Investment for the Future

The studio lights flared to life as the familiar theme music swelled. "Back with GWL Game Day! I'm your league goddess, Park Ye-jin, and today I'll introduce the two guests joining me to wrap up the first month of the season. Analyst Im Cho-rong and Jen! Hello!"

"Hello! Former idol, current hunter, and now analyst Jen at your service!"

"Hello. I'm analyst Im Cho-rong."

"It feels like the Busan Derby opener was just yesterday, yet a full month has already flown by. As promised, we'll be conducting our monthly guild evaluations today. Before we dive into the full analysis, how would you summarize the first month of the season, Jen?"

"Hmm, I'd sum it up like this."

The same familiar flavor we all knew.

"Considering the Bureau drastically increased the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠number of matches and unleashed the seismic 'Competitive Raid Battle' format, it's astonishing how little has actually changed."

"In the early season, guilds trot out their most confident, battle-tested cards. After building maximum momentum, they begin rotating in the mid-season, unveiling their hidden cards one by one. It's textbook guild management."

This approach ensures a stable launch through the most volatile opening phase, significantly reducing the mental and physical strain on the raid teams. It also allows them to conceal their full strength as much as possible. The advantages of this long-verified pattern are undeniable.

"Positively speaking, it's prudent. Negatively speaking, the entire league has grown rigid."

"Hold on, Jen—at least one guild isn't following that pattern."

"Haha, exactly. That's why I deliberately saved that guild for last."

"Oh, really?"

Park Ye-jin caught the desperate, itching-to-spill expression on Jen's face and nodded, letting it slide.

"Understood. Moving on, then. Analyst Im Cho-rong?"

"I agree with Analyst Jen, but I believe this atmosphere won't last much longer."

Adaptation.

"The league is constantly evolving. The dominant meta shifts every season, and core playstyles get completely rewritten. Guilds must adapt to these upheavals according to their own identities."

"But no year has made that adaptation as fascinating as this one."

Just as Jen said, while everyone continues doing what they've always done, some guilds are smiling while others are in tears.

"The mid-to-lower tier guilds are mostly crying. A simple example: they stubbornly stuck to their assassination concept as usual, resulting in a total loss across all competitive matches."

Of course, Park Jeong-seok's inability to regain his footing after the opening defeat played a major role in those losses, but Im Cho-rong refrained from pointing fingers at any individual.

"Meanwhile, the guilds regarded as powerhouses are performing strongly while preserving their originality. Shinseong Guild in wars of attrition, Baekgeom Guild in brawls, and Kirin Guild in speed contests."

"After pondering why the results split so cleanly, I concluded that the emergence of 'that guild' has elevated the league's overall competitive level to new heights."

The arrival of a new storm had intensified the competition even further.

Those who failed to adapt would be left behind.

In a sense, it was a true day of judgment.

"Hmm, 'that guild' again. Is the name taboo or something?"

"I'm the same as Jen. It feels too wasteful to say it here."

"So that's how it is, huh?"

Both panelists wore expressions like their mouths were itching to speak.

In truth, Park Ye-jin wanted to dive in as well. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a way, wasn't this very Game Day born because of that guild?

Park Ye-jin launched into the topic with maximum cheer.

"All right! Let's begin the official monthly evaluation! Today we start at number one. Yes—the guild you two have been saving so carefully!"

"Allow me to introduce them. Four competitive matches, four victories. Two Competitive Raid Battles, one first-place finish. First Month Top!"

"Mir Guild!"

"Shall we begin, analysts?"

"Whew, sorry. Cho-rong, I'll go first. I can't hold it in any longer!"

The impatient Jen rubbed his hands together, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Plays that delight the eyes, ears, and brain—purely fantastic! A true dream team that turns the ideals you only dared imagine in your sleep into reality!"

Their teamwork was flawless, as if measured with a ruler. Add in the star power of Park Su-bin, Baek Yeon-woo, Yu Ri-ra, and Lee Shin's children leading the charge.

"The competitive matches were impressive, but the Competitive Raid Battles are the real masterpiece. Now that they've been promoted to League 1, we get to watch Mir Guild's raids live. My evenings have never been happier!"

One of the reasons League 1 was called the majors was precisely this—live broadcasts of the raid battles. What used to be available only in edited clips could now be enjoyed whenever one wished.

Sipping wine while watching a magical performance conducted by the legendary commander Sanwang had become Jen's greatest pleasure.

"This guild is different from the others. They don't just repeat what they've always done. Challenge! Experimentation! They're pushing forward with one bold move after another."

They show a different face every match. They never stop trying and challenging themselves. They don't hesitate to completely change strategies to match their opponents.

What was truly astonishing was that every single one of those plays turned out to be the correct answer.

"In the third round of competitive matches, they displayed extreme side-lane operations centered on Baek Yeon-woo. Then in the sixth round, they completely changed their approach to a defensive strategy built around Park Su-bin and still won."

"They execute even the most extreme strategies without any apparent strain. Is this the dignity of a legend? It feels like Sanwang is simply saying, 'Too easy.' Heh...!"

While established guilds cling to safety, a newly promoted guild is the one challenging and experimenting in this ridiculous situation.

Yet that same promoted guild is the one enforcing discipline on a lax league and sitting in first place? How cool was that! Jen trembled with pure thrill.

Park Ye-jin nodded and turned to Im Cho-rong.

"What are your thoughts, Analyst Im Cho-rong?"

"I agree with much of it. However, there are a few points worth debating."

"Ooh...!"

Differing opinions were excellent television. The producer and Park Ye-jin beamed as they imagined the view count climbing.

"A debate, you say... over what?"

"Why exactly is Mir Guild challenging and experimenting?"

Jen had found their unconventional, daring approach cool. Im Cho-rong, however, believed Mir's ever-shifting strategies pointed toward a specific direction.

"Because Sanwang is there. I know him well. He's the kind of person who writes up a detailed log and begins analysis immediately after every match. In fact, the current meta might as well have been born from Sanwang's hands, wouldn't you say?"

That was true.

It was no exaggeration to claim that nearly every modern concept in competitive matches and raid battles had been created by Sanwang.

"Many people assume I defend Sanwang because I'm his disciple, but that's completely wrong. Everyone, Sanwang is far greater than you can possibly imagine. I still don't understand why he's so underrated."

If a man like that was choosing challenge and experimentation?

It could only mean he was preparing something.

And if Im Cho-rong were to venture a careful prediction, that something would be...

"Most likely a new meta. A brand-new concept and style belonging exclusively to Sanwang and Mir Guild."

"!!"

In the end, the current league had been built upon the path Sanwang forged in the past.

It was a path he had pioneered with insufficient experience and inadequate weapons. Now, having received peak-condition form and the finest weapons from Lee Shin, would Sanwang walk the same road again?

Im Cho-rong would bet her right arm that he would not.

"The guilds should be nervous. If they handle this complacently, the protagonist of the league is about to change."

Time passed before they knew it.

Now for the final question.

"Then what direction do you expect Mir Guild to take moving forward?"

This time, both analysts were in perfect agreement.

"The league runs on momentum! Mir Guild must ride this wave and defend their first-place position!"

"Correct. With their momentum at its peak, Mir Guild will want to remain at the top until the Competitive Raid Battle arrives."

In Mir Guild's power analysis room, a massive screen displayed match footage. What stood out was that most of the videos featured not Mir Guild, but their rivals.

This was the video analysis session led by Lee Shin.

Now promoted to League 1, the team's expertise had been upgraded, and the depth of these sessions had reached an entirely different level.

"The two guilds we must watch most carefully in the raid battles ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are Shinseong and Taeyang. Taeyang in particular isn't well-known for competitive matches, but they are the kings of raid battles..."

"After continuous observation of Kirin Guild, we've confirmed their current pace is abnormal..."

Lee Shin gave Kim Jong-pil a meaningful glance.

How is it?

Not bad at all.

If Lee Shin once had to spoon-feed every detail, the current team was different.

The talents recruited from 'Ido's children' were all former renowned experts. They now looked in the same direction as Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shin, functioning as excellent hands and feet.

Clap, clap—

At Lee Shin's applause, the noisy analysis room fell silent.

"Good. I've heard all your opinions. I'd love to listen while sharing a nice meal, but we have quite a few guests today."

Not only raid leader Kim Jong-pil, but guild master Jeong Sun-dong, vice-master Chae Dong-ha, and even second-team leader Lee Hye-jung had joined.

As it was the monthly meeting, attendance was high.

"Let's get straight to the main topic. To summarize, it seems I was right again, doesn't it?"

Lee Shin laughed playfully, but the analysis team remained deadly serious. After all, every one of his predictions had proven accurate.

"The guilds that couldn't find their footing in the changed league format have all taken a 'conservative' approach."

"The mid-to-lower ranks are underperforming beyond expectations, while the upper ranks are actually showing better numbers than before."

"As a result, the polarization between guilds has grown even more severe, and dependence on starting members has increased dramatically."

Lee Shin had said it from the beginning.

Never forget: this League 1 season was the first one facing a massive upheaval.

The rules might look the same, but the number of matches, the schedule, and entry composition were completely different from the past.

So the question was—how would the guilds respond to such a cataclysm?

The answer was: Let's work even harder at what we already do well.

The result...

"Every guild's play time in competitive matches has increased. Since their strategies are exposed, opponents seem to be countering them more effectively."

"In contrast, clear times in raid battles have decreased. What used to average five days last year is now barely squeezing into four. Factoring in the gate's internal time multiplied by three, that's roughly fourteen days and twenty hours."

"These are Level 7 Gates. At this pace, physical problems are inevitable. The mental fatigue alone will be on another dimension."

Stagnation in competitive matches.

Overheated competition in raid battles.

"Ah, stamina just melts away. Right?"

Lee Shin chuckled, and the team members smiled along with him.

Thankfully, they had the five-star Oseong Beds and the healer team to minimize condition loss. Other guilds, however, were probably dying inside.

At Lee Shin's gesture, the analysis team leader took over again.

Sighs rose from every corner at the murderous schedule.

Even Lee Shin had called the department head to complain when he first saw it.

"We don't get a single day off. The competitive match members won't even be able to train. Doing all this with only the first team? That's impossible."

"We can do it. The only question is what kind of aftereffects it will leave. And those aftereffects usually explode during the most critical period of the second half. And..."

Lee Shin naturally picked up where the team leader left off, smiling crookedly.

"The guilds will charge forward at full power even though they know this. Why? Because it's what they've always done."

Run hard in the early season, let the scores diverge in the middle, and let only the top teams fighting for the championship and the bottom teams fighting to avoid relegation struggle in the latter half...

Exactly as always.

"It's not a wrong answer. In fact, it's wise. When you look at the big picture, guilds are profit organizations. From raid teams to front-office staff, they carry hundreds to thousands of people."

A cliché is simply another word for the royal road.

The familiar taste doesn't fail, and bloated profit-driven organizations inevitably focus more on 'not failing' than on true success.

If an innovation fails, who takes responsibility?

But.

The Lee Shin smiling brightly here was different.

"I can take responsibility."

The representative who had achieved the miracle of making the impossible possible. The representative backed by the strongest fandom's infinite support.

Who could stop a man who had even built an empire through Woongjindan?

Above all, Lee Shin knew this path. He had walked it before!

It was a new world to everyone else, but to him it was simply an ordinary 'GM's league.'

"We're taking a breather."

No. The phrasing didn't feel right.

Lee Shin corrected himself.

"We're investing in the future."

Something bigger.

All for the sake of ultimate victory.

Lee Shin's gaze turned in one direction, and soon everyone else's followed.

"Hye-jung, are you ready?"

Lee Hye-jung nodded with firm confidence.

"Yes!"

Second raid team, prepare to deploy.