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

Kang Mu-hyuk decided to hurry up the Demonic Cult Operation partly because of Kamensky.

'Kamensky isn’t just a Hunter who relies on brute force. He knows how to think strategically and set traps.'

In traditional terms, he was a master of both the pen and the sword, a quality that made it difficult for even Darden to keep him in check.

'He’s hunted as many Hunters as he has monsters. Since he didn’t show up during the Demonic Gate battle, he must be moving separately.'

Kamensky had likely set a trap somewhere, lying in wait. And the target of that trap was either 

“The Yellow Dragon Guild” or “an S-Rank Hunter.”

From information gathered after the Sinuiju incident, Kang Mu-hyuk deduced that the force behind the Demonic Realm incident was a coalition of at least four guilds: Yellow Dragon, Sundown, Anti-God, and Daemyung. 

These guilds supported the stateless power in Sinuiju, with two of them, Yellow Dragon and Sundown, housing S-rank Hunters.

Yellow Dragon’s Black Dragon had been seriously injured in a fight with Ju Se-ah, so the only S-rank left was Sundown’s own: Shimwol, the ‘Demon of Namsan Island.’

Kang Mu-hyuk recalled Shimwol, the S-rank Hunter from the Sundown Guild.

‘She’s known for her ruthlessness. She earned her title as Demon of the Namsan Island, the place full of the worst of villains.’

It was a prison much like Korea’s Ujungdo.

Namsan Island in China was regarded as one of the world’s four most notorious prisons, alongside Russia’s Black Owl Prison, the U.S.’s Area 66, and Europe’s Hunter Correctional Facility. Compared to these, Ujungdo was practically a dormitory.

Shimwol’s reputation extended far beyond her time in prison—she emerged as an S-rank, making her a dangerous adversary.

'This is why I prepared Guild Leader Ju Se-ah and the Tyrant as backup.'

Kamensky, it seemed, had set out to hunt the demon on his own.

'Of course, Kamensky is among the oldest of the current S-ranks. His skills are flawless, and his battle experience is unmatched.'

But in battles between S-ranks, no one could predict the outcome with certainty. Today’s victor could easily lose tomorrow. This uncertainty was exactly what troubled Kang Mu-hyuk.

'If Kamensky dies, Russia will fall into chaos.'

On the other hand, if Shimwol were to die?

'With pressure from China, Russia might have to distance itself from Kamensky, narrowing his influence.'

It was an unavoidable reality. If Darden, acting under orders from the Russian government, had orchestrated Shinwol’s death to weaken Kamensky, they could use China’s reaction to further restrict his influence.

"Damn it. This is exactly why I tried to use the Tyrant."

Kang Mu-hyuk planned to pass the responsibility of capturing China's S-rank Hunter onto Igor. Ju Se-ah supported this plan, acting as an ally to encourage Igor and clear any obstacles in his way.

Igor, known for his reckless nature and love for fighting powerful opponents, wouldn’t hesitate to go up against the Demon. Even if Darden later realized Kang Mu-hyuk’s plan, contacting Igor would be impossible since he was already deep in the Demonic Realm.

'If Igor kills Shimwol, Darden’s influence will be weakened. With Kamensky as an example, the Russian government will tighten its grip on Darden.'

Kang Mu-hyuk's strategy was that a clash between China and Russia would naturally give Korea an opportunity to advance into the Demonic Realm, positioning Korea as a central power.

"Thinking it over again, the right move is to act first."

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Kang Mu-hyuk picked up the satellite phone he’d retrieved from Warehouse C.

***

“Alright, I’ll head out now.” Ju Se-ah said, ending her call with Kang Mu-hyuk. She had wanted to ask how he was doing, but the high-grade mana stone powering the phone had been drained, cutting off the call.

"A phone like that in the Demon Realm. I want that." Igor said, eyeing the satellite phone in Ju Se-ah's hand with evident interest while leaning against the tree trunk.

"Want to sell it?"

"Don’t even think about it."

"It seems pretty inefficient, though. It only runs for about five minutes on a high-grade mana stone. Must cost a fortune for each call. Could use some improvement."

"What are you getting at?"

"Russia’s Gate technology is top-notch. Now that we’re allies, why not collaborate in that field as well?"

Despite his wild demeanor, Igor was an S-rank Hunter with extensive experience. Given his years living in the Demonic Realm since the Oopoomangbawoo incident, his interest in a device that could work in extreme environments made sense.

"Talk to Guild Leader Kang and your brother about it."

"You're the Guild Master. Your order is all we need. Why go through all this extra trouble?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work."

"Oh! Finally!" 

Igor leapt up in excitement.

"Alright, where are we headed?"

"Shenyang City Gate."

"Shenyang?"

 Igor remembered the gate's location—close to China.

"What’s the plan there? The main fight’s somewhere else. If you’re aiming to take down Chinese Hunters, we should be on the battlefield."

"Russia’s already won the other battles, but reclaiming those Gates will take time. The Shenyang Gate, however, is still intact. It’s the perfect spot for a new battlefield."

"Chinese forces may be idiots, but they’re not complete fools. They’d never blow up a Gate so close to their own borders. So, why do you want to go there… Are you serious?"

"We blow it up."

Igor’s mouth twitched, an expression of amusement rather than confusion.

"Are you planning to turn eastern China into another Tumen River? Was this your Guild Leader’s idea as well? You’re definitely thinking big."

"I don’t actually want to blow it up. Regardless of nationality, people’s lives still matter."

“What’s the plan, then?”

“We’re going to threaten to blow up the Gate.”

“And after the threats?”

“We intercept any forces that try to reclaim it.”

“Oh, I see now. So that force is going to be a Chinese S-rank, right?”

“That’s why the Battle of Shenyang City Gate is yours alone.”

“Just me?”

“Exactly. Russia just launched another Gate raid, so it wouldn’t make sense for the Tyrant to suddenly target Shenyang. Officially, I’m supposed to be seriously injured. If they only see one S-rank, they’re more likely to engage. I wouldn’t even want to fight unless it’s one-on-one.”

Even as she discussed the plan, Ju Se-ah felt a sense of awe.

‘While I chose to fight the Black Dragon, it was Guild Leader Kang’s idea to use it strategically.’

When she encountered Bi Wen Jun by the Yalu River, Ju Se-ah instinctively realized that a prolonged standoff with an enemy S-rank would only lead to more trouble. Since the Demonic Realm was part of their plot, there was no doubt they’d act eventually. And if that S-rank Hunter was still intact by then, the situation could easily spiral out of control.

So, drawing on her immense resilience and strength, she pushed the Black Dragon out of the fray. She sustained heavy injuries in the process, but she had certain unique attributes unknown to the public.

One of them was an incredibly rapid recovery ability. 

While it wasn’t the kind of healing that could regenerate a severed arm like a troll’s or reattach a decapitated head, it still meant she could recover at an impressive rate. With the help of potions or other healing methods, her recovery speed increased dramatically.

This meant that even after a brutal fight, with intensive treatment, she could heal faster than most.

Kang Mu-hyuk saw this as an opportunity and built his plan around it. The scale of the operation, involving the World Hunters Federation across four countries in the Far East and targeting S-ranks, was beyond anything Ju Se-ah had imagined.

Trying to sound casual, she gritted her teeth and said, “More than anything, I hated how the Chinese kept talking big. I wanted to give those guys, who keep bragging about being a ‘Hunter superpower,’ a real kick in the ass.”

***

Meanwhile, Guan Hong was struggling to keep up with the reports flooding in from the Demonic Realm.

'All the Gates we spent so long preparing for have been taken.'

The attacks came so swiftly there was no time to respond. Even though Russia was the enemy, it wasn’t a place completely devoid of informants. Given the turmoil in society, there were always people willing to sell information for the right price.

Guan Hong had eyes and ears in the Kremlin and among key local government offices. There was no way he wouldn’t have heard about a large-scale assault by the Russian Guild Alliance.

'They struck before we could catch any intel...'

It seemed someone had risen with enough charisma to unite the Alliance and keep the Kremlin completely silent.

"It’s not the Tyrant."

Not all Hunters respect or follow S-rank Hunters. For the same reason, Darden, the Tyrant’s younger brother, had also been cleared of suspicion. So, there was only one person in Russia who could wield such influence.

“Is it the Reaper of the Frozen Land?”

As if to confirm Guan Hong’s suspicion, another report arrived barely a day later.

“Kamensky is in Jilin City?!”

“Luckily, the Gate device was destroyed.”

“Well, that’s a blessing in disguise. They must’ve broken it beyond repair so it’s unrecognizable, right?”

“Well… Actually…”

“What? Why are you hesitating?”

“They, uh… Just broke it… Enough to stop it from working.... Thud!”

Infuriated, Guan Hong grabbed his subordinate by the throat. The man struggled for air, kicking his legs but offering no further resistance.

“What?! Just enough so it won’t work? You call that a job well done?”

He hurled the subordinate against the wall, sending him rolling into the hallway. The guild members flinched, clearing the way. The subordinate crawled back into the office, kneeling before Guan Hong.

“I’m sorry.”

“You idiots! Even if it doesn’t work, leaving the prototype intact is a huge vulnerability for us! If this goes public, we’ll be condemned worldwide!”

The subordinate finally realized why Guan Hong was so angry and prostrated himself, begging for forgiveness.

“I’ve made a grave error. I’ll send an elite strike force right away and—”

“Are you an idiot? Trying to send a squad so they can get themselves killed against an S-rank?!”

When the subordinate stammered, Guan Hong kicked him again, sending him crashing through several walls. This time, he wasn’t breathing.

“Get rid of him.”

Guan Hong spoke to the empty air, and soon Hunters appeared, swiftly removing the body.

‘This is why you can’t rely on Gaori Bangtz.’ (a derogatory term for Koreans)

The dead Hunter had been a Korean defector, which made Guan Hong show no mercy. There were plenty of replacements, after all.

“Fine. I have no choice but to call Shimwol.”

Realizing Kamensky’s strength, Guan Hong issued an order for the Dandong expeditionary force to head north as backup. He also requested additional support from Sundown Guild’s elite spearmen. But then came another alarming report.

“What? All the way to Shenyang City Gate?”

This hit close to home. 

Shenyang was an area even Guan Hong hadn’t dared touch due to its volatility. Opening a Gate there would wreak havoc across eastern China, just as Jilin Gate did for Korea.

So it had been marked off-limits… But now it had been taken.

‘And the Tyrant of all people is the opponent… So Russia really planned this out.’

There was something questionable about Kamensky and Igor teaming up. The two S-ranks had never gotten along, even before they were officially pardoned. One was always causing trouble, and the other was busy cleaning up after him. Naturally, tension was inevitable.

Yet, under the Russian government’s influence, they’d somehow united, which was somewhat understandable.

Whatever the reason, having two S-ranks move in tandem was a dangerous turn of events for Guan Hong and his allies.

“If Bi Wen Jun hadn’t been injured, I wouldn’t be so worried.”

The only card Guan Hong had left was Shimwol.

Now, he had to make a decision between two fronts.

'The Shenyang Gate still has a little leeway before it opens completely. Jilin City should be the priority.'

If the device's purpose were to be discovered, they'd be cornered. Even if the device was destroyed, the Yellow Dragon Guild’s movements would be heavily restricted because of suspicion.

Resolved, Guan Hong decided to strike Kamensky first.

Just then, his phone rang.

“This is Kang Mu-hyuk speaking from Iron Will.”