Now There's Only One Way.
'As Guild Leader Kang suspected. Our liaison Yuri Kozlov was indeed involved in this incident. He was a survivor of Nazejinsky as well.'
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled the call with Alex, who had been in the front passenger seat with Kozlov.
He had confirmed Kozlov pretending to be flustered, his lips twitching, before speaking up.
"We've already looked into everything worth investigating, so drop the act, Mr. Kozlov."
At Kang Moo-hyuk's confident tone, the bewilderment vanished from Kozlov's face in an instant. He looked down at the floor with a mix of resignation and bitterness.
"So it wasn't just about Makar that you heard during that call with Federation HQ earlier. You knew who I was and kept playing along so calmly. That's a bit chilling."
"What would you expect from someone who's been embedded in the Federation for over ten years, nursing a grudge against Nazejinsky?"
At the word 'grudge', Igor's shoulders twitched. Darden gestured to hold him back—it was visible.
Kang Moo-hyuk was once again convinced that something tied the Tyrant to Nazejinsky's survivors.
Kozlov shot a glance at the Dudnik brothers and said,
"How did you figure it out? Did you use Thousand Eyes?"
"No need for that. There were plenty of reasons to suspect you. We just hadn't pegged you as a suspect."
"Reasons to suspect?"
"Russian-born, Federation's resident Russia liaison. Nothing suspicious there. But a Russian liaison who operates more out of Vladivostok than Moscow? In normal times, maybe not, but in a situation like this, you tap even a stone bridge before crossing."
"That's because I'm a native of this place. Does that excuse satisfy you?"
"Not a bad excuse—hometown ties. But building enough rapport with the head of the city's top guild to arrange meetings, while working in a Russia that doesn't exactly love the Federation? Suspicious if you look closely."
"Maybe he just has an eccentric personality. Not much of a reason to suspect."
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded as if conceding the point, then shrugged.
"The clincher was our team's hotel info leaking beforehand. At first, I thought it was the Char Guild's fault. That suspicion got us Makar. But then I wondered—is Makar the only spy? A hunter active in Char for over ten years turns traitor? At that point, anyone could be suspect."
"So you suspected even me, a Federation agent not even in Char Guild?"
"Thanks to Makar again. I suspected everyone. So I background-checked everyone around, prioritizing you—the least likely suspect—and asked the Federation to confirm. And as expected, you turned out to be the spy."
Kozlov muttered in disbelief.
"Ever since Makar got caught, things started going sideways. Who'd have thought it'd unravel like this. Shouldn't have done that favor for Hunter Pyo Beom-hee."
Granting Pyo Beom-hee's last request to call Kang Moo-hyuk had been the downfall.
He'd figured a non-hunter guild leader showing up wouldn't amount to much.
He had to report to the Federation anyway, so he'd included the detail that Pyo Beom-hee had specifically requested Kang Moo-hyuk.
But Kang Moo-hyuk hit the airport, stormed Char Guild, and exposed comrades who'd hidden for over a decade.
He'd tagged along to complete the mission somehow, but ended up played like a fool on the palm of his hand.
To the dejected Kozlov, Kang Moo-hyuk asked,
"One thing I'm curious about. I get the connection between Char Guild and Nazejinsky survivors, but what's with Igor Dudnik?"
"What connection? Those bastards are the enemies of our family!"
Igor bared his teeth and bellowed. Kozlov bristled in response.
"Enemies? That's our line! You psychotic killer!"
"Killer? Blood calls for blood—that's only natural."
"Revenge on innocents? That's just slaughter."
"Innocents? Nazejinsky's lot were all the same. Pretending not to know. Beating a kindly mid-tier guild master into a scapegoat. If I'd known survivors were left, I would've stayed days longer and killed them all—"
"Brother!"
Darden cut him off. Igor clamped his mouth shut, but his shoulders heaved with uncontainable rage—the kind not even shown against Joo Se-ah.
Kozlov mirrored that fury. His affable face twisted demonic. Having shed his decade-long mask, he freely bared his killing intent now that he was exposed.
"Don't think this ends here. We'll curse you. We'll get revenge someday."
To the blatant malice, Igor replied wearily.
"Little brother, how long are you going to let them be?"
"I planned to wrap up Char Guild and wipe them all out anyway. Just a bit ahead of schedule—won't change much."
Kang Moo-hyuk caught on: the Dudnik brothers meant to kill Kozlov.
'Whatever crimes he's committed, I can't let a Federation agent die like this. At least hear the full story.'
Kang Moo-hyuk stepped forward with a warning.
"Mr. Kozlov is a Federation agent. The Federation handles his judgment. I mentioned them as a warning for mediation between Tyrun and Char—not permission for violence like this."
Even as he intervened, Kang Moo-hyuk wasn't sure words alone could stop Igor.
Whatever the exact story, their grudge ran deeper than imagined. Malice beyond his expectations bound them.
His original plan: threaten with Federation intervention via Kozlov to buy time.
But this mess had run on raw emotion from the start, not reason.
Revenge—a primal urge—couldn't be talked down.
Kang Moo-hyuk admitted his miscalculation. Makar's calm even in capture made sense now.
'Figured it'd fall apart no matter what? Damn. If not for the Tyrant. Exclude the S-rank, and options open up.'
This world boiled down to power.
He knew it, but it hit hard now.
"Hey, Korean. Stay out if you don't wanna die."
Igor shoved past Kang Moo-hyuk. Not hard, but Kang staggered. Without No Song-rin's support, he'd have fallen embarrassingly.
Kozlov drew his sword, aiming at Igor. Even healed with top-grade potions, his arm from Igor's earlier blow still throbbed.
'Just one hit. One good smack to that bastard's face.'
Recalling family faces hazy after a decade-plus, Kozlov poured mana into his blade.
Critical Blade
Kwajik!
Mana scattered; the sword shattered.
"This... easily...?"
Not a scratch on Igor's fist.
"Sorry for letting you live 14 years. Should've killed you sooner. Now die and get out of my sight."
Igor's fist flew toward Kozlov's heart. Kozlov squeezed his eyes shut.
Peueok!
"!!"
The punch halted, blocked.
Joo Se-ah stood before it.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Guild Leader Kang."
Ignoring Igor oozing killing intent, Joo Se-ah sought Kang Moo-hyuk.
Kang Moo-hyuk sighed in relief that she'd blocked it, while marveling at how.
"Yes."
"Don't know the details, but this guy's not dying here, right?"
"He's guilty, but it's a tangled mess hard to assign blame. Lynch-mob justice without trial won't solve anything."
"Got it."
"Opponent's the Tyrant."
"I know."
"Dangerous."
"Roughly. Think I got the gist."
At Joo Se-ah's confident tone, Kang Moo-hyuk finally noticed the clash of powers between her and Igor.
Veins bulged on her forearms, palms overlapped blocking his fist. Igor's face flushed beet-red.
Their braced legs cracked the floor deep.
Mana already clashed between them.
A stray mana strand whipped nearby Kozlov. He flew back, unconscious.
Kang Moo-hyuk recognized the phenomenon from tales.
"Dangerous, Guild Leader. Realm fight—S-ranks only. Fall back."
No Song-rin pulled him. Calm, but shocked.
'Only S-ranks make mana realms. Is our guild master really S-rank?'
Darden was stunned too.
Nearby Nikolai stammered, pointing at Joo Se-ah.
"V-Vice Guild Master... th-that's... real... S-..."
"Shut it. I see it."
Should've realized when Igor—who fought her—reacted oddly.
'An S-rank? Hiding it? Or just became one? Either way, impossible. Even new S-ranks can't wield it right away.'
Darden recalled his brother awakening as S-rank.
Igor struggled long to draw it post-realization.
Needed combat training, a trigger.
His came from the tragedy 14 years ago.
Maybe that's why he became Tyrant—first S-rank power misused.
'Better assume she was hiding it.'
Had to be. Otherwise, his brother awakened this new monster.
And now she blocked them.
As all froze speechless, Kang Moo-hyuk moved. He ordered No Song-rin to secure Kozlov, then circled wide to Darden.
"Two S-ranks clash? Winner lives, loser dies—maybe both crippled. You could lose your last family."
"Your guild master might die too."
"So you'll let it play out?"
"Damn! What a shitshow. You really fucked this up good."
Misinterpreting as intentional, but Kang Moo-hyuk didn't correct. Let the misunderstanding brake things.
'Can't say I didn't know Joo Se-ah was S-rank.'
He'd doubted even when Federation elf Aila declared she'd breached the wall. But awakening dramatically when desperately needed?
Kang Moo-hyuk chalked it to sheer luck.
As Darden stayed silent, Kang prepared to press.
Then.
Bbappabbappa bbappa bbappabbappabba!
A chipper ringtone shattered the tension—out of place.
Joo Se-ah, knowing the outdated tone's owner, glanced at Kang Moo-hyuk.
He answered while watching the S-rank standoff.
"Yes, Alex. What? News? What..."
Kang Moo-hyuk's eyes widened as Darden's smartphone buzzed. Alarms spread contagiously among hunters. Gasps followed checks.
Sensing unrest, Joo Se-ah called to Igor.
"Hey, Russian old man. Doesn't feel like fightin' time. Whaddya say? Still wanna go?"
"Not dumb enough to die wondering."
Gruff words, but he backed off. Savage as he was, Igor wasn't stupid. Couldn't fight ignoring something big.
'Plus, curious as hell. What the fuck's happening?'
Joo Se-ah voiced it.
"Guild Leader Kang! What's up?"
Kang lowered the phone from his ear.
"Upu Mangbau... has started moving."
* * *
Just before confinement in the guild's hunter detention cell, Makar confirmed his comrades' capture.
Nazejinsky survivors comprising the guild.
'Staggered entry to avoid detection. Exposed too easily. Didn't expect Anton the guild master to have such reach.'
World Hunter Federation data was key, but locked Makar couldn't know.
"Catching your external accomplices will take time. Think hard meanwhile. Family or not, don't wanna see ugly sights."
Vice Guild Master Dmitri threatened before leaving, but Makar didn't flinch. Relief, even.
'They haven't grasped Nazejinsky origins yet.'
Char knew the tragedy, but the then-guild master retired; most top brass left active duty.
Makar—holding info—staged accidents or fed monsters to the rest.
'Kozlov okay? He must stay hidden. Federation tie keeps him off suspect list, but...'
The Korean popped to mind.
'Kang Moo-hyuk.'
Bad feeling Kozlov wouldn't make it.
Bound in the corner, Makar opened his eyes.
Footsteps at the entrance.
Kkiiik!
"Makar!"
"Olga!"
Welcome face.
His lover.
"What happened? You okay?"
"I'm not Nazejinsky stock."
"Right. Yeah."
Olga knew his secret. Understood, healed his wounds.
In grudge-filled Char, she alone let him breathe.
"Good we kept the workplace romance secret. Guard?"
"Sleeping poison. Leftovers from the Koreans at the hotel. Didn't faze them, but works on our guildies."
"Who knew it'd help. Guild master?"
"Mobilized expedition team to nab comrades. Said overwhelming force for clean captures."
"Hah! His mercy gives us this shot."
Olga untied the special noose.
Rubbing sore wrists, Makar checked the door.
"Gotta bolt. Comrades?"
"All caught. Federation data."
Olga shook her head; Makar gritted teeth.
"Federation... Kozlov's exposed too. Total wipe?"
"Everyone except external helpers—time problem."
"Char might crumble, Igor walks. Or both escape."
Makar pondered deeply, face resolute.
"Olga, you leave the city."
"Together. This is enough. We run, hide."
"No. I got unfinished business."
"What?"
"Now there's only one way."
After hesitation, Makar said,
"I'm releasing Upu Mangbau."