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Chapter 2
GM was a crazy world from the very start.
Believe it or not, this game began with the success of a famous soccer game.
— “Wow, even though we made it this half-assed, it’s still a hit?”
— “I don’t get it. We just slapped together stats for real players, ran it through a simulator, and it’s like money is duplicating itself.”
Manage your favorite players however you like, build the dream squad you’ve only ever imagined. In real life, they’re just armchair generals, but in the game they become owners of clubs filled with world-class players.
Through this game’s success, they realized something: The essence of growth simulation.
And so they gently tugged at the users’ wishes and raked in cash by the handful.
But their imagination didn’t stop there…
These were the so-called “nerds,” and eventually their grasp reached the subculture they truly loved.
— “If Superguy and Batsuit fought, who would win?”
— “F***, can Assemble and Justice even be a match?”
— “Shut up, you idiot! Listen—Porter is a heretic! Only Tolkien is truth!”
— “Yeah, nothing beats Dragonman.”
Who’s stronger?
Fights between favorites.
It’s the kind of childish argument grade schoolers might have. Seeing grown adults spit while pointing fingers over something like this made their chests feel tight and petty…
— “It’s stupid… but awesome!!”
— “Let’s do it now!”
…For someone, this childish debate could be their entire life. At least, for these nerds, it was.
Nothing else mattered. These big kids, who preferred cartoons to fame and fortune, stormed out of their company that very day—all for the sake of fun.
They gathered superpowers from around the world.
Occult, heroes, force, mana, magic, ki, martial arts, mysticism…
They built an arena for them.
Gates, raids, competitive matches, guild war leagues, national tournaments…
That’s right.
This GM, the place where Lee Shin was now, was a world where grown-up children’s innocence, fun, and dreams were realized.
•••
Guild War KOREA League 1
<Kirin Guild> VS <White Sword Guild>
Final Round 7 “Raid Battle”
Fire Spirit LV7 — Ignis’ Star Palace.
Walls of crimson flames all around. The sky, the ground, the walls—everything burning in a red hell.
Then, a group of people kicked through the flames and hurled themselves into hell.
Fwoooosh!!
An unbearable heat swept over the raid party.
For a brief moment, their formation faltered.
Then—one man shot forward from the clustered party like a bullet.
“I’ll buy you time”—that’s what his figure seemed to say. His outline blurred, and light swirled around him.
One hand on the scabbard, the other on the hilt.
The moment his eyes flashed, magic rippled.
Light exploded as the frenzied white light was unleashed.
It began as a faint spark, but its end would be grander than anything. The white light multiplied in an instant and spread outward.
A white fissure appeared in the flame-filled field.
It looked like a spiderweb, or a net, or even an electronic circuit.
Spreading in all directions, the white light held its presence even in the crimson blaze, “occupying” space, then literally “deleting” the surrounding fire spirits.
The formation reassembled, and they charged forward—toward the end of this hell.
— “Guild War Korea Finals, last round 7. Kirin Guild’s ‘Raid Battle,’ day 14. In time record and monster count, Kirin Guild is leading in every metric. Commissioner?”
— “As expected. Look—the ‘Duel Match’ is PvP, knocking out the opponent. In contrast, the ‘Raid Battle’ is the gate raid we’ve always done, basically PvE against huge monsters. I’ve always said the most important thing in raid battles is experience. And Man-Wang is the final boss of experience. This match isn’t even close.”
The situation unfolded exactly as the commentary predicted.
The man leading the front—Man-Wang—raised his hand to the sky, and the formation shifted instantly.
On either side of Man-Wang, hulking tankers in full plate appeared.
Their massive tower shields formed the first defensive line.
In the second line, melee damage dealers including Man-Wang supported the tanks, while swift, evasive ranged dealers spread their wings to divert attacks from reaching the third-line supporters.
The Diamond Formation, a formation pursuing ultimate stability, known as the textbook strategy for raids.
Observers guessed Man-Wang’s intention:
No tricks needed. If we fight by the book, we win.
And indeed, it was true. Even though it had dragged into the final 7th round, Kirin still held the top position in the league with Korea’s strongest force.
At this rate, there’d be no problem. But…
Man-Wang seemed to think otherwise. At his next signal, radiance overflowed from the rear line.
— “As expected, Man-Wang, very wise. Securing victory by the book—huh? Wait??”
— “Kirin’s third line is moving! What’s this? Is that… buffs? Yes, buffs! Bless, Haste, and all kinds of body enhancement buffs are being cast on the raid party!”
— “Are they going to sprint?! Is this the right call?!”
The Diamond Formation aimed for extreme stability, but once buffs were applied, the story changed.
The chariot of light hit the accelerator.
Even as waves of flame crashed down, they charged straight through.
Even as fire spirits hurled themselves at them, they charged.
It was brute force, but they shattered everything in their path and ran toward the end beyond the flames.
— “Fast. Very fast. As expected of Kirin! A destructive clutch play worthy of Korea’s strongest guild!”
— “I’m not so sure. By the book, the final sprint should be right in front of the boss room—that’s the hardest part. But if they start this early… I don’t know if this is right.”
Amid everyone’s concern, the raid party finally entered the last corridor.
A straight field lay ahead, radiating crushing heat.
There, every elite and champion monster from across the field— even the mid-boss “Skolkia” the Fire Knight—stood with their greatswords raised to guard their master’s palace.
There was no escape so it was time for a direct showdown.
But the radiance cloaking the raid party was already fading. The buffs were nearing their end, and ahead of them blazed fire of an entirely different magnitude.
The moment everyone feared has come as the chariot of light disbanded. The ranks parted. And then—Kirin Guild’s hidden trump card, kept secret until now, appeared.
A woman with hair darker than the surging flames, Kirin Guild’s next-generation ace—the Flame Queen.
The surrounding flames writhed.
More than the fire spirits—or perhaps, in this world, she alone could be called absolute in the fire attribute—she seized control of the field in an instant.
The natural enemy of fire is stronger fire.
As soon as that thought crossed their minds, the flaming terrain of the corridor twisted, swallowing the fire spirits instead.
— “Another legend emerges! Kirin Guild, which stumbled early on due to the absence of Mountain King, still—still they are strong!!”
— “12-time Guild War Korea champions! 5-time Guild War Asia champions! Guild War Champions Cup winners! Kirin Guild, who built Korea’s absolute dynasty from the moment of their birth! They have no intention of stepping down from the throne this year either!”
Before the surging waves of flame, time records became meaningless.
It felt less like a simple victory and more like the beginning of another chapter of history.
Man-Wang, already a legend. Flame Queen, soon to be one. And Kirin—the immortal dynasty that would continue its reign this year.
Total time: 3 hours 47 minutes.
When Flame Queen’s final sprint—lasting over ten minutes even in the edited broadcast—finally ended, the innermost chamber of Ignis’ Star Palace, the Grand Hall, opened at last.
And there sat the one awaiting them.
Boss of Ignis’ Star Palace, Lady “Agni.”
Agni’s crimson dress dyed the air around her and what awaited after this was…
…
[ To be revealed in 60 seconds!! ]
…A monster born of capitalism.
________________________________________
Tick—!
The darkened CRT screen reflected Lee Shin’s complicated expression and his body trembled.
“…Awesome…”
-Thump, thump.
His heart pounded. Swelled.
The ultimate imagination of the world’s greatest nerds was unfolding here, live.
“Haha, if the community guys saw this, they’d go nuts.”
Jealous? If you’re jealous, go get struck by lightning too!
For someone like Lee Shin, who had enjoyed this his whole life, this overwhelming excitement was only natural.
This recreation of superhuman wars called GM.
The sight of characters he’d only seen on a monitor in 2D coming to life.
This world that dragged the incomprehensible realm into the realm of capitalism!
It was truly a new world where every dream came true.
And now, seeing the finals in person, the thrill was on an entirely different level.
“Controlling difficult gate raids through the system of the ‘Guild War League.’
The state benefits from transparent magic stone distribution, civilians get entertainment, and hunters get enormous salaries, fame, and popularity.”
The greatest show on earth, made to satisfy everyone’s needs.
“Guild War League.”
Yeah, this was it. This was what I had been wanting.
Energy overflowed through Lee Shin’s whole body. Enough to make even a dying person snap their eyes open.
His goal was only one.
Lee Shin did not doubt that ‘this time as well’ he would engrave his two-letter name at the very top of the dream stage. Just like when he was called the teacher of all users.
“First, I need to find an appropriate lower-league guild. One with history and tradition, but now fallen…”
“To leave a strong impression on everyone, I need a big step, something impactful! Recruiting is the only way…”
“One major recruitment, the rest as promising rookies, for a lower league that’s enough…in that case.”
Inspiration surged forth as relentlessly as his enthusiasm.
Honestly, the plan had been completed long ago.
Could someone as much of an old-timer as Lee Shin have created a character without even deciding on its direction?
Since realizing that this world was the GM’s world, the plan had been revised dozens of times until it could not be more perfect.
What Lee Shin needed now was just one single step.
To step out of this stifling room and into the world beyond that wall, not more, not less, just a single step—and the myth would be written.
Lee Shin licked his lips.
He was thirsty.
Like a bear that locked itself away in a cave and ate garlic and mugwort for a hundred days to become human, at first, even if it was because of the mess left by the previous owner of this body, he had intended to restrain himself, carving the character for ‘patience’ deep within.
Kirin Guild, King of All, Flame Queen…
The moment he saw with his own eyes the world he had loved so dearly, the patience that had been teetering at its limit collapsed completely.
“…Looks like I’ll have to go out.”
The Lee Shin reflected in the mirror was already standing up.
【 ‘Guild Management Window’ is in a deactivated state. 】
【 Please create a guild. 】
