I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 87

Purification (7)

 

Kang Ian did not underestimate villains.

If anything, he was highly wary of them.

Unlike low-intelligence monsters, they were humans just like him.

There was no telling what kind of bizarre methods they might use to attack.

No matter how confident he was in his own abilities, letting his guard down was forbidden.

‘In situations like this, it’s often the ones who get cocky that end up dying.’

There was a reason CEO Shim Junseok had repeatedly warned him.

Kang Ian wasn’t an idiot.

The reason he openly revealed himself and approached the villains’ hideout was that he had already calculated everything from multiple angles.

 

***

 

“W-What is that guy?”

One of the ‘All Wars’ members, who had been hiding in cover, stared blankly at Kang Ian.

He might be avoiding snipers, but to Kang Ian, who had walked right up close, the man was clearly visible.

Seeing that the guy hadn’t even grasped the situation, Kang Ian immediately gave him a “greeting.”

Whoosh!

He threw his shield, splitting the man in half.

Crunch!

The villain died instantly, unable to react at all.

Ding!

 

[You have eliminated an evil person holding civilians captive.]

[Nobility +92]

 

As the message appeared, Kang Ian smiled faintly.

‘As expected, it’s way better to act directly than to share rewards through buffs.’

Compared to receiving small amounts here and there, getting a large chunk at once felt far more satisfying.

“Y-You bastard!”

One of the members, enraged at the sight, lost his mind.

Why are villains called villains?

Because something about them is mentally unhinged.

If someone could remain calm in a situation like this, they would be considered high-tier even among villains.

Unfortunately, this guy wasn’t one of them.

“I’m going to kill you!”

He dared to walk right into their hideout and kill one of them?

The enraged member jumped up and charged at Kang Ian.

Both of his fists had turned to stone… likely his skill.

But Kang Ian didn’t even bother to block.

Bang!

“Guh…”

The moment he stepped out of cover, a bullet struck him straight on.

‘That sniping ability is completely broken.’

That thought naturally crossed Kang Ian’s mind.

From his perspective, the shot came from such a distance that it looked like someone merely flicked a finger.

If he had Lim Gayeon’s ability, he could probably gather Evil Souls and Nobility faster than anyone.

Boom!

Kang Ian finished him off with a swing of his mace.

The last hit had to be his.

Only then would he receive the full Nobility reward.

Ding!

 

[You have eliminated an evil person holding civilians captive.]

[Nobility +98]

 

“More than the last one. Was he higher ranked?”

Muttering that, Kang Ian looked at the others hiding in cover.

They flinched under his gaze.

If they moved carelessly, they’d be showered with bullets.

But staying still wasn’t an option either, considering Kang Ian’s strength…

Eventually, their gazes turned to one person.

Boss Choi Daehyun.

The leader who commanded them.

 

***

 

“…Things have gotten messy. That annoying sniper used to act alone for months, and now he’s brought a partner?”

Choi Daehyun muttered bitterly before standing up.

His appearance began to change.

Hair grew all over his body, and his frame expanded.

His limbs lengthened, and his snout protruded… he now resembled a werewolf.

With blood-red eyes, he glared at Kang Ian.

“Grrr… We suffered because of that damn sniper, not because of some hunter. I’ll rip your throat out in no time!”

He kicked off the ground and lunged at Kang Ian.

Crash!

A massive claw came down, and Kang Ian raised his shield to block it.

At some point, he had equipped a full-body armor summoned from subspace.

‘That’s quite a lot of strength.’

Holding his ground, Kang Ian was surprised.

His strength was currently boosted by 1.5x thanks to his mace.

Even so, Choi Daehyun’s attack was heavy.

Meanwhile, Choi Daehyun was even more shocked.

‘He blocked that?’

He had leapt into that attack.

He intended to crush him along with the shield… but it felt like pushing against a wall.

Pew! Pew!

“Ghk…”

The moment he revealed himself, bullets rained down again.

Even with his enhanced durability from transforming into a werewolf, he couldn’t withstand those damned bullets.

But he didn’t lead a villain organization for nothing.

The wounds pierced by bullets bubbled and regenerated instantly.

Thud

Then he kicked off the ground again, circling rapidly.

To an ordinary person, his speed would leave afterimages.

“Pointless.”

But to Kang Ian, it wasn’t impressive at all.

Thud! Thud!

“Grrr…”

Bullets continued to strike him.

No matter how fast he moved, if she couldn’t hit him, Lim Gayeon wouldn’t be classified as a B-rank hunter.

Choi Daehyun staggered.

No matter how strong his regeneration was, pain was still pain.

Even so, he didn’t stop.

He kept jumping around relentlessly.

‘I’ll give him credit for his persistence.’

No wonder he was a boss.

Then suddenly, the gunfire stopped.

“?”

Kang Ian frowned in confusion.

At that moment, Choi Daehyun also stopped.

“Hahaha! Finally got him!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You think we’re idiots who’d fall for the same thing every time? That sniper is on Deokryeong Mountain, right?”

“……”

“Playing dumb won’t help. By now, our men should have taken him out.”

Only then did Kang Ian understand.

‘So they set a trap.’

Then Lim Gayeon could be in danger.

Kang Ian raised his mace and shield.

He couldn’t take it easy anymore.

He activated Blessing of Judgment Flame and Shout of Suppression.

A faint flame wrapped around his mace, his speed increased, and his enemies slowed.

Then he threw his shield.

The spinning shield targeted the approaching members who had started leaving cover.

“Argh!”

“W-Why is it so stron- ugh!”

‘Of course it’s strong. Do you know how much it costs?’

It was a premium shield embedded with a low-grade Sharpness enchantment.

Not something easily blocked.

After that, Kang Ian turned to Choi Daehyun.

The last time he used his full strength was at the gym.

Now, he’d have to go all out.

Veins bulged on his arms as he gripped the mace with both hands.

Choi Daehyun was momentarily overwhelmed… but realizing that only enraged him further.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you before the sniper!”

He lunged forward.

Kang Ian swung his mace in response.

 

***

 

‘Having someone help really does make things easier.’

Pulling the trigger, Lim Gayeon thought that.

Dealing with the ‘All Wars’ members hiding in cover was like playing whack-a-mole.

The moment they peeked out… bang, bang!

The only difference was that they weren’t moles, but humans, so she had to wait longer.

She felt grateful to Kang Ian.

Thanks to his stubborn insistence on coming along, finishing the mission had become much easier.

She no longer had to wait for dozens of hours.

Pew! Pew!

The moment Boss Choi Daehyun revealed himself, her eyes lit up as she fired.

He moved erratically, but she didn’t miss a single shot.

Though aiming took some time, combined with his monstrous regeneration, he didn’t go down easily.

‘What an annoying ability.’

Still, it was only a matter of time.

“….”

That’s what she thought… until she heard footsteps approaching.

Multiple footsteps, creeping closer.

They tried to hide it, but couldn’t evade her sharp senses.

She immediately grasped the situation.

‘…Ah. It was a trap.’

No wonder.

Finding the human trafficking site had been too easy.

No matter how capable CEO Shim was, this place was practically the villains’ lifeline… how could they find something so deeply hidden?

‘They must’ve exposed themselves while setting the trap.’

The kidnapped people were probably real.

If the information had been completely fake, CEO Shim wouldn’t have fallen for it.

“Heh. Where are you? We already know you’re here, so why not come out and save us the trouble?”

The approaching figures gave up hiding.

There were quite a lot of them.

All villain hunters.

Lim Gayeon left her sniper rifle and stood up.

Rustling out of the bushes…

“Whew~”

“What? It’s a woman?”

The villains looked at her with lewd eyes.

She was wearing a body-hugging suit, making her figure clearly visible.

“We shouldn’t kill her right away.”

“Yeah. We need to take revenge for all the trouble she caused us.”

“The guys who went ahead would’ve wanted that too. Heh.”

As they laughed crudely and approached…

Lim Gayeon expressionlessly drew two pistols from her waist and fired.

Bang! Bang!

The motion of drawing and firing was so fast it couldn’t even be seen.

Two men at the front collapsed instantly.

She dashed forward like a cheetah and smashed the head of another.

His neck snapped.

Then she plunged into their ranks, firing, striking with her gun handles, and kicking freely.

“W-What is this?”

“Why is she so fast!?”

The villains panicked.

They had thought she was easy prey.

But they overlooked one thing… she was a B-rank hunter.

That rank wasn’t earned by luck.

Among hunters, it clearly placed her in the upper tier.

Some even say there’s an unbridgeable gap between C-rank and B-rank.

If her close combat ability were lacking, the Association would never have granted her that rank.

Crunch!

“Guh…”

After dealing with most of them, the remaining villains began to retreat in fear.

“H-How do we beat that?”

“We need to call the boss!”

A foolish choice.

The farther they ran, the stronger she became.

Her dual pistols rained bullets into their backs.

Rat-tat-tat!

In the end, she didn’t let a single one escape.

Without catching her breath, she ran back to her sniper position.

Even though she finished quickly, time had passed.

Kang Ian might have been in danger.

Her heart raced.

But before she could take more than a few steps…

“Hunter Lim Gayeon. Are you alright?”

“!??”

Kang Ian stood there, breathing heavily as if he had rushed over.

“Kang Ian? How are you here… what about over there?”

“I took care of everything. I heard they set a trap on your side, so I came right away.”

“….”

His words moved her deeply.

So this is what camaraderie feels like.

Running with everything you have to save a comrade in danger…

Having always worked alone, her heart suddenly began to pound.

“But… you handled everything by yourself?”

Kang Ian muttered, sounding slightly disappointed.

“?”

Lim Gayeon was confused.

Why did he sound disappointed?