The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 427



Only Noblemtl

Episode 427

#427. A trip to Italy wouldn’t be so bad.

“So why should I go?”

Mr. Cho, who was dragged to Incheon International Airport, grumbled while pushing a trunk bag after Kang Mu-hyeok.

Kang Moo-hyuk kindly explained to her again, who was dissatisfied.

“As I said before, many Italian guilds are influenced by the mafia… … .”

“I already heard about that. What I mean is, is there really a need for me to go? I heard that Hyun Jeong-geon is pretty good at it too. It may not work out for me, but I guess it’s not bad since I have Director Kang’s guarantee.”

Hyun Jeong-geon’s eyebrows twitched at Mr. Cho’s remark.

“You seem confident in your skills since you’re ignoring me. This is good, since I didn’t like the Shin Ui-ju thing last time. Should I try it? How well do you play?”

“This kid still hasn’t gotten rid of his assassin habits?”

“Why? Are you scared?”

“Hey, decide on a location. I’ll give you a hand shake.”

“Why are you making plans? We’re not close enough to make time to meet. Let’s just end it here.”

“Are you okay? If you get caught making a scene in a public place, what’s the big deal? I’m confident I can get away with it.”

“Don’t worry about getting away with it, because if I go to Ujungdo, I’ll be charged with murdering Hunter.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

As tensions rise between Mr. Cho and Hyun Jung-geon, Yohanna speaks to Kang Moo-hyuk, expressing her concerns.

“Can I just leave those two alone? Or should I stop them… … .”

“That must be it. Thanks to Hunter Hyun Jeong-geon, Mr. Joe’s complaints have disappeared.”

Kang Moo-hyuk glanced at Thomas.

Thomas sipped his iced Americano in his hand, then glanced at Kang Mu-hyeok and explained to Johanna.

“Aha? Johanna, in Korea we call this Lee-Lee-Jei. Sir, this time the situation and the meaning fit perfectly, right?”

“That’s right. But I wasn’t explaining, I was just nodding to stop them.”

“aha?”

Thomas gestured towards the two men who looked like they might start a bloody fight at any moment.

“Ugh!”

“Huh!”

A heavy pressure was applied to the shoulders of the two high-ranking hunters.

“The captain told me not to fight.”

When Thomas stepped in to mediate, Mr. Cho and Hyun Jeong-geon had no choice but to accept.

“Oh, I won’t fight.”

“This time, I won’t hold back.”

The two were members who knew that Thomas was an S-rank.

Mr. Joe was called in by Kang Moo-hyuk to investigate the circumstances surrounding the battle with Mirage, especially the cover-up of the gate explosion, and heard about Thomas.

Hyun Jeong-geon felt suspicious that Thomas was only carrying out solo operations under the direct control of the team leader without going through the strategy team, so he investigated and was summoned by Kang Mu-hyeok.

If left alone, two capable and persistent hunters could access the guild’s internal information and expose Thomas’s true identity.

Access from outside could be blocked in advance, but suspicions from insiders could not be completely covered up.

Kang Moo-hyuk’s calculation was that it would be better to reveal his identity and use it.

Thanks to this, Thomas’ persuasion worked well for the two. Where in the world would there be a hunter who would want to rebel against an S-rank wizard?

Kang Moo-hyuk and Joo Se-ah. There were already two people to watch out for, and now that another boss had been added, the two felt a sense of uneasiness.

‘A guild with two S-ranks. I can’t tell if it’s a lifeline or a struggle.’

‘The wizard is particularly tricky. The situation seems fun, but the state of affairs is not fun at all. Ugh.’

Since the group had already booked first class seats on the plane, they headed to the private lounge.

Kang Mu-hyeok, who looked around the terminal on the way, tilted his head at the airport scenery that was crowded with people unlike usual.

“There are more people leaving the country than I thought. It doesn’t look like they’re traveling.”

Mr. Cho answered Kang Mu-hyeok’s question.

“Don’t you know it’s because of the Naga situation?”

“Is this an evacuation procession?”

“Even if it’s not an exodus, people who have families have already left the country and it’s not a mess. Well, it’s not just the rich. Even ordinary middle-class people are running away as soon as they get a ticket. They’ll probably come back only when the situation improves.”

“That’s strange. Even though it’s a state of anxiety, it’s not a serious crisis yet.”

“The day before yesterday, there was a current affairs program that said that if the sea route is blocked, Korea is finished. The media is inciting confusion. Companies are making money off of people’s anxiety, and survival kits are selling like hotcakes. This is not a phenomenon that can be stopped just because the government or guilds guarantee safety.”

It was a scene I had seen many times.

The first stage of a scenario leading to human chaos, social collapse, and national destruction.

It was a deja vu of countries that disappeared during the Great War and the Little War.

It was just a fuss from some sensitive people, but even that alone was enough to saturate the airport. If the side effects of the situation really started to surface, order could collapse uncontrollably.

‘We need to make a decision before that happens.’

Kang Moo-hyuk thought that a defense system that could put people at ease as soon as possible was needed to counter the signs of national collapse.

“Well, I’m not planning on going to the beach for this summer vacation anyway. A trip to Italy wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

As Mr. Joe’s soliloquy said, the sea was no longer a place for people.

* * *

Huanglong Guild Headquarters, Beijing, China.

“Is this your idea, Zhao Keji?”

“Yes. It is the best way to gain the support of the people, the trust of the party, and reconciliation with the enemy.”

Bi Yuanjun once again confirmed the plan of Operations Director Zhao Keji.

It was a report with a grand title, like Zhao Keji, who has a habit of getting acne, but the idea wasn’t bad.

‘No, it’s okay.’

Although it contained all sorts of fancy adjectives and guild loyalty, the content of the plan was simple and clear.

Buying flying seahorses in Italy.

The content was to introduce this amphibious boarding monster to restore the status of the Yellow Dragon Guild, which had fallen due to the Mirage Spy Incident, and to end the conflict by reaching out to the guilds on the Shandong Peninsula, which had been severely affected by Naga.

Biwonjun stroked his chin and guessed the probability of the plan’s success.

‘But I don’t know if Italy will sell it.’

It’s not like the Flying Seahorse was never shipped to countries outside of Europe.

It just never sold as a significant power.

In most cases where Flying Seahorses were given to other countries, it was as a gesture of friendship, as a gift of a male and female pair.

Perhaps it’s for a similar reason as when China gifted pandas to Korea in the past.

Some may say that you can just breed and raise the male and female specimens you received as gifts, but in order to raise a monster as a mount, you need more than just a male and female specimen.

It would have been impossible without all the information and know-how about breeding mounts.

The monsters that lived at the Gate were trapped in an artificial environment before they could adapt to the Earth, so they could not reproduce smoothly.

The fact that most monsters that can be tamed have characteristics suitable for breeding is both a great advantage and a disadvantage. Being easy to tame also means that they are more sensitive than other monsters.

The reason Iron Will was able to successfully breed Rider wolves was largely due to the goblins having adapted them to the isolated ecosystem of Bukpocheon.

Additionally, it was possible thanks to the support of the World Hunters Association.

Zhao Keji added, watching Bi Yuanjun’s expression as he pondered these details.

“I know the odds of success are low, but it’s a plan that will win big if it succeeds and has a low risk of failure.”

“It’s low risk, high return. If it fails, it’ll just be a waste of effort that won’t yield any results anyway.”

Bi Yuanjun mentioned Zhao Keji’s ambition. He wanted to build up his achievements and become the current vacant leader of the Yellow Dragon Guild’s strategy team. When he pointed that out, Zhao Keji’s eyes lit up.

“At best, it would be a loss of face. And the introduction of the Flying Seahorse failed in the US too. It wouldn’t be that much of a loss of face.”

“That’s your opinion. Your failure is the guild’s failure. And furthermore, it’s my failure to approve your plan. This is embarrassing in its own right.”

“I will stake my position.”

“Oh, you mean that place that you climbed up so high? If you fall off, you won’t be able to get back up? If you’re thinking of becoming a phoenix like Guan Hong, throw it away.”

“How can I sit on the golden chair without taking risks? I am prepared.”

Bi Yuanjun nodded after seeing Zhao Keji’s determination.

“Okay. I approve the plan. But the guild can’t mobilize that many resources. Of course, I can accept the conditions necessary for negotiation as much as possible.”

“That is enough.”

“Are you okay? Italy is a rougher place than you think. It’s especially exclusive when it comes to foreign hunters. It’ll be hard to work alone, right?”

“So we have prepared the manpower.”

“Guild resources also include hunters.”

“For various reasons, these are people who are currently classified as non-electric resources.”

“Who is it?”

“This is Won Hao from the Divine Realm and Xiao Zhan from Dandong.”

* * *

Venice, Italy.

“Why is it so noisy?”

Emma entered the Gloria Guild building and suddenly joined the fellow hunters gathered in the upbeat lobby cafe.

The hunters were surprised by her sudden appearance and scolded her.

“Emma! Make some noise and go around.”

“Where does this guy always come from?”

Emma shrugged as her colleagues grumbled.

“What do you want me to do when my position is scouting?”

“What kind of monsters are we? Are you sneaking up on us?”

“Pietro, you look almost like a troll.”

“If I’m a troll, you’re a harpy.”

“Where are you not an ogre, Pietrole?”

“Damn it! Why is it always me who gets the hit?”

Pietro slammed the table in anger.

It was a hunter’s table made from gate resources, so it avoided breaking, but the vibration caused more than half of the espresso in the coffee cup to overflow.

He frowned at the spilled coffee and ordered a new drink. Meanwhile, Emma drank the last sip of Pietro’s coffee.

“Hey, why are you drinking my coffee?”

“You just ordered a new one. I thought you were going to throw it away.”

“I was going to drink this and that.”

“You’re greedy. Give in to one thing or another.”

“Why should I give in? Buy it with your own money.”

“It’s petty.”

“Ugh!”

As Pietro was about to go crazy, another fellow hunter nearby stopped him.

“Emma, ​​I don’t have any money these days. I hope you understand.”

“No money? Hunter?”

“I heard you got a new piece of equipment? Right, Emma?”

Emma nodded at her colleague’s question.

“Oh. I overdid it. I just got a new suit of armor.”

“It hasn’t been that long since you changed your armor. And already?”

“Because of that, I had to spend all the money I had and didn’t have, so my bank account is empty. I couldn’t get a fair price for the stuff I used before because I had to sell it in a hurry.”

“What was that you used before? Wasn’t that the ‘Ironclad Silk Shark Leather Armor’? Why are you selling such a good thing in such a hurry?”

“I felt like it wasn’t very effective when I used it to fight last time.”

The last fight Emma spoke of was the Siege of the Walls of Venice in November of last year.

Although they joined late, Pietro and the rest of his fellow Hunters also took part in the battle.

Emma, ​​who was sent back into battle with her special armor handed over to the rearguard, seemed to have changed her armor because she felt it was insufficient for large-scale battles.

“Well, it happens often when you work as a hunter. But don’t try to change it because you don’t like it every time and it’ll be a loss. You’ll end up ruining your family if you keep nitpicking about performance.”

“In that sense, buy me a meal today.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll feed you a meal.”

“If possible, by dinner time.”

“Just starve to death.”

As the two hunters were arguing, a familiar name came to Emma’s ears.

The source of the sound was the table next door.

“I heard Johanna Ceretti is coming back?”

Emma’s ears perked up.

“What? Miss Johanna?!”