SWNOVELXO Chapter 4 - Awakening (4)
A message indicating he’d obtained Nobility.
‘What? Why did I get this?’
Kang Ian had assumed that Nobility, like Gold, could only be obtained within the game.
After all, it was one of the rewards given for completing NPC quests.
And since there were no NPCs in reality, he had been racking his brain over how to acquire it.
Yet now, it had appeared out of nowhere?
‘Was it because I helped that old lady?’
Come to think of it, the message specifically mentioned an increase in Nobility.
Helping an elderly woman in distress was certainly a noble act.
Though, to be honest, he didn’t think it was anything grand enough to deserve such recognition…
‘Looks like I need to investigate this further.’
* * *
Returning home, Kang Ian searched for the Devil Lord 3 lore book.
The game’s lore was so extensive that the developers had even released a physical book, though few players actually read it in detail.
Only die-hard fans would bother—most people simply focused on enjoying the gameplay.
While skimming through, Kang Ian found more detailed information about the Knights of Valhalla.
<Knights of Valhalla are more courageous than anyone in the face of demons and never surrender.>
<Furthermore, Knights of Valhalla value honor and find great joy in helping the weak.>
<The more evil they vanquish and the more weak they aid, the brighter their Nobility shines.>
‘This is it.’
Kang Ian’s eyes lit up. His guess was correct.
Helping the struggling elderly woman had increased his Nobility.
‘I wasn’t doing it for a reward, but… I don’t mind this outcome.’
In fact, this was great news.
He should consider volunteering regularly.
Of course, this didn’t mean he understood everything about Nobility.
He still needed to determine what specific actions counted, how significant they needed to be, and how much Nobility he could gain from each.
However, Kang Ian put that aside for now and accessed a hunter recruitment website.
HunterNet.
This was a government-run platform that specialized in matching Hunters to Gates.
Registration required official hunter certification, so non-hunters and unauthorized guild representatives couldn’t even view the listings.
Using the license he had obtained that morning, Kang Ian quickly completed the sign-up process.
He then browsed through the available postings.
<F-Rank Gate in Sokcho – Evening Primrose Collection>
– Recruiting: 3 people
– Recruiting F-rank or higher Hunters to collect Evening Primrose inside the Gate. The work is relatively easy, and the daily wage is between 800,000 and 1,000,000 won, depending on the quota.
<E-Rank Gate in Yecheon – Escort Mission>
– Recruiting: 1 person
– A geological research team will be entering a cleared Gate. Recruiting one E-rank Hunter to escort and protect them near the entrance against any unforeseen circumstances. The wage is 1,500,000 won.
– The mission lasts until the Gate disappears. If it exceeds 24 hours, a two-day wage will be paid.
.
.
There were various missions available.
Kang Ian scanned through them, slightly dumbfounded.
‘The pay is incredible.’
F-rank and E-rank Hunters were at the bottom of the Hunter world.
Their exploits weren’t even newsworthy.
Hunters who made headlines and were called stars were at least A-rank or higher.
Yet, even these low-ranking Hunters earned this much in a single day.
To Kang Ian, who had been a job seeker just yesterday, the amount was enough to make him consider risking his life as a hunter.
‘And hunters pay less taxes, too.’
Hunters were considered strategic assets by each country and received tax benefits.
This meant that whatever they earned went straight into their bank accounts.
Feeling excited, Kang Ian kept browsing the listings.
But that excitement didn’t last long.
“…Nothing worthwhile.”
None of the missions appealed to him.
To accumulate Evil Souls, he needed to hunt monsters. That was why he’d gone through the trouble of getting a hunter’s license.
But all the missions were about collecting plants, standing guard against possible threats, or serving as a bodyguard—nothing involving actual combat.
What Kang Ian didn’t realize was that this was perfectly normal.
Missions involving clearing Gates and actively hunting monsters were usually assigned to Hunter guilds.
They bid on and secured the Gates they wanted from the government.
The purpose of the government-run HunterNet was to nurture newly Awakened F-rank and E-rank Hunters.
It was a system that provided safe and easy missions, helping new Hunters gain a foothold.
Naturally, there wouldn’t be missions that immediately threw them into monster hunting.
There was more to Gates than just hunting monsters.
The various materials and byproducts found within were used for developing new drugs and were subjects of research.
Even F-rank Hunters could find plenty of work if they looked.
It just wasn’t the kind of work Kang Ian was interested in.
“What should I do…?”
Lost in thought, Kang Ian’s gaze fell upon the business card he’d left on his desk.
[Ohseong Guild Gate Raid Team 3]
— Team Leader Lee Jigwang
He recalled what the man had said last night when he gave him the card.
– If you need any help, feel free to contact me.
Lee Jigwang had given him his card out of the blue.
Thinking back, the man seemed to have taken a liking to him.
Without much hesitation, Kang Ian sent a text message.
It couldn’t hurt, and there was nothing to lose if it didn’t work out.
[Hello. This is Kang Ian, whom you met last night near the Sudden Gate.]
Less than ten seconds later, his phone rang.
“!”
He answered the call.
– Mr. Kang? Are you the one who took down the Earthworm last night?
“…Yes, that’s me.”
– I didn’t expect you to contact me so soon. So, what can I do for you?
“Well, I’d like to enter a dungeon where I can hunt monsters. Could you help me with that?”
– Monsters? Don’t you belong to a guild? Why are you asking me… Tell me more.
* * *
The call with Team Leader Lee Jigwang lasted over an hour.
Kang Ian explained his situation and what he wanted, and surprisingly, Team Leader Lee Jigwang agreed to his request.
– “We’re scheduled to enter an E-rank Gate a week from today. I’ll add you to the team.”
Kang Ian hadn’t expected it to work out, having contacted Lee Jigwang on a whim.
But even Lee Jigwang himself was surprised by his own decision after hanging up.
“Huh.”
“What’s wrong, Team Leader?”
“No… I think I just met someone interesting.”
His subordinate, Lim Eunjun, tilted his head at his words.
The team leader he knew wasn’t one to describe someone so vaguely.
Lee Jigwang was in his position because he was a good judge of character, yet he’d given such an ambiguous assessment.
Team Leader Lee Jigwang recalled the conversation he just had.
– “You want to enter a Gate? What’s your rank?”
– “F-rank.”
– “…Huh? Uh… well… When did you awaken?”
– “Yesterday. I registered as a Hunter today.”
– “…”
At that moment, Lee Jigwang had been at a loss for words.
A Hunter who had been registered for just a single day?
‘And he Awakened only yesterday? Is that even possible?’
He had first encountered Kang Ian while patrolling the area near Sudden Gate after the crisis had been contained.
They had taken precautions to prevent monsters from escaping, but he had gone to check the area just in case—only to find Kang Ian taking down an Earthworm.
Granted, the monster was already half-dead, but Kang Ian had finished it off with ease.
Most strikingly, his eyes were different.
Calm and composed, like those of a veteran Hunter.
‘That’s the look of someone who just Awakened? That’s got to be a joke.’
Team Leader Lee Jigwang thought to himself. It was unbelievable.
Even if hunters were superhuman, they were no different from slightly stronger ordinary people on their first day of awakening.
The first time a person faced a monster, their mental fortitude was bound to waver.
Fighting a living creature for the first time was no small psychological shock.
It was absurd for someone to fight as calmly as Kang Ian had.
There were only two possibilities.
‘He’s lying about his Awakening date and has been operating as an unregistered Hunter.’
It was illegal for unregistered hunters to hunt monsters, but many did so for various reasons.
‘Or he possesses a natural talent that allows him to perform like that on his first day of Awakening.’
Occasionally, a genius would emerge, displaying exceptional abilities without any training.
These were the kinds of people who could grow into A-rank—or even beyond.
Lee Jigwang, lost in thought for a moment, finally spoke up.
“Eunjun.”
“Yes.”
“You and Seoho are scheduled to raid an E-rank Gate next week, right? Take another hunter with you.”
“Yes. What’s their rank and specialty?”
“He’s F-rank. Seems to use a sword and shield, but I’m not sure. You’ll have to find out yourself.”
“…Huh?”
* * *
The promised week passed quickly.
Fortunately, the meeting place was close to Kang Ian’s home: the playground of an abandoned school in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
The meeting time was 9:00 AM, so he arrived 30 minutes early.
After waiting for about ten minutes, two cars pulled up.
They were luxury sedans from Doksam Motors, top-of-the-line vehicles.
Two men stepped out of the cars and approached Kang Ian with friendly smiles.
“Hello. I’m Lim Eunjun from Ohseong Guild.”
“Shim Seoho.”
These were the two hunters who would be accompanying Kang Ian, both subordinates of Team Leader Lee Jigwang.
“Kang Ian.”
“Yes. If you don’t mind, can we get straight to the point?”
“Sure.”
“We heard from the Team Leader that you just recently Awakened. If you don’t mind us asking, do you have any experience hunting monsters?”
“I have once, but it was a half-dead Earthworm, so it’s a bit of a stretch to call it experience.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Lim Eunjun nodded as if he’d expected as much.
In fact, the two had already prepared themselves before coming.
– “Team Leader, you’re seriously telling us to take an inexperienced F-rank Hunter to a monster-hunting dungeon?”
– “Yes. He requested it, and I’m curious too.”
– “If you say so, Team Leader, we’ll do it… but honestly, isn’t this a bit too much like babysitting?”
– “Are you complaining?”
– “No, not at all…”
– “Alright, you two. I’ll give you good evaluations this time. Expect a hefty bonus.”
– “We’ll give you our utmost loyalty!”
They had already prepared for the worst possible scenarios.
And since the Team Leader had promised them extra compensation, there was no reason to look down on or mistreat Kang Ian.
If anything, it was better to treat rookies like him well.
‘Who knows? He might turn out to be a prodigy and surpass us someday.’
No one knew what the future held, especially in the hunter industry.
Besides, the Team Leader had given them direct orders.
There was a high probability that Kang Ian was talented, so they intended to guide him well.
‘Hopefully, he won’t panic and cause any trouble.’
With slightly worried glances at Kang Ian, the two began preparing to enter the Gate.
Meanwhile, Kang Ian was completely unaware of their subtle glances.
He was lost in his own thoughts.
‘I finally got it.’
Over the past week, his skill window had changed.
[Name: Kang Ian]
[Class: Knight of Valhalla]
[Skills: Communication with Valhalla, Valhalla Knight’s Spirit (P), Valhalla’s Compresed Mastery (P)]
He’d acquired Communication with Valhalla upon Awakening and Valhalla Knight Spirit (P) upon his first encounter with a monster.
And now, a new skill had been added.
He’d earned 50 Nobility points over the past week and acquired a new skill.