Chapter 33

Chapter 33
## The Ghost of the Amur River

A beast sizzled over the roaring flames of a large fire. Clad in animal skins, the one-eyed brute smirked, carving off thick slices of the burning flesh with a butterfly knife and shoving them into his mouth.

His bald pate was a map of intricate gashes and old welts. Standing over two meters tall and pushing past 120 kilograms, his frame was a mountain of pure sinew. His shirtless torso was decorated with just as many vivid tattoos and battle scars as his skull.

“Well? How much longer are you going to take? We’re burning daylight.”

“Nikolai, I beg of you…”

The captive’s face was a distorted mask of purple hematomas, and his words revealed the gaps where several teeth had been forcefully removed.

Nikolai Baranov. The Ghost of the Amur River. The Devil of Khabarovsk. This regional warlord was a man of a thousand titles, ruling over a legion of five hundred subordinates.

His gaze flickered with sadistic delight as he tumbled a pair of dice within his palm.

“I’m not the one throwing. And I haven’t rigged the game.”

With a casual motion, he gave a sharp pat to the back of the young girl shivering at his side.

“The brat is going to roll.”

The child, who couldn’t have been older than eight, was paralyzed by terror, her eyes jumping between the towering Nikolai and the battered man tied before them.

After a moment of silence, Nikolai gave a bored wave of his hand.

“Fine, extract another one.”

Immediately, an associate standing behind Nikolai stepped toward the prisoner wielding a heavy pair of pliers. Just as the metal was about to be forced between his lips, the man let out a panicked wail.

“Ugh… uwaa! Odd! I choose odd!”

Nikolai’s lips curled into a predatory grin at the outburst.

“Odd, you say? You were a little slow on the draw, friend.”

As Nikolai spoke and made a small signal, a guttural shriek filled the air, punctuated by a sickening snap. Another tooth was ripped from the man’s jaw by the cold steel.

Observing the carnage, Nikolai pressed the dice into the small hands of the girl.

“Go on, roll. Let’s find out if this guy’s luck hasn’t completely run dry.”

The girl took the dice, her fingers shaking uncontrollably at his command.

“Listen closely, little one. His entire future is riding on your toss. If it lands on odd, he gets to walk away. But if it’s even? Well…”

Trailing off, Nikolai stroked the girl’s hair with a mask of faux kindness.

“Whatever follows next… that burden rests entirely on your shoulders.”

The young girl trembled violently at the weight of his words.

“And you are going to watch every single moment of what happens to him because of your choice. You won’t look away for a second.”

Stomping his boots in twisted glee, Nikolai barked out a cheerful order.

“Come on, throw them! Every second you waste is another tooth I pull from that wretch’s mouth!”

Right before the toss, the girl’s vision locked onto the bound man’s eyes. They were filled with a frantic, agonizing blend of desperation and flickering hope.

She took a sharp breath and cast the dice with hands that shook like leaves in a storm. The cubes tumbled across the dirt, settling to reveal a pair of threes—3+3=6. Six was an even number.

“Seize them both.”

The little girl slumped to the ground, her face turning a ghostly white. A yellow stain began to spread across the floor from between her legs.

Nikolai’s voice took on a tone of mock bereavement.

“Poor father. A single lucky toss and both of you could have left this place in one piece.”

“Please, I’m begging you! Let the child go, Nikolai! This was all my doing!”

In response, Nikolai stood up, seized the captive by his shirt, and lifted him effortlessly into the air.

“Do not. Give. Me. Orders. Unless you want me to end your life this instant.”

He dropped the man back to the earth with a heavy thud, then idly scratched at his head.

“Actually, wait. You’re going to die regardless.”

Mumbling the realization to himself, Nikolai strolled back and slumped onto the sofa.

“What a charming little drama I’ve stumbled upon.”

The newcomer was small in stature when compared to Nikolai’s massive proportions. He clutched a folding fan and was dressed in a gray, customized traditional robe.

“Lee Ha-yoon.”

It was clear that Nikolai recognized the visitor.

“State your business.”

“I’ve come to request a service.”

Nikolai let out a wide yawn and sank deeper into the cushions of the sofa.

“Currency holds no charm for me.”

“I am well aware.”

Nikolai was the sort of madman who would use stacks of high-value bills as tinder to ward off the chill. He was a thrill-seeking chieftain who only bothered with tasks that caught his fickle interest.

“A locomotive is preparing to leave Vladivostok.”

“I thought the Trans-Siberian’s back had been broken long ago?”

“The word is they intend to run it even as repairs are being made.”

Among those who had tapped into mana patterns, there were those capable of rapidly fixing shattered structures if they had the right components.

Nikolai let out a sharp bark of laughter at Lee Ha-yoon’s explanation.

“Now that is a reckless gamble.”

Deploying hunters to fix a moving freight train—that was the kind of insanity only a nation like Korea, overflowing with high-tier hunters, would attempt.

It was a temporary fix, though. Modern tech simply didn’t have the endurance to protect the Trans-Siberian against the horrors of the Erosion Zone.

“What… maybe three months?”

Even with a hopeful outlook, the patched-up tracks would be trash within that window.

“What kind of cargo are they moving?”

Committing hunters and resources to a failing cause? Nikolai’s curiosity was piqued.

However, Lee Ha-yoon skillfully redirected the conversation.

“The contents are irrelevant. It’s the person protecting it that matters.”

“Oh?”

Lee Ha-yoon snapped his fan open with a subtle smirk.

“Zanabi’s Candy Lady has her sights set on that transport.”

Lee Se-eun, known for gifting sweets to those she favored—sitting at rank 10 on Hope’s List.

A woman of that caliber could wipe out three organizations like Nikolai’s before lunch without breaking a sweat. She was a powder keg one didn’t touch lightly.

Yet, Nikolai showed no sign of intimidation or shock. Instead, his gaze ignited with a manic fervor.

“If you’ve identified the target, I assume you have a strategy for neutralizing her?”

“I can keep Hunter Lee Se-eun occupied for a duration.”

“And how do you plan that?”

Nikolai’s eyes sharpened as Lee Ha-yoon spoke. From the visitor’s wide sleeve came the crisp sound of parchment as dozens of charms floated into the air, suspended by unseen forces.

In short order, glowing violet strands linked them together. It wasn’t quite a defensive barrier—it was more like a pocket of isolation. Nothing could enter, and nothing could depart.

Firm. Constant.

“With a bit of fortune… perhaps sixty minutes.”

“Don’t lie to me. That looks like forty minutes at the absolute most.”

And that was only if Lee Ha-yoon was prepared to give up his life. Nikolai grinned as he gauged the strength of the technique.

“Plundering a train overseen by Zanabi’s Candy Lady.”

High risk. Impossible without this man keeping her distracted. But if they pulled it off…?

“It isn’t the entire train we’re after, specifically. Zanabi’s contract is to protect one particular car…”

“Then we just blow that car to hell.”

Focusing on a single car made the logistics much simpler.

“No, we aren’t destroying it.”

Lee Ha-yoon retrieved a compact electronic terminal.

“Infiltrate that car and connect this device to the hardware kept inside.”

The descendants of Dangun required the specifications of that shield generator.

“That specific car is bound to be reinforced.”

As if he had anticipated the concern, Lee Ha-yoon unlatched a container he had brought along.

“Hmph.”

Inside rested a circular mechanism roughly the size of a heavy weight plate.

“Turn it on, and within fifteen minutes, it will cut a passage large enough for a man to climb through.”

“Good. That cuts it down to thirty minutes. This is getting interesting.”

Not just anyone—the famous Candy Lady, left powerless as they gutted her cargo right under her nose. The mere thought sent Nikolai into a fit of laughter.

“It’s a deal. Once your task is finished, we get to destroy the rest?”

“Indeed. That would be quite helpful.”

Nikolai rubbed his massive, shovel-like hands together, grinning widely.

“Oh, one further detail.”

Truthfully, Lee Ha-yoon wasn’t certain this warranted a mention. But his superior had given the specific command. Orders were to be followed.

“What is it now?”

“One of the travelers on that locomotive is a hunter by the name of Yoo Chan-seok. He’s a rising talent in Korea. Give him your full attention.”

Nikolai’s face twisted into an expression of disbelief.

“Who is this nobody?”

“New to the scene, but he managed to clear a grade-2 Erosion Core by himself.”

Nikolai snorted in derision.

“Impressive for a rookie, I suppose. But that’s just standard corporate hunter material.”

There was no reason for Nikolai to be concerned. If anything, he found it more entertaining…

“A bright young prospect, huh? I wonder what his face will look like once I’ve broken his legs.”

“Do not touch Yoo Chan-seok if he stays out of your way. And if a conflict arises, do not take his life.”

Lee Ha-yoon still struggled to comprehend the logic behind his leader’s stance. It was a bizarre way to treat this Yoo Chan-seok: cautious, yet seemingly unwilling to eliminate him.

He understood it was linked to the boy’s potential, but was he truly that valuable?

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll consider it.”

Nikolai brushed off the warning with a shrug.

“Keep it in mind.”

“What, if things get messy in a brawl? If you’re going to be that demanding, tell your superior to come down and face me personally.”

Lee Ha-yoon’s gaze turned cold and sharp for a split second. His leader was preoccupied with greater matters. And a task like this was beneath his dignity.

If this low-born thug wasn’t necessary for their objective, Lee would have opened his throat then and there.

“That concludes the instructions.”

But for now, he needed this Russian madman. He would be discarded later.

And when the time for disposal came, Lee Ha-yoon intended to do it himself. He unsheathed the blade at his hip.

The twenty-centimeter knife had a ring on the pommel, from which flowed long ribbons of traditional hanji paper.

“Sabaha.”

As Lee Ha-yoon flicked the blade, the paper ribbons sliced through the air, carving out lines that twisted the local space into a dark abyss.

“Until next time.”

Lee Ha-yoon stepped into the void. Once the portal collapsed, Nikolai rested his chin on his hand, staring at the spot where the man had been, and grunted.

“Man, that freak has some truly disgusting eyes.”

He was well aware that the jester would eventually try to put a blade to his neck.

But he had secured a lot of entertainment for the near future. Nikolai turned his focus to the chaos ahead.