The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 117



Only Noblemtl

Episode 117

117. That might not be such a bad suggestion.

After finishing his call with the leader of the Tsar Guild, Anton, Kang Mu-hyeok put aside his busy work for a moment and fell into deep thought.

‘There are five gates that are as valuable as the Blagoveshchensk Gate… No matter how I think about it, it’s suspicious. How can so many gates be created at once?’

Even Kang Mu-hyeok, who knew the history of the World Hunters by heart without a single word wrong, had never seen this strange phenomenon anywhere.

‘Yes, let’s say that the Gate is something that is beyond common sense. Let’s also say that the conflict between the Russian and Chinese Hunters played a part in escalating the situation. Considering the money at stake in the Gate, we might see bloodshed.’

But even considering all of those issues, the current situation was suspicious. There was no evidence or sign to suspect anything, but Kang Moo-hyuk felt uneasy about the events taking place in the Demon Realm.

“It’s frustrating because I can’t do anything right now.”

The problem is that Kang Moo-hyuk, or rather Korea, is a third party in this incident.

There was no vested interest in the Demon Realm, and there was no justification for interfering. Even if the justification was replaced with profit, Iron Will would not be able to touch it.

In Korea, at best, the Slayer Guild would be able to get a leg up, but considering the size of the guilds involved in Russia and China, even that would not be an easy task.

‘First of all, I should share the information with Director Cha Gil-ju. I should tell him not to worry since it has nothing to do with the Vladivostok incident. Besides, if I know about the movements in the Demonic Realm, I can prepare for any eventuality.’

When Kang Mu-hyeok put his hand on the receiver, the phone on the desk rang first.

Kang Moo-hyuk checked the number on his phone screen. It was a familiar number.

“Oh, now that I think about it, there was something like this too?”

He collected his thoughts as the phone rang a couple more times.

“Yes, sir. What’s going on?”

Taesuman.

The second son of the owner, the head of the Taesung Group’s strategic planning office, heard his displeased voice on the phone.

-If I don’t contact you separately, it’s hard to hear our leader’s voice at all.

“I’ve been busy, as you know.”

-Hmm, were you busy?

A mocking snort was heard.

-Of course you were busy. Get rid of Jo Chung-hyun. Get rid of my line over there. What’s next? Are you ready?

Although his voice was sharp, Kang Mu-hyeok answered calmly.

“You knew that Jo Choong-hyun had been persuaded by the chairman. Didn’t you contact him knowing that? He even tried to take my life. Because of the chairman, I couldn’t touch him and had to quickly kick him out of the guild. And this isn’t a bad ending for you either.”

-It was all for me? You even cut off all the strategy team members?

“The existing strategy team is a department controlled by Cho Chung-hyun. Who knows who the chairman might have influenced? Rather than wasting your time trying to distinguish between them, it would be better to just nip them all in the bud.”

-And my only alternative is Director Kang, right?

“Rather than focusing on being the only alternative, focus on the fact that no matter who comes along, there will be no better alternative than me.”

-… … .

Taesuman was silent for a moment.

Since Jo Chung-hyun disappeared, the details could not be found out, but a spy planted in the chairman’s office in advance told him that there was discord between Kang Mu-hyeok and the chairman.

On the surface, it seemed like Kang Mu-hyeok had unilaterally bowed his head in discord, but the reality was different.

The chairman was only testing loyalty, and Kang Moo-hyuk ducked low and dodged the blade.

And this part right here.

The fact that Kang Moo-hyuk was still safe meant that he had passed the chairman’s test. That alone was enough to prove Kang Moo-hyuk’s ability.

‘Cho Choong-hyun disappeared just in time. The chairman probably doesn’t care. Besides, he doesn’t see Team Leader Kang as a threat. Rather, he seems to think of him as a tool to trap Se-ah. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain why there were no follow-up measures despite the suspicious disappearance of Cho Choong-hyun.’

This was partly because Jo Chung-hyun was not an important figure, but also because Kang Mu-hyeok was considered more useful than him.

It was the same for Taesuman too.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept the choice that Kang Moo-hyuk forced upon me. I don’t trust him, but as long as we can use each other, it’s better to join hands.

-Oh my, I fell for that honeyed mouth. Now I have no choice. Even if you say you’re plotting to cut me off, I’ll have to fall for it.

“Isn’t this a line that can be cut even if you cut it? Sir.”

-So you’re saying that you’d cut it if you could?

“I’m hanging under the director. If you cut me off, I’ll fall down with you. Unless I’m planning to commit suicide in front of the chairman, I’m absolutely not going to turn my back on the director.”

Since we have a common enemy, we are destined to be on the same boat.

It was a relationship between Kang Mu-hyeok and Tae-su.

-Okay. Well, we’re not working on trust. Let’s leave that aside. But we need to have at least some kind of guarantee if we’re going to work together.

“How can I prove it?”

-It’s simple. Sea. No, Joo Sea Gilma. I heard you came into the headquarters today?

Kang Moo-hyuk felt trembling at Tae-soo-man’s simple question.

‘Nervousness, tension. The guild leader is afraid to step foot into the group. If that’s the case… … .’

You have to use what you can. He had just made plans for this. Kang Moo-hyuk was waiting to see what Joo Se-ah would come up with in her meeting with the chairman.

Kang Moo-hyuk reversed his passive attitude of acting as if he was dependent on the other person.

“Are you curious as to why I came in?”

-Because someone who is busy with the Hunter Village opening is suddenly coming. I guess?

“Nothing much. The chairman has called.”

-You don’t know why?

“They didn’t tell me exactly.”

-I don’t think you’d be the type of person to just ignore something and ignore it just because Director Kang didn’t tell you.

“Of course I have a guess.”

-What’s your guess?

“It’s been six months since the chairman promised the guild leader. It’s time to be evaluated.”

-Oh, that promise for the chairman’s birthday? Are we going to close the guild or not?

“No. It’s hard to argue with that in the current situation. Even if you’re the chairman, you can’t just shut down a guild that’s achieved this level of success overnight. You’re the kind of person who hates things that could ruin the group’s reputation.”

-then?

“You don’t necessarily have to quit the guild to join the group.”

-!!

After a brief pause, the sound of someone swallowing dry saliva could be heard over the phone.

After giving Taesu a chance to gather his thoughts, Kang Mu-hyeok spoke.

“Sir, I think it’s time for us to meet again.”

-A busy person wants to meet now? Do you have any good news?

“This might not be such a bad suggestion, sir.”

* * *

Joo Se-ah visited the Samseong-dong headquarters to meet her biological father, Tae Jin-seong.

Even though she didn’t work at the headquarters, she was someone who could use her face as a passport. This was because the headquarters employees regarded her as Korea’s best hunter rather than the chairman’s illegitimate daughter.

“Welcome, Lady Gilma Joo Se-ah. The Chairman is waiting for you.”

The secretary who came out to greet me from the bottom of the elevator guided me to the president’s office on the royal floor.

Joo Seah stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.

‘I’d rather have the gate. This place is really… … .’

It was still an uncomfortable place even though I had reached S rank and there were no monsters there.

“If you’re here, don’t just stand around in front of the door. Come in.”

As I hesitated, Tae Jin-seong’s clear voice was heard from beyond the door.

Joo Se-ah frowned and opened the door to the chairman’s office.

“You’ve awakened as a hunter in the meantime? How do you know what’s outside the door?”

“If you sigh so loudly, even a deaf old man will hear you. Sit down.”

Tae Jin-seong moved from the desk to the sofa. Joo Se-ah closed the door and sat on the edge of the sofa farthest from Tae Jin-seong. It was as far as the distance between a father and a daughter. It was an awkward sight to others, but the chairman said without caring.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Isn’t this the sign for us to have tea time, Chairman?”

Joo Seah spoke bluntly.

“You don’t even call me father anymore.”

“When did you start seeing me as your daughter?”

“Since I thought of her as my daughter, I’m going to give her a seat in the royal family and put her on the family register, right?”

“Both of them were tricks to get me into the group. I needed the chairman.”

“Even knowing that, you accepted Gilma’s offer.”

“You keep talking as if you’re doing something good. That’s usually called a deal. Don’t talk as if you’re giving it to me unilaterally.”

“I heard that the group invested quite a bit of money?”

“It’s just a drop in the bucket compared to recruiting the best hunter in South Korea.”

Tae Jin-seong looked at Joo Se-ah, who was responding without saying a word as usual. Joo Se-ah asked, perhaps because her gaze was unfamiliar.

“why?”

“You’ve become more humorous. The way you speak has also changed.”

“well?”

“You look like that guy below you.”

“Below? Are you referring to Captain Kang Mu-hyeok?”

“The water isn’t very good.”

“I guess I’ve learned a lot since you don’t like me, Chairman.”

“Let’s get to the point, because even if we see each other for a long time, we’ll both get hurt.

“When did you ever feel like getting hurt?”

“Don’t be rude.”

Tae Jin Sung glared at her with his eyes wide open. Joo Se Ah also looked back and had a staring contest.

After glaring at each other for a moment, Tae Jin Sung clicked his tongue first and looked away. He was not pleased with his youngest daughter who was not at all intimidated by his gaze.

‘My brothers are all trying to avoid my gaze, but this guy is turning into a fool. Tsk tsk.’

A hunter who fights monsters would not avoid the eyes of ordinary people, but this kind of behavior was a problem of temperament rather than the hunter.

His daughter wasn’t afraid of him. Tae Jin Sung was sure that Joo Se Ah would have stood up to him even if she wasn’t a hunter. That was one of the reasons he wanted to bring his daughter into the group.

“I won’t make much of a fuss. I’ll leave the guild as is, so you just join the group.”

“The chairman of the Taesung Group, the world’s best, made a promise and then said something else?”

“The promise I made was that I would not disband the guild, not that I was going to decide your future. Think back to what I said.”

When I thought back on that memory, it was indeed like that.

‘I’ll give you half a year. Try to normalize the guild by then. If not, I’ll disband the guild.’

Joo Se Ah realized that she had been fooled terribly.

“What kind of conglomerate is this lethal?”

“A word, a different thing, a different thing, a different amount of money to receive, that’s business. If you can’t catch that, then your ability as a Gilma is lacking. You still have a long way to go to learn.”

Although it was fatal, Joo Se Ah felt that arguing would be a defeat in itself, so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she brought out the words she had prepared.

“That doesn’t mean I ever said I was leaving the guild and coming to the headquarters.”

“Are you trying to win?”

“No way? Are you going to let this go just because you insisted? Neither of you signed a contract. And there was no clear verbal agreement either.”

“So let’s invalidate it?”

“I won’t do it that loosely. I’ll just make a suggestion.”

“proposal?”

“I’m coming to the headquarters. Please reserve a seat for me.”

“Hoo.”

“Instead, I will continue to take charge of the guild. I will also be active in my work as a guild leader. There will probably be many days when the office here is empty.”

Tae Jin-seong immediately noticed where Joo Se-ah’s suggestion came from.

“Did your friend, the captain, tell you to do that?”

“I knew you’d say that, and Director Kang told me to tell you that it’s better to give in to the chairman. He told me not to take the difficult path and to compromise. He said you’d understand if I said that.”

As soon as Joo Se Ah finished speaking, Tae Jin Sung burst into laughter.

“In other words, it means that I should also give in moderately.”

“Oh, and he added this: ‘If you try to have everything, you’ll lose everything.’”

Tae Jin-seong stared blankly at Joo Se-ah. No, to be exact, he glared at Kang Mu-hyeok behind her.

‘They say Seah needs to be coaxed and comforted, but she’s actually doing a good job.’

Although she was happy that Joo Se Ah had made a small concession, she was also upset because it seemed like Kang Moo Hyuk, a completely incomprehensible guy, was manipulating her daughter. She wanted to vent her frustrations on Kang Moo Hyuk, who was able to do what she couldn’t.

“Well, judging by the way you teased that guy, I guess that oiled tongue is still there. Those guys are hard to deal with. Be careful. If the oil catches fire, it will burn in an instant. Then it will burn both the enemy and the friend. If you don’t want to get burned, it’s better to keep your distance.”

“The guild is under my jurisdiction. I also handle guild personnel matters.”

“Consider this advice.”

Tae Jin-seong brightened the mood with Joo Se-ah’s sharp voice.

“The guild listing is just around the corner. I don’t like the idea of ​​negotiating over who will belong to the group anyway, but I guess it’s good. It’ll motivate me to move voluntarily. Okay, keep looking after the guild. Instead, come to the headquarters when they call you.”

“If there’s nothing urgent.”

“Even if something is urgent, make time for it.”

“You should adjust that part. It can’t be helped when you’re hunting monsters.”

Tae Jin-seong nodded, surprised once again by the fact that his daughter, who he thought would refuse, gave in.

“Okay. I’ll consider that.”

On the outside, he smiled kindly and accepted it, but Tae Jin-seong had a sinister intention.

‘Even taking a single step is difficult. Once you take one step, walking and running are instantaneous. You rascal, no matter how much you hate it, you have no choice but to move according to my plan.’

* * *

Age: 27

Affiliation: Taesung Group Vice Chairman’s Office

Mr. Joe looked back and forth between the woman who had just entered the cafe and the person in the photo on his smartphone.

“That’s right. Just like the information said, I’ll stop by this cafe after lunch.”

Since it was a famous dessert cafe near the Taesung Group headquarters, the secretary bought refreshments there for the vice chairman to enjoy in the afternoon.

After choosing his dessert, Mr. Joe cautiously approached Kim A-young, who was drinking the coffee that came out first.

He approached her pretending to pick up a napkin placed on the service table near her, waiting for an opportunity, and the moment Kim Ah-young’s gaze turned, he injected the drug into her coffee cup.

‘It’s not harmful to the body. It just has a strong diuretic effect.’

After a while, Kim Ah-young took a few more sips of coffee and hurried to the bathroom.

Mr. Joe followed along, albeit at a later date.

The sound of water flushing could be heard from the bathroom stall that Kim Ah-young had entered, and the mister waiting in front of it waited for the moment when she would come out.

“Huh!”

Kim Ah-young collapsed with her legs giving out as if the sleeping powder sprinkled by Mr. Joe had taken effect.

Mr. Joe grabbed her and took her into the bathroom stall, locking the door.

‘I told you, it’s annoying because you have to make direct contact to transform. It’s not like I’m filming a movie every time.’

As she took a deep breath in one of the bathroom stalls, her appearance gradually began to change.

It was Kim A-young’s face.

“Ah, ahh.”

After confirming that even her voice had changed, Mr. Cho took his employee ID and smartphone and changed clothes with Kim A-young. Then he contacted someone.

“It’s me. The third stall here. I’ll go into Taesung, so take care of it. Contact me later and erase my memories. You won’t wake up for at least five or six hours.”

After leaving the work to the aftercare team, Mr. Joe infiltrated Taesung.

No one suspected anything because her appearance and employee ID were all the same.

‘The infiltration was successful. Now, shall we raid the vice president’s office?’

After leisurely greeting the other secretarial staff, she put the desserts she had bought away in the pantry. Then, as if nothing had happened, she sat down at her desk and listened to the vice president’s office.

I used a wiretapping skill that could eavesdrop on a concrete wall without any problems.

Soon, the vice president’s voice was heard talking to someone.

-I heard Sea is coming to the headquarters.

‘Well, that witch is in Taesung?’

-Yes. I can’t put it off any longer.

‘Who are you talking to on the phone? I can’t hear you on the receiver.’

-There’s nothing we can do. We used the method we used before. Let’s use it again.

‘What method? What is it? I don’t know because I only heard the latter part?’

-I won’t hesitate anymore. Please contact the Baekho Guild, Mr. Kim Myeong-jun.

‘!!’