The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 447



Only Noblemtl

Episode 447

#447. I feel like my daughter was taken from me.

“Even distrust of humans is a strategy? That’s really like Kang Moo-hyuk.”

Mr. Joe covered himself with the sheets, his teeth chattering.

The widely spread perception that ‘you won’t lose anything if you work with Kang Moo-hyuk’ is actually nothing more than an appeal to the fact that he is one of the better guys in a world where there is no one to trust.

Somehow I felt cheated.

‘Of course that’s great in itself, but what about the fact that it was certified as a cheque by people who don’t trust each other?’

Kang Moo-hyuk explained that this method was possible because the hunter world was an industry without trust, but to Mr. Joe, gaining such a reputation seemed like another process of gaining trust.

While she was lost in thought, a familiar sight unfolded outside the window.

“We have arrived at the Gloria Guild.”

When I turned my head at Hyun Jeong-geon’s notification, I saw Gloria Square. It was the place where Mr. Joe had disguised himself as a tourist and spied on the Gloria Guild.

A dedicated road ran along the outskirts of the square to the guild’s underground parking lot, and the road was blocked off from the entrance.

When Hyun Jeong-geon rolled down the window and revealed to the camera that he was from the Iron Will Guild, the circuit breaker went up.

Just before passing the barrier and entering the parking lot, a manned checkpoint appeared behind the roundabout.

Checkpoint security officers allowed the vehicle to pass through a simple procedure, including checking Kang Moo-hyuk’s face.

Kang Moo-hyeok and his party moved from the underground parking lot to the lobby. Here, they had to go through the security authentication process again before they could transfer to the elevator that would take them up to the upper floors.

Fortunately, the process was not cumbersome, as a friendly face had already taken care of it.

“Johanna Hunter.”

“Director Kang Mu-hyeok, welcome to the Gloria Guild.”

Johanna greeted Kang Mu-hyeok with an awkward smile. She guided the group to the elevator that went straight to the upper floor.

As soon as she got on the elevator, Johanna cautiously opened her mouth.

“I heard from Gilma. I never thought that the captain would personally meet the archduke and negotiate. I may not have been of much help, but you didn’t need my help in the first place.”

“No. It was a great help. I was able to pull this off thanks to hearing a lot about the guild situation and Gilma and the Grand Duke from Johanna Hunter.”

“Persuading the Grand Duke… isn’t something that anyone can do with just a little information. It’s all your ability.”

“Even that was possible because of Thomas Hunter. If I had been alone, it would have been impossible for me to meet the Archduke.”

Kang Mu-hyeok smiled bashfully, but Johanna thought it was excessive humility.

‘It was also the leader’s job to take Thomas out of the Ithaca Guild.’

This man was always like that. He always took a step back and did not seek the credit. He was indifferent to the desire for power, fame, or even to accumulating wealth.

Even though Kang Mu-hyeok could have been recognized and rewarded for just a few of the things he had solved so far, he didn’t really show himself.

Although it had only been a short time since Johanna met Kang Moo-hyuk, she could feel his extraordinary ability just from the fact that he had taken on and solved major cases that ordinary hunters would never encounter in their lifetime, from the LA incident to the Mirage terrorist attack.

Of course, Gilmain Jusea was being treated preferentially by receiving the highest salary in the industry, as well as performance bonuses based on the success of operations and a certain percentage based on the guild’s monster hunting, but according to Thomas, Kang Muhyuk was not receiving these expenses and was using them in other areas.

Johanna also asked Kang Mu-hyeok, who occasionally visited her while she was hospitalized, about this.

I’m not sure exactly what the question was, but the gist of it was this:

Even if your life goal is to catch monsters, you have to put in the effort, so isn’t it okay to enjoy it a little?

At that time, Kang Mu-hyeok’s answer was so simple that she still remembered it vividly.

‘Fame, power, wealth. They’re all useless, he said. Strategic indifference helps your work. The less information your opponent has about you, the more likely he is to misjudge.’

Kang Moo-hyuk’s answer sounded a bit strange to Johanna, who had expected a more plausible reason, but she couldn’t help but nod, thinking that it was very Kang Moo-hyuk-like.

“Sir, I must apologize again.”

“I told you it’s okay. It helped me a lot. You don’t have to worry about it too much… .”

“No, that’s not it. I’m talking about the captain’s indifference strategy.”

“… … .”

“I told Gilma everything I know about you, Captain.”

Ding!

As Johanna spoke, the elevator stopped. As the door opened, a man with his hands behind his back greeted Kang Mu-hyeok and his group.

“It’s nice to meet you like this, Director Kang Mu-hyeok.”

Johanna bowed her head slightly and stepped aside.

Kang Moo-hyuk realized who he was. He had already checked the face on the Internet dozens of times, so it was a face that made him feel like he had met him before.

“It’s an honor that the Master of the Gloria Guild himself came out to greet us.”

“I just wanted to quickly see who the Archduke had praised so highly and who Johanna Hunter had fallen for.”

“Gilma, what is that… … .”

Johanna blushed and frowned. Vito laughed heartily at her embarrassed look.

“Hahaha, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Johanna Hunter so flustered. She’s a hunter who doesn’t waver even in front of monsters.”

“Gilma, this is not the place to joke.”

“You’re being so stiff. I thought your personality had changed a bit while you were resting. Anyway, you’re still boring.”

“It’s along the same lines as Gilma acting boring in front of the Grand Duke.”

“Your speaking skills have definitely improved. As expected, people need to travel to grow.”

“I repeat, this is a public place. Please refrain from speaking.”

“Oh my, I was so distracted by small talk when I had a guest in front of me. I apologize, Director Kang Mu-hyeok.”

“It’s okay. It’s much better than the stiff atmosphere.”

“Then, this way.”

Kang Mu-hyeok and his party went to Gilma’s office under Vito’s guidance. Gilma’s office was spacious, but it was not fancy enough to be the seat of the head of a large guild.

Kang Moo-hyuk liked this part. It was because it didn’t matter who was in Gilma’s seat, it mattered how they dressed up.

‘I guess this isn’t the place for negotiations. I came here on purpose at the perfect time, but I can’t see China or Japan. It’s an important meeting, so they wouldn’t be late. Maybe we’re the only ones watching?’

As if he had read Kang Mu-hyeok’s thoughts, Vito offered him a seat and spoke.

“Please sit here on the sofa. The Chinese and Japanese negotiating teams are treated separately, so don’t feel too uncomfortable about being treated specially.”

“Was this ‘special’ treatment?”

Vito’s eyes widened. There was some truth to Kang Moo-hyuk’s words.

‘Does Gloria’s guilmine just take it for granted that I’m the one who greets her? Or does she not care much about it?’

There was no way to know just by looking at his face, which showed no emotion at all.

‘Well, the ability to find the Grand Duke and the ability to persuade him to come to the negotiating table are both like that. He’s the man who pushed Mirage and Illusion into a corner, so it’s nothing new to see Gilmain me.’

Vito reflected on himself for still looking down on Kang Mu-hyeok even after hearing about him from the Archduke and Johanna.

Even if you don’t consciously try to ignore it, the low perception of non-hunters in the Hunter World is unavoidable.

“I apologize for being rude. I was just here to confirm the truth of the conversation between the Grand Duke and the Commander before the full-scale negotiations. That way, I won’t be shaken by any proposals from China or Japan.”

“I will answer any questions you may have with all my heart.”

“Then, shall we kiss sometime?”

* * *

The deal between the Gloria Guild and the Korea-China-Japan trilateral negotiation team, which started late in the afternoon, was concluded in less than an hour.

The export volume and sales price of Flying Seahorse to each country were implemented according to Kang Mu-hyeok’s proposal, and additionally, the conditions put forth by each negotiating team were changed to match the final agreement.

The Iron Will Guild of Korea agreed to receive 100 Rider Wolves, the Sunlight Guild of Japan agreed to receive 20% of the mine’s production for the next three years in exchange for shares in the Sakuramantite mine, and the Huanglong Guild of China agreed to receive one year’s worth of Gongqing Oil and mixed herbs.

Although the negotiations were almost like notifications, no negotiating team raised any objections.

The Gloria Guild was in a position where they were the sole supplier of Flying Seahorses, but even a single hint of trouble here could have been a blow to the Archduke who had set up the negotiating table.

Since the negotiations began with the nuance that the S-rank hunter had made significant concessions, no one could step on the brakes.

In addition, the conditions changed by Gloria Guild were also on a subtle line.

‘It’s a burden to accept, but it’s not impossible. It’s exactly the limit we can accept. It seems like Gloria had a separate conversation with the Korean side before the negotiations, so it turns out it was Korea that took the data?’

Zhao Keji hardened his resolve and glared at Jiang Wuhyuk.

Even at the beginning of the negotiations, Gloria came in with Vittorio Gilma, and the way they played friendly with each other while adjusting the conditions was quite uncomfortable.

It seemed like it was a done deal that Kang Mu-hyeok and Edoardo had met, as information had already leaked out here and there.

Vito added several conditions at the end of the negotiations, the most important of which was leaked out.

“And the Gloria Guild and the Italian Knights Templar have decided to dispatch a team of underwater combat instructors to each country. As you all know if you’ve done your research in advance, the Flying Seahorse is a monster that requires communication with its rider. There are slight differences in how it is controlled underwater, on land, and on the ground, and when fighting underwater in particular, a harpoon-type weapon is more suitable than the conventional weapon, so the fighting style is also different. If we don’t master that part, no matter how many Flying Seahorses we have, they’re useless.”

Tatsuya was also concerned about this part. He had heard in advance from Paolo about the dispatch of the Knights, but it was unknown whether they would actually provide such benefits.

‘It seems that there is some leeway in their forces since they were greatly weakened by leaving the Mediterranean. If that were not the case, some of the guild forces and knights’ forces would not have been dispatched.’

While everyone was calculating in their heads, Vito gave a brief introduction of the personnel dispatched.

“Let me introduce the leaders of each country’s instructor corps here. For China, we have Massimo Ranieri, an underwater combat expert from the Knights Templar who is not here, and for Japan, we have Yves Montand from our guild.”

As Vito gestured, the middle-aged man who had been following Vito throughout the negotiation nodded slightly.

“And Korea will be taken over by Johanna Ceretti.”

This time, Johanna, who had been next to Eve Monta, took a half step forward. She exchanged glances with Kang Moo-hyuk and smiled.

Vito felt a bitter taste in his mouth when he saw that sight.

‘This is it, what a feeling it is to have your daughter stolen. I never thought you’d even reject my offer to join the expedition.’