The Essence of the Maginot Line
The call that began as a simple inquiry about a loan quickly stretched into a lengthy conversation.
The reason was simple. De Gaulle had come face to face with Lee Shin’s genius—something he had only heard about in rumors.
“The Maginot Line and Elan Mode. People often summarize Coach De Gaulle’s style with those two terms, but they’re wrong. In my view, they’ve all missed the mark. The truth is, Coach De Gaulle’s strategy is the Maginot Line alone.”
Extreme slow tempo that endlessly drags out time.
Extreme defensive power that stubbornly endures any assault.
The opponent, faced with an almost stupidly consistent defensive formation, would joyfully pour on the pressure. If they pushed aggressively for ten minutes, they’d be confident of victory by twenty. And by thirty minutes, they would be convinced they were winning.
But that belief soon turns into despair.
At forty minutes, they grow anxious as the defense still refuses to break.
At fifty minutes, the adrenaline that had surged earlier begins to rebound.
At sixty minutes, when they finally realize their body is soaked in cold sweat without even noticing—
That is when the sword is drawn.
With a single, decisive offensive, the opponent’s heart is pierced.
And at that point in his explanation, Lee Shin immediately pointed out the core of the Maginot Line.
“Mental strength. That is the true core of the Maginot Line.”
The very mental strength that analysts treated as an illusion and the sports world often mocked—was that truly the heart of the greatest defensive strategy in history?
Yes. It was.
“Technique can be learned. Stamina can be trained. But the mentality that never doubts victory even while purely defending? The spirit that believes we will win in the end no matter how many blows we take? That is not easily trained.”
The resolute gaze visible through the gaps in the shield was enough to make attackers lose heart. The moment their belief in their own superiority wavered, that steady gaze would appear as immovable as a mountain.
And the instant the curve of mental strength reversed—
The sword would be drawn for a single, game-changing counterattack.
“I’d like to call it this: the most honorable victory equation available to the underdog.”
That was the true nature of De Gaulle’s masterpiece, the Maginot Line.
By the time he reached this point, even the usually stoic De Gaulle had dropped his jaw in astonishment.
— “…You were the real deal?”
The genius representative, Lee Shin.
De Gaulle had heard the name many times but had simply dismissed him as just another fleeting talent of the era.
But he was wrong.
Lee Shin had accurately pierced the heart of the Maginot Line—that its essence was extreme psychological warfare.
The part that neither Julianna of England nor that Model fellow from Germany had realized, this young man had seen clearly.
From that point on, De Gaulle began to see Lee Shin not as a mere “representative,” but as a true “leader.”
And so their long video discussion began in earnest.
— “In the Maginot Line, the standard-bearer isn’t simply the vanguard.”
“First, deciding when to attack and when to retreat. Second, observing the situation and adjusting the defensive line. Third, checking allied condition. Fourth, checking the enemy’s condition. Fifth, protecting the sword that will eventually be drawn.”
— “Parfait.”
“Did you see Commander potential in Soo-pil?”
— “You saw it too, didn’t you? On the contrary, I want to ask you—what do you think of Soo-pil’s mental strength? Is he resilient?”
“More than enough. You can see it in our Team 2 matches. The one who helps Team Leader Lee Hye-jung instill resilience throughout the entire team is none other than Choi Soo-pil. That should also be reflected in the data I sent you by email.”
— “Excellent. Then shall we get down to business and discuss how to develop Choi Soo-pil based on this data?”
“It would be an honor. This should be a very enjoyable conversation.”
And so the two geniuses built a complete growth plan for Choi Soo-pil based on stats and traits. Finally, they wrapped up every detail—living environment, role and responsibilities within the team, physical and psychological support, and even the terms of the loan itself.
“I’ll make a positive proposal to Choi Soo-pil.”
— “You really are a kind representative. Then I’ll be waiting for good news.”
“I’ll contact you again soon.”
— “You’re always welcome.”
Click.
The screen went dark.
Two faces were reflected on the now-black monitor. One belonged to Lee Shin, who arrogantly held his chin high with a smug expression. The other was Chae Dong-ha, staring in utter shock as if he had just seen a ghost.
“So? What do you think of this body’s astonishing foresight?”
“……You’re insane.”
Indeed.
De Gaulle would show interest in Choi Soo-pil.
That had been the very first thing Lee Shin said while cackling as he read the article about De Gaulle joining the league.
Honestly, Lee Shin didn’t want to dress this up as some grand prediction or prophecy.
To him, it was simply too obvious.
“Just think about it.”
There is no such thing as absolute victory, and talking about who is the strongest before even competing is the most pointless thing in the world. Even so, Lee Shin felt the need to point this out.
“Who is the strongest guild at this moment?”
The first name that came to mind was the Chiefs, home of the strongest man, Captain Mahomes.
They dominated the American West like it was nothing, achieved four consecutive Super War titles—known as a Four-peat—and even built a dynasty with three league titles in the American league. They were the undisputed rulers of the American continent.
“And next?”
Without question, it was the absolute powerhouse of Europe.
What more needed to be said? They had the undefeated knight. The promised victory. They had ‘King Arthur.’
On top of that, they had completely preserved the squad that had won the Champions League twice in recent years.
British experts had even agreed that if not for that ‘unfortunate incident,’ they would have achieved the first-ever Champions dynasty.
And after that?
Even when Lee Shin judged it as conservatively as possible, only one name came to mind.
“It’s our Mir Guild.”
They had won the Korean league with the highest points and an undefeated record in every round.
They were the champions who had brought even Asia’s fierce competitors to their knees.
That alone was impressive enough, yet with the recent explosive rise of the ‘Children of God,’ they were now being evaluated as having taken another step forward.
Now, let’s circle back.
“If a rookie league were to be created, would they really leave the Chiefs, the Round Table Knights, and our Mir Guild alone?”
Of course not.
Hunters usually rose to the level of their guild.
There were occasional exceptions like Heukseong, but those were just that—exceptions.
This was a world where more talent gathered around stronger guilds. In a rookie league meant to nurture the talents who would shape the future, any famous coach who didn’t drool over the rookies from the three currently strongest guilds would have to surrender their title of master tactician.
“Mark this part with five stars. It’s extremely important. These are all legendary coaches who once represented their countries. What does that mean? It means they will, by default, focus on developing their own nation’s rookies.”
To be called a star coach, one had to have at least managed a national team. Naturally, their eyes would turn toward their own country’s rookies.
“This national proxy war aspect is both a powerful draw for the Neom League and a problem that must be solved. Anyway, if that’s the case, who do we have in Korea?”
“Right. Old Man Chan-yong has already gone.”
In terms of both experience and career, Kang Chan-yong was the absolute powerhouse of any rookie league.
In short, ordinary master coaches wouldn’t dare touch the Mir Guild, if only to avoid offending Kang Chan-yong.
“The only coaches who can still make contact are three: England’s Julianna, Germany’s General Model, and France’s De Gaulle.”
And from here, one had to consider each coach’s personality.
“General Model is exactly like his title suggests—a soldier. A man packed full of patriotism. Even if defeat is staring him in the face, he will still develop German rookies.”
“Julianna is more flexible than Model, but where was her previous guild? Oh dear. She already holds a very strong hand.”
“Which leaves only De Gaulle.”
The De Gaulle that Lee Shin knew was more of a leader than a patriot.
He was a true coach who drew up strategies, moved hunters, realized the pictures he painted on the battlefield, and reveled in the results.
“He doesn’t care about appearances. As long as he can realize the picture he drew, he’ll use even a chimpanzee if necessary. That’s why he will gather the puzzle pieces needed to complete his Maginot Line.”
Lee Shin adjusted his round glasses and continued.
“And that piece is Choi Soo-pil.”
Excellent defensive power and stamina, along with decent line control ability.
On top of that, the ability to forcibly adjust the advance and retreat of the frontline fixed by ‘Follow Me!’
That alone would be enough to drive De Gaulle crazy, but Choi Soo-pil had also demonstrated intelligence and composure in many areas.
“When you put it all together, the probability that Coach De Gaulle would not show interest in Choi Soo-pil is zero.”
See? Easy, right?
Like Professor Ppogul, Lee Shin slightly lifted his glasses as he spoke. Seeing the students’ passionate reactions, he broke into a wide grin.
“This is crazy. What the hell is your brain wired like? Hey, Representative. We agreed to call that a prophecy.”
Student 1—Chae Dong-ha, who had been by Lee Shin’s side the longest, recovered from the shock relatively quickly and even managed to crack a joke.
“You mean you predicted the creation of the rookie league from the very beginning…? Wait, no. Wasn’t it you who recommended the rookie league to the Crown Prince in the first place…? Don’t tell me… from the start?”
Student 2—Yun Cho-a muttered to herself, then suddenly realized just how absurd the situation was and froze solid.
“Me? Coach De Gaulle wants me?”
Student 3—Choi Soo-pil—had completely short-circuited halfway through. He could only open and close his mouth like a goldfish.
Professor Lee enjoyed the sight for a long while before removing his glasses and returning to his identity as Representative Lee Shin.
He then turned to Choi Soo-pil.
“So, what does our Soo-pil think?”
“Huh?? My thoughts?”
“Yeah. About the loan.”
“Is… is my opinion even important??”
“Of course it is. If you don’t want to go, I won’t send you.”
“!!”
Loans and transfers were officially the representative’s authority.
Some ranker-level hunters received ‘trade veto clauses,’ but Choi Soo-pil was still just a rookie. There was no way he had such a clause.
Normally, if told to go, he would have to go. Yet here was Lee Shin, not only asking for his opinion but even giving him the right to choose.
“You probably felt it during the opening match, but I’m planning to run two completely different double squads. A main team that uses high-tempo pressure leveraging powerful weight classes, and a sub-team that operates at an extreme slow tempo.”
Offense and defense. Speed and slowness.
A trick show utilizing completely opposite squads.
And in Lee Shin’s plan, Choi Soo-pil was the spine of that sub-team.
“De Gaulle’s defensive battles are the pinnacle of slowness. It’s exactly what you need most right now.”
“……”
“I’ll stake my grandfather’s honor on this. You will probably learn an incredible amount under De Gaulle.”
Real combat experience and iron mental strength. Plus the overflowing support that would come from Saudi Arabia.
This wasn’t just for the guild’s benefit. It was also the best choice for Soo-pil’s own growth.
Lee Shin continued explaining in clear, easy-to-understand detail.
“So, what will it be?”
After thinking for a long time, Choi Soo-pil’s answer was:
“I’ll go.”
“Good. That’s the kind of player I picked.”
Lee Shin smiled sharply.
And so Choi Soo-pil boarded a plane headed for Saudi Arabia. Time passed, and finally the day of the Saudi Neom League’s opening match arrived.
Korea Champion.
Asia Champion.
The genius representative of the Mir Guild.
The broadcast screen showed Lee Shin’s smiling face.
“Hello, I am Mir Guild Representative Lee Shin, here today as a guest commentator. Please treat me well.”