The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 68



Only Noblemtl

Episode 69

69. Do your shoulders feel a little lighter?

“Move quickly!”

“Take only the important documents and discard or leave the rest alone! Have you ever seen an orc read?!”

“Leave your personal belongings behind and leave with only your body!”

“The equipment room must immediately release the equipment needed for battle, and seal the remaining C Project items! Hurry!”

Kang Moo-hyuk issued an order for the entire guild to evacuate. It was a manual prepared in advance, as the headquarters was located in a special area where monsters could attack at any time.

The members each went about their assigned tasks according to what they had learned. Although they were told that they were being trained sufficiently, they were still not used to it, so noises could be heard here and there.

Kang Moo-hyuk realized that he didn’t have enough time to take care of all of this. He set priorities. He decided to move the most important guild assets first.

First of all, warehouse C could not process the equipment in a short period of time because of its considerable volume and weight.

So, they decided to mix a coagulant made from the stomach juice of the earthworm monster, the ‘Stoneworm’, into the concrete and pour it into the warehouse.

This hardens and seals completely within a few hours, and is difficult to break unless a special emulsifier is sprayed on, so other guilds also keep it on hand for emergencies.

Kang Moo-hyuk first went to the support team. It was because of the rider wolf. Since there was no separate department specializing in breeding, he was in charge of the support team as a temporary measure.

“We will first evacuate strategic materials according to the headquarters evacuation manual. The rider wolf is the first priority. We will assign a trailer first. Team leader Yeom Soo-hyung, take care of the females and their pups first and evacuate to Nampocheon. Take care of them in the secured pen. Except for the young males who will be used as ‘seed wolves,’ we will mobilize the rest for battle.”

“Where is the congratulatory address?”

“This is the memorial hall of the person who was sacrificed to the orcs this time. It is currently empty and has already been cleaned up. The smell of blood still lingers, but it is a familiar smell to the Rider wolves, so there will be no problem. I have asked for the cooperation of Pocheon City, so please use it as a temporary residence until the situation is resolved.”

“You’re a good resource. You just remembered that.”

After dealing with the most important C warehouse and the Rider Wolf, there wasn’t much left to take care of at the guild headquarters.

At best, they were only sending non-combatants to Nampocheon.

“Since we’re a guild that doesn’t have much, it’s easy to pack. We definitely brought a truckload when we moved in.”

There was a flaw in Pyo Beom-hee’s words. Kang Mu-hyeok only took what he needed to take, and the rest was basically just left behind.

“Have you sent out all the employees?”

“Except for the team leader on the equipment side and the person in charge of the offer.”

“Then why am I the only one left?! I’m just a normal person!”

Gongduri objected, clutching his head.

“Shit. There needs to be someone who can type on the keyboard.”

“Team Leader Pyo can do that too!”

“I have to swing the sword. Why do you want to swing it?”

“No. I’ll just type on the keyboard.”

Gongduri immediately tucked her tail between her legs because she knew that the woman named Pyobeomhee could really do that. She remembered that in the past, she had thought it was a joke and let it go, but she had been dealt a terrible blow.

“I’m sorry, Team Leader Gong, but I need someone to take care of the operator while I look at the orders. There’s no place that’s safe from danger while you’re on site, but I’ll make sure the command vehicle that’s looking at the orders stays as far back as possible. I’ll leave at least some escort, so don’t worry too much.”

“Captain, you’re giving me orders in an informal tone, so I guess you’ve already entered the actual combat. There’s no way out, so what can I do? I’ll just think about it and pound away on the keyboard.”

“Oh, and.”

Kang Moo-hyeok whispered something in Gong Du-ri’s ear. Since he didn’t intend to hide it, Pyo Beom-hee heard it too. As her eyes widened, Gong Du-ri opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Really? Is that really true?”

“It’s real, so deal with it right away.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

Gongduri went out to carry out Kang Mu-hyeok’s orders, her mouth constantly watering.

Pyo Beom-hee asked again as if to confirm on behalf of Gong Du-ri, who had been feeling sorry.

“I just gave you an order. I know that there’s nothing you can do in this situation. When this situation is over, it’ll all be a loss. Are you okay with that?”

“What’s there to regret if it’s not in my hands? For now, I just have to think about winning.”

“Does that really have to happen for everyone to move?”

Kang Mu-hyeok gave new instructions to Pyo Beom-hee, who nodded in understanding.

“Team Leader Pyo, please gather the members again. I will explain the strategy for dealing with the orcs.”

“Have you already planned the operation?”

“Well, a little bit before. And I refined it a little more in Nampocheon.”

“So this is a pre-planned operation? You’re assuming that the headquarters is abandoned just like now… . I know it’s a bit odd for me to say this after experiencing it with Director Kang, but it’s not an easy operation, is it?”

“Because it’s not an easy situation.”

Kang Moo-hyuk ignored her anxiety and just said what he wanted to say.

“And please tell Captain Lee Jin-ju to come to my office first.”

* * *

Knock! Knock!

“Chief, you called me.”

“Come in. Close the door.”

Lee Jin-joo was nervous. Kang Mu-hyeok’s way of saying to close the door was to prevent word from getting out.

She sat down in the seat that Kang Mu-hyeok had recommended. Kang Mu-hyeok sat across from her and opened his mouth cautiously.

“I called Captain Lee Jin-ju because she has a special mission.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Among the friends who joined this time, form two parties from Team A and go up to Cheorwon. The guild leader will be waiting.”

“You’re saying that you’re going to take out the top-tier forces that you have? Are you trying to delay them or make a surprise attack?”

“The expedition team must fulfill its original role as an expedition team.”

“Expedition? Surely… you’re not saying you’re going to target the gate right now?”

Kang Moo-hyuk kept his mouth shut and looked at Lee Jin-joo.

Silent affirmation.

‘Two parties plus me and Gilma. Only 12 people to get through the gate? This doesn’t seem right.’

Lee Jin-joo was shocked, but she didn’t reject it right away. Instead, she pointed out a realistic problem.

“Let’s say we attack the gate. This number of people is too much. We need to think about what happens when the headquarters is pushed back. If the orcs win here and head north again to attack us from behind, Gilma and I will be able to escape. But what about the rest of the members? They are telling us to die. In the end, we have to defeat the boss before this place collapses… . We will probably be in trouble.”

“That’s right. If you enter the gate with a small number of people, low rank, limited time, and lack of support, someone is going to die.”

It was the same even if Joo Se Ah was there. She couldn’t protect everyone and attack. The gate was something that could only be attacked if each person did their best in their assigned role. Otherwise, it was just babysitting.

“Anyone who knows this is telling us to attack the gate during the battle here?”

“There’s nothing we can do. We have to consider the worst case scenario.”

“The worst possible thing?”

“Five years ago, China. The Orc Riot Incident. Do you know about it?”

“ah?”

Lee Jin-joo understood what Kang Mu-hyeok was trying to say.

Orc turmoil.

A war-level mission that took place in China.

This was an incident that occurred after the chieftain of the subjugated orc tribe fled to Inner Mongolia and gathered the orc tribe forces there to increase their power.

At that time, a disaster occurred in China where tens of thousands of people died in a surprise attack by orcs.

As the population was large, there were many hunters, but because the land was so large, there were many places to protect. Because of this, they were unable to put together enough power to stop attacks by large-scale orc tribes in small cities adjacent to Inner Mongolia.

Kang Moo-hyeok was watching not only the battlefield here but also the area in front of it. He had absolutely no intention of expanding this situation beyond Cheorwon and Pocheon.

“Orc chieftains and above are strong individuals, but they are more specialized in reproduction and evolution. They also have a strong desire for revenge. If the unit here is completely destroyed, they will notice and run away immediately. If they happen to absorb and evolve the scattered orc tribes across the Gaema Plateau or Manchuria, it will be a long-term problem. They could be tied down not only in the winter but all year round along the Amnok and Duman River fronts.”

“That’s definitely a situation you’d want to avoid.”

Lee Jin-joo understood why Kang Mu-hyeok insisted on attacking both gates simultaneously.

Hunters are tied up all year round in the northern defense line, where monsters swarm like seasonal merchants only in early winter?

Freelance hunters may not know, but it wasn’t a picture that the large guilds would like.

The absence of hunters would soon lead to social chaos, a result that had to be absolutely avoided even on a national level.

“Huh? This is my first mission as the expedition leader, and so many people’s lives are at stake. I feel a bit burdened.”

“This is where it gets real. I’ll lighten the load on your shoulders.”

“yes?”

Tiring!

At that moment, a cheerful alarm sounded from the computer on the desk, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

Kang Mu-hyeok got up from his seat, checked the monitor, and continued speaking.

“The notification I was waiting for has arrived.”

“Is this a notification?”

“Check the guild app… . Huh? Smartphones don’t work well here yet, do they?”

When Kang Mu-hyeok suddenly mentioned the guild app, Lee Jin-joo tilted her head as if she didn’t understand English.

Kang Moo-hyuk spoke to her while looking at the monitor.

“I just had Team Leader Gongduri post an announcement on the guild app. Would you like to take a look at it?”

Lee Jin-joo moved to sit next to Kang Mu-hyeok.

▶Outbreak alarm

– Cheorwon Gate (tentative name) opened.

-A force of about 1,000 fully armed evolved orc troops is moving south to Pocheon.

– Presence of an Orc Lord-level boss within the gate (supposed).

– Existence of various mineral resources such as mana iron mines (estimated).

“This is… … .”

“You know that anyone can enter the open gate regardless of attack ranking, right?”

“Did you throw the mine as bait?”

“The guild that defeats the boss first will get the mining rights. That’s the rule.”

Lee Jin-ju was shocked. The bait that Kang Mu-hyeok had thrown was a temptation that no guild could ignore. To open this up for another guild to take over? Even Lee Jin-ju felt sorry for a moment, forgetting about the strategy or the crisis.

“Then, what the captain said a little while ago… … .”

“If we do this, there will be no guilds that come to block the orc army, but there will be many guilds that want to attack the gate. I don’t know how much power the other guilds have, but even the orc lord will have a hard time holding out. The expedition force should prioritize blocking the escape route over attacking the boss.”

Lee Jin-joo didn’t answer and just pursed her lips.

Kang Moo-hyuk asked back in a calm tone.

“Do your shoulders feel a little lighter?”

* * *

Slayer Guild Strategy and Tactics Team Leader’s Office.

Clap clap clap clap!

Seong Seon-je, who checked the guild app notification on his smartphone, clapped his hands silently for a while. At an appropriate point, he stopped clapping and let out a word he had been holding back.

“This is incredible. A gate with a mine? So Cheorwon wasn’t a minefield, but a minefield. If you eat it, it’ll be a jackpot.”

At this point, a proper strategy team leader would begin to have doubts.

Is this information true? Is it a lie to stop the Orc army? Or is it a scheme to use the power of other guilds to break through the gate?

‘I don’t know about anything else, but Kang Mu-hyeok’s name has credibility. It can’t be a lie. Even if he has other intentions, if it’s Gwang-sang, I can look at it favorably.’

What was really important was something else.

‘If you raise it like this, everyone will try to avoid the large orc army and just eat the gate. There’s no way Kang Mu-hyeok wouldn’t know that. But the fact that he raised it like this… …. Does that mean that he can deal with a thousand evolved orcs with just the power of Iron Will?’

He wasn’t the type of person to brag, even if he didn’t know how to brag. He wasn’t the type of person to let his bravado slide.

Seongseonje drummed his fingers on the desk.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The knocking sound gradually got faster and then at some point stopped.

“I would like to go sightseeing in Pocheon. But I don’t want to become a fool who can’t eat even if you give me a mine.”

Seong Seon-je immediately picked up the phone and connected to the situation room.

“It’s me. Did you see the Cheorwon Gate? Call all 1st Army.”

* * *

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

Under the guild emblem with the Taegeuk mark drawn on it, Jo Ik-jun raised both hands and shouted “Manse!”

He jumped up a few times and then called the situation room.

“We’re going to Cheorwon Gate! Mobilize all the helicopters! Before other guilds get there, check with the civilian helicopter companies and reserve them all! So that the other guys can’t move! What? Of course we’ll use the remaining helicopters to load our kids and equipment. How many years have you been here? You don’t even know that. Oh, and call all the carnivores who ruined the last raid! What? Vacation? What do you mean vacation when you’re just working? This is your chance to make up for this year’s lack of performance! If you kill me again, I’ll rip you to pieces and feed you to the orcs!”

Jo Ik-jun packed his equipment to personally check the scene. He left the room wearing an armor coat with a large Taegeuk mark on the back.

As I took the elevator up to the situation room, I thought about the face of the man who had been my neighbor until recently.

‘We’re far apart in person, but somehow I hear from you more often. Team Leader Kang Mu-hyeok. He’s a guy who stands out wherever he goes.’

He also didn’t think that Kang Mu-hyeok had spread false information. He wasn’t the kind of person who would be blinded by immediate profits. Even if he was a rival at work, he was a reliable person, so there was no way he would have posted false information.

“Wait a minute. So how are we going to deal with the orc horde?”

As the head of the strategy team, my head was focused on the Cheorwon Gate, but on the other hand, I was also concerned about Pocheon.

For some reason, Jo Ik-jun was more attracted to Pocheon than Cheorwon.

“Eww! Damn, I would go there even if it weren’t for the sales. Hehe! I’m curious, I’m curious.”

While Jo Ik-jun was struggling with curiosity, other guilds also began to move.

Among them, the one that moved the fastest was the Titan Guild.

Matthew Boo Gil-ma, who happened to be at the headquarters at the time, took action himself.

“Regardless of whether you like Kang Mu-hyeok or not, he’s not the kind of person to talk nonsense. If you take over the mine, you’ll get results. It’ll be good for appealing to shareholders. Gather all the hunters under me.”

While there were guilds that were in a speed war like this, there were also guilds that were moving slowly while trying to check the trend.

Most of them were guilds that had no connection with Kang Mu-hyeok. They had heard rumors about his work, but had never experienced it themselves, so they were suspicious.

Among them, there were mid-sized guilds that moved with the mindset that they had no choice but to lose, and there were also small and medium-sized guilds that got involved in the hopes that they could get something for their money.

That moment of hesitation determined the outcome of the competition for shares at Cheorwon Gate.