I was Mistaken for a Noble Hunter Chapter 97

Promotion (5)

 

Kang Ian ended up leaving Jeonju around the time the sun was setting.

Even after staying up all night, he remained there for nearly half a day before returning.

“Good work.”

“Oh, not at all. You must’ve had it harder, Hunter Lee Chaewon, following me around.”

Kang Ian kept moving around until the very end, working here and there to squeeze out as much “nobility” as possible.

Chaewon also didn’t have any immediate plans, so she followed him around.

At one point, she felt awkward just standing around doing nothing and tried to lend a hand…

“I’ll help too.”

“No! Please stay still! I’ll handle everything!”

Kang Ian hurriedly stopped her.

Seeing that, Chaewon felt slightly moved.

‘He’s being considerate, so I won’t feel uncomfortable!’

Of course, in reality, Kang Ian was just worried it might affect his nobility…

But still.

 

***

 

Chaewon got out of the car first.

After agreeing to meet again at the office, Kang Ian also headed home.

Even for a hunter, he had been awake for dozens of hours, so he was tired.

And it wasn’t like he had just stayed awake doing nothing.

Rescue work required a lot of physical effort.

‘I should get some sleep first.’

After a quick wash and lying down on the bed, he fell asleep immediately.

And for the first time in a while, Kang Ian opened his eyes in the Sanctuary of Valhalla.

<Young knight. It’s been a while.>

“…Sir Tezeros?”

Before him stood Tezeros, the commander of Valhalla’s knights, clad in full armor with wings of light spreading from his back.

<I have been watching your exploits closely. You’ve dealt with the servants of evil well and have been growing steadily.>

“That’s thanks to your warning.”

If he hadn’t been warned through the quest, he might have been ambushed by the servants of evil and put in danger.

Though he still didn’t understand how that one quest at the American seaside had been resolved so suddenly…

‘Should I ask what happened? …No, better not. What if they say it was a mistake and take back the reward?’

It seemed unlikely that someone of a knight commander’s status would be that petty, but you never know.

“What brings you here today?”

<A powerful evil is stirring. I came to warn you.>

Kang Ian flinched, his expression turning serious.

Normally, only quests appeared… but if he was being summoned directly like this, it meant the situation was truly serious.

“Could you tell me more in detail?”

<I do not know the details either. I merely convey the will of Valhalla. Evil is about to descend upon your land. If it is not stopped, a great evil will emerge and plunge the world into chaos. As a knight, you must stop it.>

Ding!

 

[A quest has been generated]

[Quest: Prevent the Descent of Evil]

[Description: A great evil is about to descend upon your land. Evil appears with a special omen. Prevent the descent of evil at that location. If you fail, a great evil will emerge, and your land will fall into ruin.]

[Do you accept the quest?]

[Y/N]

 

‘What is this…?’

Kang Ian was taken aback as he read the quest.

The vague description was one problem… but the wording was also terrifying.

Things like the land being destroyed if evil appeared…

‘I have no choice but to accept this.’

There was no way he could refuse.

“Isn’t this too difficult?”

As Kang Ian muttered in complaint, Tezeros spoke.

<Young knight. It is indeed a difficult mission. In return, if you complete it successfully, I shall grant you proper compensation under my authority.>

“Proper compensation?”

<I will give you what I gave you last time, once more.>

“The last time…?”

When he had received a quest directly from Tezeros before…

He had gotten a random box.

From it, he had obtained a skill, and also Saint Bruta’s Gloves, which he had used until recently.

‘Not bad.’

He had to accept the quest anyway, so having a reward like that wasn’t bad.

But Tezeros wasn’t finished.

<And as a reward for preventing the emergence of great evil, I shall grant you access to Valhalla’s secret swordsmanship.>

“Oh…”

That was truly surprising.

Valhalla’s secret swordsmanship.

In ‘Devil Road 3’, if you kept leveling up your character, you could reach the rank of High Knight, at which point you became qualified to learn the knight order’s swordsmanship.

That was the secret swordsmanship of Valhalla.

Even basic attacks became stronger, and with enough mastery, one could generate an aura.

Unlike now, where he used blade aura skills inefficiently and drained mana…

This was a true aura.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”

It was a quest he had to accept anyway… and it came with multiple rewards.

Kang Ian nodded without hesitation.

Ding!

 

[You have accepted the quest]

 

***

 

The next day.

After waking from the dream, Kang Ian saw the quest window still floating before him, confirming it hadn’t been a dream.

Still, he had slept well.

He had returned early in the evening yesterday, and now it was already 9 AM.

“Hmm… how am I supposed to approach this…”

He carefully reread the quest.

Somewhere in Korea, evil would appear… but the problem was, he didn’t know exactly what it was.

Was it a monster?

Monsters were appearing all over Korea all the time.

Gates were constantly forming and disappearing nationwide.

‘There has to be some kind of trigger…’

Ring ring

At that moment, his smartphone rang.

[President Shim Junseok]

‘The president?’

It was a call from Shim Junseok.

He answered immediately.

—Hunter Kang Ian. Sorry if I woke you.

“No, I’m already up. What’s going on this early?”

—There’s a Black Gate reaction near the DMZ right now.

A gate that appears suddenly without warning…

That was a Black Gate.

It occurred a few times a year in any country, and the damage varied greatly depending on the nation’s hunter level.

In weaker countries, it caused massive damage due to monsters appearing without warning.

In stronger countries, it was actually welcomed.

Because clearing a Black Gate guaranteed not only mana stones, but also “Skill Stones.”

Skill Stones allowed hunters to gain abilities randomly, without needing a special awakening.

Naturally, they were extremely valuable, so every guild competed fiercely to claim them.

‘Could this be what Tezeros was talking about?’

Kang Ian frowned slightly.

If it were a Black Gate situation, it would be a bit difficult for him to stand out.

All the major guilds in Korea would rush in and claim priority.

“Hmm, I see. But why are you telling me this?”

—Normally, large guilds would rush in, but this time it’s different. The location is the DMZ.

DMZ.

The Demilitarized Zone.

It wasn’t just a place blocked by fences.

To prevent crossings, the area was filled with landmines… so much so that it was practically a minefield.

—Even hunters can’t fight monsters in a minefield. Well… to be precise, lower-rank hunters can’t.

High-rank hunters were closer to superhuman.

Even mines that would blow off a normal person’s foot could be endured by them with minimal injury.

Lower-rank hunters, however, could be seriously injured, affecting combat.

—So the government took a different approach this time.

“A different approach…?”

—They didn’t mobilize anyone below C-rank. Instead, only C-rank and above hunters will participate, and rewards will be distributed later based on contribution.

“Will that even work? It sounds like it’ll cause problems.”

This would definitely lead to disputes.

Different guilds sharing rewards based on contribution?

That wouldn’t go smoothly.

—I agree, but the government thinks otherwise.

‘Works for me.’

Kang Ian wasn’t particularly interested in Skill Stones.

If this was related to the “evil descent” from the quest, then great.

Otherwise, he’d just treat it as a chance to farm evil souls.

—Given the situation, they reached out to offices like ours. That’s why I’m calling you. Will you go?

“Yes. Of course.”

Kang Ian answered without hesitation.

Whether it was the quest omen or not, it didn’t matter.

—That’s a relief. I contacted other hunters, too, but they all declined due to scheduling conflicts. It would’ve been awkward with the government, haha… Oh, Hunter Lee Chaewon will go too. She’s here at the office and wants to go with you.

“Should I head to the office then?”

—Yes. I’ll prepare everything.

“Understood.”

Kang Ian quickly washed up and got ready to leave.

 

***

 

Vroom

On the way to the DMZ in a vehicle provided by the association.

Three people were inside:

An association employee is driving, and Kang Ian and Lee Chaewon are in the back seat.

“I’ll brief you on the situation on the way. Is that alright?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. First, you’ll be heading to the DMZ near Cheorwon.”

The DMZ stretched about 4 kilometers wide.

The Black Gate had appeared on the Gangwon Province side.

Kang Ian was assigned near Cheorwon.

“We’ve designated the group with the highest-ranking hunter as the leader. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, but who’s the leader?”

“An A-rank hunter, Hong Dayeon.”

“Oh…!”

An A-rank hunter.

Even though Kang Hoopung was also an A-rank, it was rare to see one in the field.

Previously, as a C-rank hunter, Kang Ian wouldn’t have encountered them in the same space.

‘‘I’ve reached the point where I can work alongside A-rank hunters.’’

He felt oddly proud.

He glanced at Chaewon, wondering what she thought…

“?”

Her face had turned pale.

During their time in Jeonju, she had shown almost no expression… so why now?

“…It seems you know her, Hunter Lee Chaewon.”

The employee said awkwardly, glancing through the rearview mirror.

“Hunter Hong Dayeon is certainly very skilled, but… her personality is a bit… difficult.”

“……”

Kang Ian understood immediately.

‘Strong, but with a terrible personality.’

If Chaewon looked like that, then it wasn’t just “a bit bad”… it must be really bad.

He might be in trouble.

Imagine someone like Kang Hoopung, but with a terrible personality…

Everyone around them would suffer.

‘I should avoid running into her if possible.’

After driving for less than two hours, they arrived at the operation area.

“Gasp!?”

As soon as she got out of the car, Chaewon gasped while looking somewhere.

Kang Ian followed her gaze.

There stood a tall woman with short hair and a cold expression.

She walked toward them with long strides.

People around her parted like the Red Sea, as if even stepping on her shadow was forbidden.

‘That must be the A-rank hunter, Hong Dayeon.’

She quickly approached the two.

She glanced at Chaewon, then looked at Kang Ian.

Kang Ian decided to greet her politely first.

At that moment…

“Thank you for saving my younger sibling’s life. I’m Hong Dayeon.”

Hong Dayeon bowed deeply.

“???”

“?????”

The surrounding hunters stared in shock, their eyes nearly popping out.