The Era of Frenzy
Every year, the nerdy operators of GM would emerge from their caves to host GM Con.
Out of all those events, the fifth GM Con felt especially intense. If Lee Shin’s memory was accurate, those nerd bastards had gone all out on cosplay that year.
A Black man dressed as K-Jesus, wearing a black durumagi and a Darth Vader helmet. A Western woman dramatically reenacting the tragic death of a certain manga doctor. And Geum Tae-yang, who was, as usual, taking his furry obsession to suspicious new heights.
The sheer nerd energy was skin-crawling. Their insane presence practically burst through the screen.
Yet the reason Lee Shin described the fifth GM Con as “intense” wasn’t limited to those surface-level antics.
The true reason that day burned itself into his mind was simple.
It was the day the new ‘DLC’ dropped.
Era of Frenzy
“As previously teased, we’re unveiling the third DLC, everyone.”
“The one we made while chugging energy drinks instead of water. Don’t call it boring. Don’t send hate mail. Yeah, you! Professor Lee! I’m talking to you!!”
“We wanted to deliver something completely different from the first two DLCs.”
The first DLC, Resonance, had shown players the awakening process by directly awakening characters and revealing their growth paths.
The second DLC, Inheritance, had explored another route of growth through the bond between master and disciple.
But.
The motivation that helps a boy grow.
The final piece that completes a hero.
Trial
“Our third DLC. Era of Frenzy.”
“The trial we present to all of you.”
* * *
BOOM—!!
The collision rang out as the descending mace froze in midair. Yun Cho-a’s spinning kick had struck it perfectly.
The deflected mace flew back at a bizarre angle. By then Yun Cho-a had already closed the distance, driving another kick forward.
Short. Concise. Faster. More efficient.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
She unleashed a relentless barrage. She gave him no space. She wasn’t cutting off his breath—she was binding his every limb with overwhelming pressure.
Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Taekwondo, and the essence of modern combat all flowed from Yun Cho-a’s agile frame.
She was a tank specialized for anti-monster combat. And Han Jin-chol was a tank whose real combat sense had grown dull. Against Yun Cho-a, who thrived in tight spaces like this, he stood no chance of gaining the upper hand.
Which was why—
“You damn insect bitch…!!”
He drew out his power.
The moment Han Jin-chol grew agitated, black magic power surged across the face of his mace. It writhed like a swarm of insects, then spat out a pitch-black wave.
This could not be blocked.
It was critical. A split-second from disaster.
Yun Cho-a drew in a sharp breath and stamped her foot.
Her stance was so powerful the cement floor caved in. With her body anchored, she drove her coiled fist straight forward.
Explosive force.
KWAAAAAANG—!!
The moment they collided, magic power detonated outward.
Furniture flew in every direction. The shattered table was hurled across the room. Every window bent like paper before exploding into fragments.
After the storm passed, nothing in the guild master’s office remained intact. Everything had been torn apart or smashed to pieces.
The sole exception was the sofa where Lee Shin sat. It remained strangely untouched, protected by the necklace gleaming at his throat—a unique-grade defensive item that had shielded both him and his seat.
“Had enough fun?”
“……”
“Can I talk now?”
Lee Shin smiled at the panting Han Jin-chol.
“Crain. Full name, Xenocratus.”
Xenocratus.
The word derived from the Greek for conqueror and ruler.
The worst trial yet, the third DLC prepared by gathering every villain breadcrumb they had scattered so far. The main villain organization representing the Era of Frenzy.
And also—
The DLC that most suffering users simply quit, calling it a failure. Yeah, that’s probably when people started saying those nerd bastards never do anything halfway.
Lee Shin smirked, picturing the operators kneeling and taking ice-water showers at the next GM Con, then turned his gaze back to Han Jin-chol.
“How the hell did you people get to Korea at this stage? Shouldn’t you still be gathering your strength?”
“……”
“You still had another year before you could even set foot here. So why the hell were you idiots sniffing around Busan, sprinkling around that identifiable drug? I’m dying to know. Care to enlighten me? I’m genuinely curious.”
He couldn’t forget.
Right now, the Era of Frenzy was the third DLC. It came after the second one, Inheritance.
According to the timeline Lee Shin remembered, Inheritance was supposed to begin after this season ended, during the next off-season.
Yet they had suddenly skipped ahead and dropped the third one.
Why? What possible reason?
This was not something he could simply overlook, yet curiosity burned even hotter.
Perhaps that was why Lee Shin’s eyes sparkled with pure, unfiltered curiosity even in the middle of this crisis.
Han Jin-chol’s assessment after seeing that look was simple.
“You’re even crazier than I thought.”
The earlier exchange had carried enough force to turn a speeding car into paste.
If even one of those strikes had landed cleanly, or if the item hadn’t protected him, Lee Shin would have been reduced to an unrecognizable smear.
Yet here he was, smiling. Showing curiosity instead of fear.
A madman.
And.
A dangerous one.
The hair on Han Jin-chol’s body stood on end.
The moment Lee Shin had spoken the name of his organization, any path of retreat had vanished. But that brazen, carefree smile triggered an inexplicable chill.
It wasn’t reason but instinct that screamed at him.
He must be erased here. No matter what.
Killing intent exploded outward.
As Han Jin-chol gripped his mace tighter, an unpleasant black haze like tentacles spread from his shoulders and formed pitch-black armor.
While Han Jin-chol transformed from a pot-bellied guild master into a dark knight, Lee Shin finally rose from the sofa and gave Yun Cho-a some advice.
“Sister, you remember. Recite it.”
“Han Jin-chol. Pure tanker. Primary weapons are mace and shield charge, plus decent grappling technique. Weakness is slow footwork……”
Yun Cho-a wrapped her fists with ‘white bandages’ as she repeated Lee Shin’s explanation.
The epic-grade holy weapon ‘Angel’s Feather’ glowed fiercely, resisting the sinister darkness before them.
“Good. Just fight him the same way you handled Mal-sook.”
“Do not worry.”
“I don’t want to hear nagging from Dong-ha hyung, so don’t get hurt.”
“……Please go quickly.”
She was embarrassed.
Lee Shin patted Yun Cho-a’s shoulder, then strolled toward the door while lazily waving his hand.
“See you later~!”
“Where do you think you’re going!!”
“Stop him.”
KWAAAAANG—!!
On either side of the closing door, Han Jin-chol’s murderous charge collided with Yun Cho-a’s defense.
* * *
Meanwhile, outside the office the front desk staff were locked in a standoff with Jang Anton and the men from Brothers Outsourcing.
“……Excuse me, what exactly is going on here?”
“……”
“Hey. Hello? If you’re going to lock us down like this, the least you could do is explain why!”
“……”
The Brothers Outsourcing employees stood at attention, completely blocking the entrance. They didn’t budge an inch no matter how much the Haemu Guild staff complained.
The anxiety in the room grew in tandem with the thumping sounds coming from the guild master’s office.
Then—
Creeeeak.
Lee Shin opened the half-shattered door and stepped out.
The front desk staff immediately swarmed toward him.
“Guild Master!!”
“Lee Shin Guild Master!!”
“What is happening? Lee Shin Guild Master! They suddenly showed up and attacked our master!”
“We’re calling the police right now!”
“We’ll file a complaint with the Bureau! How can such thugs be allowed to—!”
Voices of resistance rose from the chaos, but Lee Shin ignored them completely and walked over to Jang Anton.
“Barrier magic?”
“All set.”
“Nothing will leak to the floors below?”
“Damn right.”
“Then……”
Lee Shin swept the area with sunken eyes and jerked his chin at Jang Anton.
“That group, that group, that group, and that group over there. All of them.”
The order fell.
The instant Jang Anton leaped forward.
The moment the beast-like assault landed, the people Lee Shin had indicated had their limbs twisted and were crawling across the floor.
“Aaaaagh!”
“My leg, my leg!”
“S-save me!”
“……”
A terrifying silence fell over the office.
Fear that their colleagues had been attacked sent everyone into panic.
Yet the man who had ordered the violence was now poking the fallen men and taunting them.
“Stop acting. You’re not dying. Right? You Crain bastards?”
“?!!”
In GM you couldn’t check a villain’s status window.
But that didn’t mean you couldn’t identify them. Their names simply appeared in red.
Bae Ki-sung
Sakamoto Heichi
Jayden Lee
Lee Shin pulled out holy water from his pocket.
He sprinkled it on each of them one by one. This one’s a dud. This one too… Until it finally reached the last man—Jayden Lee.
“Aaaaagh!”
The man convulsed.
Black veins bulged across his entire body. The thin vessels pulsed, turning his eyes completely black.
He swung a twisted hand toward Lee Shin, trying to kill him, but—
Crunch—!
Jang Anton stomped on the incoming hand and crushed it.
“Where do you think you’re reaching, you insect bastard.”
The hand was completely pulverized. Yet the earthworm-like veins wriggling beneath the skin were forcibly knitting the bones back together.
The grotesque sight sent the onlookers spiraling into another wave of panic.
Lee Shin smiled brightly and gave them a brief explanation.
“Everyone, these are what we call demons. Extremely vicious creatures.”
“……??”
“Knowing too much won’t help you, so I’ll keep it simple. These guys are basically monsters in human skin, and they want to kill humans like all of you. Oh, and just so you know, your guild master is the same kind of thing.”
“?!”
The colleague they had eaten dinner with just yesterday had suddenly turned into a monster drooling from the mouth, harboring parasitic creatures inside his body, and they had all been targeted? Even their guild master?
Unable to process the impossible situation, everyone froze in shock. Instead of further explanation, Lee Shin clapped his hands.
“All right, all right. If you want to live, follow my orders. Right?”
It was an emergency.
If he had time he could have played the storyteller grandfather and given them a full lecture on the history of villains, but Lee Shin still had a long way to go.
Therefore—
“One person stay behind to lead them. President Jang.”
“This way.”
As they walked down the corridor, the two continued their conversation.
“This is the first time we’ve gone to the field together like this.”
“Yeah. Our President Jang has suffered a lot because of me. Working together like this makes my heart race, doesn’t it?”
“Then……”
Jang Anton, standing in front of the door, turned to Lee Shin and spoke in a tone far more serious than Lee Shin had ever heard from him.
“Just stay out of this one.”
It was the instinct of a man who had survived countless battlefields whispering to him. These people were on a completely different level from ordinary thugs. They were incredibly dangerous and lethal.
They were fireflies who had already thrown their lives away, but Lee Shin was different. This guy carried the lives of others on his back. If this one man fell, countless others would collapse after him. He could not be allowed in such a dangerous place.
So he had carefully advised retreat, yet Lee Shin simply patted his shoulder and laughed brightly.
“Wow, President Jang. As expected of a righteous Busan man. Hoo…! I’m so touched I don’t know what to do!”
“Lee Shin. This isn’t a joke.”
“I know, I know. I understand what you’re trying to say.”
He was grateful for the concern, but there were things a man had to finish with his own hands.
“One of my kids is tangled up in this, and it’s also important for my future plans.”
“Is that so.”
“So if you’re really that worried, President Jang, lend me your strength. You know? That I like you, President Jang.”
Take care of the rest.
Lee Shin walked past Jang Anton and entered the room. One wall had been completely smashed open.
The space was filled with monitors.
This was the security control room for the entire fifteen-story Haemu Guild building.
Standing before the screens, Lee Shin had an in-ear device in his ear that no one had seen before.
“Testing, testing. Mic test. If you can hear me, raise your hand instead of answering.”
Groups waiting on several screens raised their hands.
“Some of you will be working with me for the first time. Others won’t.”
When moving with Lee Shin, there were only three things to remember.
First, Lee Shin. Second, Lee Shin. Third, Lee Shin.
“Never doubt anything that comes out of my mouth. Don’t ask why. Don’t even think. Just do exactly what I tell you to do.”
From now on, your lives and deaths are in my hands.
Yes, characters.
They were becoming Lee Shin’s characters.
But do not be afraid. The man who had been the undisputed rank one of the previous season, whose name stood proudly at the top of the Hall of Fame, and who had written strategy guides for every single DLC.
That man was none other than him.
Lee Shin.
“Let’s begin, gentlemen.”
The time of the true veteran, the rank one player Lee Shin, had arrived.