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

‘This matter is related to the mysterious beings, so obviously the Federation would keep it confidential, like he wants. But associating with the famous US Auto Ranch for breeding wolves means he can get protection of the guild in question and draw the interest of the US political world. The Federation arranging this itself would create a statement of support, and that is practically a guarantee of his safety.’

Alex thought Kang Mu-hyuk was no pushover.

An exclusive MOU between Iron Wall and the North American Ranch meant they could enter into the US and carry on their business anytime, since Rider Wolf was just that attractive as a product.

‘Of course, getting a good deal won’t be easy.’

Good products didn’t always sell at the price that they were worth. South Korea had lost all the power it had within the Hunter Scene. A country without influence or power asking for help? The North American guilds would undoubtedly try to suck them dry as much as possible.

This concern kicked out the option of being provided by foreign help completely from kang Mu-hyuk’s mind.

‘But through the Federation, they’ll be guaranteed the bare minimum equal right. Yet the strange part is that Mister Kang is trying to gauge the Federation’s influence as the Federation claims to be a non-profit organization on the outside.’

The flow of his thoughts had barely reached there when Alex realized his mistake. Considering Kang Mu-hyuk’s actions until the present, this might’ve been the obvious decision. After all, there were so many loopholes.

Even though the country was an outlier within the Hunter World, a regular non-profit organization couldn’t force the Hunter Association Chairman to take action or begin preparation for the worldwide threat from the mysterious beings.

Claiming that the Federation was powerless was also pointless as they had juggled with the African incident where tens of hundreds of people were sacrificed, without anyone finding out.

“See. I told you, didn’t I? He’s a damn thief, I tell you.”

Han Byung-gu tapped Alex’s shoulder, who had a baffled look on his face.

“You seem to be enjoying this, Mister Han.”

“How could I? My heart pains to see you frown for so long.”

Alex shook his head at Han Byung-gu’s idle talk and his eyes met Aila’s.

“Alex, is it hard for the Federation to agree to Kang Mu-hyuk’s offer?”

Alex was racking his brain worrying about how to lead this negotiation, and a few words by Aila threw it all out the window.

‘Ugh~ She knows it already, yet-’

Human-to-human interactions didn’t affect Aila as she was an elf, but she wasn’t born yesterday. She had a grasp on the present situation. Only, her priorities were different.

For her, eliminating a threat to this world was more important than the Federation’s honor or any damage they’d suffer. That was the reason she intentionally revealed a loophole to Kang Mu-hyuk right now. For the sake of placing the Federation at a disadvantage in the negotiations.

The Federation existed to bring stability to the world from the Gates, but the power and wealth they had accumulated in that person were also of great interest to them. In fact, recently, they seemed to be controlling the world more and more from the shadows.

An organization like that had no right to judge Kang Mu-hyuk in the same way as Aila.

Alex kept looking at Aila and Kang Mu-hyuk for quite long, and let out a sigh.

“Mr. Kang, you sure have a talent for putting people in a pinch. I’ll just get to the point. The Federation is more than capable of fulfilling your request.”

“Can I have that in writing?”

“Sure, that won’t be a problem.”

This short chat was enough to give Kang Mu-hyuk a rough idea of where these people stood inside the Federation.

‘That was a heavy decision, yet a pretty quick response. The suggestion was within his powers. He didn’t hesitate because of that. Seeing how he’s being wary of Aila, who’s an elf, one can tell the race holds a significant position in the Federation.’

Alex extended his hand.

“Now that we’ve discussed your conditions, do I have to write a contract now for you to tell me?”

“Miss Aila’s guaranteeing it. We can take our time writing the contract.”

Kang Mu-hyuk clasped his hand. Both of them wouldn’t go back on their word. Han Byung-gu, on the other hand, was surprised that this ridiculous deal had actually been made.

‘The Federation’s giving in? Hell’s gonna freeze over. Kang Mu-hyuk... He’s amazing. He managed to gain the North American Hunter World’s backing right here. As long as the Federation goes forward with a firm stance on this, everything will be fine. This is going to cause quite the uproar in the Korean Hunter Scene too.’

Aila spoke up, seeing that the negotiation was over.

“What happened on the day you took down the Goblin Matron?”

“I saw black mana. It exuded a very ominous aura.”

“That’s impossible!”

Raven shouted, even after being silenced when Ju Se-ah overpowered him.

“You could ‘see’ the mana? He’s a total fraud. Alex! Everything was a waste of time.”

“Calm down, Raven.”

Alex signaled Raven to back off, and asked again.

“Mr. Kang. You saw mana?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

“I don’t think your inability to see it makes it impossible for others to see it.”

“I mean to say, it’s impossible for the humans on earth.”

“Miss Aila, does that mean that it’s possible for other species who are not humans on earth?”

Kang Mu-hyuk’s question turned the arrow towards Aila.

“I couldn’t see it until I crossed over to this world.”

“Meaning, after you arrived here, you were able to see it.”

“Yes. I do not know the reason behind it though.”

“Then I assume the green colored mana I see floating around you isn’t me hallucinating.”

“!!”

Aila’s eyes widened. Her silence prompted Alex to ask her.

“Miss Aila, is he telling the truth?”

Aila acknowledged it with just the nod of a head. Not a single member of the Federation could speak up. They were just gawking at Kang Mu-hyuk.

Only after the lingering shock disappeared did Aila say a word.

“I don’t think he’s lying. I can’t believe someone from Earth can see mana. This is shocking. May I ask how you became capable of seeing it? Were you born with it?”

“From here on out, I need you to promise you’ll keep this a secret.”

“We’ll keep this classified as per our promise.”

“I suffer from mana poisoning.”

“Mana Poisoning?”

Kang Mu-hyuk took a deep breath and explained further.

“And I had a conversation with the ‘mysterious beings’ you speak of.”

“!!”

“It’s just impossible to meet you these days. I feel like we’re growing apart.”

No Song-rin quietly stared at Kim Myung-jun, who was seated in a private pavilion of a high-end Korean restaurant. Seeing him just standing there, Kim Myung-jun tapped the completely set table.

“Have a seat. Let’s have a drink, yeah?”

No Song-rin took off his shoes and got up on the pavilion. His teeth kept clattering, and body was trembling.

The cold weather was certainly chilling, but not for Hunters. His fear for Kang Mu-hyuk was what made him feel chilly.

‘It’s not the fact that he’s an A-ranker. He may be a rank higher than me, but this isn’t the first fight where my opponent had the upper hand.’

Then what was the reason she feared him?

Afterimages of the crimes he had committed, the times he dominated those foolish crowds through fear, along with his nerves of steel in the showdown with the Slayer Guild.

It wasn’t any of the above.

Kim Myung-jun subdued all the villains of Ujungdo with just his overwhelming aura.

He acted like a calm, easygoing, good person, but in reality, he was a monster who’d devour anything.

Devouring human life for his own benefit was especially a piece of cake for him.

Not that most villains were any different, but Kim Myung-jun was the most extreme and stealthiest of them all.

As No Song-rin sat down, Kim Myung-jun poured him a drink. He didn’t mind that No Song-rin didn’t take the glass, and just continued with what he wanted to say.

“You rarely get in touch these days. I’m sure it must be hard since you’re in North Pocheon. But if you come out of there like today, shouldn’t you at least inform me? You haven’t changed your mind, right?”

“Don’t take Kang Mu-hyuk lightly. He’s not an easy opponent. You gotta be careful.”

“I’m well aware. He got me, not long ago, you see.”

“You met him?”

Kim Myung-jun put down the bottle of liquor and observed No Song-rin’s expression.

‘Does he really not know? Or is he acting like he doesn’t?’

The same look as always. As if terrified, No Song-rin couldn’t meet his gaze, as always.

“I’m not sure.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve always felt this, but you sure have a great face. Well, _that is _why I keep you by my side.”

No Song-rin grit his teeth and barely managed to spit out the words.

“I can’t stay long. I have other plans after this.”

“You’re diligent with your work in the guild.”

“Kang Mu-hyuk recently took out Do Kyunghoon and Cho Choonghyun. Now that he busted 2 of Taesung’s 3 greats, I’m next. Being late to the schedule will only bring unnecessary suspicion.”

“If you say so.”

“What do you want?”

“Give me Kang Mu-hyuk's contact. Holed up in North Pocheon or not, I need some way to get in touch with him. I tried finding it through the guild cooperation agency, but the Slayers agents keep getting in the way. I can’t have Sung Seon-jae finding out, you see.”

Noh Song-rin immediately typed in the number and passed it over when Kim Myung-jun extended his smartphone.

“It’s Chief Kang Mu-hyuk’s personal number. He won’t be there to receive it right now.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s not really one to reveal his schedule, so I don’t know.”

“You don’t know anything. Try to be useful. That's why I keep you around.”

“He doesn’t trust me. He’ll find me suspicious if I try to act close.”

“Makes sense. You’re not exactly someone people wanna get close to, Keke.”

Kim Myung-jun saved the number and then waved his glass in the air. Noh Song-rin raised his glass in response, and toasted in the air.

Both downed their shots at the same time and stood up. Noh Song-rin left first. Kim Myung-jun sat back down and poured himself another drink.

“He doesn’t have a great face after all. You can never tell what he’s thinking.”

Back at the Hunter Association, Aila recalled her meeting with Kang Mu-hyuk during the day.

‘Mana Poisoning...’

As per the Federation’s intel, it was known to be an incurable illness..

It was so rare that there had hardly been any research conducted on it, and no one who had contracted it had survived.

Kang Mu-hyuk had found a way to manage his mana poisoning to some extent, and though it was unclear whether it was due to the disease or its side effects, he had become able to see mana with his eyes.

“If what Mr. Kang says is true, he’s not just a witness. Having a conversation with a mysterious being is a huge deal."

“Isn’t he lying about that?”

Raven challenged Alex's words. However, Alex did not agree.

“Someone who has never seen mana couldn't have described the mana particles swirling around Miss Aila."

"The part about having a conversation with that being didn't seem like a lie either."

Aila vouched for Kang Mu-hyuk's words. Members of their race knew how to feel the emotions of living beings. It wasn't just about being quick-witted; they could literally read and understand the exact emotions of other people.

There was hardly anyone on Earth who could deceive her.

"Alex, given this, how should the Federation respond?"

"We must honor the contract that has already been promised. We could add a few clauses to strengthen our cooperation going forward."

"What about him joining the Federation?"

“That’s...”

“What’s wrong? Is it difficult because he’s not a Hunter?”

“The membership screening is strict. There are hardly one or two new members a year. The fact that he's not a Hunter would also be considered in the screening."

“Having him join the Federation would make it easier for us in the future. If he becomes a human asset of the Federation, we can openly protect him."

"That's true, but... Mr. Han probably won't like it."

"Ah? I forgot about him. Yeah, he really hates the Federation."

"I'm also not confident that I can persuade the Elders."

“Jeez. I forgot about their stubbornness too. They weren’t like this during the Great War. Time has really turned them into rigid people. So, there's no way? I want to get him to join though."

The previous discussion didn't matter. The important thing was the last words Aila had uttered.

"There's no other way. He has to undergo the Federation’s screening."

"The screening might be harsh for Mr. Kang..."

"Since Mr.Kang is not a Hunter, we'll have to avoid the usual monster-hunting type of screening."

"Then what?"

"We have to give him a problem to solve."

"Isn't that the method for selecting a commander? That's not easy at all."

"This is the only way the Federation can evaluate someone who isn’t a Hunter. Even for this, we will have to convince the Elders."

“So you mean that convincing them is up to me.”

“Yes.”

Aila chewed on her lip, a habitual thing when she was deep in thought.

Soon, she gathered her thoughts and said, "There’s no other way. Please contact the Federation. It’s been a long time. Tell them we’re calling for a roundtable meeting."