Legends of the Mir Guild

The Mir Guild has completed the gate LV 4. Corrupted Shaman of the Rock Tribe at approximately 11 a.m. today, successfully concluding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their legendary 38-round campaign. To speak of the Mir Guild’s records: they achieved the fastest clear time in Round 38, the highest monster kill count in Round 38, the lowest casualties… (omitted) … This marks the first time in league history that a single team has claimed every possible record. The Mir Guild has announced they will register this historic achievement with Guinness…

In the columnist’s opinion, what makes the Mir Guild’s recent performance even more remarkable is their audacious squad composition. Despite filling fourteen of their fifteen-man squad with rookies, the Mir Guild has written a new legend. This is more than enough to sound a warning bell across the guild industry, which has long dismissed rookies as non-combat assets. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current wave of promoting promising prospects originated entirely from the Mir Guild’s actions…

Guild industry experts speak with one voice: who is the greatest contributor to the Mir Guild’s legend this season? They all name Representative Lee Shin.

Looking only at the results, Representative Lee Shin’s achievements are truly astonishing.

There was plenty of noise and controversy, yet in the end he swept away the remnants of the past. He cleared out the deeply rooted sense of defeat. And that’s not all—the squad we praised earlier is entirely his creation. His crisis management during the massive scandal that swept the league in mid-season left everyone in awe.

He proved all of this in just a single season. At this point, even his eccentric methods deserve to be reevaluated…

Finally, the columnist would like to give a special mention to the fans of the Mir Guild.

You who endured the long dark age in silence and have now witnessed the glorious days you dreamed of—you are the true victors.

We sincerely congratulate the Mir Guild on their promotion to League 3.

Nampo-dong, Busan.

In the square lined with hotteok stalls, a stage worthy of a film festival has been erected. Lee Shin steps up onto the platform and grabs the microphone.

And then—

Waaaaaaaaah—!!

An endless roar of cheers.

The vast square had turned into a concert venue.

Every person packed into the square clapped and shouted in unison. People clinging to the windows of surrounding buildings filmed with their phones while chanting “Lee Shin! Lee Shin!” over and over.

“Hahaha, what is this? I’m pretty sure I wrote that only people with free time should come, but whew~ I don’t see a single empty spot. As expected, our fans are on another level. No matter what you imagine, they always exceed it.”

That’s right.

Everyone gathered here were fans—commonly known as Yongbung, the passionate supporters of the Mir Guild.

With the league season over, it was only natural to plan an after-party and celebration. The Mir Guild leadership had done exactly that.

There was nothing particularly special about it.

It was the usual kind of event everyone knew: renting an ultra-luxury hotel buffet that cost an arm and a leg, or booking a high-end restaurant run by a celebrity chef, then inviting the raid team and their families while hiring trending MCs and singers.

But Lee Shin’s response to that plan had been a firm “No way.”

“I didn’t say it was wrong. Calling family is obviously good. I like it. That’s why I said I’d invite my family too. And that’s all of you. Aren’t we all family?”

That’s right—!! Whew~~!!

“Well, Vice-Leader Chae over there did foam at the mouth a bit. He said it was easy to talk but asked if I knew how much the budget was, whether money grew out of the ground, blah blah money money money. So I just said one thing.”

Clap clap clap clap!

Puhahahahaha!!

Kyaaa! You’re so handsome, Representative!!

At Lee Shin’s playful gesture of flicking imaginary bills, the entire crowd erupted in laughter. It was as if they were teenage girls standing before their beloved idol. No, perhaps even more intense.

On this perfectly prepared stage, Lee Shin’s Charm (101) was displayed to its absolute limit.

With a wave of his hand to calm the audience, Lee Shin continued.

“Before anything else, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to each and every member of the raid team who gave us this emotional moment. Thank you. You are the heroes of everyone here—including me.”

Clap clap clap clap clap—!!

The fans clapped and began shouting the names of the raid team members one after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another.

Lee Hye-jung! Lee Hye-jung! Park Jeong-seok, you did great!! Our! Baby! Park Su-bin! You’re the best… and finally, the Mountain King.

As if they had rehearsed beforehand, they called out each name with perfect timing and sincere praise.

It was only natural that the raid team members, sitting in their designated spots, turned red at the heartfelt cheers filled with the fans’ genuine emotion.

“Damn, I’m getting emotional.”

“……Hup!”

“Sniff… kkeuing…”

The hard times they had endured and the terrible evaluations they had received before the season—the memories of the past years flashed before them like a panorama. As if on cue, their eyes grew misty.

The fans chanting “Don’t cry, don’t cry” were crying just as much.

Lee Shin set the microphone aside for a moment so they could collect themselves.

Once things had calmed down a little, he continued in a calm, conversational tone.

“When I decided to take over the Mir Guild and came down to Busan, Vice-Leader Chae Dong-ha over there asked me why I chose the Mir Guild of all places. And he added exactly this: Honestly, I don’t understand how this guild is still alive.”

“R-Representative!!”

Whoahahahaha!!

“At the time, I answered like this. Even though the management was a complete mess, even though they had hit rock bottom and sunk into the abyss, the reason the Mir Guild still existed without a single thing fundamentally wrong was only one thing.”

Lee Shin made eye contact with the countless people gathered below the stage.

“The fans. It was because all of you protected this patient on the brink of death.”

These were words he had personally wanted to say for a long time.

The guild experts had called him the greatest contributor.

But Lee Shin didn’t think so at all. Perhaps because he was Lee Shin, he felt it even more strongly. Having known the Mir Guild from his original world, he had seen exactly how desperately these people had fought to protect it.

Setting everything else aside, they deserved gratitude simply for keeping the Mir Guild breathing all this time.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. For always protecting us without fail.”

Lee Shin straightened his clothes and bowed deeply with genuine respect.

The fans were momentarily speechless at the unexpected gesture.

“……”

“……”

This was an era where guilds treated fans like pushovers. It was common for them to sell low-quality, tasteless merchandise at absurd prices and even strong-arm fans into buying overpriced tickets by holding fan meetings hostage.

The fans weren’t fools. They knew everything.

They knew exactly how these guilds viewed them as easy marks and shields.

That was why they couldn’t close their mouths at Lee Shin’s attitude today.

The person who should be receiving the most gratitude from the fans was instead expressing gratitude to them.

Holding a promotion celebration event that offered no profit—only losses—just to share the joy with the fans was equally unbelievable.

How could any fan’s heart not melt?

Clap… clap…

Clap clap clap clap clap—!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!

The phrase “the ground shook” was no exaggeration.

Their cheers of joy at this dreamlike story and the tears of overwhelming emotion filled the vast square and echoed all the way through the forest of buildings.

While everyone was lost in a crucible of emotion, Lee Shin straightened his back, grabbed the microphone again, and spoke while clapping.

“However.”

A sly grin tugged at the corner of Lee Shin’s mouth.

“It’s too early to be moved. Wipe those tears first. If you’re crying this much already, what are you going to do later?”

“In my opinion, the Mir Guild has only just begun to stretch its limbs. You’re all like people who stayed up too late on Sunday night and are now exhausted on Monday morning. We haven’t even opened the door yet.”

In other words, after circling around the point, what Lee Shin wanted to tell the fans gathered here was—

“……??!!”

What… what kind of rice?

Was that really something the representative should be saying?

Everyone’s minds went blank. Only Chae Dong-ha was laughing. Of course. There was no way that mouth from hell would stay quiet today.

“Everyone, our Mir Guild has shared history with this league for roughly sixty years—ever since it first began. I’ve decided to call this kind of thing by a certain name.”

A prestigious family.

“I know. I know very well. That the word ‘prestigious’ felt more like mockery than pride to all of you. I also know that people out there still doubt the Mir Guild. But here’s the thing.”

“Does that mean they have a longer history than us? If they want to nitpick, let’s settle it with results.”

History has proven it. Time has proven it.

“We are a prestigious guild. No matter what anyone says. No true prestigious guild celebrates just for reaching League 3.”

“Erase the failures of the past. We simply took a long nap. We have only returned to where we originally belonged. And even that is just one step.”

Stop being happy and sad like pathetic losers.

If you don’t know it, memorize it. The Mir Guild is a prestigious name.

Therefore, this result is only natural.

The fans felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strange after hearing Lee Shin’s words. His wording and attitude were undeniably arrogant, yet… why did those words feel so comforting?

“I already made you a promise before the season began.”

Lee Shin raised three fingers.

“Promotion, promotion, promotion. I said we would go straight to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠League 1 within three years. We’ve only completed one of them. Like this.”

He folded one finger.

From League 3, to League 2, League 1, then the Asia League, and finally the dream stage—the Champions League.

They had only taken one step.

“I’m still hungry. And I hope all of you are hungry just like me.”

So—

“I’ll let it slide just for today. The next time I see you, come back even stronger.”

The moment he finished speaking, Lee Shin clapped loudly.

At that exact instant—

A massive banner large enough to cover the entire exterior wall of the theater building unfurled like a wave.

On the banner emblazoned with the Mir Guild’s logo of a coiled dragon were the words:

— Today, the Mir Guild is treating everyone.

……!

……!!

……!!!

What? For real? Is this actually happening?

Countless eyes locked onto Lee Shin. He turned his back to them and began to leave the stage, then raised his thumb high into the sky.

Whoa%!#!$#!Waaaaaaaaah!

%#$&#$#&%!!%!

A frenzy of pure madness.

The reporters who had somehow remained calm were now typing furiously on their keyboards with their mouths agape at the insane scale of the event.

Thirty minutes after the city had been turned into a festival of madness.

A familiar Rolls-Royce pulled up to the guild headquarters. Shortly after, Lee Shin stepped out of the car.

“Thanks, sis. You can head back now.”

“……Will you be alright by yourself?”

“I told you earlier. It’s a nuisance if the representative stays too long at the kids’ party.”

Go on.

Lee Shin watched the car disappear with a wave, then opened the main entrance and stepped inside.

He walked down the dark hallway. The corridor that was usually bustling with people now felt somewhat lonely with no one around.

He passed the office and entered the representative’s room. Moonlight poured gently through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The atmosphere was quite nice. Lee Shin whistled softly.

He roughly loosened his tie and tossed it aside, then took a bottle of soju from the refrigerator.

Pop. He casually opened the cap and threw it away, then sat down in the chair bathed in moonlight, almost lying back.

Lee Shin gazed at the clear moon visible through the window and took a sip of the bitter soju.

Gulp, gulp.

“Krrgh~!”

He then pressed down firmly on the snacks he had saved just for today.

“Not bad at all.”