The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 102



Only Noblemtl

Episode 103

103. Now there is only one way.

‘As Captain Kang suspected, our contact person, Yuri Kozlov, was involved in this incident. He was also a survivor of Nadzhinsky.’

Kang Moo-hyuk recalled the phone call he had with Alex, with Kozlov in the front seat.

He said that he noticed Kozlov’s lips quivering as if he was pretending to be embarrassed.

“You’ve already found out enough, so stop acting, Mr. Kozlov.”

Kozlov’s bewildered expression disappeared in an instant at Kang Moo-hyeok’s confident voice. He looked down at the floor with a complicated look of resignation as he spoke.

“When I spoke to the Federation headquarters earlier, it wasn’t just about Makar. They were acting so calm even though they knew my identity. This is a bit creepy.”

“Would someone who has been harboring a grudge against Nadzhinski for over ten years and has been hiding in the Federation do it?”

Igor’s shoulders shook at the word ‘resentment’. Dardenne seemed to be gesturing to stop him.

Kang Moo-hyuk was once again convinced that there was something connected between the tyrant and the survivors of Nazejinski.

Kozlov glanced at the Dudnik brothers and said:

“How did you know? Did you use clairvoyance?”

“There was no need to use Clairvoyance. There were many things to be suspicious of. It was just that there was nothing to be suspicious of.”

“Any room for doubt?”

“Born in Russia, the Federation’s permanent Russian liaison officer. So far, there’s no doubt about that. But despite being a Russian liaison officer, he’s more active in Vladivostok than in the capital, Moscow? I wouldn’t normally be aware of it, but in a situation like this, I guess you have to be careful before you cross the stone bridge.”

“That’s because I was born here. What if I make that excuse?”

“It’s not bad to say that you’re citing your hometown as an excuse. But it’s strange to think that you’re so friendly with the leader of the city’s best guild while working in Russia, a country that doesn’t like the Federation that much, that you’re able to arrange a meeting with him.”

“I guess you have a rather peculiar personality. I don’t think that’s enough of a reason to be suspicious.”

Kang Moo-hyuk nodded, saying that it was a reasonable point, then shrugged his shoulders and said.

“I was suspicious that our members’ hotel information had been leaked in advance. At first, I thought it was the fault of the Char Guild. Thanks to that suspicion, I was able to catch Mr. Makar. However, I began to wonder if Makar was the only spy. I thought that if a hunter who had been active in the Char Guild for over 10 years could betray, it wouldn’t be strange if anyone else betrayed.”

“So you suspected me, a member of the Federation and not even a member of the Tsar Guild?”

“That’s also thanks to Mr. Makar. I was just suspicious of everyone. So I investigated everyone around me, and I put you, who was the least likely to be suspected, first in line to ask the Federation. And as expected, you turned out to be a spy.”

Kozlov muttered in disbelief.

“Ever since Makar was captured, things have been going strangely. I never thought they’d mess things up like this. I shouldn’t have listened to Hunter Leopardhee’s request.”

The root of the problem was listening to Pyo Beom-hee’s last words to call Kang Mu-hyeok.

His honest feeling was that there would be no problem if a leader who wasn’t even a hunter came.

Since he had to report to the federation anyway, he also told them that Pyo Beom-hee had requested Kang Mu-hyeok in order to save the details of the situation.

However, as soon as Kang Mu-hyeok arrived at the airport, he stirred up the Tsar Guild and arrested all the comrades who had been hiding their identities for over 10 years.

He followed him to complete the mission somehow, but in the end, he ended up being played on the palm of his hand.

Kang Moo-hyuk asked Kozlov, who was feeling dejected.

“I have one question. I understand the relationship between the Tsar Guild and the Nadzhinski survivors, but what is their relationship with Igor Dudnik?”

“What kind of relationship is this?! They’re the enemies of our family!”

Igor bared his teeth and shouted. Kozlov got angry at that.

“Enemy? That’s what we’re talking about! You murderous bastard!”

“Murder? Isn’t it right to repay blood with blood?”

“If you take revenge on an innocent person, it should be called murder.”

“Innocent? The Nazejinskis are all the same. They know and pretend not to know. They beat up the good-natured small guild Gilma and made him a scapegoat. If they had known there would be survivors, they should have stayed for a few days and killed them all─”

“older brother!”

Darden stepped forward and interrupted. Igor kept his mouth shut, but he shook his shoulders, unable to control his anger. He could see the anger that he had not shown even when he showed his murderous intent toward Ju Se Ah.

Kozlov was equally angry. His once-friendly face was distorted into a demonic one. Having taken off the mask he had worn for over ten years, he seemed relieved that his identity had been revealed, and he freely displayed his murderous intent.

“Don’t think this is the end. We will curse you. We will take revenge again someday.”

Igor spoke in a weary voice, with obvious malice.

“Brother, how long are you going to leave it like that?”

“I had planned to finish the Tsar Guild business and get rid of everything anyway. It wouldn’t make a difference if the plan was a little bit faster.”

Kang Moo-hyuk noticed that the Dudnik brothers were trying to get rid of Kozlov.

‘No matter what crime he committed, we can’t let a member of the Federation die like this. At least we need to know the circumstances.’

Kang Moo-hyuk stepped forward and warned.

“Mr. Kozlov is an agent of the Federation. The Federation will also be in charge of dealing with him. I brought up the Federation as a warning to mediate between the two guilds, Tyran and Char. This kind of violence cannot be tolerated.”

Kang Moo-hyuk intervened, but he wasn’t sure whether he could stop Igor with words.

Although I don’t know the exact story, their relationship was filled with more resentment than I had imagined. They were entangled in each other with malice that went beyond what I had expected.

The original plan was to buy time by threatening that Kozlov would use the Federation to intervene and mediate.

But this incident was moving from the realm of emotion, not reason, from the beginning.

The primal emotion of revenge was not a problem that could be solved with a few words.

Kang Moo-hyuk admitted his mistake. At the same time, he understood Makar’s expression as he looked relaxed while being caught.

‘Did you think that no matter what you did, it would end in failure? Damn it, at least if it weren’t for the tyrant. If only we could rule out the S-ranks, there would be a way.’

This world is ultimately a world of power.

I knew it, but it hit me hard.

“Hey, Korean. If you don’t want to die, don’t interfere anymore.”

Igor pushed past Kang Mu-hyeok. He didn’t use much force, but Kang Mu-hyeok staggered and was pushed away. If Noh Song-rin hadn’t supported him, he would have fallen down in a terrible way.

Kozlov drew his sword and aimed it at Igor. Despite the best potion, his arm still felt numb from the blow Igor had inflicted on him earlier.

‘Just one. Just one. Just let me smack that bastard in the face.’

Kozlov poured all his mana into his sword, recalling the faces of his family from more than ten years ago, now vague in his memory.

【Critical Blade】

Crunch!

The mana scattered and the sword shattered.

“Like this… so easily… … ?”

There wasn’t a single scratch on Igor’s fist.

“I’m sorry for keeping you alive for 14 years. I should’ve killed you a long time ago. Now just die and disappear from my sight.”

Igor’s fist was aimed at Kozlov’s heart. Kozlov shut his eyes tightly.

Phew!

“!!”

A fist that is blocked and cannot fully extend.

Joo Sea was standing in front of him.

“What are you?”

“Chief Kang.”

Joo Se Ah ignored Igor, who was bleeding profusely right in front of her eyes, and went to find Kang Mu Hyuk.

Kang Moo-hyuk was relieved that Joo Se-ah had blocked Igor’s attack, but he was also surprised at how she had managed to do so.

“yes.”

“I don’t know the circumstances, but this person shouldn’t die here, right?”

“There is a crime committed, but it is difficult to determine who is at fault. This type of judgment without a trial will not help resolve the situation.”

“Okay, I’ve received it.”

“The opponent is a tyrant.”

“i know.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I think I have a rough idea.”

Only then did Kang Moo-hyuk notice the struggle between Igor and Ju Se-ah as he heard Ju Se-ah’s confident voice.

Veins bulged out on Ju Se Ah’s forearms as she blocked Igor’s fists with both palms together. Igor’s face also turned bright red.

As the two legs that both sides were supporting gained strength, the floor split apart as if it was sinking.

Mana was already entangled between the two.

A single strand of mana spurted out and struck Kozlov, who was nearby. Unable to resist, he was thrown back and lost consciousness.

Kang Moo-hyuk realized that this was a phenomenon he had heard of somewhere before.

“It’s dangerous, Commander. This is a territorial fight that only the strong can engage in. Please step back.”

Noh Song-rin grabbed Kang Mu-hyeok. Although she acted calmly, he was quite surprised.

‘Only S-rank can create a mana realm. Does that mean that the main guild master is really S-rank?’

Dardenne was equally astonished.

Nikolayev, who was nearby, pointed to Ju Se-ah and stammered.

“F, F, F… that’s… really… … .”

“Shut up. I’m watching you too.”

I should have known when Igor reacted strangely when he confronted that woman directly.

‘I didn’t think it was an S-rank. Were you hiding it on purpose? Or did you just become an S-rank now? Either way, it doesn’t make sense. Just because you become an S-rank, you can’t use that power right away.’

Darden remembered when his brother became an S-rank.

Even after realizing his own power, he struggled for a long time because he could not draw out that power.

To use that power, real-life training and some kind of trigger were needed.

The impetus came from a tragedy 14 years ago.

Maybe it was because his older brother had become a tyrant, or because the power he used for the first time after becoming an S-rank was used in the wrong place.

“It would be more correct to say that he was hiding it.”

It had to be that way. It had to be hidden.

Otherwise, it would be like his brother awakening this new monster.

And now the problem was that the monster was blocking them.

When everyone was speechless and unable to do anything, Kang Mu-hyeok took action. He instructed Noh Song-rin to secure Kozlov, then turned around and approached Darden.

“If two S-ranks fight, whoever wins will not be safe. You may lose the last of your family.”

“Your horse might die, right?”

“So are you going to just leave this fight alone?”

“Damn! This is a fucked up situation. You guys really messed things up.”

Darden misunderstood that this was an intentional situation, but Kang Moo-hyuk did not respond. The other person’s misunderstanding that the current situation was intentional would act as a brake.

‘I can’t say that I didn’t know that Guild Leader Jusea would become an S-rank.’

I was skeptical when the Federation’s elf Ayla declared that she had overcome the wall, but now that she has realized it so dramatically at a time when it was most needed.

Kang Mu-hyeok thought that he was lucky.

When Dardenne still didn’t say anything, Kang Mu-hyeok tried to ask again.

at that time.

Papapapapapapapapapapapapapapap!

A cheerful bell rang out of place in the serious situation.

Joo Se Ah, who knew who was using this outdated bell sound, looked at Kang Moo Hyuk.

Kang Moo-hyuk received a phone call while watching the S-rank clash.

“Yes, Mr. Alex. Yes? News? What… … .”

At the same time that Kang Mu-hyeok’s eyes widened, Darden’s smartphone rang. The alarm sound spread to the surrounding hunters. Everyone checked the text and screamed in shock.

As the surroundings became noisy, Ju Se Ah sensed something ominous and spoke to Igor.

“Hey, Russian guy. I don’t think this is the time for us to fight. What should we do? Do you want to continue anyway?”

“Even if you die soon, you won’t make a sound like you’re dying.”

Despite his harsh words, Igor backed down. Even though he was a reckless and violent hunter, he was not stupid. He could not continue the fight even though he knew something was wrong.

‘And besides, you’re curious. What the heck is going on?’

Joo Seah answered his questions instead.

“Chief Kang! What’s going on?”

Kang Mu-hyeok said, putting down the smartphone he was holding to his ear.

“Wupumangbauga… has started its activities.”

* * *

Just before being locked in the Hunter-only detention cell within the guild, Makar confirmed that his comrades were being brought in.

A guild of survivors from Nazejinski.

‘I tried to adjust the time of my enlistment so as not to get caught. I got caught so easily. I didn’t know Anton Gilma had such skills.’

The information sent by the World Hunters’ Federation was crucial, but Makar, who was trapped, had no way of knowing that.

“It’ll take some time to catch all of your conspirators who are dispatched outside the guild. In the meantime, think carefully. Still, they were family, and I don’t want to see them go to waste.”

Even though Bugilmain Dmitry left the place while threatening, Makar did not budge. He even felt relieved.

‘I guess you still don’t understand the meaning of Nadzhinski.’

Of course, the Tsar’s Guild was well aware of Nadzhinsky’s tragedy. However, Hunter, who was a guild leader at the time, had retired, and most of the leaders who had followed him had also left active service.

The few remaining people were killed or conspired with by Makar, who had information in his possession, to fake an accident and turn them into monster food.

‘Is Kozlov okay? Thinking back, I think we shouldn’t let him get caught. He’s a member of the Federation, so he’ll be able to avoid being suspected, but… … .’

Suddenly, that Korean guy came to mind.

‘Kang Mu-hyeok.’

Somehow I had a feeling that Kozlov wouldn’t be safe either.

Makar, who had been stuck in a corner with his hands and feet tied, opened his closed eyes.

It was because a presence was felt at the entrance.

Squeak!

“Makar!”

“Olga!”

It was a welcome face.

She was Makar’s lover.

“What happened? You weren’t caught?”

“I’m not from Nadzhinski.”

“Yeah. That’s right. It was like that, right?”

Olga was the woman who knew Makar’s secret. She also understood him and healed his wounds.

In the Tsar Guild, the target of Makar’s wrath, the only one who could breathe was Olga.

“It was a good thing you kept your office romance a secret. What about the person guarding you?”

“I used sleeping poison. It was left over from the Koreans at the hotel. It didn’t work on them, but it worked well on the guild members here.”

“I didn’t know it would help so much. How about Gilma?”

“We mobilized the entire expedition force to go out and capture our comrades. We had to use overwhelming force to capture them without getting hurt.”

“Huh! Thanks to Gilma’s mercy, I get these opportunities.”

Olga released the special noose that had bound Makar.

Makar rubbed his stiff hands and looked outside the door.

“I have to get out of here. What happened to my comrades?”

“They were all caught. It was because of the information sent by the World Hunters’ Association.”

Makar gritted his teeth as Olga shook her head.

“If it’s the Federation… Kozlov must have been caught too. Were they all wiped out?”

“I think it’s just a matter of time, except for those who don’t join and help out from outside.”

“Maybe this plan will only destroy the Tsar Guild and leave Igor unharmed. Or maybe they both get away with it.”

Makar thought deeply about something, then his face became solemn as if he had made up his mind.

“Olga, you get out of this city.”

“Let’s go together. This is enough. Let’s run away and hide.”

“No. I still have work to do.”

“What, what are you going to do?”

“There is only one way now.”

Makar hesitated to answer for a moment, then continued.

“I’m going to solve the Ufumangbau.”