You Have to Seize the Opportunity When It Comes.
Liaoning Province, Yingkou City.
Yingkou City was a port city located 170 kilometers northeast of Dalian City.
After Makyung expanded and severed the Chinese mainland from the Liaodong Peninsula, this place had served as the northernmost border outpost, acting as an advanced defensive line protecting Dalian.
With Makyung right next door, battles against monsters were a daily routine, but Yeokcheon Guild—a group renowned even in China for their prowess—had taken root here, ensuring the city never fell to monster incursions.
As the city's guardian guild, Yeokcheon enjoyed far greater trust from Yingkou's citizens than the Communist Party government itself.
The guild's flashy 50-story building stood as a stark symbol of their dominance over the city.
If Yeokcheon Guild was Yingkou's icon, then the guild's icons were its two co-guild masters.
Both men went by epithets rather than names: the white-haired one was called Baek Gwi, and the black-haired one Heuksu.
In the penthouse on the 48th floor of the guild building, the two were holding an emergency meeting.
"Huanglong and Nakil have made their move."
"Who came from Nakil?"
"Sim Wol."
"Huanglong's Biwonjun and Nakil's Sim Wol? Ha? Guan Hong must have put in some serious effort, mobilizing two S-ranks."
"That kind of maneuvering is certainly worth watching out for, Heuksu."
"Noted. But this alliance with Huanglong is a one-time deal. Next time we meet as enemies, Guan Hong dies first."
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of China's hunter world would have spotted the oddity in Heuksu's words immediately.
An alliance with Huanglong.
Yeokcheon Guild was Huanglong Guild's arch-rival, formed by uniting those who bore grudges against Huanglong and factions that rejected their dominance.
For Yeokcheon to join hands with Huanglong—even temporarily—would rock the Chinese hunter scene to its core.
"So, Baek Gwi, reaffirm the promise one more time."
"You want confirmation even after we've sworn on it?"
"Once your wish is fulfilled, you'll hand Yeokcheon over to me completely."
"I'll promise it a hundred, a thousand times. Once this is over, I'll vanish."
"Good. Then I'll go all in too."
Baek Gwi's eyes sharpened at Heuksu's words.
"Daemyeong Guild will join the fray."
"Those guys we've barely heard from?"
"They'll stir up the wind for us, so you take control of the Korean Peninsula. Go back to your homeland and exact your revenge to your heart's content. That'll be my final gift."
Baek Gwi nodded with a smile.
"I'll gratefully accept the gift."
The four-nation talks dragged on for two more days. But there were no results. Even the World Hunter Federation threw up their hands at China's obstructions.
With national interests clashing sharply, the longer the negotiations went, the more they devolved into emotional brawls.
That's when things fell apart completely.
Bam!
Liu Hongchai, head of the Chinese delegation, slammed the table hard enough to shatter it after receiving a whisper from his aide, shooting to his feet.
"Director!"
At Liu Hongchai's bellow, the Russian representative Prigozhin turned his head.
"What's got you so worked up?"
"You said we'd negotiate, then stab us in the back?!"
"Stab in the back? What are you talking about?"
"Our gates in Makyung..."
Liu Hongchai couldn't finish his sentence.
Mentioning the gates China controlled in Makyung would amount to confessing they were behind this incident.
He retreated, grinding his teeth in impotent rage, without lodging a formal protest.
"We'll see about this. If you want blood spilled, we'll give it to you."
As Liu Hongchai stormed out, Prigozhin rose from his seat as well.
"Director Prigozhin, what happened?"
Cha Gil-ju, sitting beside him, looked up and asked.
"Seems the Kremlin changed their minds a bit."
"Changed?"
"Ah, don't misunderstand. Our support for Korea is unwavering. It's just that some hot-headed guilds jumped the gun. You know how hunters are—doing whatever they please. Now we've got a headache on our hands."
It was a flawed excuse from the start.
No report had come in mid-negotiation, yet he'd responded to the Chinese protest without flinching. It meant he'd known before entering the room.
"You knew in advance and didn't tip us off?"
"I was ordered to keep quiet. Unlike Korea, leaking secrets here gets you shot. Not always, but in these tense times on thin ice, the punishments are harsh. Since we're in the same boat now, I suppose I can share the details."
"What happened?"
"About ten minutes ago, Russia's guild coalition struck four gates in Makyung simultaneously. They hit first before the gates could outbreak."
"Coalition? I never imagined a joint response from the start."
"Of course not. Just bad luck. Us underlings can't stop the whims of the higher-ups."
Prigozhin tried to dodge responsibility by claiming it was beyond his authority.
Cha Gil-ju knew protesting wouldn't help.
"Understood. We'll handle our end."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
As Prigozhin left, Sasaki, the Japanese representative who'd been gauging the mood, stood as well.
"I knew negotiations wouldn't be easy, but I didn't expect them to collapse like this. Looks like it's beyond my pay grade now, so I'll check with my superiors and get back to you soon."
With Sasaki gone, the Federation official who'd barely spoken throughout also departed.
"The Federation's role ends here. Tell Mr. Kang he's always welcome, but we pass on fruitless gatherings."
Left alone, Cha Gil-ju contacted Kang Moo-hyuk.
"Cha Gil-ju here. Russia hit the Chinese gates in Makyung. Talks are busted. Things are moving fast—Korea could get dragged into a Makyung war, so we need a swift response."
The moment Kang Moo-hyuk heard Russia had moved, one name came to mind.
'Darden.'
No hard evidence, but strong suspicions. Simultaneous negotiations and fights were his specialty.
Kang Moo-hyuk requested the Char Guild arrange a meeting with Darden.
A phone call could just be hung up. But with the central government wary of local ones these days, they couldn't outright ignore Vladivostok's premier guild.
He didn't like it, but Darden held the knife right now. Kang Moo-hyuk had no choice but to react to his moves.
'Darden acting in his own interest was expected. He must want something to stir trouble. Need to check if he can still be reined in.'
The reply came in under three hours.
-He wants to meet in Najin.
"When?"
-He's already there.
Kang Moo-hyuk tilted his head at Anton's response.
Darden coming to Najin made no sense.
'Accounting for travel from Moscow, the op was decided at least a day ago. No need for him to come all the way here.'
An ominous sign. Something was happening beyond his knowledge.
"I'll meet him right away."
After eliminating the four named monsters nesting in the northeast of the peninsula, the unified strike force, volunteer raiders, and guilds threw everything they had at pushing back the monsters.
After days of nonstop hunting, they reclaimed the Tumen River front.
The government loudly proclaimed the territorial recovery and pledged massive funding to fortify the Tumen River defense line.
Stray monsters still lurked undiscovered in spots, but the highways were secured.
Kang Moo-hyuk headed to Najin along the East Sea coastal road.
His group was lean: Jang Deok-gu, No Song-rin, and Yi Suk-young.
"Ghost town's got nothin' on this."
No Song-rin clicked his tongue, scanning the empty downtown. Citizens hadn't returned yet since the monsters were only recently cleared, making the city quieter than remote mountains.
Following the nav to the harbor, Darden appeared.
Kang Moo-hyuk stepped out, slammed the door, and strode toward him purposefully.
"That guy's got some balls."
No Song-rin hurried after.
Darden greeted Kang Moo-hyuk.
"You're pretty pissed."
"More curious than pissed about why you'd pull this stunt. Guess my offer wasn't enticing enough."
"Know what I realized after you handed my ass to me in Vladivostok?"
"Don't play games?"
"Yeah, you're mad. Mouthier than before."
"You didn't come all this way to bullshit. Get to the point."
A gust rattled Darden's armored coat. He tucked both hands in his pockets, straightening it as he spoke.
"Learned a valuable lesson. When the situation's not in your favor, don't get greedy—take what you can. I was too hasty trying to swallow a city whole. Been holding back since."
"Sounds like you're saying you're not involved this time."
"Spot on. This gate attack? Not my doing."
"Not here just to claim innocence. So, why?"
"To warn you."
"Warn me?"
"The Reaper of the Frozen Wastes has moved."
"!!"
A furrow creased the bridge of Kang Moo-hyuk's nose.
"The Reaper of the Frozen Wastes...?"
"Nikolai Kamenisky. Siberia's top killer has set foot in Makyung."
Nikolai Kamenisky.
Epithet: Reaper of the Frozen Wastes.
Russia's other S-rank hunter.
He mainly operated in Siberia—Russia's Makyung equivalent—so he rarely appeared in Makyung proper, but his fame was recognized worldwide in the hunter community.
'Why would Kamenisky...?'
Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't fathom why he'd suddenly plunged into Makyung. But he could guess why Darden had come all the way from Moscow.
"You were fighting him?"
"More like under surveillance. Couldn't even make a call. That's why I'm here."
"Must've been getting pushed hard."
"Thanks to you. Big bro's absence didn't help."
"Feels unfair. Not my fault. Tyrants roaming around ain't new."
"Not here to assign blame, so loosen up."
"Awfully benevolent today. Like you're about to ask a favor."
"Tch! You catch on too quick—it's annoying."
"Spit it out."
Darden hesitated, then finally spoke.
"That stunt you're planning in Makyung. Let's handle one more together."
"No. Negotiations are dead. I'll handle Makyung my way."
Kang Moo-hyuk rejected flatly and turned away.
Darden grabbed his collar in a panic. Instantly, Jang Deok-gu drew his sword, aiming at Darden's chin. No Song-rin raised an arm to shield Kang Moo-hyuk.
"Not trying to kill your boss, so chill."
Kang Moo-hyuk waved them off and spoke.
"You know what my op means, so you're proposing this. Who handles the fallout?"
"You can handle it, right? One or two makes no difference. Seize the opportunity when it comes."
Darden's gleaming eyes bored into Kang Moo-hyuk.