The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 404



Only Noblemtl

Episode 404

#404. Should I like this or not?

While the second draft was underway in Busan, Ironwill’s headquarters was also gearing up for the new season.

While Kang Moo-hyuk was looking around at the hunters, the headquarters was carrying out a large-scale hiring of general employees.

Today was the day of the job interview, and since Kang Mu-hyeok was away, Pyo Beom-hee from the communications team took the lead in the evaluation, with team leaders from each field participating.

“Ironwill recently obtained a B-class guild license. Next year, it may become an A-class. There will be rapid and many changes. That’s why a human resource pool that can support the Hunters is important. Our communications team is pursuing a different direction from the existing management. Does anyone have any ideas about this? No?”

“It is important for operators to convey information quickly and accurately. Could you please read the contents of the paper and convey the situation in an easy-to-understand manner?”

“For the security of guild information, the IT team is required to sign a confidentiality agreement. For the same reason, a separate security assessment is conducted to block external spies. It may be an invasion of privacy, but do you agree? If you agree, please sign and submit it.”

“The equipment team works overtime a lot. Is that okay?”

“Are you a former special forces soldier? You know how to handle a gun? No, I’m not saying you can shoot here. Bukpocheon isn’t necessarily dangerous. At least you won’t see any monsters inside the Hunter Village. I’ve been living here for a while now, and I’ve only seen a few orcs, big snakes, and various small mobs. Hey, don’t worry about it. You might see them sometimes while walking, but there are a lot of Hunters here and there. By the way, how long can you run 100 meters?”

“Don’t think that the strategy team will just sit around and do nothing. Our leader is such an exciting person that you could die. We’ll write a risk awareness pledge. If you do, the guild won’t be held responsible.”

After a stormy morning of interviews, it was lunchtime.

The interviewers in charge of each part gathered in a separate room in the auditorium and ate packed lunches. They were supposed to have a meeting to gather various materials and share opinions on recruiting talent, but because they were so busy dealing with people, they just continued with small talk that wasn’t really a meeting.

Even so, as the person in charge of the recruitment schedule, Pyo Beom-hee couldn’t help but say a few words. First, she pointed out Hyun Jeong-geon.

“Hey, Hyun.”

“why?”

“Would anyone get into the strategy team if you interviewed with that attitude?”

“It’s a stress interview.”

“You could die, and the guild isn’t responsible. How is this a stress interview?”

“It’s a fact interview.”

“So where is that a fact?”

“There is living proof.”

“Witness? Who? Chief Kang?”

“He’s not a hunter, but he’s good at field work, so he doesn’t die easily. Isn’t that a bit strange?”

“Chief Kang didn’t do that on Titan either.”

“You didn’t have to go outside, you talked back to Matthew Bugilma. That’s why I joined you. To that extent, you don’t know how to value your life.”

“What a brag. Go around the neighborhood saying that you came in to assassinate the captain. It’ll cause a scandal. There are already a lot of reporters hanging around Iron Will these days. If you take Titan too, you’ll definitely get in trouble.”

“Matthew doesn’t know I’m here yet? No, he must have heard the rumors since I’ve settled down in Shinuiju. Anyway, he doesn’t like me that much either, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll hate him even more.”

Leopard Hee clicked her tongue and smirked.

Hyunjeonggeon was a sword that was secretly used in the guild, so it had a sinister and unconventional quality.

Kang Mu-hyeok may have noticed this and tried to trick her, but to Pyo Beom-hee, it felt like she had a bomb placed on her butt.

She sighed and gave up.

“Yeah, it’s easier if you give up. But let’s take it easy starting in the afternoon.”

After Pyo Beom-hee finished cracking down on Hyun Jeong-geon, he called in his direct subordinate, Manager Oh Jeong-yeon.

“Oh, Manager, there’s no need to scare me by telling me about your experience meeting monsters.”

“Oh, really? I thought it was okay because Team Leader An Ji-il told me about how he almost died while trapped in Warehouse C.”

Pyo Beom-hee glared at An Ji-il.

“I won’t do it, Team Leader Pyo.”

I didn’t have faith.

Oh Jeong-yeon, who had been observing Pyo Beom-hee’s expression, quickly continued speaking.

“But I think that people who are scared to this extent should not have come to Iron Will in the first place. It would be really hard to survive here with that kind of attitude.”

“Well, that’s not wrong… But we still need a lot of people right now.”

“I agree that we need people, but looking at the current state of Hunter Village operations… Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth hiring on such a large scale. Are there any other issues?”

Oh Jeong-yeon asked with a suspicious look. Pyo Beom-hee thought for a moment. Hyun Jeong-geon, who was standing next to her, intervened.

“It’s not that confidential. You can reveal it now, Team Leader Pyo. They’re going to announce it soon anyway.”

“Are you the one who decides that? Isn’t it the Gilmana captain who decides that?”

“I think Gilma told Captain Kang to do whatever he wanted. Captain Kang wouldn’t care if the plan didn’t go awry. They’re really simple and neat people. I’ve never seen a superior who doesn’t touch me like this before.”

Pyo Beom-hee glared, but Hyun Jeong-geon just laughed it off and tried to cover it up like usual.

“If someone saw me, they’d think I ate a lot of guild food. Well, since we’re on the subject, I’ll tell everyone. Sooner or later, a few bills will be passed in the National Assembly.”

“What kind of law is it?”

Oh Jeong-yeon showed interest and clung closely to Pyo Beom-hee.

Unlike Hyun Jeong-geon, she was a staff member who had doubts about the scale of this recruitment because she had a lot of experience in the guild. She expected that there would be some kind of major change.

“One is a plan to add gate raids to the scope of activities of the guilds of the hometown, as everyone knows, and the other is a revision to the guild law that defines the location of S-ranks. If this passes, Iron Will will be able to conduct external activities while maintaining its hometown of Bukpocheon. Accordingly, the leader has established a triangle operation plan connecting Seoul, Bukpocheon, and Sinuiju. That’s why, like this time, more people will come in.”

In an instant, the conference room became quiet.

The team leaders of each team who were paying attention in the guild immediately figured out what Pyo Beom-hee meant and pointed out the main point.

Gongduri raised her hand and shouted out her thoughts.

“Yes! Escape from Bukpocheon!”

Although it was focused on a direction that was slightly different from the guild’s development direction, it was the first thought that came to the mind of most of the people here.

Leopard Hee chuckled and poured cold water on their intentions.

“Bukpocheon is still the head office. And the bonus points for promotion will be much higher if you work at the head office. Plus, the hazard pay that has been paid so far will drop significantly outside of Bukpocheon. And other allowances as well. Of course, all the benefits listed in the contract are included.”

At those words, the team leaders realized the reality. The fact that their previously sweet annual salary and performance bonuses would be drastically reduced meant that they would have to step down from their positions where they were receiving the highest treatment in the industry.

You have to give up the baptism of capitalism that you obtained by mortgaging your freedom. And on top of that, you get promoted at a lower rate than the head office employees?

Iron Will was a guild that had just begun to expand, with S-rank hunters on its back. The size of the guild also grew rapidly. There would be positions that didn’t exist before, and people needed to fill those positions.

Moving outside of Bukpocheon now would mean giving up the opportunity to move up.

The team leaders who are quick to calculate have already made up their minds to bury their bones in Bukpocheon. The team leaders who are living a life of wandering away from their families are still hesitating, but they cannot give up the two great joys of office workers: money and promotion.

In the end, the situation was no different from the beginning.

‘I heard a rumor. So, what does suffering matter now? What matters is where I sit in the future.’

‘1000 days of single life. Even a bear survived 100 days on mugwort and garlic, so what’s the big deal about not having a girlfriend? Mom, I think having a grandchild will be a little late.’

‘How much did you borrow to buy a house? Ha, what does that matter? It’s a house you’ll never be able to visit anyway. Let’s just think of it as a bank loan and make some money. If you don’t get the Bukpocheon allowance, you’ll end up being house poor.’

The excitement that had been building up over the fact that I could work outside of Bukpocheon quickly cooled down.

Pyo Beom-hee felt relieved inside, but at the same time, she was impressed by Kang Mu-hyeok’s trick of emphasizing the performance bonus and promotion.

‘Judging by the situation, there’s no need to worry about losing manpower. It seems things are going as Manager Kang said.’

Kang Moo-hyuk didn’t just say that. He had been preparing for the future for a long time.

No matter how much Iron Will grew, the guild would not be able to leave Bukpocheon because of the Rider Wolf Ranch. But they could not give up on conquering the gate. They had to somehow resolve the issue of being tied down by the local law.

The opportunity presented itself in this guild situation during the Northeastern Defense War. The revival of the unified attack force, in which all guilds fought together, exposed the limitations of the existing laws.

In addition, Joo Se Ah’s declaration of S-Rank also contributed to the change. She appealed that tying up the most powerful force in the Republic of Korea in Bukpocheon was a waste of national power.

So this amendment was just about to pass.

In response, Kang Mu-hyeok sought ways to expand the guild, while also putting in place several measures to prevent key personnel from leaving the headquarters.

Promotions and various allowances were merely components to complete the device, but in reality he had a separate safety net.

‘But isn’t it a bit of a fraud to provide a home-buying solution to ordinary employees?’

The guild guarantees a large loan at a low interest rate to buy a house in Seoul.

Leopard Hee thought it was a really petty plan.

But the effect was clear.

‘Somehow, it seemed like the C-class guilds had been using up their reserve funds to provide the best treatment in the industry. But once they taste money, they can never escape, except for a few who are looking for work-life balance. Especially the team leaders.’

Considering the various family benefits that apply to parents, such as medical care, welfare, and monster safety nets, it could be said that it was a merit that was almost like an ant hell.

Kang Mu-hyeok, who had emptied the Baekho Guild’s safe, was swinging the money around like a swindler.

“Okay, that’s all for the information disclosure. Lunchtime is over. More detailed announcements will be posted later, so check them out if you have any questions. Let’s do our best for the afternoon interview. No, let’s do our best for a few more days.”

The interviewers returned to their respective positions. However, Pyo Beom-hee entered a different interview room than in the morning.

She had a plan to schedule time to personally meet with people she had deliberately selected in advance through document screening.

If we were recruiting talent for the communications team in the morning, we planned to check out applicants for the security team in the afternoon.

“Applicants numbered 36, 37, and 38, please come forward.”

Three security team volunteers dressed in suits came in and took their seats.

Leopard Hee said as she looked at the man sitting in the first chair.

“Applicant number 36 is… Mr. Kim Bu-yong. He’s from Pocheon.”

“yes.”

“Huh? A former police officer? A detective?”

“yes.”

“The reason I quit the police force is… … .”

Pyo Beom-hee paused while reading the application documents.

“Traumatic stress disorder? And that’s because you lost a fellow cop to a monster?”

“yes.”

“You know this is Bukpocheon, right?”

“yes.”

“But why did you apply here? It would be hard to work here if you’re afraid of monsters. Are you hoping for something like a fierce battle?”

“My dead comrade was someone I considered like a younger brother. I want revenge.”

“Revenge? From whom? A monster? A normal person?”

“Of course I can’t kill you directly. But aren’t you a normal person, the leader here? I’ve seen the Iron Will Guild’s activities on the news a lot. If it’s revenge that I can’t do, I thought that contributing to a place that can do it would also be a form of revenge.”

A fire similar to determination entered Kim Bu-yong’s eyes. It was a look closer to desire than anger.

Although Leopomhee still had a cold expression on her face, she was smiling brightly inside.

‘Oh my, if the captain is like this, the people who get dragged there are also like this. Seriously, I don’t know if I should like this or not.’

Pyo Beom-hee nodded and asked the next applicant.

“Number 37 is a special unit?”

* * *

“I still don’t know why, but for now, I’ll just settle the chocolate issue.”

Noh Song-rin nodded solemnly at Kang Mu-hyeok’s words.

“As expected of a captain, this is a very wise decision. This is why I respect you, captain.”

“Even if you don’t flatter me like that, I won’t tell the hunter. That’s the terms of the deal.”

Hangaram, who had come to his senses for a moment, could not bring himself to open his eyes in the serious atmosphere.

‘This voice definitely seems to be those two people from before… Chocolate? Is it some kind of secret operation?’

He knew his opponent’s identity.

Korea’s first civilian guild leader, Kang Mu-hyuk!

He was the main character who launched the unified attack force during the crisis of the invasion of the Demon Realm, and is a person completely trusted by S-rank hunter Ju Se-ah.

The chocolate that such a person was talking about was not likely to be a simple snack.

‘As expected, Captain Kang Mu-hyeok. If he’s a man acknowledged by Joo Se-ah Gilma, he’s different. A normal person who’s respected by hunters? And a Go-eul-ji! He’s the hottest prospect these days? The scale is different, the scale. Ugh! Heart, don’t act like that.’

Hangaram tried to calm his pounding heart somehow.

It was then that Noh Song-rin spoke, tapping his leg as he lay on the bench.

“Hey, if you’re awake, open your eyes.”