The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 83



Only Noblemtl

Episode 84

84. Shouldn’t the one who is feeling sorry be the one to move?

“Alex, Raven. Don’t hurt her.”

Alex and Raven rushed in under Ayla’s orders.

Mr. Joe kicked the stall to block her view. The bungeoppang machine, red bean paste, and dough all fell on Ayla. Alex blocked her path and knocked the items away.

Raven reached out to Mr. Joe, destroying the stall. The moment Mr. Joe was caught in his hand, his body disappeared, leaving only an afterimage.

Raven expanded his senses without panicking. It was a basic skill that any hunter would learn, but the senses of an A-rank hunter were almost in the realm of supernatural powers. He spotted an invisible enemy and flew.

“Oh, really! How annoying.”

Mr. Joe, who was climbing up the telephone pole, landed on the ground after avoiding the jumping Raven. She didn’t show it, but she was startled when she saw Raven quickly finding her.

‘You found me disguised as a bungeoppang vendor. Is there something special about it?’

Mr. Joe was unrivaled in stealth and camouflage. He was confident that he could outsmart even an A-ranked person, but it was suspicious that his opponents found him so quickly.

As Raven reacted quickly and followed, Mr. Joe threw a smoke bomb on the ground. It wasn’t just any smoke bomb, it was a special item containing a paralyzing ingredient extracted from the ‘Poisonous Lizard’.

But Raven threw her fist at Mr. Joe as if it had no effect at all.

‘What is this monster? This smokescreen is something that would make even an A-rank flinch!’

Mr. Joe spun around in shock, his fists hitting the air in vain.

Three times in a row.

That’s how many times Raven missed his opponent.

‘It’s not an A rank. At best, it’s a B+. But you run away like a loach.’

At this point, it would be right to assume that the opponent’s characteristics were unique.

“Raven, the opponent has moved out of the non-recognition zone.”

As Alex spoke, Raven shook her hand and turned away.

“I didn’t know there was an assassin-type hunter like that in Korea. Where did he come from?”

“Well, I didn’t feel any hostility. Just curiosity? Maybe. I was curious about a lot of things. It’s too bad. Should I go back now?”

“Yes, I will.”

As Ayla waved her hand, the surrounding scenery changed. In reality, nothing had changed. It was just that the air felt a little lighter. At the same time, the once quiet road became crowded with people.

People began to walk around Ayla, filling the empty space around her, but still no one came within two meters of her. The only ones who recognized her were Alex and Raven.

And one more person.

‘A skill that makes you not recognize space or existence? What on earth is that woman’s identity? And she even recognized me. If I hadn’t hidden among the people like this, I would have been caught right away.’

As soon as he mingled with the pedestrians, Mr. Joe, whose appearance and clothes changed due to his doppelganger trait, pulled his hat down low and left without a second thought.

* * *

Kang Moo-hyuk was lost in thought after receiving a call from Mr. Cho.

‘You encountered a foreign hunter in front of the Hunter’s Association? The woman among them had long ears that made her look like she wasn’t human? And she also used a skill similar to spatial magic?’

Regardless of the woman’s identity, there was something to be said about the foreigner who was associated with the association.

‘Association Chairman Han Byeong-gu was active during the Great War. At that time, Korea was the center of the world hunter community. It is not unrelated to the current World Federation system. If you are not from the East, and neighboring countries are excluded. If you are a foreigner who visits the association, your identity is obvious.’

World Hunters Federation.

It was an organization that even ordinary people would have heard of at least once. Despite its fame, its presence was weak, and even among hunters, the Federation’s influence was not that great.

‘Up to this point, it’s just for regular hunters. In reality, they have considerable influence over top-tier hunters and tier guilds. There’s even a saying that the strongest and wealthiest guild in the world is the Federation.’

Assuming that the opponent was a member of the alliance, the woman’s identity could also be inferred from the beginning.

‘I can’t say for sure just because they have long ears, but they look like elves from a movie. There were rumors that a race of Ainzoid races had appeared on Earth before, but the Federation announced that they were groundless. Could it be that those weren’t just groundless rumors?’

It was a bit of a leap to connect them to the Ain race simply because they had long ears, but he couldn’t help but think about it more and more.

‘What’s the matter with the federation that didn’t even care about Korea suddenly coming to the association? Is it because of my report?’

It was a report that was shared with the alliance whenever a new or threatening monster appeared.

Kang Moo-hyuk deliberately added the keyword ‘summon’ when mentioning the Goblin Godmother.

It was because I became cautious after encountering something I had never heard of or seen before.

Of course, it might not have anything to do with that, but his intuition told him that he might run into someone from the Federation sooner or later.

There was no need to panic, as a plan had already been drawn up in case we made contact with the Federation.

However, there was something else that was concerning.

“They say it’s not a good thing for the Federation to move. I hope nothing happens.”

* * *

A month after the Orc Tribe raid, the media and the public were still abuzz with talk of the Ironwill Guild.

But the Hunter community was making noise about Iron Will for something a little different.

It was because of an announcement that suddenly appeared on the guild app one day. The announcement was neatly organized with pictures like a card news.

[Ironwill Guild opens the Bukpocheon Special Zone.]

– Hunt various monsters in the Bukpocheon hunting grounds, where routes are organized by rank and party.

-Enjoy tax-free benefits at the Monster By-Products purchasing agency located at Ironwill headquarters.

– Purchase supplies you need, repair broken equipment, and relieve fatigue from hunting at Ironwill Headquarters.

– Don’t you want to waste money on admission fees and bother going back and forth outside? Hunter Village, with its cheap yet clean accommodations and delicious food, is waiting for you.

– Enjoy a cup of coffee while looking through the monster guide. Hunting is now a business. Get new information by interacting with other hunters at the cafe and form a party.

– Hunters who feel that they lack the basics, hunters who want to apply new hunting trends, hunters who are in dire need of hunting know-how. No more worries. High-level instructors will regularly guide you. Apply for classes now!

-Rent Ironwill Guild’s exclusive hunting equipment. Once you get a taste of the convenience of the equipment, you won’t be able to leave. Welcome to the new world.

-Excludes violent hunter crimes within the special area. Hunters who cause trouble will be personally interviewed by Joo Sea Gilma. You know that anything can happen in the special area, right? Hunters who cause unnecessary chaos should be careful.

– Consideration for couples. Opens on December 26th. See you at Bukpocheon.

“What is this? This playful advertisement?”

Joo Se Ah looked dumbfounded when she saw the reality of the business that Kang Mu Hyuk had been expecting. No matter how you looked at it, the content was full of playful phrases.

“Oh? Is that because of the interview? I’m not saying I’m going to kill you. You don’t have to come forward every time. Just think of it as a warning.”

“No, that’s not it. It sounds like an advertisement for some local amusement park.”

“I told Team Leader Pyo to do it himself, so he came off a bit lightly. But since that’s the concept, it doesn’t really matter.”

“… … .”

Joo Sea was confused for a moment.

‘What kind of concept is this? Doesn’t it seem too cheap? What is the plan this time?’

As always, let’s wait a moment and Kang Mu-hyuk begins to explain.

“Since the outlets and hotels haven’t been built yet, we’ve reorganized the existing motel area to target low-ranking customers.”

“No, but even so, isn’t this concept too cheap?”

“The guild’s capacity is still not enough to handle the high-ranking players. The goblin tribe that was in power has disappeared and the overall monster level in Bukpocheon is rising, but the hunting grounds are not high enough to receive high-ranking players. High-ranking players look for places that are appropriate for their level, if only to save face. If you spread the word with this kind of B-rank sensibility, you will be filtered out.”

Joo Se Ah had already confirmed the details of the business, so she knew the overall picture, but she didn’t know that it would start like this. That was because Kang Moo Hyuk had always handled his work seriously.

But after thinking about it a little more, it didn’t seem like a bad starting point for the upward standardization of hunter levels and popularization of hunting equipment that Kang Mu-hyeok had been talking about day and night.

It was easier to spread Iron Will’s method through low ranks rather than high ranks.

Joo Sea gave up on the guild app announcement and decided to wait for the next report.

“Let’s skip this since we need to watch it a bit more. Is there no problem with the supply of manpower?”

“Accommodation management, food court, and sanitation were projects promoted as part of the ‘Nampocheon Mutual Growth and Cooperation Plan’, so we prioritized hiring local residents. Since there were very few jobs, it was easy to recruit the necessary personnel. However, checkpoint security was a job that required basic training, so we contracted out the work to a security company in Hanju Group and arranged for them to work with separately hired personnel while receiving training.”

“Did you exclude Taesung on purpose?”

“It’s a bit awkward to leave the front door to them.”

“You must have a lot to say. Shouldn’t you take care of your family first?”

“That part was attached to the unfair internal transaction regulation issue. The guild cooperation office sent an official letter warning us, so we had no choice but to hand it over to another company.”

“Anyway, I told you that our leader knows how to trick people.”

“Even a trick turns into a standard when the government’s name is mentioned.”

Next was the question of funding.

Joo Seah frowned as if she was daunted just by looking at the numbers in front of her.

“The cost of repairing the headquarters must be tight, so where did you get all this money from?”

“We created the ‘Bukpocheon Reconstruction Fund’ together with Hanshin Financial Group, which we received a loan from last time. Since it is guaranteed by the Credit Guarantee Fund in accordance with the Guild Act, we were able to fill the set amount faster than expected. They are also preparing for a second round of recruitment, so we can expect additional funds.”

“No, even if it’s a provision in the Guild Law, I think it would be difficult to pass the examination… … .”

“It was easy because the Guild Cooperation Office pushed for it and the National Assembly put in effort.”

“Let’s say they are partners. What about the members of the National Assembly?”

“I took a few pictures with them and made sure to mention it during interviews, and they handled it well. After all, Korea has been sensitive to security issues for a long time. Since the monster issue is directly related to security, they came forward regardless of the ruling or opposition party. Of course, they are paying more attention because there is an election next year.”

Kang Moo-hyuk said it easily, but it was by no means easy.

Joo Se Ah knew well how the Slayer Guild’s Master, Samunhyeok, was cooperating with the political world.

Providing political funds was a given, and for some politicians, they even provided the commodity of ‘violence’.

Although it was a guild that held all the wealth, power, and military power in its hands, it could not ignore the influence of the National Assembly members elected by the people within a democratic system.

Unless you plan to overthrow the country, you have to cooperate with them in some way, so you run the guild while making some compromises.

‘Before considering ethics or conscience, there’s no way they would have taken the same approach as Samunhyeok since the guild’s capabilities are lacking. How on earth did they manage to do it? I only heard that they swayed public opinion, but they didn’t say how they did it, so how can we know?’

After that, we dealt with a few more agenda items and concluded the meeting.

Just as Kang Mu-hyeok was organizing his documents, the phone in the conference room rang.

Joo Se-ah, who was just about to get up from her seat and leave, received a phone call.

“hello.”

-Oh, you just happened to pick up the phone? This is Team Leader Oh Jeong-yeon from the Communications Team. There’s a call from Gilma on the outside line. Should I connect you?

“Where is it?”

-This is Hunter Association President Han Byeong-gu.

“Why did this old man call you?”

-yes?

“No. Please connect me.”

When the association was mentioned, Kang Moo-hyuk stopped organizing his work.

“Guild Leader, on speakerphone.”

At the soft voice, Joo Se Ah put the phone on speakerphone and hung up.

-Juseah Gilma, it’s been a while. How have you been?

“No, why are you responding so gently when you don’t answer? What nonsense are you talking about now?”

-You punk! If I speak to you in a formal manner, you should know how to set the mood!

“I guess the only time we’ll be discussing etiquette between us is at the old man’s funeral. I’ll wear black when I go.”

-Hey~ Even though the Samgang and Oryun have become legendary items, you’re the only one who would treat me like this.

“I’m the kind of woman who learned how to break monsters’ heads before learning the Three Bonds and Five Relationships. If you keep saying weird things like last time, I’ll just hang up the phone.”

As Joo Se Ah let go of her grudge, a sigh escaped from the other end of the phone.

-Hey, you bald guy. Tsk tsk! Let me just get to the point. Let me see what happens to your leader. You can come out or not.

“Why our captain?”

-Wouldn’t you know if you come out?

“You don’t even know if it’s a trap.”

-What am I going to do by digging a trap?

“That’s just the image of the inspiration. Isn’t he sinister?”

-This, this guy is really… . Oh my, I’m going crazy. How can such an inconsiderate guy be the next S-rank? Even the heavens are heartless.

“I got inspired and started dealing with people, and this is how it turned out. To find out why it turned out this way, try self-criticizing first.”

Even though I couldn’t see it, I could clearly see the other person’s face turning red and blue.

Kang Moo-hyuk couldn’t stand listening to the useless bickering any longer, so he intervened.

“Chairman, this is Kang Mu-hyeok. Is this for federation business?”

-… … .

“I guess that’s right, since you’re so quiet. You’re contacting me later than I thought.”

-That’s because you’ve done so much work and there are so many eyes watching you… No, that’s not it. You tricked our granddaughter into signing the contract, right? You’re talking to a lawyer to try to invalidate it.

“Even if he’s a minor, a hunter is responsible for the contracts he’s made. If you’re going to trip up over that, it’s no use.”

-No, what kind of guild would make a contract with an idol? Are you as senseless as your guild leader?

“What about me, inspiration?!”

As the bickering grew louder again, Kang Mu-hyeok quickly spoke up.

“Please tell the Ainz race from the Federation that I want to meet them at a quiet place.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone as Kang Mu-hyeok spoke, and then an unfamiliar voice flowed out.

“I guess the scout from last time was from your side. I’ll tell you the location, Kang Mu-hyeok. I’d like to see you today.”

“We’ll provide the location. Shouldn’t the one who’s feeling uneasy be the one to move?”

* * *

Kim Myung-jun has been having a hard time lately. He has had many sleepless nights and his appetite has dropped.

“What the hell. How am I supposed to mess with Joo Se Ah?”

It felt like they were trying to do things too hastily from above. Interfering with Iron Will. Even if they weren’t directly capturing Joo Se Ah, it was a spell that would naturally lead to clashing with her.

Of course, there were many ways to restrain it, but the problem was that it was a situation where one could not rush in rashly.

“If I touch a place where the whole world is talking about the National Guild, I’ll be the only one getting hurt. What’s Slayer Eye going to do in this situation? If things go wrong with your union, they can just close up shop and withdraw, but I’ll either stay here and be cursed at, or get buried somewhere. Or I can run away to a foreign country.”

Chae Dae-su, who had been listening to Kim Myeong-jun lamenting his situation from the sofa across from him, opened his mouth.

“Are you thinking of something else?”

“what?”

“Didn’t you stop working on the Titan last time?”

“… … .”

“Considering the years we worked together, I didn’t report it to you. I thought it wouldn’t have been a big blow, so I did it to suit the executive director’s wishes. However, if you keep squatting and squatting this time, I won’t be able to tolerate it anymore.”

“Hey, are you in a position to look after me?”

“I am simply conveying your wishes as your agent.”

I thought things were going to get really tricky since such words came out of the mouth of Chae Dae-su, who called himself a messenger.

Kim Myeong-jun glared at him silently.

‘I can’t move right now because I got hit by Kang Moo-hyuk. Even though we didn’t sign a contract, we’ve already signed a peace treaty. If they hit me in the back, then it’s real war. But I can’t go against them at this point. I have to buy some time.’

Kim Myung-jun closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded.

“Let me think of a way.”

“I hope a good solution comes out.”