The Unwritten Code
Business ethics. Unwritten rules.
Every industry has its own code that must be followed. Those beautiful customs passed down through long history.
Of course, that sometimes includes a few illegal things, but only a minority. In the end, the rules exist to bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number.
That was the belief of Lee Geum-seok, the representative here. So what he wanted to say right now was this.
Lee Shin, you son of a bitch! Don't you have any business ethics?!
"What do you mean? Suddenly you can't supply potions? We have a raid the day after tomorrow! Are you telling us to go in without potions?"
― "What do you want me to do?! The investigation came in and everything's gone to hell. I might die here... (mumbling) Ah! Not there! Hey! Stop them!! Block them!! Don't touch that!!"
"Boss? Boss?!"
― "They're gonna kill me and take everything!!"
Click. Beep― Beep―
"Aaaagh! You goddamn son of a bitch, %$#!$%#!!"
When the supply gate first exploded in Busan, Lee Geum-seok had clicked his tongue as someone in the same industry.
How the hell were those guys managing the market to let some rookie brat run wild? He couldn't help but lament their incompetence.
At the same time, he'd been pleased.
If an investigation started, it was inevitable that supply companies would be paralyzed. In this industry's ecosystem, when suppliers shut down, the lower-league guilds suffered the most.
Since a competitor was disappearing, it was nothing but good news for Lee Geum-seok.
Yes.
At least back then, for Lee Geum-seok living in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, the "Busan supply gate" was nothing more than a distant fire across the river.
So he never imagined it.
That when he looked back, his own house would be burning.
While his insides burned as fiercely as the cigarette ash piling up, the call finally connected. Too frantic to notice the ash falling into his mouth, Lee Geum-seok shouted into the phone.
"Hello?! Boss! Boss!!"
― "......Representative Lee."
"Boss, please help me. I have a raid tomorrow and I have no potions, no supplies, nothing. At this rate, my team and I will have to enter the gate empty-handed. Please."
A sudden sense of déjà vu.
Lee Geum-seok was receiving exactly the same treatment he'd mocked when watching Busan's situation unfold.
― "Representative Lee......"
"You have stockpile, don't you? Just help me get through this round. Once this round is over, I can handle the rest somehow. Then I'll repay you double—no, four times over."
― "Representative Lee...... Listen to me......"
"If you don't have any, at least introduce me to someone. I'm begging you......"
― "Just listen......"
"Boss?"
― "I'm saying this for your sake. Listen carefully."
But there was something Lee Geum-seok hadn't anticipated.
― "The stockpile, the factory—everything's been seized. We can't even get near it. Calling anyone else won't help either. They'll be in the same boat. Even if you jump to another region, it's the same. Investigations are stirring things up everywhere."
It wasn't just his house burning.
The entire country was already on fire.
― "Give up. We're finished."
The fastest way to gain a competitive edge: crush your competitors.
Lee Shin had shattered the board exactly as he'd declared.
And the rapidly spreading aftermath of the supply gate far exceeded expectations, rippling all the way into the underworld of the guild scene......
A prime example was Jeong Su-mi's Scavenger Guild, which was currently receiving an urgent call.
― "As requested, your guild's name has been removed from the list."
"Thank you, Kim Geom. I won't forget this favor."
― "Favor? That's just giving you what you paid for. But remember this—there really must be no connection at all. If you get dragged into the investigation later, even I won't be able to cover for you."
"Don't worry. I swear there's no connection whatsoever."
― "Hmm, well, if the 'cleaner' herself had planned it, it wouldn't be this sloppy."
It was the truth. Scavenger Guild had not the slightest connection to the supply gate or whatever it was. Why would a major information guild bother sniffing around the provinces?
Yet despite their complete innocence, the situation was taking an ominous turn.
To put it simply, it was all because of the schemes they'd carried out against Mir Guild.
The contracts they'd hastily terminated in such a short time. Some of them had even been redirected to new clients, so traces of Scavenger Guild were bound to surface during the investigation.
With such clear evidence, complaining about injustice would be foolish.
Jeong Su-mi had moved quickly to clean things up.
She'd found a suitable name in her "notebook," and that person was the woman on the other end of the line—Kim Geom.
"The promised 'gift' will be delivered as before."
― "Thanks. See you next time."
"Yeah, thank you."
With that cheerful voice, the call ended with a click, and the matter that had been bothering Jeong Su-mi for days seemed resolved.
But who would take responsibility for her shattered pride?
A crack appeared on Jeong Su-mi's usually composed face.
"Damn it. Damn it...... Aaaaargh!!"
%!#!!Crackle―! Crash%#$# rumble rumble rumble―!!
She finally broke. Her entire body trembled with humiliation.
She'd been played. Completely toyed with.
He was someone she'd never even considered a threat, someone not worth taking seriously.
Yet with unimaginable wit, he'd rendered her schemes useless, slipped from her control in the blink of an eye, and now threatened the golden tower she'd built.
Her gaze turned to the photo in the article.
A man shedding lonely tears.
"Lee Shin......"
Just wait.
Next time, for sure.
Grinding her teeth, Jeong Su-mi smashed the monitor.
Meanwhile, at that same moment.
Lee Do Group's Vice Chairman's office.
Lee Young-bin's sharp eyes followed the glow of the monitor.
If someone he'd dismissed as useless suddenly revealed their presence late in the game, what would he think?
For example, a good-for-nothing son who'd failed at everything and brought shame to the family through bizarre methods was suddenly being praised as a genius guild leader overnight.
How should he accept this?
Should he be purely happy?
Whether aware of Lee Young-bin's dilemma or not, the secretary continued briefing with the materials he'd brought.
"According to SNS traffic analysis at the end of the raid, Mir Guild's search volume increased by 180% this week."
"The absorption of moderate fans through this incident was significant. The fan cafe membership reaching 500,000 seems to be because of this as well."
"Looking at guild valuation metrics alone, Mir Guild can no longer be considered a League 4 team. They've grown to the point where they wouldn't be lacking even compared to League 3 or even League 2 guilds."
Effusive praise.
The secretary was praising Mir Guild and Lee Shin to the point his mouth went dry.
To Lee Young-bin, it seemed like the desperate flailing of a subordinate trying to cover up the report he'd submitted before the league started—that "choosing Mir Guild was the worst move, Mir Guild has already reached the end of its lifespan." But he didn't bother blaming him.
After all, even he himself hadn't expected that troublemaker to succeed this much.
Three months? At most half a year, and he'd cause another incident and get dragged back home. How should he confine him this time?
That was the first thought that crossed Lee Young-bin's mind.
That was why his feelings were so complicated right now.
"......"
The legitimate eldest son of Lee Sang-byeok.
The first heir of Lee Do Group.
Lee Young-bin had always been the best. He excelled at everything, was recognized by everyone, and obtained everything he desired.
A life of correct answers. A promised success.
This kind of life had made Lee Young-bin believe he was the correct answer.
He never doubted that he always made the right judgments, and even when he was wrong, if he believed he was right, he would make it so.
That was why Lee Young-bin found it difficult to accept this situation where Lee Shin, whom he'd branded as useless, was suddenly succeeding so spectacularly.
The recruitment of the Mountain King that no one had predicted, the record-breaking performances that crushed public opinion, the media play so skillful that even he himself had been used.
A success achieved so brazenly.
Lee Shin seemed to be saying this:
You misjudged the person.
"You've been going on at length about your misjudgment. I have no intention of blaming you. It's humiliating, but I agreed with it at the time as well."
"I'm sorry!"
"So stop beating around the bush and answer the question first. What do we do about Lee Shin?"
"We need to increase support as much as possible, even now."
"Reason?"
"Because this is the lowest point."
Before the secretary could explain, he presented the materials he'd prepared in advance.
It was an analysis report on Mir Guild.
And it wasn't an ordinary analysis at a glance. It was a professionally touched report that had checked everything without missing a single round from Round 1 to the present.
Indicators and graphs filling the first page. A straightforward analysis based on metrics, excluding the most talked-about issues.
When Lee Young-bin gestured with satisfaction while looking at the analysis, the secretary finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened his mouth.
"Mir Guild's current metrics are quite abnormal. They've far surpassed League 4 level and their indicators are good enough to aim for immediate promotion from League 3."
"And these metrics keep improving as the rounds progress."
It wasn't just the team's metrics. Even the individual metrics of each hunter were all rising steeply without exception.
"At first glance, it could be seen as them finally getting in sync, but experts have confirmed that simply getting in sync rarely leads to such meaningful improvement."
"Furthermore, they all agreed on this."
If hunters with latent potential happened to meet teammates whose breathing matched perfectly, and through repeated coincidences, every single one of them unleashed their potential simultaneously.
"......Wouldn't it look exactly like this?"
How many times had "coincidence" occurred?
If we interpret this "coincidence" as "luck," it means they had to encounter luck that rarely happens even once, multiple times, to explain Mir Guild's current soaring performance.
And if that coincidence keeps happening, it can no longer be called coincidence.
"I believe Lee Shin is at the center of this luck."
"......!!"
"Vice Chairman, do you remember what the young master did first when he went down to Mir Guild?"
"The squad...... Ah!"
"Yes, he completely replaced the existing squad, including the hunter named Yang Pan-seok. And he filled those empty spots with only those who truly had potential. I don't think this was simply a coincidence."
If it's hard to explain a change in circumstances, look at when it changed.
The Mir Guild that was once declining and the Mir Guild that's now soaring. The person at the inflection point of this change.
"It's Lee Shin. In my humble judgment, Lee Shin's lowest point is right now."
For example, buying at the bottom.
After the secretary left following the dismissal, Lee Young-bin, lost in thought, spoke into the empty air.
"What do you think?"
At that moment, a crack appeared in the empty space above the sofa.
Shattered glass-like fragments gathered together, forming a shape.
Legs, waist, fingertips, shoulders, torso, and finally the face appeared.
A man with a cheerful appearance was sitting in the chair.
"What is there to say? We should increase support, just like he said."