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

"First, we'd like to extend our condolences to the Hunters who lost their lives in the recent Orc Tribe Raid."

"Yes, thank you. Our guild members appreciate the warm support and interest from the public..."

The video, which someone had thoughtlessly played in a noisy classroom without headphones, was soon drowned out by the chatter of the students.

"Wow, look at Se-ah! Look at those eyes. She's so charismatic!"

"Ju Se-ah has it all. Top-tier Hunter and she's gorgeous. Hunters usually have great physiques, but look at her proportions. And her face is so petite!"

"She's not just beautiful; her heart is beautiful too. Did you see how she held off the orcs? Other guilds didn't even help. Typical of someone from the Slayer Guild. She risked destroying her own guild headquarters just to hold them off in North Pocheon."

The room was filled with praise for Ju Se-ah and the Iron Will Guild.

To most people, the image of a Hunter was essentially heroic. Adults with more life experience might understand the flaws and limitations, but to naive teenagers, they could only appear glamorous.

Moreover, the recent Orc Tribe Raid had genuinely showcased heroism, propelling Iron Will's popularity to its peak.

Even those who were initially skeptical of Hunters had begun to see them in a new light.

It was to the point where the guild was being referred to as the "National Guild" or "Protectors of Korea," a narrative consistently pushed by various media outlets and the government.

Guild officials might scoff at this perception, but public opinion was a force to be reckoned with.

As everyone focused on the happenings in North Pocheon, some students couldn't care less.

Kim Nari carefully took out a ticket sandwiched between her textbooks.

'Only a few days left. Did I actually manage to get a ticket?'

The ticket had characters from an animation featuring members of BTA. She had opted for a physical copy instead of a digital one.

Kim Nari looked at the ticket as if she could not believe she was the owner.

Each album purchase had allowed her a single entry into the ticket raffle. Despite her limited allowance, Kim Nari had only been able to buy one album. Yet, against all odds, she had won.

Thump!

Suddenly, three female students surrounded Kim Nari and snatched the ticket from her hand.

"Look at this girl, drooling over her idol tickets again."

"What's this? BTA? Wow, how did you manage to get this? People say it's impossible to get even if you have the money. Should we sell it?"

"Give it back!"

As Kim Nari reached out her hand, one of the girls lifted the ticket above her head and sneered. Another girl poked Kim Nari's forehead and shoved her, causing her to fall to the ground. The girl holding the ticket scowled menacingly.

Rip!

The ticket was torn to shreds. Kim Nari screamed.

"No!"

She tried to gather the pieces of the torn ticket floating in the air, but the last shred was blown away by one of the girls, who kicked Kim Nari back to the ground.

"Looks like she's lost her nerve lately. Trusting in that Eul-ji girl, huh? Looks like we need to remind her of her place."

It was only then that Kim Nari regretted her actions, as unpleasant memories resurfaced. Her shoulders quivered at the thought of the deeply ingrained, branded fear of violence she had experienced.

"What's all this fuss about?"

"Ah, Eul-ji!"

At the sound of the name, Kim Nari couldn't help but cry out in relief. The three female students who were confronting her turned around, startled.

Just then, Go Eul-ji walked into the classroom. She tossed her bag onto her desk, glanced at the girls, and then turned her gaze towards Kim Nari, who was on the floor.

"I'm in a good mood right now, so why don't you all just leave. And don't bother Nari anymore. Nari, get up. Let's go to the cafeteria."

"Mm..."

The three girls remained frozen until Go Eul-ji started leading Kim Nari out of the classroom.

The other students in the room cast sidelong glances, some of them tinged with mockery. Feeling slighted, one of the girls blurted out.

"What's so great about this orphan showing up late for school during lunchtime?"

Kim Nari froze at her words. Although Go Eul-ji was her only close friend in school, the expression on Eul-ji's face became chilling.

However, the next moment, Eul-ji's hair seemed to flutter in the wind, as if summoning courage.

"Eul-ji, hold back. We can't do this here."

Kim Nari tightly grasped Eul-ji's arm. Go Eul-ji took a deep breath, closed her eyes momentarily, and then reopened them.

"Listen, Jin Seonmi. Stop acting childish. We're almost twenty, in our senior year. Don't humiliate yourself. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you go."

Although Go Eul-ji's mouth was smiling, her eyes were icy cold as they locked onto Jin Seonmi, the apparent leader of the three girls.

Jin Seonmi glared back, but couldn't bring herself to do anything more.

"Let's go, Nari."

Go Eul-ji took Kim Nari's hand and they left for the corridor.

"Wow, you really stood up for me, Nari. If you were a bit late, I would have knocked them all down."

"You can't let people find out you're a Hunter. You said your grandfather would scold you, right? And using your powers on regular people is illegal."

"How long do I have to keep hiding my abilities? They're telling me to live quietly until I'm twenty. Isn't that torture? With these abilities, this face, and this body, they want me to live a quiet life? Isn't that just torment?"

"Your grandfather must have his reasons, even if I don't know about your face and body."

"Look at you, subtly complimenting me."

"When did I..."

"Anyway! My grandpa worries too much. He only calls me when he needs me. And why is he so stingy with my allowance?"

As Go Eul-ji grumbled, Kim Nari quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of allowance, did you get the tickets? Time is running out."

"Ah, right, the tickets! You mean the ripped one, for the BTA guys, right? I managed to get them."

"Um, yes. But because of that..."

Thinking of the ripped ticket, Kim Nari felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. It wasn't a digital ticket but a paper one with a serial number, so she couldn't even get a reissue due to anti-forgery measures.

It was a ticket she had secured as if she had used up all the luck in her life.

The only reason she didn't burst into tears was thanks to Go Eul-ji.

"Don't worry. I got the tickets, two of them, including yours."

"Really?!"

"And they're not just any tickets. They're VIP--- Ow!"

"Gooo Eul-jiii."

"Hagak! Senseiii..."

Go Eul-ji glanced sideways, identifying the person who had just pinched his cheek.

It was his homeroom teacher.

"What time do you think it is? What student comes to school at lunchtime? And you were just disciplined for tardiness not too long ago. If it weren't for your grandfather begging me with tears in his eyes, you'd be suspended by now."

"Th-that's not it..."

"Let's have a talk, it's been a while."

"Ah, Grandpa, help!"

Suddenly, Go Eul-ji was dragged away by the teacher, leaving Kim Nari alone in the hallway.

'I've been keeping it a secret even at school. Every time there's trouble, it's always Go Eul-ji who has to suffer,' Kim Nari thought, gazing affectionately at her retreating figure.

Kang Mu-hyuk was in a meeting with Hongik Workshop, a well-known mid-sized company famous for producing the brand 'Hanul.'

Lee Sechung, the master craftsman and representative of Hongik Workshop, carefully scrutinized the proposal Kang Mu-hyuk had submitted. He took off his glasses, rubbed his tired eyes, and finally spoke.

"So, you want us to take over the supply of Rider Wolf gear?"

"Yes, I have faith in Hongik Workshop's ability to guarantee quality."

"No, what I mean is, why us? Numerous large corporate workshops are drooling over such a contract. Plus, you have Tae Jin-sung, don't you?"

"You may or may not know, but we originated from Tae Jin-sung."

"Maybe so, but things have changed, haven't they? Your guild has now become the next most popular guild after the legendary Slayer Guild. The brand value and publicity effect for your group must be tremendous. Don't you intend to focus on your guild now?"

As Lee Sechung pointed out, Iron Will had become a popular guild that everyone in South Korea knew about. The guild not only had immense popularity but also an image of sacrificing their lives to fight monsters for the people.

The younger generation was captivated by the cool battle scenes, while the older generation remembered the heroes from the 'Great War Era' and the 'Gate Collapse.'

This was a carefully crafted image by Kang Mu-hyuk and his guild's PR department.

'What people see is only on the surface. No matter how famous we become, our foundation is weak. Chairman Tae Jin-sung knows that.'

Kang Mu-hyuk hesitated to say that the Chairman wanted to dissolve the guild, so he concocted a different reason.

"The popularity is temporary. To manage sustainably, we need to establish a solid business."

"So, you're saying that's why you want to collaborate with us?"

"Creating Wolf Gear, we can make at most around a hundred sets at a time. Large corporations won't match the unit price. There's no reason for a parent company to undertake unprofitable work. Our guild may easily get work from a parent company, but we can't grow indefinitely like that. We need to show potential for growth so that even large corporations won't consider it a meaningless investment."

Lee Sechung sighed, put his glasses back on, and revisited the proposal.

"We can't match the unit price either. These special designs require handcrafting and the volume is too low for mass production."

"That's fine. We'll price it high. We'll make sure that anyone who buys a Wolf will have no choice but to buy the gear."

"If that's the case, a large corporation could invest in production as well."

"As you'll see in the next chapter of the proposal, the entire concept of our North Pocheon headquarters aims to attract mid-size and small-size enterprises. We're planning to create a market whereas many companies as possible can advertise, funded by government subsidies. While we won't completely exclude products from large corporations, we intend to prioritize mid-size and smaller businesses for our key ventures."

Lee Sechung quickly scanned through the documents attached to the back of the proposal. It was certainly an enticing offer.

The key point was not just the mass production of "Wolf Armor," but the inclusion of a store that would sell flagship items and equipment from Hongik Workshop.

'It looks sweet on the surface, but feels like it'll rot your teeth if you bite into it,' he thought, unable to gloss over this detail.

"Fine, let's say a massive Hunter outlet is created here. To bring this place to life, it would need a lot of Hunters coming in. Even if Hunters do come to the Special Activities Zone for hunting, how will you attract enough consumers to handle the inventory of such a large area? I don't think people would come all the way to North Pocheon just to shop. It would be a different story if this were built in the metropolitan area," Lee Sechung pointed out, cutting to the core of the issue.

Kang Mu-hyuk responded immediately as if he already had a plan. "You've seen the video of the Orc Tribe Raid, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've seen it, but..."

"The Sanjeong Lake has disappeared."

"Well, of course, it would. They drained it."

"The proposal doesn't specify this, but the drained area is where the outlet will be built. In addition, there are many abandoned accommodations to the south. We plan to refurbish those into budget accommodations. High-end hotels are also in the plans. It will include restaurants as part of revenue-generating operations, a large supermarket for essentials, training grounds, a brokerage for monster byproducts, currency exchange, repair shops, and a casino exclusive to Hunters..."

"Hold on, hold on. I don't quite follow what you're saying."

"In simple terms, we're going to create a theme park designed for Hunters within the hunting ground."

"Excuse me?"

"We're creating a Hunter village where one-stop services are available. You won't have to leave the Special Activities Zone to get your equipment fixed, prepare for hunting, handle the byproducts, or enjoy food and entertainment."

Lee Sechung's eyes widened in astonishment. For a moment, his business instincts tingled.

'This could work.'

Being a seasoned veteran in the industry, Lee Sechung was well aware of the struggles faced by Hunters.

The reason Hunters with a fair amount of experience didn't make good use of Special Activities Zones was simple: inconvenience.

'But what if all that inconvenience could be eliminated?'

Hunters would naturally flock to the area. Where Hunters gathered, money followed. Even if they claimed to be broke from buying equipment, they always had money set aside for good food and drinks. These were people who found joy in gastronomy and entertainment, living under the constant stress of an unpredictable life.

"That's a really brilliant idea. Did you plan this from the moment you considered making the Special Activities Zone a base?"

"We were delayed because of the Orc situation. And we also lacked funds. We're still short, which is why we're seeking investors," Kang Mu-hyuk spoke in a subtle tone.

Catching on to his intent, Lee Sechung smiled. "Our meeting today seems to have another, real business proposal."

Kang Mu-hyuk grinned as he pulled out a new proposal. "If you're interested, I'd like you to read this one as well."

"Ah, I really can't stand these guys. They seem sloppy, but they're so meticulous that there's no way to find a flaw,"

Mr. Jo had transformed himself into a man selling fish-shaped buns and was doing business across the street from a certain building.

He didn't care about the surrounding opinion that his buns were so tasteless that it was a wonder he was in business at all. He wasn't really there to make money; it was a disguise, so the fewer customers, the better.

Mr. Jo surreptitiously glanced at the building on the opposite side.

[Korean Hunter Association]

"Why the hell did Kang Mu-hyuk ask me to investigate this place? It's the last place I want to get involved with."

Having learned of the existence of Go Eul-ji, Kang Mu-hyuk had asked Mr. Jo to look into the Hunter Association. He wanted to know if there were other hidden talents like Go Eul-ji, or what Han Byung-Gu was up to.

However, the next moment, Mr. Jo encountered a situation he hadn't anticipated at all.

"A street vendor who's a Hunter? Korea is quite peculiar, isn't it?"

A voice, sweet but laced with an indiscernible power, struck Mr. Jo's ears.

Mr. Jo responded calmly, "Oh my, I have no idea what you're talking about. What's a lovely young lady like you---"

"So you can see through my disguise? I am hidden through magic, you know."

"Ah, no, that's not what I---"

It was then that Mr. Jo noticed the ears peeking through the gaps in the robe worn by the woman, and he tensed up. He realized that the person in front of him was not human.

'I'm too competent for my own good. Seeing things I shouldn't see... What in the world is she? A monster?'

Just then, two men appeared behind the mysterious woman.

Both were Hunters.

'Foreigners?!'

And they were clearly not underlings; they were skilled individuals.

'These kinds of people are in the Hunter Association? This is highly suspicious, Kang Mu-hyuk!'

Cursing Kang Mu-hyuk internally, Mr. Jo picked up a fish-shaped bun and offered it to the woman.

"Would you like to have a bun, perhaps?"

"Oh, thank you. But I do feel guilty receiving this from you."

The woman, who accepted the bun, flashed a bright smile and then ordered the two Hunters behind her.

"Please apprehend this gentleman for now."