I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 90

Purification (10)

 

Shim Junseok shook his head vigorously.

“Th-That kind of request doesn’t exist.”

“Huh?”

“I mean… There isn’t one right now. Haha… It’s not like requests to deal with villains come in that easily.”

Flustered, Shim Junseok stumbled over his words and hurriedly tried to patch things up.

“Well… I see.”

Kang Ian nodded.

That was understandable enough.

It’s not like the kind of request you want will always be available exactly when you need it.

This time, he turned his gaze toward Lim Gayeon.

“Hunter Lim Gayeon. Would you like to take the next request together as well?”

Traveling with her this time, he had truly realized just how amazing a B-rank sniper could be.

To exaggerate a little, she was the best hunter he had ever met.

A complete cheat character!

As long as she didn’t get caught, she could freely pick off enemies from extreme long range. Unless it was a confined space like inside a gate, there was no one more suited than her when dealing with villain groups.

‘On top of that, her close combat skills are excellent too.’

When danger arose, Kang Ian had rushed over to help her, but by the time he arrived, she had already taken care of everything.

Which meant she was more than capable in close combat as well.

She was the perfect partner for this kind of request.

Kang Ian looked at her with expectant eyes.

Because of that, he didn’t notice.

Shim Junseok subtly moved out of Kang Ian’s line of sight and desperately shook his head.

‘Hunter Lim Gayeon! Please! Don’t do it!’

If she agreed here, Kang Ian might very well declare that he would go out and kill every villain in the country immediately.

That was how seriously Shim Junseok had taken the expression Kang Ian showed earlier.

“Uh… um… I mentioned it before, right? That I’m a bit lazy.”

“Yes.”

“So in reality, I only take on about one request per year. That one request tends to be quite long, but I make a big score from it and then rest for the rest of the time.”

What Lim Gayeon said was true.

Despite her achievements, she didn’t really enjoy fighting.

That was also why she became a freelancer… she only took requests when she felt she needed money, and spent the rest of her time enjoying her leisure.

“I see.”

Kang Ian nodded with a hint of disappointment.

If that was her nature, there was nothing more to say.

It’s not like he could drag along someone who didn’t want to go.

‘Phew. Nice job.’

Shim Junseok secretly gave a thumbs-up behind Kang Ian’s back.

Seeing that, Lim Gayeon gave a slight smile.

‘Hmm. It would’ve been nice to do at least one more request like this together. What a shame.’

Kang Ian swallowed his disappointment inwardly.

He had made a lot of money recently, but he still had debt from buying his apartment.

On top of that, he needed to repair his suit.

Instead of getting injured, his armor had been damaged, and his suit was torn in several places.

Even though it was a monster ceramic suit with durability comparable to armor, it had still been torn… proof of how intense the battle had been.

‘And the repair bill will probably be just as intense.’

It was a suit worth 10 billion won per set.

How much would repairs even cost? 1 billion? 2 billion?

He got it for free, but would repairs be free too?

‘…Should I cling to CEO Oh Youngjun’s pant leg or something?’

It felt like expenses were only increasing.

At that moment…

Ring ring

Shim Junseok’s phone rang.

“Ah, excuse me for a moment.”

After asking for their understanding, he answered the call.

“Yes, hello. Ah~ yes, Manager. I’ve been well. Haha… Yes? Uh… is that really true?”

As the call went on, Shim Junseok’s expression stiffened.

After speaking a bit longer, he ended the call.

“Is something wrong?”

Lim Gayeon asked.

For Shim Junseok, who was always cheerful, to look that serious meant it wasn’t something ordinary.

“I got a call from the Association.”

“Oh, it was from the Association.”

“Yes. This time, two hunters entered a C-rank failed gate, and it’s been two days since entry, but they haven’t cleared it.”

Normally, C-rank gates weren’t very difficult, so they were cleared quickly.

On average, about 2 hours to 12 hours at most.

They never lasted longer than that.

“Two days? Then…”

“Yes. The probability of failure is high.”

2 to 12 hours.

That was the time limit.

If it went longer than that, it meant some kind of variable had occurred inside the gate, and the survival rate dropped drastically.

And if it had already been two days, it was almost certainly a failure.

“That’s unfortunate. But why does that matter?”

Lim Gayeon asked.

A gate failure meant loss of life, so it was tragic.

But it happened several times a month.

Being a hunter was a high-risk job to begin with.

If someone wasn’t prepared for that, they shouldn’t become a hunter.

“The problem is… the ones inside are Hunter Hong Dasom and Hunter Ryusei from Japan.”

“!”

Kang Ian, who had been listening quietly, flinched.

Hong Dasom and Ryusei… he knew both of them.

In fact, Ryusei was a close acquaintance he had even trained with before going to the U.S.

Lim Gayeon took a drag from her e-cigarette and exhaled, her expression turning serious.

“This isn’t just about the deaths of two hunters.”

Hong Dasom was a promising rookie with great expectations. Not long ago, she had even been called a genius hunter in the news.

And Ryusei’s case was even more serious.

Japan’s top prospect dying while clearing a Korean gate?

“Japan won’t stay quiet.”

“The Association is worried about that too.”

They had signed waivers before entering.

But even if there were no contractual issues, this wasn’t something that could just be brushed off.

There would definitely be backlash.

“Then why did the Association manager call you?”

“I’m close with him. He called to warn me to be careful since issues with Japan might arise.”

“As expected. Your reputation for connections isn’t for nothing.”

“Haha.”

The relationships he had built through frequent meetings and meals were proving useful now.

Meanwhile, Kang Ian, who had been quietly listening…

‘A gate? Come to think of it…’

A thought suddenly came to him as he opened his subspace.

Recently, there had been a strange quest in the U.S. warning him about the minions of evil.

It had been oddly completed by throwing his shield into the sea.

And the reward from that quest…

[Forced Gate Entry Ticket]

[Allows you to forcibly enter a gate that is already in progress.]

[Cannot be transferred to others.]

A small ticket-shaped item.

He had wondered where to use it…

‘Isn’t this exactly the time to use it?’

He knew Hong Dasom and Ryusei.

They were even close.

And if he saved them, he could also gain the “nobility” he lacked.

All things considered, it was perfect.

“Sir. I’ll go.”

“…What?”

“I’ll go in and rescue the two of them.”

“???”

 

***

 

Kang Ian had a hard time figuring out how to explain the item called the “Forced Gate Entry Ticket.”

Other people didn’t have quests or quest rewards, so if they asked where he got it, he had no answer.

So he just made something up.

“I got it by chance after clearing a gate before. It’s something that lets me forcibly enter another gate. I’ll use it to rescue them.”

Honestly, even he thought it sounded ridiculous.

But…

It worked.

“I see.”

Shim Junseok accepted it without suspicion.

Even Lim Gayeon beside him did the same.

Since the gate era began, the appearance of new materials and items beyond common sense has become quite common.

Gates were practically treasure troves full of mysterious things.

Something like a ticket that lets you forcibly enter a gate?

Sure, why not!

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Even if it is, I have to go!”

For the sake of nobility!

That was Kang Ian’s true motive, but Shim Junseok interpreted it differently.

“Well, you would’ve gone anyway. And since you’re acquainted with them… there’s no stopping you.”

Shim Junseok let out a small sigh.

“Understood. I’ll negotiate with the Association.”

“Negotiate?”

“We can’t just accept this as is. We’re a freelance office, after all. We’ll get everything we can.”

Shim Junseok looked confident as he immediately contacted the Association.

Manager Jeon Jaewon reported to Deputy Director Lee Chaseok, and a quick meeting followed.

“Hunter Kang Ian is going to rescue them?”

“Yes. It seems he obtained a special item from a gate.”

“Huh… and he’s using something that valuable…”

An item that allows forced gate entry.

Something unheard of… clearly extremely valuable.

Yet instead of selling it, he was using it here.

“Is it for the country, or because he’s worried about the hunters?”

“Probably both.”

A hunter with honor and a spirit of sacrifice.

That was how the Association viewed Kang Ian.

“Tell him thank you first. And I’ll authorize the maximum reward I can. Also, promise priority support for anything related to him in the future.”

“Understood.”

 

***

 

It had already been two days since Hong Dasom and Ryusei entered the gate.

The more time passed, the lower their chances of survival.

Every second counted.

So the Association didn’t hesitate.

They offered a massive reward… 2 billion won.

Honestly, Kang Ian was already satisfied.

He was still a C-rank hunter due to being busy.

This was an absurd amount.

“No! We can get more!”

But Shim Junseok wasn’t satisfied.

He pushed further and secured additional terms.

If both Hong Dasom and Ryusei were rescued, an extra 1 billion won would be added.

‘All I wanted was some nobility… but the reward became this big.’

Unexpected, but welcome.

After that, Kang Ian quickly stopped by home, then headed to the gate.

“You’ve arrived, Hunter Kang Ian.”

Several Association staff were already there, looking worried.

“Yes. There’s no time. I’ll go in immediately.”

“We’re counting on you.”

Amid their send-off, he took out the ticket and tore it.

Ding!

[Using Forced Gate Entry Ticket]

A pulling sensation engulfed him…

And suddenly, Kang Ian found himself in a completely different space.

‘So this is inside the gate.’

It felt slightly different from a normal entry.

He immediately armed himself.

Hong Dasom and Ryusei were both known for their great skills.

If they hadn’t cleared it yet, the difficulty must be extremely great.

Even Kang Ian couldn’t afford to be careless.

That’s why he had stopped by home earlier and bought new weapons and armor.

He had poured in his evil souls without hesitation and obtained high-quality gear… enough to give him confidence.

Grrrr…

At that moment, something burst out of the ground with a grotesque noise.

It looked like a type of zombie.

“Ha… haha…”

A dry laugh escaped him.

His gaze drifted to his own hand.

The white glove he was wearing seemed to faintly glow.

Saint Bruta’s Glove Replica.

There were still a few days left on its duration…

“This is a gate with undead?”