The Final Roster and a New Beginning
The long-awaited 11-player roster was finally complete. Of the eleven spots for the upcoming season opener, nine had already been filled, leaving just two vacancies for Diafle Monarch. The stove league was slowly winding down. The pool of available players in the transfer market was shrinking by the day. There was a real chance they might fall short of the full eleven-man roster.
“The stove league’s almost over. Do you think we’ll manage to fill everything?”
“The director says we’ll have all eleven by tomorrow.”
The next morning at 6:37, an alarm rang out like a wake-up call—this time in the form of a breaking transfer article.
> FIRST STEEL — Kang Han-su returns to RCLK after 4 years… ‘This team’ is his destination
“This is the first time I’ll actually be on the same team as Han-su. We only crossed paths briefly with the Enz last year.”
First Steel — Kang Han-su. The robot had shown impressive performances in the NARC league. Its design resembled a greatsword that could deflect attacks, making it usable in a slightly defensive capacity. He had played briefly in RCLK during its inaugural 2018 season. Then, starting in 2019, he moved to the NARC league and stayed there through 2023.
“Cheong-hyeon noo… unnie, um, do you know Senior Han-su?”
“He’s my cousin. We only saw each other during the off-season, though.”
(So it wasn’t just the shared last name…?)
“Ah~! I thought he looked a little like you, unnie. So he’s your cousin?”
(Cheong-bi’s pretty sharp, huh…)
First Steel was a textbook horizontal spinner blade robot. The name came from “Kang” meaning steel, and “Han” implying first or number one. The blade supports formed a T-shape, extending both upward and downward. It used large, uncovered wheels. Since it was an attacker, worrying too much about defense was pointless. An open design was standard for maximizing mobility. It followed the classic form of a horizontal spinner—something you could see in any era or country. The only real variations were whether the supports were T-shaped or trapezoidal.
The blade itself was a bit short but wide and thick. Thanks to its shorter length and powerful motor, the weapon accelerated incredibly quickly.
“Breakfast is… steak!!!! I’m going right now!!!… Ow, my stomach hurts…”
(It’s definitely not indigestion… but why does it hurt this much?)
Moon Naru felt an intense abdominal pain unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
(Ah… it’s menstrual cramps. I’m a girl now…)
The culprit was period pain. Having been a guy until Liberation Day in 2023, it was only natural she had never felt it before.
(I don’t even know how to use a pad. What am I supposed to do?)
“Naru, are you feeling sick? Is it… that time of the month?”
The question Kang Cheong-hyeon asked was so human and considerate it caught Naru off guard.
“Cheong-hyeon noo… unnie? That time?”
She was a little shocked to hear the question from a player she had always looked up to.
“It’s a pain every woman has to go through. For me, it’s especially bad.”
“Ah… I see. Cheong-hyeon unnie.”
“You need to eat plenty of iron on those days. Good thing we’re having steak this morning too.”
“Naru, did you bring enough pads?”
“Ah, um… I don’t even know where to buy them.”
“Want to borrow some of mine?”
(What kind of sixteen-year-old girl doesn’t even know where to buy pads? Did her mom always buy them for her?)
When they got to the cafeteria, mountains of steak were piled high.
“Cheong-bi, what’s this one?”
“Salmon steak. It’s really good.”
It was beautifully seared salmon—or rather, salmon-like—steak.
(It’s not beef, but it’s delicious!?! Ow, my cramps…)
Wolves supposedly prefer salmon over deer. It’s much easier to hunt, and above all, it tastes better.
“But… how did we get this much salmon?”
“They’re brown trout caught from the Geum River. Delicious invasive species~!”
Brown trout, one of the world’s top 100 worst invasive species, had started appearing in the Geum River. They were catching them in bulk and selling them off before the population exploded.
“Welcome to Korea, brown trout! Ow, my stomach…”
Being related to salmon, they tasted excellent. Eating them was the perfect way to control their numbers.
Moon Naru devoured the salmon—no, brown trout—steak with gusto. The moment she went to rest, her smartphone buzzed with another alert.
> Pantheera oneca — Chae Ju-ho receives call-up to Diafle’s first team
This time it wasn’t a transfer but a call-up notice. He had been promoted from Diafle’s second team—which had taken over the Cheongcheon second team—straight to the first team.
“Looks like we really are filling all eleven spots. Thank goodness.”
It was the moment the final vacancy in the eleven-man squad was filled.
“Chae Ju-ho… that name sounds a lot like the director’s…?”
“Ah, he’s the director’s nephew.”
Pantheera oneca was a slightly unusual lifter robot. The name came from the scientific name of the jaguar, the strongest predator in the Americas. Despite the fierce name, it was a defender. From above, it looked like a hexagon with a long front and a perfectly square rear. From the side, only the front was pointed while the back was square. Sloped armor covered only the front and sides. The entire front section functioned as a lifter that could move. It was a bidirectional lifter usable both upward and downward. It could flip opponents by lifting them from above, or shove them out of the arena by pushing upward from below.
“I was worried we’d have to start the season short-handed, but we actually filled the roster?”
Even though the team had only been assembled midway through the stove league, they had managed to complete an eleven-man roster. It was, if a bit exaggerated, practically a miracle.
“Wait a second, who’s going to be the captain?”
“The director chose me. I’m the most senior member.”
The captain position required both leadership to guide the team and proven skill as a player.
- Veteran leadership — 6 years of pro experience
- Seasoned leadership — the oldest on the team at 28
- Skill as a player — 6-year starter for a strong team
Kang Cheong-hyeon, who possessed all of these qualities, was chosen as captain of Diafle Monarch.
“Captain Kang Cheong-hyeon! You look so cool, unnie!”
“Thanks, Cheong-bi.”
“U-um, when is Director Chae Ju-myeong supposed to show up?”
“Good question. I’ve only heard his name. I’ve never actually met him.”
“Naru, Cheong-bi? Player recruitment is the front office’s job. He’ll be here soon.”
Here was the completed eleven-man squad for Diafle Monarch.
Horizontal Spinners — 3
Lycodon (A) — Na Sau (S) V-Killer (H) — Moon Naru (N)
First Steel (A) — Kang Han-su (S)
Vertical Blade Spinners — 1
Harpagonis (A) — Siatea Sharma (N)
Vertical Drum Spinners — 1
Neptune (A) — Kang Cheong-hyeon (S)
Flippers — 2
Earhart (D) — Kang Tae-sim (S) Pacifism (D) — Jang Jae-hyeon (N)
Lifters — 1
Pantheera oneca (D) — Chae Ju-ho (N)
Other Unique Types — 3
Elaphus (D) — Jang Seong-gyeom (N) Scary (A) — Lee Cheong-bi (N)
Pandemic Survivor (A) — Lee Na-seong (N)
Attackers (A): 6 Defenders (D): 4 Hybrid (H): 1
A well-balanced ratio of spear and shield.
Veterans (S): 4 Rookies (N): 7 Heavy rookie presence.
Only one vertical blade spinner—the type that floods the league. The rest are filled with uniquely designed robots.
Director Chae Ju-myeong sat with the eleven players over lunch, sharing his thoughts.
“Our long-term goal is, of course, to win the championship.”
(Yeah, we should aim for the title! Even if I have no idea when that’ll be.)
“We have to take it one small step at a time and reach the championship at the end. First, we need to escape last place.”
(Escape last place first…? How long will that take?)
“I think that’s achievable this season. We have four proven veterans, after all.”
(Avoiding last place starting this year!??!! The director’s really laying on the lip service…)
It wasn’t unusual for a new team to avoid last place in its debut season.
“Avoiding last place in the first year isn’t that difficult.”
(That’s true… you just need to finish in the top eleven out of twelve teams.)
“Once the rookies’ talents fully bloom…”
(Once they bloom?)
“We’ll be able to aim for the championship.”
“Director~! Isn’t that a bit too much lip service?”
“Cheong-hyeon, don’t underestimate these kids’ potential.”
“I mean, that’s true, but…”
“I’m talking about when they perform really, really well.”
“Right, Director~?”
“Even if the first year is tough, we might be able to go further than expected.”
It was extremely rare for every rookie to reach their full potential in their debut year.
Director Chae Ju-myeong’s words—that if all the rookies bloomed, they could even contend for the title—sounded reasonable to Moon Naru. She fell asleep with that thought in mind.
(Contend for the title if we do really well…? That actually makes sense!!)
The first half of the 2024 RCLK season was drawing closer and closer. Here is an introduction to the twelve teams participating in the league. Teams are listed in order of last season’s final standings.
Format: (Last season rank). (English team name) (Korean team name) / (Team initials) / (Home city)