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

Chapter 42 - I'll Pray For Your Soul

The goblins' response was quicker and more assertive than expected.

"Guild Leader, there's a clump of goblins up ahead on the road."

Kang Mu-hyuk stepped forward to verify the tense Hunter's report.

The goblins were, indeed, huddled together blocking a narrow path with their makeshift barricade set up.

'They're organized like an army.'

Kang Mu-hyuk looked around. To the right was high ground, to the left lower. Given the physical abilities of the Hunters, this slight difference in terrain wouldn't restrict them too much.

Moreover, the formation of the goblins was perfect for flanking and ambushing.

'This is just too good to be true.'

It was as if they were beckoning them into a trap. Whether they had noticed or not seemed irrelevant to them.

Perhaps they had monsters under the control of the Goblin Matriarch hidden away.

"What should we do? Should we attack?"

With Ju Se-ah leading the top Hunters, who could be considered leaders of each faction, the chain of command naturally gravitated towards Kang Mu-hyuk.

Curiously, each faction didn't maintain its own second-in-command. Whether this was due to power dynamics or trust issues, he wasn't sure, but it wasn't a bad development for Kang Mu-hyuk.

"No, we'll wait until they make the first move."

After all, the primary task of the main force was to create a distraction. It would be sufficient to just buy time until Ju Se-ah could strike the Goblin Matriarch. If the monsters stayed put, it would be a welcome reprieve.

'The variable would be the goblin troops outside the block. Will they return to the village to fortify their defenses, or will they attack us from behind?'

Kang Mu-hyuk thought they might choose the latter.

The Matriarch would know that this main force was her greatest threat right now.

'They also must have calculated that stalling for time would be advantageous for them. If so, they might be planning to use part of their forces to eliminate the threat.'

The most efficient method would be an ambush from the rear, encircling them.

There happened to be goblin riders stationed outside the block. Their mobility was more than enough for this task.

Could they already be rushing in from behind?

'Let's not worry about that for now. We have already anticipated such a scenario and prepared accordingly.'

The immediate focus was on the goblin force before them.

Kang Mu-hyuk checked his wristwatch.

'It's about time for them to start. We can't communicate with them, so we'll have to rely on the Guild Master's quick wit to handle the hostage situation. I can only hope the casualties will be kept to a minimum.'

Kang Mu-hyuk didn't harbor the fantasy of saving all the people captured by the goblins. He was more proactive than any other Hunter with regard to saving people, but he also faced reality more clearly than anyone else.

This was true considering himself, too.

'That's my weakness. Talking about sacrifices without shedding blood. If the Hunters can accept this point, our future plans will be easier.'

He could stand before the Hunters because he always bore in mind that he was a non-Hunter.

Ironically, the fact that he hadn't awakened became a weapon for him in some ways.

Constantly repeating this to himself, Kang Mu-hyuk didn't take his eyes off the front line.

Bing bong! Bing bong!

The alarm on the wristwatch rang out. Simultaneously, Ju Se-ah stirred into action.

"Let's go."

Jang Deuk-goo surveyed the faces of the Hunters who followed her.

The party was composed of five members, including Jang Deuk-goo, with whom she'd been partnering for a long time, Noh Song-rin, who was still cooperating quietly under the influence of Kang Mu-hyuk, Do Gyeong-hoon, who remained full of complaints, and Baek Hyeonggyu, a neutral powerhouse of the minority faction within the guild.

They were all at least A-rank Hunters.

'Two tanks, two melee DPS, one ranged DPS. It's a shame we don't have a supporter or a mage.'

He felt bitter about the party's composition.

Within the A-rank ranks, the missing roles were not only challenging to fill but trying to recruit such positions from within their Iron Will Guild was also like plucking a star from the sky.

Especially the mage class, they were nearly extinct.

Even large guilds could only raise one or two promising talents who possessed magic characteristics and talents.

The future of the guild would likely depend on how many of these scarce positions they could fill.

'Even if the goblin subjugation is safely accomplished, the road ahead will be harsh.'

He glanced at Ju Se-ah's back, who was leading the charge.

Jang Deuk-goo was reminded of something she had mentioned when she was younger.

'I'll kill all the monsters. So nobody will die.'

He thought of her as someone walking a particularly perilous path. Back then, he had just considered her audacious.

Now, Ju Se-ah was aiming for the S-rank.

'But that's a difficult path, even for an S-rank. It might even be impossible.'

As her rank increased, as she devoted herself more to hunting, Ju Se-ah, realizing that achieving her goal alone was difficult, sought the power of the guild.

But a guild was not the justice organization she had thought. They were a group that prioritized power and wealth.

Her aspirations faded with that. So she left the guild and attempted to form a guild she could lead herself.

Knowing that it wasn't easy, Ju Se-ah had to bow her head to the father she so despised.

Even though it was a guild she had acquired that way.

'The Taesung Guild was a dead-end alley in itself. It had been blocked for a long time. From all sides.'

When she realized that, she was isolated.

A situation where moving forward or retreating was difficult.

Ju Se-ah had no room to breathe in an industry structure dominated by politics and vested interests, rather than skills and willpower.

That was when Kang Mu-hyuk appeared, providing her another chance.

Jang Deuk-goo didn't really like Kang Mu-hyuk, but he admitted he was a capable leader.

'So it's even more tense. After Guild Leader Kang has set the stage this far, if the actual Hunters falter when they need to exert their strength, we'll have to abandon our dreams and everything.'

Jang Deuk-goo's meditation couldn't continue any longer.

Suddenly, Ju Se-ah sped up, soaring up a hillside. She looked down the road and struck the surrounding hills, causing an explosive noise as the cliff crumbled.

And then, goblins sprouted from the exposed hole.

Ju Se-ah crushed the goblins' heads with her fists, flashing knuckles on each hand.

The event happened in the blink of an eye, leaving no room for anyone to interfere. No, there was no need for interference.

The monsters were weak compared to the full strength of the party.

But more than that...

'How is the tank so fast? Even for an S-rank Hunter, this is absurd. Their reaction speed seems superior to mine.'

Do Gyeong-hoon, a close-range dealer who specialized in agility, was taken aback by this speed.

Who would have thought Ju Se-ah was a tank?

The Tier-ed Guild's hunting records were confidential, so no one knew about Ju Se-ah's dazzling achievements outside of the guild's official promotion. However, her movements confirmed that she was an ace Hunter even in the Slayer Guild.

Unlike Do Gyeong-hoon, who was simply stunned, Noh Song-rin felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

'If I hadn't accepted the Guild Leader's proposal back then and had run away... Gulp. I wouldn't have even been able to collect my bones.'

He had never thought of himself as slow, but he had no confidence that he could outrun Ju Se-ah.

She was uncharacteristically fast for a tank.

While everyone was lost in their thoughts, Ju Se-ah didn't stop and moved on to her next target.

She hadn't killed every goblin hidden along the way. She only dealt with those that were in her way or showed signs of attack.

Even that was done in the blink of an eye, allowing her to quickly break through the mountain road.

"As expected, the west is unguarded."

Upon reaching the mouth of the Sanjeong Lake, she saw watchtowers scattered here and there.

These were crude watchtowers, made by tying branches together onto existing buildings, marked with the symbols of the goblin tribe. However, the sight of them armed with bows and axes was rather impressive.

As Ju Se-ah's party revealed, the sound of bells and whistles echoed from every direction.

The goblins' panicked cries resounded in the air.

"The scale is larger than expected."

After surveying the goblins charging with weapons in hand, Ju Se-ah gave an order.

"Hunter Jang Deuk-goo, keep the rest of the goblins pinned down."

At her statement of sticking to the plan even upon seeing more goblins than expected, Do Gyeong-hoon couldn't hold his tongue.

"There are too many. There appear to be a fair amount of evolved species, too. Without any area-of-effect skills, we'll be exhausted against them. Even A-ranks have limits to their stamina and mana, Guild Master."

"How much time do you need?"

Jang Deuk-goo cut off Do Gyeong-hoon's argument.

"Not much. Five minutes. That's more than enough time to take down the Goblin Matriarch."

"Huh? Is that a joke?" Baek Hyeonggyu, who had been silent up until now, spoke up.

Suddenly, all eyes turned to him. Embarrassed, Baek Hyeonggyu scratched his head and fell silent.

It was a joke that didn't sound like one, but thanks to that, Ju Se-ah had a chance to catch her breath.

She hadn't pushed herself too hard, but her breakthrough was somewhat strenuous. As evidence, the rest of the party was catching their breath.

They quickly regained their breath, but they were significantly drained. It was hard enough just keeping up with Ju Se-ah, who was nearing S-rank.

Ju Se-ah had noticed the state of his party members a little late, but she didn't allow the strategy to falter.

"Well then, I'll count on you," she said.

With a nod, Jang Deuk-goo drew the weapon slung across his back.

"Leave it to me."

?Humans have invaded our haven. There will be no mercy.?

The goblin matriarch gathered the remaining high-ranking goblins in the clan. The momentum of the humans was more formidable than anticipated.

She was reminded of the human who had been hunting the Watusi Snake. If her hunch was right, their goblin clan was in a great crisis.

?Prepare yourselves.?

At her command, which sounded like the scraping of metal, the goblins brought forth the hostages.

With their hands and feet chained, the humans were led forth with dog collars around their necks.

They were Do Dae-su's party and the tourists.

The Hunters, at least, managed to maintain their composure as they were led out, but the civilian tourists cried and stumbled over the floor.

When they couldn't walk properly due to trembling legs, the goblins dragged them forward, pulling on the leashes around their necks like they were dogs.

"Oh, I don't want to die."

"Please, save us."

Finally, the hostages were thrown before the matriarch.

Do Dae-su knelt on the ground, looking up at the enormous goblin standing before him.

'What on earth is this? I've never seen this one before, not even in the manual.'

The goblin, standing at a height of around three meters with a body to match, looked like a pufferfish with cheeks swollen as if full of food. Unlike goblins, it even had hair on its head. The long braided hair and clothes it wore led him to guess it was a female.

'The female goblin is the highest rank here? Could it be a Warhead?'

Warhead, ruling as the leader of the goblin tribe. Since he had never seen one, he had no choice but to make an assumption based on the rumors he had heard.

'No, it's completely different.'

The Gate was an unknown world. The monsters that emerged from it were also unknown. Battling against these unknowns was the job of a Hunter.

Hunters felt fear when fighting unknown entities.

The reason why Hunters could enter the Gates and hunt monsters was, because they were able to erase the unknown from the unknown creatures, thanks to the information provided by their predecessors.

Knowledge meant an absence of fear. It was no wonder that Unknowns were the hardest monsters to fight against.

If even known information about a monster, which was already terrifying, were absent, it would manifest as an unknown terror.

Do Dae-su trembled at this unfathomable fear.

?Silence!?

Unable to bear the humans' cries, the goblin matriarch roared threateningly.

The humans, who had no way of understanding the goblin language, were terrified by the monster's roar.

The goblin matriarch frowned and raised a hand as a signal.

A nearby goblin soldier grabbed a human male by the head.

"Ugh!"

The man's head was gripped by the matriarch's hand as he felt the sticky fluids from her grasp.

"Pl-please, let me li-!"

Before he could finish his plea, the goblin matriarch drew a short knife and slit the begging man's throat. Blood gushed from his neck, as if from a movie scene.

The matriarch lifted the man up, bringing her mouth close to his neck. The sight of her sucking blood from the bleeding wound was not just eerie - it felt surreal.

At a time like this, even the most composed of Hunters couldn't help but be shaken.

A goblin soaked in blood, drinking blood. No, could that even be called a goblin?

"Is it a vampire, not a goblin?"

At the unexpected voice, the hostages turned their heads.

A woman held a goblin, its tongue lolling out, in both hands. Even to her own kind, the sight of her wringing the squirming creatures' necks and flinging them side to side was harrowing.

Do Dae-su realized she was Ju Se-ah.

She was a well-known figure, after all.

Tourists recognized her too, shrieking as though they'd seen a ghost.

"Please, save us! We'll give you any amount of money!"

"Hunter Ju! M-my father is at the Blue House! I will speak well of you, so please..."

Understanding why the only hope for survival was pleading like this...

Do Dae-su was speechless at the sight of the customers treating Ju Se-ah as if speaking to himself.

'Do they see Ju Se-ah as some neighborhood Hunter? Not knowing she's a person who their own parents can't mess with.'

The way politicians or the wealthy treated Hunters wasn't due to their social status.

What hung in their hearts was pure power. To the common people, a Hunter was a hero, but to those in power, they were a threatening presence.

A Hunter was a potential terrorist, capable of violence at any moment. One could learn how third-world countries had fallen to Hunters by looking at history.

In that sense, these novices were seriously misunderstanding the situation.

Of course, Do Dae-su, who was familiar with the laws of power in the Hunter world, also misunderstood the high-ranking Hunters.

The high-ranking Hunters Do Dae-su saw were not as reckless as he thought. Regardless of people's circumstances and thoughts, Ju Se-ah looked troubled.

'People are being held captive?'

An unexpected situation.

'Can I save them?'

The problem wasn't defeating the goblin matriarch.

Each hostage was being held by a goblin, and if she rushed in carelessly, someone would certainly die.

'I'll only save as many as I can.'

It was one of the principles taught during Hunter's standard training.

Hunters were called saviors and heroes of humanity, but they weren't perfect. If they tried to save everyone indiscriminately, they could end up severely injured or causing everyone to be killed.

Choice and focus.

It might have been a cruel strategy for the humans who were targeted, but it was equally painful for the Hunters.

Ju Se-ah hesitated no longer. A light of mana shimmered from the knuckles of her hands.

She looked toward Do Dae-su and said, "Don't worry, I'll save you."

"Th-thank you."

"You might get a bit hurt, but I'll try my best."

"Yes, I trust you."

"Well, if things go wrong and you die, I'll pray for your soul."

"Yes. Don't worry... Wait, what? Hold on!"

In an instant, Ju Se-ah's figure disappeared.