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

"I never expected to meet you in such an open place."

Aila was standing on the plain, enjoying the breeze with her eyes closed. She seemed to be savoring the peculiarities of the Special Activities Zone’s wind for quite some time.

Kang Mu-hyuk observed her closely.

‘Mana... It’s flowing around that woman’s body.’

The woman in the robe was caressing the wind that contained mana. With every gesture of her hand, the mana surged tumultuously. And with each movement, sparks of mana became visible to Kang Mu-hyuk’s eyes as well.

The mana shimmered a green hue. It wasn't ominous like the energy summoned by the Goblin Matron; it had an essence that brought a sense of coolness and refreshment.

Oddly enough, it seemed that only Kang Mu-hyuk could see these phenomena. Even the Hunters, who were supposedly closer to mana than anyone else, appeared blind to them.

‘I can’t figure out what this phenomenon is. It seems to be related to mana addiction, though.’

While Kang Mu-hyuk was lost in thought, Aila showed interest in Ju Se-ah.

"Is the person next to you Duke Ju Se-ah?"

“You have a peculiar way of speaking.”

“Wow, it's surprising that a human can be as strong as a Duke. By the standards here, you would be S-rank. And your potential could even surpass that.”

“No, I’m not quite there yet....”

“There's no need for modesty. You are already at S-rank, you just don’t realize it yourself. A slight catalyst is all that's needed to awaken that realm.”

Ju Se-ah was at a loss for words. Who was this woman to so confidently claim she was S-rank? It was a strange feeling to be informed of a level she herself had not perceived by another.

“Congratulations, Mr. Han. The S-rank you've been longing for has finally emerged in South Korea.”

“Are you teasing me, Alex? How can there be an S-rank that even the person themselves does not know?”

“Aila’s discernment is accurate. According to the Federation Elders, surpassing one's own limits happens in an instant and is often realized belatedly. Once you feel and can wield that power, you will soon be officially recognized as S-rank.”

Kang Mu-hyuk was more preoccupied with the men standing on either side of the robed woman than the fact that Ju Se-ah had become S-rank.

‘I’m not surprised that the Guild Master becoming S-rank is just a matter of time, but those two men pique my interest.’

While every Hunter present was at least A-rank, the men guarding the woman seemed particularly powerful. Excluding Ju Se-ah, they were among the strongest in South Korea.

Kang Mu-hyuk, ironically not a Hunter, felt the pressure in a way he hadn't experienced with any of the numerous Hunters he had met before. Whether it was due to mana addiction or not, the oppressive sensation weighed heavily on his shoulders.

He tried to shake off the pressure without showing it outwardly.

That was when Aila spoke to him.

“Since you seem to have a grasp of our situation, shall we introduce ourselves properly? I am Aila Frei from the World Hunter Federation.”

“Miss Aila!”

As Aila suddenly lifted the hood from her head, Alex exclaimed in surprise. Han Byung-Gu, who had arranged the meeting, let out a groan as if he had not anticipated her revealing her identity.

“Your ears...”

Ju Se-ah, surprised by her appearance, was unable to continue her words.

In contrast, Kang Mu-hyuk introduced himself without any hint of emotional fluctuation, as if his pulse remained steady.

“I am Kang Mu-hyuk from the Iron Will Guild.”

“You're not surprised?”

“As previously mentioned in our conversation, I suspected that you might be Ain-type, so that was no surprise to me."

"Aha, that scout from before! That person must have leaked my information, right? That person was truly remarkable. It's rare for these two here to miss anything. If it's not too much trouble, may I know how you noticed me and came to observe the Hunter Association?"

"I wasn't specifically keeping the alliance in mind. I merely paid closer attention to the Association President for other reasons."

"Are you kidding me? First, this guy sweet-talked me into sending reinforcements, and now, on top of luring away my granddaughter, he's boldly digging around the President of the Hunter Association of Korea? Did you learn your audacity from your Guild Master?!"

At Kang Mu-hyuk's words, Han Byung-Gu bristled and interjected. Naturally, Ju Se-ah couldn't stand by without getting involved either.

"Yes, old man. I learned that audacity from you."

"Why are you dragging me into the stuff you learned from that scoundrel?"

"Well, you taught Mr. Jang, old man. I learned it indirectly from you. In the end, I learned from you as well."

"By that logic, aren't you a student of my student? Is this how you treat the master of your master?"

"When is it that Mr. Jang is a student, huh? You said he was a pathetic thing, taught him a few things out of pity, then when he got cocky, you kicked him out, didn't you?"

"Goodness, that's why you're such a mess, having learned from such a pathetic thing."

"And what shall we call the one who taught the pathetic thing and the mess?"

The two went back and forth, neither willing to concede.

Kang Mu-hyuk and Aila moved away, distancing themselves from the quarrel. As the noise faded, Aila introduced Alex and Raven in turn.

No sooner had the introductions finished than Alex brought out a document, getting straight to the point.

"The Goblin Matron report. Did Mr. Kang write this?"

"It's about that matter, I see. Yes, I wrote it."

"Do you happen to have information on the Goblin Matron?"

"I'm aware that an A-class guild from Brazil in the Amazon was annihilated. I don't know the exact details, though."

"You've managed to gather that much from a report from abroad. That's quite impressive."

"It's a hobby of mine. I like to follow raids and monster information from other countries."

"The report doesn't mention why they were wiped out. What do you think, Mr. Kang?"

"Does it pertain to summoning?"

"..."

Alex hesitated for a moment.

'Did I overestimate him, or does he really know something?'

As they tried to discern each other's intentions, Aila spoke up.

"The alliance refers to it as an 'unknown entity'."

"Oh, Aila, please..."

"Alex, why hide it? He's the only person who survived the summoning. We are the ones who are at a loss."

"Only? It sounds as if there are more instances than just the Amazon case."

"That's correct. A notable example would be the 'Necromancer of Sader' incident."

"Sader?"

"The incident that took place in the African nation of Chad."

"Chad... Are you talking about the undead uproar? That was because of a necromancer?"

"Yes, that's right. In the local tribal language of the area, Chad is referred to as Sader. The tribe that first encountered it named it 'The Necromancer of Sader'."

Kang Mu-hyuk recalled the raid records he had seen in the past. It was definitely mentioned that a Gate in one of Africa's unstable regions burst open, resulting in a surge of undead.

The number of undead was significant, escalating the situation to a war-level mission. Subsequently, the corpses began to rise in succession, leading to a joint response from the surrounding nations.

Eventually, the mission was escalated to an apocalypse-level crisis, and only by mobilizing Africa's top Hunters were they able to narrowly avert disaster.

"I've heard that a significant number of Hunters lost their lives during that time. Because of that, half of Africa has now become a den of monsters and villains. Did that necromancer emerge from the Gate?"

"No, there was no Gate. That was just what was reported externally."

"Didn't you just say that the necromancer came out?"

"It didn't come out. More precisely, the necromancer was created. It transformed an ordinary human being."

"Created?! Transformed from a person?"

Ju Se-ah, who had just ended a dispute and joined them, asked in astonishment.

Kang Mu-hyuk knew why she was particularly shocked. She had a history of hunting necromancers during her time in the Slayer Guild.

Therefore, she knew better than anyone the terror of a necromancer. The thought of such a monster being created outside of a Gate was naturally alarming. He felt the same way.

Aila nodded and continued, "In the end, the entity that the necromancer summoned at the last was what annihilated the African Hunters. However, the cause that created the necromancer was found elsewhere. We suspect that it was made by an 'unknown entity' as well."

"What was the cause?"

"It was due to a certain book."

"A book?"

"We have a suitable term for it here. The lawbook of the dead. We've named it the 'Necronomicon.'"

—

"Crazy! The 'Iga Clan' has entered Korea?"

It was natural for Kim Myung-jun to be surprised. Without warning, one of the Japanese guild alliances' assassination squads had entered Korea.

Moreover, the identity of the assassination squad was none other than the elite Iga Clan, said to carry on the legacy of ninjas.

They were famous for being 'Iga Ninjas,' affiliated with Hattori Hanzo, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"Ninjas are just a play on words. It's just that they couldn't find a name for the assassination organization, so they borrowed the name of ninjas. Damn them. Do they think this is the Warring States period?"

Kim Myung-jun could not hide his vexation. It was because of the Slayer Guild.

Would they be unaware of the Iga Clan's entry, the guild that trembled at the mere mention of Japanese influence?

In Japan, it might be unknown, but in Korea, they reigned like kings. Even if it took time to identify them, it was highly likely that they had noticed any interference from the Japanese Hunters in Korea.

'Even a stray dog commands half the respect in its own yard. No matter how much the Korean Hunter community has declined, the Slayer is not a force to be taken lightly. The alliance is underestimating this place too much.'

With the information network of the Slayer Guild, even the slightest clue could lead to a relentless pursuit and the uncovering of his connection to the Japanese side.

Perhaps the moment of decision was approaching. The current predicament suggested as much.

It was a catch-22 situation.

Whether the operation succeeded or failed, his identity was likely to be revealed.

'Well, I've held on for quite some time. There hasn't been any major change in the domestic Hunter community, after all.'

With that thought, he realized the reason behind the current debacle.

"Kang Mu-hyuk... Damn! Nothing's been going right since that guy became the Guild Leader. Of all people, he had to stick with Ju Se-ah!"

He had made a mistake in taking it lightly when he heard that an ordinary person had become a Guild Leader. He should have intervened actively from that point on, sowing discord between the Hunter Association and other guilds that looked down on the new leadership structure.

Kim Myung-jun calmed his excitement with a deep breath.

'What's the use of holding on to the past?'

His eyes narrowed into slits like a serpent’s, the very eyes Noh Song-rin had once said could turn cruel at any moment.

“He’s in Korea now, so I suppose I should meet him.”

Kim Myung-jun set out to rendezvous with the leader of the Iga Clan, at a location provided by Chae Dae-su of Union Asset Management.

The appointed meeting place turned out to be quite unexpected.

…

"Kyaaak! Oppa!"

"BTA! BTA! BTA!"

The stage was alive with upbeat dance music and flamboyant dance moves.

It was behind the scenes at a grand theater, thronged with thousands of spectators.

“My name is Handa Ryushin.”

“You seem to enjoy noisy places. Indeed, here we can avoid attracting attention. I am Kim Myung-jun, executive of Han Sung Enterprises.”

Kim Myung-jun offered a handshake in fluent Japanese, but Handa Ryushin didn’t even spare a glance as he spoke.

“I'm here purely for business. Iga Clan is involved in the entertainment industry. The purpose of my visit is to attract Korean idol concerts to Japan.”

“While you’re at it, you’re also aiming for Ju Se-ah, aren’t you?”

“How could we possibly go after Ju Se-ah? We're not even ranked S. We never overestimate our abilities.”

“But why come to Korea…”

“To hunt a long-lived one, one must first bring down the horse.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Kang Mu-hyuk.”

Kim Myung-jun swallowed hard.

“I heard he’s the culprit.”

—

‘Damn it, why does it have to be in Japanese? I can’t understand a thing. Something about Kang Mu-hyuk. Maybe I should acquire a translation skill, huh? Oh? Too expensive?’

Mr. Jo was lurking in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Normally, he would have his minions monitor Hanseong Corporation or tap their phones, but he personally shadowed Kim Myung-jun whenever he moved.

He had set out today without much thought, only to stumble upon Kim Myung-jun meeting with a suspicious figure.

‘If they’re speaking Japanese, it must be related to the Union. Given the high caliber of the Hunter, he’s likely from some guild in Japan. Too risky to get closer, though? There are too many around concealing their presence. Kim Myung-jun seems aware of it but hasn't pinpointed their exact locations. Well, only someone like me would notice their positions anyway.’

Mr. Jo was acutely aware of the hidden Hunters’ positions around him, while they were completely oblivious to his presence—a testament to his superiority in the same profession.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve heard about these kinds of guys in Japan... Ninjas, was it? Could these be them?’

A Hunter group stuck in a bygone era, specializing in assassination, infiltration, and espionage.

Mr. Jo thought of the ninjas fostered by the various guilds in Japan.

‘Heh, whatever the case, these guys reek of money. Kang Mu-hyuk, my dear customer, I’ll add a little extra to your bill for the last association job.’

—

"Ugh, it's so irritating."

"Huh? Eul-ji, what did you say?!"

"Nothing."

"What?!"

"I said it's nothing!"

Amidst the roaring cheers, Go Eul-ji raised her voice and swung her fan club's light stick, singing along to BTA's song.

While Kim Nari soon turned her attention back to the stage, Eul-ji could not concentrate. It was the sensations of movement behind the stage that were distracting her.

'Why the heck are there so many Hunters at an idol fan meeting? They aren't bodyguards. It's really bothersome.'

Before the concert started, as she was checking when BTA would appear on stage, she had used her abilities only to inadvertently detect some suspicious presences.

Go Eul-ji's specialty was telekinesis.

Commonly referred to as psychokinesis, this power was more than just manipulating physical forces. It was, more precisely, an ability to dominate space. The term 'telekinesis' had been broadly applied as it involved moving objects within space.

Dominating space held far more tremendous potential than mere combat strength.

Kang Mu-hyuk was well aware of this, which was why he thought it was like a treasure falling from the sky and had immediately recruited her.

'Especially that over there. Wow! If it wasn't for my ability, I wouldn't have noticed. They're hiding so well that you can't even tell something's there. Ah, that really gets on my nerves. If I don't concentrate for even a moment, I feel like I'll lose track of them.'

Externally, Go Eul-ji appeared to be an ordinary high school girl who loved idols, but she was also a top-tier A-rank Hunter. Instinctively, she was on guard due to a stealthy and sticky aura in her surroundings, despite her attempts to ignore it.

Eul-ji felt anger towards those ruining the long-awaited fan meeting she had been looking forward to.

'I have a meal voucher to eat with the BTA oppas anyway, should I just blast these pests away? No, no, that would be disrespectful to the other fans. Ugh... Be patient, just be patient.'

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