The Big 4
Countless people were dying to know every single move Lee Shin made.
Charm? He had it. Wealth? He had it. Ability? He had it in spades.
A flawless genius in every sense of the word.
When this perfect man stepped out of his guild and shed that sharp suit, what kind of figure would be hiding behind the fully disarmed version of him?!
Chae Dong-ha was about to answer the world’s burning question.
“What’s hiding…?”
“Dong-ha hyung… I’m huuuungry…”
“…Yeah. That.”
A 1+1 plain T-shirt and baggy sweatpants with stretched-out knees.
After several all-nighters, thirteen straight hours of sleep had created a bird’s nest on his head that practically screamed, “Hey there!”
Was it a corpse? A slime?
Whatever it was, the human-shaped blob currently fused with the sofa was, shockingly, none other than Weekend Lee Shin.
And the zookeeper responsible for making sure this particular creature didn’t starve to death was none other than Chae Dong-ha himself.
“Who in their right mind watches every single league match? Just watch the highlight games! Why are you stubbornly watching all of them?”
“Ughhhhh…”
“Here. Eat first.”
“Ooooh…”
The moment a steaming bowl of gomguk and a plate of refreshingly crisp kkakdugi appeared before him, Lee Shin rolled off the sofa and shuffled toward the table like a melting slime.
Chae Dong-ha shook his head as he turned on the TV with the remote.
This was the man’s daily life.
It started with the guild, ended with the guild, and in between he watched other guilds’ matches. And even…
“Oh, it’s Game Day. Let’s watch that.”
…Even while eating, he was glued to league-related channels. A total league maniac.
“Guild, hunters, league! Is it always league with you? You watch it all day and still want more?!”
“It’s Game Day. They’re the best out of the bunch.”
“Ugh… Do whatever you want.”
Lee Shin blew on his broth with a happy “ho ho” and focused on the screen.
Chae Dong-ha, who had been sighing at those round, sparkling eyes, suddenly let out a small chuckle.
Many praised Lee Shin’s genius, but in his eyes, Lee Shin’s true greatness was exactly this—his genuine, wholehearted enjoyment of the league.
Meanwhile, on the TV, the faces of analyst Jen and Im Cho-rong filled the screen as they announced the day’s topic.
— “The four major guilds that have formed rivalries with one another.”
— “The four major guilds that have established their own unique styles.”
“As expected, it’s about the Big 4.”
“Doesn’t Big 4 sound better?”
Big 4. The four major guilds.
It was the term that symbolized the current Korean league, where four massive powers were locked in fierce competition.
— “The Big 4 are clearly conscious of each other. It was blatantly obvious in their MVP interviews. They only mentioned the other three major guilds, as if no one else even existed.”
Build-up, storytelling—call it whatever you want.
From the very start of the season, they had been shaping a rivalry structure.
In truth, it wasn’t anything particularly special. The league existed for competition, after all. It would be far stranger if rivalries didn’t form.
Yet the reason their competition wasn’t treated like just another ordinary derby was the point Im Cho-rong was about to make.
— “What makes the current Big 4 rivalry special is that they haven’t just talked the talk—they’ve prepared strategies specifically to counter one another. And the key point here is that each has infused their own unique color into those strategies.”
“Color. Yeah… That’s the core.”
“It’s exactly what you always emphasize, sir—the identity unique to each guild.”
“Right. A guild needs culture and identity. Without that, it’s no different from a random raid party.”
Style. Identity. Culture…
Only a guild with its own distinct color could be called a true guild.
Lee Shin’s long-standing belief was that a true major guild should instantly bring its unique color to mind the moment its name was mentioned. And that was exactly what the two analysts on Game Day were emphasizing.
— “As I’ll say again later, all four guilds are completely different. This isn’t just a battle of weight classes. It’s a dogfight where styles and colors clash! I literally couldn’t look away.”
— “The first thought that came to mind after watching all four guilds’ matches was that we’ve been watching far too homogenized leagues until now.”
— “Haha, the contrast definitely hits hard.”
— “But this is how it should be.”
Normally, each country developed its own distinct style.
For example, Korea pursued balance and stability, while Japan went for extreme aggression. China, meanwhile, had an entirely different flavor.
The system was built so that the guild that best refined its country’s unique style would claim the league championship.
That was also why there were so many fierce dogfights in the upper leagues.
But Lee Shin had rejected that system with a very simple piece of logic.
“Why even bother explaining? The regular season is way longer.”
“Is this the ‘launchpad logic’ again?”
It was insane to throw the entire regular season just to show off a few upper-league games. That would be no different from admitting the regular season was nothing but a stepping stone. What crime had the league fans committed?
——Lee Shin had uttered this radical statement in public, and naturally Chae Dong-ha had been forced to perform yet another spectacular damage-control show.
“Maximum fun equals maximum happiness. Country identity, my ass. A league must be entertaining above all else. A league with no fans cheering for it is nothing but a ‘battlefield of monsters.’”
“…Please just keep those thoughts to yourself. Don’t say them in interviews.”
“Hehehe.”
While they were talking, the host of Game Day finally got to the main topic.
It was exactly what they had been setting up—an analysis of each of the Big 4 guilds.
— “Let’s decide the order. But we have to save Mir Guild for last, right?”
— “I agree.”
— “Me too.”
— “Then let’s start the first analysis with Taeyang Guild.”
— “Whoa~ There’s so much to say about Taeyang Guild. Their opponent was Baekgeom Guild. The story between the sun and the white sword is just incredible.”
— “Baekgeom Guild was considered the strongest guild outside the current Big 4. Many people, including myself, were excited to see how well they would perform. And the result was…”
— “A clean 3:0. Total dominance by Taeyang Guild.”
— “We’re ready! Let’s analyze along with the match highlights.”
The moment the highlight reel began playing, Lee Shin casually dropped a comment that made Chae Dong-ha clutch the back of his neck.
“Set 1, 6 minutes 24 seconds, objective skirmish.”
“…You memorized it again?”
“Heh.”
“Ugh, don’t act so smug. That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Just watch properly, hyung. They’re one of the few duos that can actually go toe-to-toe with our Volcanic Duo.”
Guardian Yeo Eun-seo, riding her Bengal tiger while checking vision in the lower jungle, spotted an opening in the enemy and immediately charged the large objective without even looking back.
It was an obvious gamble! The casters had raised their voices in excitement, and the opposing Baekgeom Guild—including the infamous demon killer—tried to seize the opportunity.
But their outstretched hands never reached her. They were blocked by a legion of skeletons and a wall of bones.
— “Haha, it’s still terrifying no matter how many times I watch it. By the time they broke through, ‘Fenrir’ had already finished its hunt, right?”
— “This was just the preview. After that, the Guardian and Black Star duo shook the entire match with their bizarre tactics.”
— “Guardian showed insane instantaneous decision-making, while Black Star reconstructed the battlefield at terrifying speed and scale!”
Objective skirmish. Bottom dive. Top escape route blockade. Mid defense.
Guardian and Black Star had literally toyed with the map.
Especially in the final 5v5 team fight of set three—summoning bone legions from the ground, sky, bushes, anywhere they could—turning the battlefield into utter chaos. By the time the opponents came to their senses, Baekgeom’s ADC and Sword Master were magically left facing each other in a 1v1.
The meeting of commander Guardian and legion commander Black Star.
“That’s the beginning of the Black Tiger Duo! Krr!”
“Is this really the time to be impressed? We might have to face them someday.”
“Facing them is one thing, but they’re cool as hell right now.”
While Taeyang Guild had dominated through the Black Tiger Duo’s unpredictable timing rushes and battlefield control, the next guild—Shinseong Guild—showed off terrifying team fight power.
— “Shinseong Guild’s fights always begin by shoving their Guardian, transformed into a gorilla beastman, onto the front line. Then they start drumming. Haha, it’s actually pretty exciting.”
— “The Guardian, who possesses world-class defense, transforms into a gorilla form with maximum physical resistance. On top of that, he sings a ‘Song’ that grants area-wide attack power increase and life regeneration.”
First, a wall called the Guardian was erected.
— “Next, Cross takes position and begins praying. The cross you see is a shield, and the light behind him provides area blessings and recovery.”
— “Also, while he’s praying, all crowd control effects are reduced by half.”
Second, a wall called Cross was built.
And finally, the third wall arrived.
The Friend of the Four Sacred Beasts. Hwanhu Hwang Yeo-wang.
— “The ability of the divine beast Xuanwu creates water-drop-shaped shields for the entire team. Its effect restores health proportional to the damage received.”
— “And then Hwanhu herself, who awakened the White Tiger, bares her claws.”
— “Handling two divine beasts at once. No wonder people say her natural talent surpasses even the Divine Archer.”
First, second, and third.
A horrifying recovery hell built from triple walls.
As a result, Shinseong Guild crushed their opponents and destroyed the nexus without taking a single scratch.
The more you watched, the more hopeless their team fight power seemed.
Taking a few hits didn’t even register. That zombie-like playstyle would make anyone facing them want to vomit.
It was personally the guild Chae Dong-ha was most wary of.
“Did you know Cross said he came up with that sustain composition after thinking of our princess?”
“Of course I saw it. I told him to watch her.”
“You’re doing a great job. So, can we win a 5v5 against that?”
“Probably? Right now, it wouldn’t be too hard. Since Hwanhu’s divine beasts are random, we just need to engage when Xuanwu disappears.”
“That’s a relief. But why did you say ‘right now’?”
“There’s a Blaster behind them, right? He’s going to pick up Healing Factor later. And the Fist King is going to awaken super regeneration. By then, even the old man will have a tough time.”
“??!!”
So it was already disgusting enough now, but it was going to get even worse later?
While Chae Dong-ha’s eyes widened at the shocking information, the final guild—Kirin Guild—appeared.
They presented a completely different kind of terror.
The so-called long-range destruction bottom duo.
— “Airborne, stun, root, silence, blind—Trickster can fire every existing crowd control effect in the form of arrows. Even the way they look matches her nickname perfectly.”
— “Fan-shaped bundle arrows, Arrow Shower that rains down over an area, explosive arrows that detonate on impact… Honestly, it’s hard to keep track of them all.”
— “The moment the opponent is disabled by any of them, it leads straight into Flame Queen’s explosion.”
— “Risk-free damage trading stemming from Trickster’s initiative. If they delete the enemy bottom lane from the match… it’s game over. Victory.”
— “Simple, isn’t it?”
— “Very simple.”
If mid was the most influential lane in team fights, then bottom was the most important lane in team fights.
It was simple. There were two of them.
Even though the current meta had supports roaming thanks to Hwarang, the fact that ADC and support were one unit could not be denied.
If both of them retired from a match? Two out of five players crippled meant a simple 40% power reduction.
Naturally, that team would almost never win.
And there was one more meaning behind this duo. It wasn’t just about destroying the bottom lane.
“They’re aiming at us.”
“…Us?”
“Think about it, Dong-ha hyung. No matter how good Ri-ra is, wouldn’t it be tough if those two kept shooting at her?”
“?!!”
“You get it now? They’re pouring everything into bottom to pin down our Yushin hyung-nim.”
Right on cue, the analysts on screen added their thoughts.
— “Roaming suppression through powerful bottom pressure. This is Kirin Guild’s solution to Mir Guild’s roaming playstyle.”
— “What Analyst Jen just said is the key point. The common theme running through the other three Big 4 guilds—excluding Mir—is ‘How do we deal with Mir Guild?’ Their colors are simply the methods they chose.”
Taeyang Guild: unpredictable skirmishes.
Shinseong Guild: team fights that absolutely cannot be lost.
Kirin Guild: suppression beginning from the bottom lane.
If Mir Guild had thrown a question at guilds around the world last season with their much faster high-tempo style than before, then these three guilds had each answered that question in their own style.
And quite brilliantly at that.
“Brilliantly? We might end up getting eaten alive if we’re not careful.”
“Stop whining. If there’s no tension like this, is it even a league? Would it be fun? Or boring?”
“…It is fun, I guess.”
“See? Real fun always comes from intensity and tension.”
The Korean league was already drawing global attention thanks to Lee Shin and Mir Guild. Now, with the creation of a Big 4 structure that no league in history had ever seen, it completely stole the eyes of fans worldwide.
Currently, the broadcast rights fees for all four guilds were lined up at the very top in Asia.
This was completely different from the past, when the number one guild from Korea, China, and Japan would each take the top spot.
And this led directly to the booming popularity of the Korean league.
“It’s not one, it’s four. This is bigger than I thought.”
“At least two matches per week. When you consider that the opposing guilds also get to share in the revenue, almost every guild is benefiting.”
“Look at mid-to-upper tier teams like Baekgeom and Royal Sword recruiting overseas rankers. They know it too. There’s that much money to be made.”
In fact, several of the lower-tier guilds were now clearly on track to turn a profit.
In other words, money was circulating throughout the league.
Exactly as Lee Shin had predicted.
Lee Shin patted his full belly and grinned from ear to ear.
Whether it was because he had eaten his fill of gomguk, because he was proud that the league’s competition was heating up exactly as he intended, or both, he looked extremely satisfied.
“Are you happy, sir? The league is growing exactly the way you envisioned.”
“I’m happy. Completely satisfied.”
“Then are you finally going overseas?”
“Huh?? What are you talking about?”
“You said it before, didn’t you? That you would seize the world league.”
The so-called All roads lead to Mir!
He would conquer the world league with Mir Guild at the center!
With that grand ambition, Chae Dong-ha had naturally assumed Lee Shin would roll up his sleeves and head overseas. Just like he had done in America last time.
But Lee Shin’s answer was:
“Why would I??”
“Huh?”
“Dong-ha hyung, you know the saying ‘a thirsty man seeks the well,’ right??”
“Uh, I think so?”
“Then doesn’t it make sense for the one who’s desperate to come to me?”
“That’s true.”
“Right. So, am I the one who’s desperate?”
“!!”
In America, it had been his first time, so he had gone there himself. He wanted to break into that massive market and deliver a shock.
But the current Lee Shin had already proven himself.
Beyond being the Korean champion, he had become the Asian champion. Through the South American incident, he had earned the Bureau’s recognition. And he hadn’t simply elevated Mir Guild to the top—he had completed the Big 4 structure from behind the scenes and turned the entire league into a massive success.
That’s right.
Lee Shin was already a heavyweight. An icon of this industry.
“Now the world will come to me. To the place where I am.”
And the signal flare for that had already been launched.
East Coast, USA.
※ U.S.A. Eastern League 1st Round
China League.
On a field reduced to ruins, a man in black knelt with his back to the nexus. He was already disintegrating into particles of magic power. Even so, the man in black asked the sword standing before him.
“…What is the name of that sword formation?”
“The blue sky has no end.”
“Changgungmu-ae… So you have become not the Sword Emperor, but the Blue Sky itself.”
What a fine name.
The man in black—Cheonma—hid his presence and vanished.
Changcheon Sword Emperor—no, simply Changcheon—Namgoong Min shattered the nexus.