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

The hospital room, dimly lit by a faint nightlight, was dark. When he turned his head, he saw light pouring in through the uncurtained window, casting shadows on the ceiling. The shadows flitted about like a chaotic play.

It was then--

Thud!

A mysterious sound hit the hospital floor.

"If you're up, let's have a chat, yeah? Mr. Chairman."

Tae Jinsung turned his head towards the dark interior. A shadowy figure rose from the sofa, leaning on a long cane, approaching slowly with repeated tapping sounds.

"Kang Mu-hyuk..."

"Is this how you handle things?! You bragged about being a Tier Guild but you can't do anything right!!"

• Vice Chairman Tae Sucheol, this isn't our fault.

"What?!"

• The information was wrong from the start! We didn't hear anything about an A-rank Hunter protecting the chairman.

"You mean M-Mr. Jung? I didn't know about that either."

• We did our best. Because of the previous assassination failure, we deployed skilled B-rank Hunters this time. But if the bodyguard is a high-rank Hunter, there's nothing we can do.

"Then just use an A-rank..."

• It's not like we're starting a war. You want us to use an A-rank Hunter to kill an old man? That's ridiculous.

"Why are you being so serious about it?"

Tae Sucheol was annoyed by the way he spoke. Even if he was a Hunter, how dare he look down on someone older and with higher social status like himself! For someone like him who'd looked like a crown prince his whole life, it was humiliating.

As if he sensed this, the Hunter's voice turned calmer. Although he was a civilian, he was the heir to a conglomerate. Fighting over emotions was a waste when they were both on the same boat, holding each other's weaknesses.

• Vice Chairman, even if we are a Tier Guild, there are few high-rank Hunters who aren't well-known. These types of Hunters are usually called 'Ghosts' in our field. Ghosts themselves are valuable assets to the guild. Using a Ghost against an A-ranker means losing the advantage of their anonymity.

"Then use another high-ranking..."

• Are you trying to advertise that White Tiger Guild tried to kill the Taesung Group chairman? Hunters have all sorts of skills and traits in the world. Even if we try to hide it, there are cases where it can't be hidden. We can't take that risk.

"So what are you suggesting we do?!"

• Just stay quiet for now. As long as our trail isn't found, you won't be harmed. We'll get more opportunities again.

Kang Mu-hyuk looked down at the old man, known as a giant in the business world. The face, once full of vigor, now displayed signs of exhaustion. Age spots were scattered across his face, and his deeply wrinkled skin resembled a cracked dry field.

'But his eyes are still as fierce as ever.'

Tae Jinsung, lying down, glared at Kang Mu-hyuk and said, "Visiting a patient in hospital in the middle of the night? You're quite a rude guy."

"Ah? Here, this cane is a get-well-soon gift. It's made from expensive wood from the Demonic Realm."

"Giving a used item as a gift?"

"It's secondhand but I barely used it. A day or two? Please accept it as a token of my sincerity. You'll need it more than I do."

"I don't need a cane yet."

"You will soon."

"..."

"I secretly looked at your medical chart."

"Isn't it illegal to look at someone else's medical records?"

"They just showed it to me. Of course, that's illegal too, but in this line of work, you can't get anything done if you only follow the law and morals."

"Looks like I need to switch up the hospital staff."

"It's no use replacing the staff. Why do you think the hospital showed me your medical records?"

Tae Jinsung silently looked up at Kang Mu-hyuk. He had built Taesung into one of the leading conglomerates from a mere footnote in the business world. He had inherited the group in his 30s and endured the Great War. Even the chaos of the Minor War hadn't brought him down. Major guild owners treated him with caution.

Most people couldn't withstand his gaze, but Kang Mu-hyuk received it calmly, as if he was a man without emotions. It was the chairman who eventually averted his eyes.

Kang Mu-hyuk continued speaking, "Although your life isn't in immediate danger, they said you've been exposed to aggressive mana. You won't be able to maintain your previous health. Or rather, it will worsen. Like any old person, the aging you had delayed with various Gate elixirs will accelerate."

"Hmph! It's natural for an old man to die of old age. Why are you so excited about that? What an evil taste you've got."

"It might be cruel to tell this to someone who survived a near-death experience, but since you've made others do cruel things, just listen."

"..."

"Time is no longer on your side. The hospital knows this, which is why they handed your medical information to me, someone who works with Guildmaster Ju Se-ah."

"So, they're already choosing sides, huh. Listen here, Kang Mu-hyuk. I am Tae Jinsung! I still have a long way to go before I die... Ugh!"

Tae Jinsung, in a fit of anger, tried to get up but collapsed back onto the bed due to the intense pain.

Kang Mu-hyuk approached the bed, setting the cane beside him, and said, "It might be bearable now, but you won't be able to live like before, looking 10 or 20 years ahead. What will you do about the succession issue?"

"Why do you care about that?"

"I don't. I was worried when I didn't know, but now I know why this happened to you."

"What?"

"The reason you tried to get rid of Vice Chairman Tae Sucheol."

"!!"

Kang Mu-hyuk took out his smartphone and played a file.

• Ah, Dr. Kim. It's Tae Sucheol. You said my father had a health check-up recently? How was it? No problems, right? Ah, that's a relief. Good to hear he's healthy. Ha ha, living to 100? He might just do that. He's never had any serious illness, so...

The rest of the content was mundane, just some medical opinions from the doctor.

Tae Jinsung listened to the recording till the end and scoffed.

"Now you're into wiretapping?"

"It's a file from five years ago."

"..."

"An acquaintance gave it to me, but it seemed useless at first. The content didn't reveal much. When I first heard it, I wondered why they handed me such an insignificant recording. It just sounds like a filial son caring about his father's health, doesn't it?"

"..."

"So I called the person who gave me the file and asked the reason. They only said one thing."

"..."

"Would a son who cares about his father's health do that?"

"..."

"I realized it immediately. The vice chairman is very interested in your health. When will you fall ill? When will you die? When will he inherit the group?"

"So! So what?!"

"You're nearing eighty. The vice chairman is in his fifties. Though your health's declining now, before you could have lived to ninety or a hundred with all the health-boosting herbs from the Gate. The vice chairman would then be in his seventies or eighties. What would he do with the group then? He'd have way too little time left, and there's no guarantee he'll be as healthy as you."

Tae Jinsung's chin quivered. He couldn't contain the fury boiling over from having his family's dirty laundry exposed.

Kang Mu-hyuk had no intention of stopping there.

"Other heirs of the same age as the vice chairman have already taken the helm. There are plenty of younger chairmen, too. How long can he stay a vice chairman and the heir? He must be tired of waiting. He probably wished for you to disappear."

"Stop it!"

"So the vice chairman involved White Tiger Guild to have you killed, but failed. Afterward, you found out he was behind it. That's why, instead of the children who had already lost in the succession race, you turned to Guildmaster Ju Se-a---"

"I said stop! How dare you, you arrogant rascal!"

"Even if you don't want to hear it, listen. Because of you, people who didn't want to die but did."

"Security! Security! What are the guards doing?!"

"How do you think I got in here?"

Tae Jinsung stopped shouting. Despite his fury, his reason was still intact. The years that had suddenly beset his old body had not yet reached his mind.

Breathing heavily but gradually calming down, Tae Jinsung faced Kang Mu-hyuk, who leaned in closer.

"Chairman, your era is ending. The vice chairman failed in his assassination attempt but achieved his goal. You have to think about the future. Will you let someone like him sit in the chairman's seat? For the record, the Guild Master won't sit in the chairman's seat. Once again, time is not on your side. And our guild doesn't need to be desperate for your choice. If we wait, we'll win."

Tae Jinsung felt as if he couldn't breathe. His eyes still glinted fiercely like a tiger's, but they were gradually losing their strength. He finally realized he was an old tiger, and it was time to leave behind only his hide.

"Should I consider it fortunate that Se-ah has you, or unfortunate that the group might get ruined because of you?"

"The Guild Master isn't interested in the group."

"So she can catch a few monsters? Or take over a guild? I can't believe I tried to use a madman who wants to overthrow one of Korea's leading conglomerates. It was the biggest mistake of my life."

"Time is running out."

"I know. I'm more aware of my health than anyone, even without you saying it."

"That's not what I mean. I mean the news of your declining health becoming public. As your health deteriorates, your influence on the group will also decrease."

"So what do you propose? Should we oust Sucheol immediately? Unfortunately, even I can't do that without a valid reason. When I appointed him as my successor, the people I handed over are now entirely his. If I could've ousted him completely, I would've done so long ago without these complications."

Kang Mu-hyuk straightened his posture, tapping the armrest of the patient bed.

"There's a way to oust him."

"What?"

"There's a definite reason for disqualification, isn't there?"

"Don't tell me..."

"No matter how harsh the world is with monsters rampaging, the virtue of 'filial piety' still holds in Korea. The people you handed over won't follow a scoundrel."

"Don't you think I've considered that? There's no evidence. I can't oust him on suspicion alone."

"What about White Tiger Guild?"

"What about them?"

"Those who take on dirty jobs don't trust their dirty clients. They must have evidence. It'll take some time, but I'll get that evidence."

"White Tiger Guild is a Tier-ed Guild. They're hard to touch. If it takes too long, it'll be useless given my health."

"I'm in more of a hurry than you. I don't want to play the inheritance game forever. I want to focus on the guild's main work. Once this is over, I'll be happily catching monsters."

"Huh? Happily? I've been through the Great War and the Small War. I've supported Hunters. I know how tough it is. That's why I tried to get Se-ah out of it. It's far from an easy path."

Tae Jinsung scoffed. Kang Mu-hyuk responded with a snort.

"It's even less of a path for you to mock."

Despite the cold contempt and rage in his eyes, Tae Jinsung felt a chill in his chest that surpassed his anger. As rumored, this man would do anything to catch monsters. He'd destroy Taesung Group if it got in his way. This proposal might be his last straw of patience.

"I admit it. I'm at a disadvantage now. I'll have to take your hand."

"Even if you switch gears, you won't be able to let go of my hand."

"..."

"That was a joke."

"If you wanted to catch me off guard with a foolish joke, you almost succeeded. Because that was really pathetic."

"..."