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

The Hunters carefully backed out of the roundabout, keeping an eye on their rear. They were cutouts with their movements, but not their words. Curses were flying everywhere.

"Son of a bitch! Why the hell would you mess with that monster?! You couldn't follow a simple order?!"

"What's wrong with you, man? Huh? I told you not to mess with it! You just had to not mess with that dang thing. Are you deaf or something?!"

"I knew something was off. Everything was going way too smoothly. I was wondering why there weren't any trolls around, and then I realized---you're the damn troll, you moron!"

"Dumbass!"

The Hunter getting yelled at protested angrily, "How was I supposed to know this would happen? I barely touched it! And why didn't you warn me properly? Seriously, you can't expect me to know everything if you don't explain it! This is what happens when a non-Hunter leads the raid."

"This guy's really asking for a beating. Useless trash like you has no right to open your mouth now! Want me to rip your tongue out? Stop making excuses."

"Shut up before I use your ribs as a pickaxe in a coal mine."

"..."

After getting thoroughly berated with some colorful northern curses, the Hunter slunk away to the corner of the party, unable to defend himself anymore.

"Alright, that's enough. We're not done yet. I have a plan, so everyone calm down and focus on the retreat."

Kang Mu-hyuk stepped in to stop the Hunters from bickering. He wasn't defending the Hunter who messed up, but he was trying to prevent anything that might disrupt the group's unity.

While the high-rankers held off the enemies at the rear, Kang Mu-hyuk called for Hyun Junggeon. While Hyun Junggeon stepped out briefly, Kang Mu-hyuk had the tanks fill the gap.

"Why did you call me? I'm already swamped."

"Let's run them around a bit."

"Run them around...?"

"We need to buy time to regroup the raid. You'll lure them, Hyun Junggeon."

"Excuse me, Guild leader? You do know I'm an assassin, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware."

"You want a melee fighter like me to lure them around? Isn't that usually the range dealer's job? That's the normal thing to do."

"Then who should we assign as the ranged dealer here?"

Kang Mu-hyuk gestured toward the other Hunters.

Hyun Junggeon looked around and sighed. Plenty of Hunters had bows, but none of them seemed reliable. He even doubted whether they could properly do a 'backshot' (shoot while moving backward), which was basic for any ranged dealer.

Before he could say anything, Kang Mu-hyuk offered a solution, "Isn't it only natural for you to go? You're fast. You have movement skills, escape skills, survival skills---you've got it all. Sure, you're melee, but you're skilled with throwing daggers too. You've got plenty of throwing daggers on you, right? Plus, you have AOE skills. And if it gets really tough, you must have some ace up your sleeve, right?"

"A-ace up my sleeve...?"

"You used to be Ma Taesu's treasured ace assassin. You must have something."

Hyun Junggeon started to sweat. The mention of an 'ace up the sleeve' made him think of the special technique he used to take down Zhang Zhongxun in Sinuiju.

'Does Kang Mu-hyuk know about my technique? But I've never shown it. No, I must be overthinking. There's no way he knows. Even Ma Taesu doesn't know. He's just bluffing. ...But it's Kang Mu-hyuk. He might know...'

Hyun Junggeon studied Kang Mu-hyuk's face. A perfect poker face. He used to be a bit more approachable, but now Kang Mu-hyuk felt like an impenetrable wall. He couldn't read him, so he couldn't think of a good excuse to say no. So, he changed the subject entirely.

"Let's be honest. You had this planned from the start if things went sideways, didn't you?"

"What's the point if I say that or not? You already know. Come on, we've worked together long enough for you to know."

"We only worked together for a year or two."

"Two very intense years. Enough to count as a decade for others."

"Damn it, I forgot there's always this risk. It's been a while so I forgot about it. Why did I join you?"

In his mind, Hyun Junggeon saw flashes of his past in Titan with Kang Mu-hyuk. Back when he was the deputy head of the strategy and tactics team. Kang Mu-hyuk back then was more sociable, but just as sharp, and the coldest of all during operations.

No matter how tough the mission, no Titan member dared to reject an order from him. Even those who used to belittle him for being a non-Hunter couldn't talk back. He didn't hold anything over the Hunters. He didn't appeal to their emotions. He wasn't even sociable enough to make requests as a favor.

He simply created situations where they had no choice but to follow.

Kang Mu-hyuk never bothered trying to persuade Hunters with logic. He just laid out the options and let them pick, though their choices were usually as narrow as 'A or A.' It had been a long time since he was the victim of that. Hyun Junggeon finally surrendered to Kang Mu-hyuk's orders.

"Alright, so where do I lead them, and for how long?"

"Outskirts of Daehongdan County. Keep going until you run out of throwing knives."

Hyun Junggeon looked down at himself as he patted his gear. He had throwing knives stashed everywhere---his belt, boots, inside his armored coat, and even his vest.

"All of them?"

"Yes. Every last one."

"Man, if I use them all, I'll be running all day!"

"Huff huff... They're not following us anymore, right?"

"They went off somewhere else."

Finally, the Hunters, including Lee Sookyoung, let out a collective sigh of relief.

Seeing hundreds of monsters stampeding down the road was like a scene straight out of a nightmare. Among them were three hulking beasts, just a bit smaller than the biggest one, but still so terrifying that the thought of facing them one-on-one made you feel like you'd be toast.

"By the way, who was that guy?"

At the mention of 'that guy,' all the Hunters thought of the same person.

The man whom the monsters were chasing. No, the man who was leading the monsters.

At first, the sheer number of monsters terrified them, but then they saw a man skillfully dodging and taunting the monsters as he ran. They blinked in disbelief, as they rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things.

He had perfect timing, striking and retreating with precision. He used his skills boldly yet he was spot on with them. But the guts it took to drag that horde of monsters behind him? Not just anyone could pull off.

Lee Sookyoung answered their questions.

"That's Hunter Hyun Junggeon. He's from North Pocheon, part of the Iron Will Guild. He's directly under our Guild Leader's orders."

"Our Guild Leader?"

"Yes, I've recently joined Iron Will, Vice Chairman."

The vice chief seemed genuinely shocked by Lee Sookyoung's words. And it made sense for him to react that way---after all, it was nearly impossible for a Hunter from the north to join a southern guild.

"To be honest, that's not even the most surprising thing. Our comrades in Sinuiju were recently liberated from the Chinese. They're now recognized as Korean Hunters, and they've even formed their own independent guild."

Lee Sookyoung's statement left not only the vice chairman but all the northern Hunters present in stunned silence. They stood with their mouths hanging open, unable to find words.

Lee Sookyoung proudly raised her chin.

"It's all thanks to the great feats of our Guild Leader. If you all want to survive, just trust and follow him. If you follow his lead, you'll be blessed, even if you're sleeping."

The northern Hunters nodded solemnly, while the southern ones were baffled by what seemed like an outdated propaganda speech. If anyone didn't know better, they might have mistaken Kang Mu-hyuk for a North Korean leader.

Even the southern Hunters had to give credit to Kang Mu-hyuk's reputation. He was the Guild Leader of a guild led by Ju Se-ah. He held tremendous power, and was practically second only to the Guild Master, so even if he was not a Hunter, one couldn't dismiss him.

Besides, after Kang Mu-hyuk became the Guild Leader, Iron Will went through an incredible transformation. From declaring North Pocheon as their base to the Rider Wolf incident, the Orc Tribe raid, and the opening of Hunter Village, Iron Will has been at the center of every major event in the Korean Hunter community. Among freelancers, there were rumors about something extraordinary going on within Iron Will.

"Let's hurry to the county office. The Guild Leader must have something planned for us."

Freelancer Hunters were used to reading the room and following the crowd. They quickly fell in line behind Lee Sookyoung.

If things went south, they'd cut their losses and move on to another area, but for now, following the person who was the first one to act was the safest bet---a rule of thumb in the Hunter world. With no better options, they trailed behind Lee Sookyoung to the county office.

And that decision ended up saving their lives.

With the time Hyun Junggeon bought, Kang Mu-hyuk was able to set up a solid defensive perimeter around the county office. He regrouped the Hunters Lee Sookyoung had brought along, reorganizing them into a defense-focused unit, and started planning the next raid.

When the Hunters returned after fighting the monsters, the county officials watched them with anxious eyes. The tense atmosphere was enough to tell them that the raid had failed.

At least the Hunters had made it back safely, right?

When they saw the grave look on Kang Mu-hyuk's face, none of the officials dared to say anything optimistic. They simply remained silent, as the heavy mood weighed them down.

Kang Mu-hyuk noticed their worried faces but didn't bother with explanations. He was content with them staying out of his way, as he didn't want any unnecessary interference. But then, a voice interrupted him from an unexpected direction.

"Um... Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk?"

"I know. Don't worry. We've re-strategized. We'll handle the situation. We had to retreat due to unforeseen circumstances, but the raid force is still intact. We've also managed to lure away some of the target monsters..."

Kang Mu-hyuk began to explain, so he could cut off any rumors before they started, but he quickly realized that the person wasn't here to question him about the raid.

"Did something happen?"

"The government sent us an official notice. It's from the Guild Cooperation Agency, but..."

The official couldn't bring himself to continue and handed the paper to Kang Mu-hyuk with a trembling hand.

Kang Mu-hyuk skimmed through the document in no time.

No Song-rin noticed the change in Kang's expression, and asked, "What's going on? DOesn't look like good news."

Handing over the document, Kang Mu-hyuk responded, "Wushan has been breached. Hoeryong took a pretty big hit too. It doesn't look like they'll hold out much longer."

No Song-rin was unfamiliar with where Wushan was. He looked puzzled but was shocked by the news about Hoeryong.

"If Heoryong's defense line falls... Doesn't that mean North Hamgyong Province is done for?"

"If Yuseon County and Wushan town to the west of Hoeryong can hold the line, we might be okay. But at this rate, Yuseon will fall too. And when that happens, Daehongdan's next."

"What? Is a war about to break out?"

"It's not about to start. It's already happening."

Kang Mu-hyuk fixed his gaze on the map in the situation room. The Tumen River Line was a critical defense line on the Korean Peninsula, stretching from Mount Baekdu and following the river through Daehongdan, Wushan, Yuseon, Hoeryong, Hakpo, Jongseong, Pungin, Aoji, and Josan-ri.

If this line falls, both North Hamgyong and Yanggang provinces will fall.

'Except for a few cities, these two provinces have small populations. So evacuation and defense is easier. But the real problem comes if the impact reaches Jagang or South Hamgyong, west of Yanggang. Because that's where...'

The Kaema Plateau was--

A special operations zone like North Pocheon.

Monsters rarely came out from this mountainous region due to the strong mana flowing through it, but it was also packed with extremely dangerous creatures.

Think of it as North Pocheon on steroids.

'If those creatures and the monsters flocking down from the Demonic Realm get together, all hell could break loose.'

If the monsters from the Demonic Realm settle in the Kaema Plateau, they could displace the existing dominant creatures. This could create monster waves across the region. Or, the influx of similar monsters could result in a rapid population boom.

'Either way, we're going to see a monster wave. It's just a matter of when.'

If that happened, the Korean Peninsula's defensive line could get pushed back all the way to Mount Myohyang. That would mean losing all of the North and East Kaema Plateau, including Hamgyong, Yanggang, and Jagang provinces.

'If things get that bad, even deploying all the top-tier guilds won't be enough to reclaim the territory quickly. It's a huge area, and tracking down the monsters scattered across the northern mountains and fields will be grueling. And if a Gate opens in the monster-occupied territory while the defense line is pushed back, we'll be dealing with a real nightmare. The economic damage will be bad enough, but the lives we'll lose will be devastating.'

The government needed to make a decisive move before things spiraled out of control. But judging by the official notice, it looks like things have already gone wrong.

"Do they not understand how urgent this is? What are they thinking?"

No Song-rin, who had finally finished reading the document, let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Guild Leader, if we leave this as is, we're screwed. They're telling us to retreat to Baegam and Cheongjin and defend there? Even if we call in reinforcements from the guilds, they won't get here in time."

"The folks on the Tumen River Line know that as well."

"So why doesn't the Guild Cooperation Agency get it? If we're going to stop them, we need to be ready to die defending the Tumen River."

Kang Mu-hyuk replied to No Song-rin's question, "The Cooperation Agency doesn't have that kind of authority."

"What?"

"This is probably the order from the Ministry of National Defense."