The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 445



Only Noblemtl

Episode 445

#445. Is this harder than that?

Mr. Joe made a puzzled expression.

“It’s not like ‘The manager is crazy.’ What are you selling?”

“I think I phrased it strangely. Not actually selling, but a sales tool? A bait product? One plus one? What would be a good Korean expression?”

“S-rank looks cheap again. It makes me want to buy it.”

Kang Moo-hyuk helped Thomas speak.

“Let’s just make it a groundbreaking proposal that has never been done before.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling that I’m going to get a huge blow from Joo Gilma.”

“The guild leader doesn’t hit me.”

“I guess Thomas should take the hit instead.”

“I am also a victim. S-rank.”

Thomas pointed at himself and emphasized that he was an S-rank. Mr. Joe, who found that sight somewhat annoying, nitpicked.

“The crime of aiding and abetting Chief Kang’s accident. The two of you are accomplices. Okay?”

“All I did was pretend to attack Edoardo and show my power.”

“Edoardo, the Grand Duke? Showing off your power to the Grand Duke? Oh my god. To an S-rank?!”

“I’m S-rank too.”

“No, I understand, so stop bragging.”

“Not bragging, just facts… … .”

“No, Captain, why didn’t you stop Thomas? What were you going to do if a fight broke out between S-ranks? And the Archduke is a senior in the Gloria Guild. What were you going to do if he got upset and all the deals and stuff went down the drain? If we weren’t careful, we could have ended up buried in Italy.”

“That’s good. I heard it was nice to live here. I guess I can bury my bones.”

“Mr. Hyun, please shut up.”

Mr. Cho mercilessly cut off Hyun Jeong-geon’s joke and glared at Kang Mu-hyeok.

Kang Moo-hyuk waved both his hands and tried to calm Mr. Joe’s excitement.

“Calm down. That was what I told you to do. It was a peaceful demonstration of force.”

“You tried to attack? How is that peaceful?”

“It wasn’t a real attack or anything, it wasn’t that violent.”

“Is there anything else?”

“And the Archduke is not such a narrow-minded person. He is a person with whom one can communicate easily.”

“I hope that conversation doesn’t end with fists.”

“I don’t use my fists, I use magic… … .”

“Should I beat him with magic or with my fists?!”

Thomas was left speechless by Mr. Joe’s chilling shout.

In a situation where the relationship seemed to have been reversed, Hyun Jeong-geon opened his mouth.

“Sir, if it’s not a security issue, can we find out more details?”

“I was going to share it with you before the negotiations anyway. I’ll explain the details with the materials… … .”

“I’ll hear the details later. I just want to know that this is a groundbreaking proposal that has never been seen before.”

“It’s nothing special, it’s just an obvious secret clause. Sharing of S-rank power between the two guilds. No, it’s closer to cooperation. When facing threats related to monsters, gates, or Mirages, each guild will do its best to negotiate with its own government to grant autonomy in the movement of its S-ranks.”

“How is that not a big deal?!”

Even Hyun Jeong-geon, who was not easily surprised by anything, was shocked by Kang Mu-hyeok’s words and shouted. Mr. Cho, who was listening from the side, also covered his mouth and opened his eyes wide. It seemed like he was too surprised to say anything.

The only people in this place who weren’t serious were Kang Moo-hyuk and Thomas.

Kang Moo-hyuk shrugged his shoulders and said.

“It’s a matter of simplifying the entry procedures for S-ranks. It couldn’t be simpler.”

“Don’t you know better than anyone that this isn’t simply a matter of entry procedures?”

As Hyun Jeong-geon refuted, the movement of S-rank was not limited to the danger of the power possessed by the Hunter.

There was the problem of the country that the S-rank hunter was going to, but it was also a problem that could be encountered in the country where he was temporarily away.

In Korea, the atmosphere was such that Joo Se Ah’s trip to the United States was considered a sudden incident, but the situation was different for S-ranks in other countries.

Unlike Korea, countries where S-ranks have been active for a long time have expressed concerns about their movement to other countries in various ways.

A representative example was the departure of Bertrand Lefebvre from France.

If you move to another country and stay there, that country will suddenly lose its S-rank.

Joo Se Ah almost got stranded in LA, so such concerns could not be dismissed as a joke at all.

“It’s not just about naturalization of S-ranks. The existence of S-ranks also has a huge impact on the security of the gate. No wonder the US created a law like ‘Double S Article 11’. Just as S-ranks have always been allowed to set foot in North America, they will also try to keep Ju-Se-A Gil-Ma for the security of the gate in Korea. Now, Ju-Gil-Ma is no longer Iron Will’s power, but must be treated as a public asset of the country. This is a problem that is vulnerable to attack in many ways.”

Hyun Jeong-geon was asking how he would take responsibility if something happened that required S-rank while he was away.

Kang Moo-hyuk’s answer to that was simple. He pointed to Thomas.

“Don’t we have one more S-rank?”

“Do you intend to reveal the existence of Thomas Hunter?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then how… … .”

“I hope that doesn’t happen, but if there’s a problem while Guild Leader Jusea is away, then Thomas Hunter will step in. Until then, we’ll keep Thomas Hunter’s presence hidden as much as possible.”

“What about the government? What about the media? What about the pressure from public opinion?”

“I just turn a deaf ear to the insults and ignore the pressure. I’m the one who’s going to have to deal with it anyway.”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Nothing has ever been easy.”

“A groundbreaking proposal that has never been seen before will be more difficult than ever.”

“I will eliminate all monsters from this world.”

“??”

“Is this harder than that?”

Hyun Jeong-geon raised both hands. Despite the expected hardship, Kang Mu-hyeok was completely unwavering.

‘So that’s why they’re trying to make such a ridiculous deal.’

Thomas, who was listening to the conversation between the two, remembered another intention that Kang Mu-hyeok had for this negotiation that he had never dared to mention.

It was a roadmap for monster eradication shared only by these three: Kang Moo-hyuk, Thomas, and Joo Se-ah.

‘This isn’t just a means for this Naga incident. It’s a stepping stone for the distant future. I’m not sure if that’s possible… . I might fall down the road… . The captain has already started preparing to save the world from the threat of monsters.’

As Edoardo said, he is a hunter.

Because the hunter is one who prepares.

Kang Mu-hyeok was preparing for the distant future even though no one knew about it.

* * *

Edoardo, who visited the Gloria Guild headquarters with Bugilma Claudia, went straight to Gilma’s office.

As it was approaching dawn, the headquarters was quiet except for the situation room.

Vito had already been contacted and was arriving at headquarters.

When he faced Edoardo, he got straight to the point.

“I heard from Claudia that you are going to export flying seahorses? I welcome this as it will reduce the burden of running the guild and will be a great help to our finances, but I would like to know why the Grand Duke suddenly made such a decision.”

Vito was a cautious man. He was not one to gorge himself on prey, even if it meant getting what he wanted.

He did not like that Edoardo had been freed from the chains that bound him for a cause he held dear.

Edoardo opened his mouth, expressing satisfaction at Vito’s suspicious attitude.

“Why, why? I guess it’s because I’ve obtained the conditions to fulfill that justification.”

“What is the justification?”

“S-Rank.”

“What the… … all of a sudden?”

“If you agree to this deal, you will receive an S-rank.”

“Getting an S-rank? I have no idea what that means… … .”

“Haha, I misunderstood your expression. To be exact, I mean that I intend to make a secret agreement with the S-ranks of Korea to jointly respond to the crisis in Gloria Guild or Italy.”

“If you’re talking about Korea’s S-rank… are you talking about Joo Se-ah?”

Edoardo thought of Thomas instead of Jooséa, whom he had never seen before.

‘There is an S-rank wizard named Thomas, but… I decided to keep quiet about him, so I guess I’ll have to keep it a secret for now.’

Vito came to his senses suddenly when he saw Edoardo’s smile.

“Is that possible? No, on the other hand, isn’t a joint response something that includes the Archduke as well? This is something that the Italian government will not tolerate.”

“So this is a secret agreement, right? I’m telling you in advance, this is something that must be done. Gloria will never be at a loss. I can’t tell you everything, but this will be the opportunity of a lifetime. Trust me and do it.”

Vito couldn’t help but groan.

The Archduke was truly the patron saint of Venice and the pride of Italy.

How many people were saved by him, and it is thanks to him that Italy is still able to survive today.

When such a great man speaks with such conviction, it is unthinkable to express doubt or rejection.

‘I had no intention of rejecting it in the first place, but… How great is Kang Mu-hyeok that he can boil the Grand Duke?’

Vito decided to call Johanna as soon as the sun rose and find out more about Kang Mu-hyeok. No, he said after thinking about calling her in right away.

“It is certainly something that the United States cannot do as a condition for S-rank. Naturally, it is also something that China and Japan cannot do. However, if by chance those two countries set the same condition as Korea regarding S-rank, what will you do then?”

“Are you trying to break the terms of the secret agreement?”

“I am the Master of the Gloria Guild. In this world, a secret is a promise that only holds good until a greater good is achieved. Word may leak out through some route. Then, you may be offered something bigger.”

“Do you really think China or Japan would be able to set such conditions?”

“There is no such thing as absolute. Of course, if such a proposal is not made, the agreement with Korea will continue. However, I would like to remind you that the content of the negotiations led by Korea will fall far short of the enormous benefits offered by China and Japan.”

Starting with paying more than twice the unit price of the Flying Seahorse, instead of the conditions that were normally almost impossible to obtain, such as the shares of Sakuramantite and Gongcheong Oil, Korea put S-rank on the scale.

Vito pointed out that the other two countries’ conditions were better if only the S-rank condition was met.

‘Korea has demanded equal sales to the three countries of Korea, China, and Japan, but China and Japan want to get the entire quantity. If so, it would be possible to negotiate on that part.’

Edoardo also read Vito’s mind. He had taught him to do so, but Vito was originally quick-witted and cool-headed. That’s why he put someone he didn’t want to be a guild leader in that position.

Edoardo was satisfied with Vito, but the more he thought about Kang Mu-hyeok, the more he couldn’t help but feel greedy.

‘Chief Kang Moo-hyeok. I can’t express it in words, knowing that Vittorio Gilma would act like this.’

Kang Moo-hyuk did not unconditionally trust the Grand Duke’s promise. Although he had absolute influence over the Gloria Guild, his basic stance was to support Gilma.

If Edoardo ignored Vito’s opinion and pushed things forward forcefully, the system that the Archduke had worked so hard to build after leaving the Guild could be shaken.

This was a decision made by Kang Mu-hyeok after hearing the internal situation of the guild from Johanna.

Kang Moo-hyuk also mentioned to Edoardo that there was a time when he was faced with the same objection that Vito had just mentioned.

‘I asked, ‘Wouldn’t that be disadvantageous to Korea?’

And the answer that came out of Kang Mu-hyeok’s mouth left Edoardo with a fresh shock that he had rarely seen in his entire life.

‘If China and Japan can make the same conditions as me, that would be even better. It would be a major turning point for the S-Rank policies of the two countries, which were even more closed than the United States. Up until now, the world has been fighting monsters while being too limited to their own countries. There may come a time when everyone has to fight together like during the Great War. If we discuss cooperation at that time, we may miss the golden time. So we have to prepare in advance. I sincerely hope that they accept the conditions. Even if we don’t get a single Flying Seahorse. If it becomes the starting point for breaking down this tight-knit Hunter system, we will gain something greater than that.’

Edoardo looked at Kang Mu-hyeok in front of Vito and muttered to himself.

‘The steps you take after looking far ahead will allow you to take bigger steps. Director Kang Mu-hyeok, although I am lacking, I will do my best to help you achieve your ideal.’

He said.

“Hey, Gilma.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“If China or Japan accept this and hand over all of their Flying Seahorses, I will use my discretion to borrow supplies from the Knights Templar.”

“!!”