeah, yeah. You worked hard. Just leave early and get some rest.”

“You’re telling me to use my paid leave?”

“Oh, come on. Of course not. We’ll count it as a regular workday, so your salary won’t be affected. Go get some rest.”

Shin Sorim smirked.

The bald director who used to nag her constantly had completely changed.

It was only possible because she had followed Kang Ian around and produced several major scoops.

“Thank you. See you tomorrow, Director.”

“Yeah, yeah. Rest well!”

On her way home, Shin Sorim checked article comments and online communities.

Other media outlets seemed to be hurriedly releasing their own articles after seeing hers, but they were clearly a step behind.

As expected, the communities were on fire.

People were asking what on earth Kang Ian was doing in the U.S., and whether a Korean hunter was really sweeping American media.

When Kang Ian returned to Korea, wouldn’t the attention be even greater than before?

‘But seriously… what did he do to make all these articles explode like this?’

She decided she’d go ask him directly when he returned.

 

***

 

“Hah! Failed again? Are you joking?”

“….”

In the darkness, a man’s immense rage surged violently.

He emitted an aura so intense that it seemed to take physical form purely from his emotions… a ridiculous level of power.

The minions of evil kneeling before him trembled violently.

“A second failure? You worthless trash…!”

The man flicked his hand.

It felt as though he might crush their heads at any moment.

One of the minions hurriedly spoke.

“M-Master! If you grant us one more chance, we will definitely succeed this time.”

“A chance? You want another chance?”

“P-please…”

The subordinates trembled as they bowed their heads.

The man in the darkness let out a deep sigh.

“One time might be understandable, but why did you fail a second time?”

“….”

The minions had nothing to say.

Truthfully, they didn’t understand either.

They possessed immense power granted partially by a demon.

Using that power, they went to deal with Kang Ian, who had interfered with them.

And it had even been a surprise attack.

‘He clearly had the authority of the Water Demon… if we hid in the sea and struck from behind, that should have been enough. So why did we fail?’

Even more absurdly, their investigation afterward showed that Kang Ian hadn’t even been injured.

Not even a scratch.

They had failed without inflicting a single wound.

This had started as an act to teach Kang Ian a lesson for interfering with them, but now, their pride alone meant they couldn’t let him go.

However, the man shook his head.

“Not now.”

“Master?”

“For some reason, the CIA has started taking an interest in him. As long as that’s the case, we can’t approach Kang Ian.”

If they became even slightly connected to the CIA, it would mean their identities could be exposed to the U.S.

Now was the time to stay low.

Still, the man harbored even greater resentment.

‘You… I will not forgive you.’

Next time, he would send at least five minions to completely finish the job.

 

***

 

Kang Ian’s request from the Behemoth Guild was complete.

They had nearly eradicated the monsters on the sandy beach, and since the sources of evil had been destroyed, the frequency of monster appearances had dropped significantly.

‘I need to think carefully about destroying those sources of evil.’

He had come all the way to a danger zone to hunt, but if he carelessly destroyed the sources, he might not see any monsters at all.

He had destroyed two sources here.

Technically three, but the last one didn’t count since Jonathan had broken it, not him.

After some time, they checked and found that monsters were still spawning in that area as usual.

‘Maybe a new source formed nearby. The source only loses its power if I’m the one who destroys it.’

Kang Ian realized just how enormous the power he possessed was.

There were many countries where territorial recovery remained a long-standing national goal.

Countries that had lost important regions to monsters.

With this ability, he could potentially negotiate with them.

In any case…

The situation had changed, and the Land of the Dead was no longer dangerous.

Since not all sources of evil had been removed, things might change after a long time, but for now, it would remain quiet.

For Kang Ian, who had wanted to stay for a month hunting undead, it felt quite disappointing.

In the end, after completing the request, he boarded a plane back to Korea.

“Haha. The Behemoth Guild really is generous. I didn’t expect them to give a 200% bonus just to thank us for completing the request.”

Shim Junseok laughed heartily.

The original fee was around 500 million won, already a large sum for a C-rank hunter.

But the Behemoth Guild added a 200% bonus on top of that.

Usually, requests of this size didn’t include bonuses, but Behemoth was different.

The total came to about 1.6 billion won.

Honestly, they should at least pay that much.

Kang Ian had practically purified the Land of the Dead and saved the Delta Team members.

“And they even booked us first class on top of that. Nice.”

They had also provided first-class tickets for the return flight.

Compared to the request fee, it wasn’t much, but gestures like this could change how people felt.

The Behemoth Guild left a very positive impression.

‘Hunter Kang Ian seems to really like first class.’

Sneaking a glance at him, Shim Junseok thought he was sensitive to such things.

Hunters had monstrous stamina, so none would complain about fatigue just from a slightly uncomfortable flight.

Some dull hunters even said economy and first class felt the same.

“Welcome aboard.”

“You’re Korean, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The flight attendant greeting them spoke in a familiar language.

The airline they boarded was SkyEast Airlines, one of the top five in the U.S.

Since it was a foreign airline, they expected foreign staff, but there was a Korean attendant.

“Personally, I’m a fan of Hunter Kang Ian. I’ll make sure you have a pleasant flight.”

She smiled brightly.

Following her guidance, Kang Ian and Shim Junseok went to their seats.

As they sat down, the flight attendant, Hana Hyun, carefully observed them.

Honestly, her heart was racing.

With all the recent articles about Kang Ian, she had consumed a lot of news.

Working abroad made her more curious about Korean news, so she checked it often.

Lately, the name she heard most in the news wasn’t a politician or celebrity… it was Kang Ian.

His heroic deeds were so sensational that they drew a lot of attention.

And in his most recent photos, he was wearing a suit for a modeling shoot.

With makeup and a tailored suit, even his family would find him handsome.

How would strangers see him?

With that halo effect, he felt almost like a celebrity.

‘I heard that suit costs over 10 billion won, right?’

The Monster Ceramic Suit was released by YJ Company.

Riding on Kang Ian’s promotional image, it was gaining explosive popularity.

Even wealthy individuals and celebrities who weren’t hunters were flooding in purchase requests.

Since each one was custom-made, placing an order now meant a long wait.

Because of that, during the long flight with Kang Ian, Hana Hyun even entertained a bold thought:

‘Could something like a romance novel story happen to me, too?’

The plane took off.

After it stabilized and passengers were allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts, a call came from Kang Ian’s seat.

Thinking, ‘Could it be!?’ Hana Hyun hurried over.

“Yes, how may I assist you?”

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

Could it be asking for her number?

As she thought that, Kang Ian pulled out something from beside him.

It was a dumbbell.

A special hunter-use adjustable dumbbell gifted by Kang Hoopung… compact in size but adjustable in weight.

“Is it okay if I do some exercise during the flight?”

“Ah… yes… of course, sir.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Kang Ian smiled more brightly than he had at any point since boarding.

Then he started doing dumbbell curls.

“….”

Hana Hyun almost failed to maintain her professional composure.

The corners of her smiling lips trembled.

It was probably the most absurd request she had ever received while working.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian paid no attention and focused on his workout.

The funny thing was, his working out in a suit actually looked incredibly cool.

Beside him, Shim Junseok shook his head.

‘This is insane.’

Kang Ian was so serious about working out that he had even asked the Behemoth Guild to reserve three seats just for this.