Han Jeong-do Is No Fool
Han Jeong-do was by no means a fool.
The legendary trio that had illuminated Korea’s dark age—Fighting King Ma Jang-dong, Mountain King Kim Jong-pil, and Ten Thousand King Han Jeong-do himself.
In the original GM world line, the character named Han Jeong-do had walked only upon flower-strewn paths. He enjoyed the longest prime any player had ever seen, claimed more trophies than anyone in history, and was fated to stand proudly at the very top of the “DLC Hall of Fame” update as Korea’s representative hunter.
Of course Lee Shin, who adored the Mountain King, liked to dismiss him as “a tool that can’t tell shit from piss.” Yet among GM users, the general consensus still gave the edge to the Ten Thousand King.
So what were the chances that such a man would commit a judgment error against the Mir Guild simply because of personal feelings?
Zero.
Absolutely zero.
Never mind judgment—his SSS-class trait, Super Intuition, which ghosted after profit with eerie precision, would never have stayed silent.
As proof, the Ten Thousand King had already admitted it himself some time ago.
That conversation had taken place right after the second competitive raid. The stamina crisis that had swept the entire league had finally reached even the Kirin Guild.
With the analysis team, front office, and even the regular raid parties all sent away, Han Jeong-do had gathered only the four rankers who formed the core of their competitive lineup and confessed that their forces stood at a disadvantage.
Naturally the mood was grim. It sounded like he was blaming them. So Han Jeong-do offered the warm smile he reserved only for those closest to him.
His tone overflowed with consideration.
This was Han Jeong-do. A man who might ignore the front office but cherished the raid team like his own children. He was especially famous for treating core rankers better than blood relatives—houses, cars, luxury goods, women or men, even power if power was required. Utmost devotion.
Just look at how he had cleared the room before this conversation so their pride would not be wounded. It was a delicate touch the Mountain King could never manage.
That was why Kirin’s rankers sided with the Ten Thousand King over the Mountain King.
Which made the conversation all the more effective. Han Jeong-do was saying things he had never once uttered in his life.
And he knew it.
He touched their pride with acknowledgment, comforted them again, then stoked their fighting spirit once more. Han Jeong-do manipulated their thoughts with masterful control.
He asked with care, yet the outcome was never in doubt. Every one of them agreed. They might grumble and wear tired expressions, but none defied Han Jeong-do’s words. They would believe they had chosen to help of their own free will.
Yet did they realize? At the very bottom of their hearts, Han Jeong-do’s Psychological Warfare trait had already been laid like a foundation. He was using a trait meant for reading and dismantling an opponent’s mind in personal combat to gaslight his own people. No wonder Lee Shin, who preferred things honest and straightforward, despised this character.
Once everyone had left, Han Jeong-do locked the door, isolated the entire space with magic power, and made a call.
After a few rings, Chinese flowed from the speaker. Han Jeong-do answered in the same language.
A man willing to use not only the front office and raid team but even family and siblings. He fought for neither team victory nor glory—only for his own career.
Han Jeong-do was by no means foolish enough to prepare carelessly before a decisive battle that could tarnish that career.
A few days later, China’s representative legendary weapon, the Baekhwageom, entered a Korean airport in absolute secrecy.
The Baekhwageom drew a line.
Flowers scattered.
The Baekhwageom struck downward.
Flowers fell.
Cutting, stabbing, slamming, spinning away from basic trajectories, shooting forth, drawing back. Pure white flowers bloomed along the path of the Ten Thousand King’s beautiful sword dance. And those pure white flowers erased Park Su-bin’s orbs.
Flowers that bloomed from purity, existed for a single moment, and returned all magic power to its pristine state.
Baekhwageom.
The sword held by Ten Thousand King Han Jeong-do was the natural predator of every magic power user.
“One, two, three—more keep disappearing! The orbs are vanishing along the path of the Ten Thousand King’s sword! Only white flowers bloom and drift among the scattering magic power!”
“Highest-level magic resistance, cutting power, mana combustion, and spell collapse all at once. A nightmare for every hunter who uses magic, regardless of type—ability, spell, or curse! That is China’s Five Great Divine Swords, the Baekhwageom!”
“The monster Park Su-bin is visibly shaken. A situation he has never faced before. Has this player ever been pushed this hard since his debut in the league?”
It did not merely delete manifested magic power. It burned the opponent’s mana like flame and scattered it into the air.
Just as the orbs turned into pitiful falling petals, Park Su-bin’s magic power was disappearing in huge chunks. For the first time, impatience colored his face.
At the same time, it was the moment the hearts of the Yongbung fans watching sank.
Kirin’s competitive members already carried at least one legendary piece each. In fact, the sword the Ten Thousand King usually wielded was itself a legendary weapon.
Yet they had gone and obtained the Baekhwageom purely to crush Park Su-bin.
The act reeked of madness beyond mere desire for victory, and the Yongbung fans trembled with rage.
On the other hand, Kirin’s supporters threw their arms wide and cheered.
Though the insane clown of a representative had stolen the spotlight, the Kirin Guild had originally been Korea’s undisputed number one. Five consecutive titles in recent years, more than ten trophies total, five Asia League titles, and even a Champions trophy.
Kirin had always been the best and still was.
So their fans prayed. Flatten the noses of those arrogant brats! Please!
“Five minutes in and the Kirin cheering section is already on fire!”
“It was that precise! Unlike instant-attack magic, the monster Park Su-bin’s orbs maintain their shape while defending. Against the Ten Thousand King holding the Baekhwageom, they’re nothing but easy prey.”
“He’s still being pushed back! Park Su-bin is in danger!!”
The speed of deletion far outstripped the speed of creation.
This could not continue.
Park Su-bin clenched his teeth and clapped. The moment black currents surged and his eyes flashed, the drifting orbs scattered like feathers and split into even smaller pieces.
If one orb vanished per attack, he would simply multiply the orbs and increase the number of attacks.
That had been his judgment.
“!!”
Han Jeong-do’s low voice sounded as if he had known exactly what the younger man would do. Park Su-bin soon saw the proof.
With an elegant stroke of his hand, characters appeared along the blade—rune letters, magical script.
There were many definitions of magic. Some called it an imitation of nature, others the power to rewrite reality.
There were many definitions of swordsmanship as well. Fundamentalists spoke only of technique and method, while pluralists included every action performed with a blade.
In other words—
“!!”
Park Su-bin snapped back to his senses and tried to strike Han Jeong-do with his orbs, but a circular mana ring floating around the older man blocked them.
Six circular mana rings spun around Han Jeong-do, deflecting every attack while he danced his sword inside their protection.
Then a meteor shower fell from the sky.
Meteor Rain?
Massive clumps of magic power resembling the high-tier spell Meteor Rain slammed down at terrifying speed. Park Su-bin raised his orbs to block—
The instant the two forces collided, the defending orbs melted and flowers bloomed. White blossoms more profuse than spring cherry petals opened in full glory.
“!!”
Every single meteor had been swordsmanship! The sword art contained within the Baekhwageom’s power.
“Park Su-bin’s orbs are melting away!”
“This is a crisis!!”
His mana hole shrank at the same terrifying speed as the vanishing orbs.
The ocean of magic power that had belonged to Park Su-bin was burning away.
It was his first time experiencing anything like this, yet he was still Lee Shin’s first child. With terrifying calm, Park Su-bin recalled every orb and immediately summoned the Giant’s avatar.
─────!!
The summoned milky-white giant swelled massively, then roared toward the sky. Its target was the raining meteors.
The shockwave that erupted from the giant’s mouth shattered the surroundings like a lion’s roar and even blocked the meteor shower.
He had done it. He had blocked every last meteor—
A pure exclamation from the Ten Thousand King.
But Park Su-bin could not move.
Because once the meteor shower vanished, what floated before his eyes was—
The moon.
A razor-sharp crescent blade flashed like a guillotine.
The guillotine fell.
The giant scattered as an enormous white flower.
And then—
Han Jeong-do has slain Park Su-bin.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!! The Ten Thousand King!!”
“First kill! The Ten Thousand King succeeds in hunting the monster! Pressure! Relentless pressure that cut off every escape route, finished off with a massive bombardment! This is why he is a legend!”
“This is huge! This is really huge!”
Mir Guild had been able to achieve countless challenges and innovations thanks to the Mountain King’s brain and the monster Park Su-bin’s rock-solid reliability.
Yet that dragon’s waist had just been severed—by Han Jeong-do and the Baekhwageom.
Kim Jong-pil, what will you do now?
Han Jeong-do glanced toward the jungle where the Mountain King had gone, then advanced with a refreshed expression.
“This is fatal. From Mir Guild’s perspective they must come up with some kind of countermeasure!”
“It’s hard to dismiss this as a single kill. The Ten Thousand King’s performance today is ominous. How exactly will Mir respond?”
The response was surprisingly simple.
“As expected, it’s that?”
“It appears so.”
Simple meant predictable.
Mir Guild’s response had unfolded exactly as Han Jeong-do had foreseen. He looked at the bloodied figure standing before him and gave a small laugh.
Correct. The person standing before him was Baek Yeon-woo in his white uniform.
They had moved Park Su-bin to the top lane to avoid the mana-erasing Baekhwageom and brought the former top-laner Baek Yeon-woo down to mid.
Baek Yeon-woo tilted his head and glared at Han Jeong-do.
Han Jeong-do smiled and swapped the Baekhwageom for a different sword.
The Baekhwageom specialized in burning mana; its raw physical attack power was actually rather low. Therefore he drew his original beloved blade, Nebula.
He let the strange remark pass. Right now only one thing filled Baek Yeon-woo’s mind.
What Lee Shin had told him before the match.
Lee Shin had predicted this situation even before the match began.
And the advice he had given Baek Yeon-woo had been far from ordinary.
A method to piss off the Ten Thousand King, one might say.
Baek Yeon-woo slipped his sword sheath into the subspace pouch at his waist and drew something else.
The interesting part was the Ten Thousand King’s expression.
As the heavy object revealed its form, Han Jeong-do’s previously serene face hardened with terrifying speed.
“……!!”
Correct.
What Baek Yeon-woo held in his hand was a heavy, dark greatsword.
It was Muksal, the beloved weapon of Fighting King Ma Jang-dong—the man the Ten Thousand King had never once defeated.
Baek Yeon-woo slung it over his shoulder and let his body hang loose. Arms dangling, he manipulated his frame with neck and lower body in the footwork of the natural state.
Baek Yeon-woo beckoned with a flick of his fingers.
It was the Fighting King of his youth.
“It’s a bad matchup, after all. Between the Fighting King and the Ten Thousand King.”