The Stove League Heats Up
A post appeared on the community boards.
It was the usual troll post, written as if the author were some enlightened intellectual looking down on everyone else. The replies were predictably savage—“dumbass,” “yeah, your team’s getting relegated, loser”—until someone asked a genuine question.
How do you tell the difference between someone who loves the league and someone who loves the guild?
The answer came in three seconds flat.
That single line said everything.
Off-season. Stove League window open.
People who enjoy the sport purely love the league.
The moment anger spikes, you’re looking at a guild fan.
Anyone who spends time on the boards knows the truth: the hottest period for fans isn’t during the season. It’s the Stove League, when fan warfare reaches its peak.
And among those fans, the Mir Guild’s Yongbungi were especially furious right now.
Even as a joke, it wasn’t funny.
Mir Guild’s atmosphere was supposed to be good. It had been good, right up until a few days ago.
They’d finished the season with a loss in the final set, but they’d also posted an unprecedented 131-round undefeated streak at the top of the league and earned a direct promotion from League 4 all the way to League 1.
How could anyone stay calm after that?
No matter how chaotic the Stove League got, even the most toxic Yongbungi couldn’t ignore that kind of promotion high. They rewatched every match from the previous season, marked the highlights, and chewed over the best moments like side dishes with every meal. They capped it off with their troublemaker maknae Lee Shin’s love-confession speech. Pure bliss.
They could have repeated that cycle forever and the Stove League would have passed peacefully. The Yongbungi would have been perfectly content.
……Until that statement dropped.
[Park Jeong-seok’s Unhappiness Leaves Mir Guild Stunned!]
[Who Did Park Jeong-seok Target on SNS? ‘Lee Shin?’ ‘Sanwang?’ Or ‘Subin?’]
That single bombshell shattered the Yongbungi’s peace.
Park Jeong-seok’s words were that shocking.
Translated, that meant:
“Ah……” — We were riding the promotion high and now this…… (sigh)
“This sucks” — Never imagined he’d stab us in the back like this…… (disappointment)
“Hahaha” — My head’s burning. I’m furious right now. Your attitude, your actions, your very existence pisses me off. So what I really want to say is…… you son of a bitch!! (maximum rage)
Park Jeong-seok had been with them from League 4 to League 1. He was the second-in-command of the raid team, a starting member in the guild wars. And without any warning, he posted an unhappy message, pouring cold water on the promotion celebration.
The raid team’s number two!
In the most half-assed way possible—via SNS!!
The bigger the affection, the bigger the disappointment.
Right or wrong, this wasn’t okay.
: Jeong-seok, I’ve been cheering for you since your amateur days. I screamed with joy when you joined our guild. I thought my son was finally going to shine……
……
Even if you had complaints, you shouldn’t have done it like this. In thirty years of watching the league, I’ve never seen a hunter express dissatisfaction with the guild that gave him his prime in this way.
If you’d just submitted a formal transfer request, I wouldn’t be this disappointed. Did you ever stop to think how the fans feel seeing your whining on SNS?
……
No matter how much of a business the league is, basic courtesy still matters. That goes for fans as well as teammates.
Your representative calls us family, but it looks like you didn’t learn a single thing from him. Even if this works out for you, I don’t think I’ll be able to cheer for you the way I used to.
One last piece of advice.
Stop acting like a spoiled brat.
The incident drew unusual attention from fans of other guilds……
Normally, when a hunter shows dissatisfaction, fans attack the guild first. “What did you guys do wrong that made the hunter speak up?”
In reality, Park Jeong-seok wasn’t the only one posting unhappy messages. Three or four others had done the same around the same time, and their fans were mostly demanding explanations from the guilds. Park Jeong-seok had probably expected the same reaction.
But.
In the end, Mir Guild was different.
No need for a long explanation.
Who brought them this far?
Had there really been no crises on the way here? Had it been as easy as riding an escalator?
There had been crises. Plenty of incidents.
Every single time, Sanwang had held the center while Lee Shin burned himself out to get them this far.
The most recent example: when Park Jeong-seok’s scandal broke last season, Lee Shin had stepped up to tank the damage.
So of course they were furious.
At the very least, he shouldn’t have been the one saying those things.
Irritation. Disappointment. Condemnation……
While the community was turning into a sea of fire, the Yongbungi Era—officially declared—stepped forward.
Stay neutral until the facts are verified.
However.
The official fan club, which communicated directly with the guild, had spoken. The fault for this incident lay with Park Jeong-seok.
A dignified response from a fan club that had chosen to maintain dignity.
Thus began a noisy Stove League, filled with unsettling events from the very start.
The Yongbungi, who had unintentionally regained their composure, naturally turned their eyes toward one place.
So.
* * *
Not okay at all.
“Haa……”
Chae Dong-ha let out a long sigh while staring at the raid team profiles.
Nine profiles had vanished. Supporters, substitutes—nine spots wiped out by this incident.
And the page his eyes refused to leave: the spot where Park Jeong-seok and the tank line should have been.
“Haa……”
Chae Dong-ha pressed his temples and squeezed his eyes shut at the total annihilation of the tank line.
Guild wars called the fans. Raid wars called for championships.
If they wanted results and victories, raids were non-negotiable. And the most critical resource in those raids was the tank line.
That core resource had just been blown wide open. Hahaha……
How the hell were they supposed to fill it?
“Huu……”
While he sighed again, a head suddenly popped into the space between him and the profiles.
“Peekaboo?”
“Shit, you scared me!”
Chae Dong-ha jumped. Lee Shin grinned mischievously at the reaction.
“What’s the problem? You’ve been sighing like you’re dying for the past three turns.”
“Haa…… The tank line, sir. Honestly, I didn’t expect them all to leave like this.”
“Yeah, I’ll give you that. Our Jeong-seok turned out to be pretty capable, huh?”
“Now’s not the time to be impressed…… It’s not just the tanks. It’s the entire tank line! The line!”
This wasn’t simply replacing tanks. It meant completely changing the raid team’s constitution. An extremely delicate process that required careful calibration.
“Money alone won’t solve everything. First, we need tanks that match Sanwang’s tastes.”
“I know.”
“If we don’t want to end up like Dynasty last season, we have to worry about teamwork too.”
“Right.”
“On top of that, we need to consider synergy and coordination between the tanks themselves.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“We need four tanks that meet all those conditions. Since we need two teams, that’s eight in total.”
Is that even possible?
At the serious question, Lee Shin simply smiled without answering.
Three hours later.
[(official) Welcome, Double Shield!]
[Mir Guild’s First Move! Acquiring Tank Duo Kang Tae-seok & Lee Jang-su from League 2’s Akmyo Guild!]
[Starting at 360 + 340 = 700 billion! 1.5 times market evaluation!]
“Possible?”
“……”
“Possible??”
“……Possible.”
* * *
As Chae Dong-ha had feared, if you had to pick the most important line in a guild, it was the frontline tank line.
Beyond simply blocking attacks, they chose the battlefield, adjusted the line, and built formations. They were literally the “identity” of the raid team—the core of strategy.
Naturally, Lee Shin’s first target in his cheerful Stove League shopping spree was the tank line.
“Welcome. Jang-su, Tae-seok. Glad to have you on Mir Guild.”
“Hello.”
“H-hello, Representative.”
“Haha, no need to be nervous. Let’s shake hands. Look over here.”
Click!
※ Lee Jang-su (M. 32) (175/190)
※ Kang Tae-seok (M. 29) (177/191)
The tank duo known as Akmyo’s Twin Walls—Kang Tae-seok and Lee Jang-su.
Their specialty was the “Shield Art” they performed with eight years of synchronized “Breathing.”
Sometimes characters who trained together for a long time developed synergy. These two were exactly that case.
They had to give up guild wars because duos were half-forced, and individual potential growth was slow. But their raid-specialized tank duo status with over 190 potential more than compensated for those drawbacks.
“Good deal.”
“Likewise.”
“If your guild has any more cheap shit to sell, feel free to call anytime. We’ll cooperate as much as possible.”
“Haha…… Thank you for your consideration.”
The new representative who had filled the seats left by Ido’s children bowed his head. Lee Shin clicked his tongue at his grandfather’s skill in cleaning out so many Ido kids without a single complaint, then moved on to the next guild.
“Heading to Sinjang Guild as planned?”
“Yeah. Did you leak the info?”
“Just now.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
A few hours later, Lee Shin entered Sinjang Guild and shouted before even greeting the representative.
“Four hundred billion.”
“……!!”
“Give me Malsuk for four hundred billion. Call?”
Not all tanks were the same.
In an era where bruisers like Park Jeong-seok—good footwork, capable of attacking—were in the spotlight, a heavy-armor hard tank who planted herself like a stake and tanked with pure grit, the old-fashioned way.
The Potato Valley Girl, Kang Malsuk.
“Nice to meet you, Malsuk.”
“Hellooo!!”
“Want to take a picture?”
“Sureee!”
“Hahaha!!”
“Hahahaha!!”
Click.
※ Kang Malsuk (F. 33) (188/194)
While the previous tank duo used “Breathing” and “Shield Art” to “defend,” Kang Malsuk became the “line” itself with her superior physique, full-plate armor, tower shield, and mace—all under “Heavy Armor Master.”
Afterward, Lee Shin didn’t even finish a proper cup of tea before climbing back into the car.
“Next is DP Guild.”
“Info? Still no signal?”
“No.”
“Good. Let’s see how long they hold out.”
A few hours later, Rollinia entered DP Guild.
Lee Shin extended his hand to the DP Guild representative.
“Hello. First time since the opening match last year. Man, I miss those days.”
“Hehe, welcome. We lost with a perfect score. Couldn’t even push one tower.”
“Let’s forget the past. Happiness lies in the future.”
Everything needed balance. It wouldn’t be fun if he only picked up immediate talent.
DP Guild, true to its selling-guild nature, was famous for its excellent prospect pool.
“Clean deal. Six hundred sixty billion for these three.”
“Tsk…… That can’t be right…… This doesn’t make any sense……”
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you…… plant a spy in our guild? How are you picking them so precisely?”
“Want me to tell you the secret? Lean in.”
“……?”
“There’s a listening device in your ear, Representative.”
“!!”
Click!
※ Bae Young-ho (M. 23) (169/192)
※ Jang Mi-ju (F. 23) (166/193)
※ Choi Soo-pil (M. 19) (156/195)
Bae Young-ho was a smart tank capable of coordinating allied lines with “Scrum.”
Jang Mi-ju was likewise a smart tank who could coordinate enemy lines with “Offensive Grasp.”
And Choi Soo-pil was a unique tank who could instantly surge the line’s speed with “Follow Me!”
The Three Musketeers of the tank world, freely advancing and retreating while coordinating both allied and enemy lines.
You’re all mine!!
“Here, here’s some pocket money. Head straight down to Busan. If you want a specific place for housing, just point it out. I’ll get it for you right away.”
The prospects who suddenly had to move to Busan looked anxious, but Lee Shin’s thick envelope of cash quickly put them at ease.
Lee Shin watched them board the car, then climbed into Rollinia himself.
And at that moment, the long-awaited news finally arrived.
“They’re moving. All the League 1 guilds are on the move. Target appears to be League 2.”
“Hah, how boring. These kids still don’t know my style. How dare they try to play it cool in front of me?”
“Should I tell the Guild Leader to move?”
“Call him.”
That was right.
Two tracks.
While Lee Shin put on a flashy money-spending show to draw the attention of other League 1 guilds, Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong would take the scout reports Lee Shin had given him and raid the empty houses.
Lee Shin grinned crookedly.
“Tell him not to hold back on money. This is a race against time. Today’s the cheapest it’ll ever be.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s spend everything we couldn’t eat or wear while struggling all this time. Let’s go all out.”
“……If that’s struggling, what does being well-off look like?”
“I’ll show you. Follow me.
By the way.
“What about ‘those guys’?”
“As expected, they’ve departed for ‘that direction.’”
A bright smile spread across Lee Shin’s face.
Even if he had planned it, getting hit still felt unpleasant.
If they tried to screw him over, the least he could do was return the favor with a solid punch. That was only human.
“Let’s go. Step on it, noona.”
Rollinia disappeared beyond the highway.