The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 128



Only Noblemtl

Episode 128

128. Was the guild a strange place too?

“This isn’t the right place to say hello. This is an interrogation room.”

At Noh Song-rin’s awkward answer, Yeon Jeong-moon smiled lightly and withdrew his outstretched hand.

“With that level of skill, I don’t think he’s a free agent. Do you happen to know where he’s affiliated?”

“It’s not like we have to reveal our affiliation, right?”

“Can’t we become friends now?”

“What do I see in you?”

“Are you going to be like this for the rest of your life? If conversations continue like this, it’ll be hard to leave here.”

“Is this a threat? But what can I do? I’ve already received threats to my life before, so it doesn’t work anymore.”

Noh Song-rin thought of Kang Mu-hyeok.

‘If you want to threaten, it has to be to that extent.’

Blackmail is complete only when you have information, control over the entire situation, and have an advantageous position, along with an irresistible force.

Even for Noh Song-rin, who had lived in a world where bribery and threats were the norm in conversation, this was the first time in her life that she had been subjected to such a threat. And it was from an ordinary person.

After seeing the guys who got beaten by Kang Mu-hyeok, should I say that I was a little convinced or comforted?

Kang Mu-hyeok’s tongue, which was seen from the same side, was quite comfortable.

When the other person showed no sign of being moved, Yeonjeongmun shrugged his shoulders and lightened the mood.

“I think you’ve misunderstood something. I’m just explaining the situation.”

“I think you’re the one who’s mistaken. Do you know why I came here so quietly? Is it because the kids are right next to me? The thing I hate hearing the most is the sound of kids crying. It’s a pain in the ass when they get hurt and whine. But now that the kids are gone? Just know that you can leave here whenever you want.”

Although Nosongrin frowned and snarled, Yeonjeongmun responded with a pleased expression.

“That’s right. You gave up fighting because you were afraid that the children would get hurt. I thought it was strange that a hunter of similar level to me would come quietly. At least I thought he wasn’t a bad person.”

“I think there was a misunderstanding in some strange way?”

“I already heard about the situation. The underpass is a playground for the kids here, so they often go there. But this time, it seems like the kids went into a closed area. They are adventurous kids and often cause trouble, but they ended up going to the smuggling route, so we were late in receiving the report and were dispatched.”

“This is mismanagement.”

“That’s right. That was our mistake. But I was quite surprised that the hunter who met the kids there and came out accompanied our agents to the headquarters without any conflict. Usually, if they get caught using that passage, they will try to avoid being caught. We know how to deal with it.”

“How do you handle it?”

“capital punishment.”

Noh Song-rin whistled. Then he laughed in vain. I knew it was this kind of neighborhood.

“It’s brutal when you experience it firsthand.”

“Because it is a place that cannot be protected unless you act decisively.”

Noh Song-rin felt a firm will from Yeon Jeong-mun. It was a kind of force she had never seen before in Ujungdo. However, it felt familiar. It was the atmosphere that those who had imprisoned her in Ujungdo sometimes showed.

‘Ah, another trauma. Damn it! The things they do are similar, and the way they roll their eyes at the investigation bureau is the same.’

Noh Song-rin knew from experience that these types of people were the most difficult to deal with. Kang Moo-hyeok was the same, and Joo Se-ah was the same. Those who she found difficult usually had an aura that other people didn’t have.

Feeling like he was losing momentum, Noh Song-rin turned his horse’s head.

“Honestly, I don’t have any intention of revealing my identity to those I don’t trust.”

“What kind of faith?”

“I heard that this is a village where people related to the old North Korean hunters live. They don’t use terms like hunters or activity groups. They don’t even speak in a northern dialect. I would believe them even if they lived in Seoul. I don’t know about other places, but isn’t it suspicious enough in Sinuiju?”

Yeonjeongmun let out a hearty laugh.

“I just tried to make it easier for Hunter Noh Song-rin to understand. In fact, I’m sweating inside because it’s not easy to say. I also sometimes get confused by the terms and mix them up.”

“What are you so considerate of? Just do whatever you want.”

“I wonder?”

“Suddenly speaking informally to me? Hey, I didn’t mean to tell you to do whatever you want… No, that’s fine. Do whatever you want.”

Yeonjeongmun spoke to the grumbling Nosongrin.

“Rumors have already spread throughout the city. The Chinese sent out dozens of hunters and two high-ranking hunters to capture a foreigner, but he managed to shake off their pursuit and escape. He looks similar to you. They say he used a pocket knife or something.”

“So? Report me? Arrest me?”

“No way. We’re not that friendly with the Chinese. Let me get straight to the point. Will you help us? We’ll reward you handsomely.”

Noh Song-rin was on guard.

Before I could even tell him what was wrong, he asked me to help him and offered me a lot of money.

‘Those who do this are most likely scammers. Or it’s dangerous work.’

Noh Song-rin hid her doubts for the time being. It was something she had learned from Kang Mu-hyeok.

Get the information out by showing empathy or curiosity without revealing your true feelings as much as possible.

Somehow, as I worked, I felt like I was following the leader’s lead.

“They say the people in the prison village are broke bastards. I’m expensive. How much money are you going to hire me for?”

“The reason we don’t have money is because our sales channels are limited to the Chinese groups in Sinuiju. It’s definitely not because we don’t have the ability to hunt. Of course, it’s hard to make a lot of money right away.”

“If not money… are you offering to give it in kind?”

“You can go to Seoul or anywhere, right? You can make a lot of money selling the loot we give you in return.”

“Okay. If you give me a lot. So what should I do? Don’t just look at it and try to hide it.”

Yeonjeongmun answered without hesitation to Nosongrin’s additional words.

“assassination.”

“what?”

“There’s a guy named Hyun Jeong-geon. He’s an outsider. He’s trying to destroy the peace our village has maintained for so long.”

* * *

Until dawn, Kang Mu-hyeok asked and heard many things from Hwang Dong-soo.

The petty details of family history, such as family relationships, the disappearance of the father, and the mother’s suffering because the father was busy with outside work instead of taking care of the family.

The reason his mother got sick was because she was too hard on herself to take care of the household. After that, Hwang Dong-soo was able to awaken as a hunter and continue his livelihood, but it was already too late. His mother was slowly dying from the illness.

From Kang Mu-hyeok’s perspective, it wasn’t very important information, but he just silently listened to Hwang Dong-soo talking about his situation.

‘You told me about the benefits I could gain by helping you, but there is still no trust between Hunter Hwang Dong-soo and me. If a bigger offer comes, I could turn my back on you at any time. Even if it is short, I need to build a relationship, even a thin one. Judging from the fact that he didn’t kill me outright and agreed to talk to me, I think he is not a bad person. At the very least, I need to build a relationship that makes him hesitate for a moment before betraying me.’

It was an extremely calculated reason, but for Hwang Dong-soo, who had a lot of grudges, just having someone to listen to his story was enough.

In that way, Hwang Dong-su continued his story. As he talked, the village affairs that Kang Mu-hyeok was curious about also gradually came out.

“… … So, after taking on various tasks, I ended up here.”

Hwang Dong-soo’s nickname was ‘Mangnani’.

He wasn’t a loser because his conduct was like a dog’s. He was a loser because he could cut off the head of a monster or a hunter in one breath.

Hwang Dong-su’s skills were acknowledged not only by the people of the prison village, but even by the Chinese hunters. The decapitation sword he used in battle became his trademark in Sinuiju.

A level reached without any support from the guild, nor the backup of advanced hunting systems and advanced training.

A-rank.

It was truly a pearl in the mud.

‘A third-rank hunter, as they say in the North. There is no one higher than A-rank, and there are only three of these in the prison village.’

Yeonjeongmun, Cheon Deoksu, Hwang Dongsu.

‘There used to be four, right?’

Kim Byeong-ju, the husband of Ui-ju’s wife, was an A-rank, but he was handed over to the Chinese guild ‘Nakhwa’ by the traitor Cheon Deok-su and lost his life.

After that, Cheon Deok-su said that he led his gang to the Chinese side and acted as a stooge.

The one who stood against him was Yeonjeongmun. He also organized a patrol team to protect the village with the same rank as Cheon Deoksu and Kim Byeongju. He kept Cheon Deoksu in check and prevented the Chinese hunters from entering the prison village without permission.

Hwang Dong-su did not get involved with either of the two, and he walked alone without getting involved with anyone. There were quite a few young people who followed him, but he did not try to force them or stand above them. This earned him an even better reputation.

‘But then suddenly Hyun Jeong-geon, who was as strong as them, came into the village. He was the kind of person who would cause a stir even if he just stayed still. In a power structure that was barely balanced. And to make matters worse, he started following the Chinese guilds, including Nak-hwa.’

When Hyun Jeong-geon first entered the village, they were able to remain friendly with each other because of the food and other necessities, but this was no longer the case.

Hyun Jeong-geon’s actions, which were displeasing to the Chinese guilds, threatened the very existence of the village.

At this point, Kang Mu-hyeok could guess why he and Hyun Jeong-geon had been attacked.

‘Hyeon Jeong-geon was sold to the Chinese by someone in this village. He was probably being watched within the village.’

This is where things started to get tricky.

This was because there were suspicions on both Yeonjeongmun and Cheon Deoksu.

Not only Cheon Deok-su, who was the underling of the Chinese guild, but also Yeon Jeong-moon, who led the patrol to eliminate threats to the village, could not leave Hyun Jeong-geon, who was causing trouble, alone.

However, Hyun Jeong-geon was once known as the village’s benefactor. It may have been that he was reluctant to handle it with his own hands, so he sought help from the Chinese.

“Chief. So, what do I have to do next?”

Kang Moo-hyuk gathered his thoughts and spoke as he watched Hwang Dong-soo treat him politely.

“This town needs dialogue rather than violence. Do you agree with that?”

“Yes. We’re not on good terms now, but we’re all neighbors who used to be like family. We absolutely mustn’t see bloodshed. That’s why both Yeonjeongmun and Cheondeoksu tried their best to avoid fighting.”

“However, hunters have a tendency to not listen to the words of the weak.”

“That’s true.”

Hwang Dong-soo smiled bitterly.

“Well then, let me hear what you have to say first.”

“How do you say that?”

“You said there are quite a few young people following Hunter Hwang Dong-su?”

“Yes, that’s true, but… Are you planning on using those guys?”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“They are guys who still don’t know how to behave. They are that naive. It’s a bit strange to use guys like that… .”

Kang Moo-hyuk stared at Hwang Dong-soo. Hwang Dong-soo held his breath, wondering what he had done wrong.

After a silence that was neither short nor long, Kang Mu-hyeok opened his mouth.

“Did you become a hunter without that kind of determination?”

“Oh, no. I am prepared to risk my life for the sake of my village. However… … .”

“No. I’m not talking about Hunter Hwang Dong-soo. I’m asking the young people of this village. Those who still follow Hunter Hwang Dong-soo without getting involved in anything, whether they have the same determination as you.”

“… … .”

Kang Mu-hyeok said, not caring about the conflicting Hwang Dong-soo.

“I said I would try to resolve the issue through dialogue as much as possible, but I can’t guarantee that there will be no sacrifices. I don’t mean to say that we will resolve the issue without bloodshed, but it is hypocritical and deceptive to say that we will resolve the issue without bloodshed when both sides are pointing their swords at each other. We need to prepare for the eventuality. If you don’t want that, I can’t work with you.”

“If we gather people together… . As the leader said… . Will we be able to change this village?”

Kang Moo-hyuk answered Hwang Dong-soo’s question as if he had been waiting for it.

“no.”

“If you can’t change it, why bother doing something difficult… … .”

“It’s not my job to change the village. It’s the people here who have to do it. As you can see, I’m not a hunter. I can’t fight alongside you. But I can show you the way. It’s up to the people here to choose.”

“Are you telling me to choose a path that could kill the villagers?”

“It was also Hunter Hwang Dong-soo’s choice to come and kill me for my mother’s treatment, and it was your choice to listen to what I said. Now it’s time to make another choice. It’s an uncertain path, but whether to fight or avoid it, even if it means making sacrifices.”

Hwang Dong-soo, who had been bowing his head for a long time, finally looked straight at Kang Mu-hyeok. Even without him saying anything, you could tell what his choice was.

Kang Mu-hyeok nodded.

“Gather everyone. Let’s set up the table before daybreak.”

* * *

Hyun Jeong-geon, who had escaped to the outskirts of Shinuiju, pointed to the two facing each other and confirmed again.

“So, you’re the Iron Will Guild?”

“Not me. I was commissioned. He’s the only one affiliated with Iron Will.”

Hyun Jeong-geon frowned as he saw the girl pointed at by Mr. Cho. He didn’t notice it when they were fighting in the dark underpass, but when he saw his opponent under the bright moonlight, his face was quite young.

“Is this lunch?”

“Oh. It’s the cafeteria. Are you dissatisfied?”

“Hey, kids these days, aren’t afraid of anything?”

“To someone weaker than me.”

“You are stronger than me?”

“If you’re not satisfied, then confront me. But do you think I’m a good match for you? You looked really shabby earlier.”

Hyun Jeong-geon let out a hollow laugh, saying it was ridiculous to be provoked by Go Eul-ji.

It’s stupid for a hunter to judge someone by age, but I didn’t think he’d be pushed around by a mere high school student if they were of the same rank. It wasn’t because of overconfidence, but because I wondered how much experience a high school student would have dealing with monsters or hunters.

Besides, Hyun Jeong-geon was a veteran who had a lot of experience in catching people. In fact, he had dealt with people more than monsters, so he didn’t even want to ask how many weaknesses the female student in front of him was showing.

As the atmosphere suddenly turned into a fight, Mr. Joe intervened.

“The night is short when the passage is blocked. We have to find a new route to enter Shinuiju, so why are we arguing like this? And Eulji, you better watch your mouth. What kind of kid likes to pick fights?”

“I learned this from my grandfather. In this world, if you are ignored by other guys, you will be pushed out right away. From my experience, it’s not wrong. If you just lose and go in, your opponent will definitely try to win.”

“Your grandfather… . Haa, from what I’ve heard from someone who fought in the Great War, that’s how you are. I’m not in your guild so it doesn’t matter, but Captain Kang will have a hard time from now on. If your guild leader knew about this place.”

“No, why are you bringing up Gilma? I’m not threatening you.”

“I know. It’s a threat. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll report you to the Lord Gilma.”

Hyun Jeong-geon interrupted their conversation and came in.

“Since we’re talking about Captain Kang, let’s deal with that first. First of all, the fact that the Iron Will Guild sent you here means that they recognized that something was wrong with Captain Kang, right?”

“Is Captain Kang alive?”

“Not yet.”

“What? The answer is not cool?”

“It’s not like I’m going to die right away. Instead, I’ve run into a few problems.”

“I’m saying this because we’re talking about problems. We have problems here too.”

“What’s the problem?”

“First of all, the rescue team is just the two of us. There is no support from the guild.”

Hyun Jeong-geon touched his forehead.

“I guess so. It’s not just the weird guys that are there, but the guild is also a weird place.”

Hyun Jeong-geon somehow began to like this guild more and more.