109. No More Such Tragedies
Darden had rented out the entire hotel lounge where he was staying to receive Kang Moo-hyuk and his group.
Kang Moo-hyuk scanned the members of the opposing side who had shown up for the negotiations.
'Vice Guild Master Darden, and the hunter who guided us last time. Nikolai something? His right-hand man. And one more I don't recognize.'
As Kang Moo-hyuk's gaze lingered on the final figure, Anton leaned in and whispered.
"That's Lev, the expedition leader of Tyrun."
Just like Kang Moo-hyuk, Darden was also sizing up the other side.
'Kang Moo-hyuk, Joo Se-ah, Anton. Just as expected.'
Without a change in expression, he gestured for Kang Moo-hyuk to take a seat.
With a massive table laden with refreshments between them, the two sides glared at each other.
"First off, congratulations on successfully subjugating Upu Mangbau. Honestly, I didn't expect you'd want to meet this soon. I figured the surrender would come a bit later."
At Darden's words, Anton shifted in his seat, his hips practically lifting off the chair. It was clear he wanted to flip the table and fight right then and there. His rising tension made Darden's subordinates bare their teeth in response.
But the moment Joo Se-ah picked up a fork, the atmosphere flipped in an instant.
"Never tried smashing a guy's head with one of these before. Eh, it kinda looks like a trident, so maybe it's fine?"
"……."
"……."
As Darden's side deflated, Anton let out a scoffing laugh.
'This is why they call her S-rank. Who would've thought our guild master was S-rank? Hard to believe, but their reaction proves it's no lie.'
It felt downright exhilarating to turn the tables on his own situation, where he always had to yield a step to Igor.
With the tension settled, Kang Moo-hyuk finally spoke.
"I figured you wouldn't refuse this meeting."
"One successful raid and you're overflowing with confidence."
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That after the Nazevinsky incident fourteen years ago, you don't believe in conscience, pride, or duty. So I wondered—what do you believe in instead?"
"And what do I believe in?"
"Profit."
Kang Moo-hyuk's tone turned icy.
"If revenge was your priority, you should've acted like the tyrant you are without all the complications. But you were too calculating. It looked like seizing Vladivostok came first. That's why I knew you wouldn't refuse this meeting."
"Ridiculous. Even if you handled Upu Mangbau, our advantage hasn't changed. What, you banking on that S-rank of yours? The Czars Guild won't be stationed here for a thousand or ten thousand years—they can't babysit you forever."
With no retort from Kang Moo-hyuk, Darden pressed harder, thinking he'd seized the upper hand.
"Even if you try to move the Kremlin, we'll outmaneuver you politically—our stage is Moscow. Your brother's guild members injured in this mess will take time to recover, creating gaps. You'll need outside help to fill them, but will the administration wait? Risk a monster security vacuum? This city falling to Tyrun is just a matter of time."
"Time isn't on your side either. How long do you think Tyrun Guild can hold out?"
Darden narrowed his eyes at Kang Moo-hyuk's words.
"Getting cocky after luring in that poison-skill prisoner once is enough. But I'm curious what other tricks you're planning. Spill it."
"Even stray dogs know the Kremlin's influence isn't what it used to be. Don't drag politics into a guild fight—it turns into a dog brawl."
"So what are you negotiating with?"
"The fact that Vladivostok nearly got wiped out last night. It's been reported to the local council and administration. The one behind the plot? Igor Dudnik."
"Who was it just now telling me not to bring politics into this?"
"Consider it a warning. We can go full dogfight."
"……."
"Politicians are human too. If they learn they brushed death and barely survived, do you think the Kremlin matters?"
Darden realized his miscalculation: assuming this Korean in front of him was clueless about Russian affairs.
'Did Anton tip him off? No. Explaining the subtle currents in Russian politics right now would take more than one night. Even if he knew, pulling off this kind of scheme against me would be impossible.'
As Kang Moo-hyuk had said, many regions harbored resentment toward the central government. Russia's vast land was the problem—plenty of monsters, plenty of security gaps. Guaranteeing guild interests in each city stemmed from that.
Resource distribution was uneven, funneling wealth and security to major cities, fueling discontent in the outskirts.
The fact that guilds hadn't turned warlord like in South America or Africa was thanks to so-called "New Russia" pan-Slavic nationalism and strong hunter forces.
Kang Moo-hyuk was pressing that weak link, knowing severing it could unravel the federation.
He couldn't spark a revolution, but he could plant the seed.
Darden had no desire to be its starting point.
"What if word gets out that the central government, far from protecting regions, plotted with Moscow's top guild to seize Vladivostok? Even the Kremlin couldn't back you in that scenario—not even with an S-rank."
"Hey, who're you bluffing in front of? Slander without evidence is empty. And even if it worked, got the guts to handle the fallout?"
Kang Moo-hyuk had struck true, but true to Tyrun Guild, Darden didn't flinch and counterattacked.
"All 28 Nazevinsky-origin hunters in Czars Guild—dead. Cause: the tyrant's merciless slaughter. Don't drag that tragedy back into Russian politics. And FYI, I go back to Korea after this."
"You little... "
"One more thing."
"??"
"Our guild master could repay what your brother did to Czars Guild—right here. Saw on the hotel registry you've got quite a few hunters staying. Think you can handle that?"
Darden's eyes wavered at Kang Moo-hyuk's unflinching threat, despite knowing Igor was with Tyrun.
'He knows my brother isn't here. Damn—if Igor hadn't touched Upu Mangbau, we wouldn't be meeting this guy now.'
If Vladivostok had fallen to Upu Mangbau, he could've played dumb. But Igor's meddling leaked the poison right before success, pinning blame squarely on Tyrun.
That's why Darden had read Makar's intentions and skipped the raid.
"What do you want?"
"We're not asking much. Withdraw from Vladivostok. And sign an agreement never to target it again. Oh, and compensation, of course. Guild Master Anton, how much was that barrier box again?"
Anton held back a laugh inside, then straightened up and handed over the prepared invoice at Kang Moo-hyuk's cue.
Darden frowned as he took it.
"That's enough to clear three or four gates."
"Pocket change for Moscow's top guild, no? Our guild master lifts a finger, and your hunters are all half-crippled. Don't waste money on treatment. Oh, Guild Master Anton—while we're at it, you factored in their downtime for hunting, right?"
"Calculated right down to the days they can't raid."
"Darden, opportunities like this don't come twice. Can't brush off what your brother did with chump change."
Kang Moo-hyuk taunted openly, as if daring him.
For the first time, Darden felt a fierce urge to flip the table himself.
But he shelved it. He knew how Igor had handled Czars Guild hunters.
'Not elites, but we've got a huge area to cover from Moscow. Can't afford pointless losses here.'
Coming to expand influence in Vladivostok, only to lose hunters and shrink it? The ends would justify nothing.
"Fine. Happy to pay."
"Oh? And one more. Erect a memorial in Nazevinsky."
"What?!"
"Don't get worked up. Not confessing sins. For everyone who died there fourteen years ago—including your family. Honor them in the name of Czars Guild and Tyrun Guild. Guild Master Anton already agreed, FYI."
Darden seethed inwardly.
'Would my brother accept?'
Anger aside, the memorial could humiliate the Dudnik brothers—seeming to deny family revenge.
But flipped, it declared letting go of fourteen-year-old grudges.
Forfeiting pretext to target Vladivostok.
'Could lure them into complacency.'
A beat later, he figured he could sell it to Igor as a grand memorial for father and sister.
"Fine. That too. Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Hope we never cross paths again. Never met a Korean as vicious as you."
"Tyrun Guild honors the deal like top-tier, and we won't."
Darden ground his teeth watching Kang Moo-hyuk end negotiations indifferently.
'I'm backing off this time, but don't think I've given up on this place.'
"Guild Master Anton, once you're back, tidy up Tyrun's mess from this incident and distribute the compensation as soon as it hits."
In the limousine heading back to Czars Guild HQ, Kang Moo-hyuk made the sudden proposal. Anton balked.
"Won't that look like us breaking the agreement?"
"How long do you think that Darden guy will honor it? Soon as he's out of the hole, he'll eye Vladivostok again."
"But with the tyrant's mess? We've got leverage—will he move rashly?"
"Humans forget. Leak it now, and the administration and council go nuts—but time dulls it. Darden won't sit idle."
It made sense. Anton knew Darden's sly persistence well.
Even with an S-rank brother, growing Tyrun to tier status from Moscow in a decade showed his chops.
But eating a backstab now meant bracing for retaliation—not easy.
Reading Anton's worry, Kang Moo-hyuk said,
"Leak to guilds hostile to Tyrun. The tyrant's got enemies galore with his antics. Russia's got more than one S-rank—plenty of checks. Stays within agreement bounds."
"Within bounds... Ah, got it."
The agreement seemed nitpicky but limited confidentiality to politics, admin, media, internet.
Even if rivals learned, Tyrun had outs.
Blame info nets of guilds gunning for them—who could prove otherwise?
Only feasible against tier-level foes.
"They'll suspect, but too busy fending off others for Vladivostok. Better if they collapse."
"Do what our leader says, Guild Master Anton. He's S-rank level at this stuff. Bet the memorial's got layers too?"
Joo Se-ah chimed in from across the limo. Kang Moo-hyuk frowned at her phrasing.
"What conspiracy? It's a good deed."
"No ulterior motive at all?"
"Well, not none, but..."
As Anton shot a curious look, Kang Moo-hyuk explained.
"First, Nazevinsky needed closure. No one honored the dead, so people forgot—the victims didn't. Won't console all families, but it's a start."
"And second?"
"Not sure Darden got it, but... a message to him."
"Message?"
"We want no more Nazevinsky ties. He's sharp despite the personality. If he reads my intent, he'll think we've closed the book, drop guard. Buys us time to regroup without breaking the deal now."
Anton was inwardly floored.
The "all-out" negotiation table was a poker game of bluffs and hides.
He hadn't noticed a thing—now Kang Moo-hyuk scared him, belying his easy first impression.
'Oh no—hasn't hit me with the bill yet? How much? Already dreading. Guy holds grudges... gotta pay up big to avoid that.'
He'd recalculate back at guild.
Waiting for Kang Moo-hyuk at Czars Guild was an unexpected figure.
"Pavel Akinfeev, former guild master of Czars."
"I'll handle the honors."
Anton, clueless on Nazevinsky, had summoned the retired ex-master. He trusted Pavel wouldn't sacrifice Nazevinsky.
But truth hurts—wanted confirmation from the source.
He'd picked Kang Moo-hyuk as witness.
"Heard from Guild Master Anton. This Upu Mangbau mess and the tyrant's attack stem from the Nazevinsky tragedy fourteen years ago."
The wrinkled elder started, reaching for a smoke.
Kang Moo-hyuk eyed him.
Prosthetic right leg. Looked seventy despite fifties in records—aged terribly.
Catching the gaze, the elder said,
"This mess? Mana circuits wrecked. Lost the leg in that gate collapse fourteen years back."
"Word is Czars lured boss and gate monsters to Nazevinsky to protect Vladivostok."
"Leader, tone it down..."
"Enough, Guild Master Anton. Part my fault for hiding the truth back then."
The elder drifted into memory, smoke curling from his lit cigarette.
"Bottom line: we never chose between sacrificing Vladivostok or Nazevinsky."
"So the truth differs?"
"Look at this guild. Something off?"
"……."
"Our members. No generation bridging current and then. Should've transitioned naturally—instead, it's sheared clean. Why?"
Kang Moo-hyuk got it instantly.
"Guild wiped out?"
"Boss was strong. Guild decimated, couldn't stop it. Didn't drive it off—fled to Makyung. Plan was pursue to Nazevinsky, but half dead, rest crippled. Couldn't move."
Kang Moo-hyuk sensed no lies.
Czars' roster was odd for Vladivostok's rep.
Mid-career vets dominating leadership? Abrupt generational shift.
"Makes sense no lures or ops post-collapse. But why hide it?"
"Everything crumbling, people needed hope. Better 'we stopped it' than 'monsters just left.' Close to Makyung here. No Czars? Chaos. We're the unshakable pillar."
He handed over an obsolete copied CD.
"Post-raid clip from a reporter I seized. Not all, but shows our damage."
With that, the elder left—declining Anton's plea to stay, haunted by old pain.
Kang Moo-hyuk and Anton checked the footage.
Horrific carnage.
The reporter's voice buzzed with journalistic thrill to expose.
But cut off by the then-younger, hale-legged ex-master.
"All a misunderstanding, then."
Anton smiled bitterly.
This petty grudge behind the blood? Utterly hollow.
Kang Moo-hyuk reaffirmed.
'All because of monsters. They all have to go. No more tragedies like this.'
Visiting hospitalized Pyo Beom-hee, Kang Moo-hyuk got another surprise.
"Think I hit A+ rank."
He glanced at Joo Se-ah.
"Her aura's definitely changed. Not sure why, but probably broke limits handling Upu Mangbau's poison with the Poison Well. Been there myself."
With Joo Se-ah's confirmation, Kang Moo-hyuk added to his return list.
'Gotta tack extras onto the federation bill.'