Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory Chapter 189 - Suits My Taste

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 governnt's pressure. In fact, he even managed to wash away the stain of causing division in the local governnt, and also gained the justification of fighting for Russia. But, if Kansky had intervened, Darden would’ve been left with no options.’

Kansky 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 governnts, 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 Arica despite so many threats. The presence of independent S-rank Hunters like Kansky is actually what maintains this delicate balance.’

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

‘Kansky 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 soone who can be eliminated on a whim, just because he disrupted my plans.’

Kansky’s nickna, 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 monts of rest between battles.

Over ti, Russian Hunters who admired Kansky gathered around his camp and ford a small village. While they didn’t operate as a formal guild, these Hunters were loyal to Kansky, 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 ti to think before speaking again.

“Without Kansky, 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 Kansky?”

“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 Kansky.

The first likely candidate was the Russian central governnt.

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

Next, he thought of the local governnts.

‘Kansky 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 governnt 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 Kansky. After all, the tall poppy gets cut down first.

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

Everyone seed to have their own reasons for not wanting to pursue Kansky, 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.

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

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

Kang Mu-hyuk recalled Darden's past.

“The dog of the central governnt.”

“What?”

“The Tyrant Guild joined forces with the central governnt to protect the governnt. 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 governnt want this?”

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

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

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

Darden’s expression grew cold.

“Why? The answer is simple.”

“…?”

“Kansky 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.”

“Kansky, right?”

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

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

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

“So, Guild Master Anton put in touch with Darden? After all, going against Kansky 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 Kansky’s influence, it was a drop in the bucket.

Yet Kansky's influence couldn’t be easily resisted, especially with the backing of the central governnt. 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 Kansky’s doing, the repercussions would be catastrophic.

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

As the central governnt’s sole alternative, Kansky 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 governnt has also lessened Kansky's grip.'

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

Kansky, on the other hand, could operate solo, without any of these obstacles. That was why people often said that this ‘holess’ 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 co 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 an that Harbin Gate had been reinforced significantly. In short, the battleground would be intense.

“Where was Kansky 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. Kansky, who had taken the lead in attacking the Demonic Realm Gate Raid, was now hiding.

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

Trying to understand Kansky's motives was futile; there was too little information available to make any aningful 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 sothing very interesting,."

Kansky 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.'

Kansky 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 asure this energy after the Great War and the Minor War with years of research, which allowed them to predict Gate opening ti and the ranks of the Gates.

"Is this device connected to all of this?"

Kansky 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 sha. If I’d known sothing 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 so 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 so basic camping supplies. If it weren’t for the weapons nearby, soone might have mistaken him for a camper rather than a Hunter.

Kansky lit a fire, grilled so at, and drank cans of beer. Occasionally, monsters drawn by the sll approached, but each ti they did, Kansky casually took them down by throwing sothing, leaving them dead with impaled heads.

After his al, 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 sll, it seems.”

He killed yet another monster before casually cooking himself so ran.

***

From a safe distance, a Chinese Hunter observed Kansky 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 Kansky.

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.”