The Giants of Yeouido

In a world of Hunters, the Gangnam Police Station held the most influence among all district stations in South Korea. Even after the Gate Cataclysm, Gangnam remained a bustling hub lined with corporate headquarters, entertainment agencies, and politicians' offices. Now, a significant number of Hunter guilds—boasting scales rivaling major conglomerates—were also concentrated in Gangnam. Naturally, the Gangnam Police Station's Abnormal Crimes Unit was perpetually overworked.

"Enjoy your lunch, sirs!"

Two o'clock. Only now, long past lunchtime, could the detectives finally pick up their chopsticks.

"Jajangmyeon again today?"

"It's jjamppong, sir!"

"Jajangmyeon, jjamppong, what's the difference..."

At the eager rookie officer's reply, the senior detective snapped his wooden chopsticks apart and began stirring the noodles into the spicy red broth.

"Jjamppong today. Jajangmyeon tomorrow. Gukbap the day after..." What kind of grand success am I even chasing to live like this? He grumbled under his breath, lifting a clump of noodles. It was at that exact moment—

—We bring you a breaking news update.

"Ah, damn it." Just as he was about to take his first bite, the anchor's voice ruined the mood. The detectives shifted their gazes to the TV mounted on the wall.

"What is it? Murder? Don't tell me it's an Awakened?"

"I think the narcotics team was chasing some Chinese dealers a few days ago. Maybe it's about that."

"Did they catch them?"

"My academy buddy said they literally flew away into the sky."

"Son of a bitch. Then the Hunter Administration will just snatch the case again. It's not like we're their damn errand boys..."

Ring! Ring! The detectives' phones chimed in unison. It was an emergency disaster alert.

"What the fuck..."

"What's a Class 1 Evacuation Order...?"

The rookie cop had dropped his chopsticks, leaving a smudge of black bean sauce on the table. The senior detective tossed him a fresh pair and spoke grimly.

"It means a Gate opened... and we're completely fucked. You got plans tonight?"

"I have dinner plans with my girlfriend."

"Tell her you can't make it."

"Yes, sir..."

Whipping out his phone, the rookie tapped frantically at the screen before looking up.

"Are we deploying right now, then?"

"Can you kill monsters?"

"I-I don't really know."

"The Hunters go in first to clean up the mess, and we handle the aftermath. For now, stuff your face. We don't know when we'll get to eat dinner."

"Understood."

The rookie cop tried to snap his new wooden chopsticks with trembling hands, but stopped and looked up. Among the detectives shoving jjamppong noodles down their throats, one man sat with a face as pale as a sheet.

"Detective Kim? What's wrong?"

"..."

"Detective Kim? Are you okay?"

"Seo-yeon..."

"Seo-yeon? Your daughter? Shouldn't she be in school right now?"

"She went on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a field trip... to Yeouido..."

A heavy silence instantly fell over the Abnormal Crimes Unit. After a single second that felt like an eternity, the rookie spoke up hesitantly.

"Detective Kim. Um, remember when you were investigating that case related to the Yuseong Guild?"

"...?"

"Didn't you say you got a business card from one of their Hunters back then? If it's the Yuseong Guild, wouldn't they be able to save your daughter...?"

At the rookie's words, Detective Kim violently yanked his desk drawer open. Yuseong Guild. 3rd Hunter Team Leader, Yoo Sung. Beneath the name was a phone number. Detective Kim dialed it with trembling fingers.

I pulled out my phone to see who was calling, but it was an unrecognized number. Probably the Hunter Administration. I figured some low-level staffer was calling on behalf of the commissioner to ask about the situation.

"Hello?"

—"Is... is this Hunter Yoo Sung?"

"Yeah. Yoo Sung speaking."

—"I-I'm Detective Kim Su-gwang. We met... at the police station back then."

...So his name was Kim Su-gwang. Now that he mentioned it, the voice sounded familiar.

"Right. What's on your mind?"

—"M-my daughter is in Yeouido right now. She went on a field trip... and she's not picking up her phone. Hunter Yoo, by any chance..."

"Yeouido?"

—"Yes, yes, she's in Yeouido. I know I have no right to ask, but..."

"I happen to be in Yeouido right now."

Gasp. A sharp, ragged breath escaped through the receiver.

"Where is your daughter?"

—"I heard they were at the National Assembly Building. Hunter Yoo, please... my daughter..."

"The National Assembly Building. Got it. What's her name?"

—"Seo-yeon. Kim Seo-yeon. Please, Hunter Yoo, I beg of you...!"

"Okay. Kim Seo-yeon. Got it. I'll call you back."

I hung up and slid my phone back into my pocket. Do Yun-ah looked at me and asked.

"Who was that?"

"A cop who helped me out before."

"His daughter is at the National Assembly? That's right in front of us. Should I go grab her?"

"It's a school field trip. There are probably at least a hundred kids. Can you bring them all out?"

"...That would be tough."

No matter how fast Do Yun-ah was, she only had two arms. Considering her stamina, using her as a rescue shuttle was highly inefficient.

"Let's just block the path for now. Once the backup arrives, we'll send them in."

"Okay."

The sky grew a shade darker. A woman fleeing with her purse clutched tightly to her chest looked up and shrieked. Even to non-Awakened eyes, the Gate was starting to become visible. There wasn't much time left.

"When did they say the kids from our team would get here?"

"It looks like it'll take about three more minutes."

"Tsk..."

The situation was an absolute shitshow. People were told to abandon everything and run, yet some were busy packing bags from their cars. They were told to go on foot, yet others insisted on driving. The resulting gridlock caused a massive traffic jam, with car horns blaring from every direction. There were no police in sight, and the number of Hunter Administration staff on hand to control the crowd was woefully insufficient.

"Yun-ah."

"Yes?"

"Look at that."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

But even that chaos didn't last long. A massive head began to squeeze out of the Gate. Calling it the size of a house didn't even begin to do it justice.

"How many of those do you think you can handle at once?"

And there were six of them.

"If I have to fight them all at once... maybe two?"

"Then change of plans. Don't fight them, just draw their aggro. I'll take two, you take four. There's a park right behind us. Let's lure them there."

Unlike the buildings, the park had already been completely evacuated and was empty. Besides, since it was a weekday afternoon, there hadn't been many people there to begin with.

"Senior, do you have a gun?"

"No."

"Then how are you going to draw their attention?"

I silently turned my head.

"Eek...!"

At least one A-rank mage was standing right here.

"Can you breathe fire?"

"Maybe enough to light a lighter...?"

"That's plenty. Let's go."

"Where are we going...?"

I stared at the demons emerging from the Gate. I wondered if this was what it would look like if Satan gave birth. Giants tore through the black void, falling headfirst to the ground. After spitting out the giants one by one, the Gate vanished without a trace. Fucking instant Gate. It would be worth fighting if it dropped some decent loot, but this was just a pain in the ass.

Perhaps thanks to the quick actions of the Awakened staff from the Hunter Administration, there were no civilians near the drop zone of the giants.

"Let's head to high ground."

"High ground...? This building is the tallest around here, but..."

The fortune teller glanced back toward her shop. Because of the National Assembly Building, Yeouido had strict altitude limits. Since all the buildings were roughly the same height anyway, it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

"Then let's go. You head up first."

"What about you, Hunter Yoo...?"

"Just get to the rooftop for now."

The fortune teller nodded, trembling violently. She looked terrified, but considering all her talk about how one couldn't escape destiny, she didn't seem like the type to chicken out and run away.

Just as I was about to follow her inside, Do Yun-ah tossed something to me.

"Senior. Take this."

"Why did you bring this?"

"I thought you might need it."

"Good job."

It was an earpiece communicator—the exact same model plugged into Do Yun-ah's left ear.

"Call me if you need me."

"Yeah. Go."

The moment Do Yun-ah saw me plug it into my ear, she leaped forward.

Boom! The asphalt shattered, leaving a massive crater in her wake. Her movement was faster than sound. By the time I registered it, she was already gone.

Time for me to do my part. The goal was to draw the attention of at least two of them. I entered the building. It was a restaurant right next to the fortune teller's shop. Breaking through the door of the abandoned restaurant, I went into the kitchen and hoisted a fully charged LPG gas cylinder onto my shoulder. Squeezing past the screaming people rushing down the emergency exit, I bolted up the stairs.

Did everyone get out? I didn't have time to check every single floor. I spoke into the communicator.

"Yun-ah. Do you copy?"

—"Yes, Senior."

"I'm inside the building right now. Anyone left in here?"

—"Hold on."

A deafening roar echoed through the communicator. Almost simultaneously, the same roar reverberated in my uncovered ear. Through the small window of the emergency exit, I saw the crushed chassis of a car tumbling through the air.

—"No one's in that building."

"Okay."

Do Yun-ah's senses were incredibly sharp. I recalled her saying she could sense everything within a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one-kilometer radius. If she said the building was clear, then it was definitely clear. Relieved, I sprinted up the remaining steps and pushed through the open rooftop door, finding the fortune teller gasping for breath.

"Huff, pant... haaa..."

"Can you cast a spell right now?"

"I think so...?"

Even though she was a magic-type, she was still an Awakened. Despite scaling thirty flights of stairs in barely a minute, she didn't look completely exhausted.

Thud. I set the LPG cylinder down in front of her.

"Listen carefully. I'm going to throw this over there."

Ruuuumble! A giant as tall as a skyscraper was smashing the road to pieces, chasing a speeding car. Even up on the thirtieth floor, the shockwaves of its rampage brushed against my cheeks. The monsters were chasing something. Do Yun-ah was running between the streets, drawing their attention. Thanks to her, we remained unnoticed, positioned slightly above the giants' line of sight.

"You carried this all the way up here...?"

"That's not important right now."

"Ah, right..."

"I'm going to hurl this toward them. Just hit it with your fire. Simple, right?"

"My fire doesn't reach that far, though...?"

"You can do it. Get ready, I'll give the signal."

I hoisted the gas cylinder over my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I channeled every ounce of strength in my body and hurled the cylinder toward the giant.

"Now!"

"Ngh...!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, the fortune teller thrust both hands forward. Whoosh! Mana flickered and erupted from her palms, shaping into a stream of fire. However, that alone was far from enough to reach the gas cylinder already flying through the air.

"It's not going to reach...!"

"I told you, you can do it." I grabbed her forearm. Then, I poured every drop of mana flowing through my body into her.

"...!"

The fortune teller's eyes went wide. Immediately after, the flickering flames erupting from her palms swelled into a colossal inferno, surging forward like a dragon's breath. The roaring fire engulfed the flying gas cylinder.

"Hic...?!"

"Get down."

In an instant, the gas cylinder was swallowed by the flames. The moment the gray metal tank began to swell, I grabbed her forearm and yanked her down, dropping our posture.

Whoosh! Intense heat washed over my back, followed by a deafening explosion.

"Did it explode...?"

"Yeah."

"Is it dead...?"

"It's perfectly fine."

"Then...?"

Monsters were creatures that wouldn't die even if you blasted them with tank shells or self-propelled howitzers. And demons were several times stronger than ordinary monsters. To make matters worse, these things were the size of skyscrapers... Peeking over the edge to check, I saw that the blast had done nothing more than leave a smudge of soot on the giant's face.

"It's going to come after us now, isn't it?"

"Eek...?"

"Let's run."

I pulled her to her feet. There was barely any gap between the buildings. As I dragged the fortune teller toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a spot where we could jump, the giant's horrific screech rattled our eardrums.

Crash! A violent tremor shook the ground beneath us, instantly throwing off my sense of balance. The giant had smashed its fist right into the building we were standing on.

"Eek...!!"

"Yun-ah. Behind the building we were just at. Right now."

—"On it, Senior."

Dragging the trembling fortune teller with me, I stood at the edge of the tilting rooftop. Below us, a woman clad in a black Hunter suit came into view. It was Do Yun-ah.

"Close your eyes."

"What? Close my... Kyaaaaaah!"

I hoisted the fortune teller up and hurled her straight toward Do Yun-ah. In an instant, Do Yun-ah's figure vanished from the ground. She caught the flailing fortune teller mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, safely deposited her on the street.

—"Jump, Senior."

"Got it. I'm trusting you."

Grrrr...! The giant let out a sickening, throat-scratching growl. On the other side, I locked eyes with a massive eyeball the size of my entire body. Just as the beast raised its fist to smash the building once more, I threw myself off the edge. Shards of shattered glass rained down around me. The asphalt road rushed up to meet me, sending a cold shiver down my spine. Just as the sensation of impending death began to creep in—

"Senior."

...I found myself standing firmly on the ground on both feet.

"I've gathered four of them in the park. I made sure the area was clear of civilians, too."

"Good job."

"The one from just now... and the last remaining one are heading this way."

"Can you buy us some more time?"

"It'll be hard in the park. There's no cover."

"Then let's head toward the Han River for now—"

Crunch. The sound of something being crushed echoed. I turned my head toward the noise. The giant was gripping the rooftop of the building I had just jumped from, staring down at me with its massive eyes. It looked ready to push the tilting skyscraper right onto us. But behind its towering silhouette, a dark figure suddenly appeared.

"Actually, scratch that. No need."

"I thought so."

Perhaps sensing my gaze directed behind its head, the giant began to turn around. But before it could, its massive body lurched. A surprise attack. It didn't deal any real damage, and the giant remained perfectly fine, but it was more than enough. It had successfully drawn its attention.

—"Team Leader! We're here!"

A familiar face waved from above the giant's head. High in the sky, well out of the monsters' reach, two helicopters hovered with whirring blades. Hunters were constantly rappelling down from them.

The 3rd Hunter Team had arrived.