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

Kang Mu-hyuk ignored the bewildered Kim Mangi, who was taken aback by his fierce demeanor, and took out his smartphone.

He launched the Guild Integrated Information Application, commonly known as the 'Guild App'.

After authenticating himself as a guild official, he logged into the Gate Conquest Ranking tab.

He confirmed that Sogang University Gate's current location search had a new update.

▶ Sogang University Gate Conquest Guild List

1. Immortal Guild

2. Millennium Guild

3. Hwarang Guild

......

As soon as the first-ranked guild had registered, several other guilds followed suit.

Kang Mu-hyuk frowned at the guilds' reckless behavior.

"What's the point of putting up their names like this without any strategy? Tsk! What are they going to do if the first-ranked guild gives up?"

"Shouldn't we put up our name too?"

"It's too late now. We'll only have a chance if all  the leading guilds fail or give up. If the opportunity reaches the lower ranks, it wouldn't be something to celebrate since it would mean that the Gatekeeper is quite powerful."

"Doesn't this mean that our guild master will scold the team leader?"

"Well, it's not like there's no way left to try and conquer it first."

"What method are you talking about?"

"I'm about to check it now."

Kang Mu-hyuk focused on the first-ranked guild rather than the lagging conquest ranks.

"Anyway, Immortal? It's the first time I've heard of this guild."

"The name does sound quite plausible."

Park Min-soo, who was casually browsing the smartphone screen, let out a sarcastic laugh at the guild name that truly hit the mark.

If it was a guild that Kang Mu-hyuk or he weren't aware about, it could only be an insignificant or a new guild.

"Manager Kim, just in case, let's have the intelligence team dig up some information on the Immortal Guild. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Yes, yes."

"Party Leader, let's head to the Gatekeeper's location with me."

"Shall we check it out ourselves?"

"What can I learn just by looking? I just want to meet the guilds that have registered. Since they have registered, they must have set up camp nearby to prepare for the raid."

Following Park Min-soo's guidance, Kang Mu-hyuk headed to the scene.

The Gate stood leaning against the library. Possessing the Gothic style that reminded one of ancient gates, an indistinguishable multicolored light flickered in the center.

The colorless Gate had yet to be determined.

Once the Gatekeeper was captured, the color would be revealed. Generally, the grade of the Gate would also increase depending on the strength of the Gatekeeper.

"It's going to be a headache if it's Red or higher..."

"Team leader, if it turns out to be a Red Gate, will you contact a first-tier guild?"

"Why? Are you disappointed?"

"I just thought that it's about time for us to aim for the Red Gates."

"It's not like we don't have any ambition, but currently all our funds are spent on upgrading our capabilities. We've maxed up on all our loans and have no more room for investment. It's actually easier to secure funds with a moderate Blue Gate."

"Isn't a joint conquest possible?"

"We'll be at a disadvantage in terms of stakes even if we enter the Gate together. We won't even be able to see the Gate boss, right? Besides, who would share their raid know-how with an A-class Guild that is aiming for the top tier? It would only help our rivals grow. Even if we beg to see it just once for a large sum of money, we probably won't be allowed anywhere near."

"You're right. I'd also be reluctant to reveal our party's hunting style."

"First, we have no idea about the Gate's color. It's uncertain whether we'll even get a chance, so let's not get ahead of ourselves. Huh? Is that the unknown?"

Kang Mu-hyuk discovered the creature sitting alone in front of the gate.

It was a monster with a small stature as compared to the roughly 33-foot-tall (about 10 m) Gate. Its appearance was unclear from such a distance.

"I should have brought binoculars."

"I've secured a photo of the gatekeeper right away. Here."

Park Min-soo took out his smartphone and showed a photo of the gatekeeper that he had taken earlier with a telephoto camera.

"A human? It looks like an old man, except for the blue skin."

"If you look closely, there are also horns on its forehead. They're small, so it's hard to see."

"Is it a magic-type creature?"

"Its appearance suggests it might belong to the magic category. Judging from its small size, it would be right to suspect that."

"The value will increase even more."

Magic-type monsters often had a high probability of carrying magic stones.

During the last 30 years of the Gate era, most of the magic that caster-class Hunters, known as mages, had learned was obtained from such monsters.

Depending on the type of magic, the value differed, but the magic stones themselves generally formed a higher price range than skill books.

Even if they didn't sell them, it was profitable to simply equip a guild's strategically groomed mage with new magic. Magic was a Hunter's strategic weapon, after all. There was a reason every successful top-tier guild had a mage with a unique title.

Park Min-soo nodded in agreement.

"The higher the value, the higher the probability of encountering a difficult situation during hunting."

"That's how it is with magic-type monsters. We should be grateful that it's a Gatekeeper, so it won't run wild as it is bound to the Gate."

This was why each guild could leisurely observe the Gatekeeper from a certain distance.

As long as the Gatekeeper didn't touch the Gate, it wouldn't leave its vicinity. It would only be released from the restraint of the Gate when it was hunted or when the Gate door would open upon the countdown's completion.

"Let's hear the rest from the analysis team and meet the Immortal Guild representatives first."

Finding the Immortal Guild wasn't difficult. They just had to locate the camp that attracted the gazes of other guilds.

As expected, the area around the camp was swarmed with representatives from various guilds.

However, none of the guilds approached them. Most seemed to be curious about what kind of people these reckless ones were.

"Huh? You're here?"

Team leader Cho Ikjoon, famous for his meddlesome nature, was also there.

Kang Mu-hyuk greeted him with a slight bow and then turned his gaze to the man standing next to him.

The blue band embroidered on the man's right jacket sleeve caught his eye.

In the Taeguk Guild, it was a symbol that could only be used by the party leader.

"Have I seen that face before?"

If he was the Taeguk Guild's party leader, there was no way Kang Mu-hyuk wouldn't recognize the face. Kang Mu-hyuk was well aware of the Hunters' history, as they were rivals within the Yeouido Island Guilds.

Cho Ikjoon, who noticed Kang Mu-hyuk's gaze, smacked his forehead and introduced himself.

"Oh, I must be out of it. This is our new fourth party leader, Hunter Kim Seokhyun. Although he looks like this, he's a friend who has experience with foreign matters. He's from Europe."

"What's so strange about how I look?"

"You don't look very intelligent."

According to Cho Ikjoon's judgment, Kim Seokhyun's appearance seemed like a bandit.

With a stout body, a square jaw, numerous scars, and half of his face covered by a thick beard, he looked exactly like a bandit.

"I am Kang Mu-hyuk from the Titan Guild."

"I've heard a lot about you. You're quite something, being a Strategy and Tactics team leader even though you're not a Hunter."

Kim Seokhyun smirked and offered a handshake. Kang Mu-hyuk stared down at his hand without shaking it. He was annoyed by his tone. It was an obvious sign of disrespect.

'Is he doing it on purpose?'

Kang Mu-hyuk glanced at Cho Ikjoon.

"Come on, let's get along. No need to be upset."

He smiled and encouraged a handshake.

Cho Ikjoon must have known the situation.

'Yet, he's not stopping it.'

Cho Ikjoon had a bad personality.

It was a well-known fact in the industry.

However, Kang Mu-hyuk's evaluation was slightly different.

A person who turned every action, be it hunting, meetings, or even having a drink, into a political game.

How many people had been hurt by getting involved with him?

'Is he trying to kill the mood by using the rookie?'

And then, he would probably dismiss it as a rookie's mistake. He was always diligently up to no good.

Kang Mu-hyuk reluctantly extended his hand.

But--

"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Min-soo, the third party leader of the Titan Guild."

Park Min-soo, who knew Cho Ikjoon's twisted personality well, couldn't let it go.

He intervened and grabbed Kim Seokhyun's hand instead.

The moment they clasped hands, a vein popped out on Kim Seokhyun's forehead. His face turned red as he gritted his teeth.

Park Min-soo also squinted his eyes and flared his nostrils.

The hands of the two struggling Hunters developed visible veins.

With his hand still gripping, Kim Seokhyun gritted his teeth and said, "You seem to be quite strong, don't you?"

"Why? Are you scared because a Hunter stepped up?"

"You're quite rough, friend."

"That's just how I am with those who lack manners."

"Are you doing this because of your team leader?"

"Don't act like you did in Europe. Disrespecting Kang Mu-hyuk is the same as disrespecting the Titan Guild."

"Your loyalty is quite impressive."

"Alright, enough. Let's stop it here."

Cho Ikjoon stepped in between the two Hunters who were confronting each other without showing signs of backing down.

As Kim Seokhyun slowly released his grip, Park Min-soo also relaxed his grip accordingly.

When their power struggle came to an end, Kang Mu-hyuk spoke up.

"I always tell you, Team Leader Cho. Please, know when to stop. Haven't the days of you managing the Strategy and Tactics team with on-site instincts passed?"

"Haha, do I even have any strength left? These days, the young Hunters' enthusiasm can't even be stopped by the Guild master."

"You're just being humble. Anyway, I have something to take care of, so I'll be going now. Goodbye."

Kang Mu-hyuk left, leaving Cho Ikjoon behind, who feigned a sigh.

Park Min-soo followed Kang Mu-hyuk giving a warning glance to Kim Seokhyun.

Kim Seokhyun spoke as Kang Mu-hyuk moved further away.

"Whew, he's really got him wrapped around his finger. But he still covers for him since they're family. I guess that team leader has a knack for handling Hunters."

"That's not just any knack for grilling and frying."

"Huh?"

"He respects him. Their team leader, I mean."

"Really? Even though he's not a Hunter?"

"You know how it is. This industry runs on skills. Because he has skills, he's treated accordingly," Cho Ikjoon chuckled.

Among the people he knew, Kang Mu-hyuk was the only one who would casually tolerate his mischievous pranks. Most people would become serious or angry. Or they would feel wronged and shiver, trying not to associate with him anymore.

But Kang Mu-hyuk would throw back jokes or even give advice. Just for that, he was worthy of being considered extraordinary.

"Besides, Team Leader Kang's abilities aren't limited to just controlling Hunters."

"What else does he have?"

"He has a great intuition. Whether it's against Hunters or monsters. The moment he faces them, they feel like they're being stripped bare."

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"If you don't know, go and study. Research the career path of Team Leader Kang Mu-hyuk. It will be quite helpful. He has a lot of remarkable records to his name."

Despite Cho Ikjoon's praise, Kim Seokhyun still tilted his head, not understanding what was so amazing about a non-Hunter Strategy and Tactics team leader.

The camp consisted of two large tents. A Command tent and a standby tent for Hunter.

From this point on, Kang Mu-hyuk began to feel puzzled.

'Only two?'

A considerable number of support personnel were mobilized to prepare for a raid in addition to the Hunters. The various equipment and spaces required for the support team alone would necessitate multiple tents.

Moreover, a single Hunter standby tent was insufficient. To capture monsters, Hunters needed a separate space to rest and focus. In the case of a Tier guild, they would even prepare specialized vehicles for rest and recovery to manage the Hunters' condition.

However, even if they were a no-name guild with a seemingly decent name, erecting only two tents was ridiculous.

Even if they filled both tents with Hunters, the manpower would still be woefully insufficient to handle an unknown raid.

'Especially since it's not a place where a named hunter has gone independent.'

As Kang Mu-hyuk entered the camp, the scattered Immortal Guild Hunters glanced at him. Somehow, their looks seemed guarded.

Kang Mu-hyuk approached the nearest Immortal Guild Hunter and requested a meeting with the on-site manager under the name of the Titan Guild.

After the Hunter entered the command tent, Kang Mu-hyuk surveyed the camp as he waited.

That was when he discovered the second oddity here.

The guild listed in the raid rankings was not preparing for the raid at all. What was going on?

Kang Mu-hyuk was deep in thought when his smartphone rang.

[Manager Kim Mangi]

He intuitively sensed that Kim Mangi had some information to share.

"Go ahead."

[It's about the Immortal Guild. They're a newly established guild, only 19 months old, with an office in Hapjeong. They have 23 Hunters and there's nothing unusual about their financial structure or performance... But there is one issue.]

"What is it?"

[They already have two outs.]

"Two outs? It's only September, though?"

[Yes. They previously listed themselves for the 3rd Gate at Sangam-dong World Cup Stadium and the 9th gate in Eungam-dong but ended up giving up on both.]

The two outs that Kim Mangi mentioned referred to the "three-out rule" of the current Gate raid system.

The process of a guild responding to a Gate was simple.

「The closest guild at the time of the Gate's appearance would secure the key.」

A very simple response method.

At this time, the key was held by a Gatekeeper that appeared along with the Gate.

The guild's objective was to hunt the Gatekeeper and secure the key.

The guild that obtained the key controlled access to the Gate. No one could enter or leave the Gate without the permission of the key holder.

In other words, they held the rights to all resources inside the Gate, including artifacts.

The government only took 15% of the treasures acquired from the Gate as taxes and didn't care what the guild did as long as they destroyed the Gate's core on time.

Therefore, in the early days of the Gate system's introduction, guilds had initiated haphazard raids in a poorly prepared state to capture the Gatekeepers.

As a result, numerous Hunters were injured or killed. Some even attacked fellow Hunters to steal the final blow on the Gatekeeper. Naturally, wars under the name of "guild wars," disguised as competition, had begun.

These wars had left deep scars, enough to be called "Gate Wars."

At the height of the Gate Wars, there were more Hunters killed by fellow Hunters than by monsters. There was no need to mention how serious the situation became.

To prevent the chaos caused by guilds' indiscriminate raids, various governments had to introduce new laws.

One of them was the "three-out rule."

To summarize the content briefly:

1. When a Gate is created, the guild arriving at the scene registers for the raid list through the guild app.

2. Guilds can participate in the Gatekeeper raid in the order they have registered.

3. Guilds must start their raid within two hours of registering.

4. Guilds that ignore the order or intrude on a raid ahead of their rank will have their Gate raid qualifications suspended for six months.

5. If a guild registers on the raid list but does not attempt to hunt and gives up, they have three chances. If they give up all three chances, the Guild's gate raid qualifications will be suspended for three months. However, raid chances are reset at the start of the first and second half of the year.

6. Failed raids are not counted.

(Omitted)

'The problem is this three-out rule. It's a headache for every guild.'

A three-month suspension? That was basically a death sentence for the small and medium-sized guilds. It was the same for large guilds. The bigger they were, the more resources they had to consume to maintain their size, and for that they had to constantly raid Gates.

Due to the Three Outs rule, guilds were hesitant to put their names on the raiding list even after arriving early at the scene.

It would have been different if the Gatekeeper was one that had appeared before and had a known strategy, but registering without a plan against an unknown was akin to signing up for a suicide mission rather than a raid waitlist.

The reason Kang Mu-hyuk had to visit the sites personally and engage in a battle of wits was also due to this policy.

"What have the Gate ranks been like around Sangam or Eungam lately?"

"Judging by the fact that the local guilds that raided them didn't suffer significant losses, they don't seem to be particularly difficult Gates. Would you like me to find out the exact ranks?"

"No, that's fine. There are a few parts I don't understand, but I'm starting to get the picture. Send me the rest in a document. We'll talk later. Oh, and tell them to prepare equipment for the magic-type Gatekeepers as well."

As a slightly nervous, slender man emerged from the barracks, Kang Mu-hyuk quickly ended the call.

"I'm guild leader Na Dohyun."

"Ah? The guild leader... I see."

Kang Mu-hyuk faltered slightly in his speech. Na Dohyun noticed his flustered expression and said, "Small guilds can't afford separate Expedition and Strategy teams. I have to be present on the field myself."

"I'm sorry. I was just surprised to see the guild leader on-site, as it's not common."

"Well, it's not something to be too sorry about. It's not the first time, after all."

Though he maintained a minimum level of politeness, his tone was stiff. It seemed as if he had noticed that Kang Mu-hyuk wasn't a Hunter. If it weren't for the Titan Guild business card, he probably wouldn't have met him at all.

Kang Mu-hyuk decided to break the ice with a formal introduction.

"Ah, I apologize for the late introduction. I'm Kang Mu-hyuk, the head of the Strategy and Tactics team at Titan Guild. This is our guild's party leader, Park Min-soo."

Na Dohyun looked slightly surprised. A non-Hunter as the head of the Strategy team? He soon pretended to recall something.

"Ah, I've heard rumors about a non-Hunter team leader in the Titan Guild."

Whether he was annoyed by the dismissive tone or not, Park Min-soo chimed in.

"He's quite skilled, you know. If it weren't for team leader Kang, Titan and Immortal wouldn't be much different."

In a roundabout way, he was saying that they were now on a different level than Immortal. It was a subtle hint to be wary. Anyone could see that it was a provocative statement.

For a moment, Na Dohyun felt his temper flare, but he managed to suppress his anger. The pressure of the Titan Guild's reputation weighed on him, but the presence of Park Min-soo in front of him was even more overwhelming.

'Why is a mere party leader so intimidating?'

They weren't just any A-rank guild. They were aiming for a higher tier now. A party leader from such a guild couldn't be taken lightly. He felt the weight of the situation.

"Since you must be busy preparing for the raid, I'll get straight to the point."

"Please, go ahead."

"I know the Three Outs is just around the corner. Why did you put your name on the list? Ah, I'm not trying to pry, I'm just worried. Honestly, isn't it impossible for the Immortal Guild to raid an unknown with their abilities?"

"Are you telling me to know my place?"

"I'm suggesting you avoid trouble. Whether you succeed or fail, it's not something the Titan Guild would welcome."

"What do you mean..."

"Don't play games. Two hours will pass quickly. In any case, it's true that the Immortal Guild is in trouble right now, isn't it?"

"..."

"If you keep evading the issue, there's nothing I can do. But just know this: I'm offering you a chance to make up for your mistakes. Whether you take this hand or not is entirely up to the guild leader's choice."