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

Chapter 33 - They Had Waited Too Long

"The guild name chosen through the competition is 'Iron Will,' symbolizing unyielding resolve. It seems to suit your nickname, Guild Master."

The guild name matched well with Ju Se-ah, who was also known by the epithet 'The Indomitable Witch.'

With the guild name decided, Kang Mu-hyuk began the preparations for the guild relocation in earnest.

Contrary to the expectation that more than half would defect, almost 90% or about 117 Hunters chose to remain.

These individuals were the chosen troops to reclaim the Sanjeong Lake Resort, occupied by a large goblin tribe.

On the other hand, about 80% of the regular staff had applied for resignation.

Kang Mu-hyuk requested that they stay until the guild relocation was complete.

Given that it was barely a month's duration and they were offered an additional bonus, the staff complied without any complaint.

Afterward, he planned to fill vacancies through public recruitment, leaving only the bare minimum of necessary personnel.

"All that remains is the capture of Sanjeong Lake."

Once the goal was set, Ju Se-ah sprang into action.

"Guild members, we have less than a month left. That means we need to train desperately. Consider it as if you are dead."

Here, a problem arose that was trivial if one thought it trivial, or serious if one thought it serious.

There were too few hunters of rank A or higher who could serve as trainers.

No matter how remarkable Ju Se-ah was, it was difficult for her to manage dozens of Hunters alone given the physical constraints of time.

Even the few who were qualified to be trainers were uncooperative when it came to training.

Lowering the standard to B+ was an option, but the gap between A- and B+ held more significance than just a single rank.

In order to acquire one's own hunting techniques, one had to at least advance to A rank.

For Ju Se-ah, who was aiming for S rank beyond A, this was all too obvious.

"Are you mocking the horse-riding stance? Thinking of it as the basic of basics? Don't set that 'basic' by your standards. If you train properly in the horse-riding stance, you should be able to withstand an ogre's club barehanded. Hey, your posture is breaking down. If you get caught using mana, you'll be stuck doing it all day!"

Kang Mu-hyuk dragged Noh Song-rin over as he watched Ju Se-ah struggling.

However, he was a Hunter who caught humans better than monsters.

His combat style was more instinctual and experience-based rather than systematic. Of course, even that was firmly grounded in fundamentals.

Moreover, his patience was lacking when it came to training others, leading to injuries among the trainees.

The biggest issue was the content of his training.

"This weapon is a 'Karambit knife.' It's only about the size of a fist and curved, you insert your index finger into the ring at the base of the knife, and hold it so that the blade is underneath your hand. It's a small melee weapon with good portability and can be concealed easily, often used in assassinations of Hunters. I've used it a few times..."

"What are you teaching the members?!"

Having witnessed Noh Song-rin's lesson, Ju Se-ah immediately drove him away.

With no choice, even Jang Deuk-goo stepped up as a trainer, tirelessly drilling the young Hunters.

"Physical techniques or weaponry skills can't be improved in a short period. So the instructor here will make sure you've got party tactics ingrained in your very flesh," was the edict.

Jang Deuk-goo was a man who kept his word, always.

And so, he literally 'beat' party tactics into their bodies.

"Argh!"

"Ple, please spare us...."

"Urk!"

As the Hunters rolled about, trying to survive the violence that mimicked real combat, their bodies naturally began to memorize countermeasures.

Kang Mu-hyuk, who had been observing the training, raised an objection to Ju Se-ah, looking uncomfortable.

"If they get seriously injured like this, it could hinder our operations."

"I was trained by Hunter Jang Deuk-goo when I was young. It might look painful, but it doesn't cause any serious harm. They can endure it."

"When you were young...?"

"Sixteen? Or was it fifteen?"

"Weren't you awakened at fifteen?"

"That's genius education. That's how you improve."

'Isn't that child abuse?'

Kang Mu-hyuk had seen several Hunters referred to as geniuses. Each had their own training style, most of which seemed dangerously unhinged.

This didn't align with Kang Mu-hyuk's belief in systematic and efficient training, but since he wasn't a Hunter himself, he had no room to criticize the training of the elite.

All Kang Mu-hyuk could do was to ensure the Hunters had solid fundamentals.

"Raising your rank alone isn't enough in hunting. Information is vital when facing monsters. It's this information that determines individual tactics and party strategies. You might have learned the basic theory in regular training, but there's a significant disconnect with reality. From now on, I'll lecture on everything from reconnaissance to emergency response strategies, and post-battle field management in the evenings. There will be intermittent tests as well. If you can't pass these tests, you'll need to have a one-on-one consultation with Guild Master Ju Se-ah. Of course, with her fists."

Busy non-stop with the Hunters' lectures and preparatory work, Kang Mu-hyuk soon felt his limits.

'Something isn't flowing smoothly.'

Unlike his time at Titan, when he had a fully developed system and the support of experienced departments, Iron Will Guild's system was not only crude, but also outdated.

Kang Mu-hyuk had to be attentive to everything, and even the report system was a mess, leading to issues often being discovered only after they had significantly progressed.

This was not a problem that could be resolved quickly.

Finally, Kang Mu-hyuk requested Ju Se-ah to augment their manpower.

"We need experienced personnel. And at a department head level."

"Salary isn't a problem... But would such talents be willing to join our guild?"

"I know a few worth calling. I'll just use a few of them."

At LG Electronics Service Center.

"Ji-il, can you take over my line today?"

"Me? Why?"

"I've got something to take care of today. Could you help?"

"Didn't you also neglect your work yesterday, manager? Do you know how many service requests are backed up? Are you telling me to handle all of that too?"

"Come on, we're all family here. Can't you do a little extra? Why make a fuss about such a thing?"

"Last time, and the time before that. Do you even know how many times this has been? If you had any sense of shame, you would know when to stop."

"Shame? Your words are harsh, Ji-il. Are you going to keep this up?"

"I can't do this. Do it yourself or don't."

Ding-dong.

"Customer number 121."

"An Ji-il!"

An infuriated Manager Oh seized An Ji-il by the shoulder. An shook him off and took his seat at the counter.

Manager Oh wanted to spin him back around again, but the glare An shot over his shoulder made him falter.

Just then, a customer approached the counter, leaving Manager Oh with no choice but to tolerate An's behavior.

The customer placed a number ticket marked 121 on the desk and tapped it lightly.

"Team Leader An Ji-il."

"Who... Kang, Mu-hyuk... You little!"

Upon seeing Kang Mu-hyuk, An Ji-il sprang forward, grinding his teeth. He clutched at Mu-hyuk's collar, but Mu-hyuk, whose collar had been seized, spoke calmly.

"Did you see the news? I've taken the helm at the Iron Will Guild, formerly known as the Taesung Guild."

"And so what? Are you going to give me a congratulatory bun? I wanted to punch your smug face, this is perfect."

"Forget the congratulatory bun, I left the Equipment Team Leader position open."

"Bug off, brat. Are you looking to be stabbed in the back again?"

As An Ji-il boldly thrust his middle finger forward, Mu-hyuk reached out and folded it back down, saying,

"We've taken over the 'C' warehouse at Titan."

"What, you took over? That 'damn C warehouse?'"

"That project. The person who started it should finish it. We'll give you full authority, so please come to our guild and wrap it up."

An Ji-il seemed to collapse onto his seat as if his legs had given out.

'He's bringing it up again? I thought he had given up? Wasn't that why he kicked me out?'

Confused, Manager Oh, who had been watching from the background, interjected.

"Excuse me, sir. This is a service center. If you don't have anything to repair, could you make way for the next customer?"

"I apologize for the inconvenience."

Mu-hyuk took out a business card and placed it on the counter desk.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry. Please get back to me by tomorrow."

"Hey! Are you serious?"

An Ji-il quickly grabbed at Mu-hyuk's sleeve as he tried to leave.

Mu-hyuk nodded his head.

"Yes. This time, I intend to do it right."

In an office adorned with refined, antique decor, a woman dressed in a sophisticated black dress and black horn-rimmed glasses busily attended to her duties.

Knock-knock.

"Come in."

A female employee, seemingly a secretary, entered the room.

"Director, a man named Kang Mu-hyuk is in the lobby."

"Kang Mu-hyuk? Huh? The person who never showed his face?"

"What should we do? He said he didn't make an appointment..."

"He's determined to see me anyway. Just tell him to come up. Let's see what he has to say."

A moment later, Kang Mu-hyuk entered the office.

"Long time no see, Team Leader Pyo Beom-hee. Oh? Here, you're an Executive, right?"

"Call me however you like. Anyway, it's nice to see you after so long."

With a smile on her face, Pyo Beom-hee opened her arms as if to embrace Kang Mu-hyuk.

"But what audacity do you have to seek me out?"

Thwack!

"Ouch!"

Caught off guard by a punch to his abdomen, Kang Mu-hyuk cringed in pain. After a deep breath to suppress the throbbing pain, he straightened himself and managed to speak.

"If a Hunter hits a person, it's grounds for a lawsuit."

"But I've quit being a Hunter."

"But you still have the license, right? If you wanted to quit, you should have canceled it completely."

"I've been busy and didn't have time. Stop blabbering and take a seat. What's going on?"

As Kang Mu-hyuk took a seat at Beom-hee's request, he looked around at the numerous framed pictures adorning the office walls.

They were pictures of handsome men and beautiful women, fully decked out, striking various poses.

"I didn't expect you to make a living like this."

"Got tired of the Hunter grind. Still, one has to earn a living, right? When an entertainment agency offered to scout me, I switched right away. It's not like you were going to protect me from Ma Taesu, right?"

"I still feel sorry about that."

Kang Mu-hyuk thought back to Beom-hee's career. It was as unique as that of a non-Hunter Strategy and Tactics Team Leader. She was the first Hunter to become a management team leader in the industry.

Aside from Beom-hee, there were no cases of a Hunter heading the management team, also known as the Hunter grindhouse. That record still stood.

Beom-hee scolded Kang Mu-hyuk as if blaming him.

"You should be. Anyway, what could a novice Strategy and Tactics Team Leader do against Ma Taesu? I saw it coming and threw in my resignation first."

Recalling the situation back then, Beom-hee let out a dry laugh. In response, Kang Mu-hyuk bowed his head.

"No, what I meant was, I feel sorry for making you the management team leader. It was like caging a lion."

Beom-hee waved her hand dismissively.

"No, it was like that back then. If not me, who else could have held the reins of those wild horses? It was my choice. At first, I was shocked by Team Leader Kang's proposal, but later I found I had a knack for taking care of those kids. Thanks to that, I have this job now. I love it here. I feel younger looking after the idols and actors. Even dealing with the power-tripping TV producers is refreshingly different."

"I heard the rumors. They say you're doing well."

"Wherever I go, I do well. So, what's your business? I saw the news. Don't tell me you're here to invite me to the Taesung Guild?"

"It's not the Taesung Guild anymore, it's the Iron Will Guild now. And yes, that's exactly why I'm here."

"Why? Why should I go there?"

"I'm not thinking you should, it's just a proposal. Is the position of Management Team Leader okay with you?"

"Didn't you just say you were sorry? And now you want me to do that again?!"

"Judging by the fact you didn't outright refuse, I guess you're considering it."

"No. It's not that."

"You've had several years off, it's time for your return. After all, Team Leader Pyo, you can't live without monsters, can you?"

"..."

"I won't let you hear the jeers of being a Hunter's babysitter like before. We're planning to change the team name and job description completely. From now on, Iron Will will only focus on monster hunting. I'll take care of the complicated tasks."

Pyo Beom-hee sighed deeply, setting her glasses on her head as she washed her face roughly with dry hands.

Between her fingers that covered her face, there seemed to be a glimpse of moisture glistening.

"Ha... Alright, I should go."

Kang Mu-hyuk silently handed her a handkerchief.

Pyo Beom-hee accepted the handkerchief and looked at the desk.

On Kang Mu-hyuk's side, a small picture frame was placed with only the backside visible. It was so old that it could have been considered an antique. It was cracked here and there, and the stand was weathered.

Although it didn't fit with the surrounding interior, to Pyo Beom-hee, it was the most important treasure.

"Family photo... It's the same as before, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I have to go for the kids there. It's time."

Pyo Beom-hee put her glasses back on.

"I've waited too long."

"I'm sorry. I was late. It was fortunate for me that other guilds left Team Leader Pyo alone."

"I didn't fit anywhere else. The gate is a world that views people as money. That's why I came to the idol company. They don't bother me if I say I'm retired."

Pyo Beom-hee picked up the picture frame on the desk and stroked it. Unlike the sharp gaze she had while working, it was a gentle gaze lost in memories.

When she took her gaze away from the frame, her eyes were aflame.

Her intense gaze fixed on Kang Mu-hyuk.

"Team Leader Kang, I've had this feeling since you arrived. That it was time. This time, I can fight properly, right? Without being beaten around."

"Of course. That's why I called for Team Leader Pyo."

"Good. I'll wrap up here right away."

"Can you hand over your duties so quickly?"

"That was the condition when I was scouted. I said I could return to being a Hunter at any time."

"I'm glad. We're so short-handed that we're on the verge of collapsing."

At Kang Mu-hyuk's words, Pyo Beom-hee asked as if she had forgotten.

"What about the others? Did you call them?"

"I've managed to contact a few. Things will finally start rolling now."