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

Ju Se-ah had a gaze that hovered somewhere between anger and frustration. "I've heard about what Cho Chung-hyun did. I also know he went to the headquarters."

She didn't elaborate on what 'going to the headquarters' meant, but it was clear she suspected that Tae Jin-sung was behind Cho Chung-hyun's betrayal. She avoided putting her feelings into words, a minimal effort to maintain her composure so as not to act impulsively.

'It's good she didn't rush over there,' Kang Mu-hyuk thought. 'She seems to understand the responsibilities that come with being a Guild Master. If she had directly confronted the Chairman about Cho Chung-hyun, it would've been problematic.'

As Cho Chung-hyun's ultimate fate was still unknown, Kang Mu-hyuk changed the topic to divert Ju Se-ah's attention. "It may sound harsh, but we don't have the luxury of worrying about someone who has already left the guild."

"You're as pragmatic as ever," Ju Se-ah remarked. "Even after all that has happened, are you doing alright physically?"

"Thanks to potions, I'm mostly recovered. My bones are still mending, but I'm almost there," Kang Mu-hyuk said. Except for his right hand wrapped in a cast, he looked relatively fine. Ju Se-ah was a little concerned about his pallor, but she knew that the rapid consumption of stamina due to potions wasn't uncommon for average people.

"So, what's the next step?" she asked.

"We need to rebuild the guild, obviously."

"We all know that."

"It's not just about rebuilding. We need to level up beyond that."

"Level up? Not a restart?"

"We've already fought two war-level raids against evolved goblins and orcs that C-rank guilds would never experience. If we stay where we are, the only way is down. Although it may be a bit early, it's time to boldly take the next step."

Ju Se-ah sighed deeply, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. "The issue is money, I presume? Is the bank loan you secured last time not enough?"

"That money is already tight, just covering our future projects. If we use it for immediate repairs, leveling up will be off the table."

"The missed mine investment is a sore point, then. Had we sold shares, we could have had some emergency funds. Should we expedite selling the Rider Wolves?"

"The Rider Wolves are not yet at that stage. Only the adult males can go, and their numbers are limited. We need to increase their population."

"So, we have to refurbish the breeding grounds as well. Money is short on the incoming end but there are plenty of expenses. What a headache!"

"That's why I've thought of a few alternatives."

Kang Mu-hyuk pressed a button on the remote control. A beam screen that had been folded up against the office wall lowered. He then operated his laptop and started a video.

"What is this?" Ju Se-ah couldn't take her eyes off the screen for a while. Scenes she hadn't seen because she was in Cheolwon flashed by breathlessly.

When the video finally ended, Kang Mu-hyuk continued, "These were shot by the upgraded Gate-specific cameras Team Leader An Ji-il has installed. The video was only basically edited by Team Leader Gong, without the use of professional editors."

"Why would you..." Ju Se-ah tilted her head, puzzled.

Occasionally, large guilds would upload raid videos. These were propaganda videos, intended to show the guild's efforts to protect the public or to align with a country's political intentions. Those videos were usually as dazzling as movies, having been expertly edited for promotional purposes.

In stark contrast, the video just released was raw and brutal, exactly as Kang Mu-hyuk had described it.

"From now on, we're going to abandon the image of being a C-rank guild. Instead, we aim to be seen as a guild of justice, guardians for the citizens," Kang Mu-hyuk declared.

"What?!"

Ju Se-ah's puzzlement only deepened. They had been discussing financial issues, and now suddenly the guild's image was on the table?

"Don't guilds usually worry about branding only when they've reached a sustainable point? We're not some consumer goods company. The impact of publicity on revenue is virtually nil. If anything, it's a waste of money."

Aware of Ju Se-ah's skepticism due to what she had observed in the Slayer, Kang Mu-hyuk hastily added an explanation.

"Most guilds see publicity as a waste because they're either large-scale or corporate. They only consider image-building when they feel they have no other choice. This is partly because guilds have a unique characteristic; the general notion is that as long as they're good at hunting, that's enough."

"That's not an entirely wrong perception," Ju Se-ah conceded. "But I don't see how this resolves our guild's situation. I'm worried that this will only agitate our members' traumas. The regular staff are already concerned about staying in North Pocheon because of the recent events. Hell, even among the Hunters, there's a good number who are feeling unsettled."

Kang Mu-hyuk nodded in agreement.

"North Pocheon also has such an image: dangerous and impoverished, not unlike our guild. That's why we're going to take this opportunity to improve the image of the area as well."

"How so?"

"We're going to make it a holy site."

"A holy site?"

"As I've said, what is the Iron Will Guild? It's a guild of justice. We fought against the Orc army and protected the citizens of South Pocheon. This place shouldn't be seen as dangerous, but rather as a pilgrimage site. It sounds grandiose, but it's merely another form of image-making. However, that image will change everything."

Ju Se-ah looked at Kang Mu-hyuk as if he was incredulous.

'What on Earth is going on in this man's head?'

It was a completely novel idea, one she had never considered before. Was it because he wasn't a Hunter? That could be part of it, but it seemed more like Kang Mu-hyuk was inherently a person who refused to be ordinary.

"Even if we grant that we make this a pilgrimage site and totally change the guild's image, it still doesn't seem like the problem is solved," Ju Se-ah pointed out, refusing to be swayed by Kang Mu-hyuk's words.

"It is solved."

"How? We're still a struggling guild with no money. Shouldn't we fix that image first? Frankly, I'd prefer to be known as a wealthy guild."

Kang Mu-hyuk smiled calmly and responded, "Sometimes, an organization's image can indeed turn into money."

A college student sitting in a cafe, preparing for his finals, stretched his stiff body. He then noticed his friend next to him wasting time on a NewTube video instead of studying and gave him a nudge.

"If you fail this semester again, won't your parents kick you out? Focus on your studies, man."

"Just one more video, then I'll study."

"What's so important? Did you find a pretty streamer or something?"

His friend suddenly shoved his smartphone in front of him.

"Have you seen this?"

"What is it?"

"It's a video that's just been uploaded on NewTube. It's of Orcs and Hunters fighting."

"Ah, what did I tell you? Just a bunch of low-level orcs. Hey, there are videos of famous foreign guilds taking on boss raids on NewTube. Why are we watching this?"

"It's not just a fight, man. It's a war. A full-blown war."

"A war?"

"Yeah, you know North Pocheon, right? The guild that just went in there. They're fighting against an orc army."

"Come on. How big of a deal could it be? Let's just watch."

The two college students watched the video playing on their smartphones. There was no sound, but the visuals were grand.

From the start, they were overwhelmed by the sight of orcs lined up along the road. Moreover, these orcs looked different than those they had seen online. Somehow, they appeared larger, and their skin was significantly darker, making them look much more formidable.

Among them, an orc with tattoos covering its entire body stood out for its immense size, looking so terrifying that one could question whether it was actually an orc.

The scenes where the Hunters engaged these monsters were incredibly tense. The situation seemed precarious enough to make them wonder if someone might get grabbed and torn apart at any moment.

Here and there, explosions rocked the ground where the orcs stood, resembling scenes from a war movie.

Among all the breathtaking moments, the highlight was a Hunter standing alone in front of the orcs after breaking their ranks.

The scenes of the Hunter cutting down the charging orcs armed with spears and swords brought a sort of exhilaration.

Comments were already flying about, dubbing him 'AoE Gear,' and the chat was going wild.

But the real showstopper entered at the end of the video.

The waterfall exploded, unleashing an immense torrent of water.

The scene where the water swept away the orcs elicited an involuntary gasp from both viewers.

The video concluded with Hunters riding on wolves charging into the fray.

"Hey! What... What is this? This isn't a movie, is it?"

"Apparently, it's real. Look at the channel name. It says it's the official channel of Iron Will Guild. The video description says it's a war-level mission. You can even see the Guild Leader and Ju Se-ah in the channel banner."

"It could be fake, you know."

"Who would go through all the trouble to make a fake channel like this? This isn't even CGI. It would have cost billions to make something like this."

"Wow, I'm speechless."

The war-level raid against the orc army wasn't just shocking to the two college students. The video set the internet ablaze within hours of its release.

-Have you seen the Iron Will video? It's insane.

└ What's so great about fighting orcs?

└ You obviously haven't watched it. If you had, you wouldn't say that.

└ I'm a Hunter, I know. Those are evolved ones. Fighting them is no joke.

└ Evolved my ass. Where are you getting this nonsense? Lol.

└ You know nothing about hunting, do you?

└ I know more than you.

└ (Comment deleted due to inappropriate language.)

-Is the video real? They say there are thousands of orcs?

└ A Gate burst open near Cheolwon, they say.

└ Source?

-Video summary: AoE Gear. Epic waterfall. Awesome wolves. The end.

└ What are you talking about?

└ Lol, agreed.

└ Agreed x2.

-But Iron Will doesn't just have Ju Se-ah, right? Who is that guy with the spear?

└ Where is Ju Se-ah, by the way?

-What would have happened if they lost? South Pocheon would be in chaos, right?

└ Just thinking about it is horrifying.

└ I live in Yangju, right below Pocheon.

└ I'm in Dongducheon, right next to it.

└ I'm in Uijeongbu too, scary stuff.

The war in North Pocheon wasn't only limited to internet buzz. News agencies were covering it as breaking news.

-Breaking News: Orc Army Advances in North Pocheon. What will be the outcome of the war?

-This is YTM News. You may recall the incident where orcs invaded South Pocheon, wreaking havoc on the area. At the time, the Iron Will Guild was criticized for allegedly covering up the incident, but in reality, they were preparing for an emergency operation to counter the orcs' large-scale attack...

-This time, the Battle of North Pocheon was jointly handled by the Iron Will Guild, the Guild Cooperation Agency, and the Hunter Association...

-Behind this precious victory were also unfortunate sacrifices. It has been reported that the Iron Will Guild suffered dozens of casualties in this battle, a fact that has led to great sorrow...

-The city of Pocheon has announced that it will set up a memorial altar for these heroic Hunters who sacrificed themselves to protect the citizens of Pocheon. The altar will be open to all citizens of South Korea for remembrance...

Following the media coverage, the government also held an official press conference. Cha Gil-joo, the head of the Guild Cooperation Division, issued a statement at the government press center.

"This incident occurred when a Gate, which had not been discovered in Cheolwon, opened. Fortunately, the Iron Will Guild promptly took action, preventing potential harm to the public..."

The government's official comment stirred up a nationwide commotion. The most sensitive reactions came from the guilds and the Hunters.

Among them, various guilds sensed that the status of Iron Will was quickly reversing.

Even the Slayer Guild, at the pinnacle of all guilds, caught on to this atmosphere.

"It's bad. We can't even boast about acquiring the mine anymore," Sung Seon-je, who was watching TV, snorted. Gam Woo-young, who was sitting next to him, asked curiously, "Why?"

"Didn't they announce that while Iron Will was defending, Ju Se-ah went out to conquer the Gate? What if the people think that if we had redirected that force to North Pocheon instead, Iron Will wouldn't have had any casualties?"

"Isn't it natural for people to die in hunts? Guilds prioritize profit and loss. That's why Kang Mu-Hyuk posted the gate information on the guild app in the first place."

"That's what Hunters think. People might feel betrayed. If they think we attacked the Gate for profit instead of saving people, the situation could turn against us anytime. We should keep a low profile for now. Iron Will won't particularly antagonize us, so they won't say anything either."

Understanding Sung Seon-je's point, Gam Woo-young nodded and then mused, "By the way, who came up with the idea of trapping the orcs with lake water? It gave me goosebumps watching it. I've never seen a raid carried out like that before."

"..."

Unlike Gam Woo-young, Sung Seon-je had seen a raid like this before. Or more accurately, he had read about one.

'Table Mountain Raid.'

A strategy that involved blowing up an entire mana stone mine surrounded by cliffs, causing the boss at the top to fall. The boss was so damaged by the fall that it couldn't resist effectively and was quickly defeated by the Hunters.

'Kang Mu-hyuk. He's not just good at guild management; he's also strong in the field.'

Sung Seon-je briefly imagined having a Slayer with both Kang Mu-hyuk and Ju Se-ah under his control. If it weren't for that damn monster-killing prioritization, he would have recruited him as a Slayer.

'Just the thought excites me. If he were here, I could have returned to the field as well. If this setup had become a reality, the Slayer Guild could have been the best in Asia, not just Korea. What a pity!'

With that thought, he looked at Gam Woo-young.

The old plan might have failed, but he was devising a new one.

It was still in its formative stage, but he was confident that once his plan was complete, he would be able to challenge the global market.

"Whatever happened, we also scored this time," Gam Woo-young remarked.

"In any case, it's a win-win situation," Sung Seon-je added.

"Well, if you call this a win-win... Kang Mu-hyuk is practically an S-rank scammer," Gam Woo-young stated.

"Is this the rumored Korean Rider Wolf?"

The dark gray wolf running energetically in the video had an allure that made it desirable at first glance.

Pausing the video, the man who had been staring at the wolf for a long while spoke to his secretary, who stood silently beside him like a shadow.

"To think that such a magnificent creature exists on this peninsula. This is utterly unacceptable. Relay this to Kim Myung-jun: Now that Ju Se-ah has spread her wings, we can no longer leave her be."