Chapter 8
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Became the Last Giant Clan Member
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"When I was assigned to the Hunter Management Office at Gangnam District Office Station, the instructor told me this: Hunters are basically all 'fucking bastards.' And our role is to tame those fucking bastards."
Lee Yeon-hee fell silent.
"But hunters are superhumans who have transcended humanity, while we're just ordinary civilians. So we learned to master the manual and use it to control the hunters. In other words, use the law."
Lee Yeon-hee's lips twitched as if she wanted to say something.
"As you said, I think I handled it quite appropriately. The Second Team Leader was not only late for the scheduled time but also defied the orders of his field supervisor, Senior Officer Lee Yeon-hee, and went even further by making unnecessary physical contact, didn't he?"
But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Because everything Kang Hyuk said was right.
Of course, that didn't justify Kang Hyuk's actions just moments ago.
While the manual took precedence over all principles, there was something called leeway in the field that superseded it.
And Kang Hyuk had violated every bit of that leeway just now.
'I have to work with him for the next few days—how am I supposed to handle provoking the team leader like that!'
She knew she should reprimand him, but no words came to mind.
With only two years of experience, she lacked the know-how to deal with situations like this, especially since her tenure wasn't much longer than Kang Hyuk's.
And on top of that...
'It was kinda satisfying... We've always had to bow and scrape to hunters.'
The Hunter Management Office was in charge of managing hunters, but they were always in the inferior position.
It was unavoidable.
Even though they were in the same organization, hunters were superhumans who surpassed ordinary humans.
There were limits to what the Hunter Management Office, made up of civilians, could do against such beings.
They had always endured injustices, and now Kang Hyuk had stood up to that injustice, pouring out the very words Lee Yeon-hee had only dared to think.
As a human being, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of exhilaration at the sight.
'St-still, I have to say what needs to be said!'
With a mutter, she looked up at Kang Hyuk—whose face alone was bigger than her own—and pointed her finger at him.
"...You're right, Kang Hyuk, but as your field senior, you should have taken a broader view of your actions just now. You know what I mean, right?"
Kang Hyuk nodded readily at her words.
"Understood."
"...Then that's that. For now, link up with the Second Team Leader and book the next flight."
Kang Hyuk watched Lee Yeon-hee stride ahead, then followed behind at a leisurely pace.
In the distance, Lee Yong was venting his anger at his team members, unable to contain his rage.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Kang Hyuk's mouth.
"Not bad."
In the end, they managed to sort things out and arrived in Busan.
Fortunately, Lee Yong and the Second Team members followed quietly without causing any further incidents.
Lee Yeon-hee let out a secret sigh of relief and tried to muster her energy again as the lead supervisor.
There had been an incident, but they had made it to Busan regardless.
'So from here on out, I need to stay sharp! I'm the field supervisor and his mentor!'
With renewed determination, she was about to escort the Second Team Leader and his members to Suyeong District Office when another incident erupted.
"Second Team Leader, please take your feet off the seat. This bus isn't rented by the Hunter Management Office. What you're doing right now is something only thugs would do in a vehicle that doesn't even belong to us."
It was an incident caused by Kang Hyuk, her junior officer.
"Second Team Leader, smoking on a pedestrian walkway where people pass by violates not only the 'maintenance of dignity' expected of national hunters but also basic civic consciousness. Put out the cigarette immediately."
But this time, the incident wasn't something she could gloss over.
"Second Team Leader, all hunters are fundamentally prohibited from using ignition skills in public places. You've broken that law and used an unnecessary ability. Depending on the severity, this could land you in a Hunter Special Prison."
Kang Hyuk.
Her junior had not only poked at the Second Team Leader's temper but had crossed the line entirely.
"What the—!"
Because of that, Lee Yeon-hee finally stopped the bus and pulled Kang Hyuk aside.
She could no longer overlook it.
If he kept needling Lee Yong's nerves like this, it wouldn't just be about control—they might trigger an accident beyond what civilians could handle.
She opened her mouth to give him a warning.
"Why do you think you're in the wrong, Senior Officer?"
"That's what I'm saying! No matter how wrong the Second Team Leader was, you can't just..."
"Then should I treat a man well over thirty like a child and scold him accordingly?"
"That's—!"
"If not that, then where exactly did I go wrong?"
Once again, she was at a loss for words.
Kang Hyuk's attitude and tone were too confident.
"Of course I know. There's such a thing as leeway. Smoking in the street or putting feet on a bus seat—things like that can be overlooked."
"..."
"But some of the Second Team Leader's actions go beyond that leeway. Especially activating an ability on a public street where civilians walk—that's clearly illegal. Should we let it slide just because he's a hunter?"
Kang Hyuk looked down at Lee Yeon-hee.
Under that cold gaze, she unconsciously swallowed dryly.
"..."
The newbie from the office who always seemed so naive.
But in this moment, that naivety was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, perhaps due to his height well over 180 cm and broad shoulders, he exuded a subtle pressure, along with the kind of 'stubbornness' and 'authority' one might feel from Chief Kim Shin-nam.
"Of course, if you tell me not to, Senior Officer Lee Yeon-hee, I won't do it anymore. After all, you're the one in charge in the field."
Because of that, Lee Yeon-hee averted her gaze.
She felt ashamed.
Truth be told, there wasn't a single flaw in Kang Hyuk's words or actions just now.
Yet she had tried to nitpick at something that was perfectly fine.
"...Sigh."
Lee Yeon-hee sighed and gathered her thoughts.
Then, rubbing her brow, she muttered.
"Got it. I understand where you're coming from, Kang Hyuk, but... still, go a little easier on him. You get that, right?"
"Understood. I'll keep it in mind."
Lee Yeon-hee relaxed her expression and gave Kang Hyuk a playful smile.
"Just a bit of grandmotherly advice. What if Lee Yong snaps and tries to mess you up?"
A joke tossed out to lighten the mood.
As Kang Hyuk nodded along appropriately, a faint murmur reached his ears.
Power of the Last Giant Clan activates.
You have acquired Giant's Ear.
Power of the Last Giant Clan: 0.3%
The power of the giant activated in that instant.
At the same time, the murmurs turned into shouts.
Kang Hyuk turned his gaze toward them.
'Is the team leader okay?'
'Does he look okay to you, you fucking bastard!'
'Uh, sh-should I step in and give him a stern warning? He looks like a total greenhorn who doesn't know anything yet...'
'You try that! If you do, I'll rip your limbs off!'
'...Understood! I won't touch him!'
It was the conversation between the Second Team Leader and his team members.
A smile crept onto Kang Hyuk's lips.
'Sigh... Fuck. Anyway, the place we're heading for this sweep operation is Bongrae Mountain, right?'
'Yes, that's correct!'
'That means Bongrae Mountain is currently a controlled zone, doesn't it?'
'Y-yes, it is!'
As Lee Yeon-hee tilted her head in confusion at the sight, Lee Yong shouted in a voice thick with malice.
'Heh heh... Yeah, that's right. Fine, let's give it a shot. Looks like the little punk with his shiny badge thinks the world's his oyster.'
In that moment, Kang Hyuk could sense it intuitively.
'Whether that fancy badge of yours can protect your life.'
A childish, petty provocation.
It had worked perfectly, and Lee Yong was moving exactly as he wanted.
His eyes gleamed as he recalled the plan he'd formulated a few days ago.
'Even as a public servant attached to the Hunter Management Office, you're not a hunter, so you can't go into the field. But if a hunter on site gives permission, you can enter.'
At the center of that plan was Lee Yong.
So he provoked him, constantly needling his nerves.
To make the trash Second Team Leader he remembered act like trash.
And now.
The Second Team Leader was moving just as he'd predicted.
A third-rate thug who was endlessly strong against the weak was scheming to commit his trashy deeds while avoiding the eyes of the strong.
'Yeah. Don't hold back, Lee Yong.'
His lips curled up involuntarily.
'The more you reveal your true trashy nature, the better it is for me.'
With that thought, Kang Hyuk feigned ignorance and boarded the bus again.
And then, the next day arrived.
"Hey, you."
The plan he'd set in motion.
"You come with me too, you bastard."
Lee Yong began to move exactly as anticipated.