The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 53



Only Noblemtl

Episode 54

54. The fault lies with the one who did the bad thing.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

When Kang Mu-hyeok stopped talking, Noh Song-rin looked puzzled.

‘That doesn’t make sense?’

Kang Mu-hyeok had been suspecting that the Slayer Guild was the one that had taken Kim Myeong-jun out of Ujungdo.

It wasn’t because of any evidence. It was common sense reasoning.

It was absurd that a murderer who had been imprisoned in Ujungdo for killing several hunters would only live for 7 years and be released as a model prisoner.

Of course, it wasn’t something that never happened. Sometimes, they were mobilized for impossible hunting missions and benefited from special laws that reduced their sentences. Or, powerful forces stepped in and illegally took them out.

According to the records, Kim Myeong-jun had never gone hunting in Ujungdo. Naturally, I assumed it would be the latter.

Well, that’s only natural.

After his release, he joined a secret satellite guild of the Tier Guild disguised as a small business.

The Slayer Guild must be planning to use Kim Myeong-jun as a cleaner.

‘―That’s what I thought.’

However, according to Noh Song-rin, Hansung Enterprise was not created by Slayer and Kim Myung-jun was put in charge, but was created at Kim Myung-jun’s suggestion.

Of course, if Slayer had never thought about it, it wouldn’t have happened. It would be correct to say that Kim Myung-jun just intervened at the right time.

‘So, Kim Myung-jun was released in a different way?’

Kang Moo-hyuk’s wit flashed.

Union, Hansung Enterprise, Kim Myeong-jun, Slayer Guild.

And finally I came to some conclusion.

“It turns out that Kim Myung-jun wasn’t just a mere servant of the Slayer.”

“yes?”

“At least outwardly, he was under the influence of the Slayer…. Maybe he’s also working with another force.”

“Other forces?”

“I think we’ve finally decided on a subject to negotiate with.”

“What do you mean? I have no idea what’s going on.”

Noh Song-rin asked again about the sudden monologue, but Kang Mu-hyeok postponed his answer. He made a phone call somewhere.

“I’m sorry. I think we need to meet urgently. … … Is it serious? Well, maybe it won’t end well.”

* * *

“Yes. This is Kim Myung-jun. Who are you? Oh! Iron Will. You’re Director Kang Mu-hyeok, right? I didn’t give you my contact information, so how did you know? So why are you calling? Oh, really? This evening? No problem. I’m fine with that. But unfortunately, I have to work overtime. Yes? You’re going to come here in person?”

Kim Myeong-jun tapped his fingers on the desk twice.

“Okay. Yes. 8pm. I’ll be waiting.”

Kim Myung-jun, who had finished the call, stared at the phone. The number that had been connected to the internal line by the general affairs team. He tried to recall whether he had told Kang Mu-hyeok that he was affiliated with Hansung Enterprise.

‘We met only once at Chairman Tae’s villa. Our conversation was short, and I never left any clues about my identity. Director Jeong is a tight-lipped person, so there’s no way it could have leaked out. But when I used Titan to knock on him, he contacted me a few days later?’

The connection with Kang Moo-hyuk was too minimal to be dismissed as a simple coincidence.

Kim Myeong-jun searched his contacts on his smartphone.

[Noh Song-rin]

-The connection is not established, so we will connect you to the sound source.

“Hmm, are you still in Bukpocheon? It would be really difficult to move the guild in this situation.”

Planting a spy was useless because the call wouldn’t go through.

It was creepy.

Usually, it’s best to avoid this situation, but it’s not something you can do if you have a foundation.

Besides, hiding itself was something that aroused suspicion.

Whether Kang Moo-hyuk’s intention was simply socializing or to ask questions about the Titans, he had to avoid any actions that would give him any reason to do so.

“I guess it doesn’t hurt to be careful though.”

Kim Myung-jun’s hands were busy turning the phone.

“It’s me. Are you okay? Come into the headquarters.”

* * *

In the factory area on the outskirts of Seoul where Hansung Enterprise is located, many people were working even after the sun had set. This was because small and medium-sized companies in charge of item-related processes were booming.

However, since the number of employees working overtime was small, the number was much smaller than during the day.

Before going to Hansung Enterprise, Kang Mu-hyeok stopped his car on a quiet road.

“I left my old phone at the guild, but I’m worried that if I can’t contact you for a long time, you might get suspicious.”

“This time it will be okay. Since we have only just entered Bukpocheon, there are no communication lines. For the time being, you can just keep your current stance and act as a double spy.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to go in alone like this? Kim Myung-jun. You’re a very dangerous person.”

“I heard that you’re the kind of person who takes care of yourself as much as you can. You’ll probably be fine. That’s why you have insurance, right?”

“Do you trust me? I don’t have confidence… What if I get stabbed in the back by the axe I trust?”

“I don’t trust the axe.”

It was a strange answer. Noh Song-rin was more upset by the words not being believed than by the meaning of them.

Kang Moo-hyeok dropped Noh Song-rin out of the car and headed toward Hansung Enterprise. Noh Song-rin stuck out her tongue as she watched his back.

“How dare you. Crawling into a place that even I would be scared of all by yourself. Is that guy a real hunter?”

* * *

Unlike the nearby factories where machines were running busily, Hansung Enterprise did not have overtime. Most of the employees had already left work. However, there were signs of people everywhere. Some people were seen smoking cigarettes in corners.

Kang Moo-hyuk intuitively noticed that they were hunters.

As I passed through the factory gate, the iron door slammed shut with a loud creaking sound. I checked my rearview mirror and saw two people pushing the door on either side.

‘Is this the royal guard from Ujungdo that Hunter Nosongrin spoke of?’

Although the iron gate was low, the pressure of having no escape route blocked his throat was squeezing him, but Kang Mu-hyeok did not waver.

The opponents are hunters who are better at catching people than monsters.

They were the type of people he hated.

This was an opponent who could not tolerate showing fear in the first place.

I got out of the car with my chest out. The aura of life and death pierced my skin from all over the place. Kang Moo-hyuk, who was highly sensitive to mana due to his addiction to mana, could feel the aura clearly.

“Where should I go to find Managing Director Kim Myeong-jun’s office?”

He asked the Hunter who was crouching closest. The Hunter flinched as if his lungs had been stabbed by the unexpected question. I heard that you are not a Hunter. Why are you not shaking? He tilted his head as if he felt this way.

He paused for a moment, not even noticing the ash falling from the cigarette in his mouth, then quickly stood up and pointed with his finger to the annex building next to the factory.

“3rd floor, right hallway.”

The path I walked along without any guidance was extremely desolate. The intention was to kill my spirit with an ominous atmosphere.

Kang Moo-hyuk didn’t fall for it and calmly went to the office where Kim Myung-jun was.

I knocked at the door and a deep voice answered.

“Come in.”

Kim Myung-jun greeted Kang Mu-hyeok while sinking deep into the sofa. It was rude behavior to leave the guest standing.

Kang Mu-hyeok didn’t care and just went to the sofa and sat down across from her.

“The atmosphere here is great for working overtime. Everyone seems comfortable. No one says anything if you don’t work.”

“Because I really like being free.”

“You’re so free. You must be busy running your own business, but you even bother to worry about other people’s guilds.”

“… … What do you mean?”

“That’s exactly what it is. Union, Titan. Do you have anything else to say?”

“Oh, that? I forgot about it for a moment. Chairman Tae Jin-seong keeps nagging me, so I don’t feel like it, but what can I do? The supplier has to do what the big company tells him to do.”

“I guess the fortress also supplies hunters?”

“Large companies like Taesung Group sometimes need companies like us. They may look cool on the outside, but they have a lot of assets, so they have to protect them at all costs. Sometimes, even outside the law. It’s a necessary evil, you could say.”

He was a sly one. He secretly passed the buck to Tae Jin-seong. It wasn’t surprising at all, since Tae Jin-seong didn’t like Joo Se-ah being in the guild in the first place.

‘But you admitted it too easily. You prepared in advance and answered right away. How can someone who has to keep his identity and work a secret be this honest? When liars become honest, it’s usually when they have something else to hide.’

He lowered his eyes. In contrast, Kim Myung-jun greeted him with a smiling face.

Kang Moo-hyuk took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

“Well then, please step back now.”

“Go to Titan and tell them. Even though we asked them to do it, they’re the ones who actually do it.”

“Titan doesn’t want to listen. They’re using the Union as an excuse.”

“Then you should go to the Union.”

“Isn’t it you, Mr. Executive Director, who controlled the Union?”

“The word ‘pilot’ has a bit of a strange feel to it.”

“Why? It seems to me like we have a very close connection. Should we take a look?”

“You keep crossing the line.”

The smile disappeared from Kim Myung-jun’s face.

‘It’s still okay.’

Although the negotiation table seemed like a life-or-death gamble, Kang Moo-hyuk did not feel at all in danger.

If Kim Myung-jun was a murderer who didn’t care about front or back, he wouldn’t have come in the first place.

Kang Moo-hyuk judged that Kim Myung-jun was more cunning than anyone else and that he was more concerned about his own safety. He would find out everything he could find out even if he had to use his hands, and he would move only when he could create a perfect alibi.

So not now. Because the line hasn’t been completely crossed yet.

Noh Song-rin was against this plan. Do you know why a crazy person is called a crazy person? It is because it goes beyond expectations.

Kang Moo-hyuk also agreed with that opinion.

But Kim Myeong-jun was no longer a criminal who moved alone like before.

The Slayer Guild, Union Asset Management, and Taesung Group were all tangled up, leaving little room for maneuver.

Even they weren’t all on the same side. They were forces with different goals who were connected through Kim Myung-jun. In times like these, it was important to maintain balance and secrecy.

‘That’s why you can’t attack me directly.’

When the calculation was done, he spoke without hesitation.

“Does the Slayer Guild know about Union? I heard they use Japanese funds. Most of the Japanese financial capital coming into Korea recently is related to the Yakuza, right? The Yakuza have close ties to the Japanese Hunter community. The Slayer wouldn’t like that.”

“… … .”

Silence. Another sign of affirmation.

The Slayer Guild, a mainstay of the Korean hunter community that declined after the sacrifices made during the Great War, has been steadily keeping the Japanese hunter community in check as they try to advance into the domestic market.

The moment he pointed that out, Kim Myung-jun was caught off guard.

Even though they were collaborators and not servants of the Slayer Guild, the gap in their power was clear.

I couldn’t stand the Slayer Guild and the Chucks on Korean soil.

At this point, Kim Myung-jun had no choice but to raise his hand.

“So what do you want?”

“I won’t ask why. Just step away from the Ironwill Guild. From now on. Either directly or through another source.”

“Now you’re blatantly crossing the line.”

“I think that’s a rather generous request.”

“It’s not a threat?”

“If that’s what you heard, then what.”

“There’s no problem with listening, you know.”

“… … .”

“You’ll be holding it in check going forward. I think we’ll keep clashing. It’ll be a problem if we keep tripping up the Slayer Guild.”

I could sense murderous intent in his voice.

“So. Are you going to cross the line this time?”

“Don’t feel too bad about it. You knew it too. This is a tiger’s den. It’s your fault for coming here defenseless.”

Kim Myung-jun picked up a cigarette from the table and put it in his mouth. He lit it, got up from the sofa, turned his back, and walked to the window, blowing smoke, and shouted outside.

“Hey! Put this away!”

Creak, the door opened.

Kang Mu-hyeok looked up at Kim Myeong-jun’s back while sitting.

“You’re not even a hunter, so you should have taken care of yourself. You trusted your own head too much—”

Kim Myeong-jun’s hand, which was about to shake off the cigarette ash with a bitter laugh, stopped.

An unfamiliar face appeared in the window reflecting the dark sky. The window showed the office scenery like a mirror.

Kim Myung-jun was so absorbed in the gaze glaring at him through the window that the ash from his cigarette fell out of his mouth.

Kim Myeong-jun turned around, spitting out the half-smoked cigarette.

“I would never have come alone. And the fault lies with the one who did the bad thing.”

Kim Myung-jun turns his gaze to Kang Mu-hyeok. His eyes meet his.

A cold gaze without any exhilarating victory or joy.

A slight chill ran down my spine. How could he treat me so emotionlessly?

It was only then that I realized that the negotiations just now were just a task for Kang Moo-hyuk.

Kang Moo-hyuk was not a person who was afraid of work.

“How did you get in here? I didn’t sense anything.”

It was funny when I said it like that. It was such an obvious cause and effect. If a hunter close to S-rank decided to go undercover, who would notice?

A conversation ignoring him took place between Kang Mu-hyeok and him.

“I told you, Chief Kang? If you can communicate, there’s no need for a fuss. Unfortunately, this time, communication wasn’t very good.”

“I anticipated that part and sang it.”

“I’m a leader who uses horses… Well, I have some stress built up over time. I’ll forgive you this time to relieve some stress.”

“You must not kill.”

A disaster approaching, fluttering in its black armor coat.

Kim Myeong-jun gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Juseah!!”