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

"Go ahead, Mr. Guan Hong."

"Aren\'t you way too crappy at carrying out your part of the deal? Didn\'t you say you\'d handle the domestic matters? There\'s just too much that doesn\'t sit right with me, especially the Unified Strike Team. Even if we wanted to help you, White Tiger Guild has to do its part first, don\'t they?"

"Of course we\'ll be just fine even without your handouts."

"That should be the case. We joined hands so we can all have a good share, but if you can\'t keep up, we might just eat your share. Look after your own plate, yeah?"

Eum Youngjin felt the overwhelming urge to smash his phone.

\'If I\'d known this would happen, I wouldn\'t have gone to China for Hunter training. All it did was make me the mediator between White Tiger and Yellow Dragon Guild. Sure, it landed me the Vice Guild Master spot. But if I had known I\'d be stuck dealing with this, I would\'ve passed it on to someone else.\'

\'Where does this guy get off threatening me like this... I\'ve never liked them. Jeez. No matter how much of a hard time it is for us, I hate working with Yellow Dragon Guild.\'

Frustrated as he was, he couldn\'t walk away from the contract. Too much had already been put on the line. He was worried about the Guild Master\'s reprimands. But he was also stuck between a rock and a hard place. Staying quiet would only make him look weak. So, he couldn\'t afford to sit still either.

Eum Youngjin voiced his concerns, "Before that, shouldn\'t we start by talking about the failure at Sinuiju? Was that our fault too?"

"Both sides are equally to blame for Sinuiju."

"Huh? That\'s absurd. Wasn\'t Sinuiju under Yellow Dragon\'s control?"

"If the Slayer hadn\'t interfered, we would\'ve finished the job. Oh, and don\'t forget Iron Will Guild. Those nobodies got involved, and White Tiger couldn\'t even manage to stop them."

"This all happened because Iron Will brought in Slayer. When Slayer is involved, our hands are tied domestically as well. We can\'t move openly and have to act sneakily in the dark unless you want a war.""And that\'s why you\'re stuck in second or third place, aren\'t you? Or was it fourth? Maybe fifth?""Watch it. If you won\'t play by the rules, neither will we.""My point is, to catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger\'s den.""The tiger\'s den?"

"Join the Unified Strike Team.""And do what exactly?""Disrupt it or gather intel. That\'s White Tiger\'s business to handle.""Our guild wasn\'t selected for the raid.""Then find a way in.""If you can\'t manage that, how are we supposed to pull off anything big together?""I\'ll discuss it with the Guild Master.""I\'ll be waiting for your call."

It was one day before the Unified Strike Team\'s inauguration.Cha Gil-joo, head of the Guild Cooperation Agency, had been on the phone with White Tiger Guild\'s Vice Guild Master for a while. Most of the conversation involved just listening.\'He\'s talking way too much. Something feels off.\'White Tiger Guild was the type to ignore requests from the Guild Cooperation Agency unless they were desperate. And even then, they wouldn\'t ask nicely; they resorted to threats.They\'d drop hints like, "That Gate could blow up accidentally," or "A monster might escape during transport."Then they\'d laugh it off as a joke.

Cha Gil-joo knew these "jokes" weren\'t just jokes because few had already come into fruition. When incidents like that occurred, they usually remained unsolved. White Tiger Guild was the prime suspect, but there was no solid evidence.

The Hunter Investigation Bureau kept a close eye on them. No matter how shady White Tiger was, they were still a Tier Guild. No one could pin anything on them. So naturally, Cha Gil-joo couldn\'t help but be rough with his words.

"So, what you\'re saying is you want to join the Unified Strike Team?"

-Our Guild Master feels guilty for not sending a team to defend the Cheongjin line. We\'d like to take this chance to contribute to society and the nation by sending our elite team to join the raid.

"Vice Guild Master, let\'s cut the nonsense."

-What nonsense?

"We\'ve been dancing around this long enough. I\'m tired of the games. Let\'s cut to the chase.

The answer\'s no."

-No?

"The selection of members for the Unified Strike Team is entirely up to Slayer, the current team leader. Even the government can\'t interfere with that authority, and it\'s clearly outlined in the team\'s regulations."

There was a long pause on the other end. Not a single sound, not even breathing. Cha Gil-joo could tell the other person was getting frustrated. Soon, Eum Youngjib spoke again, his tone was much calmer than before.

-You know, Mr. Cha, you\'ve always struck me as someone who lives like there\'s no tomorrow.

"Is this another one of your threats?"

-Threats? What a misunderstanding. I\'m just amazed at your political skills. Maybe it\'s because you don\'t have a family? It\'s like you\'re not scared of anything.

"Why? Does it disappoint you that you can\'t use my family as leverage, like you did with my predecessors?"

-I\'m just pointing out the irony. Someone who lost their family to monsters is now blocking the path of Hunters trying to fight them. How are you going to handle the backlash from that?

"Listen here, Mr. Eum Youngjin!"

Cha Gil-joo couldn\'t contain his anger and shouted. But Eum Youngjin remained calm as ever.

-I\'m listening.

"Does White Tiger Guild really think they have the right to talk about service and contribution? You\'re the only Tier Guild that didn\'t send support to the Cheongjin defense line. If you wanted to talk about helping, you should\'ve acted sooner."

-And that\'s why we\'re offering to send aid now.

"Don\'t try to play your tricks on me!"

-You know what real tricks look like, don\'t you? We don\'t make idle threats.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to release another monster onto the streets this time?"

-Of course not. Simple tricks lose their edge if you overuse them.

"I don\'t care how clever your tricks are. Making threats when the country\'s in trouble is a bad look."

-Good or bad, why don\'t you ask the people who might get caught in an unfortunate accident?

"..."

Both Cha Gil-joo and Eum Youngjin knew that threats like this couldn\'t be made too often.

If White Tiger Guild got too wild, the other Tier Guilds would be forced to step in. White Tiger Guild liked to call them government lackeys. But the truth was, maintaining the country\'s system was important to all Hunters.

The big guilds wanted their rights protected. But they still wanted to function within a system of order. No one wanted the chaos one would see in places like Africa or South America. So there was a limit to how far White Tiger Guild could push their threats.

But with their history, both sides also knew they couldn\'t completely ignore the possibility of White Tiger following through.

-Just joking, as always.

The silence broke as Eum Youngjin was the first to back off. But of course, it wasn\'t a real concession. It was more of a final warning.

Cha Gil-joo knew he had to stop here. That was how one dealt with guilds. Trying to win against them would only lead to problems. It was better to avoid those issues from the start rather than deal with the fallout.

"I\'ll check with the Unified Strike Team."

-Of course, they\'ll say no. Just set things up and look the other way. We\'ll take care of the rest.

"You want me to let Hunters go after each other before they even deal with the monsters? I can\'t allow this chaos. Here\'s what I suggest instead."

-What are you proposing?

"The real issue here is that your guild doesn\'t have a good enough reason to join the raid, right?"

-Are you offering to give us one?

"Create a full raid party and send them to Cheongjin. Then I\'ll step in and mediate."

-Hmm~ That sounds good. But do you think one party is enough? We\'re late to the game, so let\'s go all out. We\'ll send three raid parties.

Cha Gil-joo hesitated. He was unsure of what White Tiger\'s real intentions were, but he couldn\'t turn down the offer of three Tier Guild raid parties.

Even though White Tiger was problematic, their strength as a Tier Guild couldn\'t be underestimated. And as long as they dealt with the monsters, that was all that mattered.

If their participation could save lives, Cha Gil-joo was willing to make a deal with the devil.

"Alright, but promise me one thing: You\'ll follow the raid leader\'s orders at all times."

-Of course, following the raid leader\'s orders is standard practice when hunting monsters.

"I expect you to keep your word."

It was the day of the Unified Strike Team launch.

"White Tiger Guild..."

White Tiger Guild\'s Vice Guild Master, Eum Youngjin, strolled in.

He paused as he passed a table at the far end of the hall. The table had a sign that read "Green Wings." Casually, he grabbed a juicy piece of steak from a plate and popped it into his mouth.

"Why do you all look like you\'re chewing on something bitter? This steak is great."

Suddenly, the Hunter sitting next to him stabbed his fork into the table with a reverse grip. The fork sank so deep that only the handle was visible.

"Who said you could eat my food?"

Eum Youngjin calmly glanced between the still-quivering fork and the Hunter. There was a sign in front of the Hunter too, reading "Green Wings."

"Mind your manners. I\'m Eum Youngjin, White Tiger Guild\'s Vice Guild Master. Based on seniority, I outrank you by a long shot."

"Since when do Hunters care about seniority? We\'re not in the military, Eum Youngjin."

As the Hunter began to stand, another member of Green Wings, Gye Myungsik, grabbed him by the shoulder to hold him back. As sparks flew between their eyes, Park Beomil from White Tiger Guild, who was standing behind Eum Youngjin, jumped in.

"If it\'s not about seniority, it should be about skill. How about we settle this with a fight? Winner gets to be the \'hyung\' (older brother)."

"Ah, come on, old man. Itching for a fight, are we? Fine, let\'s see what you\'ve got."

Do Dohee smirked, leaning in with a challenging grin. As if saying come at me if you can.

Park Beomil\'s shoulders tensed as his sharp canines extended. This signaled his transformation into a beast. But before he could fully shift, his party member Go Taeseob blocked his way.

"Green Wings\'s infamous troublemaking squad strikes again. Our party leader doesn\'t fight just anyone."

"Oi, you think I\'m just anyone?"

"Did you just call us troublemakers? You wanna taste the blade, huh?"

Do Dohee and Seo Sein both snapped, their tempers flaring.

At this point, even Moon Ilsu, who had been sitting quietly, couldn\'t hold back any longer.

"Unbelievable. I thought for once we could get through an event without drama."

Despite his annoyed tone, he was clearly gearing up for a fight.

"This is a circus. Dealing with Green Wings is bad enough, but now White Tiger too? Taming an ogre would be easier than this mess."

Jeon Yesung from Dragon Slayer Guild sighed. He took a sip of wine and turned away from the chaos. He made it clear he had no intention of getting involved.

In an instant, the mood of the launch ceremony descended into chaos. Members of the Warrior Guild were making bets on who would win. The Wanderers Guild egged on the fight, saying it would make the perfect bar snack.

The serious atmosphere that Kang Mu-hyuk had set up earlier evaporated in an instant.

"Why is White Tiger Guild even here...?" Kang Mu-hyuk muttered under his breath.

Seong Seonjae, overhearing him, asked, "Didn\'t you invite them, Guild Leader Kang?"

"We don\'t need trolls in a serious raid like this, unless they\'re here to stir up trouble."

"In that case, we need to resolve this quickly."

"We can\'t just attack them without reason.If they\'re not causing trouble, let\'s hear them out."

At Kang Mu-hyuk\'s suggestion, Seong Seonjae stepped forward, "Vice Guild Master Eum Youngjin, what brings you here?"

"There seems to be a mistake in the process. It doesn\'t make sense for White Tiger Guild to be left out of the Unified Strike Team."

"Any guild that didn\'t contribute to the Cheongjin defense is excluded."

"There\'s no issue there. We\'ve just deployed three full raid parties to the Cheongjin defense line. Feel free to request support for any front that needs it."

The Hunters in the hall were shocked. Deploying three raid parties was a force equivalent to Slayer\'s team. It seemed like White Tiger Guild might be angling for control of the raid.

Sensing the unease, Eum Youngjin quickly added to calm their nerves.

"We have no intention of disrupting the current structure of the raid team. We just want to do our part to protect the country, even if it\'s from the sidelines."

But no one believed him. Even if they didn\'t show it, everyone thought there was something more going on under the surface...

"Welcome to Cheongjin! You deployed three raid parties? You\'re always welcome here, Vice Guild Master Eum Youngjin!"

...Except not everyone.

Kang Mu-hyuk greeted Eum Youngjin with enthusiasm. He rushed forward as if he was about to pull him into a hug. He grabbed Eum\'s hand and shook it vigorously.

It wasn\'t Kang Mu-hyuk who was uncomfortable in this flustering situation---it was Eum Youngjin.

He was caught completely off guard by the unexpected warmth.

"Uh, yes..."

Eum Youngjin knew all about Kang Mu-hyuk. Honestly, who didn\'t? Lately, every major incident shaking South Korea seemed to involve him in some way.

Though most weren\'t aware, Kang Mu-hyuk was the one who had thwarted Yellow Dragon Guild\'s schemes in Sinuiju. That knowledge made it impossible for Eum Youngjin to feel comfortable.

\'Why do I feel so uneasy? What\'s this guy up to?\'

It was two days before the Unified Strike Team\'s launch.

"Director, we need to be ready for the group behind the Sinuiju incident. If we leave them unchecked, they might interfere with the raid or cause trouble in the Demonic Realm."

Kang Mu-hyuk\'s concerns prompted a cautious question from Cha Gil-joo who had secretly arrived in Cheongjin.

"Are you suggesting Guild Master Ju Se-ah ...?"

"The Guild Master has other matters to attend to. Fighting them head-on won\'t do us any good. We can\'t afford to deplete our resources before the raid. They\'ve got the numbers on their side."

"So... Negotiation, then? Is that why you called me?"

"To negotiate, you need something to give them. But what they want is control over the entire Northeast Asia Hunter scene. They\'ll come at us with demands we can\'t accept."

"Then, what\'s the plan...?"

"We need time. To buy that time, we have to make them think they\'re in control."

"Make them think they\'re in control?"

"The Tier Guild expedition in Sinuiju will keep Dandong in check. Soon, Russia will start targeting the Gates. They\'ll be too stretched to worry about us. They can\'t easily interfere in matters within Korea unless it\'s about the Demonic Realm. So the only help they\'ll have left is from local allies."

"Local allies?"

"I asked Section Chief Park Choongsu to look into guilds with connections to the Chinese guilds."

"So, there\'s a traitor?"

"It\'s not exactly a shock, is it? Hunters don\'t care about national borders. But these ones... they\'ve taken things too far."

"White Tiger Guild."

"Exactly. They\'ll make their move. They\'ll try to force their way into the joint raid."

"I\'ll stop them. There\'s no way they\'re getting in."

"Why stop them?"

"Excuse me?"

"If they want to help, let them. Better to make them useful."

Cha Gil-joo was stunned. White Tiger Guild was nothing but a parasitic leech, as far as he was concerned.

"People say one couldn\'t fix people who were broken and use them---so how are you going to use them?"

Seeing the look on Cha Gil-joo\'s face, Kang Muhyuk smiled slyly.

"No need to fix them. Broken things can still be useful in their own way."