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

There was no trace of forgiveness from Ju Se-ah's hands. She ruthlessly knocked down the Iga Clan Hunters rushing at them.

'I'm already too busy catching these damn monsters. Don't get in my way, damn it!'

She had been suffering from the assassination attempts from Japan and all kinds of disruptions for a long time. Although she overcame them all, some resentment had built up.

However, since the opponent was the largest force in the Japanese Hunter world, there was no opportunity for revenge. She had no choice but to endure until now---

'As if tormenting me wasn't not enough, now they dare go after Kang Mu-hyuk? When he's not even a Hunter?'

Japan had now crossed the line.

"Stop the witch!"

"Trap! Trap!"

"Damn it! We were focused on stopping Ju Se-ah, and because of that we've been breached everywhere else as well!"

"Spread out the magic circle and hold them back!"

Even as they were being pushed back unilaterally due to Ju Se-ah's advance, the Iga Clan Hunters activated various items and traps to mount a defense.

The battle grew fiercer as they neither ran away nor held back.

Despite the countless explosions and screams, no sound leaked outside of the old apartment complex. It was because the Slayer Guild used expensive items to block out the noise. It was the same type of item that Kim Myung-jun had installed at Hanseong Corporation.

With no need to be conscious of her surroundings, Ju Se-ah began to use her power in earnest.

[Iron Skin]

It was just a basic enhancement skill for tanks, but when used by Ju Se-ah, its effect was on a different level. Her body itself turned into a lethal weapon.

Thrusting her fist forward while she charged was akin to being hit by a ten-ton dump truck.

Ju Se-ah put away her weapons and swung her iron fists, burrowing through the Iga Clan Hunters.

She ignored most counterattacks. Even direct hits barely made an impact on her and blades were also useless.

When the enemy attacked with mana-filled strikes, she simply wrapped mana around her body to enhance her own traits.

At this point, the Iga Clan Hunters had no choice but to resent the gods.

'This is seriously unfair!'

Those were the genuine feelings of the Iga Clan Hunters.

But being a Hunter was all about talent. And that talent included their traits as well.

"Ugh... Uuuuugh...."

"Huhh...."

Ju Se-ah and the Hunters who resented the gods, all lay sprawled on the floor.

Their last dying breaths were mixed with curses, but the pronunciation was slurred and unclear.

However, Ju Se-ah understood what they meant. After all, the assassins who had died at her hands before had also blurted out similar resentments and curses.

She looked back at the scene of the bloodbath she had caused and responded, "Don't resent me. You tried to kill me, so you were prepared to die, right?"

With that, Ju Se-ah had broken through the defense line.

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

Ryushin, who sat upright with a katana on his lap, glared toward the entrance at the sound of the continuous footsteps.

Soon, Ju Se-ah appeared.

"I feel so sorry for Ha Hye Sung. Turns out I'm the one who caught the boss."

"You know how to speak Japanese?"

"No. It's the power of this item."

Ju Se-ah was using a translation item she had received from the World Hunter Federation.

It was something that Kang Mu-hyuk had practically seized from Alex.

"I thought the only way was to acquire the very rare translation skill. Looks like I have another thing to report to the higher-ups."

"You must think you can escape from here, huh?"

"Well, what will stop me?"

"......"

Ju Se-ah fell silent at the rapidly escalating murderous aura.

It was covert but distinctly perceptible.

'Is it because I heard that Elf talking about S-rankers? Somehow, my senses seem sharper than before.'

Ju Se-ah then crossed her hands, charged with mana, in an 'X' shape.

Suddenly, a blinding energy beam burst through the wall and exploded near her head.

Ryushin, who had been smiling at the success of his trap, soon contorted his face.

'She blocked that? How?'

The trap that attacked Ju Se-ah moments ago was a booby trap meticulously crafted by the Alliance's technological division. Not only was it powerful, but it was also so stealthy that even the elders acknowledged its effectiveness.

As Ryushin panicked, Ju Se-ah drew her sword and shattered walls on both sides. The traps hidden behind the wallpaper were split in an instant.

"If this is the reason you were acting up, then that's disappointing."

Gritting his teeth, Ryushin stood up and drew his sword.

"Chiksho!" (Damn it!)

Clang!

The two swords crossed in confrontation.

Facing Ryushin, who was glaring through the blades, Ju Se-ah said, "Is that all the swearing you know? If you're going to curse, at least have a standard. Like this. You fucking son of a bitch! Should I suck the water out of your eyes and shove it up your ass?"

"How can you curse so vilely... Truly, people from Joseon are barbarians."

"Those who come at peaceful people with swords are less barbaric? That was me being moderate. Consider it a kindness for someone who's about to die."

Even on the verge of a life-and-death battle, the way Ju Se-ah chatted leisurely felt out of place to Ryushin.

'No matter how strong Ju Se-ah is, isn't she way too relaxed? ...No way. She can't have surpassed the wall, right?'

Ryushin tried to shake off the ominous feeling and put more strength into his sword. Ju Se-ah pushed back. The clashing blades emitted a tearing cry as they couldn't withstand the pressure. The shrill sound of metal filled the living room.

"Still, you're holding up like the boss should, huh?"

With a brief evaluation, Ju Se-ah shook Ryushin off. He stumbled backward, losing his balance. Seizing the moment, Ju Se-ah launched a lightning-fast triple slash. Ryushin swung his sword in alarm.

Clang! Clash! Clang!

"!!"

He managed to block Ju Se-ah's attack with half luck, or perhaps she wasn't using her full strength.

'Was Ju Se-ah's swordsmanship always this good? Is she not relying solely on her physical strength?'

Ryushin realized he was grossly mistaken about Ju Se-ah all this time. In fact, the entire Japanese Hunter community had misunderstood her.

Having trained in swordsmanship for a long time, he instantly recognized how refined her strike was just moments ago.

A level of skill that couldn't be mimicked with just a day or two of training.

While it was true that all Hunters become familiar with their weapons through real combat experience, Ryushin knew better than anyone that to reach a level beyond that required more than just battle experience.

"Well done. Not many can react to that attack. You're not entirely unskillful then, I guess."

Ryushin bristled at her tone, which seemed like a master of swordsmanship instructing a junior, or appraising a much inferior opponent.

"Save your condescension for after you've taken my attack!"

Ryushin unleashed the secret sword technique of his own style.

"Ninjutsu: Nine Ghosts Divine Style Secret Technique."

"Wheel Slash!"

As Ryushin lifted his sword upward to catch Ju Se-ah's gaze and then swung it downward, he turned around and hid the sword behind him.

He twisted his body like a pretzel, grazing the sword next to his left thigh.

From the side, it looked like a large circle resembling a cartwheel, as the sword that had fallen downwards was swung upwards again in a strike.

The series of movements, swift as lightning, was clean and devoid of any superfluity. At a glance, it was evident that this was a sword technique honed over a long period.

The sword blade, full of mana, rose from between Ju Se-ah's legs.

Thud!

The sword's rotation stopped instantly.

At its end was the sole of Ju Se-ah's foot.

"H-how could you... block it like this?"

Frozen, Ryushin stared at Ju Se-ah in disbelief. There was no greater humiliation than this. His secret technique was stopped by merely a foot.

"What's so great about hiding your sword and swinging it as a trick?"

"This is impossible."

"Whether it's possible or not, talk after you block this first. By the way, do I really have to shout out the sword technique?"

"Wh-what kind of joke is that..."

"Uh... let's just call it 'Downward Strike'."

Crack!

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ryushin failed to block the swiftly falling sword.

Ju Se-ah's sword had passed from the crown of his head to his groin.

Thud!

Ju Se-ah said to the already dead Ryushin, "Stop coming for me now because I'll come to you when it's time."

"Why am I here?"

Not even a day after defeating the Iga Clan, Ju Se-ah found herself in Najin, North Hamgyong Province.

The reason for her being there was simple. Kang Mu-hyuk asked her to go there.

She also knew why he asked her to do that. To stow away to Russia.

The reason for needing to stow away was straightforward.

"It's all because of that crazy Russian bear."

Igor Dudnik.

An S-rank Hunter known as the Tyrant of Russia.

This man had kidnapped two team leaders from Iron Will, who had gone to handle the Oopoomangbawoo.

It was an absurd situation. Why would an S-ranker possibly want to kidnap Korean Hunters?

The answer to that was simple.

"The Tyrant(тиран) Guild, to which he belongs, is targeting Vladivostok because the longer the Oopoomangbawoo issue drags on, the more the Russian government will doubt the capabilities of the Tsar Guild and naturally look for alternatives."

Ju Se-ah steeled herself as she mulled over the information she received from Kang Muhyuk.

"It's been a while. The Russians are really tough. Looks like I'll have to put in some effort this time."

The place Ju Se-ah arrived at was a secluded dock at Najin Port, not a port where large vessels like container ships docked, but a marina where small boats were moored.

Upon reaching the meeting place, an old fishing boat, which seemed out of place among the fancy yachts, was floating there.

"You're Guild Master Ju Se-ah, right? We've been waiting for you. Please step aboard."

The man was the captain of the small fishing boat, which could be described as a dinghy. However, in reality, he was an agent of the National Intelligence Service.

Najin, being a smuggling port adjacent to Russia, was a place through which all sorts of illegal goods, including drugs, were brought into Korea, and it was infested with notorious criminals. Naturally, placing surveillance agents was essential.

Aboard the boat, Ju Se-ah sighed as it moved slowly forward with the noise of the outboard motor.

When the lights of the port had disappeared over the horizon, Ju Se-ah could no longer hold back and asked, "You're not planning to go all the way to Vladivostok on this, are you?"

"Didn't you hear? You'll have to switch boats along the way."

"Switch boats?"

"Just in time, there it is."

A single light floated in the vast sea. To anyone else, it might have been too dark to see, but to Ju Se-ah, a Hunter, the shape of a boat with a single lantern lit was clearly visible.

"An airplane?"

"Not an airplane, it's a WIG (Wing In Ground) craft. It's a hybrid that mixes the advantages of both airplanes and ships, so it's quite fast. A seaplane might be faster, but if you get caught entering Russia by air, there's no way out."

"Something like that actually exists?"

"The general public might not know, but our country is actually a powerhouse in developing WIG crafts. They are used for various purposes like passenger transport, coastal surveillance, and military objectives."

"So, the incredibly fast boat that Team Leader Kang prepared was this."

"Yes. It's a little less than 200 kilometers from here to Vladivostok. We'll meet a boat coming from there and it should take us no more than two hours to set foot on land."

A guild member was suddenly kidnapped by an S-rank Hunter. Yet how could he think of something like this in that situation?

'I thought I knew Kang Mu-Hyuk to some extent but...'

Somehow, the more she knew, the more he seemed like a stranger.

'Well, at least it's good he's not an enemy. But now, as a Guild Master, I have to stow myself? I can't believe he'd make his Guild Master go through such troubles.'

Ju Se-ah ground her teeth in frustration.

"Team Leader Kang, just take the Guild Master position, please. Stop doing this to me."

Just before Ju Se-ah was about to stow away, Kang Mu-Hyuk had arrived in Vladivostok.

Before meeting Kozlov, who was supposed to come and pick him up, he had a call with Cha Giljoo.

-It was urgent, so I complied with your request. But Ju Se-ah must not be caught in Russia at any cost. Their intelligence agency is highly influential. If they find out about the illegal entry, this could spiral into a diplomatic issue.

"Don't worry. The route near Najin Port is one that's kept on low down in Vladivostok as well. I'll make sure to wrap everything up so there's no need for you to worry."

-At least, the National Intelligence Service was thrilled. A WIG craft, of all things. They didn't expect it to be used for smuggling into Russia and seemed quite welcoming of the idea. How did you know about it?

That was a part Kang Mu-hyuk couldn't reveal. Because it was a method often used by large guilds in emergencies.

He coughed and changed the subject.

"I'm sorry, but I think I need to go now."

-I wish you luck.

As soon as the call ended, one person approached him.

"By the way, why did you choose me, Captain?"

The one who questioned him was No Song-rin.

He was puzzled about being selected as Kang Muhyuk's escort for the trip to Russia.

"I mean, there's Hunter Jang Deuk-gu and Captain Lee Jin-joo as well."

"When both I and the Guild Master are away, the Expedition leader takes command of the guild. It's only logical for Captain Lee Jin-joo to stay back."

"What about Jang Deuk-gu? He would work well together with Guild Master Ju."

"Captain Lee Jin-joo hasn't been in the guild for long. To maintain order within the guild, we need someone who is familiar with the internal affairs and strict enough to prevent members from acting recklessly."

"He seems more scary than strict..."

"He's scary for external enemies as well. We must leave a bastion to protect the guild in case of emergencies."

"So, you're saying I'm not reliable enough."

No Song-rin said, sounding somewhat upset.

'Upset? Me?'

He was surprised to find himself thinking this way.