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

"We're calling for volunteer Hunters. You can find the recruitment details on the Guild Cooperation Agency website starting at midnight tonight. You can fill out the consent form and head to Cheongjin City Hall."

"The volunteer raid team will get basic gear and ampoule kits. Freelance Hunters can also earn extra points towards national contribution. The team will be led by Hunter Association President Han Byunggu."

"Hunters, we need you to protect the country from turning into another Demonic Realm. Please come to Cheongjin City. That's all."

He ended the press conference abruptly without taking any questions. But no one was upset, because everyone knew he was heading straight to the battlefield.

As soon as Kang Mu-hyuk got into the car, Chief Oh Jungyeon, who had been waiting inside, handed him a tablet.

"Guild Leader, here are the documents for approval. This one is for financial expenses. The next one is a repair bill for the equipment in Warehouse C. Then there's a facility management report for the Hunter Village. And here's the document about this month's ampoule kit supply."

Usually, Oh Jungyeon managed the communications team, but because Kang Mu-hyuk didn't have a personal secretary, she was temporarily doing that job. On top of that, with Team Leader Pyo Beomhee was also heading to Cheongjin City, she was handling various guild tasks, no matter which department they were from.

Kang Mu-hyuk used the car ride to deal with the stack of guild documents that needed his approval. Although he had given Oh Jungyeon the authority to handle small matters, anything related to finances required his personal review.

"Chief Oh, how many documents need my signature?"

"There are 27 simple approvals, and 19 that need your review."

"What needs reviewing?"

"The most urgent one is the potion supply issue. Hanju has told us they'll only supply ampoule kits until next month. I've shortlisted six domestic companies, both large and small, and four importers for you to consider as new suppliers. I've organized all the details, including potion grades and pricing, so you'll need to make the final decision."

"No need to explain it all now. I'll read through and ask if I have questions. But Hanju is giving us until next month?"

"Yes, until the 10th."

"It's going to be tough to choose a new supplier and place an order. But I guess we should be thankful for the month's notice. I thought they'd cut us off right away after what happened."

"Director Oh Jungsu from Hanju Group sends his apologies. He said giving us an extra month was the best he could do."

"Well, considering Chairman Oh's personality, we should be grateful. This will take a while, though. Do you think you'll be okay? We've got a long drive ahead."

"We'll be fine. Once we get to Cheongjin City, I'll take the backup vehicle to return to the guild whenever you're ready."

"Alright. I'll try to get through this as quickly as possible so the return trip isn't too long."

Kang Mu-hyuk got straight to work, not stopping for a break. Luckily, by the time they were passing Hamheung City, he had finished all the approvals.

"I'll switch cars at the next rest stop."

Oh Jungyeon called the support vehicle trailing behind. She switched cars at a rest stop about 10 kilometers further down the road.

"Thanks for all your hard work. I know the guild keeps you busy. Sorry for dragging you all the way out here."

"It's no problem. There are people risking their lives on the front lines; this is the least I can do."

"Be careful heading back, and reach out if anything comes up."

"Please take care of yourself, sir."

After giving a deep bow, she got into the backup vehicle and headed toward North Pocheon.

Kang Mu-hyuk settled back into his car. His body felt heavy, sinking into the leather seat. He was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come. He rubbed his tired eyes and stared out the window. The highway was nearly empty, with only a few street lights breaking the darkness. The sky was pitch black, with no moonlight at all.

He focused on the road markings as they passed by, his mind starting to drift. Just as he was about to nod off, his phone rang and startled him awake.

"Yes, Director."

"Did I wake you? You sound like you were sleeping."

"No, I was just dozing off a bit. I'm on my way to Cheongjin City now."

"You must be wiped out. Dealing with politicians can really take a toll."

"It was exhausting, but it was worth it this time."

"I heard. My summons to the prosecutor's office has been canceled."

"That's great news."

"I'm not so sure. They've only hit pause for now. The forgery charges are still hanging over me, so I'll probably be called back in once this is all over."

"Do you think they're trying to manipulate you?"

"Seems that way. Looks like they want to control the cooperation agency from the top, by basically telling me to play along."

Cha Gil-joo said with a bitter tone. A dry, cynical laugh followed from the other end of the line.

Sensing the mood, Kang shifted the conversation.

"How's the volunteer corps situation? Any problems?"

"No, apart from a quick call from the Blue House just to check in, it's been quiet so far."

"Well, that's a relief."

"Since you made that statement on live TV, they wouldn't dare get in the way. If they tried to stop people willing to fight monsters, they'd never survive the public backlash."

"If it wasn't election season, they might have thrown up some procedural hurdles. But we didn't give them time to overthink it, by launching the website right away. They're probably too busy scrambling right now, but trust me, they'll try to rein it in later. Stay alert."

"Don't worry. The horse has already bolted, and it's practically a wild one. No reins left to grab."

"A wild horse, huh?"

"We've been flooded with calls from Hunters, even before the website went live. The cooperation agency staff haven't even gone home---they're all pulling overtime to keep up."

Kang Mu-hyuk was silent for a moment. Judging by Cha Gil-joo's excited tone, the response from the Hunters had far exceeded expectations, even more than what Kang Mu-hyuk had anticipated. Still, he stayed calm.

"We can't get ahead of ourselves just yet. Who knows how long the interest will last or how many will actually register on the site. Even if they do, we might not see many showing up in Cheongjin City."

"Time will tell. So, how are you planning to run the unified strike force?"

"I'll start by selecting a raid captain."

"Weren't you planning to lead the raid yourself?"

"That was never the plan, and I'm not in a position to do so."

"Then why take full control over everything?"

"Because it makes organizing the team a whole lot easier."

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple. If some civilian tried to step in and lead the raid, do you think the Hunters would accept it?"

"Oh, right. They'd demand that a qualified Hunter take charge, especially for something as big as a unified raid."

"If the argument over appointing the raid captain heats up, it'll drown out any debate over reviving the unified strike force. Plus, the top guilds will start thinking along these lines..."

"What will they think?"

"We gotta secure the raid captain position for ourselves."

Cha Gil-joo was left speechless this time.

It was a brilliant tactic. The unified strike force had the authority to choose any Hunter and could mobilize resources by force.

For the guilds, this meant almost unlimited power. Even though it was a temporary power, depending on how they handled it, it could greatly boost the guild's prestige and influence.

Once the team was formed, it could also be re-formed later. That was why deciding the leader at the start was so important.

By playing on their pride to not let a civilian take the lead and ambition to control the raid's power, Kang Mu-hyuk had managed to bury the whole debate about forming the team.

Now, the only remaining question was: who would lead the raid?

Cha Gil-joo, while admiring Mu-hyuk's strategy, realized the next phase wouldn't be easy either.

"So, the key issue is who becomes the raid captain?"

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of that."

"You've already solved it? When?"

Kang Mu-hyuk smiled slightly.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Ring! Ring!

"Yes, this is Sung Seonjae."

"This is Jung Woosu from the Unified Raid Personnel Committee."

"Go ahead."

"Hunter Sung Seonjae, we are appointing you as the captain of the National Unified Strike Force."

"I see."

"You have the option to decline, and if you do, there will be no consequences. Do you accept the role of raid captain?"

"Yes, I accept the appointment as the Unified Strike Force Team Captain."

"The committee confirms that Hunter Sung Seonjae has accepted the role of National Unified Strike Force Raid Team Captain. You are now authorized to recruit any Hunter in the country and mobilize any resources, with government support. It's a heavy responsibility, but on behalf of the people, we wish you luck."

"I will make sure the monsters are defeated."

"Good luck."

After hanging up, Sung Seonjae immediately called another number.

"Guild Leader Kang, I got the call. As you predicted, they appointed me as raid captain."

"Even though the process was official, people will still have a lot to say."

"I've handled more difficult people before. That's part of the fun."

"Shall we begin?"

"Yes, send the raid member list to the guilds."

"Damn it! They really pulled a fast one on me!"

Ryuhyuk, the strategy chief of the Wanderer Guild, another tier Guild, slammed his fists on his desk in anger.

The news had just come out that the Unified Strike Personnel Committee had appointed Sung Seonjae of Slayer as raid captain. But Ryuhyuk wasn't angry at the committee or Sung Seonjae. His frustration was directed at Kang Mu-hyuk.

"I can't believe they considered contribution points based on the forces deployed at the Cheongjin-Hyesan defense line. If I had known, I would've stayed in Cheongjin! Kang Mu-hyuk... Is this why he sent our expedition team to Sinuiju?"

Ryuhyuk had pulled his guild's forces back to the rear because he was upset that Slayer's forces had stayed in Sinuiju. He even convinced other guilds to move their forces to Sinuiju as well. In the process, since Ruhyuk had handled the negotiations, he secured a leadership role, overseeing northern affairs for the major guilds, except Slayer.

Plus, he also deployed two raid teams In Cheongjin, along Slayer's, so no one could accuse them of not doing their part. Until now, everything seemed to be going well.

"I never expected Slayer to secretly strengthen their raid team or deploy their best Hunters..."

While other guilds had sent just enough forces to maintain appearances, Slayer had replaced their regular forces in Cheongjin with elite Hunters. Meaning, unlike their outer appearance of being a step back in Sinuiju, it was the Slayer Guild who mobilized most of their forces.

Because of their proactive defense, the committee ended up choosing a raid captain from the guild with the strongest reputation.

"Kang Mu-hyuk... I should've known when I saw that smug face. So, you're just as the rumors say, huh? I won't forget what you did to me."

Yet, he couldn't figure out the other reason why Kang Mu-hyuk had sent him to Sinuiju.

Meanwhile, Guan Hong was struggling to focus on the Demonic Realm. It was because the top guilds in Korea had unexpectedly gathered their forces in Sinuiju.

"Every major guild is here, except White Tiger. What are they planning?"

His lord, Bi Wen Jun, was recovering from his duel with Ju Se-ah, who was also injured and recovering. The Dandong raid team and Xiao Zhan were out of action as well.

In terms of forces, they were far behind the guilds gathered in Sinuiju.

"We can't let this continue. I need to pull back some of our forces to prepare just in case."

Although this would weaken their position in the Demonic Realm, he knew he had to prevent the forces in Sinuiju from advancing further.

Guan Hong contacted the strategy team of the Yellow Dragon Guild.

"Withdraw the expedition team and send them to Dandong."