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

'What a cocky brat! He treats me like a nobody, doesn't he? Is this revenge for that parking lot incident?'

Choi Mi-ran was out on a hunt for the first time in a while without Kim Seong-hyun. Most of her new party members were fresh low-rankers.

Having been paired with the mainstay Hunters of the guild expedition team, as a senior it was a considerable humiliation for her to be partying with these greenhorns.

However--

Her rank was C+.

Despite having awakened more than ten years ago, she was an unfortunate Hunter who hadn't managed to reach B-. The Strategy and Tactics team considered this her limit, and her colleagues' thoughts were no different.

Still, she could bear it because her role was not to deal direct blows to the monsters but to handle various tasks of the party as support.

Luckily, Choi Mi-ran had a good sense for strategy, which earned her good scores in tactical evaluation, more so than her stat ratings.

Perhaps that was why Kang Mu-hyuk entrusted her with the task of issuing party orders.

"Ugh, frustrating! Even if the Squirrel is fast, this is too much. Can't you land a single stab? Hey, Tanker! Did you eat your shield for breakfast? Hold it tight and take hits with your body!"

"Shit... A forever C+ acting all superior."

The Tanker, who had been getting admonished by Choi Mi-ran, muttered his complaints.

"..."

Choi Mi-ran heard the defiant discontent of the Tanker but chose to let it slide for the time being.

Personal feelings had no place during combat. Regardless of her low rank, she knew how a Hunter's demeanor should be.

In contrast, the Tanker was swinging his shield as if it were a weapon while half-heartedly following orders. The rest of the party members were the ones suffering because of it.

When the Squirrel finally escaped the range of Choi Mi-ran's party, she reorganized their formation and shot the Tanker a glare.

"Hey, did you just curse at me?"

"Huh? Me? No, I didn't say 'shit,' I said 'C-shit.' It matches your rank, right, senior? Did I hurt your pride by mentioning your rank? Well, I'm sorry about that."

Was he trying to pick a fight, or dodge one?

'He's poking at me gently, huh?'

This was a common occurrence for Choi Mi-ran outside of the guild.

Hunters who had ceased to grow for a long time were not respected anywhere. Seniority and guild favoritism had no bearing in the world of Hunters; it was a dream too far.

She was very well aware that she was being treated as a senior, if only just barely, because of the Taesung Guild and because she had caught the eye of the expedition team leader, Do Gyeong-hoon.

'Endure, endure. I can't mess up the hunt to deal with this brat. I'm already on thin ice with the Guild Leader. I'll find a time to deal with him later.'

Unlike Choi Mi-ran, who still believed she was in bad graces with the Guild Leader due to the incident at the parking lot, Kang Mu-hyuk was evaluating her quite objectively.

'Choi Mi-ran. A supporter with a high tactical comprehension ability. Initially evaluated as a promising freelancer with good growth potential upon entry, but has been stuck in C+ rank for five years. Why is that?'

While there were geniuses who reached A rank a few years after awakening, there were also Hunters who could never cross the threshold to B rank in their lifetime.

Taking this reality into account, Choi Mi-ran could be seen as a Hunter who had already reached the end of her growth.

But--

'Considering the time of awakening and current age, her hunting record is too scarce. She couldn't enter the gate at the time when she should have grown a lot.'

Kang Mu-hyuk's thoughts were different.

Compared to the same-rank Hunters of top guilds and her peers, Choi Mi-ran had an insignificant hunting experience. He diagnosed this as the reason for Choi Mi-ran's stagnant growth.

"The Squirrel is escaping."

"We should consider that one lost."

As Ju Se-ah said, it wasn't so much an escape as it was a loss.

The Squirrels that had gradually begun to lose their ground had escaped from the encirclement by more than half.

They only managed to capture about eight. Among these, they were only able to completely kill five. The remaining three were in the process of being finished off, with their legs or tails severed.

"We failed to completely block their escape. If we were inside a gate, this would have been a failing grade."

Inside the gates, escaped monsters often circled back, a frequent occurrence. Therefore, each guild had a mobile party tasked with blockading missions.

This was the case with Iron Will as well, but the party responsible for the blockade had dangerously overextended themselves in an attempt to capture the monsters, requiring aid from other parties.

Because of this, the formation collapsed and they let the Squirrels escape.

"It's fortunate that none of our Hunters died. I think we need to review today's battle using the footage from the cameras installed at the camp."

Kang Mu-hyuk directed the respective teams with the treatment of the injured and the camp's maintenance. He was about to send out a scout team for any potential attacks when---

"Boss, you should come to the command center." The voice of Gong Du-ri sounded through his earset.

"What's going on?"

"It's the Watusi Snake. It has engaged in battle with 'Beta Two.'"

"!!"

The Watusi was, simply put, a monster that could be thought of as an African buffalo. It had horns growing on both sides of its head, and these horns could grow to the extent that the distance between the tips could reach up to 2.4 meters.

That was why they called it a snake monster, which had enormous horns resembling the Watusi, the 'Watusi Snake.'

'It's a top 4-star monster, known for its horn attack and physical defense. It's going to be tough for the scouting party.'

It was not just tough, it was a desperate situation.

At this moment, Ju Se-ah, who was sharing the communication line with Kang Mu-hyuk, said, "I'll go. Where is it?"

"Guild Master."

As Kang Mu-hyuk looked at Ju Se-ah, she shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I know that Guild Master can't intervene every time. But they're people who are still underprepared. We should try to save the Hunters first."

Kang Mu-hyuk pondered over his best cards besides Ju Se-ah, but the truth was there weren't any suitable options.

To face the Watusi, they needed a party with experienced B-rank members. However, the Hunters in each party varied in speed, making timely reinforcement a difficult task. They would probably be defeated one by one as soon as they arrived.

In that case, sending a solo A- rank to finish the job was the best way, but among the Hunters he could immediately send, the only trustworthy candidate was Jang Deuk-goo.

But he, being a tanker, had his weaknesses in speed. Naturally, the optimal solution that came to mind was Ju Se-ah.

Soon after, Kang Mu-hyuk had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"I'm counting on you."

"Okay."

Just as Ju Se-ah was about to step off, having received the party's location, she looked at Kang Mu-hyuk's contemplative face and felt compelled to leave him with some advice.

"Guild Leader Kang, I understand we aren't looking for the easy way. But let's not choose the dangerous path needlessly."

With that, she took off, and in no time, her figure had disappeared from the field.

Kang Mu-hyuk watched her figure, now a dot disappearing beyond the horizon, with concern.

'Squirrels and then a Watusi Snake before even battling Goblins? Both species are not the ones to be so openly aggressive. Both were aiming precisely at the base camp, and attacking the scout team too... It doesn't seem like a coincidence.'

Kang Mu-hyuk turned his steps toward the situation room, trying to ascertain what he might have missed.

When she arrived on the scene, the first thing Ju Se-ah encountered was a horned snake nearly 15 meters in length.

The Watusi Snake was in the middle of eating. It was similar to an anaconda on Earth, wrapping its prey tightly until it suffocated and then swallowing it whole.

The Hunters were fighting back, trying to free their captured comrade from the Watusi Snake, but they lacked the firepower to penetrate its skin.

"You snake bastard!" Ju Se-ah ran towards the Watusi Snake with fury in her eyes.

Sensing danger, the Watusi Snake snapped its mouth shut and re-coiled itself, leaving its meal behind.

With spring-like elasticity, it swiftly created a distance between them and was about to retreat with its food. It seemed to have recognized her as a formidable foe due to the threat it felt earlier.

Hunting beyond hunger was taboo. Being a beast-like monster, it decided to back off despite its reluctance.

"Who said you could run?!"

Suddenly sensing her near, the Watusi Snake was taken aback. It had thought it had gained enough distance. Was that not the case?

Since it couldn't escape, the snake decided to attack. Turning its head, it brandished its horn. Even stronger monsters wouldn't attack recklessly due to this horn.

Even if they were to win, they might suffer fatal wounds. If they were weakened, they would die.

This instinct, no different from that of a wild beast, was fundamental to Gate monsters.

"Who's charging with a horn?!"

Ju Se-ah, leaping to the height of the snake's head, landed right on top of its snout and grabbed hold of its horn.

At that moment, the Watusi Snake believed it had won. It trusted in the toxicity contained within its horn.

Fsssst!

As Ju Se-ah's hand holding the horn started turning black, she looked down at the Watusi Snake indifferently and said, "Poison? What poison?"

As if her words were a signal, the spreading poison began to recede. Having driven out the poison in a brief moment it took for a gust of wind to blow from the snake's nostrils, Ju Se-ah raised her fist above her head.

Gong Du-ri, who was watching from the side, spoke up, "Don't you worry about the Guild Master? We should send backup."

"If the Guild Master didn't specifically request it, it's fine."

"Even with a snake nearly 20 meters long?"

"It might be a bit of a struggle, but it won't be dangerous. There's something more important to worry about."

Ju Se-ah was completely unbothered. It was Kang Mu-hyuk's calm that she counted on.

Though the situation with the Watusi Snake was different from others, a mere 4-star monster would never bring the indomitable witch to her knees.

'Right now, the priority is to understand the situation.'

Ju Se-ah wasn't asking the Hunters to report back to her without a reason. She was hoping to get Kang Mu-hyuk's advice on this peculiar situation.

'Even though North Pocheon is wide, it isn't big enough for dozens of Watusi Snakes.'

Kang Mu-hyuk flicked through the notebook files he had organized, recalling similar cases.

"Here it is."

The Watusi King Cobra.

'Also known as the King of Snakes.'

Not only the Watusi Snakes but also all snake monsters below 4-stars, were under the rule of this King Cobra.

'What's strange here is that no matter how powerful the King Cobra is, it wouldn't fill such a narrow area with its minions. After all, the King Cobra itself is a species that evolves from a mature Watusi Snake through shedding its skin. That requires abundant prey and a considerable amount of time. This isn't some sort of goblin that mindlessly multiplies its numbers...'

Suddenly, something flashed through Kang Mu-hyuk's mind.

"No way... Is that what it is?!"

Understanding the situation, his face turned even darker.

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