The Children of God Ascend

Perhaps this was both the chaos he had anticipated, and the chaos he had never seen coming.

The story rewinds to a short while ago.

Back to the moment when the Mir Guild utterly crushed the Namgoong Sega and gifted the sweet taste of victory to all of South Korea.

How many years had it been since their last championship?

Nearly a decade since Korea last tasted victory in the Asia League.

The Kirin Guild had challenged again and again but never managed to overcome Japan and China. Yet the Mir Guild had gone the other way and completely demolished them.

Could anything feel more exhilarating than this?

It was safe to say the community had never been warmer than it was in that moment.

Casual fans were drunk on national pride, fans of other teams comforted themselves with the fact that they had lost to a team of that caliber, and the Yongbungs were dying of happiness knowing their guild had conquered Asia.

In every way, it was a time of exploding emotions.

And the natural destination for those emotions was, of course, expectation.

That’s right.

The days when Korea held its breath and the Yongbungs held theirs even tighter.

Everyone had been waiting. For a historic Champs victory.

But.

That was when ‘that incident’ exploded.

At first the Bureau had kept silent for security reasons, but the moment Lee Shin secured the Gate Carrier, they immediately made it official to the entire world.

And in the face of a national catastrophe, the Korean league fans’ dream of a Champs victory popped like a soap bubble.

It was disappointing. Of course it was disappointing.

But.

No matter how far across the sea those complete strangers lived, they were still human. Universal human emotion wouldn’t let people crave a championship trophy while ignoring a horrific disaster.

That much was understandable.

The problem started now.

Naturally, the Bureau only called it “terrorism” and refused to release any detailed information about the incident. Or more precisely, they couldn’t.

“I know it’s weird for a mage to say this, but today I have to. Oh my God……”

“The scene is much worse than we expected, isn’t it?”

“I can see that. Fuck……”

“It’s honestly awe-inspiring that Lee Shin and the Korean expedition managed to stop this……”

“Report to the higher-ups. We need to control this information completely.”

The fact that the Xenocrates had poured in nearly all their forces, that they had tried to open a Level 9 Gate using a Gate Carrier, and that a monster wave had nearly swallowed not only South America but North America as well…

How could they possibly explain that?

Exactly. The situation had been far more serious. Releasing the truth as it was would have caused chaos on an unimaginable scale.

Total blackout.

That was the decision of the Bureau’s leadership.

Even if it came out later, blocking it now was the best option.

They would endure the criticism that would follow. This was the “anticipated chaos” mentioned earlier.

Other fans accepted the Bureau’s announcement of “terrorism” and moved on.

But for fans of guilds that had reached the Champs, it was a different story.

They needed an explanation.

Especially the Yongbungs. Their reaction was on another level.

The Mir Guild had been leading the charge toward legend.

If they had kept winning, they would have achieved the unprecedented record of going undefeated through every single round!

Hundreds, thousands of Yongbungs had been so excited they couldn’t even sleep for days.

Yet those same Yongbungs had been forced to swallow their tears and wake from their dream at the mere two words “terrorism.”

In that case, wasn’t it only polite for the Bureau to at least give them an explanation? Was that wrong?

Unfortunately, the Bureau was too busy dealing with the crisis to say anything.

And from here, the “unexpected ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chaos” began.

The Bureau had underestimated the combat power of the Yongbungs.

They had fallen in love with Lee Shin, softened after watching the Mountain King and Hwarang, and smiled like proud mothers at the Children of God…

But they were still Yongbungs.

From the days when they were the mad dogs guarding the ICU, they had been hunting dogs and royal guards fueled by spite and sheer willpower.

Now known as the world’s largest fandom, comparable even to the legendary “Excalibur,” the Yongbungs mobilized with perfect formation.

And information began pouring out.

The puzzle pieces were snapping together by the minute, and they eventually reached something they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should never have touched.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaack!!”

This was the exact moment when Bureau Director Kim Mi-young, who had been monitoring the situation with a stomach full of acid, clutched her head and screamed. It was also the moment she went looking for Lee Shin.

“……And that’s what happened.”

“……Pfft.”

“You can laugh.”

“Heh… Can I roll around too?”

“Sigh… Just for today, I’ll allow it.”

“Puhahahahaha――!”

Lee Shin rolled across the floor of the Bureau Director’s office.

He rolled so enthusiastically that even Kim Mi-young, who had been glaring at him, couldn’t help but burst out laughing in disbelief.

“Ah, it’s been so long since I laughed this hard.”

“Did you finish rolling? That didn’t look like a beginner’s technique.”

“Hehe, I’m pretty good at rolling. People, myself, even this head of mine.”

“Ha, then could you please use that well-rolling head of yours for me? I’m seriously losing my mind because of your fans.”

“Heh.”

“That wasn’t a compliment! Don’t get cocky!”

She was making a fuss, but Lee Shin wasn’t surprised at all.

The Yongbungs had simply done what Yongbungs do. That was all.

The Bureau had simply handled the situation without any sense of reality, and this was the price they were paying.

“You should’ve just posted an apology notice from the beginning. Then it wouldn’t have blown up like this.”

“You think I didn’t want to? But headquarters gave strict orders not to leak even a single grain of information.”

“You could have at least apologized while leaving out the details. I’m sure you have that much flexibility.”

“Representative! I only flew into Korea yesterday?! The person who knows the South American situation best shouldn’t be saying that. It hurts my feelings.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s true.”

It was true that Lee Shin and the expedition had blocked the Xenocrates invasion at a historic level, but that didn’t mean the entire incident was over.

Rebuilding the collapsed cities, preparing measures for the casualties, cleaning up the dangerous gate zones, dealing with the reversed gates…

The Bureau’s heads were probably exploding right now.

“And because of an anonymous tipster, we even had to investigate the Brazilian Association! An anonymous tipster who knew way too much about Brazil’s internal affairs!!”

“Hmm, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Anyway, this is getting dangerous. If it gets out that you and all your main members went to Brazil, and then the full extent of Brazil’s damage is revealed… things are going to get incredibly complicated.”

“Which is why I’m saying, post an apology notice.”

“Representative!!”

“Alright, alright.”

The joking ended there.

Lee Shin looked at his tablet and fell into thought.

His name was trending up and down on every community and the Yongbung Era bulletin board.

It was still just suspicion, but some people had already built serious theories. Among them, the conspiracy theory that “Our representative Lee Shin foresaw this crisis from the very beginning and stepped up to resolve it!” actually gave him chills.

The more he looked, the more he realized one clear fact: the woman sitting in front of him, Kim Mi-young, was extremely capable.

“Sudden praise?”

“This is exactly the Maginot Line of public opinion. If it spreads any further, even the President couldn’t fix it. So skipping all the meetings and coming straight to me was an excellent decision.”

“The fact that even the President couldn’t fix it isn’t a joke is what’s scary.”

“Because they’re our fans. Heh.”

“Please stop getting cocky. That wasn’t a compliment… So, do you have any ideas?”

“Before I tell you the plan, I need to say one thing first. You do realize this isn’t a small problem, right?”

“……”

The way he phrased it made it sound light, but if you translated his words directly, it meant the Bureau couldn’t handle it and had dumped the problem on him.

They were even asking the guild whose fans were causing the uproar to change the fandom’s opinion.

Kim Mi-young watched Lee Shin silently sip his coffee and bit her lip.

He hadn’t said it out loud, but his intention was clear. Nothing would be free.

“You already took the Area 51 items……”

“It was a perfectly fair price.”

“Ha, you really are something else, Representative Lee.”

In the end, Kim Mi-young gave him the information.

“Next year, I will become the Director of Guild War Korea.”

“Oh, congratulations. That’s much faster than expected. Did this incident get you the promotion?”

“Keep listening… And when I become Director, the very first item I plan to raise is this.”

With those words, she slid a document envelope across the table.

Lee Shin opened it slightly and his eyes widened.

His pupils sparkled for the first time in a while.

Oh? So this is how it turns out? The information was so big that Lee Shin’s plans inside his head shook violently for a moment.

“……Is this enough?”

“More than enough.”

“I trust you won’t go around talking about this too openly. Then let’s hear your plan. What are you going to do?”

“First, what is the Bureau’s official stance?”

“Complete blackout.”

“Until the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very end?”

“For now, yes. But once all the gates are dealt with, we’ll probably reveal a general outline.”

“Good.”

They would reveal the truth once the situation had been somewhat stabilized.

That meant there was room to maneuver, and therefore it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.

“Let’s start with a press conference.”

“A press conference?”

“Apologize first. Of course, don’t say everything. Tell them the situation is extremely chaotic and you cannot make any statements. Ask for their understanding.”

“……You startled me. That much I can do.”

“Looking at the reactions, the anger is slowly shifting from irritation to real fury. We need to calm them down first.”

“But will that be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough? They’re Yongbungs.”

“Heh.”

“I told you, this isn’t the time to look smug.”

Director Kim Mi-young had always watched from a third-party perspective, but now that she was experiencing it herself, she finally understood.

The Yongbungs were the real deal.

In action, obsession, and affection, they had long since transcended the realm of ordinary fandom.

Once their own hunter or their own guild was involved, they would never stop.

So could an empty apology really stop Yongbungs whose curiosity had already been ignited?

Lee Shin gave a crooked smile.

“You’ve analyzed them perfectly. The answer is in what you just said.”

They never stop when their own hunter or guild is involved. Then all they had to do was create an incident related to that.

“Do it like this.”

The next day, Director Kim Mi-young stood before the reporters and apologized.

“The Bureau is doing everything in its power to resolve this situation and is working hard to minimize damage……”

But the moment the press conference ended, not a single person paid attention to her apology.

Because of one photograph that had been ‘coincidentally’ taken.

The content written on her phone, captured from a high angle with exquisite timing.

— Park Su-bin, Baek Yeon-woo, Yu Ri-ra, please register your real names.

Boom!!

The bomb had detonated.

The message captured in the photo simply said “please register your real names,” but in this context, the messenger was more important than the message itself.

The fact that the word “real name” appeared on the Director’s phone? Fans who had followed the league for a while could roughly guess what it meant.

Meanwhile, the articles that had captured the photo were taken down one after another not long after. The articles disappeared as if they had never existed.

But the Yongbungs’ conviction only grew deeper.

Even without this, Lee Shin’s children had been a controversial topic in the guild world.

Should all three geniuses who had shaken the league in their early twenties be given ranker status?

Realistically, it didn’t make sense. They were members who had won the league undefeated. That meant they had beaten every existing ranker.

So why was it controversial?

Yet surprisingly, it had become controversial!

Whether it was because they were jealous or simply trying to keep them in check, the general consensus was that they should give it to the oldest, Yu Ri-ra, first, then Park Su-bin, then Baek Yeon-woo in order. Eating too fast would cause indigestion, after all.

Naturally, the Yongbungs found it absurd.

That was how noisy the guild scene had been beneath the surface because of this controversy. And then that photo was leaked.

What happened after?

What else? It was war.

…were the fans of other teams claiming it was over the line, while…

A fiery war had broken out among the Yongbungs to protect their hunters.

And while the internet was in the middle of that chaotic war,

That person arrived.

To end the war.