The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 67



Only Noblemtl

Episode 68

68. Please prepare the seal.

A large number of orcs were lined up under the gate. They did not look like monsters who did not know order.

Oh, I didn’t get the temperature right, but it felt pretty organized.

It was like an army.

Around the area, totems made of various materials were erected, as befitting orcs.

It was a totem woven with wild flowers and branches, and the corpses of monsters that were so disintegrated that it was difficult to identify them.

‘With sense. Who would say he’s an orc?’

Joo Seah frowned. The stench of rotten totems wafted everywhere.

She knew that the more totems made from corpses, the more aggressive the orcs were. She suspected that the monsters in Cheorwon were dying out because of them.

But the most important thing wasn’t the totem.

‘They are freely coming and going through the gate. They have created a village in front of the gate. This is not a simple outbreaking. They are consolidating their power using the gate as a base.’

Joo Seah lowered her body and hid in the bushes. She approached the gate without making any noise as much as possible. She needed to take a closer look.

Although she wasn’t a professional ranger, she had been through many similar missions and was able to approach it skillfully. No matter how evolved the orcs were, they weren’t enough to notice her movements.

Moreover, since there were a lot of orcs gathered, the surrounding area was quite noisy, so there seemed to be no need to worry about even a small noise being heard.

‘The gatekeeper is gone. Has he been away for a long time since it was opened? Or has he been removed due to friction with the orcs?’

Either way, it was possible. Just because they came from the same gate, they didn’t mean they were friendly. Even if they were of the same race, they were sometimes hostile depending on their tribe.

This time I looked at the orcs.

‘Spears, swords, armor, and shields. They look poor, but they are well-armed. They must be a tribe that has developed enough to learn blacksmithing techniques. I don’t think there are any iron mines in Cheorwon. Could there be a mine inside the gate?’

If it was a weapon made from minerals mined from the gate, it would have been a fairly strong weapon regardless of the advancement of blacksmithing technology.

Basically, the gate mining mineral that contains mana has a hardness greater than that of any other metal on Earth.

So there were cases where they deliberately blew up the gate in order to take over the mine permanently.

During the Great War, gates were considered a disaster that had to be closed without fail, but in the present day when guilds have become corporatized, if a mine or herb habitat is discovered within the gate, the state directly steps in and treats it as a strategic asset.

But what if such a strategic asset is being used by an evolved orc tribe?

‘That’s… a war-level mission. How dare you keep the gate open until now.’

Although the situation inside the gate could not be confirmed, the scale of the situation outside alone showed that it was not a simple orc tribe, but a force that could almost be called an orc kingdom.

If it was a war-level mission, it would be difficult to conquer with just one or two strong hunters. No, it would be difficult even for a decent guild to handle.

In war, supplies and rest must be provided even during battle.

Although Hunters are called superhumans, they are still ‘humans’ who have transcended human limitations.

As humans, we get tired at some point.

This was the same even for S-class hunters. Mana and stamina were not infinite. They could fight for much longer than other hunters, but there was a clear limit.

Joo Sea’s thoughts, which had been observing the orcs, suddenly reached the orcs that had rushed into Nampocheon.

Then I could understand what the orc army gathered here was trying to do.

‘You’re planning to go down to Pocheon!’

war.

These guys are really preparing for war.

The orcs that went down to Nampocheon had to be seen as some sort of scouting party.

‘I need to contact the guild quickly.’

Joo Seah recently recalled the C Warehouse equipment included in the exploration kit.

The satellite phone that Do Kyung-hoon used to contact the Titan Guild was in his backpack.

I sneaked away from the gate and took out my satellite phone.

Chi-chik- Chi-chik-

“Why isn’t this working? It’s broken… Oh, right! Mana concentration!”

As Joo Se Ah received the exploration kit, she recalled the words of the equipment team leader, An Ji-il.

“This satellite phone allows long-distance communication that would otherwise be unusable due to mana interference. However, in areas where the concentration of mana is too high, it can be completely unavailable. It may be possible to connect to areas like Bukpocheon, but in areas where mana is abundant, such as where the gate is open, it will probably be disconnected.”

Kang Moo-hyuk tried to improve this during Titan, but the guild ended up canceling the project itself, leaving it unfinished.

“I guess I should try moving further away from the gate.”

Joo Se-ah, who was cautiously taking steps back while keeping her eyes on the road ahead, suddenly felt a presence approaching her.

“Quore! Quore! Quore!”

The heavy breathing of the orcs was close by. She quickly hid herself.

She was the type of person who wouldn’t budge even if 100 orcs swarmed her, but she wasn’t so reckless as to fight in front of an open gate without any information.

Besides, it would be no good for the orcs to know about their presence. If they were to gain a tactical advantage against such a large army of monsters, they had to keep them from knowing that they were aware of their presence.

‘You have to let your guard down. If you want to exploit the orc tribe’s weakness, it won’t be good if you get caught now.’

The intention to sneak out was good, but the place he avoided was problematic.

The sensation I had experienced several times since entering Cheorwon was transmitted to the soles of my feet.

‘land mine!’

Joo Seah reacted with superhuman speed.

At the moment the mine exploded, a spherical membrane tightly packed with mana wrapped itself around my feet.

Flames and explosions roared ferociously within the curtain.

A shield that lets in light, but completely blocks out heat and noise.

Joo Seah gritted her teeth and suppressed the explosion of the mine with both hands.

“Eeeeeee… …!”

It required a considerable amount of difficult mana control to contain all the explosive power, rather than simply blocking it. It was a lot more difficult than simply using mana to break, explode, and block it.

Joo Seah suppressed the explosion with all her might and tightened the mana barrier.

Only after sweating buckets did the explosions die down.

However, in the meantime, he was discovered by two orcs who approached him.

“!!”

The moment the orcs reached for the weapons they were carrying on their backs and were about to shout to their nearby comrades, Jusea rushed in.

She quickly closed the distance between them as if she was flying over the ground, dove between the orcs, and grabbed both of them by the throat at the same time.

He strangled the orc he was holding in both hands, making sure not to leave any traces of blood or bodily fluids.

The orc, unable to even groan properly and unable to breathe, opened his mouth and foamed at the mouth, then soon fell silent as his neck broke.

Holding the limp orc corpse without even drawing his weapon, Jusea widened his senses and looked around. He could still feel a few orcs moving around.

She jumped up the tree, holding the orc in both hands. A moment later, another group of orcs passed by where she was.

As soon as the orc horde disappeared, she descended to the ground and moved to find an opening to escape. She hid the orc corpses in a nearby, suitable ruin.

Finally, she escaped the reservoir, avoiding the orc’s eyes, and sprinted back to the communication area.

It was as fast as a gust of wind, but somehow it felt slow.

Joo Sea became anxious.

‘The guild isn’t ready for a war-level raid yet. These guys will come down right away. We need to go and prepare a countermeasure.’

* * *

As soon as the work was finished, Kang Moo-hyuk quickly withdrew the command and control center.

After the operation was completed, the media began to question the news. If the news leaked out incorrectly, even though it was not an official announcement, articles interpreting it in their own way could be published.

Iron Will, which had just been born, was a guild that was still immature in both internal and external aspects. It was necessary to manage its members so that they would not be shaken and would not be exposed to wasteful arguments.

‘Even the Tier Guild can’t perfectly control this part. The Hunters themselves are selfish. If the media sways it, all it will do is make the words fly and the discipline will be disrupted.’

Iron Will was still receiving a lot of attention compared to the guild level.

There are many enemies, and with a star hunter named Joo Se-ah, gossip tends to sell well.

Some tabloids are even currently churning out rumors that Kang Moo-hyuk and Joo Se-ah are in a relationship, so it would be better not to give them any room to get involved.

“But I couldn’t stop it completely. Well, I didn’t even intend to stop it.”

Of course, things in this world did not always go as planned.

Pyo Beom-hee clicked her tongue with a displeased expression as she greeted Kang Mu-hyeok, who had just returned to the headquarters.

“Look at the article. It’s so blatant. It looks like the work of those congressmen. They’re all local media outlets like Pocheon Times and Pocheon’s Voice. Other internet media outlets are spreading it.”

As the head of a company that integrated public relations work by changing the departmental name from the existing management team to the communications team, he had already identified media sources.

But I had no intention of responding, because the intentions of these articles were obvious.

“If we accept it, they’ll be even more excited and make a fuss. Since they’re the ones who make up mistakes that don’t exist to satisfy their anger, I’ll just keep my mouth shut for now. Let’s make an official statement once the heat has died down a bit.”

“I guess the congressmen want to harass me. It’s a good thing there are no phone lines except the hotline.”

“That’s right. Being a country bumpkin is an advantage at times like this. Normally, the phone would ring like crazy. But reporters would be bothered if they knew my contact information. Oh, do you mind if I knew it? There’s no smartphone antenna here. And I can’t risk my life to come to Bukpocheon, where monsters are swarming.”

Pyo Beom-hee, who realized the location of the guild anew, kept giggling as if something was so funny. She followed Kang Mu-hyeok and chatted until the moment he entered the office.

“So that’s why our team leader came into the headquarters so quickly? To avoid the reporters. I think the city hall area is going crazy right now. I feel a little sorry about that.”

“It’s not because of the reporter.”

“What if you’re not a journalist?”

“One of the orcs escaped alive. I have a bad feeling about this. I think we should prepare something first.”

“How grandiose. To deal with one orc.”

“It’s just one evolved orc. To evolve to that extent, the tribe must be large and the evolution period must be long. There must be a reason why the orc, known for rushing in without hesitation, threw his subordinates as bait and ran away.”

“Chief Kang, don’t explain with such a serious expression. If Chief Kang acts like that, something will definitely happen.”

“Please call the equipment and support team leader’s conference room. Oh, and Hunter Noh Song-rin and Captain Lee Jin-ju. Team leader Pyo, please join as well.”

“Judging by your expression, this is not an ordinary thing. Will those four be enough?”

Kang Mu-hyeok paused while walking and then continued speaking.

“I will also add Hunter Baek Hyeong-gyu and Hunter Na Dong-pa.”

Leopard Hee’s eyes widened. The two hunters’ names were unexpected.

Baek Hyeong-gyu and Na Dong-pa were representative neutral hunters who were seemingly present in the guild even when the three major lines of the old Taesung guild were in power.

Although his skills were outstanding to the point of not befitting his status, he did not get involved much in guild affairs and only took on requests, so he had no presence.

Even when Taesung changed the guild name to Iron Will, when he attacked Bukpocheon, and when Do Kyunghoon abducted guild members, Kang Moo-hyuk did not interfere with them much.

However, it was not like he was just a sack of barley that had been placed there. He was cooperating without complaint in the tasks assigned to him by the guild.

We were on good terms with each other, but suddenly they even called neutrals to the meeting.

‘Is there something that requires all of the guild’s power?’

Kang Mu-hyeok had once commented that the neutral faction was a force that should be incorporated into the guild at some point. The fact that he acknowledged them also meant that their skills were guaranteed.

That is, calling them meant that there was something worth doing.

Pyo Beom-hee asked in a slightly nervous tone.

“Fight. Is there more left?”

A shadow fell over Kang Mu-hyeok’s face, which had been calm until now.

“Maybe? I hope it was just a needless worry, but… … .”

At that moment, the phone on the desk rang.

“I see the internal connection has been restored.”

“While we’re killing the orcs. It’s just the main building and the equipment room. The other buildings aren’t connected yet.”

Kang Moo-hyuk picked up the phone awkwardly as it had been a long time since he had heard from anyone.

“Yes, it’s Kang Mu-hyeok. Oh? Team Leader Ahn Ji-il. I was going to call you because of a meeting anyway… … The guild leader called you on a satellite phone? … … So?”

Kang Moo-hyuk listened to the receiver for a long time, then said just one word to Ahn Ji-il before hanging up.

“Team Leader Ahn, please prepare the seal for Warehouse C.”