I Have No Regrets
A child pointed toward the distant sky.
"Mom, what's that?"
The child's mother turned her head, following the tiny finger.
Where the sky met the buildings, dark clouds were steadily encroaching on the clear day, swallowing the city bit by bit. A red bolt of lightning flashed midway, followed belatedly by the rumble of thunder echoing in their ears.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, growing louder. The clouds looked ominous—no one could mistake them for ordinary weather.
Something shadowy flickered briefly between the clouds. People filming with their smartphones zoomed in on the edges.
Suddenly, something enormous burst forth. In that instant, the blinding flash seared their eyes.
- R-run away!
- Kyaaak!
Screams erupted from the speakers.
Then the screen went black.
"That's all of it."
The Slayer Guild operator paused the video and looked at her superior seated across from her.
Seong Seon-je rested his chin on one hand, his gaze drifting to the table without a word.
"Is this the initial analysis report?"
"Yes. It's every video shot in Khabarovsk at the time. We've analyzed footage from CCTV, SNS, personal streams—everything uploaded."
Seong Seon-je read and reread the report. It was barely a single A4 page, but the contents were so unbelievable that chewing them over multiple times still left him doubting.
"Contact Kang Moo-hyuk. Share this intel with him. We need to talk."
Kang Moo-hyuk arrived with Joo Se-ah and one foreigner in tow.
Seong Seon-je's eyes flicked to the foreigner. His presence was anything but ordinary.
'S-rank. Given the timing and him being here, he's Russian. Not the Tyrant. Age... sixties? Seventies? Among white-haired S-ranks without much fame...'
Seong Seon-je extended his hand first for a shake.
"I never imagined meeting the Reaper of the Frozen Wastes here. I'm Seong Seon-je of Slayer Guild."
He spoke fluent English. Kang Moo-hyuk gave his group a quick heads-up.
"Korea's top guild. Team Leader Seong heads their strategy team. He's also taking on command of the unified Korean assault force this time."
"I might've been holed up in the frozen wastes, oblivious to the world, but even I know Slayer Guild. Nikolai Kamenisky."
After shaking with Kamenisky, Seong Seon-je inwardly sweated to mask his surprise.
'I knew he had connections, but showing up together? Pulling in the Tyrant and now the Reaper—that alone makes Kang Moo-hyuk a heavyweight.'
Seong Seon-je kept his expression neutral as he gestured to the seats.
Joo Se-ah took one in the corner of the long oval table first. Kang Moo-hyuk sat to her left, Kamenisky to her right.
Naturally, Seong Seon-je claimed the opposite side.
"Director Kang, you've seen the video? What do you think? If that dragon heads south, Vladivostok's next—and Korea's right on its doorstep."
"We need to prepare."
"A whole city vanished just yesterday. This could be worse than the Tumen River incident."
"Just how much damage are we talking? Did the city literally vanish, or did that many people die? Explain in detail."
Kamenisky cut in, his voice trembling slightly.
Seong Seon-je motioned to the operator in the corner before diving in. She operated the device, and the lights dimmed as a beam projector lit up one wall.
The image showed Russian terrain—or rather, a satellite view.
"Amur River basin, where Khabarovsk stood. Left is before; right is yesterday."
The two shots of the same spot, differentiated only by date, contrasted starkly.
Compared to the left, the right gaped unnaturally like a punched hole. The river, cratered in multiple spots like after bombings, now resembled a lake more than anything.
Some tributaries had even reversed course. A stranger wouldn't believe a city had ever stood there.
"No explanation needed, I see."
Kamenisky exhaled heavily. His eyes seemed shocked and regretful at a glance, but in truth, they brimmed with anticipation and excitement—a nuance even Seong Seon-je, who didn't know him well, picked up on.
Joo Se-ah spoke up.
"I read the video analysis report. How accurate is it?"
"One hundred percent. As far as the visible facts go."
"So it's a dragon?"
"A big one."
Estimated body length: 179 meters. Four short legs on its underside, its torso covered in iridescent scales.
"Hold on. This looks different from what you sent us. What gives?"
Joo Se-ah pointed to the dragon's head area.
The video they'd seen had one head; this one had three.
"Fresh data that just came in. Shot by a drone and shared worldwide."
Seong Seon-je's opening remark alone conveyed Russia's desperation.
Releasing info without conditions proved the dragon that crushed Khabarovsk was that grave a threat.
Seong Seon-je zoomed in on the three-headed dragon.
"Word is Khabarovsk's lead guild launched an emergency raid. They threw everything at it and nearly severed a neck, but a new head sprouted from the wound. The other one—they grafted on a dragon head they were holding."
"Dragon head?"
Kang Moo-hyuk echoed. Seong Seon-je nodded, elaborating.
"More precisely, a dragon skull. They had it from the start, apparently. When cornered, they grafted it on like some transplant surgery, per witness accounts."
The image showed flesh and scales too intact for mere bone.
Seong Seon-je pressed on without prompting.
"Flesh grew right after attaching the skull. Like you've seen with chimera-type monsters—regeneration in seconds."
"What happened to Khabarovsk Guild?"
"Wiped out, bar a few."
"Wiped out? If it's their lead guild, that's 'Amur Tiger,' right? And they fell?"
Kamenisky sounded stunned, prompting Kang Moo-hyuk.
"You know of Amur Tiger Guild?"
"Not tier in Russia, but by Korean standards, they've got more firepower. Even Moscow's top guilds tread carefully in their turf."
"Not bad intel for someone stuck in the wastes."
Joo Se-ah jabbed. She'd clocked his true nature and dropped the friendliness since.
Kamenisky ignored her tone.
"The wastes are vast. My domain, sure, but I don't hunt alone. Guilds venture out sometimes. Amur Tiger's one; we've crossed paths a few times."
Meaning he'd seen them in action—their strength was legit.
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled Seong Seon-je's analysis footage.
"Size-wise, it's like Bashmu—the smallest from the Nine Dragon Tombs."
Bashmu.
The smallest of the nine dragons there. Petite, but its twin horns spewed lightning that charred hunters to cinders.
Body like an Eastern dragon, but with wings—feeble ones, given its power, which let dragon slayers' unique gear, Dragon Harpoon, drag it down for the kill.
Seong Seon-je shared the updates.
"Per new intel, it's a breath-type dragon. Flame breath. No magic reports yet, but as mentioned, regeneration."
"Intel's thin. Can't commit gear to resistance stats."
"That bulk's an issue too. Bashmu-sized, sure, but at that scale, the body itself is a weapon. Mass-based attacks are trickier."
"So we need to ground it for a shot.... How'd Amur Tiger get the neck?"
"Gravity mage specialist. Failed the clean cut, gave it regen time—that was the mistake."
"Even then, not sure it'd die. Not recovery—brand-new heads. Even Malacca's Hydra never showed that."
Kang Moo-hyuk referred to the Malaysian dragonkin disaster: nine heads, each spewing unique venom, nearly wiping Southeast Asia's elites—earning its Malacca Catastrophe moniker.
Good thing it couldn't fly; otherwise, the region might be gone.
"Intel's sparse, but prep assuming Nine Dragon Tombs level at minimum. It's in Khabarovsk now, but who knows where it'll bolt."
"Worst-case planning. Form a TF team, run raid sims."
"Conditions?"
"Everything Korea can muster."
"Lives on the line, then."
Kang Moo-hyuk's firm tone hardened Seong Seon-je's face. Unspoken, but they shared the thought:
Much blood would spill.
'Even then, no guarantee we take it.'
Kang Moo-hyuk felt powerless.
Post-Makyung, events kept slipping his grasp.
'Need more power. Can't be a hunter myself, so gather the strongest ones, best artifacts.'
Only then could they fell such beasts.
And clear obstacles to monster extermination.
"I'll summon our top analysts."
As Seong Seon-je urgently called someone, Kang Moo-hyuk glared holes into the three-headed dragon.
Baek Gwi eyed his subordinate, sole survivor from the Nine Dragon Tombs.
Body broken, but he prioritized report over treatment.
"Pity. They were comrades to return home with."
Do Dae-cheol sensed no sincerity.
Not the "return together" part—the "comrades."
'No way this guy's got those feelings. Wouldn't lament sacrifices for the greater good.'
Do Dae-cheol's "greater good" was hunters and kin returning home, living proudly there—that was all.
But he doubted Baek Gwi shared it.
Just the goal of returning to Korea aligned.
Provoking this gate boss was part of that plan.
But.
"Seems we've woken the monster."
Baek Gwi smiled faintly at his regret-filled voice.
"Regrets?"
"……."
"I have none. I'd do it again, knowing the outcome."
Do Dae-cheol shuddered.
'Maybe we really shook hands with a real ghost....'