The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 108



Only Noblemtl

Episode 109

109. So that such tragedies do not happen again.

Dardenne rented out the entire lounge of the hotel where he was staying to welcome Kang Mu-hyeok and his party.

Kang Moo-hyuk confirmed the members of the opposing party who appeared at the negotiation table.

‘To Bugilma Darden, the hunter who guided us last time. His right-hand man, Nikolayev, I think? I don’t know the other one.’

As Kang Mu-hyeok’s gaze stopped at the last person, Anton, who was next to him, whispered.

“I am Lev, the expedition leader of Tyran.”

Like Kang Moo-hyuk, Dardenne also looked at his opponent’s every aspect.

‘Kang Moo-hyuk, Joo Se-ah, Anton. As expected.’

He offered Kang Mu-hyeok a seat without changing his expression.

The two sides glared at each other, with a large table in the middle covered with refreshments.

“First of all, let me congratulate you on your successful subjugation of Wufumangbau. To be honest, I didn’t expect you to meet me this early. I thought you would surrender later.”

Anton wiggled his buttocks at Dardenne’s words. It was obvious that he wanted to turn the table and fight right away. Dardenne’s aides also bared their teeth at his momentum.

But the moment Joo Seah picked up the fork, the situation was reversed.

“I’ve never used this to hit someone’s head. Well, maybe it doesn’t matter since it looks like a trident?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Anton burst into laughter as the Dardenne side’s momentum died down.

‘So that’s why it’s called S-Rank, S-Rank. I didn’t think the main character would be S-Rank. It was hard to believe, but seeing their reaction, I’m sure it’s not a lie.’

Anton felt extremely relieved when he turned his situation around, where he always had to give in to Igor.

When the situation was sorted out, Kang Mu-hyeok opened his mouth.

“I naturally assumed that you wouldn’t refuse to meet me now.”

“You seem very confident that you succeeded in one raid.”

“You said that, 14 years ago, after the Nadzhekinski incident, you no longer believe in conscience, pride, or duty. So, what did you think you would believe in instead?”

“So what do I believe?”

“profit.”

Kang Mu-hyeok’s tone of speech became cold.

“If revenge was your priority, you should have acted like a tyrant instead of making it complicated. You were too calculating. It seemed like taking Vladivostok was your priority. That’s why I thought you would never refuse this meeting.”

“That’s funny. Even if you solve the Upumangbau, our superiority won’t change. Huh? Are you perhaps relying on your S-rank to act like this? Well, I won’t be staying in the Char Guild for a thousand or ten thousand years, so how long can you protect it?”

When there was no response from Kang Mu-hyeok, Dardenne thought he had the upper hand and pressed on even harder.

“Even if we try to move the Kremlin, we will be left behind in political power since Moscow is our main stage. It will also take a long time for the Tsar Guild members who were injured by my brother to recover. We will need external aid to fill that gap. Will the administrative office wait until then? Even if it means risking a security vacuum in the form of monsters? It is only a matter of time before this city falls to Tyran.”

“Time is not kind to you either. How long do you think the Tyran Guild will last?”

Darden frowned at Kang Mu-hyeok’s words.

“If you don’t know how to pass it off, it’s enough to take a prisoner who uses poison skills once. But I wonder what tricks you’re going to use next. Tell me what you’re going to do.”

“Even a passing dog knows that the Kremlin’s influence is not what it used to be. Don’t drag politics into a guild fight. It’ll just turn into a dog fight.”

“So what are you going to negotiate with?”

“Last night, Vladivostok was almost destroyed. It was reported to both the city council and the administration. The one who hatched the plot was Igor Dudnik.”

“Who was it that just told me not to bring politics into it?”

“I’m warning you. This side could get into a dogfight.”

“… … .”

“Politicians are people too. If they knew that they had been to the gates of the underworld and barely managed to survive, would the Kremlin or Naval be considered?”

Dardenne realized that it was a mistake to assume that the Korean in front of him would be ignorant of the Russian situation.

‘Did Anton tell you? No. It would take more than one night to explain all the subtle currents in Russian politics. Even if he knew, it would be even harder to use that as a basis for this kind of collusion with me.’

As Kang Mu-hyeok said, there were quite a few regions that were dissatisfied with the central government. The problem was that the Russian land was too large. There were many monsters, and there were quite a few areas where hunter security was lacking. The reason for guaranteeing the interests of each Russian city guild was no different.

Naturally, because the distribution of resources was uneven, wealth and security resources also had to flow to the big cities. As a result, discontent in the marginalized regions grew.

The reason that the guilds did not become warlords like in South America or Africa was thanks to the pan-Slavic nationalism, the so-called new-age Russian spirit, and the strong hunter force.

Kang Moo-hyuk knew that breaking that weak link would lead to the collapse of the Russian Federation, so he put pressure on Dardenne.

It may not have caused a great revolution, but it could have been one of the triggers for it.

Dardenne didn’t want to be the starting point.

“What if the Russian central government, instead of ensuring the safety of each region, were to inform you that they were plotting to take over Vladivostok using Moscow’s top guild? In that scenario, the Kremlin would not be able to support you, even if you were an S-rank guild.”

“Hey, who are you bragging to right now? Don’t you know how empty slander without evidence is? Even if that happens, do you have the guts to handle the situation afterward?”

Kang Mu-hyeok hit the nail on the head, but Darden, as expected from a Tier Guild, was unfazed and took the blow.

“All 28 hunters from the Tsar Guild from Nadzhinski are dead. The cause of death is the tyrant’s merciless massacre. Don’t let the tragedy of 14 years ago be brought back to Russian politics. And by the way, I’ll just go back to Korea.”

“This kid… … .”

“By the way.”

“??”

“Our guild master can pay back here for what your brother did to the Char Guild. According to the hotel guest list, there are quite a few hunters you brought along. Can you handle that?”

Even though he knew that Igor was in the Tyran Guild, Kang Mu-hyeok’s eyes did not waver as he openly threatened them.

‘He must be doing that because he knew my brother wasn’t here right now. Damn, if my brother hadn’t messed with the Ufumangbau, I wouldn’t have had to meet this guy right away.’

If Vladivostok had collapsed in Ufumangbau, it would have been better to ignore it, but since the poison was leaked out just before success by Igor, it gave the Tyran Guild room to blame.

Because he was concerned about this, Darden read Makar’s intentions and did not participate in the raid.

“What do you want?”

“We don’t make any harsh demands either. Withdraw from Vladivostok. And write an agreement not to target this place again. Oh? Of course, you’ll have to pay compensation. Guildmaster Anton, how much did you say that barrier box was worth?”

Anton held back a laugh, then turned serious in response to Kang Mu-hyeok’s question and handed over the bill he had prepared.

Dardenne frowned as he accepted the bill.

“That’s enough to cover three or four gates.”

“Isn’t this just a piece of gum for the best guild in Moscow? If our guild leader gets involved, all the hunters here will become half-crippled anyway. Don’t waste money on medical expenses. By the way, Guild Leader Anton, while we’re on the subject, did you take enough money for the medical expenses of the Tsar Guild hunters?”

“I wrote it down by calculating the period of time I couldn’t go hunting.”

“Mr. Dardenne, you won’t have another chance like this. What your brother did can be covered up for a few pennies.”

Kang Moo-hyuk deliberately made a face towards Darden.

Unlike the first time, this time Dardenne felt a strong urge to turn the tables.

But soon I had no choice but to abandon that option, because I knew how Igor treated the Tsar’s Guild Hunters.

‘We didn’t bring the elite, but the area we have to cover in Moscow is quite large. We can’t afford to lose our hunters here in vain.’

You came to Vladivostok to expand your guild’s influence, but instead, you lost a hunter and your influence has diminished?

It was literally putting the cart before the horse.

“Okay. I’ll be happy to pay.”

“Oh? And one more thing. Let’s build a monument to Nadzhinski.”

“what?!”

“Don’t get excited. I’m not asking you to confess your sins. I’m asking you to set up a memorial for all the people who died there 14 years ago. Your family was among them, right? We’re honoring them together in the name of the Char Guild and the Tyran Guild. By the way, Guildmaster Anton here has already accepted.”

Dardenne was seething.

‘Will my brother accept it?’

This thought came to me before anger.

In some ways, the construction of a memorial to the citizens of Nadzhinski could have been humiliating for the Dudnik brothers, as it seemed to deny their family’s vengeance.

But from another perspective, it could be seen as a declaration to forget the grudge from 14 years ago by erecting the memorial.

This was tantamount to Dardenne giving up his justification for targeting Vladivostok.

‘That might induce a letdown.’

After thinking about it for a while, it seemed possible to persuade Igor under the pretext of building a large memorial monument for his father and sister.

“Okay, I’ll take that too. Is there more?”

“doesn’t exist.”

“I hope I never have to see you again. I’ve never seen a Korean as vicious as you.”

“If you follow through on your agreements as a Tier Guild, we won’t see each other again.”

Dardenne gritted his teeth as he watched Kang Mu-hyeok nonchalantly announce the end of the negotiations.

‘I’m just going to step back this time, but don’t think I’ve given up on this place.’

* * *

“Guildmaster Anton, when you return, clean up what the Tyran Guild did this time, and distribute the compensation as soon as it is deposited.”

Kang Moo-hyuk made a sudden suggestion in the limousine on the way back to the Tsar Guild headquarters. Anton said in embarrassment.

“If that happens, wouldn’t this side be breaking the agreement?”

“How long will Darden keep his agreement? As soon as he gets out of the disadvantaged situation, he will immediately target Vladivostok.”

“But isn’t that what happens when a tyrant does something? Would we make a rash move when we have a weak spot?”

“Humans are forgetful creatures. If we tell them right away, the Vladivostok administration and parliament will go crazy, but as time goes by, the medicine won’t work. Until then, Dardenne will have to take precautions.”

When he heard it, it was indeed so. Anton had heard a lot about Dardenne’s wickedness and persistence.

Even though his older brother was an S-rank, his talent was evident just by looking at the fact that he was able to grow the Tyran Guild into a tier guild in Moscow, known as the Dragon’s Blood, in just 10 years.

But it was not easy to handle the retaliation that would follow by hitting the back of the head right away.

Kang Moo-hyuk read Anton’s worries and said.

“The places where the information will be distributed are the Tyran Guild and the hostile guilds. I understand that the Tyrant has many enemies because he acts as he pleases. There is not only one S-rank Tyrant in Russia, so he will be sufficiently restrained. Of course, he will not deviate from the agreement.”

“Not deviating from the agreement… Oh? I see.”

The agreement that Kang Moo-hyuk reached seemed to have been carefully considered, but it limited the scope of the confidentiality issue to the political world, the administration, the media, and the Internet.

Moreover, even if this incident was known to the hostile guild, there were many loopholes through which it could be avoided.

If we make the excuse that the information network of each guild targeting Tyran Guild was activated, how will we uncover this?

It was a possible plan because the enemies of the Tyran Guild also had forces similar to those of the Tier Guild.

“I know it’s suspicious, but we won’t have time to worry about Vladivostok for a while. We’ll have to fend off the other guilds’ attacks. It’ll be even better if we just fall back.”

“Do as our captain says, Anton Gilma. Even if it’s something like this, he’s the kind of person who would tell an S-rank to go away. Perhaps there was a conspiracy behind the erection of the memorial monument?”

Joo Se-ah, who was sitting in the reverse direction of the limousine, stepped forward and intervened. Kang Moo-hyuk frowned at her expression.

“What about conspiracy? For a good cause.”

“So you’re saying there was no intention behind the memorial?”

“That’s not it, but… … .”

When Anton looked at him with curiosity, Kang Mu-hyeok explained.

“First, we needed a symbol to end the tragedy of Nadzhinski. No one paid tribute to their sacrifice, so people forgot, and the victims did not forget. This memorial may not be able to comfort all the families of the victims, but it will be an opportunity.”

“Another reason?”

“The second one, I’m not sure if the other person understood… I sent a message to Dardenne.”

“message?”

“It means that I don’t want to be associated with Nazejinski anymore. He has a bad personality, but he’s smart. If he had figured out my intentions, he would probably think we’ve finished this and let his guard down. He’d think that would give him enough time to reorganize the guild. By giving him that kind of leeway, I aimed to prevent him from breaking the agreement right away.”

Anton stuck out his tongue inwardly.

The negotiation table, which seemed to be a place where both sides revealed their true feelings and fought, was actually a gambling table where they deceived and hid from each other.

Anton, who had no idea about it at all, became afraid of Kang Mu-hyeok, contrary to his first impression of him as a pushover.

‘Oh! Now that I think about it, you haven’t even sent me the estimate yet. I’m already scared to think about how much you’re going to spend. It seems like there’s going to be some resentment… I guess I should give you a generous amount so you don’t hold a grudge, right?’

He figured he’d have to tap away at the calculator again when he got back to the guild.

* * *

The person waiting for Kang Mu-hyeok when he arrived at the Char Guild was an unexpected person.

“This is Pavel Akinfeev, former Guildmaster of the Tsar’s Guild.”

“I invited you.”

Anton had no knowledge of the tragedy of Nazhedzinski, so he summoned the retired former Guildmaster. He believed that the Pavel he knew would never sacrifice Nazhedzinski.

But the truth is always cruel, so I wanted to confirm it with the person involved.

Anton chose Kang Mu-hyeok as the notary for this truth-confirmation.

“I heard from Anton Gilma that the recent Upumangbau incident and the tyrant’s attack were caused by the tragedy of Nadzhinski 14 years ago.”

The old man, whose face was covered in wrinkles, sighed and searched for a cigarette.

Kang Mu-hyeok looked at the old man.

The old man’s right leg was a prosthetic. His face was so old that it looked like he was in his 70s, compared to the age he had been estimated to be in his 50s from the information.

The old man noticed his gaze and said.

“Is this what it looks like? It’s because the mana circuit is broken. I also lost my leg 14 years ago because of the gate collapse.”

“I heard that the Tsar Guild lured the boss monsters and monsters from the gate to Nazhezinski to protect Vladivostok.”

“Director Kang, could you please say something… … .”

“Okay, Anton Gilma. This incident is partly my fault for hiding the details of the tragedy at the time.”

The old man looked into the distance, lost in thought. Then, smoke billowed out from his lit cigarette.

“To conclude, we never chose to sacrifice either Vladivostok or Nadzhinsky.”

“Does that mean the truth is different?”

“Look at this guild now. Don’t you think something is strange?”

“… … .”

“I’m talking about the members of this guild. There is no generation connecting the current members and the members of the past. The generation should change naturally, but it’s as if it was cut off with scissors, and there is no middle ground. Why do you think that is?”

Kang Mu-hyeok immediately noticed why the old man was asking.

“Has the guild been wiped out?”

“The boss monster was strong. The guild was destroyed, and we couldn’t stop the boss. We didn’t drive the boss away. It just headed towards the Demon Realm. If we had gone according to the original plan, we should have chased it as it headed towards Nazejinski, but half of the guild members were dead, and the other half were mostly seriously injured, so we couldn’t do anything.”

Kang Moo-hyuk could tell that his opponent was not lying.

Regardless of my true intentions, the members of the Tsar Guild were definitely strange for a guild representing Vladivostok.

It was quite different from the average guild in that the leaders were comprised of hunters who should have been mid-level in terms of career. It was clear that there had been a rapid generational change.

“If the guild’s power had collapsed to that extent, it is understandable that they could not have attempted to lure or other operations. But why didn’t they inform everyone of that situation?”

The old man continued speaking.

“It was a time when everything was falling apart and hope was needed. People felt more reassured when they heard that we had stopped the monsters with our own strength rather than just saying that they had retreated. This place is close to the Demon Realm. The absence of the Tsar Guild that protects Vladivostok would have brought great chaos. We had to be the pillars that protect this city. Never wavering.”

The old man took out a copy CD that he no longer used from his bosom and handed it over.

“This is part of the footage that the reporter covered after the raid ended. I stole it from the reporter. Even if it’s not all of it, you can see what kind of damage the Char Guild suffered.”

With those words, the old man left the guild.

Anton declined her offer to stay for a few days, saying that she kept thinking about the pain she felt at the time.

Kang Moo-hyuk and Anton checked the video inside the CD.

It was a truly horrific disaster.

The reporter who shot this video had a voice full of excitement, intoxicated by journalism, about sharing it with the world.

However, the video ends with him being stopped by the former Gilma, who is much younger than him and has intact legs.

“In the end, it all came down to a misunderstanding.”

Anton smiled bitterly.

I never thought the cause of this resentment would be so absurd.

It was so futile, I wondered why I was shedding blood.

Kang Moo-hyuk made his pledge once again.

‘It’s all because of the monsters. They must all disappear. Let’s not let this kind of tragedy happen again.’

* * *

When Kang Mu-hyeok visited Pyo Beom-hee, who was hospitalized, he heard another unexpected news.

“I think I got an A+ rank.”

Kang Moo-hyuk looked back at Joo Se-ah.

“Prayer has definitely changed from before. I don’t know exactly why, but it’s probably because I’ve gone too far with the poison of the Ufumangbau poison. I’ve experienced that myself a few times.”

As soon as he heard Joo Se-ah’s confirmation, Kang Moo-hyuk added more things to do upon his return to the country.

‘I guess I should add a few more things to the bill I’m submitting to the Federation?’