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

Kang Mu-hyuk sensed a restless impatience in Darden. Although he didn’t have concrete information, he could naturally infer Darden’s situation from it.

‘With the cooperation of the Guild Master and the Tyrant, Darden managed to escape the government's pressure. In fact, he even managed to wash away the stain of causing division in the local government, and also gained the justification of fighting for Russia. But, if Kamensky had intervened, Darden would’ve been left with no options.’

Kamensky was no ordinary figure. He was an S-rank Hunter unaffiliated with any guild. Paradoxically, because he had no official power behind him, he wielded a great deal of influence.

‘Between the central and local governments, the warlord-like guilds ruling each city, the constant threats from the Demon Realm, and the Siberian Permafrost, it’s a wonder Russia has not devolved into anarchic zones like parts of Africa or South America despite so many threats. The presence of independent S-rank Hunters like Kamensky is actually what maintains this delicate balance.’

This was why Darden refused to let Kang Mu-hyuk eliminate Kamensky. He didn’t want to risk plunging Russia into chaos. There was also another reason.

‘Kamensky is a Hunter who has dedicated his life to slaying monsters. He may not be a perfect person, but he’s absolutely essential to the world. He’s not someone who can be eliminated on a whim, just because he disrupted my plans.’

Kamensky’s nickname, the Reaper of the Frozen Lands, was well-earned. He usually resided in Siberia. He was known for his passion for hunting monsters in the frozen wastelands—a treacherous area as dangerous as any Demonic Realm.

Though he could have afforded a mansion with the earnings from his countless hunts, he hadn’t bought a single house. Instead, he had set up a camp on the frozen border for moments of rest between battles. 

Over time, Russian Hunters who admired Kamensky gathered around his camp and formed a small village. While they didn’t operate as a formal guild, these Hunters were loyal to Kamensky, creating a force that no one could easily ignore.

‘If he clashed with the Demonic Realm forces, I can figure why.’

Raiding the Gate. Naturally, this brought him into conflict with the Yellow Dragon Guild Hunters, who were stirring up trouble.

“Have you done the math?” 

Darden gave Kang Mu-hyuk time to think before speaking again.

“Without Kamensky, Russia would be in chaos. We can’t let so many people suffer just for your convenience, Darden.”

“Do you really think I’d be doing this purely for my convenience?”

At those words, a new theory crossed Kang Mu-hyuk’s mind.

“Are you working with forces that want to eliminate Kamensky?”

“Do you really think I’d be targeting the Reaper of the Frozen Lands all alone?”

Kang Mu-hyuk considered who in Russia might oppose Kamensky.

The first likely candidate was the Russian central government.

‘No… Would they really try to take down the only S-rank Hunter lending his power to them?’

Next, he thought of the local governments.

‘Kamensky is essentially neutral. While he might be a hindrance to Moscow, it would be foolish to eliminate him now, just as the central and local government conflict is easing over the Demonic Realm matter. That leaves the guilds...’

After all, it was the guilds that had recently been going after Darden. Strange, though, that they’d use Darden as their weapon. Besides, Darden was unlikely to take the lead in targeting Kamensky. After all, the tall poppy gets cut down first.

'Darden isn't the type to make sacrifices like that.’

Everyone seemed to have their own reasons for not wanting to pursue Kamensky, lacking the motivation to go after him.

'Then let's approach this simply.'

Kang Mu-hyuk’s attention turned back to Darden. He was one of the most selfish and cold-hearted people he’d ever dealt with.

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'Who could be the force behind Darden’s actions?'

No matter how much pressure Kamensky put on him, it seemed unlikely that Darden would act so aggressively on his own. But what if someone was pulling the strings?

Kang Mu-hyuk recalled Darden's past.

“The dog of the central government.”

“What?”

“The Tyrant Guild joined forces with the central government to protect the government. Could this have been a Kremlin order?”

“You’re fun as always.”

Darden’s subtle confirmation brought up a new question.

“But why would the central government want this?”

Kamensky, known as the Reaper of the Frozen Land among Hunters, had a different nickname among the Russian people: Guardian of the Frozen Land. 

His camp was famously called the ‘Guardian Wall of Siberia.’

For the Russian central government, there was no one more valuable than Kamensky. Not only did he protect against monsters, but he also supported the government during times of national crisis.

Darden’s expression grew cold.

“Why? The answer is simple.”

“…?”

“Kamensky is like you. Different motives, though.”

***

Back in Cheongjin, Kang Mu-hyuk reached out to the Tsar Guild in Vladivostok. But, Guild Master Anton Ivanov was unavailable.

“The Guild Master is at the Demonic Realm border with the Expedition team.” Kang Mu-hyuk pressed Vice Guild Master Dmitry for more details.

“Are they raiding a Gate of the Demonic Realm? For Vladivostok, I’m guessing it’s the Mudanjiang Gate.”

“Yes.”

“I’m a bit disappointed you didn’t share this information with us.”

“There were...circumstances.”

“Kamensky, right?”

“So you already knew. I suppose you’ve spoken with Darden...”

“I also heard that Kamensky, after learning about the Demonic Realm Gate, pressured the central government to expedite their original plan.”

“He even insisted that the information not be shared with South Korea or Japan.”

“So, Guild Master Anton put me in touch with Darden? After all, going against Kamensky would put the Tsar Guild in a pinch.”

Kang Mu-hyuk began to understand Anton’s intentions. The Tsar Guild was also a regional powerhouse, known as the Guardian Guild of Vladivostok. But compared to Kamensky’s influence, it was a drop in the bucket.

Yet Kamensky's influence couldn’t be easily resisted, especially with the backing of the central government. Moreover, under the justification of a Gate attack, any opposition to him was out of the question.

If they resisted, and it turned out to be Kamensky’s doing, the repercussions would be catastrophic.

'Darden is right. Kamensky's obsession with hunting monsters has earned him too many enemies.'

As the central government’s sole alternative, Kamensky wielded considerable sway. But now?

'We’ve managed to secure the Tyrant's cooperation by fully embracing the Tyrant Guild. The shift towards reconciliation with the local government has also lessened Kamensky's grip.'

With this shift, the major guilds were beginning to plot, aiming to wrest control of the frozen lands from Kamensky entirely.

Despite the vast expanse of the frozen lands, certain monsters there could fetch a high price. The stronger the monster, the more lucrative the hunt. But, tracking and hunting these monsters required significant preparation and resources, often demanding group coordination. 

Kamensky, on the other hand, could operate solo, without any of these obstacles. That was why people often said that this ‘homeless’ S-rank Hunter was the wealthiest person in Russia—he caught the most valuable monsters on his own.

-Still, the reason the Guild Master decided to connect you with Darden was because of his relationship with you.

“I know. I’m not blaming you. I just want a clearer picture of what’s going on.”

He had heard from the Russian negotiation team that they’d clashed with Chinese Hunters defending the Demonic Realm Gate. By now, after his discussions with Darden, the results should have come out.

-The Russian Union has secured all the Gates except for the one in Harbin.

Kang Mu-hyuk visualized the battle layout in his mind.

'Harbin is the farthest Gate from Russia's border and, conversely, closest to the Jilin City Gate.'

Even though the Jilin City Gate had been taken out, the Chinese Hunters who had defended it likely hadn’t pulled out completely.

'Since there’s no longer a need to guard Jilin City, those Hunters might have been redeployed to a nearby Gate.'

This would mean that Harbin Gate had been reinforced significantly. In short, the battleground would be intense.

“Where was Kamensky deployed?”

-He hasn’t shown up anywhere.

“He hasn’t?”

-He's entered the Demonic Realm but is acting independently.

“Yet he’s not participating in the Gate battle? Where exactly is he?”

-That's the mystery. He’s left no trace.

If an S-rank Hunter decides to hide, even top-tier trackers would struggle to find him. It was an action that defied logic. Kamensky, who had taken the lead in attacking the Demonic Realm Gate Raid, was now hiding.

'Even if no one can predict the movements of S-rank Hunters, this behavior is incomprehensible.’

Trying to understand Kamensky's motives was futile; there was too little information available to make any meaningful predictions.

In the end, Kang Mu-hyuk was left with a decision.

'I need to accelerate the plan.'

He needed to act before the Yellow Dragon Guild had a chance to respond.

***

Even if Russia managed to seize control of the Demonic Realm Gate, it wouldn’t end there. Gates had deadlines for opening, and if they weren’t properly handled, there would be an outbreak of monsters.

To avoid this, the Gate either needed to be closed entirely or they had to capture only the boss and the guardian while keeping the Gate core intact to turn it into a permanent revenue source. However, there were two major obstacles to this approach.

The first was defending against potential Chinese counterattacks while raiding the Gate.

The second?

"The Chinese have made something very interesting,." 

Kamensky had discovered a large device set up near the open Jilin City Gate. He stroked his white beard thoughtfully, titling his head.

'The gate’s opening energy doesn’t look full at all.'

Kamensky held the machine up to the Gate. The digital counter on the machine flickered, and a graph on the screen changed colors, rising before it plateaued. The graph was yellow.

'Yet despite that, they managed to open the Gate?'

Opening energy referred to the amount of mana that required to accumulate for a Gate to fully outbreak. Humanity had learned to measure this energy after the Great War and the Minor War with years of research, which allowed them to predict Gate opening time and the ranks of the Gates. 

"Is this device connected to all of this?" 

Kamensky didn’t know how the machine worked. He had never seen anything like it before, so he was naturally suspicious. After all, there was a suspicious object in front of a Gate.

"What a shame. If I’d known something like this existed, I would’ve approached it more carefully. Now I’ve destroyed it by accident."

The Chinese Hunters who had been guarding the device were the ones who destroyed it. And there were sprawled on the floor around it with not a single one breathing.

“Even though the device was wrecked, I managed to secure some sort of evidence. Now, should I just set a trap and wait?”

He unpacked his gear in front of the destroyed machine. It was nothing special—just a tent and some basic camping supplies. If it weren’t for the weapons nearby, someone might have mistaken him for a camper rather than a Hunter.

Kamensky lit a fire, grilled some meat, and drank cans of beer. Occasionally, monsters drawn by the smell approached, but each time they did, Kamensky casually took them down by throwing something, leaving them dead with impaled heads.

After his meal, he boiled water and made himself a cup of coffee.

“Korean instant coffee… Suits my taste. My Korean friends really know how to make this stuff.”

His backpack was filled with Korean snacks, instant noodles, and other treats, even Korean-style mayonnaise.

“Oh, another one coming, huh? Monsters can’t resist the smell, it seems.”

He killed yet another monster before casually cooking himself some ramen.

***

From a safe distance, a Chinese Hunter observed Kamensky in horror.

“The Reaper of the Frozen Lands… He really is a monster.”

If not for his long-range vision skill, he would have shared the fate of the monsters that kept approaching Kamensky.

The Hunter turned around, determined.

“I need to inform Guan Hong-nim. If that device falls into enemy hands, it could spell disaster for the guild.”

***

“Did he leave? Alright, go and tell them. Just how much of a bigshot will you bring with you? I’m looking forward to this. I hope you guys suit my taste too.”