Once they passed the critical point, Mir’s charge was unstoppable.
[ Mir Guild clears 3rd Round with the shortest record. ]
[ MVP Mountain King Kim Jong-pil tells the Secretariat, “From now on, give MVP to the younger ones,” showing weighty leadership. ]
•
•
[ 4R) “Ginkgo Tribe Orc Village” — Mir Guild breaks the record again ]
[ “It’s a beautiful night~!” Lee Hye-jeong, who became MVP with a score of 8.8, captivates fans with dazzling moves! ]
•
•
[ Again! Again! Time record broken! ]
[ 5th Round’s star Park Su-bin (MVP): “Always thankful, boss.” ]
[ How long will Mir Guild’s record-breaking spree continue? ]
Shortest time, most kills, and more.
In every raided gate, the two characters “Mir” were engraved at the very top with destructive results.
Their followers wept aloud.
└ I can’t believe it ㅠㅠ We’re number 1ㅠㅠ
└ Is it okay to be this happyㅜㅠㅠ
└ Thank you, Lee Shin-nimㅠㅠㅠ
There’s no point in doubting any further.
The dragon has awakened.
[ Insiders say, “Mir Guild is an invasive species in League 4’s ecosystem.” ]
[ Shift in temperature, guilds expected to be promoted are on high alert!! ]
[ Will Lee Shin’s Mir Guild really pull it off? ]
And from this, Lee Myung-hwan realized that he had to take countermeasures.
•
•
“I’ll have to make a move.”
Lee Myung-hwan spoke nonchalantly while cutting his steak.
Though it was quite a spacious restaurant, they were the only two customers. Across from him, Jung Sumi swallowed her food and tilted her head, as if asking what he meant.
“What move? Cutting meat with your hands? Give it here, I’ll cut it for you.”
“No. Lee Shin. Mir Guild. That one.”
“……Are you drunk?”
“I’m sober.”
For some people, when irritation and anger pass a certain threshold, they actually become cold.
Irritation is proof that something isn’t going well, and anger is another face of crisis.
The common point is that, when the real problem comes, both are useless.
In the face of crisis, he was terrifyingly rational—this was another side of Lee Myung-hwan.
“I’ve been emotional until now. Whatever Lee Shin’s usual behavior is like, he’s built a pretty decent guild and even recruited the Mountain King.”
“……Well, that’s true.”
“Even if you call breaking all the records in the first round luck, if he did the same in the second round where everyone doubted him, that’s skill.”
“Are you trying to say my judgment was wrong?”
“You weren’t the only one wrong. I was wrong too. Everyone was.”
Lee Myung-hwan wiped his mouth with a napkin and lifted his water glass—despite having wine right next to him.
“We were all fooled by Lee Shin’s image.”
“Isn’t that a bit of a leap? You’re saying Lee Shin planned and moved all of this?”
“I don’t know. It could be a leap, or it could be a plan. But does that matter?”
Does that matter?
At those words, Jung Sumi paused too.
“You’re right. That’s not what matters. The results are what they are.”
Come to think of it, that was true.
As someone who dealt with information, when did she go from looking at results first to focusing on the process?
Whatever the reason, Lee Shin had produced results, and whether they were planned or a trick didn’t matter at all.
“Feels like I just got splashed with cold water. Gives me chills. Why did I miss something like this?”
“He’s been like that since long ago. He had this suspicious knack for drawing everyone into his pace. It’s just that after causing trouble, he stopped being treated like a person.”
“It’s kind of ridiculous, but it suits him too. A man of devilish charm, maybe?”
“Devilish charm, my foot.”
Even as he said that, Lee Myung-hwan’s gaze grew colder.
Looking back, Lee Shin had always attracted the attention of those around him.
He was a superstar even in kindergarten, and despite being at the bottom of the class academically, he had never lost a school president election.
After class, his classroom would be full, and after school, the front gate would be crowded with members of the opposite sex coming to see him.
Among them was a current top idol dominating the K-pop charts, an actor from a 10-million-view movie, and—
Unfortunately—Lee Myung-hwan’s first girlfriend.
“……Damn it.”
“What?”
“A shitty dark history just came to mind.”
Even that devil-like grandfather of his had shown affection only to Lee Shin—says it all.
“Anyway, enough pointless talk. Remember what I told you before?”
“What was it? ‘Potion,’ right? I think I told you not to overreact to it.”
“Start the work immediately.”
“It’s going to cost quite a bit. Are you okay with that?”
“Heh. I’m Lee Myung-hwan. Lee Myung-hwan of the LeeDo Group. Throwing money around isn’t his only weapon.”
He admitted it honestly—
Losing the Mountain King had pissed him off so much it narrowed his vision.
I’m League 2, you’re only League 4—so I got complacent.
‘Now I’ll give it my all too.’
Lee Myung-hwan chewed the roughly cut steak.
This time, he wouldn’t lose. No matter what!
________________________________________
Mir Guild’s representative office.
“Mmm~”
“The fan cafe’s remodeling is almost complete. The merch will be announced the day after tomorrow. As for today’s schedule…”
“Ahhh~”
“Ha… you’re distracting me… Is your ear itchy? Should I get you a cotton swab?”
“No, my ear’s too itchy. Is someone talking bad about me? Oh, oh, could it be! A conspiracy by evil forces jealous of this body’s genius?!”
“I don’t think you need to go as far as ‘evil forces.’ For starters, me.”
“No wonder your gaze’s been impure lately. I’ve been raising a tiger cub!”
“Kidding aside, do you think you wouldn’t get criticized doing interviews like that? Here’s your cotton swab.”
“Thanks.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Separate from the legendary run Mir Guild was making in League 4, Lee Shin’s mouth still spewed brimstone like hellfire, so being cursed at was almost a given.
Lee Shin snapped his fingers, tossing the cotton swab into the trash, and leaned back in his chair.
“Anyway, we said we’d consult with the raid team. When are they coming? With 14 people, we need to move quickly.”
“They should be here soon.”
— Knock knock.
“They’re here.”
Chae Dong-ha, who had been on the sofa, straightened his clothes and opened the door.
The first raid team member to be consulted entered after bowing deeply.
They moved stiffly, like a broken robot—clearly nervous.
“Please, have a seat, Hunter. Have you eaten?”
“Y-Yes! I have!”
“Haha, don’t be nervous. This is just a routine consultation. Just asking if there’s anything bothering you, if you need anything. No need to feel pressured—just relax. Relax~”
In fact, smooth communication with affiliated hunters is considered one of the most important duties of a guild master.
Generally, if the front office is responsible for the guild’s management and supply, then the raid party is the guild’s weapon.
And because a weapon is a deadly tool, it requires constant and meticulous maintenance.
Just like drying a weapon in the sun, one must be able to ease the hunters’ razor-sharp nerves through conversation, or like sharpening it on a whetstone, create tension to raise combat capability—only then can one be called an excellent guild master.
In that sense, Lee Shin is not just excellent, but perfect.
Because he has the “Growth Management Window,” which lets him know all of their “stories” and, at the same time, objectively understand their current situations better than anyone—perhaps even better than they do themselves.
“Mmm, so it’s about your girlfriend… If you’re fine with it, getting married early is one option. The right amount of responsibility can be motivating for a hunter. You can look forward to the congratulatory gift money. Hehe.”
“You didn’t know you always step with your right foot first in battle, did you? I recommend asking the analysis team leader to replay some footage. Sometimes you feel the timing is off, right? It’s all because of your habit of leading with your right foot. Keep that in mind.”
Of course, since he had set his growth policy around focus and selection, he didn’t use “points” to raise their stats directly, but now Lee Shin had almost completely adapted to this world.
This place is a game, but it is also clearly reality, and there are advantages that can only be utilized in reality.
If you use the gap between game and reality properly, you can at least guide the direction of growth.
Most of all, Lee Shin knows their final evolved forms—sadly, even the limits of their growth.
So, just teaching them the path without any waste is like giving them a perfect, laser-focused lecture that money can’t buy.
However—
No matter how excellent the advice, if they don’t listen, it’s useless.
Well, he’s told them; does he really have to worry beyond that?
“Consultation over! You can head out. Vice leader, next one.”
Opportunity smiles upon those who work hard.
For them, Lee Shin’s very existence was an opportunity, and whether they seized it or not was their decision.
And so, as the people sitting across from Lee Shin were replaced one after another, the consultations progressed quickly, and at last, the turn came for the ones Lee Shin was truly waiting for.
“Uh…”
“Bokchi, wait outside. You’re going to see me later anyway, right?”
“Yes…”
As soon as the door creaked open, Park Su-bin slipped out.
The way he opened the door was timid, and the way he closed it was just as timid.
Considering how much he’d achieved, you’d think he’d have gained some confidence, but the “curse” wasn’t for nothing.
Until the negative traits are erased, the points he’s saved can’t be used to grow him, so Lee Shin could only look regretfully at the unrelated card packs.
※ Silver Card Pack (Trait) × 3
※ Silver Card Pack (Growth) × 1
“As expected, League 4 rewards are stingy.”
It was only because it was his first raid bonus that a “Gold Card Pack” had appeared; in League 4, the best you could normally get was silver.
And even those were given only because they’d smashed the gate record—otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten those either.
To erase Bokchi negative traits, you need at least an A-rank trait. From a Silver Card Pack, the best you can get is B-rank. Until you collect ten and combine them into an A-rank, it’s unfortunately the ‘endurance meta.’
It was a pity, but nothing could be done.
Just as he was thinking that, the next person’s turn came.
A man with a confident stride, Park Jung-seok, greeted Lee Shin.
“Hello, sir.”
“Good to see you, Hunter Jung-seok. Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m fine.”
Aside from the Mountain King, the three most talked-about hunters in the Mir Guild at the moment were Park Su-bin, Park Jung-seok, and Lee Hye-jeong.
Among them, Park Jung-seok’s value was by far the highest, being a tank with excellent footwork—a style currently in vogue.
As proof, not only several League 4 guilds but even some League 3 guilds had inquired about him.
As always, Lee Shin asked first.
Was there anything he needed, or anything uncomfortable?
To this, Park Jung-seok answered while maintaining a very disciplined posture.
“I’m fine. Life in the guild could not be more perfect.”
“Really? Honestly, don’t you get a bit bored? We’re so out in the sticks. For a young hunter like you, Jung-seok, it could be dull. Hehe, actually, I’m talking about myself. There’s nothing to do here.”
“I’ve always preferred quiet places over bustling ones. And there’s no environment better than ours for training.”
“Come on, you’re just saying that to make me feel good, aren’t you? If that was your intention, you succeeded. See? My lips are smiling.”
“I mean it.”
Lee Shin smiled brightly and gave a few more pieces of advice.
“I hear you’re putting on weight—may I ask why?”
“I thought my build was too small for a tank.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. I think that’s actually your strength, Hunter Jung-seok.”
Park Jung-seok is what’s called an “evasion-type tank” with good footwork.
Such tanks are less about holding the formation for allies and more about being placed at the very front alone, tanking while simultaneously breaking the enemy’s formation. In fact, in the Mir Guild, he was being used in this utility role in coordination with Park Su-bin, the defensive caster.
Thanks to this, “Drop-it” Park Jung-seok—who in his previous guild had been notorious for losing monsters due to hopeless positioning—had suddenly become a rising star of League 4.
“I would actually advise you to slim down even more than now.”
“Understood.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jung-seok nodded in agreement, and Lee Shin stared at him for a moment.
It was almost too predictable.
Lee Shin asked on a hunch.
“You picked me, so it must be the right thing to do.”
“How can it be such a perfect match?”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Depending on how you see it, Park Jung-seok was almost obsequiously loyal—probably the ideal example of a hunter every guild master wanted.
However—
When the consultation ended, the next person after him, Lee Hye-jeong, was the complete opposite.
“Well, I don’t quite see it that way.”
