The President? Me?
Association President? Me? You want a guy like me to represent all the Awakeners and Hunters in Korea?
Jeong Sun-dong’s first reaction, as he alternated his gaze between the coffee and Lee Shin, was an awkward laugh and a flat denial.
“Haha, come on, stop joking. How could I possibly become the Association President?”
Jeong Sun-dong knew his own abilities well.
Even as a joke, he wasn’t a good manager. No, he was a failed one.
Just think about what the Mir Guild looked like before Lee Shin arrived.
It was in such terrible shape that it wouldn’t have been strange if they’d taken down the sign the moment the oxygen mask came off.
That… that mass-produced… whatever it was called, anyway. Looking back now, the guild had been pushed to the brink of collapse by a hunter who wasn’t even all that impressive.
Shudder—!
Just remembering that time still made his head burn and his body tremble with shame. That was Jeong Sun-dong.
By some stroke of luck, the Mir Guild had been saved. By another stroke of luck, his usefulness had been recognized and he’d kept his position as Guild Leader. Together they had written a legendary page in the guild’s history.
But did he really have any share in that glory?
‘No.’
Jeong Sun-dong would shake his head firmly.
In the end, all of it was glory created by the man sitting in front of him right now.
The luck that saved the Mir Guild had been Lee Shin. The benefactor who recognized Jeong Sun-dong’s usefulness had also been Lee Shin.
The one who recruited the Mountain King that no one had expected? Lee Shin.
The one who spotted the Colossus’s talent when no one else could? Also Lee Shin.
Blitz Yurira, Hwarang Kim Yu-shin, Genius Baek Yeon-woo, Lee Hye-jung, Kang Mal-suk, Princess, Choi Soo-pil…
Yes. Everything about the Mir Guild was Lee Shin’s creation.
Far beyond what people outside imagined, Lee Shin’s presence within the Mir Guild was absolute.
So how could he shamelessly claim he had ability?
That was also why he had stepped down from the Guild Leader position without a word the moment Lee Shin said so.
Next year, Vice Leader Chae Dong-ha would inherit the seat.
That had been Lee Shin’s decision, and even Jeong Sun-dong thought Chae Dong-ha was far more suited to the brilliant future of the Mir Guild than someone like him.
When Jeong Sun-dong had spoken this far, Lee Shin—uncharacteristically—scratched his head with a troubled expression.
“Looks like I unintentionally disrespected you, Guild Leader.”
“Haha, what are you saying? Not at all. If it weren’t for you, Representative, when would I have ever enjoyed such excessive glory? I’ve been happy enough until now. So there’s no need to overdo it by making me Association President…”
“No! That’s not what I meant! Ugh, how do I explain this…”
“??”
“Ahem. This might sound funny, but from the very beginning, this Association President position was meant for you, Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong. I planned to make it that way.”
“!!”
“But from your perspective, Guild Leader, it might have seemed like I was discarding you. That’s entirely my fault. I should have been more meticulous. Without realizing it, I assumed you already understood my intentions. I’m truly sorry.”
This was all because of those damn Association bastards!
Originally, he had planned to wrap things up leisurely toward the end of the season. That would have given him plenty of time to lay down a flower path.
The picturesque transfer of power—Chae Dong-ha inheriting the throne while Jeong Sun-dong took the Association President seat. That had been Lee Shin’s original picture.
Who could have known the Association would throw the first punch without knowing their place?
Lee Shin had thought they at least possessed a minimum sense of reality, but if they were this brainless, they could become a variable in the upcoming ‘plan.’
“So instead, I decided it would be better to turn them into a powerless plant organization right away.”
“Then…”
“Let me say it again. Putting you in the Association President seat isn’t some possibility. It’s a 100% fact.”
In Lee Shin’s plan, the next season was scheduled to become a major turning point.
Raising the league’s competitive level among the Four Major Guilds to the heavenly realm, drawing overseas attention through the training camp, and even the Saudi league that would serve as a window to the world.
It was merely one process within the plan, not the final result.
And one of the major points of that plan was seating Jeong Sun-dong as Association President.
“Vice Leader Chae Dong-ha is a born administrator. Excluding me, there probably isn’t anyone in the country who can run a guild as well as him. That’s why I planned to promote him to Guild Leader next year. I thought the time had come.”
“I agree. To me, Vice Leader Chae seems like just as much of a genius as you, Representative.”
“Right. Genius. But do you know something? You, Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong, possess genius in a different area.”
The genius Chae Dong-ha possessed was that of a guild leader—in other words, administrative ability. In that field, he was unrivaled, and Jeong Sun-dong fell far short.
But think about it. From the start, had Lee Shin ever expected administrative ability from Jeong Sun-dong? No.
“What did I want from you, Guild Leader?”
“Well… meddling, perhaps?”
“Sociability. Connections. Trust.”
There are people like that. People who feel naturally likable, people you feel comfortable talking to from the very first conversation.
Jeong Sun-dong was exactly that kind of person.
Unlike Lee Shin, who bewitched people with charm, Jeong Sun-dong calmed those around him with his kind smile. He was like a giving tree that always listened to others.
Lee Shin believed that this trust was Jeong Sun-dong’s true genius.
“If you’re doubtful, look back. At the beginning of this season, we carried out a major overhaul under the pretext of improving the guild’s constitution. Most of those replaced were existing team leaders.”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t do their jobs.
But as the Mir Guild grew in weight class, it was true they couldn’t keep up.
The guild had become too great to stay together out of mere affection, and reorganization was necessary for its development. As the representative, Lee Shin had entrusted that task to Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong.
In crude terms, it had been a changing of the guard from the Jeong Sun-dong regime to the Chae Dong-ha regime.
“It was a situation where complaints could have easily exploded. Honestly, I even expected some noise. But what happened? It went far more smoothly than expected. Why? Yes, that’s right. It was all because of you, Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong.”
Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong had stepped forward and comforted them.
He had prepared appropriate positions for them or helped them transfer. A business card from a Mir Guild administrator was welcomed anywhere, and with Guild Leader Jeong Sun-dong’s personal request added on top, receiving even better treatment wasn’t difficult.
Lee Shin had watched the entire process while pretending not to. And he had made up his mind.
“There are many capable people. But there aren’t many with such deep trust and respect.”
Jeong Sun-dong wasn’t suited for a guild that had to produce results.
Rather, he was the perfect fit for the Association—an organization that listened to hunters’ grievances and worked for their rights.
You will definitely become a good Association President.
At Lee Shin’s recognition, Jeong Sun-dong hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.
“Will I really be able to do it well?”
“That’s the most foolish question you’ve ever asked me, Guild Leader.”
Lee Shin smiled brightly.
“I’m Lee Shin.”
Yes, that’s me.
The master of this empire and the one and only truth of this world.
What more needs to be said? Just believe what you see with your own eyes.
“Alright, let’s go eat.”
Mir Guild training ground.
There, Lee Shin—wearing a green training uniform for the first time in a while—had switched into Professor Lee mode.
“Begin!”
Whiiiirrr!
At the sound of Lee Shin’s whistle, Kang Mal-suk moved.
The shield formation led by Kang Mal-suk and the tankers charged toward the front line formed by Hwarang Kim Yu-shin, Colossus Park Su-bin, and Princess Seo Ye-na.
The three of them each brought out their abilities in front of the shield formation that advanced like a bulldozer, ready to crush everything in its path.
Hwarang’s silver shield took form, Princess spread her wings, and the mechanical giant’s upper body—Gigant—summoned by Park Su-bin glowed with light.
Kwaaaaang——!!
Two formations that refused to yield even an inch.
Amid the metallic clash and the tingling shockwave of magic power, Lee Shin—wearing a headset—mercilessly pushed the raid team forward.
“Tanks, push with everything you’ve got! The opponent isn’t even a professional tanker line! Don’t get pushed back like idiots!”
“Hey, hey! Park Su-bin, what the hell are you doing? Don’t run away! You’re a fake tanker! Follow Hwarang’s coordination! Princess, why are you breathing through your mouth! The world seemed so big when you said you’d die for me! Keep communicating loudly!”
“Mal-suk, you can do more than that. Show them! Yes! That’s it! Don’t lose to those guys who are only tanks in name!”
“Park Su-bin! Princess! Are you already tired? If you get pushed in this position, it’s all over! Grit your teeth and hold! You said you wanted to win! You said you’d take any training if it meant winning the next match, but you can’t even endure this? Keep your word! Hold on even if it kills you!”
Kang Mal-suk’s thighs swelled. The ground rippled under the terrifying pressure.
Seo Ye-na’s trapezius muscles pulsed. Veins stood out on her massive (?) muscles.
Park Su-bin’s halo went into overdrive. Gigant spewed smoke as its engine roared to life.
The two formations collided fiercely like that. Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes… When the clock hand reached one hour.
“Stop.”
Uwaaaaah——
As if on cue, both formations gasped for breath and collapsed to the floor.
No potions, no scrolls—purely clashing with body weight. Everyone had clearly reached their limit in various places.
But Lee Shin was cold.
“Training team leader, give them ten minutes rest and make them clash again.”
“Are we increasing the time?”
“The key in this match is endurance and sustainability. One minute per round. Let’s increase it by exactly five minutes today.”
Aaaah——
Leaving behind the sighs bursting out from all over, Lee Shin headed elsewhere.
A short while later, after leaving the gate and entering the control room, Chae Dong-ha—who had been talking with the training team—quickly approached.
“How’s the search training going?”
“It’s going smoothly. We’ve tested all the dealers from Team 1 and Team 2, and we’ve gathered a decent amount of data.”
“Give it here.”
The control room screen showed the raid team running.
A raid team searching for something while avoiding the sand humans rising from the desert.
With his eyes fixed on the screen, Lee Shin took the tablet Chae Dong-ha offered. As soon as he looked at it, he saw a ranking compiled from various scores.
1st place: Mountain King.
2nd place: Blitz.
3rd place: Genius.
4th place: Lee Hye-jung.
“The ones that stand out right away are the Mountain King, Yurira, Baek Yeon-woo, and Lee Hye-jung?”
“Everyone passed the baseline for stamina and mobility as of yesterday. However, the four of them overwhelmingly excel in individual situational response abilities such as monster detection, survival, escape, and improvisation when acting alone.”
“So it’s similar to the beginning after all.”
“Solo action is ultimately determined by individual weight class.”
“What does the power analysis team say?”
“Since it’s a gate where sustainability is important, they said the defense team should go with an adult formation centered on Seo Ye-na. However, even if it means reducing one healer, including Kang Mal-suk would be more beneficial.”
“And the search team?”
“According to the analysis team’s report, three is the optimal number for the search team for smooth progress. Any more than that will be difficult.”
“So?”
“The dealer lineup will need to be composed very carefully. And one of Mountain King, Blitz, or Genius must be included in the defense team.”
“One out of three, huh…”
Tap… tap…
Lee Shin alternated between looking at the tablet and the screen, snapping his fingers for a long time before making a firm decision.
“Fix Lee Hye-jung. And put Baek Yeon-woo on the defense team.”
“We’ll end the search training immediately and move into defense training.”
“After a 30-minute break. Start right away. I’ll watch personally. Prepare accordingly.”
“Understood. You all heard that! Move!”
At Chae Dong-ha’s shout, the training team, analysis team, and front office moved busily. In the meantime, Yoon Cho-a had already quietly attached herself to Lee Shin’s side as he left the control room.
“I’ve finished checking all consumables—potions, throwing weapons, scrolls, combat rations, everything.”
“Did you inspect them? You’re not going to make the same mistake as last time, right?”
“I checked twice, three times.”
“There must not be even the slightest mistake.”
“All the team leaders have sharpened their blades.”
“Good. That’s my people.”
There are no more obstacles. We have completed all preparations.
Let’s have a proper fight.
Lee Shin’s eyes gleamed.
※ 14th Round Competitive Strategy Battle Group 2.
Mir Guild, Taeyang Guild, Core Guild, Challenger Guild.