The Dream Team Gathers
Around the time Lee Shin and the rankers secured the Saint and flipped the tide of war 180 degrees, stabilization efforts were underway in the chaotic cities on the other side.
One by one, representatives from major guilds entered the Brazil Hunter Association.
“Haah, calling people in the middle of vacation? What the hell.”
“I’m already swamped. Why drag us here?”
“Anyone know what’s going on? Why is the Association moving?”
“It’s obvious. The coup, right?”
“Just like last time. They want us to hold our positions while they negotiate with the new military junta.”
“Well, our interests are on the line too. Might as well help out.”
Lee Shin had once remarked that Japan could be surprisingly unscrupulous and China utterly amoral when victory was at stake… but South America made those places look tame by comparison.
A lawless zone.
Playing a South American character in GM granted extreme freedom. Shady contracts were standard, tax hassles could be ignored, and even tossing Molotov cocktails at rival guilds was technically allowed.
As long as you avoided the Bureau’s restrictions on “problems inside gates” or “match-fixing,” there were virtually no limits.
Some players compared it to G-Mode, the crime-action simulator. We used to brag that our nurturing sim came bundled with hard-boiled crime action.
But that was only funny when viewed as a game.
Watching the strongest hunters in the country—the major guild representatives—gossip about a coup that had just overturned their nation like it was a neighbor’s house fire was anything but amusing. It reeked.
The conference room filled with representatives. Once everyone had gathered, the door opened and the Association President entered.
“Ah, Mr. President, you called us and made us wait…”
“We’re busy people, you know…”
“What exactly is this about—huh…?!”
The guild reps, who had been grumbling half-jokingly and half-irritated, froze when they saw the figures following the President.
Robed figures whose garments covered them from head to toe, faces completely hidden.
The Bureau.
The absolute authority in the guild world.
The robed agents surrounded the entire conference room. The air inside grew heavy.
What’s going on?
The anxious representatives’ eyes turned to the President. Even he looked tense, repeatedly wiping cold sweat with a handkerchief as he spoke.
“…Ahem. Esteemed representatives. The reason I gathered you today… is to deliver some truly grim news.”
The trembling voice delivered a summary: the forces blockading South America’s gate danger zones were the Crain of Xenocratus. The chaos everyone had dismissed as a simple coup had been engineered by the Crain from the start.
As proof, every country bordering the gate danger zones was currently experiencing similar turmoil…
“Ultimately, the Crain’s invasion objective has been confirmed as the creation of a Level 9 Gate.”
“What the fuck…”
“Those crazy demon bastards!!”
“We’re all going to die!”
A Level 9 Gate—the worst disaster humanity could face. If it opened, catastrophe was inevitable.
At the nuclear-bomb-level announcement, one representative’s legs gave out and he collapsed into his chair. Another lit a cigarette with shaking hands. Those who had opened their phones to evacuate family or acquaintances realized the signal was jammed and stole glances at the robed figures.
They had no idea the real show was only beginning.
“And, most regrettably…”
The President exchanged glances with the robed agent on his right.
“We have information that one of the representatives here has been colluding with the Crain.”
“!!”
Colluding? With whom?
In lawless South America, plenty of guilds had backdoor dealings with criminal organizations. Some ran underground arenas for hunters with criminal records or dabbled in magic stone smuggling. But even here, there was a line.
No one in their right mind would ally with Xenocratus, a world-class villain group.
The only reason these representatives could skim their illegal honey was because the system still existed. Why would they shake hands with people who would smash that very system?
The representatives looked at one another.
You? You?
Suspicious glances flew as they edged away from each other, each silently declaring they knew nothing if the accused was guilty.
Then the robed figure to the President’s right moved. A flash of light glinted from within the shadow covering their face.
One representative muttered without thinking.
“Sky blue?”
A sky-blue glow shone from beneath the robe’s shadow.
The figure’s hand rose and pointed.
A bald man, a woman covered in piercings, and an elderly gentleman wearing expensive glasses.
“……”
“……”
“……”
A moment of silence.
Then—
Desperate flight!!
Thud—!!
The three bolted in different directions, a frantic struggle to escape the crisis. It was pointless.
“Guh… kuhk!”
The bald man, trying to smash through a wall, was slammed into the floor by a robed figure transformed into a black bear and subjected to a terrifying holy-water shower.
“I didn’t do anything wrong! It was just a mistake… arrrgh!!”
The woman who had tried to leap out a window took a lightning-charged bullet through the calf and convulsed like an electrocuted eel.
“Haha… haha… So it’s come to this. It was you people. I never imagined…”
The elderly gentleman, who had tried to fly through the ceiling, gave up and hung suspended in midair.
The figure gripping him was a giant of milky-white magic power.
No one here failed to recognize that giant.
One of the most celebrated saints in the world. The strongest force that had conquered Asia.
Park Su-bin, the gentle-looking youth, pushed back his fluttering robe and revealed himself.
Following him, Jang Antonton returned from bear form to human, and Yu Ri-ra, who had fired the bullet from the side, also dropped her disguise.
Finally, Baek Yeon-woo, who had been standing beside the President, threw off his robe as well.
“Greetings. We are the proxies of Expedition Commander Lee Shin. From now on, please follow our instructions. First, summon all available forces here. This is the Bureau’s official order.”
Baek Yeon-woo’s sky-blue eyes flashed coldly.
“What are you waiting for? Move.”
* * *
Thus, the proxy team—Jang Antonton and the Brothers Outsourcing crew, plus Lee Shin’s three children—completed their tasks: rooting out traitors, recruiting forces, evacuating civilians, and designating restricted zones. They then entered the expedition’s temporary headquarters.
Creak—
“We’re back… huh?!”
“Whoa?!”
“……?!”
Yu Ri-ra, who had cheerfully thrown the door open, along with Park Su-bin and Baek Yeon-woo, all froze with wide eyes.
They had every reason to—the interior was absurdly luxurious.
“Hey.”
“Oh, the youngsters! Heard you were coming. You’re real men after all!”
Jong-yu, the Light Sword, sat on the windowsill with a sword in his arms, while Yang Kang-cheol, the Spear Ghost, leaned against the wall and waved at Park Su-bin.
“You’re here, Ri-ra. Come sit by me.”
“So this is the legendary early-rankers education. Well, if it’s these kids, their next step is pretty much guaranteed.”
Guardian Yeo Eun-seo, seated in a chair, patted the seat beside her while looking at Yu Ri-ra. Gong Ju-in, the Black Star, watched the three children with sparkling black eyes, intrigued.
“Yo, kid.”
Sword Master Park Gwang-seob lounged on the sofa and wiggled his foot at Baek Yeon-woo.
Elsewhere, Cross Iruha was personally brewing coffee like a barista while the Fist King gulped it down beside him. Kim Yu-shin polished his shield. The Divine Archer and Mountain King were deep in heated discussion.
And finally—
“Good work.”
Lee Shin stood at the center of everyone, back to the whiteboard.
Could there be a more extravagant lineup? This was truly Korea’s dream team.
And the three of them were now sharing the same space with these legendary figures.
The realization made their hearts pound with excitement.
Lee Shin, checking the report Jang Antonton handed him, caught their expressions and chuckled quietly.
‘They’re motivated, huh.’
Truthfully, the original plan had never included these three. They had reached the highest tier of power and would certainly be useful. They had also come of age recently, removing any moral concerns.
But Lee Shin simply hadn’t wanted to burden them with responsibility.
‘They’re not even rankers yet.’
Rankers carried the weight of national and global peace along with their shining honor. That was why the rankers present had listened to Lee Shin’s persuasion.
These three would almost certainly become rankers next year and shoulder such duties for the rest of their careers. Lee Shin had hoped they could enjoy their hunter lives a little longer without seeing the uglier side of things.
Yet despite that wish, he had ultimately brought his children along.
Why?
‘Who could have guessed the All-King would be that broken.’
Persuasion, obstruction, and stabilization.
As previously stated, the invasion quest was divided into three major phases. In short, stabilization required someone capable of “detecting” Crain infiltrators in the city—someone with a miraculous trait like the All-King’s Super Intuition.
But the All-King had deteriorated far more than expected during the time they hadn’t seen him. It wasn’t just visible aging. His potential had dropped to the 180s, and the Super Intuition entry in his status window was in tatters. Even Lee Shin had been shocked by how severe it was.
After that, with no time left, he had promised to follow Jang Antonton’s instructions and brought the three along.
Lee Shin looked at the three children, whose faces were flushed red among the rankers, and spoke.
“Good work. I was going to tell you to rest, but do you want to sit in on the meeting?”
“Yes!”
“I’d love to!”
“Me too!”
“Haha, alright. Sit down, sit down.”
Lee Shin smiled briefly, then changed his expression and clapped his hands.
“Right, let’s continue the meeting. Where were we?”
“We finished discussing the management and handling of the Saint.”
At Kim Yu-shin’s answer, Lee Shin winked at him and continued.
“The Saint won’t be a problem. You all know that better than I do, don’t you?”
“Neither holy nor a son—just a Saint.”
Cross Iruha was correct.
The Crain’s 4th Corps Commander, the Saint, was no sacred being. His stats were mediocre and his combat power low. He was even over thirty.
Yet he possessed one absurdly rare trait: the ominously named Gate Transport.
“By transporting gates and forcibly inducing their combination, he opens a Level 9 Gate. That’s why he’s called the Saint who will open a new world.”
“It looks like an unremarkable ability at first glance. I understand why he lived as an ordinary person until the Crain contacted him.”
“The Bureau will be terrified, even if no one else is. They go crazy over gates.”
“Just as the Fist King and Guardian said. It’s an extremely dangerous ability depending on how it’s used. That’s why the Saint will be handed over to the Bureau.”
Indeed, the moment they sent the report, a reply had arrived from the Bureau—almost begging them to hold on a little longer since the expedition was nearly assembled.
Thanks to that, support was arriving faster and their value had risen. It was beneficial in many ways.
However, there was a problem…
“Now that we’ve secured the Saint, we’ll become the Crain’s target. Isn’t that right, Mountain King?”
“Without a doubt.”
They weren’t fools.
Lee Shin’s precise command had allowed them to strike and retreat at the perfect moment, but the enemy would soon trace their movements. By now, they must have realized Lee Shin and the expedition were in Brazil.
“The one silver lining is that they probably haven’t finished their internal cleanup yet.”
“You mean when you identified the 2nd Corps and laid out their route?”
“Yes, Sword Master. They’re likely suspecting the 2nd Corps from multiple angles.”
“Suspicion and paranoia…”
“Time is on our side, and they’re the ones who have to move… So that’s why. That ridiculous spending spree to mobilize every neighboring country’s Association.”
“Don’t tell me the preemptive evacuation of residents and the encirclement… was also part of it…”
“Heh, all thanks to your efforts.”
Lee Shin smiled with pure happiness, claiming it was all thanks to them, but the rankers felt chills run down their spines at that smile.
From the infiltration operation to the exquisite timing, the psychological warfare woven throughout, and finally the battlefield manipulation that forced the enemy’s hand—he was toying with them completely. As if playing a game.
‘That’s why we keep losing to him.’
‘This is insane. We have to compete against that kind of monster?’
‘……Maybe I should just switch to another country’s league.’
Lee Shin, satisfied at commanding such a luxurious team, watched the rankers marvel at his abilities as the meeting continued. Before long, they reached a conclusion.
“In the end, they’ll make the first move. And it will likely resemble a monster wave.”
“……A wave?”
“One of 1st Corps Commander Belphegor’s abilities is to forcibly reverse-flow gates. His specialty is using the monsters that emerge to trigger waves and inflict damage.”
“How do you even know that?”
“There’s nothing in this world I don’t know. Heh.”
Anyway.
“They’ll reverse-flow the Level 8 Gates they’ve stockpiled and create a massive monster wave. Then they’ll commit all their forces to an all-out war.”
“We’ll hold the wave here alongside the Brazilian guilds. And when the main force arrives……”
Snap!
Lee Shin flicked his fingers.
“It’s over. A very clean ending.”
Nothing was difficult. With ability, every problem became simple.
Lee Shin had always done it that way—and succeeded.
This time would be no different.
“Let’s go hunting.”
* * *
That night.
――――!!
A deafening roar tore through the darkness as blue light exploded. An intense aurora blanketed the Amazon. Magic power rippled violently.
Then came the tremors.
Thududududud———!!
Something was coming.
Something was approaching.
Bursting from the earth were orcs, goblins, ogres, dire wolves, werewolves, bugbears, basilisks……
A tide of monsters was surging forward.