Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

Kang Mu-hyuk had requested the use of the World Hunter Federation's intelligence resources.

-You really want me to look into that?

"If I don't get permission to use Clairvoyance, I don't have any other choice."

-We can find out enough even without Clairvoyance. The Federation's intelligence isn't limited to that alone. However, this could be problematic in a different sense.

"I trust you know you're not in a position to refuse my request."

-Ha! Okay then. I will look into it and get in touch with you.

"I'll leave that to you then."

After ending the call with Alex, he immediately left the headquarters of the Tsar Guild.

"Please lend me your car."

Following Kang Mu-hyuk's request, Anton, who emerged from behind him, handed over his car keys without complaint.

Although he didn't know his motive for such an action, in the end, Makar's honeyed words fooled him.

It was not just embarrassing but it could even threaten the existence of the guild with some lurking plan. He felt both shame and gratitude towards Kang Mu-hyuk who had revealed this.

Kang Mu-hyuk once again emphasized how dangerous Makar was.

"Seeing that he didn't make any excuses and simply revealed his identity, there must be more to it. The plan isn't just to inconvenience the Tyrant. It might ultimately be designed to stage a conflict with the Tsar Guild in mind."

"You mean there might be another conspirator within the guild. I'll verify that."

As Anton saw off Kang Mu-hyuk, he felt indebted. Knowing he was on a dangerous path, he couldn't help but intervene.

"Are you really going? If Igor has made his move, it might already be too late."

"Our Guild Master isn't someone who would be defeated so easily. Rather than that, I'd appreciate it if you properly handled Makar Voronin's interrogation."

"That's our specialty."

"But no meaningless torture. I'm asking for a proper interrogation."

"He may have betrayed us, but he was one of us. We won't be too harsh. But do you really not need any support? If it's urgent, I can assign a few men to you."

It was a question Anton had already asked, but still, he inquired again.

As he had felt before, this Korean seemed to have as many lives as a cat. Going to meet possibly the worst S-rank disaster in Russia, without any backup, just the two of them, was practically a suicide mission.

"Thank you for the offer, but I will decline. Minimal escort will be suffice. Any more might actually lead to misunderstandings of an attack and become dangerous."

Kang Mu-hyuk, pointing towards No Song-rin, politely declined Anton's proposal.

Even though he was headed into what could be a perilous situation, his expression was not at all dark. It was only No Song-rin, who had to take on the role of that minimal escort, whose countenance fell.

However, contrary to Anton's concerns, Kang Mu-hyuk had something he was counting on.

'He didn't kill Team Leaders Pyo and Yeom but took them instead. It must mean he didn't want to spill any blood. Perhaps letting Mr. Kozlov go was also a way to communicate this intention? If my guess is correct, negotiation might be a possibility...'

Of course, there was a slight unease that it might just be a whim. The Tyrant was notorious for being unpredictable and temperamental.

When he went out to the parking lot and pressed the car key, the red sports car honked.

Kang Mu-hyuk was about to open the driver's seat when No Song-rin stopped him.

"Are you planning to drive yourself? Weren't you in a hurry? Let me do it instead."

Kang Mu-hyuk handed him the car keys. It'd be better if No Song-rin drove since they had to speed up. With a Hunter's reaction speed, even if he floored the accelerator, he would drive the car more safely than Kang Mu-hyuk himself, who was a regular person.

"Team Leader Kang! I will go as well!"

Kozlov, who had followed a step behind, ran up to them.

"I'd be better than a navigator. I was born and raised in this city and know the alleyways well. I'll guide you through the fastest route."

"We're going to a dangerous place."

"I owe Hunter Pyo Beom-hee and Yeom Soo-hyung. I can't just leave them be; it wouldn't sit right with my pride as a Russian man."

Kang Mu-hyuk silently pushed the passenger seat forward and got into the back seat.

"Alright. Let's go together. Take the fastest route."

Ju Se-ah swam in the direction where the ship had disappeared.

It was the end of the year.

Around this time, the average temperature in Vladivostok would be minus 12 degrees Celsius, with lows dropping to minus 16 degrees. The sea temperature hovered around 2 degrees. It was an environment impossible for a human to withstand bare-skinned.

Even if a Hunter was superhuman, exposure to such extreme conditions for a long period would inevitably lead to hypothermia and loss of physical strength. She knew from experience that staying in the water for extended periods was not good.

'Come to think of it, when was the last time I fell into the water?'

Ju Se-Ah had once experienced underwater combat against a water snake monster, 'Naga,' in a Gate.

At that time, the sea was a bigger problem than the monsters. Due to the resistance of the water, not only was her movement restricted, but body temperature and stamina, supplies, and the expedition's advance and retreat were all problematic.

Hunters, being superhuman, initially thought of the water as no big deal, but once in it, even Hunters were at a disadvantage.

Ju Se-ah remembered that time and checked her current state.

'I know how to swim. I can maintain my body temperature by circulating mana. I'm confident about my stamina. And my equipment is light since Team Leader Kang took it in advance. I lost my blade, but luckily it wasn't custom-made. The problem is...'

Indeed, it was whether the situation would end just by getting to land.

'If it were me, I wouldn't just end it by making someone fall into the water.'

There must be traps set up. However, it was difficult to find a direction for land other than where the boat had moved in such a cloudy night when not even the stars were visible.

'They probably turned on the light deliberately to let me see the boat before moving.'

As if to proclaim, if you dare to follow us, then go ahead.

"The ones who show off blatantly are the ones that are really worth beating up. You'll regret this."

Ju Se-ah steeled herself and after two hours of swimming, she reached land.

She had swum against the current flowing along the Russian coast from the north at an inhuman speed.

Thanks to that, she was even more physically exhausted, but Ju Se-Ah did not waste a breath as she leaped onto the high breakwater of the wharf.

Though she looked like a drenched mouse, barefoot, her eyes resembled those of a fierce beast.

A large searchlight shone in the direction Ju Se-Ah was glaring at. She, spotlighted as if on stage, looked down and steadied her breath.

'They're coming.'

She felt the presence of numerous Hunters. They were at least B rank, up to no higher than A+.

Some exuded a force that even a fully prepared Ju Se-Ah could not look down on.

It was a critical moment of crisis, but she smiled instead. Her hair stood on end. Her spine tingled. Her toes felt ticklish.

A thrill.

It was the feeling of something awakening inside her.

'This is it, this is it. This is how you get stronger.'

She knew that she had been in a rut regarding her skills.

Originally a practical fighter who grew stronger through tough battles, she hadn't been on a proper raid since leaving the Slayer Guild.

This had slowed down her progress.

Despite everyone elevating her with the term 'almost S-rank,' she herself was anxious, unable to climb any higher.

The wall she felt she was facing began to crumble during a recent fight with the Goblin Matron.

More precisely, it was due to that 'mysterious being' the Matron had summoned.

'I almost died then. It had been a long time since I thought I might die. No, it was the first time I was truly terrified of being obliterated.'

She overcame that fear and stood in front of the 'mysterious being' to protect Kang Mu-hyuk.

After that, everything changed. She didn't know exactly what changed, but something was different.

It was Aila, the Federation's Elf, who noticed the change that she couldn't even grasp herself.

'I need to confirm if I've truly overcome that wall this time.'

At that moment, as Ju Se-Ah took steps towards the hostile gazes directed at her.

"!!"

She felt a sudden retreat of Hunters, who had been hidden behind the strong lights, surrounding her. And then, along the breakwater, a shadow approached slowly, alone.

The footsteps were casual, as if out for a midnight stroll, but they carried intimidation that was more palpable than the dozens of hunters before.

Finally, the shadow that had come close enough to see a face asked.

"Are you Ju Se-ah?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Igor Dudnik."

"Huh? Starting with the final boss?"

A Hunter, upon hearing the name of the Tyrant, should have been trembling... But Ju Se-ah's response was nothing but nonchalant.

Igor, pleased by her demeanor, laughed heartily.

"You should be leveling up by catching the small fries, but I'm sorry it's the boss first."

"There's no need to be sorry. You having some upper hand is what I need to make it worth coming all the way to Russia."

To Ju Se-ah, who was brimming with confidence, Igor spoke as if it were truly a pity.

"Too bad I found out late, huh? I had no idea my underlings were plotting such fun. Had I known earlier, the hospitality would have been better."

"Why? So you could come out to greet me on a yacht if you knew?"

"I could have seen the skills of Korea's strongest Hunter before she got tired. Wanted to fight you while you were still fresh."

With every exchange, the tension escalated.

The murderous aura intent emanating from Igor, that dominated the space, kept prodding at Ju Se-ah here and there.

Ju Se-ah did not react to every single action of his and focused all her concentration on Igor's Adam's apple. She repeated the visualization of slicing through Igor's neck with a refined murderous aura dozens of times.

"They say you were the best during the Great War. You Koreans are fun after all."

Igor, realizing where Ju Se-ah was aiming, stroked his own neck and lifted the corners of his mouth on both sides.

At that moment, Ju Se-ah lunged forward.

The strike she swung struck at Igor's neck. Igor jerked his head back just in time to narrowly avoid the edge of her hand, and then clenched his fist and struck Ju Se-ah's face.

Ju Se-ah's head whipped around. Blood from her mouth splattered onto the ground. When was the last time she saw her own blood?

The sound of ripping air followed where Igor's punch had just missed.

"Oh! You've got quite a solid body..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Igor's chin rocketed upwards. Ju Se-ah withdrew her kicking leg and spun around, landing a backkick into his solar plexus.

Igor, who had rolled back several steps along the path they had walked, quickly got up.

"You're better than I expected. That fist of yours has a spicy kick to it."

"That's my foot."

"Whatever it is, I love fighting with bare hands."

"I said it's my foot."

"Tch! You're ruining the mood by not playing along."

"We're shooting a romance here. Why should I set the mood for you?"

Igor's face flushed red, feeling as though his opponent was mocking him.

Wherever he went, all Hunters feared him or admired him. But now, a Hunter from a small peninsula was treating him like this?

"It seems I need to show you a taste of Siberia's cold."

"You talk too much. Is gossiping your special trait? Cut the chatter and come at me, you Siberian Husky."

"......"

What did that mean? Why suddenly mention a breed of dog? Was this a provocation? It was impossible to understand what she meant.

One thing was certain---oddly, it irritated him.

'Whatever it is, she must be planning to hit me with a counterattack when I rush in, annoyed. It's so obvious that it's not even funny.'

Igor saw through Ju Se-Ah's strategy. Then he responded to the provocation.

"You're dead today!"

Alex unknowingly let out a groan as he read the information sent from the Federation headquarters.

"Ugh, didn't see this mess coming. We were just supposed to give them the test..."

It was supposed to be a simple process of verifying Kang Mu-hyuk's Federation membership by catching Oopoomangbawoo. But somehow, the situation had become twisted, leading to a complicated and confusing state of affairs.

In that respect, the information Kang Mu-hyuk requested was significantly meaningful in resolving the case.

<Makar Voronin: From Nazezhinsky> <Mikhail Gorshakov: From Nazezhinsky> <Boris Chekhov: From Nazezhinsky>

.

.

.

"Nazezhinsky..."

Alex also checked the information on the Nazezhinsky area.

Nazezhinsky was a priority development area located 30 kilometers from Vladivostok. It could be considered a satellite city, similar to a new city in Korea, and it was a large-scale project that was constructed with the goal of housing 300,000 people.

'Right, it was a project, right? Since it's gone now.'

Such a large planned city had turned completely into ruins 14 years ago, due to some incident.

"So Igor Dudnik and the Tsar Guild were involved in that incident."

While looking at the list of Hunters and civilian staff from Nazezhinsky who had joined the Tsar Guild, Alex broke into a cold sweat.

Though they had joined at different times, their purpose was probably the same.

Revenge.

It seemed they had been preparing for over ten years for that one single goal.

'Oopoomangbawoo was the trigger. The Federation's trial set the fire.'

Simply put, the timing was terrible. To have walked into the situation just as those from Nazezhinsky were determined to take their revenge.

After reviewing the past incident, Alex's face grew even more troubled.

'Igor wasn't targeting Vladivostok for no reason. Or more precisely, should I say the Dudnik brothers?'

Alex opened the additional documents attached at the end of the report. It was information specifically requested by Kang Mu-hyuk. After taking a deep breath, he flipped over the cover.

"Ugh, the bad feeling is always right. Kang's prediction was correct. This is the worst-case scenario."

Alex, after letting out a few heated sighs that had built up in his chest, picked up the phone.

"This is Alex, Team Leader Kang. Yes. It seems your suspicions were correct. Please be careful."

"That's always the problem with my little brother, always getting carried away. This is why I wanted to proceed secretly."

Darden Dudnik, the vice guild master of the Tyrant Guild, shook his head as he watched Igor fighting on the breakwater.

The breakwater was no longer functioning as such.

The tripodal tetrapods stacked to block the rough waves seemed more like sandcastles than concrete as they crumbled and scattered in all directions.

With every punch and kick, it was like a bomb had exploded, leaving one's ears ringing.

Darden admired the scene.

"That woman is quite something, holding up against my brother's punch. Normally, after taking hits like that, most would be a bloody mess, unrecognizable to the point you couldn't tell if they're a human or a monster."

"Isn't it because the Guild Master is going easy on her, having found a sturdy toy to play with after so long?"

One of the Tyrant Guild members tried to ingratiate themselves with Darden. But Darden clicked his tongue and replied, "You think he's joking with those hits? Could you take a punch from my brother even if he was joking?"

"W-well..."

"He has already gone too far. It's crossed the line of playfulness. Looks like he's getting more serious... I just hope it ends here."

As always, Darden was sensitive when it came to the disruption of his plans due to Igor's whims.

Then he received new intel from his subordinate.

"A sports car at the entrance? With Anton's license plate number?"

"Yes. But the people inside are said to be Korean and someone from the Federation."

"They're quick on the uptake. Seems our spy might have been caught, huh?"

"What should we do?"

"Bring them in. Politely. But don't kill them."

"Yes, sir."