I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 89

Purification (9)

 

<The rumors of human trafficking that had been circulating… were true!>

<Our missing family members… turned out to be involved in villainous crimes!>

<Victims return to their families. Tearful interviews. “We were bound and locked behind iron bars.”>

 

Back in the 1980s, incidents of human trafficking and kidnapping occasionally occurred in South Korea.

As public safety improved, such crimes became something that mostly happened overseas.

However, things changed with the advent of the Gate Era.

Among the awakened individuals who possessed superhuman powers, villains began to emerge, creating gaps in the prevention of such serious crimes.

Although punishments were strengthened and great efforts were made afterward, keeping Korea relatively safe… these crimes never completely disappeared.

 

└ Wow… kidnapping… that’s seriously scary/

└ If they’re villains, normal people would just get kidnapped openly.

└ How can anyone even walk outside at night like this?

└ Not just at night… You can’t avoid it during the day either.

└ But how did they catch them? Did the Association and guilds run a joint operation?

 

When one or two villains suddenly appear, guild-affiliated hunters are mobilized by the Association to deal with them.

However, wiping out an entire villain organization is a different matter.

In such cases, the Association and guilds prepare on a near-war level before taking action.

Alternatively, they assign the task to an exceptionally strong or uniquely skilled hunter for a large sum.

 

<The hero who dismantled a villain organization and stopped human trafficking, Hunter Kang Ian!>

<Along with one anonymous hunter, the two wiped out the entire criminal group!>

 

As if anticipating public curiosity, articles began flooding in one after another.

 

└ !!???? It’s Kang Ian again??

└ Who even is this guy? Isn’t he in the news way too often these days?

└ But honestly, if it’s news like this, I wouldn’t mind seeing it a hundred or a thousand times more.

 

As news about Kang Ian broke, people cheered.

Most of his recent actions had been honorable.

He had already been gaining popularity, but this human trafficking case was like pouring oil onto a fire.

His fame exploded.

 

└Seriously amazing… Hunter Kang Ian… Don’t most hunters avoid dealing with villains?

  └ Yeah. It’s not just avoidance—they try not to get involved at all. Nothing good comes from it.

  └ But he wiped them out by himself?

  └ Not alone. It says he did it with an anonymous hunter.

  └ Same thing. What if that anonymous hunter was weak?

 

Since Lim Gayeon didn’t want to reveal herself, all the spotlight went to Kang Ian.

 

 └ He really is impressive. I looked it up… the organization was called “All Wars.” Not huge, but still not something two people could wipe out easily.

 └ Even the U.S. recognized him as a top global prospect. Makes sense.

 └ At this point, he should drop the “prospect” label.

 └ I wonder when he’ll rank up to B-Class.

 └ Once he does, he probably won’t stand out as much… there are monsters at that level…

 └ Shut up. Kang Ian will crush them all.

 

Fame always brings both fans and haters.

Even doing nothing, one side passionately supports you while the other criticizes you relentlessly.

Kang Ian had now reached that level of fame.

Some believed he would become Korea’s greatest hunter. Others thought he could even reach world-class status.

 

└ Forget all that… I just wish there were more people like Hunter Kang Ianㅠㅠ

└ Seriously… it feels like there are constant incidents these days, but someone like him makes the world feel warmer.

 

With countless comments pouring in, the article became the most talked-about news of the day.

 

***

 

Han Yuju, the YouTuber known as “Yuju Unni,” whom Kang Ian had once rescued from a burning apartment…

She began obsessively collecting his articles and information, eventually creating a fan café.

As Kang Ian became more active, the fan café grew rapidly as well.

<KangSamo: A Gathering for Those Who Love Kang Ian>

As the café’s manager and self-proclaimed #1 fan, Han Yuju uploaded his photos every day.

Since she couldn’t follow him around like a stalker due to her job, she had no choice but to capture and upload images taken by reporters.

“Should I just quit everything…?”

The thought crossed her mind briefly, but reality quickly stopped her.

With a deep sigh, she uploaded today’s batch of photos.

Still, she liked today’s pictures.

Kang Ian always did honorable things, so his expressions were usually bright.

But this time was different.

<“I only regret that I couldn’t prevent this tragedy in advance.”>

His face looked genuinely sorrowful.

It was the first time she had seen that expression.

As a fan, it hurt… but at the same time, she felt strangely happy to see a side of him she hadn’t seen before.

“Seriously… he’s insanely handsome. Ian, just be my man already!”

She gazed lovingly at his face filling the monitor.

Then, unable to hold back, she leaned in as if to kiss the screen.

Just before her lips touched…

Ding!

 

[User “StopBeingExtra” donated 1,000 won.]

[Hey, lady. Please stop embarrassing your subscribers. It’s honestly shameful.]

 

Her attention snapped toward the sound.

“You think you understand my feelings? Is it a crime to have a crush? Is it?!”

She was live-streaming.

Her channel had grown significantly, now reaching thousands of viewers per stream.

Recently, over 90% of her content revolved around Kang Ian.

 

[Having a crush isn’t a crime, but pressing your dirty lips against a photo is psychologically disturbing.]

 

“D-dirty lips? Disturbing? Me?”

Reading the comment, Han Yuju puffed her lips and tried to act cute.

Originally a visual-focused YouTuber, she was beautiful enough to rival celebrities.

With deliberate acting, she looked flawless.

 

[If Kang Ian saw this, he’d seriously file a civil lawsuit.]

[Does he even know his fan café manager is this much of a pervert?]

[Sigh…]

 

But despite her looks, she was clumsy and easygoing, so viewers weren’t fooled.

They teamed up to tease her.

“Tch. Fine. I get it. I won’t do anything gross. Happy now?”

 

[So you do know it’s gross?]

[Then why did you do it?]

 

“……”

Left speechless, she quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway—don’t you guys think Hunter Kang Ian is amazing? I already loved him, but today he totally attacked my heart.”

 

[Yeah. I saw the article and honestly zoned out for a moment. It’s amazing he defeated villains and rescued trafficking victims… but feeling sorry he didn’t arrive sooner? What kind of hunter is that?]

[Talented, skilled, and good personality too? Makes me feel proud of our country.]

[Unlike someone trying to kiss a monitor, he’s the kind of guy you’d proudly show off anywhere.]

 [LOL]

 

“Hey! I said I’m sorry! And why are you only talking about his skills and personality? What about his face? He’s super handsome!”

 

[Uh… super handsome? He’s good-looking if he dresses up, but not that level…]

[His suit fit is great, but there are more handsome celebrities out there.]

 

“Everyone who just said that… banned. Get out of my channel.”

Her eyes blazing, she swung the ban hammer like a tyrant.

 

[Ah, here she goes again.]

[Kang Ian is the most handsome man in the universe.]

[Praise Kang Ian!]

[Praise!]

[Praise!]

 

Anything related to Kang Ian made her lose all reason.

That day, after the massive news coverage, the fan café gained 20% more members in a single day.

 

***

 

After finishing the human trafficking case, Kang Ian returned to the Happiness Office with Limm Gayeon.

“Thank you both for your hard work.”

“It’s all thanks to you, sir. Your support made everything go smoothly.”

Lim Gayeon meant it sincerely.

Shim Junseok had contacted various parties in advance and prepared for the victims’ rescue.

Thanks to that, they were able to respond immediately once she gave the signal.

“Haha. I’m getting paid a commission, so I’m just glad I could contribute properly.”

Shim Junseok smiled brightly.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian collapsed onto the sofa.

He was exhausted.

Though he finished without injuries, it had been a tough battle.

Facing the boss Choi Daehyun and his subordinates all at once was no easy task.

He had gone all out, and escaping without injuries felt like a miracle.

In reality, much of his equipment had been damaged.

‘My weapon, shoulder guard, greaves… I’ll need to replace them all.’

At least his shield, which he had bought recently, held up well.

It was dented but still usable.

‘Wait… since the Twilight Set effect is gone now, should I replace my boots and helmet too?’

He had been benefiting from the ‘Twilight Set’ bonus, which included greaves, shoulder guard, boots, and helmet.

But with two pieces destroyed, the set effect no longer applied.

It might be better to replace everything.

Since he had already planned to buy new gear, he didn’t feel too bad about it.

 

[Evil Souls: 31,254]

[Nobility: 2,949]

 

These were his current points.

The trip to the U.S. had been worthwhile… he had accumulated over 30,000 Evil Souls.

That was enough to exchange for high-quality items.

‘The problem is… my Nobility is way too low.’

Objectively, nearly 3,000 points wasn’t a small amount.

But compared to Evil Souls, it felt insignificant… not even 10%.

He had been wanting long-range skills, but with this amount, he couldn’t buy anything worthwhile.

‘If I take on a few more villain-hunting requests like this, things should open up a bit…’

But that wasn’t possible immediately, so he needed to think carefully.

Planning his purchases in Devil Road 3 later that night, Kang Ian wore a serious expression.

“……”

“……”

Seeing him like that, Shim Junseok and Lim Gayeon exchanged glances.

They were thinking the same thing.

‘Hunter Kang Ian… is he still troubled by what happened to those victims?’

‘It’s not good to dwell too much on villains…’

They couldn’t forget how somber he looked in front of reporters.

Was he still affected by it?

In reality, Kang Ian had already moved on… but they didn’t know that.

They could only worry in silence.

‘What if he decides to hunt down every villain in Korea…?’

Shim Junseok silently hoped that wouldn’t happen.

Given Kang Ian’s personality, he might actually quit everything and start hunting down villain organizations nationwide.

At that moment, Kang Ian suddenly turned his head toward him.

“Sir.”

“Yes- yes?”

“Do you have any requests for… earning Nob… I mean, for hunting villains?”

“!!!?”

Oh, dear God!