Chapter 214: Impatience or Agility?

Episode 214

The alarm bells started blaring throughout the building.

Yoo Jun-ho immediately jumped to his feet.

“I’ll go check it out myself.”

“No!”

Yong Hangil shouted, stopping him.

“It could be a trap, like the Graham incident. Let the others handle it.”

“It could be Kim Jinsung himself.”

“Then Team Leader Hong or one of the executives will report back immediately. We can go then.”

“What if the executives are killed?”

“Trust the executives!”

Yong Hangil raised his voice.

“You’re going to lead this clan soon. Do you think it’s appropriate for you to personally intervene every time something happens?!

A clan leader should trust and delegate to their subordinates! How do you plan to lead the Korean Clan, with over a thousand members, with that mindset?!”

Yoo Jun-ho reluctantly sat back down, chastised.

At that moment, the phone on the desk rang.

Yong Hangil switched to speakerphone mode and answered,

“Yes.”

– It’s Team Leader Hong. We’ve confirmed that unidentified enemies breached the outer wall and then fled.

“They all fled?”

– Yes. It seems their goal was to provoke us.

“Understood.”

He hung up the phone and said in a calmer voice,

“See? It’s highly unlikely that the attackers were Ukobachi. They’re probably trying to provoke us into leaving the headquarters.”

“……”

“You haven’t forgotten that the entire New Continent is in chaos after Graham’s death, have you?”

“…I know.”

The Paladin headquarters had fallen!

Even Graham, the Paladin Director, was dead!

The news spread throughout the New Continent like wildfire, igniting the flames of rebellion among all the ‘anti-government groups’ that had been lying low.

Terrorist attacks were happening all over the New Continent, including the capital.

But with Graham and the Paladin headquarters gone, and the alliance between Major Clans fractured, there was no effective way to counter the attacks.

“We have to prioritize our own safety for the time being. That means we, the core members of the clan, need to be careful.

We can’t let the Korean Clan, the representative of Korea, suffer the same fate as the Paladins.”

“You’re right. I was being reckless.”

Yong Hangil waved his hand dismissively as Yoo Jun-ho bowed his head.

“It’s alright. But we need to do something about the alliance between the second-in-commands that you mentioned. If this situation continues, all the clans will be picked off one by one.”

“Understood. I’ll arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning. Then I’ll excuse myself.”

Yoo Jun-ho stood up to leave, but then he hesitated and said,

“Just a thought, but please refrain from discussing detailed plans out loud, Master.”

“…What do you mean?”

“What if the enemy didn’t plant a spy, but used a unique ability to share information with someone?”

“……!”

Yong Hangil’s eyes widened in realization.

‘That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?’

He mentally slapped himself.

There were countless hunters in the New Continent who possessed abilities that allowed them to monitor others by using skills.

There were over 20 such hunters in the Korean Clan alone. It was a common ability, and yet he had completely forgotten about it.

“So, I’d like to handle all matters on your behalf for the time being, Master.”

“…What?”

“I’ll report everything to you in encrypted messages. And I’ll act according to your instructions. What do you think?”

Yong Hangil’s eyes remained wide open, even after hearing his explanation.

Yoo Jun-ho was practically asking him to become a ‘regent’.

He would be the one making all the decisions, but the final authority would still rest with Yong Hangil.

“Of course, there will be rumors within the clan if you suddenly step back. Many executives still believe I’m not ready to become the Master.”

Most key figures in the New Continent already believed that Yoo Jun-ho was the next Master of the Korean Clan.

If Yong Hangil stepped back and became a ‘regent’ at this point, everyone would assume that a power shift had occurred.

It would definitely cause chaos within the Korean Clan.

“I’m not suggesting a sudden change. We’ll do it gradually, one step at a time. Until all the hunters in the clan acknowledge me.”

“Let me ask you one thing, Jun-ho.”

“…Yes?”

Yoo Jun-ho was surprised to hear him call his name.

“Are you that eager to become the Master?”

Yong Hangil’s voice was unusually soft and serious.

“I’ll say it again, you don’t need to rush. You’re guaranteed to become the Master of the Korean Clan. It’s just a matter of time.

But I feel that you’re still lacking in many areas to lead a large organization like the Korean Clan.”

His words were filled with genuine concern. Even Yoo Jun-ho could sense it.

“You still need to learn and experience more under my guidance. It’s too early for you.

There’s a time for everything. You need to be patient and wait for the right time to seize what you desire.

Don’t forget that a single act of impatience can cause the entire tower to collapse, even if it’s almost complete.”

“…Thank you, Master.”

Yoo Jun-ho bowed his head respectfully, expressing his gratitude for his sincere advice.

“But my urgency isn’t due to impatience.”

He countered, his eyes, expression, and voice serious.

“It’s because of the rapidly changing situation in the New Continent. If we don’t adapt quickly, the Korean Clan might be left behind.”

“Do you think the Korean Clan is that weak, to be left behind by such a small disturbance?”

“…Finlay and Graham are dead!”

He raised his voice in frustration.

“Graham was one of the top ten strongest Rankers in the New Continent. Is there anyone in the Korean Clan who can confidently say they’re stronger than him?”

“……”

“Our opponent is Kim Jinsung, the one who defeated Graham, Master. We can’t forget that he’s a monster who can single-handedly wipe out the entire Korean Clan.”

He slowly stood up.

“I’m willing to do everything I can to protect the Korean Clan against such a monster.

Acting quickly in this situation isn’t impatience, it’s agility, Master.”

He bowed his head and left the Master’s office.

Yong Hangil was left alone, staring at the closed door for a long time.

‘…He’s not wrong, considering the variable that is Kim Jinsung. But… he’s still too hasty.’

He was one of the oldest Major Clan Masters.

It meant he was more experienced than anyone else and had a keen eye for judging people.

Yoo Jun-ho was known as a ‘flawless hunter’.

But Yong Hangil knew that being flawless wasn’t always a good thing.

He had learned from experience that those who had only known success were more likely to fall harder and get hurt more severely when they failed.

‘I need to keep him on a tight leash. He’s bound to make a big mistake if I let him run wild.’

Fortunately, Yoo Jun-ho had a good teacher, Yong Hangil, who could rein him in.

‘I just hope he’s not too strong for me to control…’

His worries lingered for a long time.

* * *

“…He said that?”

“Yes.”

Park Do-joon answered Kim Jinsung’s question and handed him a tablet.

A document program was open on the tablet, filled with text.

It was a transcript of the conversation between Yong Hangil and Yoo Jun-ho in the Korean Clan Master’s office.

Kim Jinsung carefully read the transcript.

“…Yoo Jun-ho is smarter than I thought.”

“I know, right? I expected him to anticipate the unique ability part, but I never thought he would gather the second-in-commands for a separate meeting…”

“Your ability doesn’t work on him?”

“No, unfortunately.”

Park Do-joon looked genuinely disappointed.

“He’s only been in the New Continent for two years. And he’s only been receiving training as the Master’s successor for about six months.

It took me over two years to use my skill on Yong Hangil, so it’s not surprising.”

“Then we might not be able to find out anything about the meeting between the second-in-commands.”

“That’s a possibility. I haven’t been able to decipher the Korean Clan’s encryption yet…”

Kim Jinsung put down the tablet after reading the transcript.

“It’s alright. We’ve achieved enough. Even if the second-in-commands meet tomorrow, it’ll take a long time for all the clans in the Center Zone to unite again, like before.”

“Right. I’m sure it’ll take at least two weeks.”

“That’s enough time to completely change the structure of the New Continent.”

Park Do-joon, intrigued by his confident words, asked,

“You have another plan, don’t you?”

“It’s a plan that can only be executed while the entire New Continent is in chaos.”

“Chaos… Well, I think it’ll last for at least one or two weeks. The Paladins are still in disarray after the destruction of their headquarters.”

Kim Jinsung asked, as Park Do-joon pondered the current situation,

“How are things at the four ports?”

“The ports are done. With the Paladins gone, there’s no one left to maintain order there.”

“So it’s complete anarchy.”

“It’s practically like the B Zone.”

Kim Jinsung instantly understood the situation at the ports, hearing the word ‘B Zone’.

“That means even if we bring in clans from other continents, they won’t be able to exert their full power in the capital.”

“Well…”

Park Do-joon’s eyes widened as he realized Kim Jinsung’s intention.

“Are you planning to involve clans from other continents…?”

“Yes.”

Kim Jinsung nodded.

—