The Return of the Legends
The reactions from those who first heard about the closure of the Saudi League were mostly the same.
“What was bound to explode, exploded.”
“I knew it would end up like this someday.”
“Aigoo, what are our sunbaes going to do now that they can’t suck up that sweet oil money anymore?”
Even among hunters, the Saudi League had so many problems that it was openly criticized. The closure itself came as no surprise to anyone.
So what about the reaction when they announced the creation of a new rookie league called the Saudi Neom League?
It was somewhat surprising, but not to an extreme degree.
“Looks like the Crown Prince made his move.”
“The Crown Prince really knows how to get things done.”
“He must have negotiated with the Bureau. Without him, the whole thing would’ve collapsed ages ago.”
The title “Hope of the Desert” hadn’t been given for nothing.
Crown Prince Muhammad’s wisdom was famous not only among hunters but throughout the entire industry. If something miraculous happened in that region, you could safely bet the Crown Prince was behind it. So no one found it strange that he had pulled off another miracle.
But.
It was from this point onward that the atmosphere among these people began to shift dramatically.
“This just in. Reports confirm that legendary coaches from around the world are gathering for the Saudi Neom League. As of now, coaches representing the top leagues are heading to Saudi Arabia…”
“The Crown Prince’s old interview about the Neom League is being revisited. At the time, he declared his ambition to turn the Neom League into a miniature version of the global league…”
“??”
“What did he just say??”
“They’re bringing in coaches all of a sudden??”
Hunters and industry insiders alike rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
In the modern league, the role of a coach was rather ambiguous.
It was undeniable that coaches held enormous influence during the league’s early days. Back then, there were no proper strategies. Matches were nothing more than chaotic street brawls. The coaches of that era had transformed the league into something far more professional and sophisticated.
But ironically, the more the league grew, the less room there was for coaches. Strategy analysis teams, resource teams, operations teams, support teams, and so on.
As the league matured, guilds became more specialized and divided. Externally, the role of “general manager” took over many of their duties. Internally, tactical commanders with exceptional game sense—like the Brain King—began to emerge.
That’s right.
This was how the modern guild structure of Representative, General Manager, and Raid Leader came to be.
In the end, many coaches either switched to general manager positions or could only dream of becoming national team coaches.
If the importance of strategy hadn’t been emphasized in Europe, the coaching profession might have become completely obsolete.
And yet.
They were putting coaches front and center in a league again?
Was this some kind of retro revival nonsense? Whose insane idea was this?!
Some scoffed in disdain, others shook their heads, and a few perked up their ears with faint anticipation.
Then Saudi Arabia calmly silenced all those questions with an official announcement.
……
…
.
Not just any coaches. No!
Renowned masters who had left their mark across Asia, Africa, America, and beyond. Yes!
The news that a massive number of legendary coaches who had at least led national teams were joining caused the prestige of the Saudi Neom League to skyrocket.
If that was the first shock, the second came immediately after.
France. England. Germany.
The master coaches of Europe’s three strongest nations—the leagues known as the cradle of strategy—were joining!
From this exact moment, the entire world could no longer ignore the Saudi Neom League.
Honestly, these names were on a completely different level from the previous ones.
If the earlier coaches were masters who had represented their nations, these were heavyweights who had exerted influence even over Europe’s top guilds, far beyond national teams.
But there was still one final blow left.
The news that completely knocked out the reeling guild world and captured the eyes of every single rookie.
A legend among legends.
He had arrived!
(+999)
It was only natural that the entire world fell into shock. Korea in particular was thrown into complete chaos.
Who was Kang Chan-yong?
The man who had tamed the gorilla-like fighting maniac Ma Jang-dong and turned him into the Fighting King.
The master who had thoroughly utilized the clearly limited Han Jeong-do as a role player and forged him into the Ten Thousand King.
And the genius who had spotted the tactical talent hidden within the mad tiger known as the Brain King—a man whose eye for talent even Lee Shin personally rated at 100.
Beyond simple strategy, Kang Chan-yong possessed abilities that far exceeded the norm in terms of insight and development.
The moment the Saudi League became not just an option but a necessity for every rookie, every guild in the world was frantically calling Saudi Arabia.
And at the very peak of the world’s attention—
The Neom League finally took its first step.
Saudi Neom League Officially Launches with 20 Guilds!
Immediate Recruitment of All Rookies Under 25 Years Old
* * *
A pair of polished military boots rested beside a nameplate.
The owner of those boots was General Model. He sat with his feet propped up on the desk, continuously puffing out cigar smoke.
Born into a military family, Model had lived his entire life like a soldier. He had turned his back on the immense wealth that came with being a hunter, enlisted in the military, fought in the Russian civil war, and served his country until retiring at thirty.
Afterward, he had injected the spirit of “Prussianism” into Germany’s weak guild scene and once led the German guilds to their golden age.
Yes.
The immaculate military uniform Model wore was both his pride and his entire life.
That was why he was currently exhaling a sigh mixed with cigar smoke at the pathetic voice coming through the phone receiver.
“So what you’re saying is… if I want to loan out Joachim, I also have to take two other worthless scrubs with him?”
Joachim.
Germany’s supernova.
While the term “supernova” had gained a negative connotation thanks to a certain Japanese player, Joachim was the real deal.
He freely wielded a cavalry saber and rifle, displayed brilliant combat sense, and could even dominate formations with “Battery Deployment.” He was a promising hunter comparable to Korea’s genius Baek Yeon-woo.
As a side note, Lee Shin had once seriously considered recruiting him.
Yet this young hunter who was supposed to represent Germany in the future was being used merely as a dungeon raid member.
He had awakened at seventeen. Now twenty-one, and he had been stuck in that position the entire time!
Model could not tolerate such stupidity.
Some mocked him, saying the military spirit of Prussianism he had instilled had only made the industry rigid.
‘Bullshit. Fuck off.’
In the military, treating people according to their ability was just as important as following the chain of command.
A superior’s job was to protect their subordinates so they could display their talent and act as their shield.
At least, that was what Model believed and how he had always acted.
So the problem wasn’t military spirit. The problem was the idiots on the other end of the line who were conveniently twisting it to suit their own needs.
Model calmly opened his mouth, true to his usual personality.
“You’ve gone completely insane, you Arschloch. You damn brat who still smells like milk… Hey, do you really think I’m negotiating with you right now? Huh? You arrogant little shit.”
One must not forget.
The Model here was a German legend.
The guild representative on the other side of the phone had planned to use the Saudi Neom League to evaluate rookies and increase their value. At the same time, having a legendary coach develop them would be the cherry on top.
Moving for the benefit of the guild?
Fine. He understood.
But again—Model was a German legend.
He had no reason to consider the circumstances of some greenhorn.
“Actually, the fact that I haven’t gone over your head and spoken directly to your guild master is already me being incredibly considerate of your situation, wouldn’t you say? Right?”
―――!
“You want me to raise a benchwarmer into national team material, soothe his dissatisfaction, and still accommodate your situation. And then the guy who knows all that tries to make a deal with me? How do you think that makes me feel? Pretty damn upset, right?”
―――!
“Halt die Klappe! This officer has not given you permission to speak!”
For the future of the league. For the future of the nation.
Young talent must be allowed to bloom. The reason Model had accepted Saudi Arabia’s offer was for this very cause…
Right now, guilds were not negotiation partners to him.
“If you understand, then shut up and send him. That’s your answer.”
* * *
Around the time Model was gathering Germany’s promising talents, Julianna was doing something similar.
“I’ll take full responsibility for developing them, okay? Don’t you trust me? I’m Julianna.”
It was a question with a predetermined answer.
There probably weren’t even ten Englishmen who could say they didn’t trust Julianna—a woman who could speak to the Queen like an older sister.
While this one-sided negotiation was taking place, Julianna’s team had gathered and was checking their list.
“We’re going with Graham Gallagher for the jungle, right?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure no matter how I look at it. For a damage dealer, he’s way too small, isn’t he?”
“Sixty-seven inches (about 170cm) and one hundred thirty-two pounds (about 60kg). Yeah, he really is small.”
“I like him, though. Look at our strategy.”
If one were to summarize Julianna’s strategy, it was selection and concentration.
In her strategy, top, mid, and bottom lanes were always filled with high-potential game changers. Jungle and support were filled with initiation-type tanks to support them. That was the basic setup.
What came after was simple. Pour all resources into whichever of the three lanes had the greatest advantage!
“In our strategy, the jungle’s role is activity and technique. Look at this guy. Despite his small frame, his work rate reminds me of Korea’s Hwarang.”
“His activity is already perfect, so we just need to teach him technique?”
“Not bad at all.”
“On the other hand, I think mid is the problem.”
“Alice Granger… A proper mage from the Olympus Magic Tower…”
“She can handle all four attributes and use area-of-effect strike magic. Above all, her understanding of space is excellent.”
“Her potential is definitely visible…”
She was the greatest prospect produced by the Olympus Magic Tower in nearly ten years.
In fact, she belonged to the guild currently considered the strongest in the world.
Yet the reason they were frowning was because of one thing.
A mage.
“Is the rumor that the Giant is a natural enemy to mages true?”
“There seems to be solid evidence. Just look at the mids from Korea’s other four major guilds.”
“Kirin Guild’s Divine Archer is a physical dealer anyway, Shinseong Guild’s Phantom Fox is a summoner beastmaster, and Taeyang Guild’s Horus is a direct-strike shaman.”
“……F**k.”
That was right.
Ever since the disaster known as the Giant appeared, the value of traditional mages who relied one hundred percent on magic had been steadily declining.
“Well, if we were just playing in the rookie league, it wouldn’t matter.”
“True. There’s no reason for the Giant to show up in the rookie league.”
“Still, it’s impossible not to be bothered by it, right?”
“It is.”
While their performance in the rookie league was important, since they were doing this anyway, they might as well do it properly. In the end, nurturing England’s future was far more important.
In that sense, they couldn’t afford to ignore the irregular known as the Giant.
“It’s funny. When you think about it, isn’t he also a rookie?”
“Irregulars are an exception. That’s the rule in this industry.”
“It’s not like the appearance of an irregular has never changed the league’s constitution before. Look at the Divine Archer or Arthur.”
If the Divine Archer’s appearance led to the use of long-range dealers in mid, then Arthur ushered in the era of damage-tank bruisers.
In that sense, the Giant was opening the era of anti-mage dominance. What was annoying was that Mir Guild didn’t just have one such irregular—they had more than just the Giant.
“The Genius. That guy feels off too. It seems like he’s about to cause something big.”
“You feel it too? I keep getting bothered by Blitz.”
“Ugh, this is suddenly pissing me off. How much do we have to worry about because of that one bastard Lee Shin?”
“That guy really is something else.”
It was true. These days, Lee Shin had become a frequent topic of discussion among world leaders.
In the short term: How on earth did Lee Shin build a squad like that? In the medium term: How do we stop that insane squad Lee Shin created? In the long term: Just how far will Lee Shin go in this industry?
Perhaps this was also why the world was paying such close attention to the Korean league—the competition between the four major guilds. Because they were the ones struggling at the very forefront.
While they were deep in thought, someone casually muttered:
“What if we brought in some of Lee Shin’s kids?”
“……?”
“Does that even make sense? The Genius? Blitz? The Giant?”
“No, I don’t mean those guys. There are plenty of others.”
“Huh…?”
“Everyone’s curious about Lee Shin’s eye for talent, right? Don’t you want to check it out at least once?”
Where else would they get an opportunity like this?
The offhand suggestion left everyone deep in thought.
“Still, since we’re already getting to develop domestic rookies for free, is there really a need to go that far??”
“Well… it does sound kind of fun…”
“Mhm, it would definitely be interesting.”
But did they know?
That there was already someone who had thought of this idea faster than them—and was moving on an entirely different level…
* * *
At the upright voice coming through the receiver, Lee Shin smiled softly.
“That’s a very interesting proposal, Coach De Gaulle.”