The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 419



Only Noblemtl

Episode 419

#419. I guess it’s not the time to be in Busan.

“Oh, run away.”

Nagaga was receding, like the tide going out. He disappeared beyond the horizon, which had turned red as the sun set.

“Wow!”

“You little fish! You fought and got dirty, let’s not see each other again!”

“Hurrah! Shit, I’m alive!”

The hunters’ shouts rang out. People who had been hiding in the building peeked their heads outside when they heard the cheers.

Gwangalli is a place where there are only dead monsters, except for hunters.

Only then did people realize that humans had won and cheered and applauded the hunters.

But the shouts of victory did not last long, as the sunset had completely disappeared and the beach was still red.

The red blood of the human was spread over the green blood of the monster. The two bloods mixed together and formed a yellowish crust on the dark gray asphalt floor.

As everyone stood silent at the scene of the disaster, one of the Hunters muttered absentmindedly.

“But where did the body go?”

A single word that resonated through the scene made people feel a chill that made their hair stand on end.

* * *

“There is only one case where Naga would make such a large-scale attack.”

Kang Moo-hyuk held a video conference with the Guild Cooperation Office. The faces of vice-ministerial officials from other government ministries were shown on the large monitor split into several screens.

The government has asked to speak with the person in charge of the central command center that prevented this incident.

The person in charge was Ki Seung-il of the Tier Guild, Fighting Avi, and he called in Kang Mu-hyeok, who was practically leading the defensive battle, to attend the meeting.

Guild Cooperation Office Director Cha Gil-ju was not particularly surprised by Kang Mu-hyeok’s attendance since he had already been informed, but the rest of the government officials found it strange that the head of a B-class guild was leading the meeting.

Even though he was the leader of the guild that had the S-rank hunter Ju Se-ah, he didn’t like the way a guild official from a place that wasn’t even from Busan acted so brazenly.

Moreover, he was a person who revived the unified strike force that weakened the government’s voice over the guild, so he was a hated opponent.

However, since the leader of the Fighting Father Guild’s power team was listening to Kang Mu-hyeok’s opinion as if it were a given, I had no reason to say anything, so I just listened in silence.

Kang Moo-hyuk read the discontent in the expressions of the characters on the screen, but he continued speaking without paying attention.

“Expansion of territory. This is not a simple attack, but a move to create a large Naga territory along the coastline. This means that this attack will not be the end.”

-!!

The groans of those who could not speak beyond the screen were revealed on their faces. Finally, someone spoke with a groan.

-There will be another attack like this…? The number of casualties known so far is over 50,000… …?

It was painful to be attacked in the city. Ulsan was particularly attacked in the third wave.

The second attack on Yeosu was repelled without much damage thanks to the efforts of Joo Se-ah and Go Eul-ji, but Ulsan did not have time to prepare for defense.

‘Everyone’s lost their minds. Judging from the fact that a vice-ministerial level official came to the meeting for countermeasures, it seems like the government is holding a separate meeting. Since the head of the Guild Cooperation Office is here, it’s more likely that they’ll be arguing about damage control, political and administrative responsibility, rather than countermeasures for the monster problem.’

Kang Moo-hyuk realized that they still did not fully recognize the seriousness of the situation.

He felt the need to tell a more brutal reality.

At that moment, the person who was suffering from cognitive dissonance cautiously opened his mouth.

-Isn’t it too negative to expect another large-scale monster attack like this? I heard that there were an estimated tens of thousands of Nagas attacking in Busan alone. The idea that monsters are attacking to take over land is also…

“According to reports from the scene!”

Kang Moo-hyuk raised his voice and interrupted her.

“It is said that the bodies of the victims have disappeared. There have also been reports from the general public that their family members or friends have been kidnapped by Naga.”

-… … .

“It may be a bit cruel to say this, but it means that they all became food for Naga.”

The screen shook. No, people staggered. I could feel the commotion of government staff that was not visible on the screen.

It was well known that monsters considered humans as food, but the mere thought of a monster of this scale kidnapping humans in order to obtain food was terrifying.

Kang Moo-hyuk thought that it was necessary to provide accurate information rather than vague fears, because ignorance about monsters leads to greater fear.

“The fact that Nagas can expand their territory and secure food through large-scale attacks means that they are large in number. This means that they cannot operate in the narrow territory they used to. Nagas are very reproductive. Adult Nagas give birth to between a few dozen and a few hundred young per year. They reach adulthood in about half a year. This means that they are monsters that can form a nation at any time. As long as a few conditions are met, Nagas will grow exponentially in power. The most important of these conditions are food and shelter.”

Before becoming an adult, Naga was nothing more than an extremely weak fish. As it became an adult, its skin hardened, its body grew rapidly, and it gained incredible strength.

In order for Nagaga to safely become an adult, the two conditions mentioned above were essential.

Kang Moo-hyuk decided to get to the point before people lost their minds even further.

“You all must have heard the news, but this attack by Naga is not just a problem for Korea. Japan and China have also suffered great damage. In particular, in the case of Japan, which is surrounded by the sea on all sides, coastal villages have been devastated. This has now become a problem for the three countries of Northeast Asia. I propose to the government that the top guilds of each country participate and form a cooperative body among Korea, China, and Japan based on the Mediterranean model.”

* * *

The day after Kang Moo-hyuk’s proposal was delivered to the government.

Director Cha Gil-ju came down to Busan under the pretext of checking the local damage.

After completing his field investigation, he went to the central command center to find Kang Mu-hyeok, who was staying there for food and lodging.

Cha Gil-ju looked at the documents with blank eyes and saw Kang Mu-hyeok, who was in charge of post-processing, and his heart felt heavy.

‘Someone with a different background came down to Busan and is having a hard time. I should give good news to that person…. I came all the way here and ended up blaming the king. Sorry.’

No one had put a hat on Kang Mu-hyeok, nor had they paid him anything. He was literally working for free, with passion pay.

But Kang Moo-hyuk did not complain and was doing what the government was supposed to do.

Of course, the government did not sit idly by, but it was only focused on recovery after the disaster and was slow to come up with fundamental solutions.

“Oh? Manager, are you here? The seats are a bit cramped, so please sit here. Coffee? Huh? Where did the coffee mix that was here go?”

Kang Moo-hyuk cleared away the documents that had been piled up on the folding chair, offered her a seat, and looked around for a paper cup.

Cha Gil-ju declined, saying he was in no position to drink coffee in such a chaotic place.

Cha Gil-ju sat down, and Kang Mu-hyeok sat down at the desk because he couldn’t find a chair to sit on.

“I’m sorry. I’m so out of it that I don’t even want to be polite, but I’ll just sit here. I’m too tired to stand.”

If Kang Mu-hyeok, who usually doesn’t complain, said he was tired, you could tell how chaotic the scene was.

Cha Gil-ju scratched his head as if he was troubled and tried to explain the reason he came.

At that time, Kang Mu-hyeok spoke first.

“What was the reaction above? I guess that’s why you came.”

“Honestly, it’s not that good.”

“Are you saying that you have not even made contact with the governments of each country?”

“Officially, yes. But we have had informal preliminary contacts for practical negotiations.”

“Judging by your expression, I guess you’re not feeling so well.”

“First of all, Japan is silent. They don’t say whether they like it or not. It’s a habit for those friends to keep their mouths shut if they don’t hear anything from above. When we tried to poke them, it seemed like Gil Dan-ryeon’s influence was at work.”

“As expected, Gil Dan-ryeon… … .”

Japan Guild Federation.

The highest authority in the Japanese hunter world, called Gildanryun for short, was controlled by a small number of top-level hunters called clans.

All this time, they have been exerting their influence by hindering the growth of the Korean hunter community and manipulating Korean political figures, but after Joo Se-ah became S-rank, their influence on the Korean peninsula gradually weakened.

Kang Moo-hyuk knew that they still had a longing for the Korean hunter world, but he held out hope for this Naga incident.

Of course, hope was just hope.

“Well, what about China?”

“China also refused. The problem there is more complicated. Or should I say simple? Either way, it doesn’t seem like it will be easily solved.”

“In what part?”

“The Communist government wants to clearly demonstrate the power of the party to the people.”

In this incident, China also suffered damage no less than Japan.

Because the landmass was so large, the coastline was also long, and even though China had a large hunter population, just like Korea, there were not many threats from sea monsters, so the sea defenses were lacking.

In terms of casualties alone, it was the highest among the three countries: Korea, China, and Japan.

“It seems like they’re trying to use the people’s fear of monsters to gain support from the next Chinese leadership. They’re trying to show their ability to solve problems. The problem is that the guilds that need to cooperate are unwavering. The guilds that were already on bad terms due to the Mirage scandal have completely fallen out, so it seems like they’re having a hard time adjusting their interests. With internal divisions, trilateral cooperation is out of the question.”

“Mirage is holding me back here.”

Kang Moo-hyuk frowned with a pained expression.

Unless he was a god, it was impossible for him to perfectly predict the future. He could solve the problems he was facing right now, but something like the Naga incident that happened suddenly was like an unavoidable force majeure.

It was completely unexpected that the Mirage scandal between the Chinese Huanglong Guild and the Shandong Peninsula guilds would have such a negative impact.

“The Mediterranean Naga eradication model that I mentioned is not something that Korea can solve alone. All countries that share the surrounding ocean, such as the EU, must join hands and take action.”

“I know. And the key is to reduce the number through preemptive strikes. That’s why governments around the world are hurriedly preparing countermeasures and taking action. Japan, which suffered particularly great damage, was the first to take action.”

“Are you ready with a plan already? It’ll be hard to catch monsters in the sea… What’s your plan?”

“It’s nothing special. But it’s still an operation worth trying for Japan, which has a strong Maritime Self-Defense Force.”

“Are you sure you’re operating a Hunter Strike Force using ships and helicopters?”

“That’s right. You know it well, don’t you?”

“I know. It’s a tactic that was devised a long time ago.”

And that tactic failed miserably.

“Our government is also keeping an eye on it. If good results come out, we plan to actively adopt it.”

Kang Moo-hyuk let out a deep sigh.

‘I guess it’s not the time to be in Busan.’