It Might Be Tough
"What do you mean, strange?"
"To cut to the chase, the raid looks like it'll succeed."
"And the poison?"
"That seems handled too. According to the observation team's report, there's a hunter controlling it."
"Controlling poison? That's a pretty rare skill. Was there someone like that in Char Guild?"
"Probably that female hunter. The Korean one you let go."
Igor, who had just entered the hotel room, answered Darden's question.
Darden didn't blame his brother for irresponsibly vanishing from the harbor despite being guild master, but he was sharpening his nerves over the failure to share critical intel.
Nikolai Kamenisky caught the hint of irritation and slipped out of the room.
"You knew there was a Korean hunter who uses poison?"
"We got hit with it back at the hotel. Wasn't some poison potion from the looks of the power. Probably a trait or skill type."
"Why tell me now...?"
"Wasn't a big threat, and I didn't figure there'd be another card against Upu Mangbau's poison besides the gigant guy. Even if you'd known, you'd have figured it wouldn't fully neutralize the poison."
Igor cut in with his excuse before Darden could finish.
Darden couldn't argue. He never imagined a poison-handler capable of taming Upu Mangbau's toxin would be in a backwater hunter nation like Korea.
No, he hadn't even considered such a method from the start.
"Shortcomings in ability can be covered with items. Must be some good poison-handling artifact. Might not fly in Korea, but the Federation? Totally plausible."
"Charging out in a huff, but you're analyzing coolly now? Where'd you cool your head?"
"Did some actual thinking for once."
Sudden unease washed over Darden at Igor's calm tone.
"Until now, I thought you and I shared the same goal. Revenge."
"Of course I'm after revenge."
"But it's not your top priority. Right?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Vladivostok. Using revenge as an excuse to take this city—that's your real priority, isn't it?"
"That's revenge, bro."
"Your ambition."
Darden's breath caught in his throat. He needed to say something, but his mouth wouldn't open.
Igor wasn't threatening him, yet the weight pressing on his shoulders was immense.
Darden realized why. It was the look in his eyes. His brother's disappointed gaze made him feel small.
"Not blaming you. I'm grateful enough that you've built up the guild in place of your worthless brother and negotiated with the government to clear our fugitive status. But don't fool yourself. Isn't revenge just a tool to justify your ambitions? That's what rubs me wrong."
"Bro... Do you think we're strong? Think there's nothing to fear because you're S-rank? In the end, without power, we get crushed. Like Dad. Like the day our sister Elena died. To surpass all that, we need to get stronger— you, me, the guild."
Darden ranted on, but Igor's eyes remained filled with disappointment.
"You've already forgotten that grudge."
"Bro!"
Igor turned away. Darden grabbed his shoulder. In that instant, killing intent seeped through. Darden flinched, his hand trembling as he let go.
Igor walked out of the hotel room.
Left alone, Darden stumbled back and collapsed into a chair.
"Ambition? So what? That's why our family fell apart—we lacked it... Bro..."
Kang Moo-hyuk handed Makar over to Char Guild and joined Anton in the command vehicle.
"How's the situation?"
"Fortunately, it's going according to plan. One less worry."
Kang Moo-hyuk scanned the monitors lining the vehicle walls.
From equipment tracking deployed hunters' vitals to real-time feeds of the Upu Mangbau raid, they filled the space.
Not groundbreaking tech, but somehow Korea's lagging on adopting it. Perception gap? Or the conservative currents running through the hunter world overall?
The raid was entering its final phase.
Yeom Soo-hyung, transformed into a giant, forcibly shoved Upu Mangbau back, while Joo Se-ah severed the monster's resistances point by point, herding it into the barrier box. Any leaking poison gas was swiftly handled by Pyo Beom-hee.
They sealed the 20-meter cube—height, width, and depth—around Upu Mangbau, and Char Guild hunters poured in immediately.
Anton shook his head at the barrier box.
"Made of special material to contain the poison. Emptied the guild vault getting it. Haha."
Anton half-joked with exaggerated whining, but Kang Moo-hyuk was genuinely impressed.
The amount of special materials for something that size? Iron Will couldn't even attempt it. And a mere Russian regional guild pulls this off? We've got a long way to go.
As he pondered while watching Char Guild's raid wrap up, the feed suddenly cut out.
Assuming a glitch, they switched cameras, but all were dead.
"What the hell?"
Anton snapped at the operator, but broken machines don't fix themselves.
Kang Moo-hyuk had a bad feeling.
Anton fired off a message skill to the vice guild master—no reply.
"No contact?"
"None from the others either. Message skills aren't connecting at all. This only happens over long distances or in special gate terrain...!"
Anton clamped his mouth shut as a realization hit.
Kang Moo-hyuk voiced it.
"Space domination—an S-rank exclusive—is possible too."
"No way..."
"Looks like the Tyrant showed up."
Joo Se-ah faced Igor in front of the barrier box.
She'd been trying to message Kang Moo-hyuk about the situation, but no connection.
S-ranks pull all sorts of tricks, huh? This must be it.
Pyo Beom-hee and Yeom Soo-hyung, having been crushed once before, shrank under Igor's murderous aura.
Joo Se-ah pushed them back and stepped forward.
"Guild master, how about we bail? That's a walking disaster."
"Sounds like my nickname."
"Forget nicknames—this guy's the real unkillable monster."
As Joo Se-ah showed no sign of backing down, Pyo Beom-hee urgently tried to stop her.
"Don't worry. We'll handle it somehow, like last time."
"Last time...? What?"
Joo Se-ah drew her sword. Igor pulled claw gauntlets from his waist and equipped them.
Three long, hooked blades gleamed on each hand.
"Not here for vodka chats."
"Finish what we started."
"No chat, but curious. What after?"
"Release Upu Mangbau. And end our 14-year grudge."
"Heard the story. No forgiveness? Reconciliation?"
"After they're all dead."
Igor charged. His right claw slashed at Joo Se-ah's face. She blocked between the blades with her sword.
The left claw surged from the ground. Joo Se-ah didn't dodge—instead, she closed in on Igor to evade.
Their foreheads nearly touched. They pulled back slightly, then headbutted.
Crack!
The impact sounded inhuman. Shockingly, Igor was pushed back.
"Guh! You rockhead...!"
"Hoo. Not bad yourself."
Joo Se-ah blew her disheveled bangs aside with a puff.
She tapped her forehead casually, but her head was ringing too.
Igor, enraged at being repelled, swung his claws wildly. The ground gouged deep like a forklift.
"Our guild master's really trading blows with the Tyrant? An S-rank?"
"Y-yeah..."
Pyo Beom-hee freaked out at Joo Se-ah matching Igor blow-for-blow. Yeom Soo-hyung was stunned too. They didn't know she'd broken the S-rank wall yet.
"Annoying!"
Joo Se-ah, who'd only retreated under Igor's onslaught, counterattacked.
Even average hunters couldn't track it visually, but she wedged her sword between the left claw's blades. She tried snapping them.
Igor surged mana sharply, reading her intent. Joo Se-ah matched it. Mana clashed in an explosion. Sword and claws shattered.
They front-kicked each other's solar plexus simultaneously.
Igor skidded across asphalt. Joo Se-ah slammed into the barrier box wall.
The shock rattled her; she checked the box. A poison leak would be bad.
"Phew, intact... Ghk!"
Igor, recovered, lunged with a punch—not at her, at the box. She barely blocked.
"Hey, Russian psycho. Protect what needs protecting."
"That could be fun. You guard, I smash."
"You mad—"
Igor swung at the box again. Joo Se-ah threw herself to block.
But it was a feint.
Mana-charged claw pierced her abdomen.
"Guild master!"
"Joo guild master!"
Pyo Beom-hee and Yeom Soo-hyung yelled, attacking Igor. He flicked them away effortlessly.
No mercy this time—they crumpled, immobile.
"Past or present, the guardians die first. Strong or weak, prioritizing yourself is smarter... Huh?"
Igor felt his right hand lighten. No flesh-piercing sensation. Shattered blades littered the ground. His claw was broken.
Iron Skin
Dragon Scale
"Disappointed? I'm pretty tough."
"You..."
Before Igor finished, Joo Se-ah's right hook smashed his left temple. As he reeled, her left fist cracked his cheekbone.
Igor steadied himself, aiming to counter—but Joo Se-ah vanished. Scanning left and right, a chill surged from below.
Too late.
Joo Se-ah planted hands on the ground, legs shooting straight up. Igor's jaw snapped back, head nearly ripping off.
She grabbed a broken blade, sharpening it with mana. The mana edge thrust at his throat.
Avatar
"Damn!"
Igor ballooned to half the box's size, raising a massive hand. It slammed down like swatting a fly.
Joo Se-ah threw every defense skill at it.
Crunch!
"You... bastard, at least... finish..."
Igor had smashed the box.
He retreated in giant form, turning away.
"Clean this up."
"Running?"
"A fight's nice, but unfinished business first."
"Scared? Say you're scared, big sis'll understand."
"Childish taunt. Better wake her—need her for that poison."
Igor pointed to collapsed Pyo Beom-hee.
Joo Se-ah checked the smashed wall. Poison leaked.
She abandoned chasing Igor, rushing to Pyo Beom-hee and Yeom Soo-hyung. Relief—they were just out.
"Phew, good. Just knocked out. Team Leader Pyo, wake up!"
No response to shaking. Joo Se-ah rummaged her belt ampoule kit.
Pulled a laser injector ampoule, jabbed her shoulder. Potion absorbed—Pyo Beom-hee opened her eyes.
"Hngh! Cough cough! Just fainted, why the awakening shot...? Cough! M-more importantly, guild master okay?"
"Creaky here and there, but manageable."
"Guild master... S-rank? How...? Where's Igor?"
"Questions later. Priority's that."
Joo Se-ah pointed to poison pouring from the broken box.
Darker, thicker than before.
Kang Moo-hyuk raced toward the box with No Song-rin driving.
En route, they spotted giant Igor crossing the park.
"Whoa, that guy's no joke. S-rank giant—terrifying in theory, worse in person."
"Faster. Worried about guild master and team leaders."
The box site was chaos.
One wall smashed, poison leaking.
No Song-rin blocked Kang Moo-hyuk from exiting.
"It's fine. Team Leader Pyo's absorbing with the Poison Well."
Pyo Beom-hee controlled the Poison Well before the box.
It greedily devoured escaped poison and the ongoing leak.
But she looked rough. Her skin blackened, then normalized—repeating.
"Guild master!"
"Director Kang. Why come? Dangerous here."
"Saw the Tyrant pass. What happened?"
"As you see—smashed the box and left."
Kang Moo-hyuk puzzled over Igor's intent. If just settling with Joo Se-ah, he wouldn't retreat so easily.
Suspicions swirled, but no time to dwell. Situation critical.
"Team Leader Pyo? Okay?"
"It might be tough."
"Poison Well can't handle it?"
"Well's fine... Team Leader Pyo's the problem."