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

Russia officially announced that Zmei Gorynych had entered hibernation, and at the same time, the mission level for the Dragon Raid: had been decided—

Continental Mission. 

A classification of the highest difficulty level in years. This decision sparked fierce debate across various sectors. Opinions were sharply divided among those who thought it was excessive and those who found it reasonable.

- Critics: Argued that the high mission rating would harm the economy and lower national credit.  

- Supporters: Emphasized the benefits of international cooperation from the global Hunter community due to the elevated mission level.  

Curiously, no experts raised concerns about a direct threat from Zmei Gorynych. This omission was no accident—the TV panel that had previously warned about dragon dangers, referencing past incidents like Nine Dragon/Guryong Ridge, had vanished without a trace.

Although this was officially a Russian internal affair, the true concern lay with neighboring countries. Broadcasters worldwide reported on Khabarovsk's destruction, speculating daily about the potential outcomes had the dragon headed to another country instead.  

Amid this chaos, some focused on the hidden facts and sought countermeasures.

“They say one raiding party was annihilated while they were trying to confirm the dragon’s hibernation,” Sung Seonjae remarked casually, as though discussing an everyday occurrence.

“And of course, they were the Black Owl prisoners, right?” Kang Mu-hyuk responded just as nonchalantly.

“After all, criminals are expendable. Even in a country like Russia, which disregards human rights, they wouldn’t sacrifice ordinary Hunters.”

The Black Owl Prison was Russia’s equivalent of a first-class Hunter concentration camp. 

Kind of like Ujungdo in Korea. Under Russian law, villains were stripped of their human rights and treated as slaves. This harsh system arose due to the immense damage caused by Hunter crimes. Without severe measures, Russia—plagued by weak cooperation between central and local governments—would have struggled to maintain order.

Occasionally, these prisoners were offered chances at exemption. Like most Hunter prisons, they had options to earn their freedom, one of which involved high-risk missions in remote, ungoverned areas. However, the difficulty of these missions was extreme, and the probability of survival was slim.

Kang Mu-hyuk approved of this treatment of Hunter criminals—not out of indifference, because Sung Seonjae was the same. As someone who had spent a long time in the Hunter industry, the clearer it became that severe punishments were necessary to manage Hunters. 

Critics—human rights activists or sympathetic civilians—decried these measures as medieval, but Kang Mu-hyuk dismissed them as naïve people ignorant of reality.  

‘It’s stupid to equate ordinary people and Hunters. Villains, in particular, are no different from monsters—except for a rare few. If left unchecked, we’d end up like South America or Africa.’

From this perspective, Russia’s decision to mobilize Hunter criminals was an effective solution. Pushing away the thought that anyone who heard his thoughts would think of him as cold and ruthless, Kang Mu-hyuk spoke, “According to my Russian contacts, Zmei Gorynych seems to have originated from the old Guryong (Nine Dragon) Mausoleum. My new Chinese associate says it’s the boss from the Jilin City Gate. Judging by the dragon skull it was holding in his hand, it likely evolved by eating the remains of the old dragons that were left behind.”

The Russian contacts were the Tsar Guild, and the new Chinese friend was Guan Hong. Sung Seonjae knew exactly where this information came from—Kang Mu-hyuk had shared it with him.

What made this unusual was that, aside from Sung Seonjae, not even the Master of the Slayer Guild (to which he belonged) had access to this information.  

Despite his love for the Slayer Guild, Sung Seonjae was against the higher-ups interfering with his plans. That was why, even after resuming his role as a Hunter, he continued to hold the position of Strategy Team Leader. He was the type who wanted everything in the guild under his control.  

‘That’s true for me, too. Once you have full power, it’s hard to let it go.’

Kang Mu-hyuk, who intuitively understood Sung Seonjae’s mindset, used this insight to gain his trust by sharing critical information.

“Then it’ll take the dragon time to fully assimilate the power of the dragon it ate.”

“We’ve got some time for now, but I’m worried about how powerful it will be once it wakes up.”

“It won’t take a short while. Considering the Great War and the history of dragons appearing since then, it’s likely to be quite a while. We need to prepare during that period—we have no idea where the dragon will go next.”

“The world’s leading monsterologists are already working on it. They’re researching how long a dragon’s hibernation typically lasts, so we should have an estimate soon. In the meantime, we’re planning to revive Sinuiju. Do you agree with it, Team Leader Sung Seonjae?”

“I agree. But what about the Unified Task Force? It’ll be difficult to maintain its current structure indefinitely. There’s also the risk of it becoming another powerful faction, and over time, opposition to it will grow.”

“We’ll disband the task force for now. But we’ll keep the framework intact so it can be reassembled at any time.”

“Reassemble at any time? That sounds like running an organization... Do you have the Hunter Association in mind by any chance?”

He immediately got Kang Mu-hyuk’s plan. Kang Mu-hyuk nodded and elaborated. 

“We want to strengthen the association’s authority while reducing government interference. Chairman Han Byung-gu is the perfect figure for this. He won’t entertain unnecessary interference, and his experience and influence in the Hunter world can’t be ignored either.”

“Sounds more like a stubborn old man than a compliment. But I agree—he’s the right person for the job.”

“At the same time, we’ll get people used to the Unified Task Force by having the association oversee Hunter selection and support.”

“Get them used to it? What are you aiming for?”  

“In the long term, we want the Unified Task Force to evolve into a representative group, not just another interest group. If people see it as a representative body, we can minimize resistance to recruitment to a large extent, even if it’s just for the sake of honor and a sense of belonging from that representation.”

“A representative group for the Hunter world?” 

Kang Mu-hyuk shook his head at Sung Seonjae’s question. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“No. A group representing the country. Think of it as a national team.”

***

As soon as the Unified Task Force was disbanded, Eum Youngjin traveled from the Tumen River to Seoul in response to a summons from White Tiger Guild Master Son Joongbeom.

When Eum Youngjin arrived after so long, Son Joongbeom greeted him with a displeased expression.

“I got the report. So…? You didn’t accomplish anything. Except for being idiots doing stupid things.”

It was a clear reprimand. Eum Youngjin felt wronged.

‘What else could I have done there?’

Should he have assassinated the raid leader? Stabbed someone in the back during the raid? Or just blatantly sabotaged the entire raid out of sheer frustration?

In the end, Son Joongbeom’s focus was solely on the White Tiger Guild’s benefit. If they were deploying Hunters at the Yellow Dragon Guild’s request, they expected proper compensation—whether it was money, items, or vested interests.

“Your silence suggests you’re not pleased about this.”

“…No.” 

The conversation stopped once again. Son Joongbeom stared intently at Eum Youngjin. The silence was excruciating for Eum Youngjin. His throat tightened, making it hard to breathe. He was trembling, his vision blurring as if caught in the grip of a panic attack.

‘Damn it, Guild Master… He’s using his fear trait for something like this…’

Though the moment was brief, it felt like an eternity before Son Joongbeom finally relaxed. His expression shifted to one of discontent as he began to speak.

“Hey, Eum Youngjin. Do you know why I’m so angry? It’s because I came here empty-handed.”

“…”

“If you can’t make money, at least don’t get into debt.”

“Debt…?” 

“The Yellow Dragon Guild’s movements are suspicious. According to my informant, Guan Hong met with Kang Mu-hyuk.”

“!!”

“Do you get what I mean now?” 

“Is this… Betrayal?”

“Betrayal? Don’t be naive. They were never to be trusted to begin with.”

As Son Joongbeom solidified his conviction about the Yellow Dragon Guild’s treachery, Eum Youngjin spoke urgently, “If Guan Hong negotiated with Kang Mu-hyuk, Guan Hong might have handed over the dirt he has on us. Kang Mu-hyuk already thinks we’re just puppets of the Chinese Hunters—he wouldn’t just sit idly by.”

“Um, Kang Mu-hyuk… That guy’s been an eyesore for a while. Now he’s just outright annoying.”

“Should I take care of him?” 

“Ju Se-ah and Sung Seonjae are by his side. Do you think you can handle them?” 

“They won’t be together forever. Sooner or later, I’ll get the chance. And when I do, there’s no way I won’t kill him.”

“The game will be over before you get that chance. They’ll stick to each other constantly before they attack us, so we probably won't get a chance. It’s pointless to provoke them prematurely and get bitten by a snake. That approach is off the table.”

“Then what’s the plan...?”

“We’ll counterattack. Gather the intel we have on the Yellow Dragon Guild—fabricate some of it if necessary. We’ll play the victim. If things take a bad turn, we’ll spread the word that we were manipulated by them. Let’s also highlight our contributions toward the task force from this operation. We’ll frame ourselves as victims acting in good faith. That should work.”

“People will laugh at us.”

“It’s better than the guild going under. We’ve been looked down on before—this isn’t new. Survival is what matters. We can get our revenge later. That’s how we made it this far as a Tiered guild.”

As Eum Youngjin clenched his teeth in frustration, Son Joongbeom, who had been scolding him moments ago, softened his tone slightly to offer some comfort.

“Humiliation is temporary. It’s not the strong who survive—it’s those who survive to the end who are strong. We are strong. And we will live until the end.”

***

Kang Mu-hyuk had already set his sights on the White Tiger Guild.

“Guan Hong deliberately leaked information about our meeting through a spy he left behind. The White Tiger Guild will try to manipulate public opinion to get out of this crisis.”

“A Tier guild’s gonna fight with words?” 

Ju Se-ah tilted her head in confusion.

Of course, media control was standard practice for any large guild, but for Iron Will—a C-rank guild—this felt like a blow to their pride. It would’ve made more sense to bring out their elite forces and show their strength. Or better yet, launch a surprise attack at night and slaughter them all.

That kind of approach seemed more in line with the White Tiger Guild’s style.

“But the White Tiger Guild has a reputation as a gang of outlaws. Despite appearances, they’ve never actually demonstrated significant force.”

“Those thugs are famous for resorting to fists first.”

“Most Hunters are like that. Just look at you...”  

“You want a taste of my fist then?”  

“See? The fist comes first.” 

Ju Se-ah muttered with a groan, quickly trying to justify herself.  

“That’s normal for an S-ranker. But the White Tiger Guild? They’re worse than most.”  

“Exactly. Here’s the interesting part—their reputation for violence is actually fabricated. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the crimes—the violence, the murders, and the rest—that part is real. They are, without a doubt, legitimate criminals.”  

“Then what exactly is fabricated?”  

“The idea that they use violence against everyone.”  

“You mean... They don’t go around hitting just anyone but choose them?”  

“Precisely. I was surprised when I looked into it. Based on the incidents the White Tiger Guild has been involved in, their violence has only ever targeted Hunters or guilds below a certain level.”  

Ju Se-ah raised an eyebrow. 

“That’s odd, isn’t it?”  

“What part?”  

“Well, the White Tiger Guild also messed with the Slayer Guild. They’re notorious troublemakers—just the type to pick a fight with any Tier Guild.”  

Kang Mu-hyuk shook his head. 

“That image is largely due to Park Beomil.”  

“Park Beomil?... You mean that old man who’s always challenging strong Hunters to fights? I’ve run into him a few times in the duel arena myself.”  

“Yes. I’m pretty sure it’s a deliberate move to put someone like him on the main Expedition Team. His duels can be dismissed as personal deviations rather than official guild actions. But over time, the image he creates becomes the image of the guild. After all, Park Beomil is a central figure in their expedition operations. In short, the White Tiger Guild Master is nothing more than a weakling.”  

Ju Se-ah chuckled at Kang Mu-hyuk’s blunt and disrespectful assessment to the Guild Master of another Guild. 

“Only you, Guild Leader Kang, would describe a Tier Guild Master like that.”  

“Even if they’re a Tier Guild, criminals are still criminals. There’s no reason to respect Hunters who are harmful just by existing.”  

A chill ran through Kang Mu-hyuk’s voice. Ju Se-ah realized Kang Mu-hyuk had firmly decided to exclude the White Tiger Guild from his plans. He laid out his strategy. 

“I’ve made a few requests to Guan Hong. One of them is information on the White Tiger Guild’s treasonous activities.”  

“Wow, this is going to get ugly.” 

Ju Se-ah imagined the fallout.  

Going after a guild skilled at media manipulation using information sourced from China? 

That was bound to cause a stir. The White Tiger Guild would undoubtedly scream foul, accuse them of spreading lies, and demand the source of the information. Even if the source was revealed, they’d attack its credibility, crying about false accusations and injustice.  

“I’m not going to involve the media. And I’m certainly not handing this over to government agencies. Even if I gave it to the Hunter Investigation Agency, they’d waste years investigating, dragging it to court, only for it to be swept under the rug.”  

“Then what are you planning to do with the data?”  

“Put pressure.”  

“You say that but you mean intimidation, right?” 

“Threats always work on people who’ve got stuff to hide.”  

This time, Ju Se-ah shook her head. 

“These are the same people who tried to take over Korea’s Hunter community by working with a Chinese guild. I can’t believe you’re listening to them.”  

“That’s why we need to prepare our fists too. Like Hunters.”  

Kang Mu-hyuk pointed a finger at her. Ju Se-ah glanced at his finger, then back at him.  

“Me? You want me to cause trouble?”  

Kang Mu-hyuk smiled faintly. 

“It’s time to reveal it. Guild Master, let’s prepare for the press conference.”