Lee Cheoljung visited his regular sushi restaurant for the first ti in a while. He found his reserved seat and sat down. It was a late lunch, and despite being a small restaurant, it was quite empty.
A little later, he heard soone approaching the next table. He poured a glass of the alcohol he'd pre-ordered and greeted the person.
"How was I supposed to know if you said to et there last ti?"
"You knew, didn't you? What's this? Drinking already? It's still broad daylight."
Kang Mu-hyuk naturally accepted the glass offered by Lee Cheoljung. They ordered sushi and shared the bottle of sake, taking turns to toast.
"You've wet your lips now, so tell . You didn't just call for nothing."
"Vice Guild Master will soon hold a shareholders' eting."
"Without telling ? It's always been his plan, so I'm not surprised."
"This ti it's different. Union Asset Managent is joining hands with Vice Guild Master to form a new board of directors. They are planning to replace the guild leader. Probably one of the guild leader's sides has already sided with them. I don't know everything about the internal situation, but check your side that has been keeping their distance lately."
"I don't need to look into it; it must be the Dynamic Collection guys. No wonder they've been avoiding drinking with lately. Damn, I thought they were just scared of my drinking. Anyway, how did you know about this? You left the guild quite a while ago."
Kang Mu-hyuk glanced sideways into Lee Cheoljung's eyes. His voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with suspicion.
It was an attitude befitting a guild leader; a position that required constant vigilance. Knowing this, he was neither particularly hurt nor upset.
He himself likely had a similar perspective.
"I happened to get involved. In the process of resolving the matter, I made a deal with the Vice Guild Master. I secured so benefits using the Union."
"Seems like this will work against quite a bit?"
"Yes. It may be hard for you to ignore this ti. I'm sorry to have to tell you this."
Lee Cheoljung let out a low sigh. He fully understood what Kang Mu-hyuk ant.
The fact that he had made such a decision as the leader of the Iron Will guild. And telling him about it was a consideration, out of old loyalty.
"I heard the HR team was moving actively. I knew Iron Will was the target too. I thought the Vice Guild Master was simply plotting revenge against you. So I left it alone. It wasn't the ti to butt heads with the Vice Guild Master. I wanted to wait for the right ti. So, I can't bla anyone or complain about disloyalty."
"You have nothing to apologize for. It was a natural choice in your position."
"You aren't sorry either, I suppose."
"It was a fair deal, and I thought it was profitable. For both and the guild master."
Lee Cheoljung silently raised his glass to Kang Mu-hyuk. Kang Mu-hyuk also lifted his glass and clinked it lightly. Clink. They drained the remaining alcohol in one go.
The sushi they had ordered arrived, but Lee Cheoljung didn't even pick up a piece. He was about to stand up.
"Thanks for letting know. But stopping this fight now won't put an end to it entirely. We were bound to clash at so point. I'll have to find a way."
"There's not much ti. It'll be hard to get through this unscathed."
"We can't just fall apart because we're short on ti."
"We have to buy ti."
"Hmm, you're not one to talk nonsense. You must have a way. How?"
Kang Mu-hyuk handed over a note.
As Lee Cheoljung unfolded the twice-folded paper, a phone number was written inside.
"It's a bit of a crude thod, but it's effective... You've probably heard of the 'proxy disruptors.'"
Lee Cheoljung knew what proxy disruptors were, so he tilted his head in confusion.
Proxy disruptors were those among small shareholders who attended shareholder etings and demanded money for obstructing the proceedings, especially in shareholder etings where sensitive issues were abundant. They caused havoc like ghosts.
"They might work with regular companies. But if they pull that stunt with a listed guild, they know exactly what will happen, don't they?"
"There's a group of proxy disruptors made up of Hunters. They contract with listed guilds for special purposes during shareholder etings. They're pretty high-ranked. If you try to force them out, the eting hall will be destroyed, so even the high-ranking mbers can't recklessly interfere. They will delay it sohow. Give them a call. You'll be blocked from the entrance next ti, but this eting will surely be disrupted. anwhile, persuade the shareholders or find another way, to exploit weaknesses."
"Heh! How did you even...?"
The proxy disruptors Kang Mu-hyuk referred to, were another business of a woman known as Mister Jo. With her ability to change faces and voices, she organized a team to obstruct guild shareholder etings.
In her business of selling information, she had stumbled upon various requests and discovered a new business opportunity.
Mister Jo found that there were surprisingly many listed guilds who wanted to obstruct shareholder etings. But ordinary proxy disruptors didn't dare risk their lives to interfere, so they didn't even venture near guild shareholder etings. She had discovered a blue ocean in that niche market and couldn't just let it pass.
"Anyway, I have an appointnt, so I'll get up now."
Kang Mu-hyuk picked up a piece of sushi and stood up. As he was about to leave the sushi restaurant, Lee Cheoljung suddenly beca curious.
"Guild Leader Kang, what did you trade with Ma Taesu? If it's hard to tell, you don't have to."
"The transfer of a Hunter."
"Who?"
"Hunter Lee Jin-joo."
"What?! Lee Jin-joo? Hey, that's not right."
"Sign the transfer agreent later. Let's consider this debt paid."
"Hey, hey!"
...
"Team Leader Kang... or should I say Guild Leader now? Anyway, I didn't expect you to want to et . What's the matter?"
"Hunter Lee Jin-joo. I'll get straight to the point. A transfer to Iron Will. What do you think?"
"..."
Lee Jin-joo was montarily at a loss for words and faltered. It was a proposal she hadn't anticipated at all. No, it was an absurd proposal to begin with. To move from the Titan, which was viewed as the next Tier-ed Guild, to Iron Will, treated at best as a C-rank?
Iron Will had been gaining so fa lately, but compared to the Titan, it was like a firefly under the moon.
Certainly, Iron Will had potential, possessing one of the few monster breeding farms in the world. However, a guild's worth was spoken through skill and achievent. Most of those achievents ca from Gate hunting.
Iron Will was decidedly lacking when it ca to achievents.
"You think I would accept that proposal? My goodness, Guild Leader Kang, since you left Titan, your judgnt has been off. Go outside and ask any Hunter. No, ask ordinary people if you want. Ask them which one they would choose. A hundred out of a hundred would choose Titan."
"I understand. A hundred out of a hundred, a thousand out of a thousand would be Titan. But if Hunter Lee Jin-joo was one of those hundred or thousand, she would have no choice but to choose Iron Will."
Lee Jin-joo paid close attention to Kang Mu-Hyuk's subtle tone.
She was an ambitious Hunter, aiming to beco a Tier-ed Guild's first female expedition leader.
Therefore, she was sensitive to the interests, family affairs, or moods of those around her. To climb higher, not only individual skill but also the support of the Hunters backing her was important.
Kang Mu-Hyuk, waiting for her to gauge the atmosphere, opened his mouth again.
"If you return to the guild and confirm it, you'll see that a temporary general eting will soon be held at the request of the Vice-Guild Master."
"Nothing special, that's obvious news. When has the Vice-Guild Master not coveted the Guild Master's position?"
"A few shareholders, including Union Asset Managent, have agreed to support the Vice-Guild Master."
"!!"
"And there's a rumor that Ma Taesik is returning to the expedition. It's awkward between you and the Vice Guild Master since the incident when he was attacked, isn't it?"
"Even knowing that, you ask like a snake. Now you're finally acting like the old team leader."
"The Vice Guild Master won't imdiately expel a Hunter with the skill of Hunter Lee Jin-joo if he becos Guild Master. He has so discernnt. He'll at least honor the contract period. But you'll have to give up the expedition leader position. Unless you go to another guild. Even if you do, it won't be easy to remove a stuck stone that rolled in midway."
"So?"
"This transfer matter has already been discussed between the Vice Guild Master and . Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to et a Titan-affiliated Hunter openly."
Lee Jin-joo involuntarily groaned. If the conversation had co this far, the Vice Guild Master's intent was clear. A statent that she was inconvenient. An indirect way of telling Lee Jin-joo to leave.
'Guild Leader Kang Mu-Hyuk is not a liar. If I look into it even a little, it will soon be revealed. He won't lie about sothing that can easily be uncovered.'
Lee Jin-joo trusted the credibility of the forr Strategy and Tactics team leader.
If she had known how Kang Mu-Hyuk had arranged her transfer and the story behind it, she would have been displeased, but paradoxically, she trusted his handling of the matter, so she didn't worry about it.
Certainly, even if she had known, it probably wouldn't have changed much.
Kang Mu-hyuk spoke with finality.
"The Guild Master will also sign the transfer agreent."
"The, the Guild Master too...?"
"Of course, that's only possible if Hunter Lee Jin-joo agrees to the transfer."
Lee Jin-joo's face darkened. Being quick-witted, she understood her situation in an instant. The current expedition team leader was lost for sure.
According to Ma Taesu's nature, once he beca the Guild Master, he would ride on that authority and throw his weight around.
The current expedition team leader, being extrely sensitive to guild politics, might have pretended ignorance and been consistent in doing so.
She tightly closed her eyes at the too-obviously foreseeable future.
"That's enough for the situation explanation. Now I will tell you about the plan."
Strangely, from that mont on, Kang Mu-hyuk's voice began to sound sweet.
"We've dismissed Iron Will's current expedition team leader. The position is vacant. We'll nominate Hunter Lee Jin-joo for that place. We've also disbanded the existing expedition team, and we'll form a new one centered around Hunter Lee Jin-joo. Just like we coordinated your hunting style before."
Lee Jin-joo's complexion relaxed. She had confidence in Kang Mu-hyuk's abilities when it ca to guilds and hunting.
She herself had benefited from those abilities right away. She had been a magic swordsman, cursed with short-range combat despite having magic abilities, and Team Leader Kang had repositioned her as the core of the expedition.
She found herself naturally paying attention to Kang Mu-hyuk's continuing words.
"Iron Will's base is a Special Activities Zone, so it's far from the Gates, but we won't neglect the Gate conquest. First, we'll accumulate experience by forming alliances with guilds struggling with Gate conquest. Additionally, we'll help Hunter Lee Jin-joo learn combat abilities and Red Gate know-how through Guild Master Ju Se-ah's guidance. Of course, I'll also support expedition strategy and operation."
Lee Jin-joo focused on the na Ju Se-ah. A Hunter younger than herself, but stronger than anyone in South Korea. A Hunter worthy of the title of the strongest, and one she respected, especially as a fellow female Hunter.
Initially hesitant about Iron Will's scale, the presence of Ju Se-ah weighed heavily once her mind inclined slightly.
"Well, it's not bad. If it goes as planned. But doesn't Iron Will need too much ti to reach the target level? Even if we reach that level, it seems like it will be inadequate to successfully form an expedition team."
"We have a plan that will considerably shorten that ti."
"A plan? Really? Is that even possible? If it's possible, other guilds wouldn't be begging like that."
"While establishing expedition tactics is a matter of training and will take ti, we intend to start a plan for the overall quantitative and qualitative improvent of the guild imdiately after Hunter Lee Jin-joo's transfer. It may sound clich, but please trust and transfer to Iron Will."
There was no wavering in Kang Mu-hyuk's eyes.
Before she knew it, Lee Jin-joo was nodding her head.",
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