Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

The greatest battleground from the end of the Great War: Guryong(Nine Dragon) Ridge.

Here, the nine dragons—the most feared monsters of all—gathered. It was described as nothing less than hell. It was compared to Sicily, home of the metal giant Talos, known as a catastrophic disaster in its time, or the Australian coast where Leviathan, the continent-devouring beast, forever erased Sydney from existence.

Modern Hunter historians and top raid tacticians still considered the success of the Nine Dragons Ridge Raid a miraculous feat.

“There are many reasons why the Guryong(Nine Dragon) Ridge raid succeeded, but three reasons stand out,” Kang Mu-hyuk began, raising his index finger.

“First, dragons don’t help each other.”

This reason, though hard to understand, was kind of obvious. Though categorized as the Dragon Race—a term coined by humans for easier classification—dragons were solitary by nature. In fact, they were natural enemies, who inherited power by consuming each other's bones, flesh, heart, and blood.

Historically, there was no incident like the gathering of nine dragons in the Guryong(Nine Dragon) Ridge—not before the Great War or after.

“Second, the Dragon Harpoon.”

This unique artifact, the treasure of the Dragon Slayer Guild, was key. The Dragon Harpoon was lost after the Guryong(Nine Dragon) Ridge raid, but it was powerful enough to bring down flying dragons. This was why the Dragon Slayer Guild was still obsessed over creating a lesser version of it. Without it, the success of the Guryong(Nine Dragon) Ridge raid would’ve been impossible.

“Third, the allied army of top Hunters from across the globe.”

Though there was betrayal at the end of the raid, the collaboration of elite Hunters from Korea, China, Japan, Russia, North America, and Europe, along with thousands of veteran Hunters, was why the hunt of eight dragons was a success. Only the first and final dragon, Tiamat, remained untouchable.

“None of these can help now.”

Sung Seonjae frowned.

Despite the contemporary superior tactics, advanced equipment, and systematic fighting techniques, the dragon in Khabarovsk seemed insurmountable. No matter how powerful a Hunter was, they were still human. Monsters, however, remained monsters. And to fight monsters, humans must unite. But, as they became more powerful the Hunters also became more proud and greedy, which meant less unity.

In many ways, it felt like a step backward.

“We don’t have the Dragon Harpoon anyway, and it’s only one dragon, so there’s no need to fight the dragon while trying to distract other dragons like during the Nine Dragons raid. But at the very least, we have to take care of one last thing to even call it a raid.”

“Is this about the dragon’s magic?”

“Yes. If given time, the dragon’s magic will attract monsters, and turn them into its guardians.”

Dragon magic was unique—it charmed most monsters. How close the ruined Khabarovsk was to the Demonic Realm only made the problem worse. Creatures influenced by the dragon’s magic would gather there, turning the city into a Dragon Lair. If that happened, Khabarovsk would become a breeding ground for corrupt mana, expanding the Demonic Realm. 

“If a Dragon Lair forms, we’ll have to undergo mass evacuations within a 100-kilometer radius.”

“And the monsters would take over the new empty areas, and this would further expand the Demonic Realm. Defense lines would thin out, and eventually, there’ll be breaches. It’s a vicious cycle,” Sung Seonjae muttered grimly, envisioning the worst-case scenario.

This bleak outlook was backed by the 179 raid simulations they had painstakingly planned over a week. The results were on the screen: <Success count: 3. Chances of success: 1.67%.>

“To think those three wins came at the cost of 90% of our Hunter forces… I don't know what to say to this.”

Even with an S-rank Hunter personally fighting, victory seemed impossible.

Ju Se-ah regretted not having her personal equipment. While foreign S-ranks boasted unique gear, all she had was a basic sword. 

‘I never thought I’d wish for better gear.’

She was a Hunter who used her body as armor and fists as a weapon. But with dragon race as the enemy, she couldn’t help but think about gear.

She let that thought go and said, “No wonder. Adding me to the team won’t change much if we think about the number of people involved in the Guryong Ridge raid. Maybe if we had help from other S-ranks...”

“That’s unlikely, Guild Master.” 

 An S-rank dream team?

Kang Mu-hyuk was skeptical.

‘We’re already having a hard time forming a national raid coalition, let alone gathering top Hunters. Gathering S-rankers? Not a chance.’

The situation wasn’t good. Russia and China were locked in a bloody dispute over the Demonic Realm Gate just yesterday. Japan initially sided with Korea to secure a foothold in the Demonic Realm but was thrown out of the picture by Kang Mu-hyuk after he got Kamensky involved, and left them outraged.

Plus, Japan’s past betrayals and mistrust and their persecution of the Korean Hunter community made it impossible for them to fight as allies.

‘Korea and China’s relations are no different. Events like the Sinuiju Incident and Tumen River defense line collapse, Shenyang Gate takeover, and Shimwol’s assassination made relations between Korea and China more hostile, so cooperation was like a pipe dream.

China started it, but Korea struck back with devastating force. It was a miracle they didn’t curse when the country suggested the idea of a united front. It’d be stranger if they didn’t fight each other when they were in one place. Even in reality, Chinese authorities would overreact and not say a single word when the Korea’s Guild Cooperation Agency got in touch.

“I guess this means the raid is doomed to fail.”

“For now, the dragon isn’t moving in Khabarovsk, so we have some breathing room. But we need countermeasures. Russia, China, and Japan will all act on their own.” Nôv(el)B\\jnn

At Kang Mu-hyuk’s words, Sung Seonjae clicked his tongue in his mind while thinking about the reports that came in today.

‘Khabarovsk is Russian territory. Russia’s city was destroyed. They’re stopping anyone from messing with the dragon, so we can’t even scout the area.’

Since the dragon’s appearance, the situation, a week later, had shifted dramatically. Initially, Russia sought international help by sharing information but later chose to keep things top secret, as they feared further destruction.

The reason for that was simple. They didn’t want anyone to mess with the sleeping dragon. The dragon hadn’t done anything after that incident. Meaning, the dragon had entered hibernation—a natural state it entered immediately after it consumed a great amount of energy because of its huge size and strength. 

So, don’t provoke the dragon unnecessarily.

That was the core warning given—dragon raids were impossible without a countermeasure. Until a method was found, the dragon could not be provoked just to stir up trouble.

“In the end, we can’t succeed at the raid because the countries aren’t united. The formation of a Dragon Lair is inevitable. The 4 counties in the Far East will have to learn to live with a bomb planted right in the Demonic Realm.”

He ended the meeting, knowing the results from the task force weren’t promising and wouldn’t offer much guidance. Future countermeasures would need to plan for the worst-case scenario.

As Sung Seonjae claimed, it was a ticking time bomb.

He ended the meeting here. That was it for the TF(task force) team. The data would be organized and shared, but the results weren’t very good, so they wouldn’t be a great reference. For now, they’d have to study countermeasures by considering the worst case scenario.

Sung Seonjae changed the topic to lighten the mood, “By the way, I saw Russia gave the dragon a code name today.”

“Looks like they were quite busy coming up with one. Took them a week to name the dragon that destroyed their city? You’d think they consulted a fortune teller for inspiration.

“Looks like your sarcasm hasn’t died, Guild Master. Let’s not make fun of the hurt people already. Some people hold importance to stuff like that after all.”

“So what’s the name?”

When Ju Se-ah asked bluntly, Seong Seonjae read the name of the dragon written on the document that was a copy of the Russian announcement.

“Zmei Gorynych.”

***

“Zmei Gorynych... huhu… Humans sure are funny.”

“What do you mean?” Do Dacheol asked carefully while hearing White Phantom laugh.

“Think about it. Monsters aren’t even from this world, yet they give them code names tied to local mythology. Giving something so foreign a familiar name—it’s absurd. Monsters aren’t even from Earth to begin with.”

White Phantom had a point. Many famous boss monsters, like Talos and Leviathan, were named after myths.

Just the first names that come to mind were Talos and Leviathan. Naming monsters based on Greek mythology or the Old Testament was an acknowledgement of humanity's lack of imagination.

“It’s an act of comedy in itself.”

Zmei Gorynych was a dragon from Slavic mythology with as many as three heads. It was said to possess immense power, and the ability to breathe fire, and kept water nearby to cool his hot body.

‘It fits perfectly.’

The dragon that took Khabarovsk was similar. He spat fire, had three heads, possessed great power as a dragon, and of course, he coiled up in the Amur River, so what other code name could be more fitting than the name of the mythical dragon, Zmei Gorynych?

“Whatever the name, the dragon has turned toward Russia and that’s good for Korea, but not us. Doesn’t that mean now we have no reason to return?”

“Yes, that’s a deviation from our plans. Nothing we can do about it. Should we go with the second -best option?

“Is there another way?”

“If people or organizations give each other what they need, they can cooperate anytime. The original plan was to help the Gate Boss when he swept across the northern part of the Korean peninsula and return as heroes.”

“Then what help will you give now...”

“We don’t have to do that hard stuff now, so I guess I’ll have to use my tongue.”

“Should I contact the Korean government?”

“Those guys are brainless and they don’t get a thing to say. I’d rather speak to someone who actually listens”

“Who….”

“I heard that this guy named Kang Mu-hyuk actually listens and gets it. Please send him a message.”

“What should I say?” As he asked, Do Dacheol had zero clue at the cards Phantom was gonna pull out.

White Phantom grinned.

“The Yellow Dragon Guild. Tell him that I will tell him of their dirty laundry and arrange negotiations.”

***

“Who? Do Daecheol? Never heard of him.” 

Kang Mu-hyuk never forgot someone he met. Even if he didn’t see them, he’d always remember even the mention of someone’s name. If he didn’t know someone, that person was either an unfamiliar figure in the Hunter world or someone he hadn’t met.

Lee Sookyoung gave him details about the person who contacted the guild.

“He spoke with a North Korean accent”

“Is he from Sinuiju?”

“He said he’s from the Anti-God Guild. He claimed to have evidence of what the Yellow Dragon Guild did in the Demonic Realm and asked to meet you soon.”

Kang Mu-hyuk recalled everything he knew about the Anti-God Guild.

‘They’re not on good terms with the Yellow Guild, right?  The guild itself was founded to fight against the Yellow Dragon Guild, so it's not strange that they’d have a hold on their weakness but...’

There was a catch.

The Anti-God guild was also involved in the Sinuiju affair.

Guilds on bad terms with each other could still do business together. But considering China's closed Hunter society, it was definitely suspicious. 

‘Whether they’re allies or enemies, we should still meet with them. We need to end things with the Yellow Dragon Guild so there won’t be trouble in future.’