The Opening Act
Finally, that day had arrived.
Under the brilliant lights, vehicles glided in one after another.
They were luxurious cars straight out of a motor show, but value is always relative. The moment the doors opened and the Hunters stepped out, the vehicles became nothing more than set pieces.
Camera shutters rained down like hail. Fans cheered loud enough to crack the sky.
The greatest show on earth.
A festival of stars.
This was the opening ceremony venue for Guild War KOREA.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Yoo Young-seok, your host for the Guild War Korea opening ceremony. It is a true honor to be invited to such a prestigious occasion.”
With astronomical capital flowing through the league, the scale of the opening ceremony surpassed anything one could imagine.
The singer handling the opening performance was a top idol currently devouring the Billboard charts. The host was Korea’s top MC who dominated every channel. Even the guest list had been assembled with ruthless precision.
It was no exaggeration to say every eye in Korea was fixed on this place.
To be part of this glorious event was, in effect, to be recognized as the very best in Korea right now. That was exactly why everyone dreamed of stepping onto this stage.
And among all that fervent attention, certain figures shone brightest of all.
“First, we will hear from the guild that won last year’s Guild War KOREA league.”
38 matches, 37 wins, 1 loss.
Fastest clear times.
Most championships.
Most MVP awards.
The undisputed number one guild in Korea.
“Please welcome Han Jeong-do, the Ten Thousand King of the Kirin Guild. Let’s give him a thunderous round of applause.”
Clap, clap, clap—!!
Han Jeong-do emerged from behind the stage amid roaring applause.
A perfectly tailored suit draped over his solid frame. His pomaded hair lent him an even more dignified charm, and the kindness visible in his eyes behind those horn-rimmed glasses completed the picture.
Just as people said—he looked like the kind of first-love professor who seemed like he could be anywhere yet was found nowhere—Han Jeong-do displayed an ageless, magnetic appeal.
“Nice to meet you. I am Han Jeong-do, the Ten Thousand King of the Kirin Guild. Yes, it’s me again this year. That’s how things turned out. Hahaha.”
Though the Ten Thousand King spoke with light self-deprecation, no one took his words lightly.
The fact that he had hosted the opening for several years in a row meant Kirin’s dominance had continued for just as long.
“Everyone, ahead of us lies a long race known as the ‘League.’”
The grueling nine-month campaign that would now begin.
“We will be the workers responsible for humanity’s prosperity. We will be the pioneers exploring the world’s mysteries. We will be the seekers closest to the truth of magic power.”
Times change, and values change with them.
If the first Hunters had risked their lives struggling for survival, today’s Hunters competed and raided for prosperity.
On the stage called the League, they would instill pride in humanity and sing of glory.
This was the role they had been given.
“Rest is over. From this very moment, we become more familiar by our titles than our names.”
People called them this.
“We become Hunters.”
Hunter.
They were the hunters.
Whoaaa—!!
The cheers erupted as if on cue.
Truly the Ten Thousand King. A single short, charismatic speech had completely captured the audience.
After the powerful address, the MC returned to the stage and began announcing the league’s operation and direction.
“Starting this year, the number of Guild War League matches will increase across the globe. … Three matchup matches and three raid matches, for a total of six matches……”
The Bureau’s intention had always been consistent.
They would use the popular and entertaining ‘matchup’ matches to secure recognition and mass appeal, while the ‘raid’ matches would preserve the fundamental value of Hunters and support the magic industry that had grown alongside them.
In addition, they announced strengthened penalties for various rule violations and warnings—most notably, the perennially controversial act of tampering, or prior contact.
After covering League 1, League 2, and League 3, the announcements concluded.
Normally, this would have marked the end of the opening ceremony. People would have relaxed, begun thinking about the after-party, and shifted restlessly in their seats.
But something was off. The MC, who should have stepped down, remained on stage.
And when the next words came, everyone was stunned.
“Finally, we have an announcement regarding League 4.”
“??!!”
A brief silence.
Then pure shock.
The entire opening ceremony shook.
Are they insane? Why suddenly bring up League 4? Has this ever happened before?
Though never stated outright, the tacit standard the Bureau recognized for professional guilds stopped at League 3.
One only had to look at the fact that the Bureau-created 5-on-5 ‘matchups’ began at League 3 to understand this.
Anything below that, while still professional, was slightly excluded from the entertainment aspect. Those leagues existed primarily to protect performance records and the spirit of competition.
So why bring up League 4 out of nowhere?
While every attendee was thrown into confusion by the unexpected announcement, a few quick-witted individuals had already pieced it together.
“Is this because of the Mir Guild?”
“The Mountain King senior really is on another level.”
“Even the Ido Group has to watch their step. After all, they’re the league’s biggest sponsor.”
“Oh my, I think it’s because of that kid Lee Shin. Just look at the things he pulls—first and foremost, it’s entertaining. Where else can you find a guild as fun as Mir these days~”
The attention on League 4 had grown so unusually high that it forced the Bureau to bend its own unspoken rules.
And who was responsible? The Mir Guild right here.
A guild that had stood at the center of every topic since its very first appearance. The only League 4 team in existence that possessed a world-class asset known as the Mountain King.
According to industry insiders, the arrival of Mir Guild—whose representative was the most shocking, most lethal, enviable yet unwanted leader imaginable—had generated an absolute storm of buzz.
It had reached a point the Bureau could no longer ignore.
“The increase in match count will also apply to League 4. Given that League 4 has no matchup matches, we will increase the number of ‘raid’ matches instead. The existing 28 raids will expand to 32……”
This development was clearly irritating the Kirin Guild. Having the spotlight they should have enjoyed stolen from them was unpleasant enough. But having it taken by a provincial League 4 guild? What kind of absurd situation was this?
Han Jeong-do, especially entangled by the Mountain King’s departure, visibly stiffened. From his perspective, with their uncomfortable shared history, any topic surrounding the Mir Guild could only be more aggravating.
And so the wildly unconventional opening ceremony finally drew to a close. The MC concluded with the signature performance he had been using for years.
“The Guild War League begins~~~ now!!”
The moment he thrust his fist into the air with force—
BOOM—!!
Hundreds of fireworks exploded across the sky in chaotic splendor, mirroring the tangled interests of everyone gathered here, as the curtain rose on a new league.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin, who had been watching the opening ceremony back at the guild, smiled brightly at a particular scene while staring at the spectacular fireworks bursting across the TV screen.
The fleeting moment when the Ten Thousand King’s brow crumpled.
Yes. That was it.
Considering his usual refined image, he had to be seriously pissed off.
Even Kim Jong-pil’s face was filled with bewilderment. He clearly hadn’t expected League 4 to be mentioned.
“You really pulled it off… moving the Bureau……”
“I told you I could do it. Hehehe. Our guild twisted ourselves into knots to set this table. There’s no way I’d let the Kirin Guild shove it down their own throats.”
The true protagonist of the opening ceremony had ultimately been the Kirin Guild, last year’s champions.
That was an undeniable fact. It was the winner’s privilege.
Even though Mir Guild had dominated this Stove League, once the opening ceremony passed, they would inevitably become nothing more than Kirin’s backdrop.
But.
Lee Shin found that truth incredibly galling.
Why are you trying to steal the stage I created by going all out…?
If it was going to be thrown away, fine. But Lee Shin could never tolerate having something taken from him.
They wouldn’t acknowledge League 4? Then he would make them acknowledge it. Lee Shin had decided to move the Bureau.
By using yet another sucker—no, financier!
The female secretary standing behind him bowed and whispered into Lee Shin’s ear.
“The Bureau has confirmed that mentioning League 4 will only occur this year.”
“Don’t worry. Next year we’ll be in League 3 too.”
“…The vice chairman said that if you fail to promote, he will bill you for the entire lobbying cost this time. He told me to make sure you’re prepared.”
“Okay. Tell him thanks.”
He had successfully grabbed their ankles and held his ground on stage.
Now it was their turn. Lee Shin looked at Kim Jong-pil, who was sipping tea.
“Elder, it’s your turn. Let’s make a spectacular entrance.”
“Very well. I’ll play along with the rhythm.”
The Mountain King rose from his seat.
The video, already 55 minutes long, had been uploaded to Ntube’s official channel. As a side note, the Mir Guild channel had gained 300,000 subscribers in the shortest time in history…
In the declaration, Kim Jong-pil stated that he was well aware of the fans’ concerns—unproven squad, Mountain King one-man team, the theory that the Mountain King only preyed on the weak—and made the following pledge.
It was the image of a fine adult protecting his young colleagues. And the shocking pledge that surpassed even that.
Some League 4 officials criticized the Mountain King for looking down on the league, but the public seemed to be siding with him…
Meanwhile, the Mountain King spoke for the first time about the subject he had remained silent on until now. When a viewer asked what he thought of the Ten Thousand King, he answered “love and hate,” which added fuel to the previously quiet rumors of discord between the two…
Even the photo was incredible.
The composition of the two men facing each other made anyone who saw it think they were declaring themselves rivals.
Chae Dong-ha was genuinely impressed for this reason.
If you cooled your head and looked at it objectively, this composition was incredibly awkward.
If the Ten Thousand King, Han Jeong-do, was the leader of the Kirin dynasty that had dominated the league for years, the Mountain King belonged to a fallen prestigious guild stuck in mere League 4.
Even on a one-dimensional level, a League 1 team and a League 4 team shouldn’t even be in the same conversation.
Yet he had stubbornly forced the issue.
From the moment he threw himself into provoking the extreme fandom and appeared on the guild scene, the legendary recruitment of the Mountain King that no one could have imagined, and the greatest showcase ever built around it.
On top of that, he had schmoozed the Bureau into including a segment about League 4…
Mixed together with the shocking pledges, the Ten Thousand King’s hardened face, and the Mountain King’s mature demeanor, the storyline Chae Dong-ha was looking at right now had been completed.
All of it from the fingertips of that one man.
“The reporters really aren’t doing their jobs. [Ten Thousand King Han Jeong-do, Stained by Old Age, and Kim Jong-pil, Returning to His Roots.] This isn’t even kids’ stuff, and this is all they can write? Articles like this need a heavy dose of MSG to taste right. If it were me, I’d label him as the symbol of corruption and vested interests—exactly!”
“But I clearly told them to include ‘Mir Guild’ and ‘Ido’ without fail. Why is it missing? Which paper is this? DaeYang Daily? Sis, give them a call.”
Lee Shin.
This man had been the true mastermind behind this year’s Stove League.
“If they took the money, they should deliver the value. These media freelancers have no business ethics. No business ethics at all.”
“Isn’t mentioning Ido a little excessive? If you touch the group itself, I doubt the Kirin side will stay quiet.”
“Don’t worry, bro. I see chaebols all the time, so I know. These people hate being dragged into dirty matters like this. They think it lowers their dignity.”
“That chaebol includes our representative, you know.”
“Exactly why it works! A chaebol criticizing another chaebol! A mud fight is only fun when everyone’s rolling in the filth together.”
“…Are you really planning to go all the way like you said before?”
What was the fastest way for a dead-last team to build a reputation?
It was the question Lee Shin had asked Chae Dong-ha a few days earlier, and Chae Dong-ha had offered several answers.
Principled responses like ‘build up skill.’
Lee Shin had shaken his head as if it was hopeless, then made that characteristic mischievous face and said exactly what he was doing now.
The fastest way for last place to build fame in the shortest time.
It was to grab first place by the ankle and trip them.
Exactly.
The final form of the grand picture Lee Shin had been building from the beginning was that very photo.
In other words, the situation itself—Kirin Guild and Mir Guild confronting each other, just like that image of the Mountain King and the Ten Thousand King facing off.
“From the moment we recruited the Mountain King, our guild and Kirin were bound to clash. If we can’t avoid it, we might as well enjoy it.”
“We’re in a business with nothing to lose. If we win, it’s a massive jackpot. If we lose, we can still claim moral victory with ‘good fight even in defeat,’ and we can subtly ride the coattails into second place.”
Simply by challenging first place, you become second.
It sounded like complete logical nonsense, but so what? Wasn’t the world exactly like that? What moved the world wasn’t reason—it was emotion.
“On the other hand, the number one side that gets dragged into a fight—”
“Suffers devastating losses.”
“Exactly~!”
From Kirin Guild’s perspective, winning was the absolute minimum requirement.
The more aggravating part was that even winning was currently difficult. There was no battlefield where they, the kings of League 1, would fight a League 4 version of Kirin Guild.
But did that matter?
“The important thing is the ‘composition,’ not the ‘result.’”
This was pleasure without responsibility, a deal with no downside!
Puhuhuhuhu!!
A sight that truly deserved to be called the mouth of hell.
Clearly, what he did was amazingly smart, yet the moment it passed through that mouth it turned into the rabid barking of a hellhound with rabies… Seeing this, Chae Dong-ha once again thought the man hadn’t earned the title of national team troublemaker for nothing, then moved on to the next item on the schedule.
“Now that all the major schedules are finished, only the raid team face-to-face meeting remains the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh right, there was that.”
“We’re really almost there. Once we finish this face-to-face, the front office will have almost nothing left to do for a while. So—”
“Let’s finish beautifully~”
“…I mean don’t cause any trouble and just go normally.”
Please, not this insane version! With dignity! Like an actual representative!
“It’s good that you’ve sucked in every topic like a black hole as the representative intended, but as a result, many places are now uncomfortable with our guild. Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble. This time, let’s please go normally.”
“If they’re uncomfortable, they should stand up straight.”
“Tsk!”
“Fine, fine.”
At Chae Dong-ha’s earnest request, Lee Shin nodded as if he understood.
“Normally. I, Lee Shin, will go normally from today onward.”
Thus, Lee Shin gave the normal answer Chae Dong-ha wanted. Two days passed normally. He ascended the podium in normal attire and spoke in a normal tone.
“Everyone, you are tools.”
Chae Dong-ha thought:
Should I kill him…?