The Legend Marches On
“Greetings, viewers. This is caster Baek Seong-jae.”
“And I’m commentator Choi Moon-seong.”
“Thanks to your passionate support, MBS Broadcasting is bringing you an emergency live broadcast of the Guild War League Division 4, Round 38 boss raid.”
“This has to be a first in history. Live broadcasting a fourth-division league match? Oh, I’m shaking with excitement. We may very well be witnessing the birth of a new league legend today.”
“Whether it becomes a completed legend or simply the beginning of one remains to be seen. The Mir raid team is now entering the boss room!”
Rocks. Rocks. Rocks… Lee Hye-jung nimbly leaped into a battlefield completely covered in stone. The instant she moved, a massive rock fist slammed down exactly where she had been standing.
It was a stone golem twenty meters tall—roughly the size of a small building.
Alongside the Imp Archer Advance Base, the gate known as the Fallen Shaman of the Rock Tribe earned its reputation as one of League 4’s infamous “death triangle” gates entirely because of that golem. It was a piloted construct created by the old and ailing Rock Troll Shaman Kallo to protect himself.
And Lee Hye-jung’s job was to lure the thing around and harass it without end.
BOOOOM—!
“A devastating punch flies toward Lee Hye-jung as she leads the golem away! The ground is exploding!!”
“You must watch the fragment cleanup with absolute focus. Never forget that every single piece carries a curse, Hunter Lee Hye-jung!”
The attacks of a golem ridden by a high-level rock shaman were never just physical strikes.
The entire sequence—clenching a fist, swinging it down, shattering stone—was itself a spellcasting process. The fragments that resulted were the physical manifestation of that spell.
The debris scattering through the air suddenly changed direction, locking onto Lee Hye-jung with perfect accuracy before shooting forward like bullets.
A rain of stone projectiles. Getting swept up in it would mean being torn to shreds.
Stay calm.
Rushing in blindly would only turn her into a pincushion. Lee Hye-jung calmly organized her thoughts, then launched into motion.
First, side step.
She pivoted her feet and sprang sideways. The key was maintaining her forward momentum.
Next, explode upward from the lower body.
She dove forward like a swimmer, arms extended, propelling her entire body.
Finish with a roll to bleed off momentum and resume running.
She slid across the ground without kicking up a single speck of dust, rolled once, and rose smoothly back into a sprint.
A lightning-fast Z-pattern maneuver executed in the blink of an eye.
It looked effortless because Lee Hye-jung performed it so cleanly, but maintaining lateral movement without losing speed while already accelerating with magic power was a clear display of her talent.
“Lee Hye-jung destroys the pattern again with flawless evasion!”
“A perfect ten out of ten. Hasn’t Hunter Lee Hye-jung’s form been absolutely peaking lately?”
“She’s claimed MVP in Rounds 35, 36, and 37 consecutively. With eleven MVP awards total, she’s tied with Mir Guild’s Park Jeong-seok. And as we speak—the ground is shaking!”
The earth rumbled. It vibrated like an earthquake.
Technically it was the rocks rather than true earth, but in a field where nothing but rock could be seen, the rocks were the earth and the floor.
This suddenly became critically important because the boss riding inside the golem—Kallo—was a rock shaman. His spells were heavily influenced by the surrounding environment, especially when the caster specialized in a single attribute.
As the spell completed, the countless rocks littering the ground transformed into bizarre shapes and took aim at Lee Hye-jung.
Spines shooting out in all directions like a porcupine was only the beginning. Walls rose to trap her. They even fused together to form giant stone palms that tried to close around her.
Rocks closing in from every side.
Yet Lee Hye-jung’s expression remained perfectly calm. She had someone she could trust.
Fluttering before her was a hawk made of wind—the Mountain King Kim Jong-pil’s wind spirit. With the Mountain King showing her the path, what was there to fear?
“Keep going straight—good, just like that… After you pass the ridge ahead, the rocks form an irregular maze, so follow my guidance precisely… We’re almost at the point. Just a little more. And…”
Following the guide’s instructions, Lee Hye-jung ran and ran.
By now the boss had learned as well.
The golem’s vaunted brute strength wasn’t working. Even its signature shamanic spells were failing. The human before it was faster, more agile, and far more cunning than it had anticipated.
Capturing her with ordinary attacks was impossible.
It needed a lethal blow.
The most lethal attack in its arsenal.
For a brief moment, blue light flickered inside the golem’s eyes.
The moment the omen appeared, a shout burst through Lee Hye-jung’s earpiece.
“It’s ‘Fragment Tidal Wave,’ Hye-jung!”
“Yes!!”
Unlike magic that relied on metaphor and symbolism, shamanic spells were remarkably clear and intuitive.
The pattern named Fragment Tidal Wave was exactly what it sounded like.
The instant the golem’s interlocked fists struck the ground, dust exploded upward as countless rock fragments surged into the air.
The dust and debris opened a colossal maw toward the ground, exactly like a tidal wave.
A shadow fell over Lee Hye-jung’s head.
She needed to get as far away as possible, but it was already too late. This was a pattern that was nearly impossible to dodge even if you saw it coming.
A split-second crisis.
Yet Lee Hye-jung was smiling.
Finally…! Finally…!!
It was time to use that.
The technique she had learned through blood, sweat, and tears over the past several weeks while listening to Lee Shin repeat “Again” until she wanted to scream!
She pulled something from her pocket, bit the lid off with her teeth, and swallowed it whole. It was a poison from the Choi Family Pharmacy.
Hunter:Lee Hye-jung (F, 22) (151▲/183)
Traits (6/9):Delicate Hands, Throwing Mastery, Agile Movements, Big Sister, (New!!) Poison Mist, (New!!) Poison Step
Poison Mist: Releases accumulated poison from within the body in the form of mist.
Poison Step: Greatly increases movement speed while inside the range of any poison the user has deployed.
Right before the tidal wave of fragments could swallow her whole—
Now.
BANG!
A burst of green gas exploded outward.
Lee Hye-jung accelerated through the thick cloud, leaving a trail of green gas behind her like a comet tail, easily breaking through the range of the Fragment Tidal Wave.
The Lee Shin-approved synergy. If you didn’t know it, memorize it.
It was the perfect collaboration between Poison Mist and Poison Step.
The boss had used its ultimate pattern to close the distance, yet the gap had only widened. In one move, Lee Hye-jung had completely neutralized one of the creature’s strongest cards.
Having capped off her performance in spectacular fashion, she finally stepped onto the promised land that was not made of rock.
She collapsed forward. Instead of cold stone, the warm softness of sand enveloped her.
“I did it…”
Lee Hye-jung laughed with her face buried in the sand.
“She’s done it!! In 27 minutes and 58 seconds, Lee Hye-jung successfully lured the boss all the way to the sand field!”
“Haha, whew~ She essentially dribbled the boss by herself for nearly twenty-eight minutes. It might be a bit early to say, but between that unbelievable final performance and everything else, the Round 38 MVP is hers unless something drastic happens.”
“She has reached the sand field—the Achilles’ heel that can neutralize the golem’s powerful rock shaman abilities. What will the battle look like now!”
The golem, which had been stomping excitedly in anticipation of crushing the fallen Lee Hye-jung, finally noticed its feet sinking into the sand and looked around.
Sand.
Something was wrong. It tried to retreat, twisting its upper body, but—
It was already too late.
The tanks who had been lying in wait had already raised a wall of shields to block the golem’s path, while the mages moved to surround it.
In that moment, Park Jeong-seok lifted the collapsed Lee Hye-jung onto his back.
Normally she would rather die than be carried by her rival Park Jeong-seok, but right now she had no strength left to refuse. She was completely exhausted.
“Did you… see… this big sister’s… perfor… mance…”
“If you have enough energy to talk, save it for resting.”
“I’m… the MVP. Hehehe.”
“…Ha.”
What a handful.
Normally, the role of luring the boss was rotated among three-person teams.
But Lee Hye-jung, blinded by the prospect of MVP, had stubbornly insisted she could do it alone. That was how she had ended up dribbling the boss like a madwoman.
From Park Jeong-seok’s perspective, it looked utterly reckless.
Of course, if pulling something like that would guarantee the overall league MVP, even he might have done it. But round MVP and league MVP were evaluated on completely different criteria.
The round MVP went to whoever contributed most in that specific round. The league MVP went to the player who displayed the most “ideal” play across the entire season.
In other words, Lee Hye-jung’s current actions were more than enough to win round MVP, but they were the complete opposite of the “ideal” play the league MVP required.
“Lee Hye-jung.”
“…Yeah?”
“Watch closely. This is what ‘team play’ looks like.”
You can have the round MVP. The league MVP is mine.
Park Jeong-seok drew his shield and rejoined the formation.
Soon after came Kim Jong-pil’s command.
“Tanks, maintain pressure from the perimeter. Melee dealers, support the tanks according to my instructions and lock down the boss’s movement. Ranged dealers, land your attacks cleanly and protect the supporters.”
And then—
“Park Jeong-seok. You will take main handling.”
“Yes!”
Park Jeong-seok cheered inwardly at Kim Jong-pil’s words.
Without its rock shaman abilities, the boss was nothing but an empty shell.
The stage had been set for him to shine.
“Haaah!”
Park Jeong-seok charged straight at the golem’s front, provoking it.
Centered around him, the raid team’s attacks shifted fluidly like a dance.
“If we’re only talking about pure skill improvement, Hunter Park Jeong-seok is no slouch either. His footwork has always been good, but his line coordination, positioning, and overall tanking fundamentals used to lag behind. Now they’re not just decent—they’re excellent.”
“Tied with Hunter Lee Hye-jung at eleven MVP awards, he’s drawing attention as one of Division 4’s representative tanks.”
Forget the old Park Jeong-seok—the brainless charger with terrible positioning and an excessively hot-blooded personality.
His reckless charges had been refined with technique. His overheated temperament had been sharpened into precision. His positioning was still flawed, but he had compensated through a complete change in approach.
If I can’t position well myself…
I’ll force the opponent to position around me instead.
From evasion tank to anti-tank.
And finally, a tank capable of dealing damage.
A bruiser.
That was the future Lee Shin had laid out for Park Jeong-seok.
So he deflected the golem’s attack along the angled surface of his shield, created an opening, discarded the shield, and leaped straight into the golem’s embrace.
Then he kicked with all his strength.
Hunter:Park Jeong-seok (M, 23) (160▲/181)
Traits (4/9):Physical Mastery, Brawl Specialization, Desire for Recognition, (New!!) Shattering Kick
Shattering Kick: Kicks have a set chance to carry the ‘Destruction’ attribute. (Damage proportional to maximum health)
KWAAAAANG—!
The sound was so loud it felt like a bomb had gone off. When the thick cloud of dust cleared, more than half of the golem’s leg had been destroyed.
With one leg compromised, the golem’s massive weight ruined its balance. Its movements grew visibly slower with every passing second.
Right before the battle tilted completely—
This would be the end. Sensing the crisis, boss Kallo was forced into its final pattern. The golem entered its last phase.
Berserk pattern.
“Aaaaaah! It’s the berserk pattern!”
“While in berserk state, the golem’s speed and attack power increase dramatically. In exchange, its defense is cut in half and its health also decreases.”
“There are two choices: either avoid it until it collapses from exhaustion, or land the final blow. I believe they’ll choose the latter.”
They had never planned to wait it out from the beginning.
Berserk or not, it was time for a head-on confrontation.
Colorful spells painted the sky while floating rocks roared, each trying to erase the other’s form.
“Aren’t you going to rest a little?”
“Knowing how black your heart is, you think I’d let my guard down?”
Even the fallen Lee Hye-jung had joined them. With the raid team now complete, they drew their weapons. The golem, burning its own life force, charged at the humans with everything it had.
Blood sprayed. Rocks flew. Weapons shattered. Fragments exploded. When stone spears came down, magic arrows flew up to destroy them. When walls of fire blocked the way, rocks created fissures…
No tricks were needed.
Magic and shamanism.
Humans and golem.
Power against power.
They burned everything they had in a fierce, unrelenting clash.
And then—
KWAAAAAACK—!
When the golem finally reached the limit of its durability and collapsed in pieces—
The head of the fallen golem opened.
“Kallo reveals itself!!”
Boss. ‘Rock Troll Shaman Kallo’ has appeared.
“I’m hungry. Let’s finish this quickly and go eat.”
At the Mountain King’s command, now descended to the ground, the entire raid team charged as one.
“It’s down! Park Jeong-seok’s kick shatters Kallo’s waist and ends the fight! Mir Guild has cleared the Fallen Shaman of the Rock Tribe gate!!”
“52 hours, 42 minutes, and 8 seconds! Another new record! And once again, the protagonist of this round is Mir!!”
“First place in overall standings, first in points, and Round 38 MVP as well. They prove it once again. They are engraving the two letters ‘Mir’ onto the record of every gate they clear!”
“I was wrong. I admit it completely. This wasn’t the finale of a legend. Mir’s legend is a work in progress! It’s still continuing!!”
“The members have changed. The representative has changed. There have been countless ups and downs both inside and outside the guild. But in the end, they proved themselves. And with this, Mir Guild officially confirms their ‘promotion to League 3’ with the first-place position they currently hold—no promotion match required!!”
38 Round
Gate: Fallen Shaman of the Rock Tribe
Total Clear Time: 52 hours 42 minutes 08 seconds (New shortest record)
Boss: Rock Troll Shaman Kallo
Boss Clear Time: 1 hour 29 minutes 49 seconds (New shortest record)
League 4 Ranking: 1st
League Overall MVP: Park Jeong-seok (Rating: 9.5)