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

Chapter 7 - You were determined, but you were not the one

Warehouse C.

There were no A or B warehouses. The Titan Guild's equipment storage was called by a different name.

Then why was it called Warehouse C?

The naming was simple. It was called Warehouse C because it stored C-rank items.

It was a trivial nickname, but it was a place avoided by the upper echelons of the Titan Guild.

C-rank usually referred to obsolete items, but C-rank in the Titan Guild had a slightly different meaning.

Difficult to dispose of.

These were items they wanted to get rid of, but could not.

"You know that's the Achilles' heel of our guild, right?"

"They're only C-rank because they're not being used. If they were used in the right place, they could become A-rank items."

"Do you know how much money is tied up there? It's in the hundreds of billions."

"Exactly 413.4 billion, to be precise, excluding the outstanding amounts."

"If that becomes public, there will be chaos even within the board of directors. We can't count them as inventory assets like a factory, nor can we sell them off as defective items. Expensive trash, that's what they are. But if we open it, we won't have any way to explain why the guild's funds are tied up in equipment upgrades and begging for more budget. An audit might happen. The project could even be overturned. That's not what Team Leader Kang wants, is it?"

"I understand."

"And someone who knows about Warehouse C is mentioning it now?"

"There's equipment in there that can capture the transparent Unknown."

"Equipment that can capture it?"

Lee Cheoljung couldn't remember if there was such equipment, no matter how hard he thought.

To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to Warehouse C since the early days, except for the very beginning. He didn't know what items were stored there.

As the guild grew rapidly, there was no time to worry about it, and for various reasons, several projects had been abandoned midway, so he didn't even bother to check.

The reason he started developing the items in the warehouse was because of Kang Mu-hyuk's whim.

Kang Mu-hyuk suggested a new approach that could lead the industry, and Lee Cheoljung impulsively embarked on the project without considering the consequences.

Kang Mu-hyuk had persuaded him, but ultimately, the decision-maker was Lee Cheoljung himself, so he had no choice but to accept the blame. That was why Warehouse C remained a painful memory for him.

Because it was the only project Kang Mu-hyuk failed to succeed in, Lee Cheoljung's first thought was doubt.

"Was there such an item... No, no. Am I going to fall for it again? I've had enough of pouring water into a bottomless bucket because of Team Leader Kang's persuasion."

"Eventually, we'll have to get rid of it to become a Tier guild. It would be better to take this opportunity to package it well and reveal it."

"Are you aiming for that damned New Paradigm that Team Leader Kang always talked about? Changing the entire hunting style?"

"If you want to proceed now, I will."

"Never mind. If that goes wrong, the guild's future will be ruined."

"I don't think we need to try too hard either. As it is now, Titan can steadily grow. There's no need to take unnecessary risks. But if you think about it from a different perspective, it could be a new growth engine."

"Does that mean we can handle Warehouse C properly? You're talking about those failed experiments?"

"Isn't it just a matter of making the failures not look like failures?"

"Ah, it seems like we're getting ahead of ourselves again."

Lee Cheoljung sighed deeply and asked with anticipation.

"Can we use that equipment to safely rescue our guild members?"

"I can't guarantee it. However, after development, it had yielded fairly decent results in testing and evaluation. We have to trust that."

When Kang Mu-hyuk described it as 'fairly decent,' it meant there was a high probability of success. He rarely spoke with such confidence since he believed that there were never absolute situations.

Lee Cheoljung, knowing his character, quickly made a decision.

"Do it. Let's do it. We've only messed up with Warehouse C by listening to Team Leader Kang. If there's a way to fix it, it's good for me."

"It must have been a difficult decision. Thank you."

"However, you must bring everyone back safely."

"Of course. Although I won't be going in myself, everyone else will do their best."

"And when Warehouse C opens, the traps set by shareholders will immediately trigger. Solve that problem too."

"I made the suggestion, so I'll naturally have to handle it."

"If you can't, you know what's coming, right? Off with your head."

"The guild master's neck is on the line as well, so I have to take the risk."

"Ah, if you can't even talk about it. Tsk! Anyway, solve it and come back."

Guild Headquarters, Basement Level 8.

The blueprint showed that the underground parking lot on the 7th floor was the end, but an unmarked space existed on the 8th floor.

Regardless of the scale based on guild ranking, every guild had such secret spaces.

Usually, these spaces contained forbidden weapons, smuggled items, covert experiments, and other secrets of the guild.

Wouldn't it be fair to say that the world's destruction would begin not from the Gates but from the secret vaults of guilds, given that they contained all sorts of secretive and dangerous things?

Kang Mu-hyuk assembled 17 Hunters from three emergency response parties and retrieved the desired equipment from Warehouse C on the 8th floor.

The Hunters were surprised that such a space existed within the headquarters.

They knew about Warehouse C, but most of them vaguely thought it was located in a remote, secret base deep in the mountains.

Having obtained the desired equipment, the Hunters received training on how to use it from Kang Mu-hyuk.

It wasn't that difficult. The equipment they received was closer to an electronic device than Hunter gear.

"Are you saying we should take this with us?"

They had never used or even heard of such equipment before as Hunters. It made them wonder why it was created in the first place.

Discontent was evident on the Hunters' faces.

It was understandable.

Most Hunters considered using skills or artifacts as a privilege. Hunters were unique beings, so it was only natural to use equipment that suited them.

There were also human-developed items such as potions and handmade weapons, but since they were support items made from resources found inside the Gates, they were used without much resistance.

But this...

"Can we even take this into the gate?"

"Of course. These were made with materials from within the Gates, so they're extremely expensive. Try not to break them, and take good care of them as you leave."

Despite the repeated warnings, the Hunters were grumpy, so Kang Mu-hyuk explained again, just in case.

"This is a heat detector. Even if the enemy is invisible, if they have body heat, it will be detected. This is a sound detector. If they move, there will naturally be sound, right? The one beside it is a motion detector. Its operation is similar to the others. And that is a powder marker grenade, a special paint round. When an Unknown appears, shoot it with the guns I've given you. It will cover a radius of 3 meters in rainbow or white colors. At the same time, it will emit high heat, so you can track it with the heat detector. It should be easier to find even if it's hiding in the woods."

These were the kind of equipment one would expect to see in a movie.

The Hunters all shared the same doubt.

'Why on earth did they make these?'

Especially using expensive Gate resources.

One couldn't bring items from Earth into the Gates.

Only equipment made from monster carcasses, resources from within the Gates, or artifacts found in the Gates or on Earth were allowed.

There was no cheap item related to Gates. The value of proven resources had skyrocketed.

Yet they made these toy-like equipment that seemed more suitable for war games using such expensive resources. If they had developed weapons to deal damage to monsters instead, it would have been understandable.

Of course, they wouldn't be completely useless, but the cost-effectiveness was too low.

The world already had many simple and easy-to-use skills and magic.

Moreover, it didn't look good to attach all these equipment and carry them around.

Wasn't it a Hunter's virtue to show off their skills through weapons and armor while hunting?

The Hunters couldn't help but look down on them.

"But this doesn't look cool at all."

"It's not about looking cool. The monster we're dealing with is an Unknown. It's not because Party Leaders Jang I-hyun or Park Min-soo lack the ability that they sent out distress signals. They all need your help. This time, let's focus on ensuring that your fellow Hunters return safely and that you return without injuries. Please understand just this once."

If it hadn't been for the Unknown excuse or the request to bring their comrades back safely, it would have been quite difficult to persuade them to use the equipment.

Fortunately, the Hunters didn't complain any further.

Once they were ready, the fully equipped rescue team entered the Sillim-dong gate.

Kang Mu-hyuk watched the light that burst out every time they entered, wearing sunglasses.

'They resisted so much that they even fell down before. It's ridiculous how these Hunters care more about looking cool than hunting monsters.'

Warehouse C had originally been operated under the name "Equipment Research and Development Department for Hunting Level Equalization."

Kang Mu-hyuk agreed that skills and magic were simpler and more agile to use.

However, skill books and magic stones were, in a word, means that only those in existing guilds could afford.

Individual Hunters or those without the luxury, such as small and medium-sized guilds, had to endure physically.

Hunters who could not learn skills or magic were called 'tin can Hunters.'

Of course, Kang Mu-hyuk had long been pondering if even the so-called 'tin can Hunters' could be used to their full potential.

If they could receive adequate support, he thought they would be able to deal more comfortably with the annual southward migration of monsters or the randomly occurring monster waves.

His project began with that hope, but as a non-Hunter, Kang Mu-hyuk failed to understand the Hunters' mentality. Hunters regarded themselves as special and superior beings, unlike ordinary humans. This mindset was deeply ingrained in their heads.

"Well, at least we've reopened Warehouse C, so we've taken a step forward."

Kang Mu-hyuk envisioned the next step.

'If I can carry out this project to the end... someday, I'll be able to fight properly too.'

"It has begun. There's a 35-second delay."

With the operator's report, Kang Mu-hyuk focused on the footage displayed on the situation room monitor.

'With a 35-second delay... they've gone about 3 or 4 kilometers inside.'

To watch live footage from inside the Gate, a slight delay had to be accepted depending on the distance.

One second per 100 meters.

Although there was some variation depending on the Gate environment, it didn't deviate much from that here.

Moreover, it consumed a large amount of mana stones, so a single battery pack could only last about 10 minutes. Lowering the resolution could extend it to 15 minutes, but anything lower than that would be meaningless for assessing the situation.

"Let's finish before we need to change batteries."

Changing batteries during a raid in an unplanned area was not an easy task.

With a 35-second gap, the Hunter leading the rescue party replied to Kang Mu-hyuk's words.

"Let's show off some skills in front of the team leader for the first time in a while."

Immediately after, the screen shook violently.

An urgent voice flowed through the speaker.

The Hunters charged at something invisible, swinging at the empty air.

Not catching anything, they fell back and reformed their ranks.

"Damn, we really can't see it!"

"Save the powder grenades. We don't have many. Wait until we've definitely pinpointed the direction."

After shouting this, a Hunter suddenly twisted his body and threw a dagger.

Despite the split-second response, the dagger was imbued with mana. It was an attack worthy of a former Expeditionary party member.

"Aim at where the dagger struck... Huh? What's that?"

A puzzled voice exclaimed. In an instant, the dagger stuck in thin air melted away.

It was difficult to precisely assess the situation through the screen, but Kang Mu-hyuk realized what the phenomenon was.

"Dissolving ability..."

It was one of the most troublesome abilities for Hunters using metal weapons.

"Damn, get the resistance potion out!"

"Which one should we use?"

The Hunters were in disarray.

The issue of invisibility could be somewhat resolved with motion detectors and acoustic sensors, but on top of that, a dissolving ability?

This was the reason why even the elite Hunters from the expeditionary parties, who were considered the guild's best, were having a hard time.

There were several monsters with dissolving abilities. However, not all dissolving abilities were the same. The concentration of the resistance potion varied depending on the viscosity or composition.

The problem was that if the concentration was different, the potion was completely useless.

Moreover, once the potion was applied to the equipment, it could only be washed off with a special liquid or a considerable amount of time had to pass before a new potion could be applied.

Some might argue that each Hunter could simply apply different potions to deal with the situation, but the problem here was the presence of an invisible monster.

Could they possibly hunt a massive monster with limited weaponry use and insufficient damage output?

There was no time to test this in the urgent situation they faced.

That brief hesitation provided an opening for the elite Hunters and an opportunity for the unseen monster.

Before they knew it, the creature that had been keeping its distance appeared on the detector, and it snatched a Hunter's ankle, dragging him away.

The airborne Hunter screamed in pain as smoke billowed from his ankle. Although he concentrated his mana to defend himself, he couldn't block the attack indefinitely.

The Hunter swung his sword to attack whatever was binding his ankle, but the blade melted away with each strike.

"Captain, should we cut off his ankle?"

It was a cruel choice, but giving up a foot was better than losing a life.

A suggestion to retreat was even brought up.

In the situation room, everyone watched in silence.

The sound of dry swallowing came intermittently from the operators.

They kept glancing at Kang Mu-hyuk, silently requesting him to give some sort of order.

"..."

Kang Mu-hyuk stared at the video indifferently.

As he watched the intense battle, the operators were frustrated by his emotionless expression.

However, he hadn't given up.

He was currently searching for a solution based on the available information.

"It's strange. There's no pattern to the attacks. I can't even grasp a rough shape. Cutting with the sword doesn't feel like cutting through tough skin either. It feels more like cutting through something softer... Wait a minute. I've seen something similar before."

Kang Mu-hyuk had an exceptional eye for detail.

He could find what others couldn't see and never forgot what he had seen once.

With that keen eye, he caught something.

He hurriedly grabbed the situation room microphone.

"Party leader, use potion number one. It's a slime. An invisible slime."

Kang Mu-hyuk immediately looked at the time displayed below the screen. It showed the time down to the second.

Thirty-five seconds was a long time.

When another thirty-five seconds had passed, the Hunters' movements changed.

They witnessed what had happened thirty-five seconds ago at the Gate.

The Hunters took out potion number one and applied it, striking the unseen slime.

As the oozing creature became more visible, the Hunters detected its position and fired smoke grenades and paint rounds.

Soon, the multicolored, transparent monster revealed itself.

"As expected."

The now-visible monster continued to move sluggishly, lacking a definite shape.

It was a typical slime.

"Finally, we can see you."

"You're dead!"

Once they knew its identity and could see it, the slime was no longer a formidable monster.

The slime couldn't withstand the Hunters' attacks for long.

After several dozen seconds had passed:

"The hunt is over. We have no casualties, and there are some injuries, but nothing serious."

The situation room erupted in cheers as the party leader reported.

Kang Mu-hyuk also let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Retrieve the team members and return to the gate. I'll have a medical team ready. Good job, everyone."

"With this, we conclude the briefing on the hunting of the invisible Unknown in Sillim Gate 17, codenamed 'Invisible Slime.' Thank you."

"Now, we will proceed to the Q&A session for the press."

Ju Se-ah watched the press conference on TV with great interest.

Not only was she intrigued by the fact that the person being interviewed was someone she had met yesterday, but her attention was also drawn to the fact that this unknown monster could not be detected even by detecting magic.

Thanks to this press conference, the unknown creature that had been found the day before had been buried in just one day, but she couldn't help but be curious.

"How did they catch something that's invisible? They said even area magic doesn't work on it."

According to the announcement from the Titan Guild, unlike ordinary slimes that were weak to magic rather than physical power, this new slime had high resistance to magic.

It was a new, unprecedented threat.

A monster with no information whatsoever that even experienced and skilled Hunters were caught off guard.

Since the discoverer or the relevant guild could name the monster, they had given it a temporary codename and reported it as 'urgent' to the world organization.

Thanks to this, it attracted attention in the media, and by evening, a press conference was held in the form of breaking news.

In particular, since Titan was a rising guild lately, the press swarmed in like bees.

'They must have prepared in advance. There's no way they could gather so quickly just because the hunt ended.'

Just then, a reporter asked the question on her mind.

"I'd like to ask how you were able to catch the slime that's invisible and unaffected by magic."

On the screen, Kang Mu-hyuk calmly answered.

"Our Titan Guild's equipment, which we have been preparing for years, has finally come into play."

"When you say equipment, what exactly are you referring to? Did you create a new artifact?"

"It's not an artifact. We simply developed equipment that can support Hunters in various situations, including those completely unexpected."

"Could you please tell us more about it?"

"Since we have developed quite a few different types of equipment, we will let you know in more detail through press releases later on. What I can tell you instead is that our guild's 'C Project' presents a new paradigm that maximizes the existing Hunter forces. Since there are many aspects of the project that we still need to keep secret, please understand if I can't answer your questions in detail."

Despite Kang Mu-hyuk's request, the reporters persistently asked about the project.

However, he skillfully evaded their questions, even throwing in a few jokes.

In the end, they didn't get much detailed information, but the media began to harbor some expectations.

It was obvious that the Titan Guild's stock price would fluctuate in the stock market the next day.

While all the media's attention was on the C Project, Ju Se-ah focused on Kang Mu-hyuk.

He was the first non-Hunter to become the head of the Strategy and Tactics team in the industry.

His track record proved that he wasn't just a figurehead. His achievements were solid.

However, the majority of people dismissed him because he wasn't a Hunter.

Among those Ju Se-ah knew, only a handful of people recognized Kang Mu-hyuk.

Of course, those few Hunters were the ones who dominated the South Korean Hunter scene.

Although he was a non-Hunter, Ju Se-ah was captivated by a peculiar feeling as she watched Kang Mu-hyuk fight monsters in his own way.

"He may not have become a Hunter, but he still managed to achieve what he promised. That's quite impressive."

She sent her admiration to his determination when suddenly she had a thought.

"Should I try scouting him again? It's difficult to find people these days anyway."

Ju Se-ah had been facing difficulties due to guild restructuring issues lately.

She had boasted of being able to create a guild at any time after parting ways with the Slayer Guild, where she had belonged for 10 years.

However, reality was harsh.

She had acquired the Taesung Guild, a subsidiary of the Taesung Group, a large corporation, but once she took a closer look as the guild master, the Taesung Guild was as empty as a hollow shell.

It was difficult to get the Taesung Guild back on track by herself. A capable vice-guild master was needed.

But she couldn't find a suitable person.

It was due to the interference from the Slayer Guild after she rejected their contract renewal.

Which Hunter would dare to cross the Slayer Guild?

Passing by the Slayer Guild, a single curse mentioning 'Ju Se-ah X years' would suffice.

No one would cooperate.

Ju Se-ah was a Hunter who could surpass the world-class level and reach legendary status, but in the end, the industry was centered around guilds.

She couldn't ignore the influence of Korea's top guild.

As if that wasn't enough, there were forces within the Taesung Group that didn't want the guild to be revived.

Facing the employees they had planted, Ju Se-ah felt like a Red Gate would have been more comfortable.

The guild she had planned was still unable to start properly due to the difficulties inside and outside the guild.

Then, she suddenly had an idea.

What if she brought Kang Mu-hyuk in as the vice-guild master?

'He became a Strategy and Tactics team leader, so why not a vice-guild master?'

The more she thought about it, the less impossible it seemed.

"Right. Even if I interview vice-guild masters, I won't receive a single application, so why not try to persuade him directly? No matter how stubborn he is, wouldn't he be tempted by the position of vice-guild master? After all, his ultimate goal in life is to eradicate monsters."

She thought there was nothing to lose.

In fact, she was feeling desperate.

She grabbed her coat, deciding to strike while the iron was hot.

It was when Kang Mu-hyuk, who had parked in the underground parking lot, pressed the elevator button with a tired face.

"Hey, Team Leader Kang Mu-hyuk~"

A voice, elongating the last syllable, accompanied by the strong smell of alcohol, wafted toward him.

Kang Mu-hyuk looked to the side.

"You're drunk. If you have something to say, come back after sobering up."

"I watched you on TV. Damn, acting so high and mighty. You think I came to talk to you?"

Kang Mu-hyuk sighed. He discreetly checked the elevator floor number.

It was still on the 27th floor.

Would it be late?

"Sigh, I knew that a day like this would come if I stayed in this field."

"It's too late now. You were so cocky."

"Wasn't it you instead?"

The next moment, a loud sound erupted from Kang Mu-hyuk's abdomen.

"Ugh...."

He spat blood from his mouth. Unable to breathe, he collapsed onto the floor, his head stomped on by a foot.

"I didn't think I'd have my life end because of someone like you. Damn it. That's why you should die too!"