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

December website update

Originating from Tianchi (Heaven Lake) on Baekdu Mountain, the Songhua River flows northwest. It passes through the Jilin Province, merges with the waters at Sancha River in the northwest, then alters its flow to the northeast. After passing through Harbin and reuniting with the Mudan River, it goes through Jiamusi and ultimately joins the Amur River (Heilong Jiang).

Coincidentally, the Gates that the Yellow Dragon Guild was trying to force open were related to the Songhua River basin.

“That was all in the past. The terrain has changed a lot now. It’s hard to find anyone who knows this path except me.”

Do Daecheol nodded at the explanation of the guide who spoke the Yanbian dialect. The terrain unfolding before his eyes was completely different from what he had seen on the map. He had also been active in the Demonic Realm, but he had only heard of this place through word of mouth. If it weren’t for the orders of his master, White Phantom, he might never have come here again. That was how notorious a reputation the place had.

“Wasn’t this originally flat land?”

“It wasn’t just flat land. There was black soil. It had good soil fertility, so whatever you planted grew well.”

“But now a mountain has risen here?”

The terrain of the middle and lower reaches of the Songhua River had changed significantly due to the interference of the Demonic Realm and the chaos caused by large monsters in the past. 

China also lost its once prosperous agricultural areas, replaced by towering mountains. The mountain had several peaks that rose and fell, and the old Songhua River flowed through the valley. The winding river water was so strong that even the most skilled Hunters would suffer if they fell into it.

As tough as the terrain was, there were many strong monsters. But, Hunters did not visit this place often even though strong monsters meant expensive rewards. Since not many people came here, naturally it meant very few knew the way. Because of this, Do Daecheol had a hard time finding a guide as well. Only after spending a lot of money and pretty good gear was he able to hire a guide in return.

The guide gestured along the mountain ridge.

“The mountain came up a long time ago, and it has changed a lot since the Minor War. That’s why there aren’t many people who know the way here now.”

“Why don’t people come here? This is the best hunting ground there can be.”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Isn’t this the place?”

“What place? Aah, you mean Guryong Ridge?”

“That’s such a thing of the past. In the past, Hunters would tremble in fear when they raided Guryong Ridge, but these days, there are more Hunters who don’t even know that this is Guryong Ridge.”

“Then, what is it called now?”

“The Grave. The Hunters who know this place call it the Grave.”

“Grave? Whose grave?”

“It’s just Grave. Whether it’s a monster or a Hunter, they bury their bones.”

The rumor that Do Daecheol had heard through eavesdropping was finally in front of his eyes with a specific name.

Grave...

Even if only half of the rumors were true, there didn’t seem to be a more fitting name. Just that many Hunters had lost their lives in this place.

‘That's why both China and Russia avoided this place. The only people who came and went were either money-obsessed Koreans or fearless immature Hunters from unified Korea.’

To be honest, Do Daecheol was hesitant too. If he hadn't found a guide, he wouldn't have gone there. But a mission was still a mission. He calmed his mind by recalling only the orders of the White Phantom.

‘The commander said that the leader of the Jilin City Monster Cave went to the old Goryong Ridge site. This is such a good chance. How could we just let it go to waste? If we can just finish this plan well, we can enjoy the old glory again.’

The Yellow Dragon Guild had also come to the Grave to find the Gate Boss with the same idea, but they had to retreat without even being able to lay a finger on the boss.

In the aftermath of that failure, the Yellow Dragon Guild concluded that they could not control the Gate Boss, which led them to decide not to open the Shenyang City Gate.

‘But we’re different. Because we have ways that the Yellow Dragon guys don't know.’

Do Daecheol relaxed his tension as he recalled the method he had prepared. If he could just properly implement the plan, the White Phantom’s plan would be completed. He took a step forward, vowing again and again that he’d make it happen.

“Show us the way. We have to hurry to make it on time.”

***

Kaminsky, in the end, caught up with Shimwol.

“Old man. So damn fast for your age.”

The battle continued relentlessly. Igor joined a little later and Shimwol prepared a powerful skill to escape once again.

She tried to trick them with a powerful skill and flee, but her opponents weren't ones to be fooled by the same method twice.

“Oho, where are you going?”

“Get out of the way, Tyrant!”

“If you keep trying to run away, you’re gonna make me sad.”

【Avatar】

Igor's height grew. His body swelled, and in an instant, he became a giant, reaching 20 meters tall.

Shimwol ground her teeth at his power that ignored even the law of conservation of mass.

“If I hadn’t fought the Grim Reaper. If my body hadn’t been in this condition, I wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation at your hands.”

“There’s no Hunter in the world who fights while being considerate of their opponent’s circumstances! I had high expectations since you’re from the infamous Namsan Island, but I guess you’re just a shell of a high-ranker as well.”

“Shut up!”

The spear of the deep moon shook violently. The spearhead formed a crescent moon around her.

【Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara】

The number of hands holding spears seemed to have increased to several dozen. The number of spears also multiplied to several dozen.

‘If even this doesn’t work, I’m really dead then.’

Link Skill

【Void Spear—Consecutive Strike】

Dozens of spears simultaneously turned into beams of light and enveloped Igor.

“I guess even if you’re just a shell of an S-rankers, you’re still an S-rank after all, huh? Hahaha!”

Igor assumed the Taekwondo right-angled fist stance. He clenched his right fist and brought it to his waist, pulling his shoulder back. The moment his other hand grabbed his left waist, his right fist rotated and extended forward.

At first, there was no change, but soon a huge, intangible energy resembling a mountain filled the space.

【Judgement of Zemlya】TL/N: Zemlya- Russian for Earth

Igor's original skill, named so because of its similarity to the the power of the earth god in Slavic mythology, collided head-on with Shimwol’s attack. A blinding light blurred all the surrounding shapes and then erased them. There was an explosion incomparable to the one that blew up the city center of Jilin City.

Suddenly, a loud noise spread in all directions, and mushroom clouds rose into the sky. 

As the dust scattered in the air slowly settled, the scenery came into view. The clash between the two S-rank Hunters had created a gruesome scene. The few remaining traces of civilization could no longer be found. 

All that remained on the completely empty ground was a pit hundreds of meters in radius and two Hunters half-buried inside it.

“Kekekeke! That was really dangerous. It’d be hard to find a match for someone with your attack power even in Russia.”

Igor staggered to his feet, his giant transformation undone now. The special suit and equipment he was wearing were all broken. 

Shimwol was pretty much in the same situation. Her beloved Demonic spear’s shaft was broken, and her full-body armor had cracks all over. The helmet that covered her face was completely torn and hung at the back of her upper armor. 

But what made her different from Igor was–

“So fucking solid. I thought your body simply grew in size. Coughl!”

Her insides were completely ruined. Her internal organs were so twisted that it’d take at least a year to recover. 

Shimwol forced herself up, spitting out a handful of black blood that had gushed into her mouth.

‘He looks injured on the outside, but he doesn’t actually have any major injuries. Even if I was in perfect condition, it’d be hard to guarantee victory.’

Kamensky had been famous for a long time. But Shimwol's pride was hurt by having to admit she was weaker even compared to the Tyrant who had become renowned worldwide as an S-rank around the same time as her.

At that moment, something she had forgotten suddenly came to mind.

“Kamens... Ugh… Ky.”

Shimwol's body shook. She looked down at the sickle that had pierced her spleen. She had no feeling in her lower body, as if her spine had been hit. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. She gritted her teeth and looked back.

“Petty old man….”

“I don’t just hunt monsters. It’s natural for me to be cowardly and petty. As a result, that difference between us is what got you killed.”

“ ...”

“You were overconfident after becoming an S-rank, Shimwol. You should’ve hunted instead of dueling or fighting as well.”

"You... you...."

He didn’t hear any further. Kamensky pulled the scythe out of Shimwol's back and cut off her head.

Igor stopped her severed head with his foot as it rolled down the slope of the pit. He carried the head back up the slope.

Kamensky swung his scythe, shaking the blood off the blade, then hid the weapon behind his body. The wound Shimwol gave him was throbbing. He had performed first aid, but the bleeding that had stopped started again since he pursued her in such a hurry.

‘I've injured my organs. My mana and stamina are both low. On the other hand, that guy is totally fine. Am I getting old now?’

Kamensky opened his mouth with a sharp pain, “Is it my turn now?”

“You’ve lived a long time, so you’re quick to catch on.”

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. You too, Igor. And your brother Darden as well. Maybe I should’ve gotten rid of you two brothers a long time ago.”

Igor finally stood before Kamensky. He carefully placed the severed head on Shimwol's neck, whose body was still sitting upright. Her body collapsed, unable to bear the weight of her head.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Igor glanced at Shimwol sprawled on the ground, swept down the slope, and then turned to Kamensky.

“I’ve thought about this several times before. If it weren’t for you, old man, things would’ve been easier for us in many ways. Then I would’ve been able to get to Vladivostok earlier and complete my revenge without any interference. I’m getting angry just thinking about how you got in the way.”

“Isn’t it just because you need someone to vent your anger on?”

“Well, maybe.”

“It won’t be easy to kill me.”

“Mayb not when you’re fine, but it seems it’ll be easy now.”

“You don’t look okay either.”

A woman's voice suddenly interrupted Igor's attack stance. He scrunched up his face in annoyance.

“Are you meddling again, witch?”

Ju Se-ah was walking down from where Igor’s gaze fell..

“You may be a scumbag but I don’t have any ill feelings towards you personally. I’m just working here as well.”

“What work? Killing me?”

“No. Saving someone.”

Ju Se-ah pointed to Kamensky.

“South Korea. I’m Ju Se-ah from Iron Will.”

“You’re an S-rank. Was there an S-rank in Korea?”

“Not until a while ago.”

Kamensky's face was filled with curiosity, even after his near-death experience. Fitting of a Hunter who had spent decades hunting monsters in the frozen plains, you could say.

Ju Se-ah held out her palm, pushing Kamensky’s attention away, and stood in front of Igor.

“Shall we have a second match? We couldn’t finish it in Vladivostok.”

“Did you know from the beginning that I was going after the old man?”

“Our Guild Leader asked me to convey this message to you.”

“I knew it. It was that sneaky guy after all. So, what did he say?”

“Stop messing around; go and catch monsters.”

“Huh? That fearless puck. How dare he...”

“He said to tell this to your younger brother.”

“…”

“This time, I’ll ask. Are you going to fight me or not?”

***

“Commander! Over here! He’s still alive!”

Sung Seonjae came running after hearing So Sangyeob's scream. So Sangyeob was pouring a potion into the mouth of a Hunter who was lying on the floor in a miserable state.

Next to him, Gam Wooyoung was feeding a potion to a female Hunter. She too was on the verge of death.

“They’re the expedition team of the Yellow Dragon Guild. The rest?”

So Sangyeob shook his head. Of the Yellow Dragon Guild expedition team, these two were the only ones still breathing.

Sung Seonjae took out the ampoule kit and the Slayer Guild Master's emergency medicine and treated them. Thanks to that, they were able to make it out alive. After finally catching his breath, Sung Seonjae decided to leave Jilin City.

“We’re going back to the Tumen River.”