Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Amur River Ghost
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A monster roasted over a blazing campfire. The one-eyed man, draped in a fur pelt, grinned as he sliced chunks of the searing meat with a butterfly knife and tossed them into his mouth to chew.
His shaved head was adorned with intricate scratches and scars. Towering over two meters tall and weighing at least 120 kilograms—almost all of it muscle. His bare upper body was covered in just as many striking tattoos and scars as his scalp.
“Hey, how much longer? Time’s ticking away.”
“Nikolai, please…”
The bound man’s face was a swollen mess of bruises, and the glimpses of his teeth when he spoke showed several were missing.
Nikolai Baranov. The Ghost of the Amur River. The Devil of Khabarovsk. This regional overlord, known by countless names, commanded over five hundred underlings.
His eyes gleamed with amusement as he rolled a pair of dice in his palm.
“I’m not throwing them. And I didn’t tamper with the dice.”
With that, he lightly smacked the back of the girl standing beside him.
“The kid’s gonna roll.”
The girl, barely eight years old, trembled in fear, her eyes darting back and forth between Nikolai and the bound man before her.
After a brief wait, Nikolai waved his hand dismissively.
“Hey, pull another one.”
Immediately, a man standing behind Nikolai approached the captive with a massive pair of pliers. Just before they were shoved into his mouth, the man cried out desperately.
“Ugh… uwaa! Odd! We’ll do odd!”
Nikolai grinned at the plea.
“Odd it is, huh? But you’re a bit late on that.”
As Nikolai muttered and gestured, a wretched groan echoed, followed by a faint crunch. One of the man’s teeth was yanked out by the pliers.
Watching the spectacle, Nikolai handed the dice to the child beside him.
“Now roll. Let’s see if fortune’s still smiling on that guy.”
The girl took the dice in her shaking hands at his words.
“Listen up, little miss. His fate changes with your throw. Odd number, and he walks free. But if it’s even? Oh…”
Finishing his sentence, Nikolai patted the girl’s head with a smiling face.
“Whatever happens after… that’s all on you.”
The child shuddered violently at his words.
“And you’ll watch every single thing that happens to him because of your roll. Without missing a beat.”
Stomping his feet in delight, Nikolai shouted cheerfully.
“Alright, roll already! Keep dawdling, and another tooth gets popped outta that bastard’s mouth!”
Before throwing, the girl’s eyes met those of the bound man staring at her. That desperate plea, that intense mix of hope and fear.
She swallowed hard and flung the dice with hands trembling like aspen leaves. The pair rolled across the ground to show double threes—3+3=6. And 6 was even.
“Take ‘em both.”
The little girl collapsed with a pallid face. Yellow liquid trickled between her legs.
Nikolai spoke in a tone of genuine sorrow.
“Poor daddy. One lucky roll, and you both could’ve walked away alive.”
“Please, please! Just let the girl go, Nikolai! It was my fault!”
At that, Nikolai rose, grabbed the bound man by the collar, and hoisted him up.
“Don’t. Order. Me. Around. Or I’ll kill you right now.”
He casually dropped the man back to the ground with a thud, then scratched his head.
“Oh, wait. You’re dying anyway.”
Muttering as if just realizing it, Nikolai sauntered over and plopped down on the sofa.
“What a delightful scene to walk into.”
The newcomer seemed somewhat diminutive compared to Nikolai’s massive frame. He held a folding fan in one hand and wore a gray modified robe.
“Lee Ha-yoon.”
Nikolai clearly knew the man before him.
“What now.”
“I’ve got a favor to ask.”
Nikolai yawned once and leaned back on the sofa.
“Money means nothing to me.”
“I know.”
Nikolai was the type to burn 50,000-won bills as kindling in the cold. A pleasure-killing boss who only stirred for jobs that piqued his interest.
“A train’s set to depart from Vladivostok.”
“When was the Trans-Siberian’s spine snapped?”
“They say it’ll run while being repaired.”
Among those awakened to mana patterns, some could swiftly mend broken objects if materials were on hand.
Nikolai snickered at Lee Ha-yoon’s words.
“Now that’s a ballsy idea.”
Mobilizing hunters to repair a freight train on the move—pure madness only a place like Korea, brimming with skilled hunters, could dream up.
It wouldn’t last long, though. Modern civilization lacked the means to maintain the Trans-Siberian against Erosion Zone monsters.
“Maybe… three months?”
Even generously, the jury-rigged line would be unusable after that.
“What’re they hauling?”
Pouring hunters and supplies into a fix they knew would fail again? Nikolai’s interest was inevitable.
But Lee Ha-yoon deftly shifted it.
“Doesn’t matter what. It’s who’s hauling it that counts.”
“Yeah?”
Lee Ha-yoon unfolded his fan with a smile.
“Zanabi’s Candy Lady’s got her eyes locked on it.”
Lee Se-eun, famed for showering candy on her favorites—ranked 10th on Hope’s List.
That woman could chew up three outfits like Nikolai’s for breakfast solo. One bomb you didn’t dare touch.
Yet Nikolai’s face showed no fear or fluster. Instead, his eyes burned with gleaming excitement.
“If you know who’s coming, you’ve got a plan to handle her, right?”
“I can pin down Hunter Lee Se-eun for a while.”
“How.”
Nikolai’s eyes flashed at Lee Ha-yoon’s words. From his long sleeve came the rustle of paper as dozens of talismans emerged, hovering in the air.
Soon, purple lines connected them. Not quite a shield—more like isolation. No entry from outside, no exit from within.
Solid. Unyielding.
“If luck’s good… maybe an hour.”
“Bull. Looks like forty minutes to me.”
Even then, only if Lee Ha-yoon was ready to die. Nikolai smirked as he appraised it.
“Robbing a train guarded by Zanabi’s Candy Lady.”
Perilous. Impossible without this man tying her up. But success…?
“Not the whole train, precisely. Zanabi’s gig is guarding a specific car…”
“So blow that car sky-high.”
Just one car simplified things.
“No, not blow it.”
Lee Ha-yoon pulled out a small terminal device.
“Breach that car and plug this into the equipment stored inside.”
Dangun’s heirs needed data on that shield generator.
“That car you’re eyeing’s gotta be tough.”
As if waiting, Lee Ha-yoon opened a case he’d brought.
“Ho.”
Inside was a round device the size of a gym weight plate.
“Activate it, and in about fifteen minutes, it’ll bore a hole big enough for a person.”
“Nice. Then not forty—thirty minutes tops. Gonna be fun already.”
Not just anyone—the illustrious Candy Lady, helpless as they stripped her charge right under her nose. The thought alone brought laughter.
“Deal. After your request’s done, we can smash the cargo?”
“Yes. We’d be grateful.”
Nikolai rubbed his pot-lid-sized hands together with a grin.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Honestly, Lee Ha-yoon wasn’t sure if this was worth mentioning. But their leader had specifically ordered it. Orders were orders.
“What now?”
“Among the passengers on that train is a hunter named Yoo Chan-seok. A promising rookie in Korea. Pay him special attention.”
Nikolai made a ridiculous face.
“What’s that punk?”
“Fresh to the hunter life, but he soloed a grade-2 Erosion Core.”
Nikolai snorted.
“Impressive, sure. But just company partner hunter level.”
No reason for Nikolai to sweat that. If anything, more intriguing was…
“Promising rookie, eh? Wonder what face he’d make crippled.”
“Leave Yoo Chan-seok be if he doesn’t interfere. And even if it comes to blows, don’t kill him.”
Lee Ha-yoon still couldn’t fathom their leader’s policy. Odd attitude toward this Yoo Chan-seok: wary, yet no intent to kill.
He got it was due to the guy’s abilities, but was he really worth that much?
“Eh, whatever… I’ll try.”
And Nikolai lightly dismissed the warning.
“Remember it.”
“What, if shit goes sideways in a fight? If you’re gonna warn that harsh, tell your boss to come face me himself.”
Lee Ha-yoon’s eyes sharpened for a moment. Their leader was swamped right now. And this job was beneath his station.
If this inferior breed wasn’t needed for their goal, Lee would’ve severed his neck on the spot.
“That’s all the message.”
Not now, though. This lunatic Ruski had his uses. Dispose after.
And when that time came, Lee Ha-yoon would handle it personally. He drew the knife from his waist.
The 20cm blade’s hilt had a ring, from which dangled long strands of hanji paper tassels.
“Sabaha.”
As Lee Ha-yoon swung the dagger, the paper tassels whipped through the air, tracing paths that warped space into a black void.
“Later, then.”
Lee Ha-yoon leaped into the hole. Once it vanished, Nikolai rested his chin, staring at the empty spot, and muttered.
“Man, what nasty eyes that freak’s got.”
He knew that clown would someday come knife to his throat.
But he’d snagged plenty of fun ahead. Nikolai focused on what was coming.