The Dragon Twists the Samurai's Neck
The Mir Guild won!
No, calling it a simple win felt almost disrespectful. They had absolutely demolished the opposition!
Rats, party time!!
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(+99)
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The media outlets had perfectly timed their articles to drop the moment the Nexus in the third match shattered.
― “Hey hey, brothers and sisters, this one win for the Mir Guild carries massive meaning, you know? Let’s keep it simple first. It’s revenge against the Shinsengumi Guild that’s blocked our path every single time. And if you look a little further, we’ve crushed one of the strongest rivals in the Asia League. Pretty amazing, right?”
― “It was both surprising and satisfying to see the Mir Guild abandon their signature roaming strategy and prepare for a standard lane battle—the Shinsengumi’s specialty. How should I put it? It felt like we were giving them exactly what they gave us.”
Net tubers, streamers, and various personal broadcasters were all praising the Mir Guild, eager to ride the wave of this hot topic.
But above all, the Yongbung-i fans…
― Uwooooooooh!!
― Kyaaaaaaaah!!
― Yeonuuuuu T_T T_T T_T T_T T_T
They had lost both sleep and the ability to speak coherently.
― 3:0! It’s 3:0!
― The god is the Mountain King and the undefeated is Lee Shin!!!
― My palms won’t stop sweating and my armpits are soaked lol whoa
― I can’t even leave the bathroom whoa
― Beep beep. This is normal.
― Aaaah this is normal lmao lmao lmao lmao
It was the hottest Round of 16 match of the tournament.
And it wasn’t just Asia. Across Africa, Europe, and the Americas, this was the most watched match on the entire continent.
Yet in that spotlight, the Mir Guild had completely torn apart Japan’s Shinsengumi Guild, and in that same moment, the Yongbung-i fans’ dopamine circuits had been ripped to shreds as well.
And among them, the one receiving the most attention was none other than this young genius.
Baek Yeon-woo.
The Mir Guild’s assault captain and super crack who had dominated the top lane against the Shinsengumi Guild.
MVP: Baek Yeon-woo
Crushed the series in Set 1 in just 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
Baek Yeon-woo had been considered the underdog against the supernova.
And that made sense. The supernova Musashi was Japan’s undisputed top laner (alongside Tatsugoro).
He was a carry machine who had never been broken even once in the Asia League (feat. ultra-lucky machine Tatsugoro).
For example, even the Kirin’s gumiho was nothing more than a mere fox in front of him.
Yet Baek Yeon-woo had completely torn that supernova apart and created a massive top lane difference. It was only natural that the eyes of the world’s media were now locked onto this young genius.
And then Baek Yeon-woo dropped the cheat key.
MVP Baek Yeon-woo: “Hyung told me this series would be a fight against me. I simply advanced exactly as Hyung instructed, and the supernova was merely a part of that process.”
Aaaah… God Lee, it’s you again, isn’t it?
The Yongbung-i fans looked toward the guild where their god resided with overwhelming worship, and the god answered their call.
― “What more is there to say? It’s all thanks to me. Hahaha.”
* * *
Thanks to the Mir Guild and Lee Shin, Yeongdo had instantly become Busan’s hottest destination.
And among its luxurious floors with a refreshing view of the horizon was the home of Madame Jang Eun-soon.
Yes, the eternal president of the Yongbung-i fans, the ‘Luxury Mom’ Jang Eun-soon.
“Hmmm~ hmmm~”
Humming a tune, Jang Eun-soon took out her favorite teacup from the drawer.
“I should use this one for today.”
It was an earthenware teacup that her late parents had often used.
She had barely touched it out of fear it might wear down, but on a joyous day like today, wouldn’t they want to celebrate together?
Jang Eun-soon smiled as she steeped tea in the earthenware cup.
The faint scent of dandelion delighted her nose, while a voice from the living room delighted her ears.
― “Haha, it would be disappointing not to enjoy a happy day like today together. That’s why everyone’s staying up waiting, right?”
The living room was filled with high-end video equipment.
The setup was so luxurious it reminded her of some suspiciously rich chairman in Seoul.
Jang Eun-soon, who never watched dramas or variety shows, had installed all this equipment for one reason only.
To watch the matches of her one and only guild’s hunters.
In fact, until just moments ago, that very screen had been filled with the Mir Guild versus Shinsengumi Guild match.
“The scene where our Yeonu crushed that dark, burnt-looking kid—whether he’s a supernova or super soy sauce—was absolutely the best.”
She had clapped so hard at Baek Yeon-woo’s performance on screen that her palms were still tingling.
And right now, the screen was dominated by a close-up of Lee Shin.
This was no time to dawdle. She had to hurry.
As Jang Eun-soon walked briskly toward the living room with her teacup, her husband yawned and looked at her.
“Honey, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’m going to watch our representative’s broadcast before sleeping. You go ahead.”
“…You really like him too much.”
“Oh my, are you jealous at your age? How cute.”
“Don’t stay up too late. It’s bad for your health.”
“Don’t worry, just go to bed.”
When Jang Eun-soon sat on the sofa with her fragrant tea, she saw Lee Shin dressed in a tracksuit.
His slightly flushed face made it obvious he was just as excited from watching the match as she and all the other fans were.
How can our representative be so handsome yet so pure? A motherly smile had already formed on Jang Eun-soon’s face.
― “Who should I start with? There’s a lot of talk about Yeonu, but if I’m being honest, everyone performed perfectly this series. I’m not just saying that. The match went exactly according to plan.”
― “Then, since we’re on the topic, shall we talk about what role each of them played and how well they executed it?”
“As expected of our representative. Look at how he keeps everyone centered. Of course. Everyone did so well.”
Instead of focusing solely on Baek Yeon-woo, Lee Shin made sure to emphasize that it was everyone’s achievement. Jang Eun-soon nodded with a warm smile. It was truly the perfect attitude for a leader—two hundred percent correct.
Even though the Korean and international media were shining their brightest lights on Baek Yeon-woo.
One must remember: this was a team match. The fact that they won so smoothly meant everything had gone according to plan, which in turn meant every member of the team had performed their role perfectly.
If one occasionally got too hungry for attention and overlooked this, focusing only on creating stars, it might bring immediate popularity, but in the long run it was never good.
“It creates resentment, which affects team chemistry. And those toxic solo fans… really, they’re just awful.”
As if he had read her mind, Lee Shin carefully went over each member one by one, starting with Park Su-bin.
― “Bokchi’s role was to stop Japan’s rank one, the Sword Saint. There’s no need to say how difficult that was. It might have been the most important role. And? He succeeded beautifully.”
“It’s true. Su-bin really worked hard.”
In a one-on-one, even Korea’s Sword Master had lost to Japan’s Sword Saint, yet Park Su-bin had shown a rock-solid performance.
The proof was that throughout the entire series, had the Sword Saint shown any particularly impressive moments? From Jang Eun-soon’s memory, there weren’t even three or four.
Then Lee Shin lowered his voice and whispered.
― “Ah, this is just between us, but Su-bin said that compared to the Divine Archer, the Sword Saint was actually reasonable.”
“Pfft!!”
Though she didn’t say it out loud, veteran Yongbung-i fans like Jang Eun-soon could tell just by looking at the players’ expressions.
Today, Su-bin had been serious, but not as desperate as he had been during the Divine Archer match.
Soon after, when Lee Shin began praising the Hwarira duo for maintaining lane superiority against Japan’s best bottom duo, Yin-Yang and Violet,
― “I keep saying this, don’t I? Our bottom lane doesn’t avoid standard laning because they can’t do it. That suffocating trade of damage! Wow, they really are a luxury duo.”
“It’s true. I’m so proud.”
Jang Eun-soon clapped her hands and enjoyed the moment together with Lee Shin.
When he once again showed reverence for the Mountain King, who had pressured the enemy so hard they couldn’t even think about ganking,
― “On the surface the movements look ordinary, but if you know the hidden details, everyone would be shocked. The Mountain King really is incredible.”
“Of course, Mountain King-nim. You’re truly amazing. I was so surprised.”
And finally, when he spoke with deep emotion about Baek Yeon-woo,
― “Just like Yeonu said, the supernova wasn’t even in his sights. Winning was already a given, so I told him to focus on growth. And wouldn’t you know it, Yeonu grew even more than we expected! He really is a genius.”
“He’s a genius. Our representative. He truly is a gift from heaven.”
At some point, Jang Eun-soon’s attention had shifted from the screen to the messenger app on her phone.
She watched with sparkling eyes as Lee Shin proudly showed off his hunters to the fans.
When you live long enough, you meet many people.
Especially when you’ve been the leader of a group for a long time, like Jang Eun-soon.
How many people truly love what they do?
Not many. That’s why the saying exists: don’t turn what you love into your job.
Moreover, this awakening industry was one where enormous sums of money flowed.
Money corrupts people. Jang Eun-soon had seen far too many such cases.
Yet Lee Shin remained consistent. He truly loved his hunters, poured his heart and soul into the guild, and—what was even more touching—expressed sincere gratitude to the fans as well.
Was there any other representative like him in the world?
At some point, Jang Eun-soon had clasped her hands together.
“Thank you.”
More than being happy that they won the match, she was grateful that they could all rejoice together because of that victory.
“Thank you so much.”
Thank you for sending such a lovable representative to our guild. Truly, truly thank you.
“And…”
Jang Eun-soon looked at one wall.
Two framed photos hung in the best spot in the house.
One showed her father lifting a trophy amid his teammates’ cheers. The other showed Jang Eun-soon herself lifting a trophy amid the Mir Guild’s cheers. They hung side by side.
Those were treasures given to this insufficient old woman by the representative who was smiling so casually on the screen right now—treasures that remembered her devotion.
Looking at those treasures, Jang Eun-soon prayed once again today.
“Please continue to take good care of us in the future.”
Perhaps her earnest prayer had reached the heavens.
The Mir Guild had always protected her smile. Just like the bright smiles captured in those frames…
Quarterfinals
(3) : (0)
Semifinals
(3) : (0)
* * *
Champions League.
The stage where the world’s strongest guild would be decided.
Only four guilds could reach this dream stage.
One from each continent: Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. Only the apex of each.
Fight. Seize it. And thus…
“Prove it!!”
With the host’s passionate punch, the screen lit up.
BBC Match of the Day.
The curtain rose on Britain’s top league analysis channel.
“Hey, Calum, isn’t the special feature a bit over the top? What’s with the punch?”
“Yeah, looks like you threw your back out.”
“Shut up, both of you. Today is a really important time.”
This week’s broadcast had started in Europe—the home of the show—then moved through America and Africa, and now finally reached the last special edition: the Asia episode.
“The Asia League experienced the most intense period it has ever seen. Today, we will analyze the Asia League, which may emerge as Europe’s strongest competitor.”
“Hehe, it was seriously entertaining.”
“Honestly, Africa was too bland, and America was too straightforward.”
“Then, before we dive into the main discussion, shall we give some quick comments on yesterday’s Asia League semifinals?”
“Sounds good.”
“Let’s do it.”
“First match, please.”
Semifinals.
Match 1.
VS
“This is the Mir Guild, perhaps the center of the biggest upset in Asia and the eye of the storm.”
“They took down Japan’s strong championship favorite in the round of 16, then defeated Pakistan’s dark horse in the quarterfinals.”
“Both were formidable opponents. Compared to them, Thailand’s team was relatively easy.”
“So, any comments?”
“No need to say more. It started with Maestro Kim and ended with Maestro Kim.”
“Don’t forget the Hwarang and the three Children of God either.”
“Hahaha, just as you two said, Maestro Kim and the Mountain King came equipped with the strongest weapons of their careers. And the result was 3:0. It was quite a one-sided match.”
Now for the second semifinal match.
“Shall we talk about the showdown between China’s team and Qatar’s team?”