The Smart and the Ruthless
The screen glowed brightly as the familiar opening sequence played.
“Hello everyone! This is your guide to a smarter league life, brought to you by YouTube TV — GWL Gameday! I’m your league goddess, Park Ye-jin~!”
“Even though it’s the weekend, the viewer count is through the roof. Hehe, I think I know why. You know it, I know it — that controversial bombshell! It’s all because of the results from the Competitive Conquest!”
While the traditional networks were left sucking their thumbs waiting for the schedule, that was the beauty of OTT platforms. They were incredibly flexible.
Which was exactly why they had prepared this.
A Competitive Conquest preview special!
“We should bring out our two guests. Analyst Jen-nim! Analyst Im Cho-rong-nim! Please come on out!”
“Hello. Former first-generation idol, second-generation hunter. I’m currently analyst Jen.”
“I’m Im Cho-rong. Nice to meet you.”
“Normally we’d do some icebreakers, but there’s way too much hot news today, so let’s jump right in. Is that okay with both of you?”
“Let’s go!”
“Sounds good.”
“Perfect! Today we’ll be covering three main topics.”
1. Mir Guild’s smart approach to Competitive Conquest.
2. Kirin Guild’s shocking approach to Competitive Conquest.
3. And the penalty controversy surrounding it all.
“Let’s get started. We’ll begin with Group 1’s Competitive Conquest match. Mir Guild took a crushing first place with an overwhelming score gap. What do you two think?”
“What more needs to be said? Pu~re facts!!”
“Even if you scrubbed your eyes clean, you wouldn’t find a single flaw. That’s honestly the only way I can describe it.”
“High praise indeed. Then let’s preview while watching the highlight reels our two analysts picked. We’ll start with Analyst Jen.”
“I always seem to go first. But I don’t mind.”
Then, video cue!
Jen winked at the camera, and a video appeared on the screen behind them.
A warrior clad in steel armor carved through the forest, followed by Yu Ri-ra gliding across the ground as if she were ice skating.
“The scene I chose is the incredible performance of the Yu Ri-ra and Hwarang duo. From the start of the match to the very end, the two of them sniped the enemy’s key monsters.”
“What makes their detached force so astonishing is how perfectly they divided their roles and how insane their synergy was.”
The signature descriptors for Hwarang.
Activity level, defense, and judgment honed over years of side operations.
The signature descriptors for Yu Ri-ra.
Speed, attack power, and the precision to land critical hits at any moment.
“Hwarang uses his world-class activity and defense to secure safe routes. Crossing a field swarming with monsters is an incredibly high-risk maneuver, yet Hwarang guided Yu Ri-ra to the points with ridiculous ease.”
“Yu Ri-ra follows behind him, conserving her stamina before delivering lethal blows. Bang! Bang! Not a single one of her shots missed.”
Every time Yu Ri-ra’s gun barrel spat fire, Sand Worms collapsed without fail. The two of them dominated the field from beginning to end.
“This detached force may look simple at first glance, but it’s an incredibly high-level concept. Not to mention the danger, they had to carry out their mission in an extremely harsh environment filled with constant emergencies, high pressure, and the need to remain in a perpetual state of tension.”
“But the Hwarang and Yu Ri-ra duo executed it flawlessly. I’ll say it without hesitation — it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that these two were the reason Mir Guild won this Competitive Conquest!”
At Jen’s words, both Park Ye-jin and Im Cho-rong found themselves nodding instinctively.
That was how brilliant their performance had been.
“Alright, now let’s hear from Analyst Im Cho-rong.”
“Hmm, I took a slightly broader view. While I agree 200% that their performance was dazzling, the person who truly designed this victory was this man. The Mountain King, Kim Jong-pil.”
“There she goes again with the Mountain King fanboying…”
“……”
“……”
“Ahem. My apologies.”
After shooting Jen a quick glare, Im Cho-rong refocused.
The video switched. Formations shifted mysteriously under the Mountain King’s command. Mir Guild devoured their enemies faster no matter what variables appeared.
“The Mountain King accurately recognized that monster difficulty changes in Competitive Conquest. He even understood the exact degree of that difference. With a detached force lacking in numbers and monsters that had grown stronger, he introduced a brand-new positioning never seen before to counter it.”
“It wasn’t the traditional three-line positioning of tank-damage-support. Instead, he placed the main force in the center and spread wings to the left and right — the so-called three-point positioning.”
The existing three-line formation guaranteed high stability and breakthrough power, but it was somewhat inefficient when it came to using melee dealers to suppress monsters.
The three-point positioning the Mountain King proposed drew out every last bit of the melee dealers’ talent and allowed them to suppress far more monsters.
“What makes the Mountain King truly smart is that he maintained safety even while doing this. And these are the ones who made it possible. The shield-bearing healers.”
On screen were two healers running while holding shields.
The massive Ryu Hong-seok and Seo Ye-na, who was in the middle of evolving into a giant herself.
“Look at those fierce expressions! You can practically feel the killing intent from Hunter Seo Ye-na. As you can see, with those two healers firmly supporting the front line, the main force’s stability became rock solid.”
“We can’t give all the credit to the Mountain King here. This was a brilliant move from Representative Lee Shin.”
By maximizing the main force’s stability, the wings on both sides could project firepower even more freely, which ultimately led to increased breakthrough power.
“The Mountain King, Park Su-bin, Baek Yeon-woo — they cleaned up the monsters pushed out from the main force. One thing you must not forget while watching this clip is that they were operating with two people missing.”
“Even then, the key was the Mountain King’s command. He coordinated both sides perfectly, quickly folding the wings back in whenever danger or an unexpected situation arose. You can see it clearly when the Sand Worms appeared — he left only Park Su-bin and Baek Yeon-woo behind and immediately rejoined the main force.”
Watching this, Im Cho-rong felt certain.
If the old Mountain King had pursued stability and efficiency while remaining somewhat colorless…
“…The Mountain King you see on screen right now has boldly abandoned safety to push individual talent to its absolute limit. He’s entrusting efficiency to talent itself.”
Suddenly, Im Cho-rong’s eyes grew misty. On screen, the Mountain King was rampaging among the swirling tree stumps.
You’re shining so brightly, Master.
Seeing her master’s shoulders, which had once carried every burden alone, finally grow a little lighter made the bridge of her nose sting. And once again, she felt grateful to Lee Shin for giving him this opportunity.
“In this way, the Mountain King disrupted the enemy’s hunting with the detached force while introducing new positioning with the main force. He interpreted Competitive Conquest in a smart way.”
But if the Mountain King had dominated Competitive Conquest with a smart interpretation, then this side had interpreted it in the complete opposite direction…
It was Kirin Guild, led by the Ten Thousand King.
“Kirin Guild chose a completely different path from Mir Guild. They operated the match without mercy.”
At Jen’s words, the video changed. Shockingly, it showed Kirin Guild leading a horde of monsters — the ‘Vampire Legion.’
“Stealing monsters that the opponent was trying to kill was just the basics. They changed the terrain, put fighting monsters into an ‘enraged’ state — they tormented the other guilds in Group 4 using every method imaginable.”
“Their aggressive mob driving in particular was devastating. Group 4 literally tasted hell because of it.”
Dragging monsters over during active combat was one thing. They also faced monster hordes right after battles when everyone was exhausted.
The absolute worst was when they drove mobs over while the others were trying to sleep at night.
It was on a completely different level from Mir Guild, who had only interfered with sniping and stealing.
“As a side note, the Mountain King is currently being reevaluated among those in the know. There’s no way he didn’t know about the methods the Ten Thousand King used. Yet he only engaged in gentlemanly stealing.”
Kirin Guild focused solely on tormenting the other guilds in their group with truly vicious persistence.
As a result, the only guild in Group 4 that managed to reach the final boss room was Kirin Guild.
“Controversy aside, perhaps Kirin Guild understood what real ‘competition’ meant.”
“I agree.”
Im Cho-rong naturally picked up where Jen left off.
“We have to acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment. The ones who best understood the Bureau’s intention behind Competitive Conquest were the Ten Thousand King and Kirin Guild.”
Regardless of right or wrong, Kirin Guild’s approach was incredibly interesting and valid.
“We need to remember one thing. Every guild except Mir Guild is currently using what we call a ‘running squad.’”
The smart operation Mir Guild used was only possible because they already had a solid tanker line established before the season even began.
What about the other guilds? They had no choice but to keep running. Whether it became porridge or rice, they had to run.
“The Ten Thousand King smartly recognized his own limits. So he changed his target. Not monsters — but the ‘opponents.’ He decided to retire the competition and take first place.”
“That’s why he made such a bold choice. He spread all fifteen team members across the field to drive mobs.”
A large-scale mob drive utilizing every single team member.
This was not a strategy an ordinary person could execute. It required a vicious mindset — if we can’t push our opponents off the cliff, then we fall instead.
“It was an astonishingly efficient operation, and just as Analyst Jen said earlier, it sent the rest of Group 4 straight to hell.”
“I’ll be honest. Love it or hate it, if we’re judging purely by effectiveness, this was superior to Mir Guild’s approach. The Ten Thousand King’s hellish operation, that is.”
Right on cue, the screen showed the Ten Thousand King. The ruthless scene of him standing on a cliff, freely manipulating the Vampire Legion using his ‘Glutton.’
Completely unlike his usual gentlemanly appearance, his face was filled with venom. It almost looked like something inside him had broken.
Feeling a chill, Park Ye-jin quickly moved on to the next topic.
“Then let’s move to our final topic. The controversial penalty! There’s currently a huge uproar over Baekgeom Guild receiving third place in Competitive Conquest due to a penalty. Fans believe this is unfair.”
Kirin Guild had done such devilish things yet received no penalty. Meanwhile, Baekgeom Guild got penalized for merely grabbing someone by the collar.
Was this reasonable?
Both analysts nodded at the same time.
“It is reasonable.”
“It’s only natural.”
It wasn’t wrong. Honestly, what Baekgeom Guild had done was baby-level compared to Kirin Guild. There was no comparison.
Yet the decisive reason only Baekgeom Guild received a penalty was simple.
It was the ‘presence or absence of contact.’
“The Sword Master clearly grabbed someone by the collar. The Bureau determined that he ‘attacked’ the opponent. On the other hand, what about Kirin Guild? There was no contact whatsoever. That was merely ‘interference.’”
“The Bureau’s standard is clear. Did you directly harm the opposing party or not? You must keep this in mind.”
It was inevitable that the two would be compared.
The vicious and cruel method that still secured victory for the Ten Thousand King versus the Sword Master who, unable to control his temper, dragged his entire team into the abyss.
Who was better? There was no need to say it. It was the former.
“The Ten Thousand King was smart. The Sword Master was foolish. That’s why he isn’t a legend. The ones who dominated Group 1 and Group 4 of this Competitive Conquest were the Mountain King and the Ten Thousand King.”
“Hunters who will be participating in next week’s Competitive Conquest should learn from the Sword Master’s mistake. Those who wield weapons must always remain cold-headed.”
After circling back to criticize the Sword Master’s carelessness, today’s Gameday concluded successfully once again.
·
·
And at that very moment.
Inside Park Gwang-seob’s house, a TV split cleanly in half was spitting out sparks.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!”
The reputation and dignity he cared about so much.
Today as well, they were dutifully plummeting straight into the abyss.
* * *
Meanwhile, while many people were questioning the Sword Master’s value, the guilds were so busy their heads felt like they were going to explode.
The topic hammering their brains was this.
“Is it really okay for us to stay like this?”
“Representative-nim, I don’t think we can continue like this.”
The first Competitive Conquest had been far too shocking.
Strengthened monsters and rules that allowed interference in various ways.
In that chaotic mess, Mir Guild had shown off their detached force, healers, and the Mountain King’s dazzling command ability.
On the other hand, Kirin Guild had displayed mob driving and the Ten Thousand King’s merciless, bloodless and tearless operational ability.
This was clearly not part of any guild’s original plan. The most blatant example of this was Baekgeom Guild — one of the top guilds — plummeting in the rankings.
“Even Baekgeom, with both the Sword Master and the Ghost Slayer, fell like that. What about us?”
“Have the Bureau bastards gone insane? Are they trying to completely tear the guilds apart?”
“Goddammit… Those association bastards. I told them we shouldn’t have allowed Competitive Conquest. This is driving me crazy.”
A few things were certain.
They could no longer survive with the old methods.
And that this was now a real war.
So what would the guilds whose feet were now on fire do first?
What else? Recruitment, of course.
[Squads rocking after Competitive Conquest.]
[“Can’t even buy them!” Healer prices skyrocketing!]
[Unexpected vitality in the market? Money pouring into equipment, hunters, potions, and various item markets.]
[Mir VS Kirin — what choices will the guilds make??]
Around this time, each representative realized something.
The competition the Bureau wanted wasn’t limited to just the hunters.
Your guilds are included now too.
Until now, things had somehow managed to roll along, right?
Yeah. That doesn’t work anymore.
Use your heads! If that doesn’t work, at least spend money! And clash with the league with everything you’ve got!
The Bureau added fierce competition to the previously lax league through Competitive Conquest, proving they weren’t called elites for nothing.
Watching the guilds running around in a panic, the man who was cackling again today was, of course—
“Hehe, right? It’s always the kids who didn’t study that cram right before the test.”
Who else could it be?
It was Lee Shin.
Stream Title: (Subtitle: Being a Total Asshole lol;;)
Broadcast On!