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

Kang Mu-hyuk met with the Anti-God Guild in Sinuiju.

“This is Kang Mu-hyuk.”

“I’m White Phantom.”

Their introductions were simple, devoid of any pretense. Both men stared each other down, their expressions as cold if they were about to battle.

Meanwhile, there was someone even colder there.

“White Phantom? That’s obviously not your real name. An alias means you’ve got fishy business going on. Don’t mess around in front of me, or none of you will leave alive.”

Ju Se-ah’s threats provoked an immediate reaction from Do Daecheol, who was accompanying White Phantom.

“You little punks. Watch your mouth! Who do you think you are, talking like that? If you’re ready to die, then keep it up!”

“You don’t even know who you’re dealing with, do you?”

Ju Se-ah wasn’t angry. She was bewildered. Before things escalated further, White Phantom intervened with a glance to the side to stop Do Daecheol.

“Captain Do, apologize immediately. Guild Master Ju Se-ah is an S-rank Hunter. The information about her rank hasn’t spread widely yet, but that’s no excuse for your disrespect.”

“I apologize. I didn’t realize you were such a high-ranking Hunter. Please forgive me.”

Do Daecheol immediately changed his stance. Unlike his growling attitude just a moment ago, he was now bowing his waist at a 90-degree angle in a polite manner, but Ju Se-ah couldn’t shake off her uneasy feeling.

‘It doesn’t seem like they planned this out. This White Phantom has a firm control over his subordinates... I tried to intimidate them, but it looks like it didn't work.’

Ju Se-ah exchanged glances with Kang Mu-hyuk.

‘Is this enough browbeating?’ 

‘If we were gonna stop here, we wouldn’t have even started.’

Taking the cue, Ju Se-ah continued, “In this world, if you don’t know, you should just die.”

“If my death will atone for his rudeness, I’m ready to offer my neck to you.” 

Do Daecheol kneeled and bared his neck as if asking to be executed right there. He had no fear in his eyes.

At this point, Ju Se-ah was rather embarrassed.

“What is this, some kind of historical drama? You should really learn to keep up with the times.”

White Phantom handed her the sword Do Daecheol was holding. 

“Please strike him down.”

“What?” 

“If his life makes our wish come true, it won’t be a meaningless sacrifice at all.”

“Why don’t we start with what you actually want from us?”

Kang Mu-hyuk finally stepped in when Ju Se-ah was in a pinch.

“We need to know just what kind of wish has made you use an alias instead of a real name and treat people’s lives like they’re flies before we can discuss anything further.”

He meant that a deal was possible only if they revealed their intention to request this negotiation.

White Phantom proceeded, “My real name is Pyo Haeju. My father was a Hunter from Pyeongan Province. I was ten years old at the time. It’s already been thirty years. I want to return to my homeland now.”

He didn’t need to say more. Hunters from the Pyeongan Province led the coup. Leaders of the coup left and ran to China with their families back then. Some couldn’t even take their families, and fled alone. The forces of the Sinuiju were the descendants of those who couldn’t take their families with them but now, the asylum seekers were back.

Kang Mu-hyuk realized why they got in touch with him.

“If you think you can gain Korean citizenship just because Sinuiju residents got it, you’re mistaken. I must tell you this isn’t something I have power over.”

“You’re quite modest, Guild Leader Kang. We know who holds sway over the northern part of the peninsula. Don’t dodge the issue. Be honest. Isn’t it more of a truth that you have no incentive to act?”

“Exactly. Why would I take on such a burden for a group entirely unrelated to the Sinuiju citizens? The effort isn’t worth the benefit.”

“So, from what you said, we can just pay you the right price for it.”

“Well, that’s what I’m telling you, that evidence of the Yellow Dragon Guild and a negotiation with them is not enough.”

White Phantom gulped here. He thought this was definitely valuable enough to drive Yellow Dragon Guild into a corner, but his opponent seemed to be in no hurry at all.

Yet, he couldn’t call it acting because he was way too relaxed to call it that.

‘Almost as he’d be fine even without the evidence.’

White Phantom finally realized why he was so relaxed.

‘So he already has another piece of evidence. But I’m sure he doesn’t have anything solid.’

He came all the way here with Ju Se-ah, an S-ranker. If he had no intentions to negotiate, he could just ignore them, and not arrange this at all.

It seemed Kang Mu-hyuk wanted conviction.

“Please tell me what you want.”

“Evidence. A negotiation table with the Yellow Dragon Guild. And…”

Kang Mu-hyuk gestured toward White Phantom.

“Figurehead.”

“Me?”

“After all, the credibility of evidence depends on who gives it.” 

Kang Mu-hyuk was making a firm move.

‘So he’s leaving me no room for retreat.’

White Phantom thought about it.

The third condition—that White Phantom himself be involved—meant Kang Mu-hyuk didn’t trust him. To gain that trust, White Phantom would have to fully betray the Chinese side.

‘This is trickier than I expected. I didn’t plan on going on a smooth ride, but sacrificing a key card was not part of the plan. What should I do?’

White Phantom weighed his options, but the outcome was clear.

With the plan to send the Gate Boss to the Korean Peninsula already failed, the only way to achieve his goal with minimal damage was to follow Kang Mu-hyuk’s terms. And this level of sacrifice was something White Phantom could handle.

Even if the Chinese Communist Party and their guilds might turn against him, he had little attachment to the connections he had built on their side. After all, they were strangers to begin with.

Finally, he said, “If I’m going to sell my face, I might as well do it on the biggest stage.”

“We’ll mobilize all domestic media. And foreign media too.”

***

Before meeting with the Yellow Dragon Guild, Kang Mu-hyuk meticulously prepared for the unexpected.

“Yellow Dragon Guild Expedition Team 3. Expedition leader Diniger Gao. Second party leader, Sirinnai Shahidi. Is that correct?”

Diniger hadn’t yet processed the situation. Or rather he hadn’t accepted it. He’d woken up in Korea instead of China, and now the man before him was Kang Mu-hyuk—a name that had been making waves in the Korean Hunter world. Diniger wasn’t even more embarrassed because this man wasn’t even a Hunter.

Sirinnai, similarly disoriented, struggled to focus. But, one thing was clear—they owed their lives to the people in that room.

Kang Mu-hyuk continued, unbothered by their confusion.

“The third expedition team from the Yellow Dragon Guild only has two survivors—you two. It’s a natural outcome, considering you were thrown into an S-rank fight without preparations. Honestly, it’s a miracle you two survived at all.”

“I’d rather die than be caught by you.”

“Captain, you don't have to say that...” 

Sirinna tried to stop Diniger when he tried to talk back aggressively.

Kang Mu-hyuk caught on quickly to Diniger’s situation from his reaction alone.

“So your family is being held hostage.” 

Kang Mu-hyuk was all too familiar with how Uyghurs were treated in China. Though not officially enslaved, they were often used like slaves. The Hunter industry was no exception. They were the card they’d given up on and used as sacrifices anytime. Uyghur Hunters were seen as disposable shields during retreats from powerful monsters while others ran. They didn’t care how many Uyghur Hunters died.

Naturally, to force such sacrifices, the Chinese needed strong leverage. In this case, hostages were the perfect tool to ensure their compliance.

“If you know, that makes this conversation easier. We’re grateful for you saving our lives, but we can’t offer any further cooperation. We’re sorry.” 

“What I want is testimony regarding the Yellow Dragon Guild’s Gate opener and I want you to testify that they activated it to open the Jirin City Gate.”

Kang Mu-hyuk cut straight to the point, disregarding any resistance from the other party.

‘He’s not a generous guy. Maybe dying would be better.’ 

After all, wouldn’t that be the only way to ensure his family’s safety? Sirinnai, noticing Dinigar’s darkened expression, quickly chimed in, almost as if to excuse herself.

“Even if we testify, without evidence, it will just look like a baseless claim.”

In response, Kang Mu-hyuk tossed a thick document onto Sirinnai’s bed.

“What’s this?”

“Evidence. It’s the Gate opener’s data.”

Dinigar grabbed the papers before Sirinnai could react. As he scanned through the densely written text, diagrams, and sketches, his disbelief grew. “Oh my God,.”

“This level of detailed internal information… Did you plant a spy in the Yellow Dragon Guild?”

“It found its way to me somehow.”

“This is far too detailed to just ‘find’ its way to you.”

“There’s also the switch machine.”

“Machine...?” Dinigar asked, his confusion evident.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“The only place to secure the switch was at the Jiri Gate. But the entire city was obliterated during the battle between the Reaper and the Evil Demon(Shimwol). Even if remnants of the switch survived, the actual mechanism couldn’t have remained intact.”

“Kamensky took away the switch before the battle. If you saw anything resembling it, it’s probably just the casing. The main unit has already been moved to a safe location.”

The circuit breaker data, the machine, and witnesses made for undeniable evidence.

Still, Dinigar was unmoved.

“Even with all this evidence, my stance won’t change. You might as well kill me.”

“You seem to value your life very little.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Better me than my family. At least they’ll live comfortably. The guild will ensure they have food and shelter.”

Without a word, Kang Mu-hyuk handed over another document.

“What’s this?”

“A report from the United Nations Hunter Bureau detailing what happens to the families of deceased Uyghur Hunters. Some of it involves the incidents in the Yellow Dragon Guild.”

With trembling hands, Dinigar opened the report. As he read on, his pace quickened until he was flipping pages rapidly, eventually focusing on the attached photographs. Then his hands stopped abruptly.

Sirinnai, watching from the side, widened her eyes at a particular photo. She got out of bed despite her weakened state, snatched the document, and started reading it herself.

“These pictures… Are they real? Is this really happening?” 

“Do you know him?”

“This is Burhan’s family, the captain of the 3rd expedition team,” Dinigar answered.

Kang Mu-hyuk expressed regret.

“My deepest condolences. Unfortunately, there were no survivors from Burhan’s family.”

The report said Burhan’s family had received a small condolence payment and a few months’ worth of subsidies after his death. But when the payments stopped, their livelihood became uncertain. Then, when Burhan’s only son awakened as a Hunter, he was conscripted into another guild and suffered the same fate as his father—the report said he lost his life.

Worse, in his case, there was no consolation money or subsidy whatsoever.

“I hate to say it, but the only difference here is timing. This is the likely fate awaiting your families. If you doubt me, I can discreetly investigate their current situation. I’ll confirm how they’re being treated and whether they’re receiving proper support.”

Diniger and Sirinnai stared blankly at the report, too shocked to process what they were seeing. The reason they had been willing to risk their lives at the Gate was their unwavering belief that the guild would protect their families in the event of their deaths. 

That belief had been shattered. So they muttered not knowing what to do.

“So what do you want us to do? And even if we do it, will our families be safe?”

“If you cooperate, there’s a chance you can reunite with your families safely.” 

Kang Mu-hyuk said it hopefully. But Diniger couldn’t see it that way. Ever since being forcibly conscripted into the Yellow Dragon Guild, hope had become nothing more than a cruel illusion.

Hunting monsters, collecting loot, and sending the rewards back to support his family—“At least we’re better off than other Uyghurs,” he had thought. “We might not be rich, but at least we have what we need to survive.”

He had spent his life brainwashing himself like that. They had gone through too many tragedies. Kang Mu-hyuk’s words and the truth in the report were too much to accept all at once.

“I guess you need some time to think about it. I’d like to give you more time, but our circumstances are urgent. Please make a decision by tomorrow.”

Without pressuring them further, Kang Mu-hyuk left the hospital room. It was clear that the night ahead would be long and restless for Diniger and Sirinnai.

***

“What’s the situation in Khabarovsk?” Kang Mu-hyuk asked over the phone. 

Kamensky, on the other end, answered, biting his lip, “There’s a perfect Korean expression for this: it’s absolutely fucked. I can’t even go inside. I’m just stuck circling around the outskirts. No matter how suicidal I might feel, stepping in there is a guaranteed death sentence.”

“Sounds just like our simulation.”

“Exactly. We’d need to deploy at least four S-rank Hunters, assemble a top-tier support team, and max out every piece of equipment just to have a fighting chance.”

Kamensky’s gaze shifted toward the Amur River basin, now transformed into a massive lake. The sheer power of the dragon race had redirected the flow of the river itself.

Kamensky, who hadn’t been a high-ranking Hunter during the Great War, had never faced the Dragon Race directly. All he knew came from stories about the Nine Dragons' Tomb.

Frustrated, Kamensky changed the subject.

“Anyway, I doubt you called just to discuss a raid that’s impossible right now. Why did you call?”

-The item from the Jirin City Gate—the Yellow Dragon Guild’s machine that you’ve hidden.

“…”

“I’d like to take it off your hands.”