The Weight of First Place
Mir Guild.
After a long time, the team leaders were gathering at the main building.
The PR team leader carrying video materials, the broadcast team leader checking the schedule over and over, the business team leader determined to get his project approved this time, the materials team leader who had pulled an all-nighter writing the raid report, and so on…
Because their average age was low, the atmosphere was usually free and youthful, but today was different. Everyone was sharp and focused.
Because he had returned.
“Hi hello hey there!”
““Welcome back, Director!””
The door opened and Lee Shin appeared.
With Jeong Sun-dong, the Guild Leader, on his right and Chae Dong-ha, the Vice Guild Leader, on his left, Lee Shin strolled in with his signature light steps and flashed a bright smile at everyone.
“It hasn’t even been a few days, but it feels like forever. Did none of you miss me? Or was it just me missing you? Anyway, take these. Once you do, you’ll definitely miss me.”
PR team leader, you got a haircut? Materials team leader, your kid’s growing up well, huh?
While exchanging small talk and handing out premium Brazilian mate tea to the team leaders, Lee Shin effortlessly became the center of the room.
This was Lee Shin.
Light and casual on the surface, yet dignified. Kind-looking, yet impossible to defy. The genius director.
He was the emperor of the Mir Empire.
“Alright, let’s start the meeting. Jeong Sun-dong, Guild Leader.”
“Yes.”
At Lee Shin’s call, Jeong Sun-dong stepped forward to preside over the meeting.
“We will now begin the off-season Stove League meeting.”
The long-awaited moment had arrived.
The war waged behind the scenes during the off-season. The prelude to an entire season.
The Stove League had begun!
“First agenda item. Let’s discuss the raid teams currently undergoing off-site training in unauthorized gates.”
The moment Jeong Sun-dong finished speaking, the relevant team leaders stepped forward one after another.
“Power Analysis Team. Excluding the main roster members who defended against the invasion and the three members currently on assignment, including Hunter Lee Hye-jung, all raid teams are currently conducting unauthorized gate raids. Hunter Kang Malsuk is the raid captain, and Hunter Shin Yong-jae is the vice-captain. The primary gates being raided are Level 4 and Level 5, with monster types centered around demi-humans…”
“Materials Team reporting. Regarding supplies. As per the Director’s instructions, we have begun operating our own supply system on a trial basis starting with this raid. Potions, various weapons, and repair materials are being sourced from the Choi Family Medicine Hall and the Breath Forge…”
Meanwhile, Lee Shin rested his chin on his hand, rapidly scanning the reports and screens.
As expected, unless it was a massive incident like the recent ‘gate’ event, the league proceeded on schedule.
That was why the front office became busy the moment the league ended.
Equipment replacements, roster reinforcements—preparing for the meta that would return.
Off-site training was part of that preparation.
Especially this off-season.
The Bureau had been emphasizing certain aspects since last season. Competitive raids and unauthorized gate clears—real combat experience and the right mindset for hunters.
That was why they had practically forced the guilds into unauthorized gates.
However, Lee Shin, who had handled the ‘South American Invasion,’ was exempt from that pressure.
Speaking of which, the reason the massive invasion by a global villain organization hadn’t caused more chaos was thanks to whom?
All thanks to Lee Shin. So even if he played dumb, the Bureau would generously overlook it.
In fact, most of the major guilds that had dispatched rankers during this incident were doing exactly that.
Still, Lee Shin had sent the remaining raid teams into unauthorized gates even before departing for the invasion incident.
Why?
“Because our Mir Guild is number one.”
When one team leader pointed this out, Lee Shin answered.
“I didn’t say it out loud, but this ‘invasion’ must have been quite a blow to the Bureau. They’re trying to keep it under control, but rumors are spreading, and for a moment, there was a security breach in the danger zones. More importantly, the Champions League came to a halt, didn’t it? That alone is massive damage from the Bureau’s perspective.”
“If we, Mir, the top guild representing Korea, ignore their direction while they’re in this difficult situation, what happens? That’s right. The Bureau’s authority takes another hit.”
If they were in the middle ranks, it wouldn’t matter.
The problem was that Mir was first place, and furthermore, they were the ones who had led the global trend last season.
If they didn’t align with the Bureau at a time like this, it could strain relations in various ways. Lee Shin had no desire to create unnecessary trouble with the Bureau over something so trivial.
“There’s no need to take losses, but as the number one guild and representative, responsibility is also necessary. Everyone, I have no intention of being satisfied with just being number one. If I’ve built an empire in Busan, then further—to Korea, to Asia, to the world!”
“I want this league to become more exciting and beloved. Only then will reaching the top be truly enjoyable, won’t it? Heh.”
With Lee Shin’s grand ambition, the off-site training discussion came to an end.
Next.
“Second item. The academy pilot program and ongoing business matters.”
The moment Jeong Sun-dong finished, the business team leader and other related team leaders, who had been waiting eagerly, sharpened their gazes.
“Business Team. With the Haemu Guild’s training ground fully relocated, the academy has begun its pilot operations. The response has been beyond expectations. So…”
“Even when we were just renting out the existing stadium, the reaction was significant, but once the academy opened, promising talents from across the country started gathering. Among the mothers of these talents, Yeongdo is already being called a premium school district…”
“Among these, the area that has drawn the most attention is the one the Director specifically instructed. Not only promising talents, but also opening doors to lower-league hunters and partnering with lower-league guilds, we filled the recruitment quota in just ten minutes…”
This academy was also an extension of the ambition mentioned earlier.
Lee Shin wanted Mir Guild to be more than just a guild with good results. He wanted it to become a national representative and lead global trends.
“Empire. Dynasty! We are the center of this league!! I want the entire world to recognize that the place where you and I stand right now is the center of the league. So what must we do?”
“Naturally, we have to fatten the pockets first.”
Anyone could claim to be an empire or dynasty with words alone. Even Kirin Guild had been called a dynasty and various other grandiose titles during their prime.
But now? Who even looks for Kirin Guild?
Both traffic and interest had plummeted.
Even though Mir Guild’s effect was strong, this situation was too severe.
Lee Shin called it the price of being so focused on results that they forgot to look around.
“Results are the most important thing, but they’re not everything. To put it in extreme terms, how would Kirin Guild appear to someone who doesn’t watch the league?”
“To be remembered for a long time by the people around them and by their fans, the guild’s existence must change their lives. It has to reach them on a personal level.”
More positively.
More prosperously.
That was what Lee Shin meant by fattening their pockets.
And the academy Lee Shin had ambitiously launched was the core of this plan.
“Promising talents and lower-league hunters—they’ll gladly open their wallets to become stronger. This city will benefit from that. Naturally, it will align with the hunters’ needs.”
“Everyone, a hunter city isn’t anything special. If you sell the dream that every Awakener can become a hunter, that’s what makes it a hunter city. We’re selling dreams and planting that perception from the roots.”
That Mir Guild made you stronger.
That I, Lee Shin, made you prosperous.
Thus, the broadcast schedule for this season, in-house produced programs, last year’s performance report and improvement plans for ‘Cafe Rare,’ Mir City’s season opening event, and so on.
As various matters continued, the team leaders gathered here realized something.
That Lee Shin—their director—was looking beyond just being number one.
And after concluding the final agenda, Lee Shin hammered the point home once more.
“This year as well, Mir will rise to first place, will never descend from the peak, and will claim the Champions League trophy we’ve been putting off.”
“I won’t ask you to look where I’m looking. Just give me everything you’ve got. If you do that, I promise you this.”
“Every year, from an even higher position, I will share all the wealth and glory with you.”
The steering wheel is in my hands. If it’s hard, just follow me.
The team leaders once again felt the weight of Lee Shin’s presence.
If someone else had said that, they would have laughed it off, but coming from Lee Shin’s mouth, it felt like it was already unfolding before their eyes.
With that, the meeting ended, and the team leaders leaving the conference room had inspiration sparkling in their eyes—planted by Lee Shin.
But Lee Shin’s meeting wasn’t over yet.
“Noona, come in.”
Soon after, with only Lee Shin and Chae Dong-ha left in the conference room, Strategic Planning Director Yun Cho-a entered, and perhaps an even more important meeting began with her single sentence.
“The Bureau has fired the Brazilian Association President.”
* * *
The South American regions that had shown all sorts of disgrace during this Genocratus invasion… especially the Brazilian Association, whose main battlefield it had been, displayed incompetence beyond imagination.
Whether voluntarily or not, guild representatives connected to villains emerged, the Association President who was supposed to handle the rights of hunters and Awakeners only looked out for himself, and the rankers representing the nation showed a clear gap in levels.
Even the Bureau couldn’t believe their eyes.
Therefore—
—You people won’t do.
This wasn’t just an expression. It was something actually said.
And by the Bureau’s top executives, the Special Mages, no less.
Thanks to Lee Shin and Korea’s rankers moving quickly, it was fine, but if they had relied only on those guys, it would have undoubtedly led to devastating damage.
At this point, even the Bureau, which maintained strict neutrality regarding events outside the gates, couldn’t just stand by.
Eventually, with the Brazilian government’s cooperation, they launched an investigation…
And right at that moment, truly terrifying information poured in from an ‘anonymous’ informant.
It wasn’t just about receiving money from here and there.
The locations of illegal fighting arenas and the types of drugs they used. The identities of mana stone smuggling organizations, and so on. It was revealed that the Brazilian Association President was at the very top of these operations.
Particularly damning was the fact that he was also suspected of being connected to this ‘invasion.’
Of course, the Association President vehemently denied it.
— “That’s ridiculous! Me promising a large sum to Belphegor and trying to secretly extract him? I admit to taking bribes and having stakes in gambling dens, but being connected to villains? That’s absurd! I’m innocent!!”
But with quite plausible evidence emerging, they couldn’t let it slide, and the Bureau and Brazilian government proceeded to urgently arrest the Association President.
Of course, in the process, his clothes were stripped away.
“……It proceeded exactly as the Director intended.”
“Heh, good. Excellent.”
Hehehe.
I told you I’d take you down, Carlos.
The anonymous informant Lee Shin tapped the armrest in a demon king pose and smirked.
“But was he actually connected?”
“Does that matter, Dong-ha hyung?”
“??”
“??”
“Tsk, still a long way to go, really.”
As the two men displayed question marks, Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
“He’s a guy who’s taken all sorts of bribes anyway. Honestly, even he probably doesn’t remember where he got the money from. If you dig into that, who’s to say a villain connection won’t turn up?”
“……”
“……Wow, you’re a demon.”
“I, Lee Shin, can share a drink with someone who insults me, but I cannot live under the same sky as someone who puts my hunters in danger. Khahaha——!!”
While the two shook their heads, Lee Shin grabbed his forehead and laughed heartily.
After laughing like that for a moment.
“Well, that’s enough of the appetizer. Let’s get to the main point. So, how much of the Level 8 gate did they promise us?”
The Brazilian Association President was just a side branch. The reason Yun Cho-a had gone all the way to Brazil was because of the gates.
In other words, the gates that Crain had combined and reversed. More precisely, to negotiate ‘shares’ regarding the currently existing gates with the Bureau.
Surely Lee Shin hadn’t saved that country for free?
Would the incarnation of self-objectification not know his own value?
This body had personally nurtured rankers to form an expedition, secured a Gate Carrier, and uprooted Crain.
Minimizing civilian casualties in the process couldn’t be left out either.
He had brought the Bureau countless benefits, so he should at least demand shares regarding the gates.
“Half, as the Director proposed, was impossible, but we secured a firm commitment up to 40%. Including mana stones and items.”
“This is what we share with the rankers who went on the expedition, right? Then for me?”
“When legendary items drop, we obtained priority purchase rights. The price is the appraisal value designated by the Bureau.”
“How many?”
“Three.”
“Dong-ha hyung.”
“??”
“What are you doing? Music cue!”
A moment later, the thumping beat and flickering fluorescent lights.
And Lee Shin, twisting his waist under the shining spotlight.
Yuhut! Ihit! Ehet!!
Thus, the Brazil matter was roughly settled, and now it was Chae Dong-ha’s turn.
“Hyung, how’s the hunter assignment—I mean, the ‘succession’ matter progressing?”
“First, Lee Hye-jung has been sent to Japan’s ninja clan, ‘Aminokake,’ and the former head, ‘Doksahu,’ has agreed to take charge of her training. Additionally, Choi Soo-pil has gone to Egypt’s Sahara Amon, and Princess… I mean, Seo Ye-na has been entrusted to the Vatican’s Knight Commander.”
“Hehehe!! Good, good.”
Since the third ‘DLC: Age of Madness’ had been released, it meant the second one, ‘DLC: Succession,’ had already been implemented.
Proof of that was the ‘Succession Free Pass Card’ being included in the league rewards. So how could Lee Shin just sit still? He had to diligently send them during the off-season.
Perhaps that was why. The reason he had scolded Chae Dong-ha for his complacency.
“All three must be closely managed. Did you assign people to them?”
“Yes, two people each for now.”
“Two? Twooo? Did I hear wrong? You’ve lost your edge while I wasn’t looking, hyung. Just two? Are you kidding?”
“That…… is it not enough?”
“Not enough, far from enough! Education is a hundred-year plan! Do you think we’ll only meet those people once or twice? We’re going to keep sending them every off-season for several seasons! So what do we have to do? We need to grease the wheels and build relationships. Huh? Don’t you think?”
Succession wasn’t simply about forming a master-disciple relationship and ending it there.
For example, Doksahu, who was teaching Lee Hye-jung, was lazy, and if not continuously managed, she would just take the money and wipe her mouth clean.
“Daily cross-checking is basic, and we also need to establish connections with the clans. We have the Forge and the Choi Family Medicine Hall too. Why are we leaving them lukewarm when we have what they want?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Once is fine. Don’t make me say the same thing twice about the same matter.”
“I’ll pay more attention.”
Lee Shin nodded while looking at the two.
“We unfortunately missed out last year, but on the contrary, it’s good for the guild. We’ve been promised many interests. Let’s digest these and turn them into an even stronger foundation.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, good. That way I can prepare a generous wedding gift for you two, right?”
“!!”
“!!”
“What are you surprised about? Get out.”
Lee Shin waved his hand with a smile at the two startled people.
After the two left, he looked at the phone that had been ringing for a while.
At the familiar name, Lee Shin smirked. Was it just his imagination that a certain crazy X-mong came to mind?
“Yes, I’ve received the call. Department Chief Kim Mi-young.”
― “Director, please help me!”