Chapter 22

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: 최후의 거인족이 되었다-22화

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: Became the Last of the Giant Clan

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He had no intention of hiding his strength or holding back even a little.

That was why he poured his full maximum power into his fist from the very start.

The purest essence of raw power, untainted by mana or magic.

That primal force dominated Kang Hyuk's mind, sharpening all his senses to a razor's edge.

Adrenaline exploded through him as he held his breath.

And then he unleashed the condensed power surging in his fist.

In that instant.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion roared like the world itself was shattering.

Amid the blast, whatever had enveloped the entire school crumbled away.

The barrier.

The magical construct woven from magic power melted into nothingness.

As shards of light scattered through the air, one soldier on site muttered in awe.

"It's broken... the barrier..."

Meanwhile, the goblin shaman, freed from the artifact's fear effect, let out a guttural wail.

"Kkirururuk!!"

Confirming the barrier's destruction, it scrambled into action.

Its gaze locked on the students held hostage.

It planned to use the sturdy human shields once more.

But.

"Kkik!"

In the blink of an eye, Kang Hyuk's hand shot in, blocking its move.

"Kkirurururuk...!!!"

The panicked goblin shaman struggled in resistance.

Chanting a spell to shake off the hand gripping its head.

But the incantation didn't even make it past the first syllable.

Crunch!

A grotesque sound, like a potato being crushed.

Blood and flesh sprayed from Kang Hyuk's grip.

"Kkiruruk!!!"

The red-furred goblins, belatedly freed from the artifact's curse by their shaman's death, howled in rage.

They charged at Kang Hyuk, weapons raised high.

"......"

Kang Hyuk clenched his fist just as he had when shattering the barrier.

And thrust it out.

BOOM!

Another earth-shaking explosion rang out, and six goblins followed their shaman into oblivion.

The messages chimed in unison.

Kang Hyuk glanced at them and bellowed.

"Lieutenant!"

The lieutenant, who had been staring blankly at the fight, jumped to attention.

"Y-Yes! Here!"

"What are you doing? The site's cleared—why aren't you evacuating the wounded?"

His sharp rebuke made the lieutenant's eyes widen.

Only then did he grasp the situation.

'What the hell was I doing?!'

Snapping out of it, he waved frantically.

The soldiers, who had been fixated on Kang Hyuk's back, shook themselves awake and sprang into motion.

"Bring the stretchers!"

"Prep CPR! One student's breathing is unstable!"

Finally showing some proper military discipline, Kang Hyuk turned his head.

Smoke billowed from the ruined school.

The lieutenant hurried over.

"G-Good work, sir. 1st Team Leader... We'll handle the rest..."

"It's not over yet."

"...Pardon?"

"There are still people inside the school. And goblins."

The lieutenant's eyes bulged as he stared at the abandoned M High School.

"You mean there are still people who haven't escaped?"

Instead of answering, Kang Hyuk started walking.

The lieutenant reached out instinctively but pulled back.

'Any reason to stop him?'

This was a man who demolished barriers and goblins with a single punch.

Worrying about someone like that as a mere civilian made no sense.

So he got back to his duties.

'Damn it! Even if I was out of it, how could I act like some civilian in a situation like this...'

Kang Hyuk's earlier glare full of fury had finally jolted him awake.

It had only been a month since his assignment.

He was still green in many ways, but better late than never—he began handling the gate's aftermath.

"Secure the perimeter! Keep civilians back! Get the rescued hostages to the hospital, now!"

The soldiers scrambled into action.

That was when the onlookers caught sight of Kang Hyuk heading into the school.

"Crazy..."

Lee Hyun-jin, a Nutuber who had come to film the gate incident nearby by chance.

"Is... is this for real?"

He gaped at the viewer count on his phone.

"Is the team leader okay?"

Lee Hwan-seung's question hung in the air as Kang Na-eun fell silent.

"Even so... heading into the field alone on his first real mission? Did we misjudge him?"

His ongoing worries fed into Kang Na-eun's own growing anxiety.

Team 1 members—minus Kang Hyuk—had just cleared 30 red-furred goblins from the gym and were en route to the main building.

But the unexpected goblin shaman had delayed them, forcing them to leave the scene far later than planned.

Kang Na-eun felt uneasy.

Their team leader, left alone at the site.

What if something had happened to Kang Hyuk?

'...Was Lee Hwan-seung right? Did we choose wrong?'

Their S-rank talented team leader had shown an uncanny veteran aura and composure in their short time together.

Like the seasoned presence of a hunter with years under their belt.

That was why, when Kang Hyuk volunteered to handle the site alone, Kang Na-eun had backed him.

'That power I felt in sparring, and our promise... That's why I supported him.'

But now, it felt like a mistake.

No matter how strong, he was a total rookie with zero field experience.

Even if composed, he had been a civilian just a month ago.

'...Something must've gone wrong. It had to.'

Kang Na-eun bit her lip hard.

Finally, she made up her mind and spoke.

"This won't do. Let's get out and run there."

The illusionist, Lee Ye-sol, asked in her flat tone.

"Na-eun. That means we'll get fined. Using abilities outside the site is against the law."

"I know, but facing my dad if something happens to the team leader is worse, right?"

The team exchanged glances and nodded.

"Pull over!"

Lee Hwan-seung shouted.

The van screeched to a halt. The four piled out and activated their abilities.

Flash!

Not all were physical types, but it didn't matter.

Already E-rank hunters, they transcended human limits, minor differences aside.

They sprinted at astonishing speeds, reaching the incident at M High School far faster than driving would have allowed.

And what they saw stopped them cold.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

Hundreds of people cheering wildly.

"......?"

The unexpected scene made Team 1 freeze.

They exchanged looks, then pushed through the crowd.

"Make way! Hunters coming through!"

A gap parted in the wall of bodies.

Kang Na-eun and the team slipped through.

"Association hunters?"

A soldier controlling the site approached.

Kang Na-eun stepped forward.

"Yes. Kang Na-eun from Team 1."

"Pleasure. Lieutenant Lee Uk, AT Gate specialist."

After greetings, Kang Na-eun scanned around.

No sign of the man who had her worried.

She asked urgently.

"Did you see the Team 1 leader dispatched earlier? He was here first..."

The lieutenant smiled, understanding.

He stepped aside.

The sight made Kang Na-eun and Team 1's eyes widen in shock.

"......"

M High School crumbling.

A man emerged from the ruins.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Mommy!"

Eight students clung to him, sobbing snot and tears.

Kang Na-eun muttered blankly.

"What... what the hell?"

Kang Hyuk shirtless with kids hanging off him was surprising enough, but the demolished school was outright shocking.

It looked forcibly crushed, no intact section left—like a bomb had hit.

'No weapon the soldiers have could do that. So...'

She held her breath.

'The team leader... did that to the school?'

A voice called out.

"Team 1 from the Association?"

Kang Na-eun whipped around.

A woman in a sharp suit stood there.

"Y-Yes! Kang Na-eun, Team 1."

"Nice! I'm Lee Yeon-hee from the Gangnam Hunter Management Office. Site supervisor."

Kang Na-eun snapped to and asked hastily.

"Site ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠supervisor? Can you explain what's going on? I don't get any of this... Why is Team Leader Kang walking out of there..."

Lee Yeon-hee's eyes sparkled.

"Ah, you were elsewhere. Short version: Kang Hyuk—no, Team Leader Kang—handled everything. Rescued all the hostages, cleared the undetected goblins inside, even saved the remaining students."

Kang Na-eun's jaw dropped.

She pointed at the school.

"That school too?"

"Yeah. Bad phrasing on my part... Hard to describe, but it was instant. A huge boom!, building collapses, and out walks Kang Hyuk."

Kang Na-eun clamped her mouth shut.

She stared blankly between the school and Kang Hyuk, face and eyes full of bewilderment.

"You're here?"

Kang Hyuk spoke upon spotting his team and Senior Officer Lee Yeon-hee.

Kang Na-eun barely managed.

"Y-Yes..."

"Then come help pry these kids off? They're terrified, won't let go..."

Before Kang Na-eun could move, Lee Yeon-hee dashed over with his dress shirt and jacket.

Kang Na-eun hesitated, then followed.

"How's your side, Na-eun?"

Kang Hyuk, loosely draping the shirt over his torso, asked.

She steadied her trembling voice.

"All clear. Took out 30 red-furred goblins and the shaman. Confirmed gate closure too."

"Good. Incident resolved then."

His matter-of-fact tone silenced her.

Unable to contain the whirlwind of emotions, she finally asked.

"...Team leader."

"Yes?"

"Did you... really handle this whole place alone?"

Kang Hyuk met her disbelieving gaze and chuckled.

"...Got lucky."

"...?"

"How else could a hunter with no field experience wrap this up?"

His sly grin left Kang Na-eun speechless and frozen.

"......"

Lee Hyun-jin, the Nutuber who had filmed it all, muttered.

"Mom... I made it..."

Tears ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠welled as he stared at his phone.

[Concurrent Viewers: 102,032]

Donations poured in.

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