The Money Rush
Whether by coincidence or bloodline, at that very moment Lee Myung-hwan was thinking the exact same thing his father, Lee Chan-bin, once had.
‘I took it too lightly.’
When his grandfather entrusted him with the guild, Lee Myung-hwan had approached it simply.
A guild? It was just a team that competed in the league. And the league? It was a game played by hunters.
In the end, skilled hunters decided a guild’s fate.
So what was the best way to secure skilled hunters?
Simple is best. Money.
Loyalty? Romance? Vision? Those pie-in-the-sky ideas were just what broke or desperate people used to compensate with their bodies and time.
In a capitalist society, money was the only sure answer, and the fact that more money guaranteed a higher chance of success was simply reality.
Once his thoughts reached that point, Lee Myung-hwan couldn’t help but view guild management as easy.
He had the money, after all. An endless fountain of it, pouring out without end!
The media and guild-related programs hailed Lee Shin as the personification of flexing, but in truth, that title suited Lee Myung-hwan far better.
Compared to the money Lee Myung-hwan had burned through, Lee Shin’s spending was little more than a corner store.
In conclusion, Lee Myung-hwan’s “money, more money” approach had been correct.
Thanks to his bold investments, Dynasty Guild had shot up from perennial bottom-dwellers to become the dark horse of League 2 in a single leap. In his first year at the helm, they achieved the feat of finishing second in the season.
Although they missed first place and the promotion ticket, then suffered a heartbreaking loss in the brutal promotion-relegation playoffs, the mere fact that they had shown potential earned applause from fans, experts, and countless stakeholders alike.
Money or not, lifting a bottom-tier guild that had barely survived relegation into the upper ranks was proof of ability in itself. So people cheered him on.
But hidden beneath that applause and support was the truth.
It was only because it was his first year.
What if it had been the second year? Or the third? Even if their regular season record was strong and they lost by the slimmest of margins?
Would they have received this much applause? Would they have been understood?
Absolutely not.
Experts followed with harsh criticism. Statements from fan clubs poured in.
The temperature difference after just one year.
From then on, Lee Myung-hwan began taking the situation seriously.
Expert criticism? Fan club statements? The barking of those lowly commoners meant nothing to him.
What made him serious was that he had never once, not even in his dreams, imagined a situation like this.
After kneeling for two years, ending up in this fucking situation where he had to compete with that damn Lee Shin!
It felt like getting hit in the head with a hammer.
The creeping sense of crisis awakened Lee Myung-hwan.
That was the kind of man he was. Like his father Lee Chan-bin, he was violent and authoritarian, yet the reason he had once been called the treasure of the Ido family due to his bright future was this:
In moments of crisis, he could turn ice-cold and suppress his true nature.
And the conclusion reached by that sharp mind was that he had indeed taken the guild too lightly.
At that moment, Jeong Su-mi entered the darkened representative office.
“Babe, guess what I brought? Your favorite sushi… Why is it so dark in here?”
“Come sit down.”
“Okay.”
Reading the atmosphere around the man, Jeong Su-mi wiped the smile from her face and sat with a serious expression.
What that man needed right now was not a lover, but an ally.
She transformed into the Master of the information guild Scavenger. Without changing her expression, she tossed the sushi from a famous restaurant into the trash can already filled with soju bottles.
“You watched the opening match, right?”
“Of course. You weren’t the only one who got screwed over, were you?”
It wasn’t just Lee Myung-hwan.
Jeong Su-mi also had plenty of scores to settle with Mir Guild. How much trouble had Scavenger gone through because of that delivery gate incident?
“I took it too lightly. I charged in thinking that promoting from League 2 was no big deal.”
“No, it’s my fault too. I thought the same way.”
“It’s embarrassing and painful to say this with my own mouth, but no matter how much I think about it, I really am lacking compared to that maniac when it comes to guild management.”
“Babe?!”
“While you were on your way here, I ran the numbers dozens of times. I squeezed out even my last shred of pride. But I can’t operate a guild or coordinate a raid team like that maniac. That’s my conclusion.”
“Babe… you’re really determined.”
Anyone who didn’t know them would have thought he was despairing over a massive failure, but as his long-time lover, Jeong Su-mi knew better. This man was strong in a crisis.
Look at those eyes. Could those sharp, gleaming eyes belong to a loser?
“This is the third time. We have to treat this season like it’s our last.”
“You mean… the Chairman’s patience?”
“Yes. For Grandfather, that’s an incredibly long time to endure. There were signs.”
Last year’s dinner and Lee So-yul, who had been quietly shipped off to England without a word.
“There’s a high chance that anyone who fails to promote this year will be cleaned out.”
“……!!”
“You asked me before, didn’t you? Why Grandfather bought so many guilds.”
“Did I…?”
“Now that my head has cooled, I understand a little. Grandfather is selecting from among those guilds.”
From dozens of guilds, he would select the good ones. Then make them compete again to find the best.
“He’s looking for a guild worthy of carrying the name ‘Ido’ that he is so proud of.”
“If that’s decided, then……”
“Selection and concentration.”
They couldn’t merge guilds. But they could poach people.
They would recover all the scattered funds, concentrate them, and absorb the core personnel of that guild. All under the name of Ido Guild.
What remained? Just mining for more resources.
Good grief…….
Jeong Su-mi’s hands trembled.
It was truly survival of the fittest. And he was doing it with guilds? The scale was insane.
“There’s no turning back now. Not for me. Not for you.”
“Thank you. I feel completely awake now.”
“Good. That’s more like the Jeong Su-mi I know. Here, take this.”
With those words, Lee Myung-hwan handed her a document envelope.
Jeong Su-mi silently tore open the envelope and checked the contents. Her eyes widened in shock.
“What the… how much money is this…….”
“It’s from the old man. I don’t know what wind blew through him, but he said to treat this year as the last and spend as much as I want. Do you understand now? Why I’ve gotten so serious?”
“……This really is serious.”
“Use all of it to proceed with what I mentioned before.”
“……All of it? Without leaving a single won?”
“Yes. All of it. Don’t leave even one won behind.”
No matter how many times he said it, Lee Myung-hwan had admitted it.
His own inadequacy. So he would fill that inadequacy with strength.
“I will spend money. Far more money than before. Not money to solve problems, but an overwhelming amount of money that will completely bury the problems themselves. This is the best answer I’ve come up with.”
Therefore.
“Take responsibility and spend every last cent of this money to proceed with what I mentioned before.”
* * *
Morning. The sun was rising. As Lee Shin entered the guild, he said,
“Lee Shin has thought about it.”
He wrapped an arm around Park Su-bin’s shoulder beside him.
“The morning air after a victory really hits different, right, MVP?”
“Hehe.”
Park Su-bin scratched his head, his face turning red.
It was hard to believe this pure reaction came from the MVP who had achieved a perfect victory in the first round of League 2. Lee Shin gave his back a few solid pats.
As the two entered the Mir Guild training ground arm-in-arm, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
“Good morning, sis.”
“Good morning, Hye-jung. You’re as diligent as ever. It’s a beautiful sight.”
Lee Hye-jung, who had been training since dawn as always, wiped her sweat-drenched face with a towel and walked over to them.
“Good morning to you too, Su-bin. And it’s been a while, Representative. You’re still as bright as ever.”
“Hahaha, between the arena and everything else I’ve been so busy I couldn’t think straight. Now that it’s all over, I need to start crawling around like a madman again.”
“Hehe, our kids are going to freak out.”
“That sounds fun too! Gahaha!”
While Lee Shin and Lee Hye-jung were exchanging small talk, the raid team members began trickling into the training ground one by one.
“Hello… huh? Representative?”
“W-why is he here?”
The people who had entered smiling froze when they saw Lee Shin.
Lee Hye-jung smiled triumphantly and held out her palm toward Lee Shin.
“See? They’re freaking out.”
“If we start nitpicking the standard for ‘freaking out’ here, it’ll look pathetic, won’t it?”
“It already looks plenty pathetic. Hand it over.”
With no choice, Lee Shin pulled out a 50,000 won bill. Only then did the raid team members, finally understanding the situation, relax and gather around.
“What’s going on, Su-bin?”
“A bet?”
“Yes. We were betting 50,000 won on whether the Representative would make everyone freak out when he greeted us.”
“That sounds fun, sis! I want in too. 50,000 on they freak out.”
“Me too. They freak out.”
“Hey everyone, does no one want to be on my side? Is that how it is?”
“Alright, everyone gather up.”
“Hye-jung, no matter how I think about it, this is upsetting. We need to have a serious discussion about our standard for ‘freaking out’……”
“Oh, here he comes. Smile. Smile! Good morning, kids!”
“Good morning!”
Lee Shin, who had looked like he was about to cry, suddenly broke into a bright smile and waved. As expected, the raid team members flinched in surprise.
Lee Shin froze mid-wave, then tossed his wallet with his other hand.
It was dirty anyway. Take it all.
Laughter erupted.
Most guilds gave their members free time the day after a match, aside from recovery training.
Mir Guild was no exception, which meant there was no particular reason for the entire raid team to show up at the training ground first thing in the morning just to snatch 50,000 won from Lee Shin.
But they had all gathered anyway.
Every single one of them.
It was the typical behavior of a winning raid team.
They couldn’t help it. For the Mir raid team, this was the best time of their lives.
They had been together during League 4, at the very bottom of the abyss, in their most miserable days, and they had climbed up together.
When they set a new record of 38 rounds in League 4, they had all hugged each other and cried. When they rose to League 3 and everyone doubted their ability, they stuck together even tighter.
And then they conquered League 3 with another new record of 44 rounds.
A total of 82 rounds. Adding yesterday’s victory, it became 83 rounds of a legendary record run.
What had one expert said? If victory was the best medicine, then the Mir raid team had been steadily taking that medicine for two years, and it had finally exploded their potential in both teamwork and individual ability.
So of course the atmosphere was good.
Without being told, they trained themselves. Having forgotten defeat, they were now addicted to victory.
For the sake of this atmosphere, Lee Shin was willing to let himself be humiliated as much as necessary.
“Lira, good morning?”
“Oh, good morning, Representative!”
“That’s enough! Alright! Everyone hand over 50,000 won!!”
“Ahem, I should go train now.”
“Sis, shall I help you with stretching?”
“Su-bin, spar with me for a bit.”
“Hey! Everyone freeze! Where are you all going?! Hey?! 50,000 won! Fifty thousand! Stop right there!!”
Lee Shin dropped to his knees and reached out in despair.
Kim Jong-pil and Park Jeong-seok watched him with crooked smiles.
“What are you doing here, Representative?”
“Chief, you came at the perfect time. These guys took all my money.”
“You’re all having fun. It’s nice to see.”
“No, that’s my blood money!”
Kim Jong-pil chuckled and shook off the clinging Lee Shin before gathering the raid team.
“It’s good to see you all coming out to train first thing in the morning even after a victory without getting complacent. The reason I called you all here is simple. I have a surprise gift. Vice-captain.”
“Everyone, come get yours.”
“Whoa?!”
“Are those items?!”
“Ooh?!”
That’s right.
What was inside the boxes were items.
Fresh, brand-new items they had never seen before.
“A gift to celebrate our first win. The sulking Representative over there prepared them, so everyone give him a round of applause.”
““Wow!!””
“Representative! Thank you!”
“Wow, only now? You didn’t thank me when you were taking my 50,000 won. You people are all materialists, aren’t you…?”
“Hahahahaha!!”
Laughter spread from one person to the next. Park Su-bin laughed. Lee Hye-jung laughed. Kim Jong-pil laughed. Before long, even Lee Shin was smiling as he laughed along.
It couldn’t get any better than this. That was the current state of Mir Guild.
“Alright, it’s almost lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”
“You’re treating, right, Representative?”
“……You people really are materialists, huh?”
“Kekekeke.”
They set off for their usual Korean beef restaurant in that cheerful atmosphere, but Lee Shin soon had to slip away. Chae Dong-ha had come running after him in a hurry.
“Representative, please look at this.”
The era of massive recruitment had begun.
The hottest season in League 2 history was unfolding.