I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 84

Purification (4)

 

Ding!

 

 [You train your body under heavy load.]

 [Strength +0.1]

 

After working out for a while, a message appeared in front of Kang Ian.

‘Even this kind of spare time can be put to use. Nice.’

The adjustable-weight dumbbells Kang Hoopung had given him were quite good.

At a glance, they didn’t look much different in size from normal dumbbells.

However, they were made of special materials from inside a gate, so their weight relative to their size was enormous.

They could be adjusted up to a maximum of 180 kg.

Of course, that wasn’t enough for a superhuman hunter to do truly extreme training.

But for smaller muscle groups…

Biceps, triceps, and deltoids could be trained sufficiently.

If the stimulation wasn’t enough, he simply compensated by increasing the number of repetitions.

Still, because of the dumbbells’ weight, they couldn’t be classified as luggage, so he had to book an extra seat for them.

He was just grateful to the Behemoth Guild for arranging that.

Otherwise, he might have had to pay for first class out of his own pocket.

‘When I get back, I should head straight to the gym.’

That thought crossed his mind as he finished a set and caught his breath.

The areas he could train were limited, and the weight still felt lacking.

Besides, at the Korean hunter gym, Kang Hoopung would be there even without needing to contact him.

The Behemoth Guild’s facilities were full of the latest equipment, but something felt missing when training alone.

Working out always had better results when done with someone more skilled.

In that regard, training with Kang Hoopung always pushed him to the absolute limit, which was highly satisfying.

‘I wonder if he’s still working out with Ryusei these days?’

Toward the end, he had trained together with Kang Hoopung and Ryusei, and their synergy had been surprisingly good.

He wanted to go back and train with them again as soon as possible.

 

***

 

 Vroom

A luxury sedan was driving down a road in Seoul.

The kind of car a chairman would ride in.

And indeed, there was a chairman inside.

Oh Youngjun, CEO of YJ Company.

He had already half-monopolized the high-end hunter equipment market in Korea, and after hitting it big with the Monster Ceramic Suit, his company had grown even more.

A former B-rank hunter and a successful businessman.

Oh Youngjun’s days were extremely busy.

Even while moving in the car, he continued handling work.

Sitting in the back seat, he constantly reviewed documents and a tablet.

The car was so expensive that it barely shook even on rough roads, allowing him to stay focused.

At that moment, a message arrived on the driver’s phone.

[Hunter Kang Ian has arrived. However, he has already left the airport and is on the move. Destination unknown. He has taken the highway toward Seoul.]

The driver glanced at it and frowned slightly.

‘Damn. We’re a bit late.’

CEO Oh Youngjun had been on his way to greet Kang Ian upon his return.

But at the last minute, work piled up and delayed him.

“Um… sir?”

“What is it?”

“It seems Hunter Kang Ian has already arrived and left the airport.”

“I see.”

Only then did Oh Youngjun lift his eyes from the documents.

This was troublesome.

He had originally planned to welcome him at the airport.

He had even prepared a gift.

It was a newly released prototype from his company.

“…Then turn the car around.”

“Yes, sir. Where to?”

“Gangnam.”

“…?”

The destination suddenly changed from the airport to Gangnam.

Though it was unexpected, the driver, who had served him for over ten years, said nothing and simply followed the order.

Vroom

The car turned around.

They arrived at a hunter gym.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

“Good work. Wait here for a moment.”

“Understood.”

Oh Youngjun went straight inside.

From within, loud shouts and the clanging of metal could be heard.

He glanced inside.

“As expected…”

Kang Ian and Kang Hoopung were working out together with great enthusiasm.

Oh Youngjun felt a headache coming on… one he had never even felt while working.

He had to admit it.

His friend had completely “ruined” a perfectly good person.

 

***

 

“Hup! Hup!”

“Haah!”

“Wow, little brother. It hasn’t even been a few weeks since I last saw you… haven’t you been slacking? You look even better than before.”

“Haha. I haven’t stopped working out.”

Clank

Kang Ian set the barbell down with a bright smile.

In fact, in just a few weeks, his body had changed.

He was already solid and well-built, but now his muscles had grown even larger, and his overall physique had clearly improved.

Muscles don’t normally develop this quickly, but for hunters, it was different.

And Kang Ian was exceptional even among hunters.

Because of the concept of leveling up, his physical abilities improved at an extraordinary rate.

On top of that, his stats increased even while doing heavy training, so his physique improved incredibly fast.

It was only natural that he became addicted to working out.

Even doing a little resulted in rapid physical changes… of course, he’d enjoy it.

“Hunter Kang Ian, I heard you just got back. Did you come straight here to work out?”

“Huh!? Sir?”

Kang Ian was startled when CEO Oh Youngjun suddenly approached.

He hadn’t expected him to come here.

“Oh, what? Youngjun, you joining us too?”

“No. I’ll pass.”

Kang Hoopung joked, but Oh Youngjun firmly declined.

“I came to give Hunter Kang Ian a gift. I originally planned to congratulate you at the airport as well, but I couldn’t make it in time.”

“It’s fine. But what kind of gift is it?”

“Underwear.”

“…Pardon?”

Underwear, suddenly?

Seeing Kang Ian’s puzzled look, Oh Youngjun continued.

“Of course, not ordinary underwear. It’s made from material very similar to the Monster Ceramic Suit.”

“Ah!”

YJ Company made the Monster Ceramic Suit.

It was originally a suit-style outfit, partly because they could only make it in a rigid form.

Their current technology wasn’t advanced enough to make it feel natural as everyday clothing.

“This time, we’ve improved that aspect a bit. However, enhancing the material lowered its performance, so we judged it insufficient for everyday wear. Instead, it seemed suitable as underwear, so we created a prototype and brought it here.”

“Wow. This is actually really good.”

Kang Hoopung commented from the side.

Having spent a long time as a hunter, he immediately recognized how useful it would be.

“Now you won’t have to deal with embarrassing situations inside gates, right?”

“Exactly. Especially female hunters will love it.”

Even when wearing hunter gear, intense battles inside gates often caused equipment to break or get damaged.

Regular clothes were practically meaningless.

Underwear getting torn or ruined was a daily occurrence.

But in life-threatening situations inside gates, no one could afford to worry about that.

Embarrassing situations happened often, but people usually just ignored them and carried on.

In such situations, underwear made of special material like this would be welcomed with open arms.

“And while it’s not as durable as armor, it’s incomparable to normal clothing. It still provides protection.”

While it mattered less for women, for men, the area covered by underwear was a vital point.

Having additional protection there would be a huge advantage.

‘I’ve received an incredible gift.’

Kang Ian realized how useful this was and expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s nothing. Thanks to you, our company has grown a lot recently. This is the least I can do.”

Smiling, Oh Youngjun spoke.

Wanting to return the favor somehow, Kang Ian asked:

“Then would you like to work out together before you go?”

“…Ahem. I have a lot of work, so I should get going. Let’s meet again next time.”

Oh Youngjun quickly declined and left the gym.

 

***

 

After finishing an intense workout with Kang Hoopung, Kang Ian finally moved on to his schedule.

‘Phew. That felt great.’

After pushing himself to the limit for the first time in a while, he felt refreshed.

Right now, he felt like he could do anything.

Kang Ian headed to the Happiness Office.

Shim Junseok had gone ahead since he had a lot of work to handle after returning from the U.S.

Now that the U.S. request was finished, it was time for something new.

‘If possible, I’d like something that gives me Nobility.’

He had accumulated a large amount of Evil Essence from the U.S. request.

Over 30,000 points.

He was saving it for later shopping, but that made his lack of Nobility feel even more noticeable.

Since he also felt the need for ranged skills, gaining Nobility was necessary.

Of course, acquiring Nobility was quite difficult, so finding such a request wouldn’t be easy…

Click

When he entered the office, Shim Junseok raised a hand in greeting.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yes. But who is this…?”

Aside from the manager and staff, a woman was leaning against the wall.

At a glance, she was clearly not an ordinary person.

A tight full-body suit that revealed every curve of her body.

A nearly human-height sniper rifle strapped to her back, and multiple handguns hanging from her belt.

‘Not special forces… probably a hunter.’

Rather than military, she looked like a hero straight out of a movie.

And his hunter instincts told him she was no ordinary human.

She leaned against the wall, lazily smoking an e-cigarette.

Smoke drifted around her.

“Ah. Is this your first time seeing her? She’s Hunter Lim Gayeon from our office.”

“Ah… I see.”

Kang Ian gave a slight bow.

She nodded back in greeting.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen other hunters from this place.’

Surely there were others affiliated, but somehow he had never met them.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, Shim Junseok seemed to pick up on his curiosity.

“Haha. The hunters in our office are… a bit reclusive. They’re not very passionate about work.”

“Just say they’re lazy.”

“…Hunter Lim Gayeon is correct.”

Shim Junseok nodded.

Most hunters here had joined for freedom rather than money.

They earned enough and then lazed around.

“Hunter Kang Ian, could you wait a moment? I need to discuss a request with Hunter Lim Gayeon first.”

“Sure. Should I step outside?”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

Thinking it might be confidential, Kang Ian offered, but Shim Junseok glanced at Lim Gayeon and shook his head.

The two began discussing the request.

Even without trying to listen, Kang Ian naturally overheard since they were in the same space.

He ended up learning several things.

That Lim Gayeon was a very powerful B+ rank hunter.

‘A mission to eliminate a villain organization?’

And that she was currently dealing with a villain group.

He had guessed from the sniper rifle on her back… she likely had skills related to it.

She was picking them off little by little with ultra-long-range sniping.

The mission had been ongoing for over six months and was nearing its end.

She had come to the office to give an interim report.

Lim Ga-yeon took a drag from her e-cigarette and exhaled.

“Sss… haa. I’ll head back now. Next time, I’ll bring results.”

“Yes. Please stay safe.”

“When have I ever gotten hurt? You should be careful too, boss… your knees aren’t great, so don’t overdo it.”

Waving her hand, she turned to leave.

“Um…”

Kang Ian spoke cautiously.

“Could I join that request too?”