Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: 최후의 거인족이 되었다-19화
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Became the Last of the Giant Clan
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Kang Hyuk stared at the four team members introduced as his subordinates, unable to hide his astonishment.
The reason was simple: every single one of these new team members was someone who would later be hailed as one of the world's top hunters.
'All of them... were affiliated with the Hunter Association?'
Great Flame Lee Hwan-seung
Invincible Mount Tai Park Seo-jun
Both were S-rank players renowned as the ultimate sword and the ultimate shield.
But the real shock was the hunter standing right before him, the one who would surpass even those two to claim the title of the world's greatest archer.
'One Strike Must Kill Kang Na-eun. Daughter of the current Hunter Association President, Kang Cheol-woo.'
That realization filled Kang Hyuk's gaze with a mix of surprise and delight as he looked over his new team.
Kang Na-eun, in particular, stirred even stronger emotions. In the future, she had risen to vice president of the Hunter Association and fought by his side until the very last battle.
'...I never thought I'd see these people again like this.'
A murmur escaped his lips, and without realizing it, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
But then his eyes settled on the last remaining team member, and that smile faded.
'And the Nightmare Archmage, Lee Ye-sol... she was originally with the Hunter Association too?'
Jet-black hair and pitch-black eyes.
Her snow-white skin was just as striking now as it had been back then.
Old memories surfaced unbidden.
'Among these four, Lee Ye-sol becomes an S-rank hunter first. And she's the first to leave Korea.'
After that, she joins 'Meteos,' the group branded as agents of evil, becoming a rival he clashes with multiple times later on.
Learning that even she had originally been part of the Hunter Association felt strangely off-putting.
As he lingered on her a bit longer, Lee Ye-rin, the Secretary General, approached with an explanation.
"Allow me to introduce them: Kang Na-eun, Lee Hwan-seung, Park Seo-jun, and Lee Ye-sol. All are Hunter Association hunters, currently ranked as E-grade players."
With that, she handed over some documents.
Kang Hyuk accepted them and quietly scanned the contents.
They detailed the abilities and ranks of the four standing before him.
Even more, there were evaluations of their personalities and miscellaneous personal info from the Association's perspective.
Having meticulously reviewed it all, Kang Hyuk soon grasped President Kang Cheol-woo's intentions, and his eyes gleamed.
'...All E-grade hunters. And by Association standards, E-grade hunters qualify for team leader or vice-team leader positions. Sending all of them to me... it's insurance against any potential incidents.'
With a murmur and a nod to Team Leader Lee Ye-rin, he returned the documents.
"I'd like some time alone to talk with my team members. Could you step out for a bit?"
"Of course. I'll be right outside. If you need anything, just knock, Team Leader."
With that, Secretary General Lee Ye-rin retreated with quick steps. Only then did Kang Hyuk and his newly assembled First Team face each other.
An awkward silence descended.
'They're brimming with dissatisfaction. No surprise—four strong personalities like these wouldn't take kindly to someone lording over them just because he's S-rank.'
Kang Hyuk let out a scoff.
The four, catching the laugh, all furrowed their brows.
The most sensitive reaction came from President Kang Cheol-woo's daughter, Kang Na-eun.
'What was that? Did he just mock us?'
She wasn't happy with the current situation.
The reason was straightforward: that position of team leader had originally been hers.
Her father, whom she revered above all.
As the daughter of Hunter Association President Kang Cheol-woo, she had turned down offers from Korea's top guilds to join the Association.
From that moment, she worked tirelessly to live up to his name, building achievements and records until just a week ago, when she was told she would finally take over as team leader.
Then out of nowhere, an S-rank ability user shows up and snatches it away.
Being human, she couldn't help feeling some resentment in the process.
But she tried to understand and not show it.
After all, she was a hunter too, and she knew the immense prestige an S-rank commanded.
Whatever his reasons for choosing the Association over those temptations, she knew she had to respect that choice.
But Kang Hyuk's scoff just now shattered her forced composure.
'Thinks he's hot stuff just 'cause he's S-rank? Looking down on us?'
Kang Na-eun ground her teeth, narrowing her eyes.
The other three beside her felt the same.
"......"
The uncomfortable silence stretched on, with no one willing to speak.
Finally, Kang Hyuk broke it.
"Kang Hyuk."
"......"
"Any questions?"
Still, silence.
Kang Hyuk scoffed again.
'No matter how destined they are for S-rank in the future, they're still just early twenties now.'
He pondered for a moment, then stood.
'Time for some hierarchy sorting. Can't keep up this pissing contest forever.'
He approached the door and knocked.
It opened, revealing Secretary General Lee Ye-rin.
"Yes, Team Leader?"
"Sorry to ask, but could you do me a favor?"
"What is it, First Team Leader?"
The other four team members shifted uncomfortably.
"The training grounds."
Kang Hyuk's eyes sharpened, sensing the unsubtle hostility radiating from his team.
"Is there a sparring arena available for immediate use?"
At Kang Hyuk's request, Secretary General Lee Ye-rin and the rest of the First Team gathered at the Hunter Association's training arena.
"What's Kang Na-eun doing here?"
"And Lee Hwan-seung too...?"
"Not just them—Lee Ye-sol and Park Seo-jun as well?"
The hunters already there, warming up with physical training and drills, tilted their heads in confusion.
All the newcomers were Association standouts—hot prospects and the rookies of the moment.
But the person who followed them completely overshadowed the rookies.
"Whoa!?"
"Isn't that the rumored S-rank talent!? That's him!"
The man standing behind the prospects was the hottest topic in the world right now: Kang Hyuk.
The peculiar lineup and tense atmosphere spread rumors like wildfire.
With a bit of distortion, of course.
"Heard the new S-rank and Kang Na-eun were glaring daggers at each other!"
"No way? For real? The Association President's daughter and an S-rank talent, staring each other down?"
"Totally real! They were in the arena, looking ready to kill!"
As time passed, the rumors grew more sensational and spicy.
Eventually, they reached the president himself.
Demonic Power God Kang Cheol-woo.
"Na-eun and... the First Team Leader..."
He murmured, eyes gleaming.
"Not what I intended when I assigned them, but perfect. Now I can see just how far this talent I need to protect and nurture will go."
He turned and headed for the arena. Meanwhile, Kang Na-eun asked,
"Is this for real, Team Leader?"
Her expression mixed bewilderment and barely concealed excitement, her eyes shining.
"You want to spar with us...?"
Kang Hyuk nodded.
He looked over the entire First Team, including her, and spoke.
"Forcing you to follow a team leader you don't respect won't work, right?"
Flame-tempered Lee Hwan-seung responded to the sharp point.
"Nah, it's not like that. Sure, we'll follow since it's the chain of command..."
"That kind of nominal loyalty turns into real danger in the field."
"...?"
"We're fighting monsters, not humans. They're beyond common sense, and crises can hit anytime, anywhere. In a battlefield like that, can you really trust your back to someone you resent and doubt?"
Lee Hwan-seung's bravado deflated in surprise.
"No, that's not what I—"
He fell silent.
He realized his earlier words were wrong.
Secretary General Lee Ye-rin, watching from the side, clicked her tongue in amazement.
'Are all young civil servants this eloquent these days? Why can't our rookies be like that?'
Kang Hyuk spoke again.
"So let's settle it cleanly in this spar. Your dissatisfaction with me boils down to doubting if I have what it takes to lead, doesn't it?"
The team members lifted their heads.
"I'll prove it in the spar. But if the results convince you, you'll follow my orders without question from now on."
Kang Na-eun piped up boldly.
"And if you lose, Team Leader?"
The others stared at her in shock.
But Kang Hyuk didn't flinch, replying calmly.
With a bombshell declaration.
"I'll step down as team leader and ask the president to appoint one of you in my place."
Kang Na-eun—and even Secretary General Lee Ye-rin—widened their eyes in astonishment.
"So we'll make it official in this spar. Any objections?"
No one spoke.
The conditions were too extreme.
As silence threatened to settle, Kang Hyuk gestured.
"I'll take that as agreement. Who wants to go first?"
Kang Na-eun recovered quickest and spoke up.
"If the others have no issues, I'd like to spar with you first, Team Leader."
The rest exchanged glances and nodded.
All four were evenly matched, but Kang Na-eun stood a cut above.
Kang Hyuk nodded and turned to the secretary general.
"Secretary General."
"Uh, Kang Hyuk? Still, this is..."
"It's fine. And it's a path we all have to walk eventually."
Her eyes darted at his firm response, but then a voice echoed.
[Proceed, Secretary General.]
Startled, Secretary General Lee Ye-rin looked around.
She spotted Association President Kang Cheol-woo watching from a corner of the second-floor balcony and let out a sigh.
"Then I officially permit the spar between Kang Na-eun and Kang Hyuk."
At her declaration, Kang Hyuk and Kang Na-eun mounted the platform as if they'd been waiting.
A crowd quickly gathered, murmuring excitedly at the news.
"Whoa..."
"They're really doing it?"
"What's the bad blood between them?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Looks more like team power play to me."
"Power play?"
"Think about it! Kang Na-eun's been in the Association forever, building her record as the president's daughter, and then this random rock rolls in and steals her spot?"
The murmurs grew, heightening the anticipation.
"No wonder the tension. From her view, it's like ashes dumped on a finished meal."
"...But can she take an S-rank talent? Kang Na-eun?"
"Obviously! Pure talent-wise, she's B-grade. One Strike Must Kill, B-grade."
With that, Kang Na-eun and Kang Hyuk exchanged brief bows and took their distance.
"Plus all her field experience... I'd bet on Kang Na-eun."
Kang Na-eun steadied her breath, eyes flashing as she recalled Kang Hyuk's info.
'S-rank talent. Physical type.'
No more details were public yet, but from the footage, his destructive power was undeniably S-grade.
'I barely pierced Highenz's barrier with a pinpoint. But he shattered it.'
In raw power, she was outmatched.
Which meant abandoning head-on clashes.
But that was fine.
Her style didn't favor brute force anyway.
One Strike Must Kill, rated B-grade.
This ability marked every visible object and creature in her sight with a red dot.
'Those red dots are usually weak points or vulnerabilities. So full-frontal fights play against my strengths from the start.'
Finishing her thoughts, Kang Na-eun smiled faintly.
No matter his S-rank talent, she saw no path to her defeat here.
A rookie hunter with zero combat experience couldn't dodge attacks honed in real gates against monsters.
'Even if he loses, he probably won't quit over Dad, so time to humble that arrogance.'
She drew her signature weapon: the Longinus Spear.
The crowd gasped at the Unique-grade artifact, ranked 324th in Korea.
"Whoa, she even pulled out that spear?"
"Kang Na-eun's dead serious."
Kang Na-eun twirled the spear lightly and beckoned Kang Hyuk.
"I'll yield the first move, Team Leader."
"......"
"Even in a spar, I wouldn't want to take first blood from someone so green."
Kang Hyuk's eyes narrowed.
He bared his fangs in a grin.
Then raised his fist.
Compared to her spear, his bare fist seemed unremarkable.
Which is why everyone present—including Kang Na-eun herself—missed the motion.
And that tiny lapse in attention.
BOOM!!!!!!
Came roaring back as a massive shockwave rattled the barrier.
"...What?"
As stunned Kang Na-eun murmured, a few strands of her whipping hair caught her eye.
Then a voice right in front of her.
The First Team Leader's.
"If this were real combat..."
Kang Na-eun's face hardened.
"You'd be dead right now. Kang Na-eun."
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