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

Chapter 87 - I was wondering why it's been so quiet lately

“I didn’t know mana poisoning could have this effect! You can see mana?”

Ju Se-ah let out a sigh of disapproval.

Kang Mu-hyuk apologized immediately after hearing the sigh from the Guild Master.

“I apologize for not informing you about this before.”

“Do you know what you should be apologizing for?”

“Yes, I do. I was too late to report it to you. But I had no way to explain how this phenomenon took place in events where I wasn’t meeting strange beings for the first time or in danger. So, I was planning to tell you after figuring out the details.:

“But that’s not what I’m... phew!”

Ju Se-ah stopped talking after another sigh. She hated it.

‘Jeez. He’s not even thinking what’ll happen to him.’

No wonder Kang Mu-hyuk’s icy and rigid demeanor was pissing her off. Ju Se-ah decided to hold back her desire to hit him and said, “The monster we saw that day, whatever it was, wasn't something we could deal with right away. I kept it a secret to avoid causing unrest among others, but in truth, even I’ve been trying hard to forget that memory, so I've been acting oblivious about it. I haven't felt so powerless and unable to put up any substantial resistance since well over ten years ago.”

“It was definitely a monster that would cause a disaster no matter where it appeared in the world.”

“What I mean is that you don't have to bear this burden alone. No single person in the world can handle it by themselves. You just need to report when you think it's necessary, as you always have. But the issue related to mana poisoning is directly connected to your health and, consequently, to the guild's safety. It is something I should be aware of.”

“There won't be any problems with my health. I can control it so it doesn't interfere with my duties as a leader, even though it's not completely cured.”

“It's not completely cured?”

“……”

Kang Mu-hyuk bit his tongue. How could he make such a mistake? He had anticipated and prepared for this situation when he’d mention the aftereffects of mana poisoning, but Ju Se-ah's slightly unexpected reaction caught him off guard.

‘I can’t believe I displayed such a weakness. I still have a long way to go.’

While Kang Mu-hyuk reflected on his mistake, he also felt relieved that, despite his numbing emotions, there was still a human side to him.

"Haah~ Let's set that aside for now. So, is there anything else I need to know? For example, how you're managing the illness."

“I've been taking medication regularly. And getting injections, too."

"I heard there's no cure for it. Where did you get the medicine?"

"My f-My father researched physiology and bacteriology in the field of Gate Bio. And my uncle worked in Gate Mechanical Engineering. The two of them are working together to find a treatment."

“Seeing how they made such progress on a disease known to be incurable, both of them must be famous in the Gate science field."

"Not many people would know. They haven't been active publicly for quite some time now, you see. It's been about 15 years."

Kang Mu-hyuk’s casual mention of “15 years” made Ju Se-ah feel nauseous for a second.

Noticing Ju Se-ah's darkening expression, Kang Mu-hyuk tilted his head and asked, “What’s wrong? You look upset."

"No, it's just... I was reminded of something from the past. Something unpleasant..."

A past significant enough to unsettle the look on the face of Korea's top Hunter. It didn’t seem like a trivial matter.

Kang Mu-hyuk wanted to dig in further, but he had no choice but to delay his questions for an incoming call.

"Take the call. Seeing how they directly contacted you, it must be urgent. And let's keep this conversation for another time when we're free."

Ju Se-ah gestured with her finger in the air as if to warn that he couldn’t evade this topic, and then sat down on the sofa.

'I think we've covered everything we need to talk about though.'

Kang Mu-hyuk pondered hard about what else needed to be discussed in this conversation as he picked up the call.

“Kang Mu-hyuk speaking.”

-This is Kim Myung-jun speaking, Captain Kang.

The moment the cheerful sound voice came from the receiver.

Beep!

“Huh? Why did you hang up?"

"Someone dialed the wrong number."

"But who would call that number by mistake..."

“It must be a spam call.”

Ring! Ring!

“If they’re calling again, it does not look like spam.”

Kang Mu-hyuk had no intention of answering, so Ju Se-ah approached and picked it up.

“Hello.”

-By the sound of it, you must be Guild Master Ju Se-ah. I'm Kim Myung-ju-...

Beep!

“It must be a voice phishing fraud.”

“That's scary. Voice phishing... For someone to be able to harm you just by using a voice alone. I think you’ll have to change the number after all."

The phone rang continuously even after that. Kang Mu-hyuk was about to disconnect the phone line but stopped himself. The direct line was established for emergencies, so of course, he couldn't just rashly cut it off. He decided to answer the call, feeling he had no other choice.

“Kang Mu-hyuk speaking.”

-Hey, look. Captain Kang. Let’s talk, yeah. For god’s sake.

"How did you get this number?"

-I have my ways.

Kang Mu-hyuk caught on to the possibility of No Song-rin giving it to him.

"Didn't we agree to live without crossing each other’s ways?"

-How can people in the same industry not cross ways in such a small world?

"So, what do you want?"

-Let's meet and talk.

"Is that necessary?"

-Look, this is a matter concerning your life.

"Is that it?"

Kim Myung-jun was slightly taken aback by Kang Mu-hyuk's nonchalant response.

‘Wouldn’t a normal person at least act surprised when I say that?’

He wondered if Kang Mu-hyuk was taking him lightly, but Kang Mu-hyuk’s forever calm tone left Kim Myung-jun with a flustered look on his face. Then, he realized maybe that was what Kang Mu-hyuk was aiming for. He took that as Kang Mu-hyuk wanting more clarity on what he said.

-Foreign interference in the Korean Hunter community. Is that a good enough reason to meet?

"Finally the conversation is getting somewhere. Is it the Japanese?"

Kim Myung-jun barely held back his urge to curse at Kang Mu-hyuk's irritating demeanor.

-Have you heard about the assassination unit of the Japan Guild Alliance?

"Fine, let's meet. Maybe I can give you what you want."

Kim Myung-jun was trying to hide his intentions, and barely stopped himself from raging out at Kang Mu-hyuk's last remark.

'Jeez, he listens and moves on as he pleases. He could be a fortune teller.’

Unlike the awe he was in within his mind, Kim Myung-jun answered calmly.

-You're not going to like my choices anyway. Pick the place and time, and let me know.

"Of all places to choose..."

In the outskirts of North Pocheon, in a deserted village that had become uninhabited due to declining population, Kim Myung-jun stood face to face with Kang Mu-hyuk. Beside them, Ju Se-ah was scowling. Maybe because of the memory from their past harsh encounter, his legs went numb.

‘Did I make a mistake coming here alone?'

But bringing his subordinates was pointless, since they wouldn't stand a chance against Ju Se-ah. At best, they'd act like human shields.

They couldn't stop her anyway. So it was better to meet them alone rather than to create unnecessary misunderstandings.

Kim Myung-jun tried to shake off his nervousness by starting the conversation.

"Congratulations on succeeding at the Orc Tribe raid.”

“It’s nothing to congratulate us for.”

“You’re right. It's more a matter of worry than celebration. Your publicity team is pretty talented. You gained Guild-tier fame just from orcs. You sure know how to do business. You must be quite disliked in quite a few circles."

"Get to the point."

‘I was trying to shake him up before getting down to business. But I guess,’ Kim Myung-jun smacked his tongue in disappointment.

'As I thought, it doesn’t work on him after all. That means he’s well aware of the situation then.'

Kang Mu-hyuk knew all too well that fame beyond one's capabilities could be a poison. He wasn't going to fall for Kim Myung-jun's provocations.

Thus, Kim Myung-jun continued, "Have you heard of the Japanese 'GAA’?"

"The Guild Association Alliance, right?"

"People often refer to it as the Japanese Guild Alliance. It's not an official group, though."

"Unofficial or not, when such dangerous powers gather together, it's as good as an officially recognized organization."

"You’re right. It's backed by Japanese political circles, so even without an official tag, they’re not powerless. In fact, it has a significant, albeit discreet, influence in Korea as well."

"What are they scheming?"

"Did I mention the assassination group affiliated with the alliance?"

"They've entered Korea. What's their objective?"

"They’re a group called Iga Clan."

Kim Myung-jun slyly diverted the conversation. Kang Mu-hyuk didn't rush and listened carefully.

‘Tch. He’s no fun.’

Seeing no reaction from Kang Mu-hyuk, Kim Myung-jun frowned and continued.

"The alliance has many assassination groups like the Iga Clan, Fuma, Koga, Saika, Shispa, etc. All these names are derived from ninja clans. I don’t get what kind of fascination Japanese people have with ninjas, that named them all this way."

"So your point being?"

"Iga Clan is considered the elite of the elite among them. This time, they've come to Korea to take you out."

This time, he went straight to the point without dragging it out.

He was looking forward to seeing him flustered after hearing the shocking news that an elite assassination group from the Japanese Hunter community was targeting him, yet Kang Mu-hyuk remained expressionless as always.

Kang Mu-hyuk turned towards Ju Se-ah who stood beside him with her arms crossed like a statue and said,

“Why do they wanna kill me? I’d get it if they were after you.”

"This is my first time hearing a Captain suggest targeting their own Guild Master instead. Why not just write down my address for them?"

"That's a good idea, Guild Master."

“What about it is good?”

"Aren’t you suggesting we set up a trap? With your skills, we’ve got good odds of success."

“Jeez, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Realizing Kang Mu-hyuk was being serious, and not joking, Ju Se-ah shut up.

Kim Myung-jun tried to break the awkward silence with more explanation.

"Anyway, that's the kind of people they are. If I had to say why they specifically want to kill Kang Mu-hyuk, it's probably to hold you back from growing too much as a Guild Leader."

"We've already grown as much as we can. Why would they bother crossing the seas to stop us?"

"Whether you’re an S-ranker or not, their goal is to make you unable to do anything by yourself. It's a way to constrain you without having to fight you."

"How come?"

"You have many enemies, including Slayer, right? An individual's strength shines during raids. And guilds prepare for those raids. But if you can't even participate in raids, what good is being an S-ranker?"

"And you're the one playing the role of the saboteur. Isn’t that right?"

“...”

Kim Myung-jun was visibly surprised that Ju Se-ah, not Kang Mu-hyuk, hit the nail right on the head.

'Did Kang Mu-hyuk give her a clue? Or...'

Was Ju Se-ah changing?

While he was searching for an excuse for her sharp comment, Kang Mu-hyuk spoke.

"We already knew about the assassination group entering the country. And the reason you're telling us this... is pretty obvious too. After all, as a Korean Hunter, you’re just an outsider in the Japanese Hunter community, where pureblood ideology is rampant, so you couldn’t gain their trust. To avoid being hunted after you have fulfilled your purpose, you can't just let them kill the prey. In fact, for you to climb higher, you need the prey to stir up more trouble, don’t you? Only then will the master feed you for fighting."

"It's really comfortable to talk to you after all, Captain Kang. No need for extra explanations, simple and clear cut."

"So what do you want?"

"What you mentioned earlier."

"A trap? You want to eliminate the Iga Clan?"

As Kang Mu-hyuk expressed skepticism, Kim Myung-jun quickly explained his reasoning.

"It's not about setting a trap in return. Because if Slayer catched on to Iga Clan’s presence, that’ll put me in a pinch. Whether the assassination attempt on you succeeds or fails, and worst scenario, if things go wrong, I’ll be exposed. Has anyone survived after being targeted by the Slayer Guild on Korean soil? And even if I flee to Japan and settle there, would they welcome me? Simply maintaining the status quo is the answer to this."

"And using the Guild Master as an excuse to get more _aid _from the GAA just happens to be an icing on the cake?"

“You could say that’s a bonus for my performance.”

Kang Mu-hyuk didn't ask further and simply nodded.

"We'll think it over and contact you."

"I'll be waiting for you to come to a positive conclusion."

'Eul-ji, you brat! Let’s settle this today!'

Fuming, Han Byung-gu returned home and stomped up to the second floor, kicking Eul-ji's door open.

“Oi, no way! Not Iron Will!”

“Hello, Mr.Han.”

“Oh? Oh my, Nari. So you were here too. I thought it was only Eul-ji in here. Hahaha.”

"Don’t you know what etiquette is, Grandpa? Just barging into a lady's room. No matter how old-fashioned a Hunter you are, you should know where to draw the line. I mean, you have a social position you need to match up to. You really don't know the first thing about common sense."

Han Byung-gu shrugged and scowled at Go Eul-ji, shaking her head.

"Etiquette? Respect? Common sense~? And is it someone with _common sense _who joined a banned guild just because of an idol?"

"Just because? It was for the BTA fan meeting, and there was a meal coupon** **too!"

"Eul-ji is right about that, Mr. Han. I mean, it's _BTA _we're talking about."

"Right?"

With Kim Nari's support, Go Eul-ji smiled brightly.

Han Byung-gu slapped his forehead. What did he do wrong? How did he do so wrong to the point his granddaughter fell for these pale ass, girly boys?

‘No. I did nothing wrong.’

Then, one must find out who the wrongdoer was.

There was only one conclusion.

"Kang Mu-hyuk! That rascal! How dare he brainwash my granddaughter!"

"Hey, wait. Where did Captain Kang come from? What did he do wrong for you to target him?"

"Y-You brat... Are you taking Kang Mu-hyuk's side now?"

"Taking sides?"

"Ueck! Kang Mu-hyuk! Screw the alliance or whatever, this is war!"

Eul-ji used telekinesis to hold back Han Byeung-gu, who looked like he was ready to dash off to North Pocheon right then and there. For a moment, the powers of the two top Hunters clashed, spreading energy waves in all directions.

Crash! Smash!

"Aaacck!"

Kim Nari screamed as the windows shattered and objects flew around the room, but she was fine. Eul-ji was protecting her.

"Ah, I did it again. How many times do my room's windows have to be broken?"

"Eul-ji, you brat! I'm cutting off your allowance starting today!"

"Eh, it's okay. I get a salary now. It's just the base pay since I don't go on raids, but it's still pretty generous, you see. They even removed the raid obligation clause for me since I'm a student and a minor. Getting paid to do nothing? Sweet!"

"You... You..."

“Captain Kang Mu-hyuk told me. A Hunter, even if a minor, can join a guild without the consent of a guardian or custodian. I had no clue about that. Honestly, Grandpa, you went too far. Not only do you stop me from engaging in economic activities but you also try restricting me using my allowance? You did a great job fooling me for the last 10 years, Mr. Han Byung-gu."

For a moment, Go Eul-ji felt as if something had snapped inside Han Byung-gu.

“I pampered you for so long, but I guess it’s time for the medicine, huh?"

"Medicine?"

"The rod of love."

"That's not medicine; that's violence... Aargh! What era do you think we're living in? You're still using outdated disciplinary methods like that? Grandpa, your fist is a lethal weapon!"

"Nari, I'm sorry, but could you go home for today? It looks like Eul-ji is going to be in a lot of pain, you see."

"No way. You're staying at our house tonight."

"Ha, you’re gonna get hurt in front of a friend? My granddaughter, you’re causing trouble for others."

"Don't come near me. Don't come past that doll... Ah, I told you not to come past it. Grandpa, what are you looking around for? You can look around all you want, there's no weapon her-... Ah, when did I put that sword there? Anyway, don't come any closer... Ahhh!"

Kim Nari carefully closed the room door and stepped out into the corridor.

A short while later, the sound of something breaking came out.

Kim Nari slightly opened the door and peeked in, and a cool breeze fluttered her bangs.

Looking at Go Eul-ji's room, with one of its walls no longer there, she let out a sigh.

"It's been a while. I was wondering why it's been so quiet lately."