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

"Vote for Ma Taesu? All of a sudden? Is this whimsicality boiling over, or is it a joke? Withdraw support for Ma Taesu at one moment, and then push for him again."

"Does it matter either way? If you comply with the two requests I have made, our deal will be over."

"Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk, are these two things really all you require from our agreement?"

"Executive Kim, you're not one to be forever tied to promises. Let's end it cleanly. These two things will suffice. I'm not threatening you to give me more."

"I can't deny that."

Kim Myung-jun was uncomfortable.

Was this really the end?

It was an overly clean deal, considering it was a demand from the winner who had control of both the weaknesses and the lifeline.

'He is an utterly unpredictable person.'

He heard that it wasn't even a difficult task, just a few phone calls, and he even added the condition that he could refuse if it felt unfair.

A different kind of person, who would cling and stretch to death once they caught a human's weakness, unlike himself.

It was only natural for Kim Myung-jun, who fundamentally distrusted people, to suspect Kang Mu-hyuk.

He deduced the underlying situation.

'There must have been a deal with Ma Taesu's side. What could it be?'

When he resolved to look into it, Kang Mu-hyuk's warning came in like a ghost.

"You don't need to bother finding out. Everyone will know in a few days. I hope you don't break the peace you've just restored by moving around secretly."

"Don't worry, Guild Leader Kang. I have some shame, too. Hahaha."

"I don't know about shame, but you seem quick-witted, so I'll tell you this. Continuing to hold hands with those related to the Union may be dangerous. Shake hands and step away at the right moment."

Kim Myung-jun was taken aback.

'Does he indeed know? Or is he just probing?'

Kang Mu-hyuk mentioned not the Union itself but another power behind it. That was why he tried to kill him but failed because of Ju Se-ah. Now, capturing Kang Mu-hyuk wouldn't keep the secret either. He had no choice but to hope that Kang Mu-hyuk would keep his mouth shut.

Kim Myung-jun feigned arrogance and joked, "Familiarity breeds fondness. Are you worrying about me?"

"It seems like you're not the only one who might bleed."

Kang Mu-hyuk's voice suddenly grew heavy.

At the change, Kim Myung-jun flinched. It seemed polite, but it was a word that could not be taken lightly.

This man was not to be underestimated.

Kim Myung-jun raised his alertness and replied, "Even if there's blood, I'll see it first. Of course, I don't know if it will be mine, or yours, or someone else's."

"The deal is over with this. I hope we don't get entangled again."

As the call ended, Kim Myung-jun rubbed his chin and smiled bitterly.

"Not get entangled? ...That's not for me to decide, Leader Kang Mu-hyuk."

...

Lately, Choi Mi-ran had been feeling disoriented.

"Nothing is working out. Like a duck egg in the Nakdong River. I never thought Team Leader Do would stab me in the back like this."

"It's still somewhat of a relief for us. The members who followed Do Gyeong-hoon, believing they would join Titan were really screwed."

Kim Seong-hyun's body shivered uncontrollably. He had even dropped the honorifics after the betrayal by Do Gyeong-hoon, who had been the expedition team leader.

Not long ago, he had been considering leaving the guild.

Whether he would follow Do Gyeong-hoon, who could be considered the leader of the expedition team faction, one of the three factions of the old Taesung Guild, or stay with Iron Will as he was.

He had been quite swayed because of rumors that he could enter Titan by following Do Gyeong-hoon.

That was when Choi Mi-ran stopped him.

"Do Gyeong-hoon is not someone to be taken lightly."

Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk mentioned that Do Gyeong-hoon didn't leave in a clean manner; he was driven out while secretly sneaking members away. He left the industry with what could be considered a thuggish act, and the Guild Leader wouldn't leave it at that.

In retrospect, Kim Seong-hyun's decision to stay with the guild alongside Choi Mi-ran was an outstanding choice. It was a matter of life and death.

The members who signed contracts with Titan joined as planned, but Do Gyeong-hoon was kicked out without even approaching Titan's entrance. The non-contracted members who followed him were ruined in an instant. They became unemployed in a blink of an eye.

They could work as freelancers, but the comfortable life backed by guaranteed salary and guild support was now gone.

"How does it look to you, Sister?"

"What?"

"Our guild, going forward."

"Well, we're stuck in North Pocheon... but we have Rider Wolves. Maybe it won't be bad? It will take some time, though."

"True, the beast farm definitely has a vision. There are only a few in the world, after all. Moreover, Rider Wolf is almost the only battle-type mount."

"When it comes to vision, we should prioritize the Guild Master and the Guild Leader."

Kim Seong-hyun naturally nodded in agreement.

Ju Se-ah's power was arguably the best in Korea, and Kang Mu-hyuk's guild management spoke through the results.

The synergy that perfectly filled each other's shortcomings was a rare collaborative example in the industry.

However, Kim Seong-hyun thought that this was both a strength and a weakness of the guild.

"Still, it's a bit unsettling with just the two of them. It's not like they'll perform a raid alone. Right now, there are dozens of Hunters who have left the guild."

"We are indeed short on numbers. That's why we're struggling now."

Choi Mi-ran's complaint was understandable.

They were so short on patrol parties that they were reusing and tripling the patrol duties on the move routes every day.

Being Hunters, simple patrols weren't hard, but considering the area of North Pocheon, they were digesting a tight schedule with no leisure time.

If Kang Mu-hyuk hadn't shared the personnel reinforcement plan with the members, a riot might have broken out earlier.

"But is that possible? Listening to the Guild Leader, he intends to make a qualitative upgrade in personnel reinforcement. Honestly, Hunters with high ranks and skills wouldn't come to North Pocheon."

"What do I know? A person filled with wicked thoughts, whether he threatens or cheats, he'll have some way."

"I honestly don't know whether you think well or ill of the Guild Leader."

"I admit the ability, but I doubt the character. The first impression was lousy, wasn't it... huh? Isn't that an orc over there?"

From a distance on a hill by the road, Choi Mi-ran spotted a monster lurking nearby and pointed at it with her finger.

Kim Seong-hyun stretched his neck and narrowed his eyes.

"The dark blue skin color is a bit off-putting... But there are many types of orcs. That ugly thing is definitely an orc," he said.

He immediately pulled out a tablet containing local information and searched for 'orc.'

"There's no record of an orc in other parties' work logs, and it's not in the North Pocheon Monster Manual either."

"A newly summoned one, maybe? They say that in the Special Activities Zone, mobs randomly respawn sometimes."

"Even so, it's an orc."

"You say that after the trouble we had with the goblin not long ago? Orcs can become more annoying than goblins if they level up."

"If it's just been summoned, it probably hasn't evolved yet. What should we do? Shall we go and kill it?"

"Climbing the mountain is a hassle... Um, and orcs never travel alone. There might be friends nearby. They're stubborn and always end up in nasty fights. I don't want to get all bloody. Let's just leave. Report it, and someone else will deal with it."

Choi Mi-ran was reluctant to go hunting, feeling grumpy. She didn't want to sweat over catching an orc that hadn't even approached the South Pocheon route.

They ignored the orc and moved on. Even after they disappeared, the orc kept a close watch on the road. A few sinister faces suddenly appeared behind the orc.

It was the orc pack that Choi Mi-ran had anticipated.

Seven orcs sniffed the wind, catching the scent of humans mixed in the breeze.

The lead orc let out a grunt that sounded like words and pointed to the south.

The orcs moved in the direction indicated by the finger.

...

What the Iron Will Guild needed most at that moment were, firstly, people, and secondly, more people.

Not only Hunters but also regular office members were in short supply. The office staff who had been there until recently had finished their contracts and returned to Seoul.

"I know the contract was only until the pacification of North Pocheon, but we should have asked the regular staff to stay a bit longer," someone lamented.

Faced with a mountain of unexpected work, Ju Se-ah spent the whole day staring intently at her monitor.

As the party leader of the Slayer Guild and a veteran of the expedition's ace team, she was accustomed to raid planning and paperwork. Still, she was on the brink of surrendering to the never-diminishing pile of work.

"Hunters, catching monsters is their calling, so there's nothing to be done. But for ordinary people, North Pocheon is a difficult environment to endure. In a place without even a pub for a beer after work, maintaining work-life balance is impossible, especially for those with families."

"Hunters struggle with that too. Especially the young ones who like to spend money they earn from hunting monsters. It's a hardship for them."

At Ju Se-ah's reply, Kang Mu-hyuk turned from his work to stare intently at her.

Although she had been in this field for over ten years, Ju Se-ah was still only twenty-five.

It was the age when Hunters typically began to engage in serious hunting, but occasionally she would speak like a Hunter on the brink of retirement in their 30s or 40s, perhaps because she was considered a veteran.

"Why?"

"No, I agree with that opinion. North Pocheon certainly seems to have difficulty satisfying the inclinations of young Hunters these days. Most consider guild work not a calling, but a mere occupation."

"So what do you plan to do? We can't just keep doing desk work. Even patrolling or running parties are to the point of exhaustion. We may even need to borrow the hands of a goblin."

"We can't just let anyone in. Thanks to Do Gyeong-hoon, we have cut away many rotten parts. We can't pour rotten water into places where new flesh needs to be filled."

"Is our C-class guild in a position to be picky?"

"Realistically, it's hard to bring in decent Hunters."

Kang Mu-hyuk's typing speed quickened. The sound of the keyboard keys clattered loudly in the office.

Ju Se-ah, who thought Kang Mu-hyuk was venting his stress on the keyboard, spoke to restrain him.

"You'll break the keyboard that way. See? Why did you even spur the calm members to chase Do Gyeong-hoon? You should have calmly and kindly extinguished the urgent fire first. What will you say when Hunter Lee Jin-joo comes to work? 'You lured me here promising to make me an expedition leader, but there are no members? Wow, this is a total employment scam?' I won't help even if you're dragged by your hair."

"Hunter Lee Jin-joo is not that aggressive. She's not unaware of our situation. She must have made the transfer decision with some resolve. Of course, the best situation is not to get dragged by the hair."

"So how will you achieve that best? If you're going to look in the draft or FA market, you can't guarantee quality there."

"That is included in the plans I showed you before, but I don't intend to rely on that primarily. We have to look at that long-term. Instead, haven't we already found a good method?"

"A good method? When?"

Instead of answering, Kang Mu-hyuk increased his speed, pounding on the keyboard. Then he stopped suddenly after a moment. Silence filled the office. He clicked his mouse a few times, walked over to Ju Se-ah's desk with a tablet, sat down, and handed it to her after manipulating it.

Ju Se-ah, taken aback, accepted the tablet and checked the screen. Resumés with photographs and career details were displayed. She asked, flipping through each one, "What is this?"

"It's a recruitment list. We'll try making transfer offers to guilds with good resources, like Hunter Lee Jin-joo."

At Kang Mu-hyuk's reply, Ju Se-ah checked the tablet again.

"Will this work? Their careers are no joke. Mid-rank guilds are one thing, but A-rank guilds? Unless shot in the head, neither the guild nor the Hunters would accept. No, even if I were shot in the head, I wouldn't send them."

"Of course, it's not a 100 percent chance, but it's still worth a try."

Ju Se-ah said nothing. The Kang Mu-hyuk she knew was not one to bluff. Nor was he someone who would believe in uncertain odds. He must have presented the recruitment list because he saw a chance of success. She aimlessly scanned the tablet again.

'Can we really bring them in? There are so many above B-rank. Ah, there's even an A-rank? And someone with Red Gate experience. Huh? I know this person!'

Ju Se-ah looked at Kang Mu-hyuk with her eyes narrowed, her face buried in the tablet.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing more. Just unlimited discretion concerning recruitment?"

"We already agreed on that when we wrote the contract. I've never hindered you until now."

"You haven't used it so far, but the contract also includes a clause that the Guild Master can refuse. That's why I'm asking for your consent in advance. The recruitment from now on might be, well, quite radical. I need your firm assurance that you won't interfere with the recruitment I'm pushing."

"Ah, what's going on? Why are you making me so anxious?"

"Will you allow it or not?"

Without any further explanation from Kang Mu-hyuk, Ju Se-ah sighed.

"Ugh. You're not the type to quit if I say no, anyway. Go ahead, do it. Do as you please, Guild Leader Kang."

"Then, I will contact Taeguk Guild for our first recruitment."

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