The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 99



Only Noblemtl

Episode 100

100. I will definitely collect this debt!

The reason Kang Mu-hyeok became suspicious of the Tsar Guild was because of the incident in which Yeom Su-hyeong and his party were attacked on the day they entered Vladivostok.

It was late at night, the night before the saltwater brothers were to leave, that the Federation began negotiations with the Char Guild after he had decided on the raid.

It’s a nine-hour flight from Moscow, where the Tieren Guild is located, to Vladivostok. It’s two hours from Korea.

This meant that it was physically impossible for a tyrant to come and wait for him without information leaking out in advance.

‘If the information was leaked, the Tsar Guild, the interested party, would have a motive rather than the Federation.’

Of course, he didn’t suspect the entire Tsar Guild from the beginning. At first, he attributed it to the deviation of an individual guild member.

Betrayal in exchange for money or membership in the Tyran Guild.

Because I had previously experienced the cases of Do Kyung-hoon and Jo Chung-hyun, I was placing more weight on that.

But another suspicion arose when the Tsar’s Guild failed to find the tyrant’s whereabouts in Vladivostok, where they knew him better than the back of their hand.

‘Besides, the response from the Vladivostok administration and the local council was questionable. Despite being under the influence of the Tsar’s Guild, they were more eager to denounce the tyrant than to solve the problem.’

When the Federation contacted the Char Guild regarding Joo Sea’s smuggling, Alex sensed this subtle atmosphere and relayed it to Kang Mu-hyeok.

Of course, it wasn’t something I was certain of. I was just expressing my dissatisfaction with the typical laid-back nature of Russian bears who couldn’t communicate.

‘If you look at them separately, they are signs that you can just ignore, but they are too unsettling to just ignore. They are things that need to be confirmed and moved on in some way.’

Kang Moo-hyuk had no choice but to solve one of the scenarios he had prepared in advance to clear his doubts.

Fortunately, Anton was not used to this kind of fighting. It was due to his hasty nature that I felt while talking to him.

“Whoever you are, you should answer first. How did you know?”

“That means someone planned it.”

“Oh my, it’s not like I’m talking to a ghost or anything. When I speak, you take everything out of me. I’d believe you even if you said I was a mind reader.”

“Somehow it doesn’t seem like it was planned by Guildmaster Anton. So it turns out there was someone else involved.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t seem like something I planned? Are you being sarcastic?”

“Could you please call that person here?”

“Hey, you Korean. Are you not listening to me?”

Anton beat his chest in frustration and complained to Dmitry, who sighed and asked on behalf of the irritated Gilma.

“Why are you looking for someone in charge?”

“Because I have to figure out what that person’s intentions are.”

“Intention?”

“I think it would be too grandiose a plan to simply humiliate the tyrant and get him out of this city.”

“Is there another meaning?”

Anton’s mood, which had been light just a moment ago, changed.

When he asked with a stern face, Kang Mu-hyeok shook his head.

“I can’t say for sure that there are other thoughts. I just need to confirm.”

“You want me to bring my person here for that confirmation?”

“We’ll have to wait and see if that person is the guild leader’s person.”

When Kang Mu-hyeok said something meaningful, Anton almost swore.

‘This guy doesn’t even have a snake tongue.’

He was rolling his tongue around so gently that there was no way to avoid the temptation.

The problem was that if we ignored the raised suspicions, I had a feeling that the entire Tsar Guild would be shaken to its core.

“He’s a trustworthy guy. We’ve worked together for a long time. He’s a local. He’s not an original member, but he’s worked harder than anyone else to grow the Char Guild.”

“I repeat, we need confirmation, not defense. We can’t trust anyone until we confirm.”

Anton was never able to resist the snake’s temptation.

“Dmitry. Bring Makar.”

* * *

Makar, who was called to the guild master’s office, checked that there were not enough seats, then brought a chair from outside and sat down on the side of the table.

Anton introduced himself to Kang Mu-hyeok, skipping Noh Song-rin.

“This is Makar Voronin. He is our information officer. Makar, this is Gang Mu-hyeok, the leader of the Korean Iron Will Guild.”

Makar looked flustered at the unexpected meeting, but soon erased his expression and faced Kang Mu-hyeok.

“But why did the Korean guild member call me?”

“I wanted to hear why you carried out the operation against Igor Dudnik.”

“Your Majesty, did you tell anyone else about your plans?”

Instead of answering, Makar frowned and looked back at Anton. Anton looked embarrassed and avoided eye contact, scratching his neck.

“It wasn’t Gilma-nim who said it, it was Chief Kang Mu-hyeok who found it out.”

Dmitry came forward and defended Anton. Makar looked Kang Mu-hyeok up and down as if he was admiring him again.

“I don’t know how you knew, but you’re amazing. I thought you were doing a good job of maintaining security.”

“You haven’t answered yet. Why is that?”

When Makar tried to change the subject, Kang Mu-hyeok cut him off and asked him a question. Makar answered obediently.

“Isn’t that answer too simple? It’s because you can’t beat an S-rank with strength.”

“So that’s why you carried out this kind of operation? Why did you have to involve our members in it?”

Although Kang Mu-hyeok showed his anger, Makar shrugged his shoulders calmly as if he felt regret.

“I’m sorry about that. But I have no regrets. The Upumangbau incident was a crisis for Vladivostok, but it was also an opportunity for the Tsar Guild. With half of the city’s functions at a standstill, public opinion of the Tsar Guild worsened, and the pressure from the Tyran Guild to advance grew stronger. We had no choice but to come up with a solution.”

“So you took advantage of the Wufumangbau incident? Putting the city’s fate on the line, and even putting the hunters who were trying to help in danger?”

“There was no other way. Even if we just avoided the threat right in front of us, if we blocked it carelessly, the Tyran Guild would come after Vladivostok again someday. And there was no guarantee that we would be able to stop them then. We decided that if we did something like this, when the eyes of the entire Russian Federation were on us, the Tyran Guild would not act recklessly in the future.”

Although it was a reasonable explanation, Kang Moo-hyuk continued to feel uneasy.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why, but as I listened to the explanation, I soon realized what the discomfort was.

“There is nothing wrong with what you said. Was it because of loyalty to the guild? That’s understandable.”

“Thank you for your understanding. First of all, we will do our best to resolve this situation… … .”

“however.”

“??”

“Mr. Makar keeps mentioning Tyran Guild. Unlike everyone else who is prioritizing Tyrant. As I said before, S-ranks have great presence as well as power. Why do you barely mention Tyrant?”

Makar’s eyebrows furrowed as he spoke of the tyrant. For a moment, a flash of anger flashed across his eyes.

The change was so small that no one noticed it except Kang Mu-hyeok, whose observation skills were beyond the criminal’s level.

Makar, who had been keeping his lips tightly shut, opened his mouth carefully.

“The job of the information team leader is to judge the movements of an organization, not individuals.”

“Oh, really? I asked because I was worried that talking about tyrants might be uncomfortable.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“I’ve had a few bad experiences recently, so I’ve developed a disease where I can’t be satisfied until I check on something. I’m going to start checking on it from now on. Please understand.”

“Chief Kang, you have a knack for making conversation difficult. So, what kind of understanding are you asking for?”

Kang Moo-hyuk spoke without paying attention to Makar’s seemingly arrogant tone.

“I’m going to give the tyrant one piece of information now. About a man named Makar Voronin, the information team leader of the Char Guild. It would be good to also tell him about the operation I’m going to carry out against the Tyran Guild. Oh, and before that, I’d better add that I want him to find out more about you.”

“Hey, let’s see. What are you going to do now? Makar is one of our people who has assisted me for over ten years. Yes, the family that Captain Kang spoke of! If you suspect a Vladivostok native and a loyal person, the other members will not be free from suspicion either!”

Anton stood up in anger.

Kang Moo-hyuk looked up at him without being intimidated.

“You must think carefully here, Guildmaster Anton Ivanov.”

“What do you want me to think about?!”

“Are you sure all the members of the Tsar’s Guild are trustworthy?”

“!!”

While Anton was speechless, Kang Mu-hyeok continued speaking while glaring at Makar.

“There’s a reason Igor Dudnik is called a tyrant. It’s because he caused a lot of trouble before he got the government’s protection. He also has many enemies within Russia.”

“… … .”

“Before I tell the Tyrant about you, I have one last question for you. Is the Tyrant your target, or the Tsar’s Guild? Or are they both part of your plan?”

“Hoooooo─”

Makar sighed and lowered his head.

That was when.

Something flashed in his arms and flew towards Kang Mu-hyeok’s face.

“I knew this would happen.”

Noh Song-rin blocked the attack with a karambit. What fell to the ground was a small weapon that resembled a spear.

Makar jumped back as soon as his attack failed. Dmitry didn’t miss this moment and tackled him by flying and hugging his lower body.

Although he was the information team leader of the Tsar Guild, his military power was only B-rank.

From the start, his attacks were ineffective and escape was impossible.

“This kid! Was what Chief Kang said true?!”

Anton strode towards Makar, who was being held captive by Dmikri, in a fiery rage. He was filled with murderous intent, and his actual expression was so distorted that he could be mistaken for a demon.

“You must not kill!”

If Kang Mu-hyeok hadn’t stopped him, Anton might have really kicked Makar’s head. There was no way a B-ranked hunter could be immune to a kick from an A+-ranked hunter.

Kang Moo-hyuk approached Anton and said with a puzzled look.

“It would have been better if you had kept on crying until the end. There is no evidence, only circumstantial evidence.”

“I thought it would be better to kill you. I thought if I left you alive, you would reveal all my plans.”

“There are only four A-rank Hunters here. Didn’t you know that Mr. Makar’s attack would fail?

“… … .”

“There’s something else you’re hiding. Another plan? Information? Oh, you leaked information. What is that?”

Kang Moo-hyuk questioned his opponent in a leading manner while reading his slightly changing expression.

Makar, who noticed the intention, kept his mouth shut.

“Woopumangbau… Tyrant… Tsar Guild… Something that will trouble them both? Something… … .”

Kang Moo-hyuk tried to test his reaction by saying various things. Then, a possibility occurred to him.

“Your intentions might be revealed, so leave out the things that are difficult to touch right away. You needed something to cause conflict, right?”

“… … .”

“Something that’s undetected, easy to mess with, and will complicate things. So far, we’ve been the biggest victims of this situation. Damn it! Was that it?!”

Kang Mu-hyeok said, gritting his teeth.

“You, did you sell out our guild leader this time?”

* * *

“We have arrived, Your Majesty the King.”

When the wig ship arrived at the meeting place, it stopped and sent a flashing signal, and the lights came on from a short distance away.

Soon, a small Russian fishing boat approached with the sound of its engine.

Joo Sea opened the door and went out, stepping on the wing of the wigsun and expressing her gratitude to the pilot.

“Thank you for your hard work. Be careful on your way back.”

“It was an honor to serve you, Your Majesty.”

“I’m only a C-rank guild member, what is it?”

“You were ranked first in this year’s Beauty Hunter rankings, right? I’m a fan. Haha!”

“Are you still doing that? I thought it was gone… … .”

Joo Seah smiled rottenly, but the pilot couldn’t see it because of the darkness.

She mumbled something and stood on the wing, jumping onto the approaching ship.

At that moment, something flew in with an intense light emitted by flames.

‘attack?’

Only then could I see that the man standing on the deck was carrying something on his shoulder.

Joo Se-ah, who had carried out several joint operations with the military, was able to immediately recognize the identity of the object.

‘That’s an anti-tank missile?!’

Joo Sea quickly took out her sword and cut the missile flying towards the wig ship. A thunderous explosion shook the quiet sea. She tried to climb onto the fishing boat while the spray rose, but she had no choice but to throw herself to block the missile flying one more step.

After intercepting two missiles, Joo Se Ah fell into the sea. She rose to the surface, swallowing seawater, and shouted.

“Get out of here quickly!”

After her death, the surprised pilot hurriedly turned the bow of the wigeon.

Before the wig line could gain speed, another missile flew in, but Joo Sea was unable to chase the missile as she was floating in the vast ocean without a foothold. She had no choice but to swing her sword and destroy the missile.

“Ah, that’s an expensive sword… If it sinks in water, it can’t be recovered, right? Profit! I’ll definitely collect this debt!”

After confirming that the wig ship had escaped safely, she immediately tried to counterattack.

I thought the attacks would follow, but… … .

“What the heck, you guys? Just launching missiles and running away? In front of me?”

The fishing boat had already disappeared into the distance.

Joo Se Ah never missed a single prey she set her sights on, whether it was a monster or a villain, but it was difficult to chase a ship by swimming.

Soon she was able to recall her situation.

“How far is it from here to Vladivostok? No, where is further north than that?”

So, the strongest hunter in South Korea was lost on a cold winter sea on a cloudy day without a single star.