『Remember this. The league is not a 100m sprint, but a 42.195km marathon.』
― From Instructor Lee Shin’s GM Strategy Guide (Beginner Edition)
________________________________________
At the coast, the beach was surrounded by barricades, and the Mir Guild front staff were running around busily.
“Did you check the number of oxygen tanks and respirators?”
“Yes!!”
“How about IV fluids and nutritional supplements?”
“I checked… I’ll double-check!!”
“I’ll ask the PD when the clear will happen, so team leaders, you handle the medical staff yourselves. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Alright! Don’t panic when situations happen like before. Move quickly in advance. Everyone got that?”
“Yes!!”
“Yes!!”
As Chae Dong-ha shouted, the guild members ran across the beach.
The numbers were noticeably different from usual. Normally, the cleanup after a raid was handled entirely by the strategy support team, but now, each department had to be drafted to meet three times the usual staff.
‘It all started because of “that incident” a few days ago.’
A few days ago, on the day of clearing Round 32, Chae Dong-ha went to the gate to meet the strategy support team and the main raiding team.
A lunch box to soothe hunger, coffee and tea to quench thirst, guild training clothes to wear instead of battle gear dirtied with unpleasant saliva.
Preparations were no different from usual, and Chae Dong-ha was casually looking at his phone until he arrived.
But when he actually reached the gate, what awaited him was a scene that had become a total mess.
Raiding team members collapsed, exhausted on the icy winter slope.
Some had already vomited heavily and fallen like half-dead bodies.
Even the broadcasting staff, checking programs and preparing equipment, were shocked by the severity. Luckily, with quick emergency measures, things were managed, but thinking back now still makes one shiver.
‘I never imagined… “condition problems,” of all things.’
38 rounds and about six months of a long campaign, this was the schedule of League 4 that Mir Guild had to handle.
The battles in another-dimensional gates, getting covered in foul blood while fighting monsters, mentally and physically drained the hunters.
As mileage accumulated, by the later stages, even hunters skilled with magic couldn’t help but get tired.
This overall drop in form was referred to as a “condition problem.”
Chae Dong-ha, a rookie vice-captain, did not understand the seriousness of this condition problem and was being beaten up badly because of it.
He did not feel wronged. After all, it was his own fault. He could just pay more attention next time.
Chae Dong-ha tried to think positively, but it didn’t leave him completely unscathed mentally.
His gaze drifted across the beach toward Lee Shin, enjoying coffee under the coffee cart’s parasol.
‘Why does he know so much when he’s also a rookie?!’
If he were to ask Lee Shin that directly, Lee Shin would probably reply, Who are you calling a rookie?
“Hmm~ this coffee’s good.”
Lee Shin elegantly put down the teacup and looked toward the noisy scene.
“I thought it was about to explode, and just at the right time, it did.”
Condition management was such a significant part of the league that the GM’s operations would include a loading message saying, “Your league could explode at any moment. Stay alert until the end.”
How well the overworked raiding team could be cared for was crucial for the league’s successful conclusion.
For Mir Guild, this condition problem was especially critical…
At that moment, while Lee Shin was lost in thought, a message filled with text appeared in one corner of his vision with fanfare: ※Strategy Performance Measurement.
It’s over. Lee Shin put aside his thoughts and stood up.
“Boss, please make a cup of coffee. Two shots, one syrup. Make it now and pre-brew some more. We’re going to get busy.”
“Pre-brew?”
“Yes, yes.”
The coffee shop owner tilted his head, puzzled by the unusual order, but when he finished preparing Lee Shin’s coffee, he finally understood, astonished.
Hunters emerged painfully through the translucent magical barrier.
The raiding team returned from the raid.
The front staff, moving busily, shouted loudly and ran toward the team all at once.
“Returned!!”
“They’re back.”
“Quick! Quick!”
“This way!”
Exhausted, the raiding team, relieved to see the front staff, collapsed onto the sand.
Completely drained, they lay sprawled.
Front staff clung to each member to care for them. Each member was attended by two staff, while heavily armored tanks had three staff. Equipment was removed first, then their condition checked, and medical staff quickly administered IVs and nutrients according to their condition.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin walked across the beach, leaving footprints, and handed coffee to Kim Jong-pil.
Seeing Lee Shin, Kim Jong-pil chuckled.
“Here again? I see you a lot these days.”
“Don’t be petty, you’ve always been coming. Here, take it. Thank you for your hard work, sir.”
“I only talk, I don’t really work hard.”
“I’m the expert in that, even talking is surprisingly tiring.”
“Hah, that mouth of yours. Did you check the results?”
“Just a moment, they’ll be here soon. Ah, there they come.”
Just then, the strategy analysis team leader ran from the other side.
He had been waiting by the broadcast station to get the first look at various indicators and time records, now bringing the post-clear results.
“Huff, huff, CEO, Raiding Captain, the records… huff, the records.”
“Just give them here and sit. Have some coffee and catch your breath.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Phew… thanks, huff.”
The records were snatched.
Fortunately, the record hadn’t been interrupted. But they couldn’t be entirely happy.
“Wow… if we had cleared just three minutes later, the record would have stopped.”
“I thought it was tight, but I didn’t expect it to be this close.”
“I told you, condition problems always happen. Only someone like you has held out until now.”
“Hmm. Not satisfied.”
Kim Jong-pil looked grumpy at the records, perhaps irritated that the team he commanded was caught in a condition problem. The analysis team leader, having caught his breath, agreed with Lee Shin.
“You’re right, CEO. The squad is mostly filled with rookies. Only someone like Mountain King has lasted this long.”
“Haha, I emphasized rest and stamina so much.”
“Rookies are rookies. If they listened, would they still be rookies?”
“Right, right! Early 20s, fresh rookies. Producing unbelievable results, drawing all the attention in the league. Praise comes naturally. And what does that mean? A total chaos party is starting~!”
“They are at that age where their blood boils.”
“When I was that age, I could chew iron.”
“Anyway, these young ones these days.”
“You’re one of those young ones, too.”
“You’re young as well, boss.”
This was precisely why the Mir raiding team’s condition problem was so critical: Rookies.
Condition management requires self-discipline, but you can hardly expect that from rookies.
The saying that rest is part of work isn’t empty.
Even after a match ends, management continues as a hunter.
Checking your state and preparing your body for 100% performance in the next match is the basic skill of a professional.
Considering that this management determines a hunter’s life, this period is even more critical for the individual.
A famous American hunter reportedly spends over 10 billion won annually just on body maintenance.
But can you expect such professional behavior from rookies?
No alcohol, no smoking, sufficient sleep instead of clubs, clean diet over taste.
Do you expect this monk-like lifestyle from rookies who have never completed a league, suddenly handling large sums of money and gaining attention, barely over 20, with boiling blood?
It’s like asking a dog to meow. That would be more likely.
“Shall we hear the solution, analysis team leader?”
“Well, the difficult part at this point is that there’s no real solution to condition problems. I’m not flattering you, CEO, you’ve already done everything you could.”
“Wow, that hit hard. Our team leader really knows how to impress people.”
In truth, Lee Shin had done all he could.
Even knowing the condition problem would occur, he didn’t skimp on support.
Reputable medical staff in the guild world, an entirely veteran outsourced training team, a popular massage therapist who’s hard to get even with money due to waiting, even a Pilates instructor.
In addition to eating, sleeping, clothing—everything possible was done.
Almost League 1-level care.
Honestly, even if you gathered all 4th Division guilds worldwide, few could provide this level of care. To do more would require 24/7 surveillance.
“It’s a bit late, but a decision must be made. Will you continue to maintain this record-breaking race?”
“…….”
“…….”
At the words of the head of the analysis team, Lee Shin and Kim Jong-pil looked at each other.
In fact, even if they lost all the remaining matches, Mir Guild’s first-place standing would remain unchanged.
The record they had already built was on an untouchable level, and due to all of Lee Shin’s manipulations, competitors were in a situation no better than what Mir Guild was currently facing, if not worse.
This meant that promotion had already been secured long ago.
From the perspective of a typical fourth-division guild, it was truly a successful season.
Yet Mir Guild, even now that they had achieved success, continued to fight as if being chased.
Not for promotion, but for records.
“If you give up on this record-breaking race, it would make everything easier—financially and in terms of manpower. Then, as soon as the raid team returns, there won’t be any collapsing on the White Beach.”
However, Lee Shin’s stance on this was firm.
“The records must continue.”
Giving up on the records was difficult for several reasons.
This was by no means about honor or pride. From the start, Lee Shin was a person who despised intangible things like pride.
Yes, things without substance.
“How could I give up on this sweet deal?”
The record-breaking race was a decision made for systemic benefits.
The GM world was known for having pretty good balance, and this extended to the reward system as well.
Small achievements had small rewards, great achievements had great rewards.
Imagine completing the record-breaking race of all 38 rounds of league matches—an accomplishment no one else had achieved. How massive would the reward be?
And Lee Shin had already received that reward several times, so he knew exactly what it was.
That was why he couldn’t give up. These rewards would shape the future of Mir Guild.
“So, Representative, you’re saying you must maintain the record no matter what.”
“That’s right.”
“Even seeing the dying children?”
“If you’re a professional, you have to do it.”
“Even if the front office suffers?”
“How much do you want? I’ll give you a big bonus.”
“Hmm, so you really intend to maintain it by any means necessary.”
At that moment, Kim Jong-pil, who had been quietly listening until now, finally spoke.
“So that’s how it is.”
He looked at the head of the strategy analysis team.
“So this side realistically can’t handle it.”
Then back to Lee Shin.
“You won’t give up the record.”
If that was the case—
“Then you try it yourself.”
In Kim Jong-pil’s hands still lay the “manual” Lee Shin had given him. If you could understand ten things from seeing one, then from the meticulous analysis Lee Shin had provided, he would already have a high probability of knowing the correct solution.
“You know the solution, right? Show me.”
________________________________________
The next day, at Mir Guild’s training ground stood Lee Shin, wearing a green tracksuit instead of his usual suit.
“Nice to meet you. From today, I’ll be helping you manage your condition and training.”
Chapter 39
『Remember this. The league is not a 100m sprint, but a 42.195km marathon.』
― From Instructor Lee Shin’s GM Strategy Guide (Beginner Edition)
________________________________________
At the coast, the beach was surrounded by barricades, and the Mir Guild front staff were running around busily.
“Did you check the number of oxygen tanks and respirators?”
“Yes!!”
“How about IV fluids and nutritional supplements?”
“I checked… I’ll double-check!!”
“I’ll ask the PD when the clear will happen, so team leaders, you handle the medical staff yourselves. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Alright! Don’t panic when situations happen like before. Move quickly in advance. Everyone got that?”
“Yes!!”
“Yes!!”
As Chae Dong-ha shouted, the guild members ran across the beach.
The numbers were noticeably different from usual. Normally, the cleanup after a raid was handled entirely by the strategy support team, but now, each department had to be drafted to meet three times the usual staff.
‘It all started because of “that incident” a few days ago.’
A few days ago, on the day of clearing Round 32, Chae Dong-ha went to the gate to meet the strategy support team and the main raiding team.
A lunch box to soothe hunger, coffee and tea to quench thirst, guild training clothes to wear instead of battle gear dirtied with unpleasant saliva.
Preparations were no different from usual, and Chae Dong-ha was casually looking at his phone until he arrived.
But when he actually reached the gate, what awaited him was a scene that had become a total mess.
Raiding team members collapsed, exhausted on the icy winter slope.
Some had already vomited heavily and fallen like half-dead bodies.
Even the broadcasting staff, checking programs and preparing equipment, were shocked by the severity. Luckily, with quick emergency measures, things were managed, but thinking back now still makes one shiver.
‘I never imagined… “condition problems,” of all things.’
38 rounds and about six months of a long campaign, this was the schedule of League 4 that Mir Guild had to handle.
The battles in another-dimensional gates, getting covered in foul blood while fighting monsters, mentally and physically drained the hunters.
As mileage accumulated, by the later stages, even hunters skilled with magic couldn’t help but get tired.
This overall drop in form was referred to as a “condition problem.”
Chae Dong-ha, a rookie vice-captain, did not understand the seriousness of this condition problem and was being beaten up badly because of it.
He did not feel wronged. After all, it was his own fault. He could just pay more attention next time.
Chae Dong-ha tried to think positively, but it didn’t leave him completely unscathed mentally.
His gaze drifted across the beach toward Lee Shin, enjoying coffee under the coffee cart’s parasol.
‘Why does he know so much when he’s also a rookie?!’
If he were to ask Lee Shin that directly, Lee Shin would probably reply, Who are you calling a rookie?
“Hmm~ this coffee’s good.”
Lee Shin elegantly put down the teacup and looked toward the noisy scene.
“I thought it was about to explode, and just at the right time, it did.”
Condition management was such a significant part of the league that the GM’s operations would include a loading message saying, “Your league could explode at any moment. Stay alert until the end.”
How well the overworked raiding team could be cared for was crucial for the league’s successful conclusion.
For Mir Guild, this condition problem was especially critical…
At that moment, while Lee Shin was lost in thought, a message filled with text appeared in one corner of his vision with fanfare: ※Strategy Performance Measurement.
It’s over. Lee Shin put aside his thoughts and stood up.
“Boss, please make a cup of coffee. Two shots, one syrup. Make it now and pre-brew some more. We’re going to get busy.”
“Pre-brew?”
“Yes, yes.”
The coffee shop owner tilted his head, puzzled by the unusual order, but when he finished preparing Lee Shin’s coffee, he finally understood, astonished.
Hunters emerged painfully through the translucent magical barrier.
The raiding team returned from the raid.
The front staff, moving busily, shouted loudly and ran toward the team all at once.
“Returned!!”
“They’re back.”
“Quick! Quick!”
“This way!”
Exhausted, the raiding team, relieved to see the front staff, collapsed onto the sand.
Completely drained, they lay sprawled.
Front staff clung to each member to care for them. Each member was attended by two staff, while heavily armored tanks had three staff. Equipment was removed first, then their condition checked, and medical staff quickly administered IVs and nutrients according to their condition.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin walked across the beach, leaving footprints, and handed coffee to Kim Jong-pil.
Seeing Lee Shin, Kim Jong-pil chuckled.
“Here again? I see you a lot these days.”
“Don’t be petty, you’ve always been coming. Here, take it. Thank you for your hard work, sir.”
“I only talk, I don’t really work hard.”
“I’m the expert in that, even talking is surprisingly tiring.”
“Hah, that mouth of yours. Did you check the results?”
“Just a moment, they’ll be here soon. Ah, there they come.”
Just then, the strategy analysis team leader ran from the other side.
He had been waiting by the broadcast station to get the first look at various indicators and time records, now bringing the post-clear results.
“Huff, huff, CEO, Raiding Captain, the records… huff, the records.”
“Just give them here and sit. Have some coffee and catch your breath.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Phew… thanks, huff.”
The records were snatched.
Fortunately, the record hadn’t been interrupted. But they couldn’t be entirely happy.
“Wow… if we had cleared just three minutes later, the record would have stopped.”
“I thought it was tight, but I didn’t expect it to be this close.”
“I told you, condition problems always happen. Only someone like you has held out until now.”
“Hmm. Not satisfied.”
Kim Jong-pil looked grumpy at the records, perhaps irritated that the team he commanded was caught in a condition problem. The analysis team leader, having caught his breath, agreed with Lee Shin.
“You’re right, CEO. The squad is mostly filled with rookies. Only someone like Mountain King has lasted this long.”
“Haha, I emphasized rest and stamina so much.”
“Rookies are rookies. If they listened, would they still be rookies?”
“Right, right! Early 20s, fresh rookies. Producing unbelievable results, drawing all the attention in the league. Praise comes naturally. And what does that mean? A total chaos party is starting~!”
“They are at that age where their blood boils.”
“When I was that age, I could chew iron.”
“Anyway, these young ones these days.”
“You’re one of those young ones, too.”
“You’re young as well, boss.”
This was precisely why the Mir raiding team’s condition problem was so critical: Rookies.
Condition management requires self-discipline, but you can hardly expect that from rookies.
The saying that rest is part of work isn’t empty.
Even after a match ends, management continues as a hunter.
Checking your state and preparing your body for 100% performance in the next match is the basic skill of a professional.
Considering that this management determines a hunter’s life, this period is even more critical for the individual.
A famous American hunter reportedly spends over 10 billion won annually just on body maintenance.
But can you expect such professional behavior from rookies?
No alcohol, no smoking, sufficient sleep instead of clubs, clean diet over taste.
Do you expect this monk-like lifestyle from rookies who have never completed a league, suddenly handling large sums of money and gaining attention, barely over 20, with boiling blood?
It’s like asking a dog to meow. That would be more likely.
“Shall we hear the solution, analysis team leader?”
“Well, the difficult part at this point is that there’s no real solution to condition problems. I’m not flattering you, CEO, you’ve already done everything you could.”
“Wow, that hit hard. Our team leader really knows how to impress people.”
In truth, Lee Shin had done all he could.
Even knowing the condition problem would occur, he didn’t skimp on support.
Reputable medical staff in the guild world, an entirely veteran outsourced training team, a popular massage therapist who’s hard to get even with money due to waiting, even a Pilates instructor.
In addition to eating, sleeping, clothing—everything possible was done.
Almost League 1-level care.
Honestly, even if you gathered all 4th Division guilds worldwide, few could provide this level of care. To do more would require 24/7 surveillance.
“It’s a bit late, but a decision must be made. Will you continue to maintain this record-breaking race?”
“…….”
“…….”
At the words of the head of the analysis team, Lee Shin and Kim Jong-pil looked at each other.
In fact, even if they lost all the remaining matches, Mir Guild’s first-place standing would remain unchanged.
The record they had already built was on an untouchable level, and due to all of Lee Shin’s manipulations, competitors were in a situation no better than what Mir Guild was currently facing, if not worse.
This meant that promotion had already been secured long ago.
From the perspective of a typical fourth-division guild, it was truly a successful season.
Yet Mir Guild, even now that they had achieved success, continued to fight as if being chased.
Not for promotion, but for records.
“If you give up on this record-breaking race, it would make everything easier—financially and in terms of manpower. Then, as soon as the raid team returns, there won’t be any collapsing on the White Beach.”
However, Lee Shin’s stance on this was firm.
“The records must continue.”
Giving up on the records was difficult for several reasons.
This was by no means about honor or pride. From the start, Lee Shin was a person who despised intangible things like pride.
Yes, things without substance.
“How could I give up on this sweet deal?”
The record-breaking race was a decision made for systemic benefits.
The GM world was known for having pretty good balance, and this extended to the reward system as well.
Small achievements had small rewards, great achievements had great rewards.
Imagine completing the record-breaking race of all 38 rounds of league matches—an accomplishment no one else had achieved. How massive would the reward be?
And Lee Shin had already received that reward several times, so he knew exactly what it was.
That was why he couldn’t give up. These rewards would shape the future of Mir Guild.
“So, Representative, you’re saying you must maintain the record no matter what.”
“That’s right.”
“Even seeing the dying children?”
“If you’re a professional, you have to do it.”
“Even if the front office suffers?”
“How much do you want? I’ll give you a big bonus.”
“Hmm, so you really intend to maintain it by any means necessary.”
At that moment, Kim Jong-pil, who had been quietly listening until now, finally spoke.
“So that’s how it is.”
He looked at the head of the strategy analysis team.
“So this side realistically can’t handle it.”
Then back to Lee Shin.
“You won’t give up the record.”
If that was the case—
“Then you try it yourself.”
In Kim Jong-pil’s hands still lay the “manual” Lee Shin had given him. If you could understand ten things from seeing one, then from the meticulous analysis Lee Shin had provided, he would already have a high probability of knowing the correct solution.
“You know the solution, right? Show me.”
________________________________________
The next day, at Mir Guild’s training ground stood Lee Shin, wearing a green tracksuit instead of his usual suit.
“Nice to meet you. From today, I’ll be helping you manage your condition and training.”
