Winner Takes All
Normally, a guild’s workload started at zero in the off-season and rose in a straight upward line until the league ended. That was the standard pattern.
In other words, at this late stage of the season the guild schedule had become literal hell on earth. If an ordinary guild was already this bad, one could only imagine how brutal it was for Mir Guild—the protagonist of the entire league. And on top of that, what must the schedule of Lee Shin, Mir Guild’s representative, look like?
Lee Shin was grinding through a diabolical timetable so savage that even the Demon King of Hell would have patted him on the back and told him to hang in there. That was exactly why his face looked more haggard than usual on the screen.
Which made what Chae Dong-ha was witnessing all the more astonishing.
The man had slept a mere three hours across three days, had traveled to a regional event just yesterday, and yet…
“Kehehehehehekeukyakyakya!! Cough! Cough! Damn it, I’m dying kekeke…”
That energy level?
“His form is completely insane…”
As expected, the guy was dead serious when it came to messing with people.
“Hehe, what did I tell you? I said it’d be an easy win, right? Huh? You’re saying it wasn’t easy? That it was a fierce battle? But we still won, didn’t we? Feels good, right? Hehehe.”
Lee Shin picked up one of the cans arranged on the table.
The fact that it was cider felt especially irritating.
“All right, since I’m in a good mood, let’s run an impromptu victory celebration event. One thousand people? Nah~ I’m feeling great, so ten thousand! To ten thousand lucky viewers, I’m sending this.”
Pssht— glug glug glug.
“Khhhaa~~ One full box of Ido cider to each of you. Oh, and for the record this isn’t sponsored. I bought every single can with my own money.”
Was it the fatigue? His guild had just won, yet…
Lee Shin smiled brightly, his exhausted face completely at odds with the expression.
“This victory carried enormous meaning for our guild. Don’t be surprised. With this win, Mir Guild has now taken first place in every single raid from League 4 all the way to League 2! Dun dun!!”
The reason his mouth tasted so sweet wasn’t only because of the cider.
“The very top of every record list for the gates we’ve cleared now carries the two letters ‘Mir.’ We have completed a legend! Come on~ Applause!!”
Clap clap clap.
Emoticons surged forward like a wave.
“I swear the high still hasn’t worn off after days. I need to sleep, but the moment I close my eyes the match replays in my head, and before I know it my hand is already clicking on a YouTube video. Are you kidding me? I’m actually losing my mind. You guys feel the same, right?”
He wasn’t exaggerating. The majority of the audience were Yongbungs, and they still hadn’t recovered from the thrill of that moment.
As expected, the spotlight swung straight toward Park Su-bin. It was so predictable it wasn’t even surprising. After all, they had showered him with points and card packs for so long. Even taking that into account, Subin’s performance had been genuinely astonishing.
Still, Lee Shin could not show favoritism as the guild representative. He immediately began traffic control.
“Bokchi is amazing, sure, but you all saw how well Hye-jung did, right? Did you catch her looting and monster herding? The enemies were undead so poison didn’t work, yet she still pulled her weight perfectly with a single foot…”
“I guarantee there isn’t a tank in League 2 with better footwork than Jeong-seok. That movement was silky smooth…”
“Honestly, I want to praise Ri-ra the most. A style like hers usually struggles a lot in raids, yet she somehow always delivers. And as for Mountain King’s strategy—need I say more?”
Lee Shin continued, naming every single member and sincerely praising each of their contributions. He was so earnest that even the fans who had only been chanting Park Su-bin’s name started to feel a little guilty.
“Isn’t it incredible? Even now I sometimes can’t believe it. These people were still in League 4 just two years ago.”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I never expected them to grow this much. After all, I’m the one who picked them. There probably isn’t a single person in the world who can evaluate our raid team more accurately than I can.”
Lee Shin took another sip of cider and continued.
“This is something I can say now, but a lot of so-called experts—nah, let’s call them X-perts—seriously underestimated our Mir Guild.”
“On the other hand, they were hyping Dynasty Guild as all-S-rank, and the glazing was out of control.”
Every member of Dynasty’s raid team consisted of major hunters active in League 1. Six of them even possessed epithets, and two were ranked among the top 20.
In contrast, Mir’s members were hunters who couldn’t even find proper work in League 4.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about. Why does every single one of those posts have to label itself a ‘courageous take’? Man, courage is selling cheap these days.”
The most ridiculous of all was the ‘spoon theory.’
They claimed that since no one in Dynasty had ever touched League 4, their backgrounds were fundamentally different from birth.
“What was it again? We’re dirt spoons and they’re gold spoons? Hahahaha.”
In front of someone who had gone through every kind of battle, even seen the status window, the spoon theory was honestly hilarious. Lee Shin covered his face and laughed.
“This is exactly why I love my guild. It always gives me joy I could never have imagined. Right? You all love it too, don’t you?”
Throughout the season Lee Shin had kept emphasizing one thing: a guild was a big family.
Whether you were a dirt spoon or a gold spoon—what did that matter?
“When someone has too much, we share. When someone lacks, we fill them up. That’s what a real family does. Am I right, hyung-nims, noona-nims?”
Lightly, cheerfully, Lee Shin kept smiling as he interacted with the fans.
Before long it was time to wrap up. At the very end, he brought up what might have been the real reason he had turned on the stream today.
“Just yesterday the Bureau announced the schedule for the ten consecutive matches. As everyone predicted, the decisive showdown against Dynasty that will determine the champion has been set as the final match of Round 50.”
“I’m sure many of you are wondering. Can we win? Is there even a way?”
No matter how much Lee Shin talked, the anxiety refused to disappear. That was what it meant to be a fan. So Lee Shin simply gave them a gentle smile.
And then he reassured them.
“Don’t worry. We will win, just like always.”
Because—
“Dynasty has one very big weakness.”
A flaw they could never fix.
Lee Shin was grinning like a mischievous brat, exactly as usual.
“Preparations are complete. See you in Round 50.”
Time flew by, and the scene moved to Yeongdo, Busan.
In front of Yongwanggung, where the League 2 finals would be held, an unusual sight greeted visitors today.
“Please keep only two things in mind. One is formation, two is motion. Walk in the designated formation while performing the set motions. We’ll go right away. On one, two, three, you start walking.”
One, two, three.
Go!!
Five figures walked forward from the far side of the bridge.
They were dressed in black overcoats, accessorized with scarves and armbands bearing crown emblems.
Correct. They were the five members of the team that currently sat in second place in League 2 and would be facing Mir Guild in the final.
Today was the shoot for promotional videos and various other filming sessions ahead of the decisive match against Mir Guild.
At the director’s signal, Kim Yu-shin at the front adjusted his gloves. The Dynasty crown emblem engraved on the gauntlet flashed beside his solemn face.
Next, Electro Jeong Jin-woong on the right swept his hair back. Sparks crackled with every motion, showing exactly why the man was called Electro.
Now it was Kang Han-bi’s turn. With a refreshing smile he slightly drew his sword from its sheath, letting the daggers brush past—
“Cut! Cut!”
“??”
“Hunter Kang Han-bi. You need to stay in formation. And relax your expression a little. That’s not a refreshing smile, it’s completely cold. Let’s loosen up a bit and try again.”
“Yes, sorry.”
The five Dynasty members returned to their positions like true professionals.
After several more NGs they finally finished filming and moved to the break room, where they came face to face with…
Pure white suits that contrasted sharply with Dynasty’s black ones.
Dragon-emblem jewelry opposing the crown props.
It was Mir Guild—the true owners of this palace.
“Yu-shin.”
“Mountain King.”
When Kim Jong-pil waved, Kim Yu-shin broke into a smile no one had seen until then and hurried over, bowing deeply.
“You should have contacted me the moment you arrived, you brat.”
“Haha… I’m sorry.”
“What, are you already trying to keep distance?”
“N-no, of course not.”
“I’m joking. Just joking.”
Kim Jong-pil patted Kim Yu-shin’s back, clearly overjoyed to see him.
Then, one by one, the Dynasty members awkwardly approached.
“Hello, Mountain King. I’m Jeong Jin-woong.”
“We’re not exactly strangers, so why so formal? Good to see you. Has it been four years? How’s the injury? You took internal damage during a raid, right?”
“!!… It’s much better now. I’m surprised you remembered.”
“Of course I do. And this is…”
“I’m Jae-in. Do Jae-in. Mountain King, I’ve always admired you.”
People bowed deeply before the Mountain King.
It was only natural. Most of the people gathered here had lived through the era of the Three Kings.
They had grown up watching Kim Jong-pil, along with the Ten Thousand King and the Fighting King, raise Korea to the top of the world. It was no wonder respect overflowed in their eyes.
But Kang Han-bi’s thoughts were a little different.
Hah, what are they doing acting all soft toward the enemy?
He had zero intention of sucking up to a has-been whose prime had long passed. Besides, they would soon meet on the battlefield. The league wasn’t a children’s tea party—did it make any sense to be networking like this?
A simple greeting. That was the absolute limit of the courtesy he believed should be shown to opponents.
“Hello.”
“Ah, Hunter Kang Han-bi. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, senior…”
Crackle—!
At that moment, pressure slammed into him.
He had merely used the word “senior,” yet Kim Yu-shin was already shooting him a glare, as if warning him not to be rude.
Kang Han-bi lightly ignored it and continued.
“Senior, if it’s not too much trouble, may I say one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“The upcoming Round 50 is an important match for both our guilds, isn’t it? I don’t think it looks good for us to be laughing and chatting like this right before such a crucial game.”
“……”
The temperature plummeted the instant he finished speaking.
If the earlier greetings had been warm spring air, now it felt like the bitter cold of midwinter.
Yu Ri-ra stared at him openly. Lee Hye-jung and Park Jeong-seok displayed blatant hostility. Even Park Su-bin, who normally treated Kim Jong-pil like his own grandfather, watched Kang Han-bi with an uncharacteristically blank expression.
The Dynasty members who had been exchanging friendly greetings began quietly stepping backward.
Kim Yu-shin opened his mouth.
“…Han-bi, you—”
“It’s fine, Yu-shin.”
Kim Jong-pil raised a hand to stop him.
He instead gave Kang Han-bi a kindly smile.
“Hunter Han-bi is right. This old man was thoughtless. I apologize sincerely.”
“Apology accepted.”
People began gathering because of the sudden tension.
What should they do? Shouldn’t someone stop this? How? Where were the representatives?
Just as Bureau staff were nervously shifting from foot to foot—
Someone slipped into the gap and asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah… it seems Hunter Kang Han-bi was rude to Mountain King.”
“Oh dear, so that’s why the kids are upset.”
“What should we do? The mood is terrible.”
“Just leave it. It’s a common pre-match stare-down.”
“But still, if something like this happens right before the match…”
“Aww, it’s fine. If anything, he might even like it? Says it shows fighting spirit.”
“Hey, you’re being way too optimistic…”
The woman turned around and found herself nose-to-nose with Lee Shin.
“Peekaboo?”
“Eek— kyaaaah!!”
With a scream the crowd scattered. Lee Shin stood up, straightening the white suit that matched his guild members’ outfits.
And at that moment—
“Still playing around, I see.”
Right on cue, Lee Myeong-hwan arrived wearing a black suit that matched the guild’s colors.
“Finally we meet.”
At Lee Myeong-hwan’s words, Lee Shin answered with a bright smile.
“Did you want to see me that badly?”
“Yeah, I wanted to see your face so badly I could die. Some dog keeps barking nonstop. It’s noisy.”
Lee Myeong-hwan took one step forward.
“I had no idea our Myeong-hwan was my fan. Though I must admit my barking is quite artistic. Woof woof.”
Lee Shin took one step forward to match.
“You dared to mock me just because you finally found a single talent?”
“That’s my line, you talentless bastard who only rides on his daddy’s and his woman’s coattails. My stomach hurts just thinking about it.”
Another step.
“I’ve hated you since we were kids. A talentless nobody living an easy life just because he has a pretty face and a smooth tongue—I hated it.”
“Aigo, I didn’t know you had such low self-esteem since childhood, Myeong-hwan.”
One more step.
“……”
“……”
At last the two men stood face to face.
“Status, honor, money—I’ve bet everything I possess. Do you have the guts to bet the same?”
At Lee Myeong-hwan’s question, the corner of Lee Shin’s mouth curled up.
“What you just said you’d bet? I already put it on the line the moment I came down here.”
Winner takes all.
The winner would take everything.
“Give it your best. So that I can enjoy my victory properly afterward.”
“That’s my line.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, then passed by without so much as a handshake.
Both of them wearing eerily similar smiles.
And so the day of the Round 50 final arrived.
·
·
“Hahahahaha!”
Lee Myeong-hwan burst into a bright smile. It was a laugh so pure and joyful that no one had ever seen it on his face before.
And then…
Grin—
Lee Shin was smiling too.