Not Recruiting Is Best
Whether it was to help beginners or because it was a hassle, GM had no special regulations on recruitment. So a lot of people simply hit the season “Start” button and figured it out from there. The plan was to recruit later if things fell short. A classic beginner mistake…….
……Recruiting mid-season tanks the leader’s “credit score.” The higher the league level, the worse it gets. At the major level, mid-season signings were seen as proof that your off-season plan had collapsed. A low credit score could cause anything from front-office and hunter conditioning issues to serious team chemistry problems…….
……The only recommended approach was to somehow survive on gear and item luck, then aim for the break period or breaking season…….
Guild culture was changing because of Lee Shin.
One expert named “communication” as the keyword of the season, declaring that the one-sided relationship between guilds and fans was over. It had transformed into a culture that encouraged interaction, dialogue, and real breathing room between both sides.
He added that after what Lee Shin and the Mir Guild had shown, the other guilds had no choice but to follow.
Yet the guild leaders themselves were struggling to accept the change right away.
Why? Lack of will? No capital? No experience?
None of the above.
Surprisingly, most of the leaders had already recognized the shift.
It had only been half a season, but they had been beaten so thoroughly by Lee Shin that failing to notice would have been an intelligence issue.
So the question remained.
Why?
If asked, the leaders would probably have answered like this:
“Because we have to put out the fire on our own feet first!”
“We need to handle the urgent problems right now!”
That was it.
The leaders had plenty to say.
Since Lee Shin appeared, the changes hadn’t stopped at one or two things. He had touched customs, traditions, established laws, common sense—everything. He had even altered guild culture and the strategies and tactics that directly impacted combat strength.
Professor, the pace is way too fast!
In the middle of all that, the guild leaders were busy solving the most pressing issues first. To be exact, they were focused on “strengthening their roster” rather than culture or anything else—because that was what would keep their necks attached.
The first item on the list was this.
1. Rotation.
“We’ve already seen what happens when stamina becomes an issue! The second half has to be different. We need to build the second team until it can actually function!”
“There’s no time. Just copy what the Mir Guild did. Sell off the old gear and switch to the old-school heavy, solid style those guys used!”
The extermination battles shown by Lee Hye-jung and the second team’s rookies.
The old-school strategy that brought back the past had been a massive success.
Some analysts even claimed that Mir Guild’s overwhelming performance in the latter half of the first half was entirely thanks to Lee Hye-jung and the second team.
“By the time the second round of the competition conquest battles began, every guild was groaning under stamina problems. Even the Kirin Guild couldn’t avoid it. The only guild that stayed free of it? The Mir Guild.”
“Why? It was all because of Lee Hye-jung and the second team!”
Lee Hye-jung and the second team had shouldered more than a third of the conquest battles held in the first half.
To be honest, they had shown incredible performance—finishing fourth and later rising to third—while also protecting their victory points. It was an absolute jackpot.
In the process, while the Mir second team grew, Lee Hye-jung’s own value skyrocketed. She calmed the impatient young members and displayed the leadership of a true “mom.” Many guilds began to covet her.
It was around this time that unknown numbers started appearing frequently on Lee Hye-jung’s phone. Of course, their “Mamang” used even those flirtations as teaching material for her younger siblings.
“Kids, what did I tell you? Don’t answer unknown numbers. Unlike me, each of you is a precious gem. Don’t tarnish your value with stupid behavior.”
And so, each guild first chased after the rotation strategy Lee Shin had used, reinforcing their second teams until they could be sent into conquest battles.
But if there was a first, there was always a second—and the second was usually much harder.
In reality, it was exactly like that. The second issue was a real headache.
2. Rivalry matches.
“Ugh, what do we do about the rivalry matches? Should we change the main roster? If we don’t, we’ll end up just like the Kirin Guild……”
“Aaaagh!! The Kirin Guild got crushed without even putting up a fight?! Then we’re basically just food! We have to change everything! Right now!!”
The Mir Guild had completely dominated the league with an undefeated record in the first-half rounds.
In the final round of the first half, they had even smashed the defending champion Kirin Guild, proving they were the new trend.
The problem started from there.
The Kirin Guild’s long dominance had convinced other guilds that they held the correct answer. Naturally, every guild had been following the Kirin Guild’s model.
Yet their role model—the Kirin ship—had collided with the Mir ship and was sinking without a trace. To survive, they had no choice but to switch to the Mir vessel.
“Instead of relying on star hunters’ abilities like the Kirin did and dragging things into the late game, we need to actively open fights.”
“Whether it’s the Volcano Duo or whatever, the core is a faster tempo, fiercer pressure, and a meta centered on combat.”
Volcano tactics, Volcano Duo, roaming strategy, and so on.
Mir’s first option, known by many names, was commonly understood as Hwarang and Sanwang running wild from the very beginning, not even giving the opponent room to breathe.
But analysts and experts all agreed on one thing.
This was an extremely well-designed play.
“Hwarang’s involvement and Sanwang’s command are actually secondary. The top-laner Baek Yeon-woo applies pressure. The mid-laner Park Su-bin focuses on defense. The AD carry Yu Ri-ra’s survival is the prerequisite for everything.”
And naturally, all of it pointed back to Lee Shin, the one who had created both this squad and its strategy.
“Lee Shin is definitely a pervert. He seems to know not only each individual’s abilities but also their strengths, weaknesses, and even their personalities.”
It was perfect from start to finish.
The squad, the way they moved, every aspect had no gaps. The fact that he had personally discovered three of them made Lee Shin seem like something other than human.
The problem was…….
“We have to do this ourselves……?”
“Where do we even start?”
“Ha……”
“Uh, um……”
Should they first look for an active supporter like Hwarang?
Or a command-type jungler like Sanwang?
Or a top-laner who never stopped pushing no matter the opponent? An unshakable mid-laner? An AD carry who survived until the end and carried?
At this point, wouldn’t it be faster to just be reborn as Lee Shin?
Only question marks filled their minds.
While the leaders were clutching their heads in agony, a saving echo rang out like salvation.
The answer sheet was across the Pacific, in America.
“Eureka! That’s right—Lee Shin did exactly that in the States!”
“If copying the Mir Guild is too hard, we can compromise like that and still add our own guild’s color!”
If the Mir Guild was the completed ideal that Lee Shin had created, then the Mets Guild was the compromise version of that ideal.
And that level of compromise was something the current guilds could adopt without too much bleeding.
“No time. Bring me the recruitment list.”
“Scout team, contact the candidates immediately.”
Ring ring ring—!!
Ring ring ring—!!
The phones rang like crazy.
And right after came exhausted voices.
“Yes, this is the Bureau. The trade between Haemu Guild and Asakura Guild. Please send the contract by fax. For the overseas recruitment documents……”
“We just received the contract. The Bureau confirms that the loan agreement between Baekgeom Guild and Akm yo Guild has been completed. Entry changes will be processed immediately……”
“This is the Taeyang Guild. Upon checking, Russia is currently in civil war, so additional attached documents and certification are required. Yes, yes. Send them right away and we’ll register the entry……”
No matter how free recruitment was, a system was still necessary.
The department that registered entries, protected hunters’ rights, and recognized guild ownership.
This place, which created a healthy league ecosystem, was the Bureau’s Guild Management Division.
Given its role, the Guild Management Division was usually quiet. It only tightened the reins during the off-season when full-scale recruitment took place.
But this year, things had been unusual since the breaking season began.
I’m going crazy. When will this end?
It looks like at least five times more than last year.
This is record-breaking. Lee Shin’s storm really wasn’t just talk…….
Among this overworked group was Kim Yeon-ah, a brand-new employee who had joined the management division only a month ago.
With the fresh, bright face typical of a newcomer, she had been the department’s vitamin. But her appearance had changed to one of pure exhaustion ever since the breaking season started.
“Huu……”
With dark circles hanging under her eyes, she looked at the fax.
She scratched her greasy hair—untouched after last night’s all-nighter—while checking the contract, then tilted her head and picked up the phone.
“Hello, this is the Haemu Guild recruitment team? This is the Bureau. I just received the fax. There’s a discrepancy in the information. You traded with the Asakura Guild, correct? Then why is there a different name in the middle?”
───!
“Yes, I already spoke with the hunter’s side. The documents are perfect too.”
───!!
“Understood. We will approve it. The Bureau hereby confirms that the trade between Haemu Guild and Asakura Guild has been completed……”
After finishing the entry registration, Kim Yeon-ah stretched. A hand then tapped her shoulder, and she turned to see a woman in similar attire standing there.
“Team Leader Ju!”
“Follow me, newbie. Let’s get some air and grab a meal.”
The two soon stepped onto the rooftop.
The team leader put an electronic cigarette to her lips and looked at Kim Yeon-ah with pity.
“Aigoo, look at your face. Did you even wash your hair?”
“Sniff sniff, do I smell?”
“No, you smell nice. Stop sniffing. It’s so pitiful I’m tearing up. Tsk, you poor thing. The breaking season isn’t usually this busy.”
“Hehe… Still, it’s fun.”
Many who applied to the Bureau had once dreamed of becoming hunters. Kim Yeon-ah was one of them, and she was extremely satisfied that she could learn about guild entries faster than anyone else.
Just like now.
“The top guilds really are on another level. It hasn’t even been a few days and they’ve already finished reinforcing their second teams. They’re spending money like water. Gives me chills!”
“Money isn’t everything, but in this league, money can be everything.”
“The Champion Guild was pretty good too. Is their scouting team that skilled? They were picking out cost-effective hunters one after another.”
“Yeah, the Champion Guild’s scouting team is excellent.”
“Oh, and about the Haemu Guild.”
“A bit suspicious, right?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“They have a lot of connections in Japan. Japanese hunter contracts are famous for being weird. Think third-party stuff. That kind of thing.”
“Ah… I see.”
Seeing Kim Yeon-ah nod vigorously, the team leader smiled through the smoke.
Come to think of it, she had joined the Bureau for the same reason—for love of the league.
“The key to this recruitment market will be the competition conquest battles.”
“Oh? I thought so too!”
“A lot of tanks have come up for sale, right?”
“Yes! Out of the six cases I handled today, four were tanks. All of them were the classic style.”
Tanks with good footing and attack capability.
A tank was the flower of any conquest party. Reorganizing the tanks meant they were changing the very nature of their conquest parties.
“It means they’re rebuilding their conquest parties. Or rather, retooling in this case.”
“Since they’re keeping the core, retooling is correct!”
Retooling.
A process of protecting core resources and achieving quick results through short-term adjustments.
Both of them were certain that the process pointed toward the Mir Guild.
“Pure tanks will become the trend. Just like how the Mir Guild uses Kang Malsuk or the double shield duo.”
“The top ranks are already changing. The lower guilds will naturally follow them.”
Slow but sturdy tanks. Heavy-armor tanks equipped with full-plate armor.
A 3-point breakthrough formation that used healers and melee dealers as sub-tanks while pulling the ranged dealers and supporters to both wings.
This was the new formation the Mir Guild had presented.
“It can hunt far more monsters than the old three-line formation. The drawbacks are slightly slower speed and stability, but……”
“The Mir Guild doesn’t have that problem. They have Sanwang. He showed that those so-called weaknesses can be offset if the commander’s ability is outstanding.”
However, there was a problem. It was impossible with the existing light-armor, fast-footed, versatile tanks and equipment.
To put it bluntly, the cost was simply too high.
That was why the guilds split into two factions. Inside the management division, they were called the “Mir faction” and the “Kirin faction.”
“The Mir faction boldly invests after acknowledging that the Mir Guild has become the trend.”
“A lot of mid-to-upper rank guilds are following them. It costs so much money, after all.”
“On the other hand, they follow the old Kirin model and only change the main members.”
“Since it’s just between us, I’ll say it plainly—they’re just going to openly mob the monsters in the competition conquest battles.”
“Ugh! It’s so hard to endure. Is it too much to say I’m already excited for the Kirin and Mir’s competition conquest battle?”
“Yeah, that’s too much.”
Conquest battles, rivalry matches, competition conquest battles.
Each format required this much calculation. Kim Yeon-ah believed that these diverse aspects were exactly what made the league attractive. Perhaps that was why the more she thought about it, the more she admired one person.
“You know, Representative Lee Shin. He really is amazing.”
“Why do you think so?”
“In the end, he’s the one who brought the wind of change. You said it earlier too, Team Leader. There’s never been a breaking season with this much recruitment activity.”
“It’s true. Lee Shin really is something else.”
Without the Mir Guild and Lee Shin, they would have spent yet another identical year. From culture to these strategies, he was making the league richer and more attractive. How could he not be amazing?
“That’s why I’m curious about something.”
Lee Shin was the one who had created the wind of change, yet so far the Mir Guild had registered zero entries with the Bureau.
They were the only guild that hadn’t changed their entry at all.
“What could Representative Lee Shin be thinking?”
A group of people with backpacks had gathered at the pier.
“Whoa.”
“This is insane.”
“Honey……”
“Wow, Dad, it’s huge!!”
They were the Mir Guild members. Not only the conquest party but the entire front office stood there with their families.
They were overwhelmed by the majestic sight before them.
In the middle of it all, Lee Shin—wearing a straw hat and a flower-patterned shirt—lowered his sunglasses and smiled.
He then waved at one person high above.
“Grandpa!”
Indeed.
The identity of the shadow covering the pier was a super-large cruise ship, and the owner of this largest cruise vessel in the country was none other than Lee Do Group Chairman Lee Sang-byuk.
“Get on.”
After all, playing while others worked was the sweetest thing.
The Mir Guild’s breaking season cruise trip was now departing!
……In fact, whether it’s the breaking season or not, not recruiting is the best. Perfect your squad during the off-season and just rest during the breaking season. Loyalty will skyrocket.
— From Lee Shin’s GM Beginner’s Must-Read Guide “Recruitment Market (Tip)”