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

At the Tier Guild in Seoul, particularly the Wanderer Guild:

"Gong Jungmoon, Na Youngsik, and Choi Taesu, you three have been selected for the unified strike force."

Gong Jungmoon, the most senior of the group, asked with confusion, "Just the three of us? From Tier Guild? Isn't there a mistake, captain?"

"Do you know how many Gates we are handling right now? Plus, we've already sent two teams to the Cheongjin defense line. If we sent everyone, we'd have to close up shop. We settled on just you three, so don't embarrass yourselves there."

"Do we look like the type to embarrass anyone?"

"I'm just saying, don't cause any trouble. You know Sung Seonjae will be there, right? Don't give him a reason to make things harder for the Guild Master."

"Oh, Sung Seonjae... I really can't stand that guy."

"Who does? He should be stuck with paperwork in strategy, not out in the field. Why he insists on coming, I'll never know. If So Sangyeob were leading, I'd at least understand."

"I don't like So Sangyeob either."

"Is there anyone in the Slayer team you actually like? Just be glad it's not Ju Se-ah."

"Ju Se-ah or Sung Seonjae, they're both crazy. They've just got different styles at being that way. The difference is one's strong, and the other's sneaky."

"Either way, if I hear Wanderer messed up, I'll make sure you hate me more than Sung Seonjae."

Meanwhile, at the Green Wings Guild, also a Tier Guild in Jeju, "Gye Myungsik, Do Dohee, Moon Ilsu, and Seo Sein? Wow, they really picked the four biggest troublemakers. You couldn't come up with a worse team even if you tried."

"Haa, Captain, that's a bit much. We're still part of the expedition team, after all. If anyone heard you, they'd think we're always causing trouble."

"Sein, it's just you who needs to do a good job. Behave, yeah?"

"Myungsik, should I kill 'just' you?"

"Me? You? Even Dohee just beat the shit out of you. Kekek"

"Hey, that was in the game. She is a Grand Master, for crying out loud."

"Exactly. Why did a Silver ranker like you think you could take on a Grand Master?"

"You were the one who hid your rank and used an alt account to log in. You're so cheap. You lied about your rank over a bet?"

"Even in real life, you wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"Wanna bet on that?"

"Bring it on."

Do Dohee and Seo Sein grabbed each other by the collars, their tempers flaring. The Green Wings expedition captain quickly intervened, hitting both of them on the head, as if playing whack-a-mole.

Smack! Smack!

"Ow!"

"Ahhh... The tank just hit us in the head..."

"You rascals! Get moving and head to the Demonic Realm, now!"

At the Busan branch of the Tier Guild, known as the Warrior Guild:

"Go."

"Nope, not happening."

"Sung Samshik, while I'm asking you nicely---go."

"No way."

"You want to die?"

"No."

"Go."

"I told you I'm not going. You go."

Watching the two Hunters argue, the other members of the Warrior Guild shook their heads in frustration.

A Hunter who had arrived late and wasn't aware of the situation asked his teammate, "What's going on with Sung Samshik and Jung Dushik?"

"Samshik got selected for the unified raid, but he is refusing to go."

"Oh, so Dushik's trying to convince him?"

"Yeah, if Samshik doesn't go, Dushik, being the senior, has to."

"Wait, only one of us got picked?"

"No, two."

"So why's Dushik acting like that? Who's the other guy?"

"Dushik."

"Huh? I thought if Samshik doesn't go, Dushik has to. Why are they arguing about who's going?"

"The captain's playing with them. He said only one has to go, so now they've been arguing for three hours. Tch tch. Stubborn idiots."

"Just tell them the truth and send them already. They did this last time too---argued for three days straight."

"The captain wants to see how long they'll keep going. He even said if they're still at it when he gets back, he'll kick them off the expedition entirely."

"These stubborn fools. They're both going to end up kicked out."

Soon, most of the Hunters, tired of watching the argument, walked away. But the two kept going.

"Go."

"Nope."

Their argument continued until the expedition captain returned. When he saw the same scene playing out, he lost his temper and yelled, "GET OUT, YOU IDIOTS! If you keep this up, I'll kick you both off the team!"

"Thank you so much for coming. Really, thank you. Your presence will make a big difference. Yes, thank you again."

Kang Mu-hyuk moved through the crowd gathered in the parking lot of Cheongjin City Hall, shaking hands and offering thanks at every step. Most of the crowd consisted of Hunters, with freelancers making up a large portion of the group.

Since the volunteer corps recruitment announcement, hundreds of Hunters had arrived each day for the past five days. In less than a week, they had surpassed their target of 500 members, reaching almost 3,000.

Kang Mu-hyuk had been making a habit of showing up regularly at the volunteer raid registration office. He did this so often that it seemed like he was a politician on a campaign trail.

"What's he up to, coming here every morning and night like this? His fingerprints are going to rub off after all those handshakes."

Han Byunggu muttered from the fifth floor of City Hall, watching Kang Mu-hyuk with disdain.

"He's just trying to show his appreciation to the Hunters for stepping up, right? After all, to them, Guild Leader Kang represents the leadership of the volunteer corps. He's probably trying to boost morale by showing that leadership is engaged."

Cha Gil-joo explained, defending Kang's actions. But Chairman Han shook his head.

"You still don't know that guy, Director Cha. That guy isn't the type to waste time every morning just for a little goodwill. I've never met anyone as crafty as him, even during my active service. If we had someone like him during the Great War, China and Japan would have been the ones suffering like we were."

"Haha, you make him sound like a villain."

"He's worse than a villain. He's the ultimate schemer, someone who thrives in chaos."

"Well, things aren't as chaotic as they were during the Great War, so you probably don't need to worry so much."

"Maybe not, but back then, we didn't have to worry about principles or justifications. We accepted the madness. Push it too far, though, and that madness becomes dangerous. We're on the edge of that right now."

Down below, Kang Mu-hyuk continued mingling with the volunteer Hunters, making sure to leave a lasting impression before moving on to his next task. The Hunters in the parking lot had arrived individually, so they met casually outside. However, guild leaders who mobilized entire guilds for the volunteer corps needed a more formal meeting place.

None of the guilds participating were large or even mid-sized, but the fact that some guilds had joined as a group carried a lot of weight. It wasn't out of admiration for their sense of duty or justice. Instead, it was because guilds that had worked together for a long time were more effective on the battlefield than individual freelancers.

On the first day, the Dog Fighting Guild appeared. Within five days, 17 small and mid-sized guilds had gathered in Cheongjin. Unfortunately, most were either unranked or lower than C-rank guilds. Occasionally, a C-rank guild showed up, but they barely provided any significant reinforcements.

Today was different, though. For the first time, a guild close to B-rank had expressed interest in joining the volunteer corps. Kang Mu-hyuk met with the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master  of the Twins Guild in the City Council's meeting room.

"It's been a while, Guild Leader Kang. I'm Oh Cheoljin, master of the Twins Guild."

"I'm Oh Cheolsu, the vice-master."

Kang Mu-hyuk knew the twins well. They were twin Hunters who had failed to stop an Oldster Sorcerer at the Ichon Hangang Park Gate on Gangbyeon Buk-ro, which caused an outbreak.

At the time, Kang Mu-hyuk hadn't met them in person due to his mana poisoning flaring up after handling the incident. However, he had heard about their reputation as loyal Hunters.

Their guild was known for being incredibly close-knit because the twins always led from the front, risking their lives. Although their ranks hadn't reached A+, their guild was considered close to B-rank thanks to the high average rank and combat skill of its members.

Kang Mu-hyuk shook hands with the leaders of the Twins Guild, recalling the latest updates about them.

"Thank you for coming all this way to support us. I heard both of you were recently promoted to A-rank---congratulations, Guild Master Oh Cheoljin and Vice Master Oh Cheolsu. There's even talk of a B-rank upgrade soon."

"Thank you. We're honored that you know about us. Honestly, we owe it all to you, Guild Leader Kang."

"Me?"

"Yeah, back at the Ichon Gate. If you and Guild Master Ju Se-ah hadn't come to help us, we wouldn't have survived."

"Oh, that incident...?"

"Exactly. Barely making it through gave us the breakthrough we needed to rank up. A lot of our members advanced in rank after surviving that day. Without your help, our guild would've been wiped out after the failure at Ichon Gate. We're here to repay that debt."

Though this wasn't Kang's original plan, the Twins Guild's support was a great boost for him.

Smiling gratefully, Kang said, "You've been a tremendous help. I can't thank you enough."

"We should be thanking you. We'll give our best to defend the line."

In the convention room of the Grand Hotel in Cheongjin City...

Although it was a local city hotel, the Grand Hotel in Cheongjin---home to the top guilds of North Hamgyong Province---offered amenities that rivaled the best five-star hotels in Seoul.

Half of Cheongjin had been destroyed by the monster invasion, but the Grand Hotel, located in the southern part of the city, had escaped the devastation of war.

As a result, it was chosen as the site for the launch ceremony of the National Unified Strike Force Raid Group. Dozens of Hunters and hundreds of support staff sat at their tables, which were labeled with their guild names.

The Hunters enjoyed the endless flow of food, chatting, laughing, and drinking freely.

!!

But the lively atmosphere changed in an instant.

A man had just entered the room.

It was Sung Seonjae.

He wasn't showing off any overwhelming aura, nor was he wearing flashy gear. But somehow, his mere presence demanded the attention of every Hunter in the room.

Sung Seonjae's reputation, his achievements, the monsters he had slain, and the villains he had defeated---all were well-known. His skills were so impressive that before Ju Se-ah, he had been considered a prime candidate for S-rank.

The Hunters of the Slayer Guild followed him in.

'So Sangyeob, Ha Hyesung, Gam Wooyoung, Go Wonmae... and even Yeo Mungi? Looks like the Slayer Guild is bringing out their top Hunters.'

Jeon Yesung, the Dragon Slayer Guild's Guild Master, was the only one from his guild chosen to join the raid. He was still actively hunting on the front lines, and his push to join the strike force had been too strong for the Guild Cooperation Agency to ignore.

Sung Seonjae had reluctantly appointed him as a vice commander. Despite being a Guild Master, Jeon's skills made the decision a wise one.

After the Slayer Guild members took their seats, Sung Seonjae stepped up to the podium at the front of the room.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's start the launch ceremony."

The Hunters from the Slayer Guild clapped, and the rest of the Hunters joined in, though with less enthusiasm.

As the applause faded, Sung Seonjae began his speech.

"First, let's announce the key roles for this raid so we can get familiar with each other. I'll begin with myself. I'm Sung Seonjae, your raid leader---though I have much to learn. As vice commander, we have the esteemed Guild Master Jeon Yesung of the Dragon Slayer Guild."

Sung Seonjae gestured toward Jeon Yesung, who stood and gave a quick bow as a short round of applause followed.

"Next, our raid advisor will be Chairman Han Byunggu. He's currently busy organizing the volunteer corps and couldn't join us today, but I'm sure none of you need an introduction to him. Now, moving on... Ah! Our strategist. Our strategist will be none other than Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk of the Iron Will Guild."

The moment Kang's name was mentioned, the room buzzed with whispers.