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

“It’s started.”

Diniger Gao, the third division captain of the Yellow Dragon Guild Expeditionary Force, stood up at the sound of a distant explosion. The 40 expedition members behind him also rose to their feet.

“Go in now.”

With Diniger's order, the expedition members began to move—though not all of them were eager.

“Do I really have to go in?”

“Sirinnai, are you defying orders now?”

Diniger stopped walking and glared at Sirinnai fiercely. There was an intensity in his gaze, and Sirinnai swallowed nervously, fluttering her long eyelashes. But she spoke up, determined to say what was on her mind.

“You know, Captain, the guild is using us as pawns. They call this an expedition force, but in reality, they’re just gathering Uyghurs so they can use us as much as they can, throwing us to the monsters or onto the battlefield like a meat shield whenever they please.”

“Didn’t you know that when you joined?”

“Even if I knew, they should at least give us a chance to survive. Sending us into an S-rank battle is practically a death sentence.”

Many of the raiders nodded in agreement with Sirinnai. They followed orders, but they all shared her sentiments.

Diniger took in the tense atmosphere and spoke calmly.

“Isn’t it thanks to this arrangement that our families are ‘safe’ and able to live decently?”

At his words, the raiders' expressions hardened.

Sirinnai, clearly displeased, responded bitterly, “Thank you for the reminder, Captain.”

“Take it as truth, not as a threat.”

“How can you talk so casually about the safety of our families when you’re also Uyghur? Is it because of your mixed Han Chinese blood?”

Diniger sighed, 'This again.’

Diniger was of mixed Han and Uyghur descent. His name revealed his heritage: he took his mother’s Uyghur name and added the Han surname ‘Gao’ from his father.

Thanks to this heritage, he had been made captain of an expeditionary force made up entirely of Uyghurs, often referred to as the ‘Death Row Squad.’

It was a calculated move by the Yellow Dragon Guild to deal with minority Hunters.

“No matter how much people mock us as the ‘death row squad,’ I have no intention of sending you to your deaths. But I can’t disobey the guild’s orders either. If you want to run, I won’t stop you. I’ll just say you died fighting.”

This was all Diniger could offer. Given the Uyghur Hunters’ situation, he couldn’t fully reassure or persuade them. He didn’t even try. In fact, he even implied he would tolerate their desertion. But no Hunter had ever fled. They all knew that their complaints were more empty grumblings than serious threats.

As expected, a resigned look settled on everyone’s faces.

“Can we… survive?”

“At the very least, if we have to run, I’ll be the last to leave.”

Those words were enough for now.

* * *

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The battle between Kamensky and Shimwol was fierce and a close one. Both fighters had hidden techniques, but they couldn't use them carelessly without seeing an opening in the other.

‘This old man… I’ve only heard rumors about him, but he’s a real monster. No matter how much experience he has, this guy’s gotta be aging backward.’

As the fight wore on, Shimwol realized that the legend of the ‘Reaper of the Frozen Land’ was more than just a rumor.

Kamensky, for his part, was equally impressed by Shimwol’s prowess.

'They call her the giraffe born on Namsan Island. She truly lives up to that title. If she keeps this up for a few more years, she’ll be a serious threat.’

Kamensky was also repeatedly impressed, but at the same time he was concerned. While the Demon of Namsan Island would slowly reach her prime as a high-level Hunter, Kamensky knew time would eventually catch up with him. 

While it was true that higher-ranked Hunters aged slower, this, too, had its limits. Having awakened his abilities late in life, Kamensky was already nearing eighty.

“Ugh!”

“Cha!”

They clashed again, their voices ringing out. From the point where the spear and scythe met, a wave of mana radiated in concentric circles. The asphalt peeled away, exposing the ground beneath. The pavement, already weakened, was torn up and scattered. The remaining glass windows shattered, and the building’s exterior walls crumbled, revealing the steel framework within.

The two fighters separated again, but Shimwol quickly closed the distance, her aggressive fighting style resembling that of Namsan Island fighters.

On the other hand, Kamensky slowly retreated, focusing on defense and counterattacks. To an untrained eye, he might have appeared to be on the losing end, constantly falling back. But, he was conserving his energy, strategically gaining the upper hand in every exchange. If not for Shimwol's incredible endurance, she might have already faltered.

Kamensky leapt onto a half-collapsed ten-story building, bracing himself against the wall as he looked back. Shimwol was right behind him, her long spear slicing through the building, severing what remained of the structure. But Kamensky had already moved on, dashing towards the apartment complex on the opposite side.

Moving in a zigzag pattern through the apartments, Kamensky obscured her line of sight, further fueling Shimwol's irritation. She steadied herself and took aim.

"Old man. Are you just waiting for me to wear myself out? I'll show you how pointless that is."

Shimwol poured her mana into the spear, and at some point, the weapon seemed to draw mana from her in return. The spear, filled with powerful, turbulent energy, emitted a shriek as she swung it in a sweeping arc, parallel to the ground.

【Spectral Strike】

Shimwol’s unique weapon. The Demonic Spear’s special skill hit an apartment complex. It sent strange, powerful energy streams tearing through the apartment complex with a deep, resonant sound.

Buildings crumbled in the wake of the attack, and the falling rubble was immediately torn apart by the waves of energy that followed, shredding everything in their path.

Kamensky crouched on the ground, remaining motionless as debris rained down on him. Concrete slabs piled over his head, but he stayed still, allowing himself to be buried. For any S-rank Hunter, taking on such weight would result in serious damage. Shimwol narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she observed his unorthodox response.

'Tch! This old man knows about my skills?!'

Her Spectral Strike skill was designed to attack anything in motion, driven by spirits embedded within the Demonic Spear. But if there was no movement, the spirits would not react, since they couldn’t see or hear.

Basically, a stationary target was safe from their attack. The fact that Kamensky had remained completely still under a collapsing building displayed he understood the nature of her skills, Spectral Strike.

For the first time in the fight, Shimwol felt a chill run down her spine.

'If he knows this much about me, then he’s come prepared. This isn’t just some spur-of-the-moment fight—this is hunting. You planned this, Nikolai Kamensky!'

She shuddered at the cunning trickery of this veteran who had seen the Great and Minor War. But she was also an S-rank. Fear was not in her vocabulary. Her apprehension quickly turned to anger.

“You dare treat me as if I'm some monster to be hunted?!”

Through the thick dust and concrete debris, Kamensky’s presence was unmistakable. Without hesitation, Shimwol charged toward him with her spear.

'As I thought, criminals have a short fuse. If you've reached S-rank, you should be able to control your temper at least.' 

Kamensky sensied her approach. He wasn't just reacting to her; he had anticipated her move.

Kamensky waited patiently, ready to let Shimwol's spear close in, as if he were about to impale himself on the blade. Though they couldn’t see each other clearly through the thick dust, both were timing their strikes with precise accuracy.

The fight was decided in a split second, a sliver of time divided into hundredths of seconds. They aimed for the same moment, but Kamensky, crouching low at the last second, carved out one more fraction of a second.

"Ugh…!"

When the dust finally settled, Shimwol stood with the tip of Kamensky's scythe stuck in her side.

Her armor was shattered, and the scythe twisted as if taunting her, drawing blood. The pain was severe, but Shimwol didn’t even flinch.

"Wow, you turned around at the last moment. Impressive.," 

Kamensky licked his lips in regret. His white hair and beard were coated in dust, but his sharp eyes gleamed like a predator's. Because with that single move, he had secured a clear advantage.

And the last–

‘It’s my victory.’

Kamensky pulled the scythe from her side. Shimwol reacted a moment too late, and though she tried to turn the spear toward him, he would’ve cut through her body first.

But just then—

"Ugh!"

Kamensky's body jerked, a strange force gripping him for an instant. In that brief, nearly imperceptible moment, he lost focus. He got out of its hold and subconsciously turned his gaze away.

'Hunter? What the… I missed it because I was too focused on Shimwol.’

This slight distraction gave Shimwol her chance. Their weapons clashed, and this time it was Kamensky’s side that bled. His leather armor tore, revealing flesh shredded like rags. Kamensky quickly channeled his mana to close the wound  on his abdomen forcefully.

“O what a reversal of tides, Reaper.”

“Congratulations. But wasn’t this supposed to be one-on-one?” Kamensky replied.

“Are you calling me a coward?”

“I was just making sure. In this world, the one who gets hurt is the foolish one.”

“Well, I suppose age has caught up with me.”

“I’ll chalk it up to my own oversight for not considering this after preparing for everything else.”

“Tch! I don’t like this situation either!”

Shimwol glanced back at the Hunters who had intervened in her fight. Among them, one wore the yellow cloak unique to the Yellow Dragon Guild's expedition team.

'I didn’t need your help, Guan Hong. I’ll remember this humiliation.’

Even though the expedition team comprised high-ranking Hunters, all they could do against an S-rank like Kamensky was to stall him with their lives or stop him for a bit with magic. 

He saved her life, but this only bruised her pride further.

This alone was an example of how selfish Hunters, especially S-rank ones, were.

Shimwol harbored a simmering resentment now, intent on wiping out the Yellow Dragon Guild’s expedition team from existence someday. She was intent on wiping out anyone who knew her weakness.

Getting out of that place was as hard as getting in. One had to be alone.

“It’s cooked just right.”

Suddenly, an unpleasant voice, like scraping iron, rang out.

Shimwol and Kamensky turned toward the source of the voice.

"Haha. Igor Dudnik…” Kamensky recognized the figure and Shimwol’s expression soured. 

"That guy’s… the Tyrant?”

“Call me Tyrant-nim,” Igor replied with a grin, baring his teeth.

Shimwol suddenly felt that this place could very well become her grave.

'No matter how injured Kamensky is, he's still S-rank. And my body isn't in great shape either. Fighting two S-ranks like this would just lead to a pointless death.’

Shimwol considered sacrificing the Yellow Dragon Guild's expedition force to create an opening for escape. But Igor acted first.

Without warning, he transformed into a massive figure and a giant hand came crashing down on Shimwol’s head.

Shimwol stabbed at the center of his palm with her spear. The spear bent under the force, as if it would snap, but she couldn't hold back the sheer weight pressing down. She was thrown to the ground, her spear still in hand.

"Time to swat an S-rank fly.”.

* * *

"It's me, Guild Leader Kang."

-Yes, Guild Leader. Have you arrived in Jilin City?

"The Tyrant has already made his move."

-What's the situation?

"Both the Reaper and the Demon are injured. Just as you expected, the Yellow Dragon Guild expedition team is there as well."

-Troops from Harbin will likely be coming down, too.

"Aha, so that’s why you had me wait up north?"

-Handle the Harbin reinforcements. Make sure your identity isn’t discovered.

"Are you telling me to kill everyone?"

-There's no need to go after those who run. Covering your face is enough.

"My beauty isn’t something that can be hidden just by covering my face."

-… … .

"I'm joking, I'm joking."

-The joke sounded a little too heartfelt.

"Let’s move on. So, you’re saying I should block off the Harbin reinforcements?"

-Yes. And there's one more thing.

"What is it?"

-It’s about Kamensky.