Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

"I'll be right down."

Noh Song-rin opened his eyes, rising from where he had been reclining against the wolf. He sat up and stroked the shaggy wolf's fur. The wolf, massive as a bull, might have looked intimidating to others, but being a Rider Wolf, it didn't shake off the touch of someone it recognized as its master. Rather, it seemed to enjoy it, closing its eyes and leaning its head into Song-rin's hand.

"These guys will fetch a good price."

"Huh?"

"You've seen how goblins ride them, haven't you? These beasts are fierce. But look at them now, obedient as puppies. Loyal to their owners and brave in battle. They're going to be a hit."

Watching Noh Song-rin bring up this subject seemingly out of nowhere just before a hunt, Lee Gi-young drew an imaginary question mark over his head.

"Add to that, we've taken care of Do Gyeong-hoon and made Cho Chung-hyun look like a fool. Filled those empty slots with some pretty useful folks, too. And that Lee Jin-joo? Not sure how you managed to get her on our side. She seemed pretty formidable. No need for any goblins when you can just sort everything with a magical club."

It was then that Lee Gi-young realized Song-rin was talking about Kang Mu-hyuk, their Guild Leader. Everything that had happened was due to his efforts.

Noh Song-rin slowly stood up, and the wolf followed suit, stretching itself.

"Think about it, we're talking about a thousand evolved, militarized orcs here---a war-level mission. What do you think happens if we, a single guild, manage to pull this off?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a strategist, but..."

"We'll get famous, very famous."

"Uh, yeah, I suppose that's true."

"But that's just it. It won't suddenly make us an A-tier guild. It's hollow glory. Our Hunters don't level up, and we've already blown our budget fixing the headquarters. Where are we going to find the money to fix it again? Selling these wolves? We need time to get that business rolling. We don't even have that many males to sell. So, this raid is basically all risk and no reward. Just scars disguised as glory. And if we mess up, we risk crumbling the foundation we've built so far. It may not be much, but it hurts more when a humble home takes a hit."

"I, I see what you mean. Haha..."

Lee Gi-young was utterly confused about what Song-rin, the leader of his faction, was trying to get at with all this talk.

Despite his abrasive personality, Song-rin was a straightforward man. A brute force problem solver, never someone to mince words.

But ever since following the Guild Leader on a field trip to North Pocheon before relocating the guild, he had changed.

'He's become even more unpredictable. It's good that he's less hot-tempered, but still.'

Had the Guild Leader struck some sort of deal with him? Even the support during the guild relocation was suspicious.

Not to mention, the way Song-rin handled Byun Jeong-cheol, who had left the guild without permission and gone off the grid, was uncharacteristically lenient. Normally, he would have pursued the guy to the ends of the Earth, but this time he even retracted a decision for retaliation, saying the guy looked pitiful for what happened to him at the hands of Kang Mu-hyuk.

In Gi-young's eyes, Song-rin seemed to have grown weaker for some reason.

"What are you daydreaming about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing..."

"Don't lose focus. We have a hunt ahead of us."

When Noh Song-rin glared at him, Lee Gi-young stiffened but eventually nodded.

'Damn, he hasn't gotten weaker at all. Just his gaze alone sends shivers down my spine.'

Clapping his hands, Noh Song-rin directed the attention of the Hunters toward himself.

Clap Clap

"Listen up, everyone. We've got the signal, so prepare yourselves. Time to go hunting."

"What about the Orc General?" One of the Hunters asked, checking his weapons.

"What do you mean, 'what about?' Think you can take him down?"

"A solo fight would be too much, but a party might be able to handle it."

"Look, whether it's a drowning rat or a warrior, a warrior is a warrior. Even if you could take him down, it'll consume time. We're sidelining any Orcs above the rank of warrior. Our goal is to quickly eliminate the rest of the Orcs. That's why we've mobilized the Rider Wolves. Speed is of the essence. Make sure no Orc makes it back to Cheolwon alive, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And if you happen to encounter a general-class enemy, don't engage. Contact me; I'll deal with it."

"Got it!"

"Good. Mount your wolves. Let's move out!"

The earth trembled as if a herd of bison was stampeding from afar. Noh Song-rin vaulted onto the back of a Rider Wolf that had trotted up next to him.

The wolf was equipped with a saddle and stirrups. Unlike horses, there were no reins, only handles attached to the saddle. Rider Wolves, being part monster, had a pathological disdain for reins.

This saddle was specially designed by Kang Mu-hyuk in consultation with An Ji-il. It was a small detail, but Noh Song-rin could feel Kang Mu-hyuk's presence in it.

At first, he had followed the man because he had no other choice, under the threat of force. But after seeing him subdue Kim Myung-jun of Hanseong Corp, he was slowly starting to see things differently.

'Strength doesn't make you a survivor; it's because you survive that you become strong. By that standard, Kang Mu-hyuk is the weakest of the weak. But in the end, even Kim Myung-jun yielded. Even that lethal viper was outsmarted by our uGild Leader. Who would have thought? This raid might make the guild falter, but so what?'

Noh Song-rin set his foot in the stirrup and gave the wolf a light kick. The wolf shot forward like an arrow, and the other Hunters followed.

The wind brushed back his hair, and Noh Song-rin felt his cluttered mind clear.

'If it's our leader, he'll probably wave his magic wand and solve everything. Then I'll stick by the winner because that's how I win.'

The river that was at its bottom overflowed.

The fields, abandoned for years and overrun with weeds, filled with the overflow. The abandoned farmhouses and buildings near the river were quickly submerged.

The guild headquarters was no exception. Though located on slightly elevated ground compared to the valley, its proximity to Nakcheonji waterfall and riverside construction made it vulnerable to flooding.

Luckily, no one was in the building, but the Orcs caught in the flood were experiencing a literal hell.

The pressure of 460,000 tons of water was a problem, but the armor they wore was an even bigger one.

These evolved Orcs wore armor made of crudely forged mana steel, which was unbearably heavy.

Countless Orcs sunk, becoming water spirits. Even those who managed to remove their armor and swim clashed with others still in armor, resulting in broken skulls and shattered bones.

The raging torrent swept the orcs into the canyon walls, mercilessly battering them. It was a gruesome scene as the mass of orcs became the architects of each other's demise.

The few orcs that managed to escape fared no better. Waiting for them were Hunters, grim as reapers, ready to strike.

"Fifty meters ahead, two orcs sighted. We'll handle them right away," a voice from the front-line party reported through short-range communication.

Upon receiving the report, Jang Deuk-goo gave his parties autonomy to hunt the orcs as they saw fit.

Dozens of Hunters and their wolves followed the low riverbanks, where the water level wasn't too high to impede movement. They swiftly cut down the orcs that had been swept away by the current.

Though numbering in the hundreds, the disorganized, fatigued, and injured orcs were no match for the strategically coordinated Hunters.

Occasionally, they encountered elite-level orcs, but the Hunters deliberately ignored them, focusing on the weaker ones. Even when elite orcs attacked, they couldn't catch the swift wolves with their exhausted bodies.

"Scram."

"Squeal---"

Of course, elite orcs were no exception for Jang Deuk-goo himself. A group attack might have fazed him, but alone, they could not stop him.

"Announcing to all parties, has the General been found yet?"

Reports arrived in from various parties, but there was still no sighting of the orc General.

Growing uneasy over the absence of their most dangerous foe, Jang Deuk-goo thought, 'Can't let that one escape. If it evolves into a Lord, it'll be a headache... Huh? What's that?'

Jang Deuk-goo narrowed his eyes as he spotted a familiar figure lying sprawled on the riverbank.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen his party. Doesn't look like he was done in by orcs. Guild Leader Kang, Cho Chung-hyun is lying here, soaking wet. Do you know anything about this?"

There was a pause on the other end of the communication channel.

Jang Deuk-goo sensed that something was off.

"---Team Leader, bring him to me immediately. We can't afford to let him get away."

"What's going on?"

"That bastard deactivated the mana stone bomb at the floodgates. We could've all ended up dead."

"What?!"

"Damn it, I knew he would do something like this!"

"Why would Team Leader Cho do this..."

Voices tinged with disbelief echoed across the communication network, deliberately left open by Guild Leader Kang.

Jang Deuk-goo understood Guild Leader Kang's intentions. 'Making internal discord public during tough times, eh, Guild Leader Kang?'

Knowing the situation, it was better to feign ignorance or even fuel the fire.

"I'll bring him in, and beat him up just enough to keep him alive for you."

"Wh-who are you?"

Pyo Beom-hee stared blankly at the woman who had suddenly leaped from the sky into the middle of the orc formation.

Such was the intensity of her arrival that not just the battling Hunters but even the snarling orcs hesitated for a moment.

Even Yeom Soo-hyung, whose mental state had been erratic due to exhaustion, ceased fighting, attesting to the woman's remarkable feat.

Bang!

"Is she a mage?"

Whizz! Whack!

"What kind of spell lets you uproot trees and throw them?"

Woosh!

"She doesn't seem to have any casting delays, though."

Crack!

"Still, flipping the ground like that must be an 'Earthquake' spell, right?"

The identity of the woman didn't matter; the orcs were retreating, and that was what counted.

As the Hunters cheered at the sight, only Pyo Beom-hee recognized who the woman might be.

"Telekinesis. At that level, she's likely an A-rank. In a large-scale battle like this, she's as strategically valuable as a mage. Must be an ally Guild Leader Kang called in."

Lost in her thoughts, Pyo Beom-hee was brought back to reality by a groan from above.

"Ugh... Ohh..."

"Ah, poor guy. Looks like you're hitting your limit. Good thing we got back up just in time. Just hang in there."

Pyo Beom-hee leaped up and gripped Yeom Soo-hyung's hair while perched on his shoulder, then pulled several ampules from her pouch and drank them down. The fluids in each ampule were dark, almost murky. Some even smelled foul.

The Essence of Poison.

Her body mixed various poisons as if she were a human flask, creating entirely different types of toxins.

"Ugh, the smell. Everything about my ability is great except that it really ruins my breath."

Pyo Beom-hee aimed her freshly mixed toxin at the nose of Yeom Soo-hyung, who had transformed into a giant.

The poison was laced with potent mana. Since his resistance to poison would increase upon becoming a giant, she had devised a method to neutralize it.

Evidently, her efforts paid off. Yeom Soo-hyung staggered and finally knelt down. Gradually, his body reverted back to its original size, and he collapsed, unconscious.

"Back in the entertainment world, I took care of idols. Now, I'm tending to a bearded old man. Talk about a life of contrasts."

Pyo Beom-hee sat on the unconscious Yeom Soo-hyung, using him as a makeshift chair. As she tried to gauge her depleted mana, the battle---or rather, the massacre---seemed to be winding down.

The woman who had scared off the orcs returned, stretching as if loosening her tense muscles.

"Ah, what a relief. I was so stressed about exams. Nothing like killing some orcs to blow off steam. Why do they even bother evolving?"

Witnessing the woman's behavior amid a field of dead orcs, Pyo Beom-hee arrived at a single conclusion.

"Looks like she's a loose cannon too. Definitely seems like someone Guild Leader Kang would call in."

She decided it was best to avoid getting involved with her.

Jang Deuk-goo had really roughed up Cho Chung-hyun. Though being swept away by water played a part, most of the damage was from Jang Deuk-goo's own hands. His mana flow was disrupted to the point that it would take considerable time to recover even if he did nothing but rest.

When Kang Mu-hyuk saw him, he approached and drew his revolver with his free hand.

Bang!

"Gah!"

The strength of Hunter's body and the special terrain weakened the bullet's magical properties. Still, it was painful for Cho Chung-hyun, given his battered state.

"Does it hurt? You can't feel pain when you're dead. Five Hunters died because of you. They would still be alive if the explosion had occurred just a little sooner."

"Heh, Guild Leader Kang, isn't this a bit much? This is South Korea, a country of laws. You're going to punish me with revenge? That doesn't sound like you. Maybe if it were Noh Song-rin..."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Choke! Cough! Damn it! Stop! What the hell are you..."

"Be glad it's just a revolver. If it had been a machine gun, a year's budget for mana bullets wouldn't have been enough."

Even though the target was a Hunter, Kang Mu-hyuk's trigger-happy behavior left Choi Mi-ran, who was watching from behind, shivering as if she herself had been shot.

She found herself recalling their first meeting with the Guild Leader. They had argued over a parking spot in a parking lot, and the memory made her swallow hard.

"Seong-hyun, remember that time in the parking lot? If the Guild Leader had a gun back then, do you think he would've shot me too?"

"What a bizarre thing to say... Ah, you mean the parking lot incident? Nah, it wasn't serious enough for him to shoot."

"Are you kidding? He obliterated Do Gyeong-hoon and his minions, wiped out Orcs, and didn't you see earlier? All of Cho Chung-hyun's men were taken down. One of them even had a hole in his chest."

"Weren't Do Gyeong-hoon and his minions our problem to begin with?"

"Ugh, when you put it like that, it doesn't make me feel any better."

"So what do you want me to say?"

"Anyway, we need to be more cautious around him. It would be unfair to get shot just because we rubbed him the wrong way."

"Geez, you take the fun out of a joke... Wait, you're not joking, are you?"

Kim Seong-hyun shook his head vigorously at Choi Mi-ran's solemn expression.

'He doesn't seem like the type to just randomly shoot people... Well, maybe it's better that she is wary of him. He's really unpredictable, after all.'

While the two Hunters were concerned with trivial matters, Kang Mu-hyuk was deciding what to do with Cho Chung-hyun.

Jang Deuk-goo knocked Cho Chung-hyun unconscious, as it was better not to let him hear what would be discussed next.

"Guild Leader, what should we do with this guy?"

"As much as I'd like to kill him, several Hunters have seen us capture Cho Chung-hyun. We can't just dispose of him in such a manner. Plus..."

"Plus?"

"We need to find out who's pulling his strings."

"You mean the Director Tae Soo-man?"

"Tae Soo-man wanted to own a guild; he never wanted to destroy one."

"So the one who wants to destroy the guild is...?"

Chairman Tae Jin-sung.

The name of the grizzled tycoon crossed Jang Deuk-goo's mind.

"You're thinking of the same person as I am, aren't you? It's probably him behind all this. No evidence, but still."

"What will we do once we find out?"

"We'll turn the matter over to the investigators before the Guild Master returns. He needs to be dealt with legally."

"Before the Guild Master returns? Isn't this a serious issue? Shouldn't we wait for the Guild Master's opinion?"

"Do you think Guild Master would just leave Cho Chung-hyun be? She'd probably have to deal with a funeral service, and who knows? She might even confront Chairman Tae Jin-sung. We might end up watching the collapse of Taesung Corporation."

"Ahh, that temper of hers. Can't argue with that."

"I don't want to see our Guild Master on the nine o'clock news."