The Queen Returns
The Taeyang Guild parking lot.
A bright red Ferrari pulled in. Yeo Eun-seo stepped out, removed her sunglasses, and looked around.
“Whistle~ Big corporations really are something else. No matter how many times I see it, this place is ridiculously huge.”
Major guilds were famous for building incredibly flashy headquarters.
Skyscrapers that seemed to pierce the sky, state-of-the-art training facilities—everything screamed, “Look how successful we are,” as if the buildings themselves were flexing.
And that was exactly the point.
They were trophies.
The guilds backed by the four major conglomerates took that ostentation to another level entirely.
Just looking at the endless parking lot and the main building and stadium visible in the distance was enough to make that clear.
The stadium in particular was so famous it had been ranked in the global “Top 5 Most Beautiful Stadiums,” thanks to its tasteful fusion of traditional hanok architecture.
People always talked about the four major groups this and the four major groups that, but seeing it in person really drove home how different they were. That was what Yeo Eun-seo thought.
Maybe that was why—
“My heart’s pounding more than I expected.”
Half nervous, half excited, Yeo Eun-seo walked toward the guild building with a racing heart.
But she wasn’t the only one feeling anxious.
A woman with long black hair pacing restlessly in front of the main entrance—Gong Ju-in, with her signature gloomy aura—stood there waiting. The moment Yeo Eun-seo spotted her, she called out.
“Ju-in!”
“Ah… Hello, unnie.”
“What are you doing standing out here? Why haven’t you gone in?”
“I just… felt a bit awkward.”
“Awkward…?”
Gong Ju-in had spent her entire career—from promising rookie to now—exclusively with the Challenger Guild. She simply wasn’t used to new environments.
Yeo Eun-seo burst out laughing.
“You? Awkward? Bahahaha!!”
It was understandable. After all, who was Gong Ju-in?
The Black Star—known for her calm, composed demeanor and complete lack of emotional display. Some even called her the Corpse Queen, linking her eerie composure with her necromancy.
Yet here that same Gong Ju-in was, fidgeting and hesitating.
She had a side like this? Yeo Eun-seo found the unexpected cuteness from her usually difficult junior incredibly charming.
“Ah, I laughed properly for once. Thanks to you, the day’s starting on a refreshing note. Honestly, I was a little worried too.”
“You were, unnie?”
“Of course. I’m only human. Did you think switching guilds would be easy? I’ll only tell you this—honestly, even fifteen hours ago, I had no intention of joining Taeyang Guild.”
“Fifteen hours ago? That’s right before the official announcement. What made you change your mind?”
“What else? They told me they’d recruited you.”
“…And that was enough?”
“I made it a condition of my re-contract. I told them to recruit you.”
The Royal Sword Guild had been half-forced into the Black Star recruitment war because of the Guardian’s demands. Thanks to some luck, they had managed to hold quite a few conversations with the Challenger Guild.
If things had gone just a little further, “Royal Sword’s Black Star” might have become reality.
But then Taeyang Guild stepped in and twisted every possible future.
They appeared like lightning and hijacked Gong Ju-in in an instant. There was no long negotiation.
They simply offered the absolute best.
One and a half times the amount Royal Sword had offered, plus several core resources on top. It was a deal that moved even Gong Ju-in’s heart—she had wanted to give one last gift to the guild she had grown fond of, even if she was leaving.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The real masterstroke came the moment Gong Ju-in signed the contract. As if they had been waiting for it, Taeyang immediately contacted Guardian Yeo Eun-seo.
“How on earth did they know I wanted you? Did Representative Lee tell them?”
“Representative Lee… you mean Mir Guild’s Lee Shin?”
“Yeah. I’ve been talking with him a lot lately.”
“Hmm. Would someone like him really do something nice for a competitor? We are rivals, after all.”
“True… logically, that makes sense.”
But maybe that man would happily spill the information just for fun…?
Yeo Eun-seo smiled to herself as she recalled Lee Shin enthusiastically praising the combination of her and Gong Ju-in while wearing those antique taped glasses.
The laughter lasted only a moment. A voice suddenly called out behind them, and both women turned around.
“What’s so funny? And why are you grinning like an idiot?”
“…?!”
“Picking a fight the second you see me, Park Gwang-seob.”
Park Gwang-seob had approached without them noticing and slapped Yeo Eun-seo on the back. She immediately countered with a sharp elbow to his side.
The cold, calculating Yeo Eun-seo.
The arrogant, self-absorbed Park Gwang-seob.
Anyone would think they were complete opposites, yet the two were surprisingly close.
“You’re really taking your talent to Taeyang? Are you insane?”
“It was a hell of a show. Check the view count. The reactions are wild.”
“Ugh, you idiot. If you act like that, what did the Baekgeom fans ever do to deserve it?”
“That’s why I explained it as sincerely as possible.”
“That made it even worse, you moron!!”
“It pissed me off. People needed to know.”
To be fair, Park Gwang-seob had every right to be angry.
Money didn’t matter. He was willing to take a massive pay cut if it meant strengthening the team. All he asked was for them to build a squad capable of competing with Mir Guild.
Park Gwang-seob, who lived for his own pride, had made that much of a sacrifice. Yet Baekgeom Guild’s final answer to his ultimatum was rejection.
“The one that really betrayed me was that bastard Oh Kang-min. I thought at least he cared about the raid team. But the moment his own salary negotiation was done, he washed his hands of everything. What a cowardly little punk.”
“I told you before. Oh Kang-min is secretly really selfish.”
“Ghost Slayer sunbae…? I never saw him that way.”
“Forget it, forget it. It’s all in the past now, let’s stop talking about it… By the way, isn’t there some kind of welcome ceremony? We just got recruited. At least give us a bouquet or something.”
“Ha, you didn’t even read the notice?”
“It said ‘unofficial meeting,’ sunbae.”
“Ju-in, call him oppa. And you, stop pretending you know everything.”
“Buzz off.”
“Heh.”
Whenever Park Gwang-seob acted silly, Yeo Eun-seo scolded him, and Gong Ju-in would laugh.
As time passed, the tension melted away and conversation flowed naturally. No one said it out loud, but they all felt it.
This was a good start.
The three of them entered the main building in high spirits.
They headed straight for the representative’s office… but when they opened the door, it wasn’t the guild representative waiting for them.
“You’ve arrived. Nice to meet you. I’m Son Seong-ho, chairman of Taeyang Group.”
“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to startle you. My apologies. Have you eaten yet?”
A distinguished elderly gentleman with slicked-back hair sat in the seat of honor.
It was none other than Chairman Son Seong-ho himself.
The sudden appearance of such a heavyweight left all three momentarily brain-dead.
Son Seong-ho smiled kindly, as if he understood their reaction perfectly.
After some light conversation, he finally got to the point.
“I apologize for ambushing you like this, but I wanted to hear your opinions directly.”
“…Our opinions?”
“What kind of opinions?”
“As you all know, I run quite a large distribution company. At least in the distribution sector, I’m confident I won’t lose to anyone. Not even Lee Sang-byeok of Ido Group.”
All three could only nod.
This old man was the owner of Taeyang Group, which possessed the nation’s largest distribution network. The largest shopping platform in Asia, ‘Sunfang,’ belonged to him. Even the ‘Taeyang Delivery’ trucks that traveled every corner of the Korean peninsula were his.
“…But that’s distribution. This is the league. I know nothing about the league. I intend to pour my heart into it from now on. That’s why I need to hear from you three—true professionals and top rankers.”
“Would you please share your thoughts with me?”
The three of them sensed genuine sincerity in Son Seong-ho’s demeanor.
An adult who could openly admit what he didn’t know and humbly ask for advice from people far younger than himself.
They saw true dignity in the way he slightly bowed his head.
What a wonderful man.
Now I understand why everyone talks about the four major groups.
Heh. Looks like I came to the right place.
Soon the representative’s office was filled with lively conversation.
They started with the league’s basic systems, then moved on to its unwritten rules, behind-the-scenes stories, and even high-level information that was normally hard to come by.
When Yeo Eun-seo spoke, the other two naturally joined in. Son Seong-ho responded enthusiastically, clapping his hands like he was listening to the most fascinating story in the world.
The conversation that began at noon only ended when evening came. Throughout it all, Son Seong-ho never lost his bright smile for even a second.
He looked truly delighted.
“Thank you. I don’t have much to offer in return, but I’d like to give you gifts as a token of appreciation for such wonderful conversation. What would you like? Feel free to speak your minds.”
“No, I actually enjoyed it so—”
“It’s fine, really—”
“I need a sword!!”
Yeo Eun-seo and Gong Ju-in’s heads snapped toward him.
Can’t you read the room? Their glares scolded Park Gwang-seob, but he remained perfectly calm.
“Think about it, you two. Do you really think the chairman came all this way just to chat? He was obviously planning to give us gifts. Isn’t that right, sir?”
“Haha, exactly as Gwang-seob says. Consider it a recruitment gift as well, so please speak comfortably.”
Park Gwang-seob went first.
“I want a sword.”
“A sword… Should we prepare a Legendary-grade blade like the ones from Baekgeom Guild?”
“No. I’ve used a Legendary sword from Baekgeom, but its personality was too strong. It didn’t suit me.”
“Heh, the sword’s personality… This is already interesting. Please continue.”
“Not long ago, some cocky kid gave me some advice.”
“Park Gwang-seob, not all Legendaries are good. For someone like you who becomes one with the sword and draws out its very origin, a sword with too strong a will is actually poison.”
A sword forged with pure focus by a true master craftsman would be far better than a strong-willed Legendary. Only that could fully draw out the power of his Unity of Sword and Body.
“…So what I want is a set of Epic-grade or higher swords crafted by a world-class artisan. It must include a longsword, twin swords, a chain sword, a dagger, and a sword breaker.”
“Understood.”
Look into it immediately.
At Son Seong-ho’s command, the secretary standing behind him took notes.
“Then what does our Ju-in need?”
“Um, well…”
“Just tell him.”
“E-eh, unnie… that thing…?”
“Don’t just talk between yourselves. Tell me. What is it?”
“It’s a weapon called the ‘Scepter of the Lich King.’ It’s Legendary-grade. I heard it’s going up for auction at the Sokobi Auction House soon.”
Yeo Eun-seo spoke on behalf of Gong Ju-in, who wasn’t used to such things after only ever being in smaller guilds. Once again, Son Seong-ho silently gestured for his secretary to write it down.
Finally, it was Yeo Eun-seo’s turn.
“I don’t need any equipment. Instead, I want my opinion to be reflected in building the empty squad positions.”
“Heh, how motivated. Do you already have specific members in mind?”
“I do. But to explain that, I’ll need to talk about strategy.”
“Haha, this is getting interesting already.”
Secretary Kim, cancel all my evening schedule.
Son Seong-ho loosened his tightly knotted tie.
Then he said,
“So, what strategy has our national team commander prepared?”
Yeo Eun-seo’s eyes sharpened as she began laying out the plan she had been working on.
“First, I will be moving to the supporter position.”
Meanwhile, at the exact same time, a similar conversation was taking place elsewhere—perhaps by coincidence.
“I will be changing my position to supporter for the upcoming season.”
The conference room of the Shinseong Guild fell silent at Cross Iruha’s declaration. He pointed at the screen and continued the meeting.
“The keywords that defined last season were ‘roaming’ and ‘high tempo.’ Fast supporter roaming leads to earlier team fights, which dramatically increases the overall pace. After that, we engage in one-sided deal-making.”
“If you watch the edited footage of the Mir Guild versus Kirin Guild finals that I’m about to play, you’ll understand perfectly.”
The beam projector displayed the carefully edited video. Iruha continued his explanation while watching the shining screen.
He suddenly recalled the conversation he had shared with Lee Shin during the expedition.
“You know, the people who say they’re not interested in money are usually the ones most obsessed with it. In my eyes, Mr. Iruha, you’re exactly like that.”
He always said he valued work-life balance over career. That this was enough. That he had done his best. Those were his catchphrases.
That was the image everyone had of Cross Iruha. So many people said he was gentle and satisfied with his current position.
But…
“Let’s be honest. That’s not your true heart, is it? You crave a better career. You want that championship trophy. Don’t try to fool me. I know you better than you know yourself.”
At first, Iruha had laughed and waved his hands in denial. But by the time Lee Shin said this, the smile had vanished from his face.
Because Lee Shin had seen straight through to his true desires, as if he had peered directly into his soul.
“Then why did our Mr. Iruha hide this truth? I suppose I should explain the reason. It’s because you’re too smart.”
“You can see it, can’t you? The limits of what you can achieve.”
Because he was too smart, the limits were painfully clear.
Can I reach this? Can our team do that? He could calculate the odds in an instant.
“You cannot overcome those visible problems alone. Why? Because you’re a healer.”
“The healer among healers. The noblest of nobles. A divine healer with a potential of 200. But even a healer like that cannot fundamentally become a game changer.”
In the antagonist matches where healing was heavily restricted, healers usually lost most of their power. How many healers even participated in antagonist matches worldwide?
Cross had essentially been fighting with both hands and feet tied. That was why he had naturally given up.
But Lee Shin had shaken his head.
“You should look at it the other way. In antagonist matches where healers are at an absolute disadvantage, how many hunters actually make a living through healing? If you look across the entire world, there are no more than three. So don’t get scared and give up prematurely.”
“Because you are a far greater and hotter man than you imagine.”
With those words, Lee Shin had handed him the Training Grounds. But what Iruha truly received wasn’t that.
You are amazing.
You are special.
You can become truly great.
It was a flame of confidence, trust, and passion.
The moment that flame ignited the wick that had long been extinguished, Cross Iruha became unstoppable.
“…In conclusion.”
Crack!
The marker snapped in half. A hole was punched through the whiteboard.
Iruha casually tossed the broken marker aside and looked around the room.
“What we did last season was nothing more than copying Mir Guild’s meta. We adapted quickly and produced results, but… at its core, it was never truly ours.”
“You cannot win by simply following others. In the end, we must overcome and reach our own destination. Only then can we slay the dragon.”
Our own meta.
A meta that only Shinseong can create.
We will slay the dragon and claim victory!
At Iruha’s bold declaration, the conference room fell silent for a moment.
And then, shortly after—
Clap, clap, clap—
The lights in the conference room came on. From the far side, Chairman Kang Do-kyung was applauding.
“Shinseong’s own meta. Excellent. I like it very much. Don’t you agree?”
And beside him, a woman was also clapping.
A genius whose natural talent was said to surpass even the ultimate weapon, the Divine Archer.
The most special summoner on Earth.
Friend of the Four Sacred Beasts.
“Big brother Ru-ha, you’ve become so cool.”
The return of Hwang Yeo-wang, the Summoning Queen.