The First Match: Korea vs. Japan
People simply couldn’t believe it.
It was so unbelievable that everyone waited until the official announcement for the seventh match just to hear it from the Bureau host’s own mouth…
“Match 8. Japan’s Shinsengumi Guild versus Korea’s Mir Guild.”
The moment those words left his lips—
The entire Korean peninsula flipped upside down.
Korea, Japan, China. It’s never easy for neighboring countries to get along, but the three nations of East Asia carried especially deep emotions toward one another. And between Korea and Japan, tangled in countless historical grievances, defeat wasn’t merely disappointing—it was unacceptable.
That old Japanese saying about not even losing at rock-paper-scissors wasn’t a joke. Even in the same loss, people could shrug off a defeat to another nation. But lose to Japan? That was enough to earn endless criticism and be branded a traitor in the Korean psyche.
As a side note, that was exactly why him had gathered so many anti-fans despite building a dynasty over the past few years. He had been crushed by Japan twice in the Asia League.
And now, in this very situation, they were facing Japan in the very first match.
This was the charm and the blade of international competition.
Whether you liked Mir Guild or hated them, it was a stage that drew everyone’s eyes. Perform well here and you could gain massive recognition and new fans. But show a disappointing performance and you’d end up like Kirin Guild—swarmed by haters.
Even ordinary people with no connection to Mir Guild were this hyped. So how excited were the Yongbung fans?
They were absolutely losing their minds.
(+999)
Sleep? What’s that? Work tomorrow? Who cares.
When your own hunters, your own guild, are about to clash with Japan, how could anyone possibly sleep?
The Yongbung Era fan club had already declared a state of emergency and switched into full battle mode.
1. From this moment forward, all posts that incite ‘anxiety’ will be deleted and result in blacklisting.
2. We will prioritize cheering over debate. Right now, what we need is a burning heart more than a cool head.
3. Please cease all ‘attacks’ on domestic guilds and extend your hand first.
4. This is our guild heading across the sea to fight a difficult battle. We hope as many citizens as possible send their support so it may reach the guild…
A notice personally handwritten by the elegant and passionate president of the fan club, Jangs Eun-soon.
The solemn handwriting was impressive enough, but the sincerity packed into every sentence was so moving that there wasn’t a single Yongbung who could read it without shedding tears.
Ah, of course…
31. To everyone reading this final line: The matchup is VS Shinsengumi. Please be careful.
…Well, they were still Yongbung after all.
With people this excited, it was only natural that YouTube was completely flooded with Korea-Japan content.
In the midst of all this, Im Cho-rong—disciple of the Mountain King and now Korea’s leading analyst—couldn’t help but draw attention. What would the country’s top analysis channel have to say?
To get straight to the point, she declared from the very beginning that Japan was by no means an easy opponent.
“When you think about it, this is actually quite obvious. The three powerhouses of Asia are Korea, China, and Japan. And this is Japan’s strongest guild.”
“I apologize to Kirin Guild for bringing up painful memories again, but please recall the match where Kirin Guild was defeated by Shinsengumi Guild.”
It was an undeniable fact that Kirin Guild had dominated Korea. Yet that same guild, which had radiated absolute dominance in the league, had been utterly crushed by Shinsengumi.
It wasn’t right to equate victory and defeat with simple power levels, but the revealed facts could not be ignored.
Clearly, Shinsengumi Guild stood above every Korean guild.
“However!!”
You always have to listen to the end when someone’s speaking Korean!
“There is one crucial fact we must not forget.”
The current Asia League was said to be the most competitive in history, with China and Japan splitting the top spots while many other nations chased closely behind.
But that hadn’t been the case in the past when one man reigned.
“There was a Big Game Hunter who, from the moment of his debut, tore through Asia with overwhelming weight class. Every Asian guild trembled in fear before him.”
The emperor and disaster of the Asia League.
The only man who could call the Asia League a gourmet restaurant.
“China and Japan in particular suffered terribly. They never once beat him. Not a single time. It took nearly twenty years before they finally won for the first time. He was forty-four years old then.”
“Although time has passed and he has aged, no longer radiating the same aura as before, his existence is still remembered as a terror across Asia.”
By this point, everyone knew exactly who she was talking about. The look in Im Cho-rong’s eyes was already streaming with respect.
“And now that man has returned. Together with his comrades.”
The moment she snapped her fingers, the screen faded to black.
Then, one by one, the posters appeared in time with her introductions.
“Park Su-bin. Baek Yeon-woo.”
Park Su-bin and Baek Yeon-woo sitting back-to-back. A black mink coat and a white uniform. The iron wall known as the Giant God and the sword that pierced through everything. The Colossus and the massive greatsword.
“Yu Ri-ra. Hwarang Kim Yu-shin.”
Hwarang Kim Yu-shin standing with his arms crossed in front of a silver shield wall, with Yu Ri-ra playfully stepping on his shoulder and striking the exact same pose.
“And finally, Lee Shin.”
The poster opened from the bottom.
Two people revealed from their shoes up to their ankles. Lee Shin in a navy shirt with a suit draped over his shoulders, and Kim Jong-pil in a black shirt and black suit.
Lee Shin wore his signature deadly smile while running a hand through his hair. Kim Jong-pil arrogantly lifted his chin, a gold watch gleaming on his wrist.
It looked like a scene straight out of a gangster movie.
“Our legends have returned. To put the Japanese archipelago to sleep alongside the dragon.”
While Korea was exploding with excitement, there was no way Japan would stay quiet.
From Japan’s perspective, the current noisy atmosphere in Korea looked like nothing but overblown hysteria. Looking at recent records alone, Japan had won every time.
While Korea shouted for revenge and payback, Japan’s atmosphere was filled with nothing but mockery and ridicule.
That atmosphere shifted from a completely unexpected place—when the poster produced with sponsorship from the Ido Group was revealed.
The black-and-white symmetrical shot of Park Su-bin and Baek Yeon-woo.
The serious-yet-cute shot of Kim Yu-shin and Yu Ri-ra.
And finally, the suit-crushing shot of Lee Shin, who had evolved from genius representative to charm genius, standing beside the atmosphere-dominating Mountain King Kim Jong-pil.
It was different! Completely different from Japan!! Were these really Korean hunters?!
If the first poster had triggered feelings of inferiority, the second struck with the existence of the Mountain King. Unlike the younger generation who had never witnessed his overwhelming performances, those who remembered the Mountain King from back then had a visceral reaction the moment they saw him in the poster.
The man who casually racked up double-digit kills, who blew up the jungle from the start of every match, who devoured Japan like a bowl of late-night ramen. That was Kim Jong-pil, the Mountain King.
Perhaps that sticky sense of dread became the fuse. From a certain point onward, anxiety theories began to explode.
And so the Japanese archipelago burned hotter and hotter. The situation grew by the hour, and just as it reached its peak—
The phone in the Shinsengumi Guild representative’s office rang.
“The Prime Minister?!”
The heart of Japanese power. The Prime Minister’s office.
There, Tatsugoro sat with his eyes closed, maintaining his usual strict and dignified appearance.
Of course.
‘Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it……!’
His inner thoughts were completely different. Why did things have to get so twisted?!
Why was everything blowing up like this?!
At that moment the door opened and the Prime Minister, the leader of Japan, approached with a warm smile. Regardless of his inner feelings, Tatsugoro rose with perfect military precision.
“Representative Tatsugoro. It’s been a while. No need for formal greetings between us. Sit, sit.”
“How could I possibly do that?”
“Haha, as expected of Tatsugoro. Even after all this time, you’re still a real man.”
The reason the Prime Minister had suddenly called Tatsugoro was obvious.
It was because of the Korea-Japan match that was currently heating up not just Japan but all of East Asia.
“As you know, the atmosphere in the country has become overheated.”
“Correct. I agree that it has exceeded what is necessary.”
Every channel was talking about the Korea-Japan match 24 hours a day.
Analysts were publicly listing ten reasons why Shinsengumi could win. Famous programs kept repeating “Sugoi!” while comparing rankers. Even B-grade comedians were already mocking Korea as if the match had already been won…
One thing was certain: this was absolutely not what Tatsugoro wanted.
“It ended up like this. So I’m worried. I’m not doubting your ability at all, but if you were to lose, the entire nation might fall into depression.”
“I see. You’re asking about our preparations for the match.”
“As expected of Tatsugoro. You’re sharp. That’s right. I wanted to ask how this match is being prepared.”
“……”
The moment had come.
No matter how he looked at it, the outcome was obvious.
This was by no means going to be easy.
At the very least, he had not yet found a secret plan capable of defeating both Lee Shin and the Mountain King.
In that situation, two choices now lay before Tatsugoro.
‘Should I lie here to reassure him and get scolded later? Or should I tell the truth that it will be difficult and get scolded now?’
After careful consideration, Tatsugoro decided to tell the truth.
He figured it was better to get hit first.
“Prime Minister, I will speak honestly.”
“Yes, yes. Speak freely.”
“Honestly, it will be difficult to be confident this time.”
“……!!”
It will be difficult to be confident.
He hadn’t used the blunt word “defeat,” but for a Japanese-style roundabout expression, it was an extremely strong statement.
The Prime Minister seemed surprised. He raised his eyebrows above his glasses, then simply said, “I see. Understood,” and sent Tatsugoro away.
A short while later, after returning to the guild, Tatsugoro was finally able to let out a small, somewhat relieved breath.
“Huu… That’s taken care of.”
He had escaped the dead end. If they handled things well from here and did better next year, it would be fine.
Tatsugoro closed his eyes in relief…
What kind of cruel twist of fate was this? The situation that greeted him the next day unfolded in the complete opposite direction of what he had expected.
“What the hell is this?”
“Oh my god, all of the archipelago’s greatest legendary weapons…!!”
“Apparently the Prime Minister was so impressed by Representative Tatsugoro’s thoroughness that he personally contacted the other guilds.”
“As expected of Representative Tatsugoro! He negotiated directly with the Prime Minister and secured legendary equipment!!”
“Tatsugoro! Tatsugoro! Tatsugoro!!”
“Great Man! Great Man! Great Man!!”
The guild members’ constant worship continued.
And today, Tatsugoro was crying from the bottom of his heart once again.
‘Aaaaaaaaaaaagh——!!’
Mir Guild representative office.
“It really is exactly as you said, Representative. Things are getting bigger…??”
Chae Dong-ha looked at the newspaper and lowered his gaze. There, Lee Shin was rolling around on the floor laughing.
“Puhahahahahahaha.”
I knew it! Luck-based trash character!!