Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, China


    Yingkou City, a port city about 170 kilometers northeast of Dalian, served as China’s northernmost border and a forward defensive line for the city of Dalian. After the Magying Penins expanded, and maind China was separated from the Liaodong Penins, Yingkou had be a critical defense point.


    With the Demonic Realm so close, battles with monsters were a daily urrence. However, thanks to the Anti-God Guild—one of China’s most powerful guilds—the city had remained safe from monster invasions.


    The people of Yingkou relied more on the guild’s protection than on the Communist government’s efforts. The Anti-God Guild’s influence, with the nickname Guardian Guild of Yingkou, was symbolized by its headquarters, a gleaming 50-story skyscraper.


    Like the Anti-God Guild was a symbol of Yingkou, the symbol of the guild were the two leaders in charge of the guild. Both Guild Masters were recognized by distinctive nicknames instead of real names: White Phantom for the white-haired hunter, and ck Beast for the ck-haired hunter.


    In the penthouse on the 48th floor, White Phantom and ck Beast were in the middle of an urgent meeting.


    “The Yellow Dragon and Sundown Guilds have moved."


    “Who came from Sundown?”


    “Shimwol."


    “The Yellow Dragon’s Bi Wen Jun and Sunset’s Shimwol? Guan Hong didn’t hold back. To think he’d mobilize two S-ranks.”


    “That kind of power is definitely something to be wary of, ck Beast.”


    “I’ll keep that in mind. But remember, this is the only time we’re training with Yellow Dragon. Next time, when we’re enemies again, I’ll get rid of Guan Hong before anything else.”


    Anyone familiar with the Chinese hunter world would’ve found ck Beast’s words surprising.


    The Anti-God Guild and the Yellow Dragon Guild


    The Anti-God guild were sworn rivals of the Yellow Dragon Guild. The Anti-God Guild was formed by those who opposed Yellow Dragon’s rule and wanted to resist their influence. Even if it was just temporary, an alliance between these two guilds was enough to shock the entire Chinese huntermunity.


    “Promise me again, White Phantom.”


    “You wanna check again even after I swore once?”


    “If you fulfill your wish, I’ll hand over the Anti-God Guildpletely to you.”


    “I can promise it to you a hundred, thousand times. After this is over, I’ll disappear.”


    “Good. This time, I’m gonna give you proper support as well.”


    White Phantom showed interest in ck Beast’s words.


    “The Great Order Guild will join us in the battle.”


    “Those guys? It’s been a while."


    “They’ll act as a decoy. You will focus on controlling the Korean penins. Go back to your hometown, White Phantom, and get your revenge. Consider it my parting gift to you.”


    White Phantom’s face lit up with a wicked smile.


    “I’ll ept that gift dly.”


    ***


    The negotiations between Korea, China, Japan, and Russia dragged on for two more days without any progress. Even the World Hunters Federation was growing frustrated with China’s arrogance.


    As national interests shed, emotions ran high, and the talks became more heated. Then, something happened that brought the negotiations to a standstill.


    Bang!


    Liu Hongchai, the head of the Chinese delegation, suddenly stood up and mmed his fist on the table, as if to break it, after an attendant whispered something in his ear.


    “Director!”


    At this shout, the Russian representative Prigogine turned to him.


    “What’s got you so worked up?”


    “Youe here iming to negotiate, and then you stab us in the back?!”


    “Stab you in the back? What are you talking about?”


    “At our Gate in the Demonic Realm…” Liu couldn’t say anymore.


    The moment he mentioned the Chinese-controlled Demonic Realm Gate, it would imply that China was behind recent incidents in the Demonic Realm.


    Clenching his teeth, Liu Hongchai took a step back.


    “Let’s wait and watch. If you want blood to shed, we’ll dly shed it."


    As Liu Hongchai left, Prigogine also rose to his feet.


    “Director Prigogine, what’s going on?” Cha Giljoo, looked up at him from the next seat and asked a question.


    “It seems the Kremlin had a change of heart.”


    “A change of heart?”


    “Oh, don’t misunderstand. We still support Korea. But it seems some impatient guilds had decided to take matters into their own hands. You know how Hunters could be—selfish, to say the least. Now it’s be a headache for us, too.”


    Prigogine’s excuse was weak at best. His calm reaction to Liu’s outburst showed he’de to the table already aware of what was happening since he hadn’t received any information separately during the negotiations.


    “So, you knew about this in advance and didn’t tell us?”


    "I was ordered to keep quiet as well. In Russia, if you leak confidential information, you’re shot, unlike South Korea. While it’s not like we always have to put our necks on the line, punishment is especially harsh these days. Still, since we''re in this together, I think it’s okay to share some details."


    "What details?"


    "About ten minutes ago, the Russian Guild Alliance Forcesunched simultaneous attacks on four Gates in the Demonic Realm. They struck before the Gates even had a chance to fully open."


    "Allied forces? So you weren’t nning to cooperate from the very start."


    "Of course not. It was just unfortunate timing. Orders from our superiors are beyond the control of people like us."


    Prigogine tried to distance himself from any responsibility, implying it was out of his hands.


    Cha Gil-joo understood that pressing him wouldn’t lead anywhere.


    "Fine. We’ll handle it on our end."


    "Good, that settles it."


    With that, Prigogine left the negotiating table. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Sasaki, the Japanese representative, also stood up.


    "I expected the negotiations to be tough, but I didn’t anticipate they’d copse like this. This is beyond my authority now, so I’ll report to my superiors and get back to you soon."


    Following Sasaki''s exit, the Federation officials, who had remained mostly silent throughout the talks, also began to leave.


    "The Federation’s role ends here. Please tell Mr. Kang that while I appreciate this position, I won’t continue in a role that yields no results."


    Soon after, Cha Gil-joo, now alone, contacted Kang Mu-hyuk.


    "This is Cha Gil-joo. Russia hasunched an attack on the Chinese Gate in the Demonic Realm. The negotiations are at a standstill. It looks like things will escte quickly. Korea might get drawn into the Demonic Realm conflict, so we need to respond swiftly."


    * * *


    When Kang Mu-hyuk heard about Russia’s move, one name immediately came to mind:


    Darden.


    Though there was no direct evidence, Kang had his suspicions. Negotiating while fighting was Darden''s specialty.


    Kang Mu-hyuk asked the Tsar Guild to set up a meeting with Darden. If he called, they could hang up anytime. But with the central government being on eggshells around the local governmentstely, ignoring a request from the representative guild of divostok would be difficult.


    Despite his reluctance, Kang Muhyuk realized that Darden currently held the advantage. He had no choice but to react based on Darden’s reactions.


    ‘It’s within expectations for Darden ato act for his own benefit. He must have stirred up trouble because he wants something. We need to see if we can turn things around.’


    The response arrived in under three hours.


    "He said he’d meet you in Najin."


    "When?"


    "He’s already in Najin."


    Kang Mu-hyuk raised an eyebrow, puzzled by Anton''s answer.


    Darden’s arrival in Najin already was something he didn’t understand.


    ‘Given the travel time from Moscow, the operation must have been nned at least a day in advance. Yet there was no practical reason for him toe all the way here.’


    Kang Mu-hyuk felt a growing sense of unease. Something was happening beyond his knowledge.


    "Let’s meet him immediately."


    * * *


    After four notorious monsters lurking in the northeastern part of the Korean penins were finally defeated, guilds, including both the integrated strike force and volunteer strike force, worked tirelessly to push back the remaining monsters.


    After several relentless days of hunting, they sessfully reimed the Tumen River front. The government publicly celebrated the recovery of the territory and announced a massive budget allocation to strengthen the Tumen River defense line.


    While a few monsters still roamed undetected, the main highways were now secure.


    Kang Mu-hyuk headed to Najin along the east coast road, apanied by Jang Deuk-goo, No Song-rin, and Lee Sookyoung.


    "This ce is a total ghost town."


    No Song-rin clicked her tongue as she surveyed the empty city center. With the monsters recently driven out, civilians hadn’t returned yet, making the city eerily quieter than even the mountainous regions.


    As they followed navigation instructions toward the port, Darden finally came into view.


    Kang Mu-hyuk got out of the car, mmed the door shut, and strode toward Darden.


    “This guy is fearless." No Song-rin quickly followed.


    Darden greeted Kang Mu-hyuk, “You seem really angry.”


    “I’m not so much angry as curious about why you did this. Didn’t like the reward I offered, huh?”


    “Do you know what I realized after you beat me up in divostok?”


    “Oh, I don’t know? Maybe you shouldn’t act up.”


    “You’re really mad. Even your words are sharper.”


    “You wouldn’t havee all this way to talk nonsense. Let’s get to the point.”


    Just then, a gust of wind blew, rustling Darden’s coat. He put his hands in his pockets and tugged the coat around himself.


    “I learned a valuable lesson. When times are tough, don’t be greedy. Take what you can, but don’t overreach. I got ahead of myself trying to take over a city. Since then, I’ve held back.”


    “So, you’re saying you had no part in this?”


    “That’s right. This Gate attack—it wasn’t me.”


    “You didn’te all this way just to clear your name, did you? Why are you here?”


    “To give you a warning.”


    “A warning?”


    “The Reaper of the Frozen Land is on the move.”


    “!!”


    A frown crossed Kang Mu-hyuk’s face, “By the Reaper of the Frozen Land, you mean…”


    “Niki Kamensky. Siberia’s top ughterer has step foot in the Demonic Realm.”


    * * *


    Niki Kamensky.


    Known as the “Reaper of the Frozen Land."


    He was another S-rank hunter from Russia. He typically operated in the Siberian Permafrost, a region in Russia that could be called the Demonic Realm of the country, so he rarely ventured into the actual Demonic Realm. However, his reputation was infamous throughout the hunter world.


    ‘But why would Kamensky....?’


    Kang Mu-hyuk couldn’t fathom why Kamensky had suddenly entered the Demonic Realm. But he understood why Darden hade all the way from Moscow.


    “You were fighting with Kamensky?”


    “More like he was watching me. I couldn’t even think about making a call. That’s why I came here.”


    “Sounds like he pushed you around quite a bit.”


    “I have you to thank for that, along with the fact that my brother wasn’t around.”


    “A bit unfair, don’t you think? It’s not my fault. Not like it’s the first time the Tyrant’s been running around everywhere.”


    “I didn’te here to me you, so don’t be so harsh.”


    “You’re uncharacteristically polite today, almost like you’re here to ask for a favor.”


    “Tch! Your quick wit is so damn annoying.”


    “Let’s hear it.”


    Darden hesitated before speaking.


    “The operation you’re nning in the Demonic Realm—let’s handle one more thing.”


    “No. Negotiations are over. I’ll handle the Demonic Realm myself.”


    Kang Mu-hyuk immediately refused and turned to leave.


    Darden grabbed his cor. Instantly, Jang Deukgoo drew his sword, pointing it at Darden’s chin, while No Song-rin lifted her arm, ready to protect Kang Mu-hyuk.


    “I’m not here to harm your leader, so rx with the murderous intent.”


    Kang Mu-hyuk raised a hand and spoke.


    “You must’ve made this suggestion despite knowing the operation I’m nning. How do you possibly n on handling the consequences?”


    “Can you handle it? Either way, one or two is all the same. When opportunityes, you have to grab it.”


    Darden’s sparkling gaze red at Kang Mu-hyuk.


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