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

Kang Mu-hyuk stopped by the Paju Book City before heading to Sinuiju. To be precise, it was where the Book City had once been. Although it had survived the Great War, it was completely destroyed during the Minor War.

Unlike the Great War, which had clear battle lines, the Minor War had random Gate generation. Although it couldn't compare to the Great War in terms of scale, the Minor War was a chaotic period with no clear front lines.

Even though it was a short war, lasting only a few months, several villages disappeared during that time. This affected both cities and rural areas alike.

The calamity of the Minor War also reduced the Paju Book City to ruins. Nowadays, it served as a hub for reconstruction efforts as the book city had transformed into a corporate city.

The place Kang Mu-hyuk visited was one of these buildings. The exterior, remodeled from a warehouse, was unremarkable, but the equipment inside was rare and hard to find anywhere else.

The person who made this equipment was Kang Mu-hyuk's uncle, Yoon Ildo.

"You're here?"

"Where's Father?"

"Oh! What's this? You're actually looking for your father? Did fighting with monsters revive your love for your father as a son?"

"Well, I need the check-up done quickly. I'm busy."

"You heartless kid. You used to be cuter when you were younger. I wanted a cute nephew, you know."

"Stop talking about your grown-up nephew like that. If you want something cute, why don't you get married and have a child yourself?"

"No thanks. I don't want to bring a child into this harsh world."

"Are you sure it's that, not just you can't bring a child into this world, huh? Mom once told me something about you being single until you were thirty..."

"Hey, you brat! Don't make-up things about your late mother. She never said that, you rascal."

Yoon Ildo's face turned red as he grumbled.

"So, where is dad?"

"Haaa, you really make me want to say 'f*ck you' instead of 'nephew'."

"You and dad saved my life, so you're free to curse me that much."

"You make me regret saving you. Your Guild Master must be something else, dealing with you."

"Why are you guys yapping so much? If you're here, come in and get ready for the check-up."

A voice interrupted them, and they both looked up. Kang Chang-soo was looking down at them from the second-floor railing. His black-rimmed glasses framed his eyes with crinkled crow's feet, and dark circles hung heavily below them.

Kang Mu-hyuk greeted him with a slight nod, as if he were greeting a stranger. Kang Chang-soo also gave a brief nod before turning away.

"Like father, like son. From the side, it looks like you're using a cloning technique. Let's go. It'll take some time to do the tests we missed last time."

Yoon Ildo shrugged and started up the stairs, with Kang Mu-hyuk following behind.

The second floor was filled with various research equipment. As Yoon Ildo prepared for the inspection, something caught Kang Mu-hyuk's eye. A document was displayed on a computer monitor. It was a thesis.

"Is this for submission to an academic society?"

"How did you know?"

Kang Chang-soo asked as he tied a rubber band around Kang Mu-hyuk's arm to draw blood.

"I saw the website on the taskbar before."

<Gate Science Research Society>

When Kang Mu-hyuk was diagnosed as terminal, he scoured various organizations for a cure. He remembered seeing that website during his search.

He checked the thesis title.

"'A Study on the Effects of Mana Poisoning on the Brain'?"

It was a typically boring title for his father's paper.

"It won't be popular."

"It's not meant to be popular. Your Mana Poisoning isn't fully cured yet. It could suddenly worsen or the medication could stop working. We need more clinical trial subjects for a complete cure. That's why we need to publish results, so people with Mana Poisoning can see it. It's a disease that everyone has given up on curing. When they see it, they'll sign up. The more participants we have, the better for us."

"Even though the initial treatment is dangerous and could be fatal?"

"We need their consent, of course. They'll probably agree. It's a choice between a certain death or a glimmer of hope. That's why we need desperate people."

The lighthearted conversation belied the serious implications of the clinical trials.

Kang Mu-hyuk was lucky. He had found a way at the brink of death.

The treatment was incredibly risky. He had faced death multiple times during the initial treatment. With no other options, they had to proceed with an imperfect treatment, making his survival nothing short of a miracle.

"This doesn't sound like a conversation between a father and son. Why so stiff?"

Yoon Ildo informed them that he was ready. Kang Chang-soo handed over a gown similar to a hospital patient's attire.

"Change into this."

The examination didn't take as long as expected, but it still lasted the entire morning.

As Kang Mu-hyuk changed back into his suit after the check-up, Kang Chang-soo spoke.

"The blood test results will take some time. The other metrics are still within the normal range, but you should still come in for regular check-ups just in case. Don't skip them like last time."

"I can't come that often. I have a mountain of work. Besides, the Guild Master will get suspicious if I keep coming for check-ups, thinking I have a health problem and insisting on coming with me. If the test results show anything strange, she'll definitely interfere. I only managed to get away today by making up an excuse."

"Once every quarter. That's the minimum. You live in a special operations zone with concentrated mana, so if you don't want to die, stick to the schedule. You need to live long and kill lots of monsters. Here, take this. It's a three-month supply of injections and pills."

Kang Mu-hyuk noticed something odd about the package handed to him by Kang Chang-soo.

"The color of the injections is different this time."

"I've made some adjustments. They have better mana suppression capabilities. You mentioned having a hard time with the increased mana concentration while hunting goblins in North Pocheon, right? The mana distribution is unstable in special operations zones. This injection should help you withstand mana surges, like those that happen when Gates open. Just like it happened on Gangbyeonbuk Expressway."

He was likely referring to when the Goblin Matron spewed black mana, summoning strange creatures.

Kang Chang-soo had improved the medication based on his son's feedback.

"That's good. I've been feeling sluggish because of the mana in the special operations zone. I have been having a hard time since I ran out of injections."

"Since you've missed a few doses, take the pills now to balance it out. Inject the medicine before bed tonight. Contact me immediately if you experience any side effects."

Kang Mu-hyuk nodded and took the pills first. The medication stabilized his body, which had been disrupted by exposure to the special operations zone's mana. After several hours, he would take the injection.

"Alright, I'll see you at the next check-up."

As he was stepping out of the building, he received a call from Park Choong-su from the guild cooperation agency.

"Yes, Chief."

"I heard you were on a business trip, so I called your smartphone. You answered the call at a good timing. I'm sorry it took so long to get the information you requested. We had trouble getting cooperation from China, so we had to verify it with our own data."

"Can you send it to my email?"

"I sent it a little while ago, so you should be able to see it now."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

Before grabbing the steering wheel, Kang Mu-hyuk checked his email. He quickly scanned the list of Hunters who had defected to China and then focused on the guild list.

Some guilds had nearly a hundred Korean defectors.

"Yellow Dragon Guild. Ranked third among Chinese guilds. They've collaborated with White Tiger Guild in the past. And another one... Anti-Heavens?"

Reviewing the guild information, Kang Mu-hyuk found the situation intriguing.

Yellow Dragon and Anti-Heavens.

Both guilds had a large number of Korean defectors and were linked to White Tiger Guild. They were also in opposition to each other. It was particularly interesting that the Anti-Heavens Guild had been established specifically to counter the Yellow Dragon Guild.

According to the information, the name 'Anti-Heavens' originated from the concept of rebellion, opposite to what Yellow Dragon symbolized---the emperor.

Kang Mu-hyuk sent the information to Ju Se-ah and then called her.

"Yes, Guild Master. I just sent you an email. In the list, you'll find the names of the defected Hunters. Please check if any of them match those who attempted to kill Hunter Lee Sookyoung. If there's a match, we need to formally raise the issue with the guild, so make sure to record their testimonies."

After spending the entire morning on tests, it was evening by the time Kang Mu-hyuk arrived in Ryongchon County near Sinuiju. The sun was already setting behind the western mountains, as it was winter.

Originally, they were supposed to meet in the morning, but due to Hyun Junggeon's circumstances, the appointment was rescheduled for the afternoon. This worked out well, as it allowed him to get his mana poisoning check-up done.

If he had had more time, Kang Mu-hyuk would have met up with No Song-rin to hear about the situation in Sinuiju firsthand before meeting Hyun Junggeon. However, worried about being late for his appointment, he skipped this step. The email from No Song-rin was sufficient for understanding the situation in Sinuiju.

'If Hyun Junggeon says it's serious, it's likely an issue with Sinuiju or the Demonic Realm. Seeing as he insists on meeting me personally, it must mean he can't leave his post for long. He probably wants my help... but I just don't get what he's up to yet.'

Kang Mu-hyuk contacted Hyun Junggeon using the number he had given him earlier.

-You're here? Where are you? Ah, Ryongchon Station? That's not far from where I am. Follow Route 1 until just before entering Sinuiju. There's a place called Robam Station between Pohyang Station and Rakwon Station, just before crossing the bridge.

Kang Mu-hyuk entered the location into his navigation system, but nothing came up. Hyun Junggeon continued, as if anticipating this.

-It probably won't show up on your navigation. It's an old P'yŏngŭi Line station that's been closed. I'll send you the coordinates. It's a secluded place, perfect for a secret meeting. See you soon.

Kang Mu-hyuk drove to the location Hyun Junggeon had provided. He arrived at a quiet rural station overgrown with weeds, where a chilly wind swirled around his ankles.

Not far from the station, he saw a railway bridge. This section, originally part of the P'yŏngŭi Line, was supposed to be part of the Gyeongui Line, but the bridge had been closed since there were no trains going to Sinuiju. As a result, the last station before Sinuiju was Ryongchon Station.

As he parked in front of the station and got out of the car, Hyun Junggeon walked out of the station.

"It's been so long, huh, Guild Leader Kang?"

"Let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point."

"Why so stiff? Is it because you kicked me out of the guild? Don't worry about it. I've already forgotten all about it."

Kang Mu-hyuk responded firmly to Hyun Junggeon, who was waving his hand dismissively.

"Expelling you was the best decision I could make at the time. I have no guilt about it."

"No guilt? Then why did you blame my dismissal on Ma Taesu? The other members think Ma Taesu kicked me out."

"For internal unity, we needed a common enemy. If that offended you, I apologize. But thanks to your departure, we were able to hold on a bit longer."

"It's fine. I would've done the same. I was getting tired of Titan anyway, so it worked out."

"Are you going to keep talking about the past?"

Kang Mu-hyuk cut off the nostalgic conversation and pressed for answers.

Hyun Junggeon's playful expression changed.

"You wouldn't have come just on a whim. You've looked into the situation in Sinuiju, haven't you?"

"I understand it's 5 minutes away from turning into a total mess."

"5 minutes? It's already 10 minutes into the mess."

"What's been happening during those ten minutes?"

"Have you heard of Yellow Dragon, Anti-Heavens, Sundown, and Great Order?"

These were names Kang Mu-hyuk recognized from the list he reviewed that morning.

"They're Chinese guilds."

"Already up to speed, huh?"

"I just happened to find out."

"When coincidences pile up, they become a fate you can't escape. Dealing with the Chinese is exactly that kind of fate."

"Didn't you already intend for me to find out when you sent Hunter Lee Sookyoung to North Pocheon?"

"Most people wouldn't get that far. Some never find out. But I figured you would."

"So?"

"The people I just mentioned are the big shots in Sinuiju. They aren't visible, but they're there. I'm sure there are other guilds as well, but I haven't been able to identify all of them. I face way too much interference in the middle."

Kang Mu-hyuk asked what he was curious about.

"How is this connected to Hunter Lee Sookyoung? I heard she's from Hamgyeong Province and was active near the Tumen River."

"I was investigating those guys and found out they were looking for a female Hunter from North Korea near Hamgyeong Province. A Hunter who escaped from the Demonic Realm to Sinuiju. That's how it all started. Luckily, I'm good at tracking people, so I got to her first, posing as a broker. After hearing her story, I realized she had sensed something strange in the Demonic Realm. She didn't know what it was, though."

"I heard that too. It seems the Chinese guilds are up to something in the Demonic Realm. Do you know anything about it?"

"I couldn't find out everything, but I did catch wind of another plan."

"Another plan?"

"Before whatever they're doing in the Demonic Realm, they're trying to take over Sinuiju as a preliminary step."

Kang Mu-hyuk's brow furrowed. He immediately grasped the gravity of Hyun Junggeon's words. It was a situation severe enough for Hyun Junggeon to call it serious.

"They're setting up a beachhead."

"Exactly. Those bastards are slowly creeping into Korean territory. Quite interesting, isn't it?"