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

Lee Cheoljung visited his regular sushi restaurant for the first time in a while. He found his reserved seat and sat down. It was a late lunch, and despite being a small restaurant, it was quite empty.

A little later, he heard someone approaching the next table. He poured a glass of the alcohol he'd pre-ordered and greeted the person.

"How was I supposed to know if you said to meet there last time?"

"You knew, didn't you? What's this? Drinking already? It's still broad daylight."

Kang Mu-hyuk naturally accepted the glass offered by Lee Cheoljung. They ordered sushi and shared the bottle of sake, taking turns to toast.

"You've wet your lips now, so tell me. You didn't just call me for nothing."

"Vice Guild Master will soon hold a shareholders' meeting."

"Without telling me? It's always been his plan, so I'm not surprised."

"This time it's different. Union Asset Management is joining hands with Vice Guild Master to form a new board of directors. They are planning to replace the guild leader. Probably one of the guild leader's sides has already sided with them. I don't know everything about the internal situation, but check your side that has been keeping their distance lately."

"I don't need to look into it; it must be the Dynamic Collection guys. No wonder they've been avoiding drinking with me lately. Damn, I thought they were just scared of my drinking. Anyway, how did you know about this? You left the guild quite a while ago."

Kang Mu-hyuk glanced sideways into Lee Cheoljung's eyes. His voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with suspicion.

It was an attitude befitting a guild leader; a position that required constant vigilance. Knowing this, he was neither particularly hurt nor upset.

He himself likely had a similar perspective.

"I happened to get involved. In the process of resolving the matter, I made a deal with the Vice Guild Master. I secured some benefits using the Union."

"Seems like this will work against me quite a bit?"

"Yes. It may be hard for you to ignore this time. I'm sorry to have to tell you this."

Lee Cheoljung let out a low sigh. He fully understood what Kang Mu-hyuk meant.

The fact that he had made such a decision as the leader of the Iron Will guild. And telling him about it was a consideration, out of old loyalty.

"I heard the HR team was moving actively. I knew Iron Will was the target too. I thought the Vice Guild Master was simply plotting revenge against you. So I left it alone. It wasn't the time to butt heads with the Vice Guild Master. I wanted to wait for the right time. So, I can't blame anyone or complain about disloyalty."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It was a natural choice in your position."

"You aren't sorry either, I suppose."

"It was a fair deal, and I thought it was profitable. For both me and the guild master."

Lee Cheoljung silently raised his glass to Kang Mu-hyuk. Kang Mu-hyuk also lifted his glass and clinked it lightly. Clink. They drained the remaining alcohol in one go.

The sushi they had ordered arrived, but Lee Cheoljung didn't even pick up a piece. He was about to stand up.

"Thanks for letting me know. But stopping this fight now won't put an end to it entirely. We were bound to clash at some point. I'll have to find a way."

"There's not much time. It'll be hard to get through this unscathed."

"We can't just fall apart because we're short on time."

"We have to buy time."

"Hmm, you're not one to talk nonsense. You must have a way. How?"

Kang Mu-hyuk handed over a note.

As Lee Cheoljung unfolded the twice-folded paper, a phone number was written inside.

"It's a bit of a crude method, but it's effective... You've probably heard of the 'proxy disruptors.'"

Lee Cheoljung knew what proxy disruptors were, so he tilted his head in confusion.

Proxy disruptors were those among small shareholders who attended shareholder meetings and demanded money for obstructing the proceedings, especially in shareholder meetings where sensitive issues were abundant. They caused havoc like ghosts.

"They might work with regular companies. But if they pull that stunt with a listed guild, they know exactly what will happen, don't they?"

"There's a group of proxy disruptors made up of Hunters. They contract with listed guilds for special purposes during shareholder meetings. They're pretty high-ranked. If you try to force them out, the meeting hall will be destroyed, so even the high-ranking members can't recklessly interfere. They will delay it somehow. Give them a call. You'll be blocked from the entrance next time, but this meeting will surely be disrupted. Meanwhile, persuade the shareholders or find another way, to exploit weaknesses."

"Heh! How did you even...?"

The proxy disruptors Kang Mu-hyuk referred to, were another business of a woman known as Mister Jo. With her ability to change faces and voices, she organized a team to obstruct guild shareholder meetings.

In her business of selling information, she had stumbled upon various requests and discovered a new business opportunity.

Mister Jo found that there were surprisingly many listed guilds who wanted to obstruct shareholder meetings. But ordinary proxy disruptors didn't dare risk their lives to interfere, so they didn't even venture near guild shareholder meetings. She had discovered a blue ocean in that niche market and couldn't just let it pass.

"Anyway, I have an appointment, so I'll get up now."

Kang Mu-hyuk picked up a piece of sushi and stood up. As he was about to leave the sushi restaurant, Lee Cheoljung suddenly became curious.

"Guild Leader Kang, what did you trade with Ma Taesu? If it's hard to tell, you don't have to."

"The transfer of a Hunter."

"Who?"

"Hunter Lee Jin-joo."

"What?! Lee Jin-joo? Hey, that's not right."

"Sign the transfer agreement later. Let's consider this debt paid."

"Hey, hey!"

...

"Team Leader Kang... or should I say Guild Leader now? Anyway, I didn't expect you to want to meet me. What's the matter?"

"Hunter Lee Jin-joo. I'll get straight to the point. A transfer to Iron Will. What do you think?"

"..."

Lee Jin-joo was momentarily at a loss for words and faltered. It was a proposal she hadn't anticipated at all. No, it was an absurd proposal to begin with. To move from the Titan, which was viewed as the next Tier-ed Guild, to Iron Will, treated at best as a C-rank?

Iron Will had been gaining some fame lately, but compared to the Titan, it was like a firefly under the moon.

Certainly, Iron Will had potential, possessing one of the few monster breeding farms in the world. However, a guild's worth was spoken through skill and achievement. Most of those achievements came from Gate hunting.

Iron Will was decidedly lacking when it came to achievements.

"You think I would accept that proposal? My goodness, Guild Leader Kang, since you left Titan, your judgment has been off. Go outside and ask any Hunter. No, ask ordinary people if you want. Ask them which one they would choose. A hundred out of a hundred would choose Titan."

"I understand. A hundred out of a hundred, a thousand out of a thousand would be Titan. But if Hunter Lee Jin-joo was one of those hundred or thousand, she would have no choice but to choose Iron Will."

Lee Jin-joo paid close attention to Kang Mu-Hyuk's subtle tone.

She was an ambitious Hunter, aiming to become a Tier-ed Guild's first female expedition leader.

Therefore, she was sensitive to the interests, family affairs, or moods of those around her. To climb higher, not only individual skill but also the support of the Hunters backing her was important.

Kang Mu-Hyuk, waiting for her to gauge the atmosphere, opened his mouth again.

"If you return to the guild and confirm it, you'll see that a temporary general meeting will soon be held at the request of the Vice-Guild Master."

"Nothing special, that's obvious news. When has the Vice-Guild Master not coveted the Guild Master's position?"

"A few shareholders, including Union Asset Management, have agreed to support the Vice-Guild Master."

"!!"

"And there's a rumor that Ma Taesik is returning to the expedition. It's awkward between you and the Vice Guild Master since the incident when he was attacked, isn't it?"

"Even knowing that, you ask like a snake. Now you're finally acting like the old team leader."

"The Vice Guild Master won't immediately expel a Hunter with the skill of Hunter Lee Jin-joo if he becomes Guild Master. He has some discernment. He'll at least honor the contract period. But you'll have to give up the expedition leader position. Unless you go to another guild. Even if you do, it won't be easy to remove a stuck stone that rolled in midway."

"So?"

"This transfer matter has already been discussed between the Vice Guild Master and me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to meet a Titan-affiliated Hunter openly."

Lee Jin-joo involuntarily groaned. If the conversation had come this far, the Vice Guild Master's intent was clear. A statement that she was inconvenient. An indirect way of telling Lee Jin-joo to leave.

'Guild Leader Kang Mu-Hyuk is not a liar. If I look into it even a little, it will soon be revealed. He won't lie about something that can easily be uncovered.'

Lee Jin-joo trusted the credibility of the former Strategy and Tactics team leader.

If she had known how Kang Mu-Hyuk had arranged her transfer and the story behind it, she would have been displeased, but paradoxically, she trusted his handling of the matter, so she didn't worry about it.

Certainly, even if she had known, it probably wouldn't have changed much.

Kang Mu-hyuk spoke with finality.

"The Guild Master will also sign the transfer agreement."

"The, the Guild Master too...?"

"Of course, that's only possible if Hunter Lee Jin-joo agrees to the transfer."

Lee Jin-joo's face darkened. Being quick-witted, she understood her situation in an instant. The current expedition team leader was lost for sure.

According to Ma Taesu's nature, once he became the Guild Master, he would ride on that authority and throw his weight around.

The current expedition team leader, being extremely sensitive to guild politics, might have pretended ignorance and been consistent in doing so.

She tightly closed her eyes at the too-obviously foreseeable future.

"That's enough for the situation explanation. Now I will tell you about the plan."

Strangely, from that moment on, Kang Mu-hyuk's voice began to sound sweet.

"We've dismissed Iron Will's current expedition team leader. The position is vacant. We'll nominate Hunter Lee Jin-joo for that place. We've also disbanded the existing expedition team, and we'll form a new one centered around Hunter Lee Jin-joo. Just like we coordinated your hunting style before."

Lee Jin-joo's complexion relaxed. She had confidence in Kang Mu-hyuk's abilities when it came to guilds and hunting.

She herself had benefited from those abilities right away. She had been a magic swordsman, cursed with short-range combat despite having magic abilities, and Team Leader Kang had repositioned her as the core of the expedition.

She found herself naturally paying attention to Kang Mu-hyuk's continuing words.

"Iron Will's base is a Special Activities Zone, so it's far from the Gates, but we won't neglect the Gate conquest. First, we'll accumulate experience by forming alliances with guilds struggling with Gate conquest. Additionally, we'll help Hunter Lee Jin-joo learn combat abilities and Red Gate know-how through Guild Master Ju Se-ah's guidance. Of course, I'll also support expedition strategy and operation."

Lee Jin-joo focused on the name Ju Se-ah. A Hunter younger than herself, but stronger than anyone in South Korea. A Hunter worthy of the title of the strongest, and one she respected, especially as a fellow female Hunter.

Initially hesitant about Iron Will's scale, the presence of Ju Se-ah weighed heavily once her mind inclined slightly.

"Well, it's not bad. If it goes as planned. But doesn't Iron Will need too much time to reach the target level? Even if we reach that level, it seems like it will be inadequate to successfully form an expedition team."

"We have a plan that will considerably shorten that time."

"A plan? Really? Is that even possible? If it's possible, other guilds wouldn't be begging like that."

"While establishing expedition tactics is a matter of training and will take time, we intend to start a plan for the overall quantitative and qualitative improvement of the guild immediately after Hunter Lee Jin-joo's transfer. It may sound cliché, but please trust me and transfer to Iron Will."

There was no wavering in Kang Mu-hyuk's eyes.

Before she knew it, Lee Jin-joo was nodding her head.