The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 109



Only Noblemtl

Episode 110

110. A tree with strong roots does not sway in the wind.

Korea Hunter Association.

“Oh my, you’re so impatient. Did you come running from the airport right after you got back to Korea? I heard you had a hard time in Russia.”

Han Byeong-gu welcomed Kang Mu-hyeok and his group and guided them to Alex.

As he walked down the hallway, Kang Moo-hyuk was puzzled by the fact that the guest of honor staying at the association was Alex.

“I guess Lady Ayla isn’t here.”

“I went back to America because of the trouble you guys threw at me.”

“problem?”

“That traitor.”

“Are you talking about Kozlov?”

“It must be embarrassing for an insider to ruin the Federation’s work, not an outsider. Ayla was also very angry about that. Since it was a task given at the Round Table, you must be embarrassed as well.”

“What you’re saying is… that the Federation is very sorry to us.”

“Yeah. You’ll get screwed if you keep talking nonsense.”

“I feel so sorry that I feel like I should compensate you with something, right?”

“Well, then what’s that… What’s with that expression? Are you trying to eat more?”

Kang Moo-hyuk did not respond and went into the room where Alex was.

“Mr. Kang. I’m glad you got back safely… What is this?”

As soon as Alex saw it, he absentmindedly accepted the folded note that Kang Mu-hyuk handed him.

“You know, I’ve been through too much thanks to the Federation to just let this go. I have a lot of work to do, so I won’t be able to come to Seoul for a while, so I think I should give you something in advance.”

It was only then that Alex realized that the note was some kind of bill.

“Haha… As expected, you’re very thorough when it comes to calculations.”

“I wrote down about thirty of them.”

“Sir, thirty… you mean?”

“I felt like I was going into too much detail, so I just condensed it into one thing.”

“You could just say it out loud, but why did you have to write it down in a note… ?”

“Sometimes, writing is better than speaking. You can also prepare yourself mentally before reading.”

For a moment, Alex had a feeling that thirty demands might be better.

‘I’ve already conquered the Red Gate. This is the first time I’ve been afraid to even open a single piece of paper.’

Alex unfolded the note carefully, as if dismantling a bomb.

“!!”

The note contained a simple English sentence. But Alex’s thoughts were not simple.

“I think one unique item could be enough to compensate for the hard work our guild members have put in.”

“Uh, uh, roughly… . Haa~ Captain Kang. The artifact you requested is a unique grade. No matter how hard you worked, this request is a bit excessive.”

“The alliance guide betrayed us, and an S-rank hunter attacked us. During that time, our members were taken prisoner. On top of that, we were caught up in a terrorist attack by an insider from the guild seeking revenge for something that happened in the past, and we risked our lives to prevent the poison of Wufumangbau from spreading throughout the city. Oh, and we clashed with the Moscow Tier Guild. We were in a situation where even ten lives were not enough. This is what is meant by a truly ‘unique’ situation, Mr. Wickinson.”

Alex’s mouth was glued shut like a mute who had eaten honey.

As Kang Mu-hyeok said, it was clear that he couldn’t solve it. No, it wasn’t just solving it that was the problem; it would have been difficult to even save his life. Putting everything else aside, the tyrant was truly dangerous.

Luckily, Alex was a hunter with at least a modicum of conscience.

That’s all he can say.

“It is not a matter for me to decide.”

This was all there was to it.

Kang Moo-hyuk also guessed, so he added a proposal he had prepared in advance.

“First of all, please emphasize that this is not a request for dictatorship, but a rental.”

“Isn’t it a long-term rental? Even if it is, there will be a lot of talk just calculating the period.”

“I understand that there is currently no owner of the poison trait in the alliance. This is because there is no hunter who uses poison as his specialty. I have attached the condition of long-term loan, but whenever a hunter with the poison trait joins the alliance, I will immediately give it to him.”

“It’s a reasonable condition, but taking unique items outside the alliance also carries the risk of theft.”

“The user is A+ rank. Unless it’s S rank, it’s unlikely to be stolen. Furthermore, the poison is of little value compared to its rank. That is, unless you’re a hunter who uses poison. Of course, the poison trait itself is quite ‘unique.’”

Alex felt that Kang Mu-hyeok had a lot built up in him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept emphasizing the word ‘unique’.

‘So when you say nice things, you want me to accept this bill? This is a man who doesn’t show any weaknesses. Everything else about this guy is good, but he shows too much greed in this area.’

Kang Moo-hyuk then spoke to drive the wedge in.

“As Alex knows, unique artifacts have varying degrees of utility depending on the user. The more you use them and the more situations you respond to, the more data you’ll accumulate on how and in what ways they can be utilized. Rather than just locking them away in a safe, it would be more beneficial for the alliance to conduct research on poison through our guild. In fact, when I actually used them myself, I found that they greatly expanded my tactical options.”

“Since you mentioned it to that extent, I will submit a formal report to the round table. If Lady Ayla exerts her power, I think we can put it on the agenda.”

Alex declared his surrender, but at the same time decided to push this difficult decision onto his superiors.

“Then please attach one more word to the report and upload it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even during the Great War, you didn’t repay your debt to Korea. If you want to wash your mouth clean this time, just take off the League sign.”

Alex’s face turned pale.

‘How can you say something like that, Mr. Kang?!’

At Kang Mu-hyeok’s determined expression, he could only shout inwardly.

* * *

Kang Mu-hyeok, who returned to the guild after a long time, didn’t show any particular reaction.

Rather, I spent my days more quietly than usual, when I was busy moving around a lot.

It seemed as if the fighting in Russia had been going on for years.

Most of the members didn’t even know that Kang Moo-hyuk and Joo Se-ah had been to Russia. It was a move that required secrecy, so Kang Moo-hyuk kept his mouth shut.

Even the events that took place in Russia were kept hidden from Lee Jin-ju and Jang Deuk-gu, who could be called the backbone of the guild.

Kang Moo-hyuk said he would make a reservation and tell her in person, but it seemed like it had something to do with Joo Se-ah becoming an S-rank. He was reluctant to announce Joo Se-ah’s rank increase to the outside world.

“Something about this makes me feel uneasy?”

Jang Deuk-gu intervened in Joo Se-ah’s monologue.

“What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t he quiet? That workaholic. He just goes for a walk here and there, absentmindedly, like some retired hunter.”

“Aren’t you trying to check the preparations for the opening of Hunter Village on the 26th?”

“That’s natural. But more than that, it seems like he came from Russia without his soul.”

Joo Se Ah felt uneasy for no reason. It was the first time she had seen him. No, had she seen him before? The absentminded look somehow felt familiar.

‘It’s clear that when you’re pushing the Federation people, you look as cool as usual.’

She went to see Pyo Beom-hee and asked her about Kang Moo-hyuk’s strange symptoms. Still, she hoped that since she was the person who had worked with Kang Moo-hyuk the longest, she might know something.

But contrary to expectations, unexpectedly, Pyo Beom-hee was calm.

“I’m familiar with this look. Well, I guess I’ve never seen you before, Gilma. I haven’t seen you since the Titan era.”

“How was it in Titan?”

“He was always sharp, blunt, and cold, except for one situation.”

“One situation? When is that?”

“When you’re trying to decide something.”

“decision?”

“Whenever I have to make a really important decision, I take my time and gather my thoughts. Then I act like there’s a screw missing somewhere.”

Joo Seah tilted her head.

An important decision?

So what about the decisions you’ve made in split-second situations up until now? What decisions are more important than those?

‘Well, it’s a bit different from having to make a decision in seconds on a diagonal line, right?’

Suddenly, Joo Se-ah became curious about what decision Kang Mu-hyeok would make.

“Team Leader Yeom, have you seen Manager Kang?”

Joo Seah, who found Yeom Soo-hyung cleaning up the warehouse that had been sealed after the Orc tribe raid, looked up to the sky.

The salt-type man, who was moving a heavy and large box, was using his gigantic skill. Working as a giant was more of a training exercise than a work efficiency thing.

‘Perhaps the person who had the greatest influence on this trip to Russia was not Team Leader Pyo, who was ranked A+, but Team Leader Yeom?’

Yeom Soo-hyung unconsciously showed signs of wanting to return to the hunter position that he had been trying to avoid. He was also preparing to apply for a license reissue soon.

“He said he was going to Warehouse C earlier.”

Now, even in the first stage of transformation, the salt-type man, who was able to communicate without slurring his words, pointed towards the shelter where the equipment team was staying.

“thank you.”

Joo Seah was able to find An Ji-il, who was practically living in the equipment warehouse.

“Chief Kang? I thought you were checking the Hunter Village earlier.”

“Did anything happen here?”

“Nothing special. I just made sure we had enough rental equipment.”

“So this isn’t something related to warehouse C?”

Joo Seah muttered as she went to the accommodation area of ​​the old mountain lake that had been renovated into a hunter’s village.

Originally, it was a place where there were motels, pensions, restaurants, and marts, but through large-scale infrastructure renovation work and construction using container houses, a large-scale lodging facility was created.

“Wow, it’s even more surprising when I see it again. Who would have thought that a place that looked like a ghost town could change like this?”

Joo Se Ah looked back at the Hunter Village and was amazed.

Even though it was just a remodel of existing infrastructure, it was still amazing to see the roads neatly laid out in such a short period of time.

The stores that opened up here and there were also new.

Restaurants that had been selected by Pocheon City applicants and several franchise businesses were busily preparing to welcome customers.

Just looking at this street, I felt like I had come across a street full of delicious restaurants or cafes.

‘The government and the company are all passing on the construction costs. Come to think of it, the equipment store over there is also being paid by the company that is in charge of it. If you can use other people’s money as if it were your own, then that is a real skill.’

In addition, most of this construction work was entrusted to Pocheon companies. The workers were also given priority to Pocheon residents, and the restaurants that were to be built here were also built with Pocheon citizens in mind.

Hunter Village can be said to be the result of a plan that faithfully pursued the local economic revitalization as promised when Bukpocheon was first designated as the guild’s home base.

Joo Se Ah looked around for a while, but she couldn’t find Kang Mu Hyuk’s nose.

“Hey, where the hell is this guy running around? He’s not even a hunter, but he’s got good stamina.”

While Joo Se-ah was wandering around, Kang Mu-hyeok was loitering near the waterfall that collapsed during the orc tribe raid.

The broken embankment above the waterfall had been dismantled, and work was in full swing to tamp the ground behind it.

It was a bit empty, as construction was still a long way off to complete, bringing in a large-scale Hunter Outlet, but it was a good place to gather my thoughts without any distractions.

Kang Mu-hyeok, who had been blankly watching the construction site until the sun set, soon got up and shook his butt.

“Okay. Let’s start with that first.”

* * *

“Really? You want to do this?”

“Yes. Isn’t it a ointment?”

Joo Se-ah scratched her head at the plan that Kang Mu-hyeok suddenly brought up.

‘I was wondering what kind of decision was being made… What on earth does this mean?’

Joo Se-ah thought about Kang Mu-hyeok’s suggestion again.

“This is Bukpocheon. It’s a special zone. It’s a dangerous place.”

“I know. So you’re suggesting that we strengthen patrols with guild members?”

“No, there will be many other hunters on the opening day. Are you crazy enough to invite the citizens of Pocheon?”

“There are already people from Pocheon moving into Hunter Village, so there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work out.”

“Those people are people who live and work here.”

“So, we’re just going to open for a few days and accept anyone who comes. We’re also going to charter a bus and have it go back and forth between the checkpoint and the guild. There won’t be a problem if we have a hunter ride with us to escort us. There will be other hunters coming in as well, so it’ll be even better for safety reasons.”

“Hey, what kind of safari is this? You want me to take the bus?”

When Joo Se-ah got angry, Kang Moo-hyuk made a serious expression.

“What, what is it? You’re suddenly setting the mood.”

“After this incident in Russia, I felt that communication was necessary. It’s a local community. I thought we should let the people of Pocheon know how we work, how we live, and what kind of monsters we deal with. Isn’t that what a true local guild is?”

“Oh, the Nadzhinski thing… . Hmm, that’s right. It happened because we didn’t talk to each other, right?”

“Yes. It was a tragedy that occurred because misunderstandings piled up due to things being handled without communication because they only thought about their own circumstances. I felt this way during the Orc Tribe. If there had been no war with the Orcs, we would not have been able to avoid responsibility for the breach in the barbed wire fence. The same goes for the criticism that follows someone’s sacrifice. If the media tried to shake things up, they would have shaken us without mercy. I want to prevent such situations in advance.”

“At the invitation of the citizens?”

“We want to instill the awareness that our guild is not just for hunters, but also for citizens. We want the expression ‘our guild’ to be heard not only by hunters but also by citizens. A tree with strong roots will not sway in the wind.”