The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 73



Only Noblemtl

74. It will definitely happen.

The hunters, who were being chased by the orcs, were running away with all their might.

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have learned the sprinting skill.”

They say that dealers depend on their speed, so I took out a loan to learn, but I ended up being the first one to face Orc.

That too, a role that challenges hundreds of orc hordes.

‘What bad luck.’

There weren’t many orcs chasing after him, but he was worried that he would have to deal with the orcs that would rush in after him the moment he was caught by the scruff of the neck.

The hunters were running so fast that their mouths were about to stink.

“Whoa!”

“Inma, come to your senses? It’s a minefield over there!”

“Tch, it won’t explode even if you step on it anyway.”

bang!

An explosion sounded behind them, along with the screams of orcs.

“Roughly one in twenty is a winner.”

Gunpowder weapons were useless because of the mana spread in the air, but if buried in the ground, the mana concentration decreased and there was a low probability of explosion.

bang!

“It exploded again?”

“… … One out of ten.”

The party leader flinched and turned around in surprise at the sound of the explosion again, then rolled on the ground. Using his hunter’s agility, he quickly stood up, but lost track of where he was running for a moment. Behind him were orcs, and in front were mines. In his panic, he began to get confused about where the mines had been buried.

‘Where was it?’

The hunter who was running behind pushed her back and shouted.

“There’s a sign up ahead!”

A small location marker embedded in the ground that can only be seen by those who installed it.

It may be difficult to recognize at first glance due to its small size, but the head of the signpost is painted yellow, making it easy to spot for hunters with good eyesight.

“Stop shaking and come with me!”

The hunter who was running in the second row cleverly changed the lead. He ran in a zigzag pattern following the signs that were marked here and there. The rest of the party followed him without hesitation.

The hunter running in the back row was mindful of the rear. He had to keep a proper distance to attract the orcs, so he looked back often to check the gap.

After the mine explosion, the orcs’ pursuit had noticeably loosened.

‘I was lucky. He’s become a bit more docile after tasting the mines. The commander said he’d detonate a few if necessary… Ugh, the thought is terrifying. I don’t want to run through a field of exploding mines.’

That was the image of the person named Jang Deok-gu, who was in charge of the attack. He was a person who would definitely press the trigger regardless of whether there were other people around.

“Just a little further and you’ll reach the rendezvous point! Just keep going until you get there!”

The orcs did not chase after us at will, but followed us shoulder to shoulder, sticking to the limited paths. Occasionally, they sniffed the ground, as if they were using their sense of smell to check for mines, just as the leader had said.

The orcs moved more cautiously after the two previous mine explosions. Thanks to this, the orcs’ pursuit was slowed down, and the hunters had more time to escape. However, it was still not a safe zone, so they had to be careful.

The orcs also increased their speed, perhaps because they were fed up with the elusive humans or because they had become accustomed to running through minefields.

“Leader! Speed ​​up! There’s a sergeant’s bastard right on your tail!”

“Damn it! I’m going to do raids because I’m into the atmosphere… but this is too much! Are we some kind of monster bait?”

“Once this raid is over, I’m definitely quitting. I’m definitely quitting. I’m going to kick you out… Hey, not there! Turn left!”

Finally, the hunters reached their target point.

A wide open space with no mines around. It was cleverly hidden by trees and bushes, so it could not be seen from outside.

The orcs that had been chasing us entered the meeting place one after another. At first glance, there seemed to be about twenty of them.

Party 1 immediately took up a defensive stance. Since there was no tank in the party, they stood in a single line without anyone taking the lead. They widened the gap so as not to interfere with each other’s evasive maneuvers. It was a temporary formation to share the burden of the orcs’ attacks.

The orcs rushed forward without saying who would go first, as if they were on edge. The hunters kept stepping back, dodging the orcs’ attacks. The orcs became even angrier at the hunters who were quickly evading their attacks, and they continued to attack them more violently.

“You guys, you’re caught.”

As the hunter muttered to himself as he jumped back to avoid the attack and gained some distance, a shadow descended behind the orcs.

The orcs who had been screaming shut their mouths that were breathing heavily and looked back. It was instinct. They felt that something vicious had appeared.

‘Three sergeants. As expected, when it comes to the size of an army, you can’t get a sergeant major just by ‘pulling’. I was thinking of reducing the number of guys who would be annoying later.’

The hunters cheered at the sight of Jang Deuk-gu clicking his tongue as if he was disappointed and pulling out his sword.

“Commander!”

“Let’s wipe out all these bastards!”

“Orcs, you are all dead now.”

At the end of the cheers announcing the reversal of fortunes, Jang Deuk-gu blurted out a word.

“Everyone is in good spirits. Alright. Once we catch these guys, we’ll lure the main force right away.”

When even the hunters fell silent at Jang Deuk-gu’s declaration, the whole area became quiet for a moment.

‘What, what? It was already precarious, and now you’re bringing hundreds of them?’

The blood drained from the hunters’ faces.

“Tsk tsk! I’m really quitting~!”

* * *

Jang Deuk-gu continued to harass the orcs by repeatedly hitting and running away.

Even considering the power cost was a meaningless difference, but if we moved along the narrow paths dug through the minefields scattered here and there and kept them in check, even the most belligerent orcs could not rush in recklessly.

Some impatient orcs escaped the safe passage and gave chase, but Jang Deuk-gu lured them to a mine with a mana stone bomb and blew it up, so the orcs thought the mine had exploded and did not dare to attack.

‘You must have been hit by quite a few landmines in Cheorwon. If you smell something, it won’t come after you without fail.’

Kang Moo-hyeok’s strategy was effective. If it weren’t for the mines, they would not have been able to get close to the orcs for fear of being surrounded. At best, they would have been able to get a response by attacking from a distance.

However, the problem was that because the orcs were so large, even that reached its limits.

-1st Corps Commander, what do you think? Is it possible to lure them?

Kang Moo-hyuk, who had a great grasp of the situation even though he wasn’t there, contacted me at a perfect time.

Jang Deok-gu clenched his teeth. It meant that the situation was not easy.

“We’ve already destroyed the ‘Sanjeong 2 Bridge’ and laid mines along the river. But I can’t guarantee that the orcs won’t escape to the side and will go up the river.”

– They will come. ‘Busocheon’ is a river that has been blocked off and not maintained for a long time. Because of that, it is only ankle-deep. Since they are afraid of landmines, they will have no choice but to follow the water.

“I hope so.”

-If you can’t lure them, I recommend that you and your party retreat to the ambush site. It will be less effective, but we’ll switch to Plan B. I plan to have them come near the headquarters and then blow them up.

“That won’t even kill half the orcs.”

-It’s better than missing it altogether.

“Whew! Don’t be so quick to judge, there’s still a way to try it.”

-How can I try it?

“If the captain has laid out the plan this well, the rest is up to the hunter. From now on, I will show you my know-how from the field.”

-I’m asking out of concern. Is that know-how similar to the method used by Guild Leader Ju Se-ah?

“It’s my original know-how. You seem to have forgotten. I’ve been training you since you were a teenager. That means you learned all of your methods from me.”

-… … Yes. I think it would be better not to ask any more. I think I have a rough idea of ​​what it is, but I don’t want to know. Given the circumstances, I can’t just tell you not to do it.

“Please look forward to it. I will show you the basics of a true tanker.”

– I think the commander’s style is a bit far from orthodox, but I hope that the orthodoxy is within common sense. Please don’t overdo it.

* * *

Yeom Soo-hyung felt dazed throughout the fight.

As if drunk. Or as if half-asleep.

The enlarged body seemed to be moving as if possessed by someone else rather than itself.

The more force I used, the deeper my consciousness sank in.

‘It’s okay for now. I can hold out until stage 1.’

A 3-meter-tall giant. It was the limit of what he could do while still being able to control it. If he pushed himself, he could somehow use it up to the second stage, but from then on, his memories would become intermittent.

‘Just don’t go as far as step 3. But if you get too caught up in step 2, you’ll end up going to step 3 without realizing it. Let’s try to finish at step 1. No more than that… We’ve already made too many sacrifices. Okay, step 1. Step 1. Step 1. Step 1… Step 2… That’s it. Okay, step 2. Step 2. Step 2… ‘

“Team Leader Yeom!”

Zzz!

“Awww─”

Yeom Soo-hyung woke up from his sleep after receiving a shock that felt like his head was going to break. He almost got eaten by his dream. He had been able to endure the first stage before, but since it had been a long time, he was unable to control himself for a moment.

I got goosebumps.

What would have happened if Leopard Tiger’s backup had been just a little bit late?

‘Have I become weaker? Or have I become stronger?’

I’m not sure if it’s a mental issue or if the traits have been enhanced.

While Yeom Su-hyeong was flustered, Pyobeom-hee, who had climbed up onto his shoulder, raised the scabbard containing the sword high above his shoulder. As he was about to strike down at his head, Yeom Su-hyeong quickly shook his head.

“Aww, wow.”

“Huh? You came to your senses? Seriously, why do the kids around me have to get hit before they come to their senses?”

“Uuuuuu.”

“Are you feeling wronged? If you feel wronged, don’t lose your mind. If you lose your mind one more time, I’ll put my mana into the blade instead of the scabbard and stab you. Hey, there’s the orc sergeant over there. Step on him!”

bang!

An orc who happened to be nearby and got trampled by a giant foot was crushed without even being able to scream.

“Okay, relax. Get some orcs.”

Leopard-Hee jumped to the ground. The orcs around her rushed at her, but as the poison-filled blades flashed, their skins turned black and they rolled on the ground. The orcs writhed, foaming at the mouth. She stabbed the blades into the necks of the fallen orcs again and moved on to find new prey.

‘Tch! It’s not instant death? The health of these orcs is too high. Their poison resistance is no joke.’

She wanted to use a stronger poison, but she couldn’t just use it in the midst of a melee.

The poison was not a skill that could be used to avoid enemies by distinguishing them. Since it was a leopard-shaped sword, it was possible to adjust the direction, but it could spread at will depending on environmental factors such as wind and moisture, so it was necessary to always devise a perfect hunting plan before using it.

Of course, there was no problem casting the poison skill that directly hits.

‘The real problem is that I have to reserve some strength for that giant guy.’

Leopard Hee had to prepare for the case when the saltwater type would go wild in stage 2 or 3 of the gigantic phase. The tragedy of the past could not be repeated. That is why she had been honing her poison skills for a long time and had even developed a combination exclusive to the saltwater type.

Due to the giant race’s large size and the fact that all resistances increase rapidly, they needed a huge amount of venom and mana to use poison skills.

“I hope it doesn’t go that far, yikes, dangerous, dangerous. It seems like we’ve killed quite a bit, but it’s still a long time. We’re definitely outnumbered. And our skills are lacking.”

I had no choice but to hold out while the main Orc force was destroyed as ordered by Kang Mu-hyeok.

Pyobeomhee, satisfied with the early momentum gained through the charge, gave new orders.

“Tanks in each party, take the lead! The front line is behind the saltwater-type siege leader! It’s holdout mode! Build a wall and control the line properly! If any of the kids jump out, I’ll kill them first!”

* * *

As the tense battle continued on both sides, a presence was felt in the guild headquarters, which should have been empty.

Inside Kang Moo-hyuk’s office, someone other than the owner was holding the receiver.

-Yeah, your name is Jo Chung-hyun?

“Yes, Chairman.”

-I heard you work under our second son. Judging from the fact that you contacted me, I guess he upset you.

“You misunderstand. I work for Taesung Group, not just for Director Taesoo.”

-So, that means we can see our first job too.

“Isn’t Taesung the Chairman? The Taesung I will serve is Chairman Taejinseong.”

– Heh heh. That’s right, you said you were the strategy team leader, but you’re actually a Cheongsan Yusu. But I’m not the type to really believe in verbal oaths of loyalty.

“I know what you want, Mr. Chairman. I will do it.”

-What do I want?

“I mean, destroying the nest of the Jusea Gilma. Isn’t it natural for a chick that has lost its nest to seek its mother bird?”

-I don’t know where you heard it, but I think you mean that you know the suggestion I made to that guy named Kang Mu-hyeok. It was during the Goblin days. I told him to put away a few of the members.

A chill ran down Cho Chung-hyun’s spine. The few people the chairman mentioned were not just the ones he knew.

For the purpose, ethics are not attached to the means and methods.

It was the way of those who did not even consider human life as a number.

‘This is Chairman Tae Jin-seong. As his nickname suggests, he is a heartless person.’

For a moment, Jo Chung-hyun was shaken by the indifference that went beyond the cruelty, but soon he pulled himself together and said.

“I heard it from Director Tae-soo. Director Kang tends to talk to Director Tae more frankly than you might think. Even in his conversations with the Chairman. Thanks to that, he gained some trust from Director Tae, but he’s the type to make a lot of enemies.”

-So, Captain Kang suggested that I take over the guild in a different way. Is there something different about that?

“That takes too long. Do you trust Kang Moo-hyuk, Chairman? If you give him time, he’ll do anything you want. In my opinion, both Director Kang and the Chairman are far from trusting people in business… … .”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Jo Chung-hyun waited anxiously for the gap.

‘It’s a gamble. My position in the guild is gradually diminishing. Chief Tae is also starting to listen to Kang Mu-hyeok more than I do. I was clearly supposed to be monitoring the leader, but I’ve become the opposing party. If this continues, it looks like I’ll be easily thrown out.’

Jo Chung-hyun was even more cornered after making a mistake in this Orc incident. He had no choice. Jo Chung-hyun was certain that Kang Mu-hyeok would definitely cut off his head when this situation was over.

The old man’s breathing was heard several times on the receiver before his voice came out.

-You’re fighting an orc army right now?

“Yes. This is a great opportunity.”

-How?

“The operation planned by Kang Mu-hyeok. If we mess it up, Iron Will will be finished.”

-This is a plan that I can’t afford to lose. Give it a try. If it works, I’ll give you a proper reward.

Jo Chung-hyun clenched his fist.

‘It worked!’

He spoke as calmly as possible, trying to hide his excitement.

“If the Chairman wishes it, it will definitely happen.”