Now, I Will Share My Vision
Lee Cheol-jung visited his favorite sushi spot after a long time. He found the reserved seat and sat down. It was a late lunch, so even this small restaurant felt empty and quiet.
A moment later, he heard someone approaching the seat beside him. He poured a glass from the bottle of sake he'd ordered in advance and greeted his companion.
"How was I supposed to know you wanted to meet here last time?"
"You knew and came anyway, didn't you? What's this? Drinking already? The sun's still high in the sky."
Kang Moo-hyuk smoothly accepted the glass Lee Cheol-jung offered. The two ordered sushi and clinked glasses a couple rounds, using radish as a side dish.
"Now that we've wet our throats, spill it. You didn't call me here for nothing."
"The vice guild master is planning to hold a shareholders' meeting soon."
"To take my spot, right? He's always been gunning for it. Nothing surprising there."
"This time it's different. Union Asset Management has teamed up with him to push for a new board of directors. It's all leading to replacing the guild master. One of the guild master's allies has probably flipped to their side too. I don't know the details internally, but check the ones who've been keeping their distance lately."
"No need to investigate. It's obvious—those Dynamic Collection bastards. No wonder they've been dodging drinks lately. Damn, I thought they were just watching their health after all that boozing... Anyway, how'd you find out? You're someone who left the guild ages ago."
Kang Moo-hyuk met Lee Cheol-jung's gaze sidelong. His voice was calm, but his eyes held suspicion.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact nature, but it was the proper vigilance for a guild master. That seat demanded constant doubt to hold onto. Knowing that, Kang Moo-hyuk felt no offense or bitterness.
His own eyes were probably much the same.
"Circumstances drew me in. In sorting that out, I made a deal with the vice guild master. Used Union to snag some real gains."
"And that works out pretty badly for me, I take it?"
"Yes. You won't be able to let this one slide. I'm sorry to be the one telling you."
Lee Cheol-jung let out a low sigh. He fully grasped Kang Moo-hyuk's meaning.
As Iron Will's expedition leader, he'd made that call. And sharing it now was consideration for old ties.
"I heard the HR team's been busy. Knew Iron Will was the target too. Figured the vice guild master was just settling a score with you. So I let it be. No point clashing with him right then—not when timing was everything. I planned to bide my time. So who can I blame? No right to gripe about loyalty."
"No need to apologize. It's the natural choice for running a guild."
"You don't regret it either, then."
"It was a fair deal, and the smart play. For both me and the guild master."
Lee Cheol-jung silently raised his glass to Kang Moo-hyuk. Kang Moo-hyuk clinked his lightly against it. With a faint clink, they downed the rest in one go.
The sushi arrived right on cue, but Lee Cheol-jung didn't touch a single piece as he started to stand.
"Thanks for the heads-up. Blocking this won't end the fight anyway. We'd clash sooner or later. I'll figure something out."
"Time's short. You won't glide through this unscathed."
"Can't just take the beating because time's against me."
"Then buy some time."
"Hm. You're not one for empty talk. You've got a plan, don't you? What is it?"
Kang Moo-hyuk handed over a slip of paper.
Lee Cheol-jung unfolded the twice-folded note to reveal a phone number scribbled inside.
"It's a bit sleazy, but effective... You've heard of 'shareholder disruptors,' right?"
He knew what they were, which only made Lee Cheol-jung tilt his head in greater confusion.
Shareholder disruptors were small investors who showed up to meetings, disrupted proceedings, and demanded payoffs.
They haunted sensitive shareholder meetings like ghosts, stirring chaos.
"Those clowns only work on regular companies. Pull that shit at a public guild and they'd know exactly what fate awaits."
"There's a group of hunters who do it. They contract for specific purposes at public guild meetings. Decent ranks too. Try forcing them out, and the chairman turns into a battlefield. Even the vice guild master won't risk it. It'll get delayed somehow. Give them a call. Next time they'll be blocked at the door, but for this meeting, they'll wreck it guaranteed. Use that window to sway shareholders, dig up dirt, whatever."
"Heh! How do you even...?"
The disruptors Kang Moo-hyuk mentioned were another of Mr. Jo's ventures. With her face- and voice-changing doppelganger ability, she'd built a crew specializing in guild shareholder disruptions.
Dealing in info sales naturally led to odd jobs and new opportunities.
Mr. Jo had discovered plenty of public guilds wanted meetings sabotaged. Regular civilian disruptors lacked the guts to risk their lives, steering clear of guild events. She'd spotted the gap—a blue ocean—and pounced.
"Well, I've got an appointment, so I'll head out."
Kang Moo-hyuk picked up a piece of sushi, ate it, and stood. As he reached the sushi shop's entrance, Lee Cheol-jung voiced a sudden curiosity.
"Guild Leader Kang, what'd you offer Ma Tae-soo for the deal? No need if it's sensitive."
"One hunter transfer."
"Who?"
"Hunter Lee Jin-joo."
"What?! Lee Jin-joo? Come on, that's not right."
"Just sign the transfer consent later. That squares us."
"Hey, wait!"
"Guild Leader Kang... Oh right, you're the expedition leader now? Anyway, never thought you'd want to meet me. What's up?"
"Hunter Lee Jin-joo. Straight to the point: transfer to Iron Will. Thoughts?"
"......"
Lee Jin-joo gaped, at a loss for words. It was completely unexpected—no, utterly nonsensical. From Titan, eyeing tier guilds, to Iron Will, barely scraping C-grade at best.
Iron Will had gained some buzz lately, sure, but compared to Titan, it was a firefly to the moon.
They had one of the world's rare monster-riding stables, making them promising, but guilds spoke through strength and results. Most results came from gate hunts.
And Iron Will fell woefully short there.
"You thought I'd take that offer? Man, leaving Titan must've dulled your senses, Leader Kang. Grab any hunter outside and ask. Hell, ask civilians. Titan or Iron Will? A hundred out of a hundred pick Titan."
"I know. A hundred out of a hundred, a thousand out of a thousand—Titan. But if one of those hundred or thousand is you, Hunter Lee Jin-joo, that one picks Iron Will."
Lee Jin-joo tensed at Kang Moo-hyuk's subtle tone.
She was ambitious, aiming to be the first female expedition leader in a tier guild.
Thus, she was sensitive to colleagues' moods, family matters, everything. Climbing required not just skill, but support from those below.
Kang Moo-hyuk waited for her to read the room, then spoke again.
"Check when you get back to the guild, but the vice guild master's pushing an emergency shareholders' meeting soon."
"Nothing special there. When has he not eyed the guild master's seat?"
"Union Asset Management and a few other shareholders are backing him."
"!!"
"And rumors say Ma Tae-sik's returning to expeditions. The incident where you handled him soured things with the vice guild master, right?"
"Asking like a sly fox now—you're sounding like the old team leader."
"Even if he becomes guild master, he won't boot a skilled hunter like you right away. Eyes watching and all. He'll honor the contract at least. But kiss expedition leader goodbye. Unless you switch guilds. And even then, displacing an insider won't be easy."
"So?"
"This transfer's already in motion between me and the vice guild master. Otherwise, I'd never openly meet a Titan hunter."
Lee Jin-joo let out an involuntary groan. If talks had progressed this far, the vice guild master's intent was clear: she was a problem. Indirectly telling her to leave.
'Leader Kang Moo-hyuk isn't one to lie. No point in bullshit that'd unravel with a quick check.'
She trusted the former strategic team leader's credibility.
Knowing the full backstory of how he'd arranged her transfer might irk her, but paradoxically, she trusted his handling enough not to dwell.
Even if she knew, it wouldn't change much.
Kang Moo-hyuk drove it home.
"The guild master will sign the transfer consent too."
"E-even the guild master...?"
"Of course, only if Hunter Lee Jin-joo agrees to transfer."
Lee Jin-joo's face darkened. Quick calculations showed her predicament crystal clear. Expedition leader was off the table.
Given Ma Tae-sik's temperament, he'd strut with his brother's backing as guild master.
The current leader, ever attuned to guild politics, might turn a blind eye to protect the team.
The obvious future made her squeeze her eyes shut.
"That's the situation rundown. Now, I will share my vision."
Strangely, from that moment, Kang Moo-hyuk's voice started sounding sweet.
"I've dismissed Iron Will's current expedition leader. The spot's open. We'll nominate you, Hunter Lee Jin-joo. The old team is disbanded; the new one forms around you. Just like how I tailored your old hunting style."
Lee Jin-joo's expression eased. She trusted Kang Moo-hyuk's prowess in guild and hunting matters.
She'd benefited first-hand. Despite her mage traits and ranged combat woes, he'd repositioned her as a magic swordsman, making her expedition core.
She found herself leaning in for his next words.
"Iron Will's base is a special zone, far from gates, but we won't ignore conquests. We'll partner with struggling guilds for steady experience. Plus, under Guild Master Joo Se-ah's guidance, you'll hone combat skills and red gate know-how. I'll support expedition strategy and ops too, of course."
Lee Jin-joo latched onto Joo Se-ah's name. Younger, but Korea's strongest hunter—truly the pinnacle. As a fellow female hunter, she admired her.
The guild's scale had given her pause at first, but with her mind tilting, Joo Se-ah's presence loomed large.
"Not bad. If it goes to plan. But reaching Iron Will's targets will take ages, won't it? Even then, building a successful expedition seems a stretch."
"I've got a plan to slash that timeline."
"A plan? Really? If possible, other guilds wouldn't be floundering."
"Expedition tactics need training, so time there. But elevating the guild's numbers and quality overall? Starts right after your transfer. Sounds cliché, but trust me and join Iron Will."
Kang Moo-hyuk's gaze held steady.
Before she knew it, Lee Jin-joo was nodding.