A Sudden Bolt from the Blue
A sudden bolt from the blue.
First, they needed to understand the situation. Only then could they plan a response. Lee Shin immediately sought out Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong.
“Secretary-General, what a pleasure. This is Jeong Sun-dong, Guild Leader of Mir Guild.”
――――!!
“Yes, yes, I’m that junior who could never beat you at golf. How could I possibly speak informally to someone as esteemed as you, Secretary-General?”
――――!!
“Understood, senior. Have you eaten yet? It’s lunchtime. What? You still haven’t? Ah, because of the World Raid regional qualifiers? Goodness… You’re far too meticulous, senior. You should delegate to your subordinates.”
――――!!
“Yes, yes, that’s right. Actually, I was hoping to ask a few questions about the World Raid qualifiers you’re handling right now. Do you happen to know anything about our guild’s player selection? Yes, yes! That matter.”
From management and recruitment to personnel, strategy, and support.
At some point, most of the guild’s major operations had fallen to Vice Guild Leader Chae Dong-ha.
His abilities were simply that outstanding. Even among the front-office staff, whenever a problem arose, people went to the vice leader before the leader. Chae Dong-ha had earned that level of trust.
Yet the guild leader was still Jeong Sun-dong.
Because Jeong Sun-dong possessed something irreplaceable that Chae Dong-ha lacked.
Connections.
“Ah, I see. Whew… Senior is magnanimous enough to laugh it off, but my nerves are too weak for that kind of abrupt talk. It takes my breath away.”
――――!!
“Yes, yes, I understand. Of course. Let’s play golf together next time. When you come to Busan, I’ll treat you to a full course. Haha. Yes, anytime. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
With a smile overflowing with goodwill, the call ended. Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the conference room, Jeong Sun-dong offered his characteristic warm smile.
“There was a miscommunication. The selection isn’t confirmed yet.”
Haah――!
A collective sigh of relief swept through the room as tension drained from the team leaders.
“I knew it. Even for the World Raid, pulling all our main players for an exhibition match during the league season crosses the line.”
“Exactly. They said it was a request. Who took the call? You, PR team leader?”
“No! When I answered, they insisted we had to send players no matter what. I’m the victim here.”
Meanwhile, Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong exchanged glances with Lee Shin seated at the head of the table. It was clear he had more to say, and Lee Shin, with his sharp instincts, caught it immediately.
“Alright, since the commotion’s over, everyone’s dismissed. And just in case, don’t breathe a word of today’s discussion to anyone. It’ll cause serious trouble.”
Yes!!
After silencing them and sending the team leaders out, only four people remained in the conference room.
Lee Shin, Jeong Sun-dong, Vice Guild Leader Chae Dong-ha, and Strategic Planning Director Yun Cho-a.
“Please explain, Guild Leader.”
“Well, Director Hong Han-hyun’s will is quite strong.”
“Hong Han-hyun, the World Raid head director, correct?”
The World Raid.
An international tournament where national representatives from each country gathered, rather than a team-based league.
It followed a best-of-seven format, similar to the league overall, but with key differences.
For instance, the final seventh match was an all-out exhibition rather than a raid, and equipment was restricted to officially approved gear only.
Most importantly, matches were conducted under the Ban & Pick rule.
What Jeong Sun-dong was about to mention…
“It’s directly related to this Ban & Pick rule.”
“An interesting system. It was created to boost the World Raid’s popularity after the league, since it came later. Personally, I like it.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Why? Did you think I’d hate it like the other representatives?”
The World Raid roster consisted of fifteen players total.
Divided into first and second picks, teams selected hunters from their roster in order. During this process, they could use two ban cards at the start and one in the middle to restrict the opponent’s picks.
Matchups, strategy, daily condition, suppressing key enemy forces—the Ban & Pick phase was a fierce battle of wits that fans called the “pre-game.”
Just hearing this much, wasn’t it obvious why representatives disliked it?
This rule naturally forced teams to develop more hunters.
In the existing league, you could get by with just five main players for exhibition matches. But under Ban & Pick, the number of hunters you needed to nurture grew exponentially.
That was why representatives trembled at the mere mention of “ban,” yet Lee Shin actually liked it for that very reason.
“It’s good if more hunters get to step onto the stage. New faces are always welcome. Anyway, let’s continue.”
“Yes. Director Hong Han-hyun wants to use our guild’s main members as a hidden card.”
“Okay, that makes sense.”
After all, there were many new faces. Less chance of being banned.
Since it was their first international match, there was also minimal exposure of their true strength to other countries. Their youth could even induce complacency in opponents. As a trump card, nothing was more rational.
But if that was all he was thinking, requesting all five was overkill.
There had to be more. As expected, his guess was correct.
“Additionally, Director Hong wants to instill Mir Guild’s style into the team before the main tournament.”
“Of course. That’s the real point.”
He intended to embed Mir Guild’s colors into the team so they could shine on the true stage—the main tournament, not the qualifiers.
Lee Shin had known this would happen.
He knew HHH all too well. No, he knew him extremely well.
‘There’s probably no one who’s been screwed over by him more than me.’
The bastard who, the moment results came in, would snatch away the main players like a ghost and smash their heads in. Yet he was also a damnably upright, capable, and intelligent bastard.
A damnably clever thief who used the glorious position of national representative as leverage, forcing you to take the deal even while knowing you were being robbed.
“Vice Leader, the usual draft is two players, right?”
“Two from the top teams, one from the lower teams, and the relegation zone politely declines. That’s the unspoken rule.”
“The fact that he still tried for five even knowing that…”
“It seems he’s saying he needs our members that badly.”
“So he wants at least three, Guild Leader?”
“Ah, yes, that appears to be the atmosphere.”
“Good grief. Being too successful is a problem too, isn’t it?”
Just as Lee Shin said.
Currently, Mir Guild had completely overturned the league’s ecosystem and was rewriting the trends.
Any coach with a functioning brain would naturally want to adopt this new trend.
In fact, the fact that Hong Han-hyun was willing to use all three of Lee Shin’s kids without prejudice proved his excellence.
Unfortunately, that excellence wasn’t particularly welcome on this side.
Then Chae Dong-ha spoke up.
“Why not just send a reasonable number? We have a good excuse ready. Su-bin, Yeon-woo, and Ri-ra are all too young and have no international experience. If we say it would be too much pressure for them to suddenly join the qualifiers, they won’t be able to argue.”
“Hmm……”
“The representative promised the fans an undefeated championship just a few days ago. If we lose too much firepower now, that becomes impossible.”
Chae Dong-ha was absolutely right.
With the second half of the season growing busier, losing key players would be devastating.
Yet Lee Shin was still pondering.
‘Hmm… What to do? It’s not entirely bad either.’
While Lee Shin paced by the window in thought, Yun Cho-a personally served coffee. Careful not to disturb his contemplation, she placed cups before Chae Dong-ha and Jeong Sun-dong, then silently stood by Lee Shin’s side.
A moment later, Lee Shin felt the chill from the ice-filled coffee cup and finally spoke.
“I’d like to have a conversation. Guild Leader, can you contact Director Hong Han-hyun?”
“That would be difficult even for me. Director Hong is famous for never meeting with guild personnel before matches.”
“He really won’t meet?”
“Of course not. The reason he’s maintained the director position for over ten years despite all the criticism is his near-pathological thoroughness. I doubt anyone could get through to him.”
“I see.”
Despite his position attracting all sorts of lobbying and schemes, Hong Han-hyun had never been involved in a single scandal. That was why, even if he wasn’t called a master tactician, he was praised as a virtuous leader—and why he maintained public support despite slightly lacking results.
But this time, they were in a hurry too.
Lee Shin gestured to Chae Dong-ha.
After hearing the whispered instructions, Chae Dong-ha hurried out of the conference room. When he returned shortly after, he was holding a single file.
Lee Shin handed the document-filled file to Yun Cho-a.
“That’s what they said, noona. Think you can handle it?”
Yun Cho-a accepted the documents without a word and left the room.
Lee Shin clapped his hands.
“Alright, let’s get moving too. Guild Leader, please focus on internal discipline. Dong-ha hyung, gather Ji-min and a few others and head to the representative’s office. Bring the qualifier schedule, our match tickets, and information on the opposing members.”
* * *
The next day.
Summoned without warning, the five exhibition match main players entered the main building.
Yu Ri-ra tilted her head, a question mark practically floating above her.
“Why’d they call us so suddenly? Yeonu-yeonu, do you know what’s going on?”
“No idea.”
“Subin-su, heard anything?”
“Not at all.”
“Hmm?”
Baek Yeon-woo, leaning on his crutches, and Park Su-bin, whose hair was still damp from a recent shower, both tilted their heads in confusion.
Meanwhile, Kim Yu-shin and Kim Jong-phil exchanged glances. They seemed to have roughly figured it out.
‘It’s that, isn’t it? The World Raid. The qualifiers are coming up soon.’
‘Hmm, the timing does match.’
Experience really did count for something.
Having both worn national team uniforms before, they could grasp the situation just from the timing.
But those thoughts stopped the moment they entered the representative’s office. Everyone was left speechless by the shocking sight before them.
“Eek!”
“Representative hyung?!”
“Hyung……”
“Representative-nim, the office……”
“What the hell happened here……”
Documents scattered everywhere. Whiteboards covered in messy diagrams. Several TVs that hadn’t been there before were haphazardly mounted on the walls, as if prepared in a rush.
What kind of disaster had occurred here?
“You’re all here.”
Lee Shin yawned as he adjusted his shirt. His hair was a complete mess, suggesting he’d pulled an all-nighter. He cleared the documents from a chair and sat down.
“Have a seat.”
“Oppa, there’s nowhere to sit.”
“Oh come on, just sit anywhere.”
The five pushed aside some papers and sat down. Drinks were served, and Lee Shin began speaking casually.
“It looks like you’ll all be becoming national representatives.”
“Pfft!!”
“Kuhk!”
“Kek-kek.”
That was anything but casual!
The three kids coughed violently at the blunt, no-holds-barred announcement. Even the two adults who had somewhat expected it were stunned.
Hearing the position every hunter dreamed of mentioned as casually as elementary school enrollment was simply absurd.
Yet Lee Shin continued even more nonchalantly.
“Why are you surprised? It’s only natural. You’re the best members I personally picked. And we’re the best in this league.”
Undefeated. Highest points.
They had never once allowed another guild’s name to appear above Mir Guild’s.
“If you’re not national representatives, then who is?”
“Representative oppa……”
“Representative hyung……”
“Hyung-nim.”
The three kids were moved to tears.
The two adults also smiled, visibly proud even without saying a word.
But the real conversation started now.
Lee Shin’s expression hardened as he carefully continued.
“That’s why I have to apologize to the two of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why?”
“I won’t be able to include you two in this World Raid qualifier.”
A representative couldn’t only say pleasant things.
Sometimes, delivering unpleasant news was part of the job. The real measure of ability was how well you could make the hunters accept that unpleasant news.
“I wanted to send you both if possible. I’d love to see you two shine on the international stage. So I stayed up all night yesterday racking my brain. Look at this.”
Lee Shin explained in full detail everything he and the front office had agonized over the previous night.
They had revised strategies, experimented with squad combinations, prepared to acquire new equipment, and exhausted every possible method.
Yet even after an entire night of deliberation, the conclusion was cold.
“……At this point, the two of you are elements our Mir Guild’s strategy cannot compromise on. I’m sorry.”
The briefing had taken quite some time.
The two who had been excited at the mention of “national representative” had indeed felt greedy. But Lee Shin’s serious demeanor and sincere persuasion made them both nod in understanding.
“That’s explanation enough. I understand.”
“I don’t mind. It’s funny enough that someone my age is even being considered for the national team.”
“Thank you.”
That was when the kids, who had been listening quietly, began to speak—starting with Baek Yeon-woo.
“I don’t mind not going either.”
“M-Me too.”
“Heh, I’m not really interested in being a national rep anyway.”
Since even Raid Leader Kim Jong-phil and the eldest, Kim Yu-shin, had chosen to stay for the guild, the kids were also volunteering to remain.
But Lee Shin’s response was unexpected.
“No. You three have to go.”
“……?!”
“……?!”
Lee Shin had stayed up all night precisely because of these three. More accurately, to send these three to the international stage.
“International experience is something you can’t buy with money. Competing at the highest level, the weight of wearing the national uniform—those are all experiences and assets. Where else would you get the chance to coordinate with other rankers?”
“You’re geniuses. Not the fakes scattered around the world, but the real geniuses I’ve acknowledged. That’s why most people can’t understand you.”
He hadn’t said it aloud, but Lee Shin knew everything.
He knew that Bokchi and Yeonu were distant from their peers in the second team. He knew Ri-ra felt awkward with the damage dealers.
He believed this was because of the wall of talent. That was why they needed to go to the international stage.
“Almost everyone there will be rankers. It’ll be full of geniuses like you. Building relationships with them is important.”
Lee Shin truly cherished these three kids.
People treated “Lee Shin’s kids” as just a nickname, but to Lee Shin, these three felt like his own children—ones he had raised from beginning to end.
Therefore, sacrificing their opportunities for the guild had never been an option for him.
“Especially Yeonu and Bokchi. If you debut now, you’ll be the youngest national representatives ever. All you’ll have left is your career, right?”
“But……”
“Still, everyone else is staying behind.”
“Oppa……”
“Sacrificing for the guild is admirable, but this is something I can’t compromise on for your growth. If it really bothers you, just make sure to perform spectacularly. Got it?”
You can go now.
Lee Shin ushered the kids out before they could say more.
Once they left, Kim Jong-phil chuckled.
“I’ve always thought this, but you really dote on those kids.”
“Jealous?”
“There you go again.”
“Hehehe.”
Kim Jong-phil’s gaze turned to Kim Yu-shin.
“You must be disappointed, Yu-shin. If you miss this year, you’ll have to wait four more years.”
“It’s fine. It’s only because of you that my skills aren’t showing yet. I’ve only been in the supporter position for less than a season. I need to be more complete.”
“Haha, you rascal.”
It was Director Hong Han-hyun’s style not to include anyone who hadn’t participated in the qualifiers for the main tournament. Therefore, refusing the qualifier selection essentially meant giving up on the World Raid.
Perhaps it was because Kim Yu-shin was still focused on self-improvement even in this situation that Kim Jong-phil looked at his junior with fond eyes.
At that moment, Lee Shin tilted his head in confusion.
“Wait, what are you two talking about? Why wouldn’t you two go to the World Raid?”
“!?”
“!?”
Lee Shin had clearly said he couldn’t include them in the qualifiers. He had never said anything about the main tournament.
“Of course you two have to participate in the main tournament.”
The Mountain King and the Hwarang were just as important as the three kids.
A World Raid without them? Did Lee Shin seem like the type to allow that?
“Just trust me. I’ll take responsibility for your international careers as well.”
If not participating in the qualifiers meant they wouldn’t be selected for the main tournament, then he just needed to present an offer they couldn’t refuse. A deal so compelling that they would have no choice but to include them in the main event.
Right on cue, his phone rang.
Lee Shin leisurely picked it up.
“Hello.”
― “What the hell are you? How did you get this kind of information……!!”
See? The reaction came just as expected.
“Hello, Director Hong Han-hyun.”