The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 407



Only Noblemtl

Episode 407

#407. It’s half and half anyway.

Baek-Gwi knew that it was not yet time for him to reveal himself in Korea.

The same is true in China.

He had been quietly planning to gather the forces he had left on the continent and bring them back to Korea, but he had no choice but to intervene when Guan Hong was expelled from the Hwangryong Guild.

The problem is that the official work is not being done as it should be, and the appearance is revealed as it is.

The results were disastrous.

Guan Hong was held in Iron Will’s arms, and Kang Mu Hyuk strengthened his guard against Baek Gwi.

Although he did not intervene openly, he was forced to remain quiet as if he were a mouse by leaking his identity to the Slayer.

‘I thought I could take a breather when they announced that Seongseonje was recovering from an injury.

‘I thought the guy who came instead would be a bit more extreme.’

Baek-Gwi was flustered when an unexpected person named Choi Do-Yu appeared. The pressure was that intense. He belatedly activated his information network about Choi Do-Yu.

But the informant couldn’t move. Even if he took a half step, the Baekgwi’s forces were everywhere, ready to cut off his head. It was the first time that he had received a threat like that, to throw away any cause or justification.

Only then was Baek-Gwi able to guess what kind of person Choi Do-Yu was.

‘It’s completely different from the Seongseonje. It’s radical. But it’s a sufficiently calculated radicalism.’

If he really wanted to cut off the head without thinking about the consequences, he would have just made a surprise attack.

That is, this is a threat.

It was a warning to just breathe quietly and live.

Baek-Gwi called in his confidant, Do-Dae-Cheol.

“I order the entire organization to keep a close watch for the time being. Tell them to behave themselves.”

“Huh? Are you talking about… a seal?”

“The Slayer’s blade aimed at us is too sharp. At times like this, we must protect ourselves.”

“But then, when we expand our power again, it will be several times more difficult than it is now.”

Do Dae-cheol expressed his concerns as he should as the right-hand man, but Baek-gwi was firm.

“If the warnings don’t work, I will draw my sword without hesitation. It is not yet time for us to step forward.”

“So, how far will the sealing proceed?”

“All the way to the information line. Just tell them to breathe.”

“It’ll be even harder when you open the door.”

“Instead, use the Dark Side for information. Ask for the information you need through the headlines. Even the Slayer won’t be able to touch that.”

“If it’s a headline… you might have to pay with information, not money. That’s how they do business.”

“If you need something, you have to give it. It’s part of the nature of this world that you can’t get what you want if you’re greedy.”

Do Dae-cheol, sensing that Baek-gwi had made up his mind, nodded and repeated.

“I will follow your orders and prepare the seal.”

After Do Dae-cheol left, Baek Gwi looked down at the Seoul scenery he had seen every day and clicked his tongue.

‘The land is small, so there isn’t much room to hide. The room to move is even narrower than when we fought the Yellow Dragon Guild in China.’

Plus, there were so many formidable figures gathered together.

Kang Mu-hyeok, Seong Seon-je, Gwan Hong, and now Choi Do-yu.

‘I don’t regret coming back to Korea, but is it inevitable that things will get complicated and bothersome?’

Baek-Gwi’s expression, which had been filled with annoyance just a moment ago, soon became filled with interest.

“Well, if it were easy to take over a country, that would be a waste of time.”

* * *

“Seonje, it’s been a while.”

Choi Do-yu stared intently at Seong Seon-je’s face as he lay on the bed under the window where the sunlight poured in. He pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down with the back facing forward.

Thanks to the advancement of gate medicine, Seongseonje was in a vegetative state, but his complexion was bright. His cheeks were shiny and rosy, as if he would wake up at any moment.

Choi Do-yu stared blankly at Seong Seon-je and then put his hand on his neck.

Choi Do-yu’s fingers gently pressed the carotid artery. The pulsating blood vessel bulged and sank.

Choi Do-yu smiled faintly and took his hand away.

“You look healthy, don’t you?”

Choi Do-yu asked outside the hospital room, and soon the door opened and an answer was heard.

“Team Leader Sung will get up and leave in no time.”

Choi Do-yu looked over his shoulder at the man standing behind him.

The handle of the blue and red twin star swords on his waist was sticking out to the left and right. The man was placing his hands on them.

“Did you say your name was Gam Woo-young?”

“Yes, Madam Bugil.”

“You call me Bugilma. But that’s not how you treat me at all.”

“Well, I used to be like this, and no one ever took issue with my behavior.”

Although Gam Woo-young responded in a twisted manner, Choi Do-yu did not get angry or yell, but spoke quietly.

“Are you afraid that I will harm Seonje?”

“Do you really think I would pull out my sword on you, Lady Bugil?”

It was an impudent attitude of asking questions instead of answering them. At least it wasn’t an attitude that should be shown to a superior.

Choi Do-yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“As expected, he’s the next ace of the Slayer Guild Expedition. Our guild’s ace lineage has a knack for taking on all the enemies regardless of their status. Seonje was like that, and Sangyeop was like that too. Oh? The best of them all was Joo Seah. Now I wonder if they’re deliberately picking only those kinds of people. Gam Wooyoung, are you like that too?”

The lineage of the expedition team’s aces, which started with Seong Seon-je, So Sang-yeop, and Joo Se-ah, is currently being continued with Ha Hye-seong and the next, Gam Woo-yeong.

The previous three people’s backgrounds were so great that they were overshadowed, but Ha Hye-seong and Gam Woo-young were also capable people who would not be ashamed to show off their skills anywhere.

Choi Do-yu used the expression “talent” to describe it indirectly, but it was actually a warning.

But Gam Woo-young accepted it without even a hint of flinching.

“I often hear that even though my skills are a bit lacking, I resemble my older sister Se Ah in fighting style. I don’t like it, but I can’t deny it.”

It was a challenging tone that would have made the other senior expedition members secretly sigh heavily if they had heard it.

That was because they knew very well what kind of person Choi Do-yu was.

So, I kept nagging Gam Woo-young so that he wouldn’t make any mistakes.

Never bump into Choi Do-yu.

Gam Woo-young also understood it in his head, but after hearing about the bad relationship between Seong Seon-je and Choi Do-yu, he couldn’t help but step out when they were alone.

‘Maybe he brought me here on purpose.’

Ironically, it was Choi Do-yu who brought Gam Woo-young to visit Seongseonje in the hospital.

Even though Gam Woo-young knew this fact, he couldn’t help but show off his momentum.

‘The one who brought down Choi Do-yu and Bugilma was Team Leader Seong Seon-je. I can’t help but feel ill-feeling.’

Choi Do-yu, who had been seeing through Gam Woo-young’s mind, shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Do you think I’d hurt my family just because I lost to that little competition and got pushed out? I don’t know what you heard about me, but at least I’m not that kind of trash. On the contrary, I admire Seon-jae. He was a friend I could learn a lot from. Especially things like how to use people? What separated him and me was the choice I made at the crossroads of whether to promote or exclude Joo-se-ah. In the end, this guy was right, and I lost. That’s all. Isn’t it natural for me to take responsibility for my own choices? I have no resentment or complaints toward this guy.”

“… … .”

“And the fact that Seonje is lying like this right now is also because of this guy’s choice.”

Gam Woo-young couldn’t say a word in response to Choi Do-yu’s words. In reality, he didn’t show any signs of murder toward Seong Seon-je. Gam Woo-young was just reacting sensitively to the rumors he had heard.

Gam Woo-young felt like she was being stopped by Choi Do-yu.

‘I had just joined the guild right before this person fell from grace. I can’t say anything since I didn’t experience it myself, but rumors can’t just spread without reason. Even so, it doesn’t suit my personality to believe what other people say.’

It wasn’t a place to have a proper conversation, but just a few words mixed together made my head feel complicated.

Gam Woo-young felt uncomfortable with Choi Do-yu. He was never one to hide his frustrations. This time was no different.

“So why did Madam Bugil bring me here?”

“Is there a reason you came to visit me? I just brought you here because you were close to Seonje and I felt awkward coming alone. If you suddenly wake up or something, it would be awkward for both of us.”

“Isn’t it a very low probability that Team Leader Sung will suddenly wake up? You don’t seem like the type of person to use that low probability as an excuse, do you?”

“Do you think the odds are low? That the preemptive strike will wake up?”

“That’s… that’s not it… … .”

“It’s half and half anyway. Either I wake up or I sleep forever. But I think I’ll go with the former. I don’t know when that will be, though.”

In the end, Gam Woo-young remained silent and listened to Choi Do-yu’s words.

“Do you know that? Out of all the hunters in the history of the Slayer Guild, there are only two who are the best I know of. No, in the entire history of hunters in the Republic of Korea, excluding the Great War, there are only two. That’s Seong Seon-je, and the other is Ju Se-ah. I think that if it’s these two, it wouldn’t be strange no matter what happens. Do you know? If Seon-je wakes up, he might be S-rank.”

“Do you think Team Leader Sung can become an S-rank?”

“Who would have thought that Joo Se Ah would become an S-rank? She was called the next generation S-rank candidate, but keep in mind that there were many S-rank candidates before her. As I said, they are hunters that anything could happen to them.”

Gam Woo-young thought that Choi Do-yu was evaluating Seong Seon-je too highly.

Of course, Seong Seon-je was a hunter who deserved such praise. However, considering the role he played in the process of Choi Do-yu’s downfall, such praise was suspicious.

Although he was not the type to engage in tiring head-to-head battles due to his personality, Gam Woo-young also learned a lot from watching Seong Seon-je, so he was quick to catch on.

He did not fall for Choi Do-yu’s compassionate words and actions and asked again.

“So? You still haven’t told me the real reason you brought me here.”

“… … .”

“If you have nothing to say, I will conclude my visit here.”

“You’re not that cute either.”

“As I said before, Joo Se Ah has a bad temper.”

“I heard Joo Se Ah ruined a lot of kids.”

“An S-rank hunter isn’t someone who is that leisurely.”

“There will be a guild raid reorganization soon.”

Choi Do-yu’s voice suddenly changed. It was a businesslike and stiff voice, not the soft tone of speech from a moment ago.

Gam Woo-young remained silent and focused on what he was saying.

“The guild won’t be able to move forward if we just wait for Team Leader Seongseonje to wake up. The world is changing rapidly. The Demonic Realm opens, Mirage enters, and then Japan, China, and Russia. Which one? Slayer must advance to the next stage. To do that, I have to make the guild revolve around me. What do you think? Come under my direct control.”

A straightforward proposal, a persuasion without any harsh conditions or compliments.

It was a voice that was not as refined as Seongseonje, but it had the power to overwhelm people.

Gam Woo-young kept her mouth shut for quite some time. Choi Do-yu waited without urging her.

Finally, Gam Woo-young’s lips parted.

“I am…….”

* * *

Kim Soo-jung, who had just finished her reconnaissance mission, was taking a break on a bench with her pair partner, Yoo Seong-ju.

“Huh? It’s that kindergarten guy.”

Kim Soo-jung muttered as she pointed at the man coming out of the Iron Will headquarters building. Yoo Seong-ju, who was next to her, followed her finger and turned around.

“The kindergarten guy? Oh, I know who you are. You’re the detective from back then, right? The one we saw when we caught the orc who came into Nampocheon Kindergarten.”

“Oh, that’s right. I remember him as someone who tenaciously survived being attacked by orcs. It’s been a while since I saw him, so memories have come flooding back.”

“Memories? I was caught by the captain and scouted because of that incident back then.”

Yoo Seong-ju shivered as he recalled the incident in which the orc scouts had invaded Nampocheon.

Since joining Iron One, there have been more than one or two instances where his life was in danger, from the Orc War to the Northeastern Defense War and the Baek Seong-bin Incident.

Thanks to that, his rank went up and he was looking at B-rank, but for him, whose life goal was to live a long and thin life, Iron Will was definitely not a very pleasant position.

He grumbled again.

“I’m still confused as to whether that recruitment offer was a blessing or a punishment.”

“As long as you don’t die and eat well and live well, that’s all that matters.”

“That’s true, though.”

“By the way, what was that man’s name?”

“You don’t know because you didn’t even ask in the first place?”

“Oh, right. I just took a look at his face, right? But why is that old man here?”

When Kim Soo-jung tilted her head, Yoo Seong-ju answered insincerely.

“Why would you be here? They’re hiring this time. You must have applied there. Anyway, everyone who was involved with the orcs back then got a job at Iron Will. Since they were detectives, they must be in the security field.”

“What can a normal person do in the security field? This isn’t just a regular guild, it’s a guild within a special zone. What else do we have to deal with besides hunters and monsters?”

“How would I know that? If you really want to know, just go and ask.”

“I wonder?”

As Kim Soo-jung got up from her seat, Yoo Seong-ju grabbed her and asked.

“A real store?

“You’re so tied up with that detective. You should at least say hello to him.”

“What is Mobyeon again?”

“Don’t you know anything about blood ties, regional ties, school ties, and monster ties? I mean, ties that are tied together because of monsters. Come to think of it, you’re younger than me, and you don’t know a single word these days?”

“There’s only a two-year age difference between my sister and I. Isn’t it true that my sister, who knows how to speak like a child, is trying to look younger than necessary?”

“What does that mean? That I’m old?”

“Even if it’s not the current language, I understand… Kuhulheuk! T, T-Tell me about this. It’s suffocating.”

“I won’t let you go if you die.”

Kim Soo-jung put Yoo Seong-ju’s head into her side and put pressure on her by putting her in a headlock position, but then stopped. Yoo Seong-ju also froze in pain, tapping her arm.

It was all because of one person passing by them.

“Hey, I’m passing through Seodaechi.”

“Okay, let go of this.”

The two slowly relaxed their postures and sat quietly on the bench, avoiding eye contact with Seodaechi and whispering.

“He originally had a dirty impression, but he’s gotten dirtier these days.”

“There’s a rumor going around that Seo Dae-chi was the one who took care of Baek Seong-bin? Look at how lively he is. Even if the rumor is fake, I’d believe it.”

“In the end, Baek Seong-bin went to Seo Dae-chi?”

That was the moment when Seodaechi passed by.

“excuse me…….”

The detective they recognized was talking to Seo Dae-chi.