The Dragon's Fang, Mir's Superstar
Yu Ri-ra. Who exactly was she?
Her grandfather was a retired Three-Star general. Her father was a brigadier general in the Republic of Korea Army. Her mother was an air force colonel. Her eldest brother served as an operations officer in the Capital Defense Command, and her second brother was an elite Marine Corps warrior.
Born with a silver spoon of military legacy in her mouth, she had evolved from a female high school cadet into a female hunter. A true fundamentalist of marksmanship.
Yet today, her bullets carried an unusual burden of anguish.
Her shots rang out with a cold tang-tang-tang, but they lacked power. Sighs kept slipping from her lips.
“Sigh…”
If her outward appearance was that of a military-raised, battle-hardened female hunter, something far more tremendous slumbered within her soul.
It had first awakened in kindergarten when she laid eyes on her teacher. In elementary school, she owed debts to countless “oppa” figures. During her stormy adolescence, she had mastered the art. And upon meeting the pinnacle of this domain—Lee Shin-nim—she had finally become a grandmaster.
The apex of aesthetic sense.
The ultimate eolppa.
That was Yu Ri-ra’s true nature.
And the sigh she let out now stemmed from a critical crisis that had struck her eolppa life.
“It’s a huge problem. It’s so serious I can’t even sleep properly these days.”
Her usual ten-hour deep sleep had shrunk to a mere eight hours!
She had even left behind her strawberry cake—the one she could never give up despite constant scolding for breaking her diet!
Even as bullets exploded and sparks surged, even as enemy shots grazed past her ear and their supporter tried to snare her feet with a gravity field, Yu Ri-ra simply could not focus.
Of course, the opposing side found her behavior absurd for entirely different reasons.
“What the hell is she saying? Eight hours? Strawberry cake? Can’t focus? While dodging everything? She was like this in the first set, and she’s still doing it?”
“The second set without you was the peak. She kept muttering stuff like ‘fox-face,’ ‘cat-face,’ talking nonstop. But damn, she’s still so fast. First time in my life I’ve seen someone dodge bullets after seeing them.”
She sighed as if she couldn’t concentrate at all, yet she still did everything perfectly… The feeling of being toyed with was incredibly unpleasant. Whenever they tried to shut her mouth, she would dodge with lightning steps while scattering bolts everywhere. It was infuriating.
So when Park Jae-seong finally snapped and cursed at her…
“Mister, watch your mouth. If even your words are ugly, you really have zero charm.”
“…This damn girl.”
“My head hurts. Hwarang’s already a headache, and now her too. Are all the Mir kids like this?”
Third set.
Even now, the Royal Sword Guild had yet to find any meaningful solution.
In the end, they had no choice but to resort to their final desperate plan—endure somehow and drag the game into the late phase.
The result? They were once again suffering brutal canyon punishment from the Hwarang and Mountain King duo.
And on top of that, that rookie over there kept sighing as if she were ignoring them completely. It was enough to make anyone’s stomach twist. That was why the usually quiet supporter, Choi A-ram, finally spoke up.
“Ri-ra.”
“…What is it, unnie?”
“Don’t you feel any pride being treated like this?”
“Huh…?”
“I mean, Hwarang is getting more attention than you.”
“So what?”
“Isn’t it obvious…? Hup!”
Choi A-ram swung her staff, firing a gravity field. Yu Ri-ra casually sidestepped it with a single step.
Even in the middle of their fierce battle, the conversation between the two women didn’t stop.
“No matter how good Hwarang is, he’s a supporter. You’re the AD carry. "The AD carry truly is the flower of the confrontation match, the protagonist of the team. How can you be okay with them just leaving you to fend for yourself?”
“…”
“Listen carefully, Ri-ra. For an AD carry of your caliber, the team should be built around you. All the strategies, operations, even recruitment—everything should revolve around you.”
It was clearly an attempt by Choi A-ram to sow discord and shake Yu Ri-ra. Yet, regardless of her intentions, her words weren’t entirely wrong.
"The AD carry truly is the flower of the confrontation match. It was true that Yu Ri-ra was being neglected in favor of Hwarang. And for whatever reason, she was indeed being pushed into the background.
Finally, for an AD carry of Yu Ri-ra’s level, building a team around her was a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
Honestly, if it had been an ordinary AD carry, Choi A-ram’s provocation would have worked.
The AD carry position had the fiercest competition and the strongest egos. Being stripped of first-option status by a supporter would be hard for any AD carry to accept.
Even as she spoke, Choi A-ram grew more confident. She started running her mouth even more.
“Ah! Is that what you’ve been worrying about this whole time? Exactly! It really is too much. How could they make you anything less than the first option…”
“Wait. Just wait a second.”
But then.
“…What are you even talking about, unnie?”
“…Huh?”
“Why would I worry about something so trivial?”
“!!”
What came back was only Yu Ri-ra’s genuinely confused reaction.
Choi A-ram had made a mistake.
Yu Ri-ra’s enormous ego was pointed in a completely different direction.
Being in the spotlight and becoming the protagonist was, to the human named Yu Ri-ra, a ‘trivial’ matter.
Yu Ri-ra pulled the trigger and continued speaking.
“Why would I be the team’s protagonist? Our team’s protagonist is Mountain King Grandpa. He’s so handsome. His aura alone screams main character, doesn’t it? And team members neglecting each other? The more I think about it, the funnier it gets.”
“Huh??”
“And who cares about being first option or second option? Winning is all that matters. Do they give out artistic points or something? Does winning more stylishly turn one win into two? Or do they hand out B-cut photos?”
“…”
“If we’re really going to nitpick, isn’t it more profitable that I’m tying up two people by myself? Our top lane is exploding right now.”
“!!”
“I didn’t think you were this narrow-minded, unnie. This is exactly why partners are so important. You’re supposed to only look at the good things, but all you ever see is…”
“…”
“…That bitch. Why am I the one staying quiet! And why are you looking at me?”
Ever since her debut, Yu Ri-ra had been raised like a precious jewel by Lee Shin and the Mountain King. She had never truly experienced hardship. Because of that, compared to typical major-league AD carries, she lacked a bit in fighting spirit, ambition, and drive.
But in exchange, she possessed a bright and generous heart—the same heart that now pulled the trigger.
That was why it was even more puzzling. Why was someone like Yu Ri-ra sighing so heavily and restlessly since earlier?
“My worry is… that our team members are just too cool.”
“……??”
“……??”
Sweeee~
For a moment, a chilly wind seemed to blow across the bottom lane.
W-what is she saying? The team members are too cool? How is that a problem?
Yet Yu Ri-ra wore an incredibly serious expression.
“If I turn my head one way, there’s Su-bin. If I turn the other way, there’s Yeon-u Yeon-u. And that’s not all. My constant partner used to be Mountain King Grandpa, and now it’s Hwarang sunbae-nim. And then there’s even Representative oppa on top of that…”
Park Su-bin with his pure, innocent charm.
Baek Yeon-woo with his decadent allure.
The exemplary Hwarang.
The refined Mountain King.
And the one who put the final period on it all—Lee Shin.
A charm that defied all standards. A lump of charm sitting at the very peak of the world.
“There’s no batting order to filter them. It’s not even ‘I didn’t know what you liked so I prepared everything.’ At this level, even on a stone slab it would be a crime. It’s wallet exploitation, I tell you.”
“Wait, how is that… a problem?”
“Just imagine it, unnie. Picture yourself looking at Hwarang sunbae-nim every day, then suddenly turning to look beside you.”
“Uh… Ah.”
“Ah? Ah?! These people?!”
“Exactly. That feeling right there.”
That was it.
The overwhelming coolness of her teammates had raised Yu Ri-ra’s standards all the way to the sky!
Just as excessive stimulation could destroy dopamine circuits, excessive handsomeness had broken Yu Ri-ra’s long-standing eolppa instinct.
Now, Yu Ri-ra could no longer chase after oppas. She might as well spend that time at the training ground. Since she could no longer feel moved by their faces like before, even the fan activities she used to do with her friends had lost their fun.
“My joy in life has disappeared!!”
Uwaaaaack!!
Yu Ri-ra pulled the trigger with pure rage.
·
·
Because of that, Yu Ri-ra herself had not yet realized it.
That the lightning bolts she fired were becoming clearer and more vivid than ever.
The girl was growing.
Meanwhile, while Yu Ri-ra was quietly growing, the direction of the match had already reached a point of no return.
― “In the end, the Royal Sword Guild’s top lane has collapsed.”
― “Ah… Three consecutive ganks. I didn’t expect that from Hwarang. He’s been hammering the exact same dive three times in a row.”
― “As a caster, I shouldn’t say this, but this is too one-sided. To think this is a match between first and seventh place… I can’t believe it.”
― “I’ll be honest. No matter how much I said it was worth a try or that they had a chance, I always thought Mir Guild held the advantage. The weight of their squad is just on another level. But still…”
― “Even taking that into account, this is brutal… The moment I say that, Mountain King’s tree transforms. Hwarang is loaded onto the catapult. That signature pattern is firing. Target is mid lane.”
― “Don’t block it! You have to dodge! Ah…”
― “The monster Park Su-bin has cut off the retreat. Jong-yu takes a direct hit from Hwarang’s shield and is stunned! He dies instantly. Mid lane is breached.”
― “Whoa… Just give up already. Just end it… How are you supposed to stop that?”
It wasn’t that Royal Sword was bad and collapsed.
Mir Guild—more precisely, the first-option combination of Hwarang and Mountain King—was simply too horrifying. So much so that it left the commentators speechless.
That was why, even though the game wasn’t over yet, the Yongbung fans’ mockery engine had slammed the accelerator to the floor.
The psychological warfare Guardian and Royal Sword Guild had thrown out before the match.
You guys had fun talking big, huh? Now it’s time to pay the price. Better raise your guard.
The Yongbung fans began by easily taking over the chat, then raised the Dragon emblem on the Royal Sword Gallery’s main page and started their festival in earnest.
― You said your gallery was finished? From now on, this is the Mir Guild Gallery!
― Lift your heads, you fake Sword bastards. There’s no shame in losing to first place.
― Take a look at the photos^^
― Fake Sword folks. You guys can stay down there and fight with the real Sword. Don’t bother our kids, okay ^^
― Getting excited and then losing is just science. Haha.
The Royal Sword fans trembled with rage.
Even if you’re a fan, sometimes you can’t help but get overly excited. But in the end, you’re responsible for your own hype.
― Ha… It really ended up like this. I’m out. Have fun without me.
― I thought it would at least go to 3:2.
― The match isn’t over yet! Don’t give up!
― It’s over. Can’t you see the dead look in Guardian’s eyes?
― But these Yongbung bastards are still full of venom even though they’re in first place. It’s honestly scary.
Since Lee Shin took over, Mir Guild had never dropped from first place. And astonishingly, that remained true even after they entered the major league.
To be this good… Even the experts had predicted Mir Guild would perform well, but no one expected them to run away with first place like this.
The same went for this recent controversy. No matter how much psychological warfare Royal Sword Guild had initiated, if people hadn’t secretly hoped for Mir Guild to fail, it wouldn’t have grown this big.
With these kinds of people constantly looking for an opening, how could the Yongbung fans not keep their eyes wide open?
― How did we get here? Every guild we clashed with, we crushed. We pushed aside anyone who doubted us and killed off everyone who underestimated us.
― ??: “Hey Yongbung, lend me a cigarette.”
― They’re grinding their teeth and still refusing to acknowledge it. Haha.
― Boss, that’s exactly why beating them is so fun lol
― Fr lol
Now it didn’t matter anymore.
Lee Shin’s children had already reached world-class level. The Mountain King was a god, Lee Shin was invincible, and even the previously quiet Hwarang had finally exploded with presence.
Whether they acknowledged it or not, our Mir Guild was the best.
On the screen, Mir Guild was proving it with their gameplay.
― “In just twenty minutes, every inhibitor in the Royal Sword Guild’s base has been destroyed. All that remains are the twin towers and the nexus.”
― “We have to give credit where it’s due. The game was already over the moment they got four kills at the ten-minute mark. Normally I’d be yelling at them to show some fighting spirit, but… this time, I just can’t bring myself to do it.”
― “Guardian and Royal Sword did their best. Their opponent was simply too strong. And at the center of this destructive performance, no matter what anyone says, stands one man—Hwarang.”
― “Are they going in for the finish? Here they come!”
― “Mir Guild is pushing in!!”
The moment Hwarang feinted, the entire enemy team flinched. Their bodies had been conditioned so thoroughly that they reacted on instinct.
And the Mountain King was not one to miss that fleeting gap.
At the Mountain King’s signal, Baek Yeon-woo and Park Su-bin charged in. Park Su-bin’s giant churned the ground into mud, while Baek Yeon-woo carved moonlight across the rushing clouds of dust.
And then came the tidal wave of vines striking the earth.
Kwaaaaaaaa——!!
The formation collapsed.
Vision was blocked.
Ears rang.
The moment their senses slipped out of control amid the chaos—
The silver train departed. It sliced through the dust, avoided the wreckage of plants, and reached the enemy’s heart in an instant.
“Stop them!!”
Guardian shouted desperately, but it was already too late.
There was nothing in Hwarang’s hands, and his shield floated in the air. The instant the shield returned to his hand like a beam of light—
Kuuuung!!
Shield Charge slammed into the ground, stunning all five enemies.
The moment everyone froze—
Yu Ri-ra, who had been hiding behind Hwarang’s broad back, shot upward.
A current field covered the entire area.
Lightning danced.
― “Whoa!! Hwarang! Super initiate! After the five-man stun, he drops the bomb called Yu Ri-ra!!”
― “Baek Yeon-woo double kill, Yu Ri-ra triple kill. Royal Sword tries to resist but collapses!! They’re heading straight for the nexus. The nexus…”
― “It’s breaking!!”
― “It’s breaking!!”
― “Mir Guild achieves a perfect 3:0 victory over Royal Sword Guild!”
※ 15Round
Mir Guild (3) : Royal Sword Guild (0)
* Mir Guild Victory (+3 points)
* Total Match Time: 1 hour 19 minutes 49 seconds.
Hwarang Kim Yu-shin (Rating: 10)
― “Today, Mir Guild has thrown a challenge at the entire league. Hwarang and Mountain King. Mountain King and Hwarang. If the other guilds cannot find an answer to this first-option combination, victory won’t even be an issue—they won’t even survive until the late game!!”
― “I wonder how each guild will solve this homework.”