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Chapter 6
A field overrun with weeds.
A reinforced concrete wall rises tall on the outskirts of the city. At the entrance, the large letters read: “LeeDo Comprehensive Logistics Center.”
This was the workplace where a young man of sturdy build, Chae Dong-ha, worked as an intern.
“Dong-ha! Chae Dong-ha!”
“Where are you, Dong-ha~!”
“Yes, chief! I’m here!!”
At the sound of someone calling from the far side of the warehouse, Dong-ha hastily tried to put out his cigarette and stand up, but Chief Choi and Manager Park wrapped their arms around his shoulders.
“Oh, you pretty thing. Why are you getting up? Sit. Stretch out comfortably.”
“Yes, really, you’re a treasure, I swear.”
A smile warm as the world itself. A soft, gentle voice.
Dong-ha immediately knew what the two, smiling like broken dolls, were going to talk about.
“Looks like you both won. Congratulations.”
A few days ago, the ‘Kirin vs. White Sword’ Guild War Korea finals had ended.
Despite everyone expecting Kirin Guild to dominate, the finals stretched through seven rounds, going all the way to the final attack stage—a historic upset.
Dong-ha had predicted all the results of this shocking match as if guided by some divine hand. And these two, who hadn’t dismissed his words, had made a decent profit betting on it.
“How did you predict all the finals?”
“I’m really curious, Dong-ha. How did you know White Sword Guild would push it to seven rounds? I couldn’t even imagine it.”
“Ha… I wouldn’t say I predicted it. I just picked the most probable outcome.”
“Ha! Probability! Did you see that, chief? Is this what humility looks like?”
“Really, it’s nothing…”
“Nothing! But you got everything right!”
“That’s right! I was surprised!”
In a multi-match series, the absence of the ‘Mountain King’ would have a bigger impact than expected, so it would go to seven rounds.
But by the time it reached the final battlefield, it would likely end somewhat anticlimactically thanks to the performance of the ‘Flame Queen.’
From start to finish, everything unfolded exactly as Dong-ha had predicted.
“Is that all? You even gave commentary on almost every single hunter, and got them all right.”
“Creepy! Chief, look, can you see my goosebumps?”
“Hahaha… thank you.”
Yet, despite their fuss, Dong-ha just smiled simply as usual, hardly impressed.
He had only spoken based on observable probabilities; what was special about that?
Information overflowed in this era—field data, monster types, and raid team compositions. Dong-ha just calculated probabilities based on that and shared them.
From his perspective, it was harder to understand why the Chief and Manager would pour hard-earned money into a gamble full of uncertainty.
“It’s amazing. You spend every lunch checking the guild community, and I never imagined you’d have talent in this area.”
“You know those people who are naturally gifted in one thing? Their mind just works perfectly in that field.”
“Seems like you really are one of those.”
“Dong-ha, I see you in a new light. Don’t you think you should go in this direction? Like a combat analyst or a scout?”
“…!”
“….”
Hearing the awkward words from the manager, the chief carefully observed his expression as if realizing something.
A fleeting bitterness crossed Dong-ha’s face, then he returned to his original smile.
“Not really, it’s not that big a deal.”
“Not that big a deal? The rumors were everywhere! I have a good eye for people. Really! Really! Dong-ha, you have talent in this field!”
But the oblivious Manager wouldn’t stop.
He even persistently suggested Dong-ha try working in the guild where his cousin was.
The chief had to intervene: “Hey, calm down, stop.”
“But chief, you saw it too. Do you know how much a successful combat analyst or scout makes? This is such a waste! Listen to me. Dong-ha, you’re young. Even if you can’t make it to Division 2 or Division 1 immediately, if you build from the lower leagues…”
“Dude, I said stop!”
“Whoa! Why are you angry?”
“Shut up, you fool.”
“No…”
Only after the Chief gave a subtle gesture did the Manager finally notice the shadow on Dong-ha’s face.
Talent?
Dong-ha knew he had talent in this area. He had even dreamed, when he was younger, of working in a guild.
But the current Dong-ha could not dream.
Tuition for his younger siblings, his mother’s hospital bills, his housing loan… as the head of the family, the weight of reality on his shoulders was already overwhelming.
“Sorry… I’m… not very perceptive.”
“Haha, it’s fine. Really, it’s fine.”
“Alright, let’s just go eat. What’s for lunch today?”
In the world of probabilities Dong-ha saw, this was already a solved problem.
The chance of realizing his dream? At most 10%. The chance that pursuing it would collapse his family? At least 90%.
Meanwhile, here, if he just didn’t make a major mistake, he could become a regular employee in a large corporation’s production line with 100% certainty.
Which side to bet on? The answer was obvious.
Dong-ha looked at the Guild War logo on his phone’s wallpaper and then turned it off.
‘If I finish this internship, become a regular employee, get paid, and can feed my family and let them wear what they want and eat what they want… that’s my dream.’
So today, too, he comforted himself and headed to the cafeteria.
But probability is still just probability.
If it’s not 100%, there will always be variables.
― “Intern Chae Dong-ha, please come to the center reception immediately. I repeat, Intern Chae Dong-ha, please come to the center reception immediately……”
Dong-ha had placed probabilities on his dream.
“Hello. I’m Lee Shin.”
But he had overlooked the variable called luck.
________________________________________
From the moment Lee Shin opened his eyes to this world, it was full of joy.
It was enjoyable to live a life of unprecedented handsomeness with overwhelmingly “charming” looks, and experiencing the shallow superiority the word “chaebol” brought was not too bad either.
But I can boldly say that even if you add up all the pleasures I’ve mentioned so far, they wouldn’t compare to the pleasure of this very moment.
“Wow, Chae Dong-ha… he looks exactly like the illustration…!”
“Excuse me?”
“Wait a moment. Let me just soak in this feeling.”
It’s different from seeing it on TV. It’s on a completely different level than searching on the internet.
The real thing! A real, living character!
And the character that Lee Shin ranks among his top five favorites in GM is right in front of him!
As for Chae Dong-ha here, he was classified as an SS-rank character in the strict character rating chart created by Lee Shin.
Considering that SSS-rank is considered divine, SS is just below that.
He had broken through the S-rank wall, which even formidable Awakened ones couldn’t overcome, and had effectively reached the pinnacle as a non-Awakened.
For reference, the rigid old man “Lee Sang-byeok” seen a few days ago was also an SS-rank character, which shows how highly valued Chae Dong-ha is.
“The miracle man who raised a bottom-tier 5th division guild to a major level!”
“The devil of the agent world, making astronomical profits from trades that use hunters’ reputations like influencer marketing!”
“The all-time genius guild master who, after receiving the highest price in history and being scouted by Kirin, is rewriting the legend he briefly paused!”
Although his overflowing talent allows him to follow many tech trees, the one Lee Shin likes most is the “management cheat code” tree.
That is, when he is under Lee Shin.
“I feel full even without eating.”
Honey drips from Lee Shin’s eyes. Conversely, the more that happens, the more Chae Dong-ha’s pupils tremble…
“Is… is something on my face?”
He opens the door of the reception room at the summons, and there sits the chairman’s grandson? That infamous troublemaker Lee Shin who has been in the news day after day?
Moreover, he’s giving him an overwhelming gaze as if looking at something desirable.
Already, this caused a lag in Chae Dong-ha’s thinking. His awkward gesture was proof of it.
“Ah, don’t be nervous. I just wanted to have a chat.”
“A chat… with me? About what?”
“I heard some rumors about you. I heard you’re very interested in the guild world. I’m interested in that too.”
“Eh… uh?”
So he came all this way for that reason, and even called him during work hours for that reason.
Is this the world of chaebols people only talk about in stories?
But the main point hasn’t even started yet.
“Let’s speak casually for now. Makes it easier to talk.”
“…Yes?”
“Oh, you said ‘yes’! How old are you, Dong-ha? 25, right? I’m 23. Perfect, two-year age gap like siblings without even checking compatibility. Isn’t that great?”
“Si-siblings?”
“Then I’ll call you Hyung (older brother) from now on. You can call me whatever you want too.”
“Yes… what??”
“First, you probably need an explanation for this situation, right, Dong-ha hyung?”
“Y-yes?”
A fraternal agreement passed in the blink of an eye.
The unpredictable development completely stopped Chae Dong-ha’s thought process.
Lee Shin nods at the sight.
It’s going well.
He had no intention of letting go of the competent SS-rank “slave”… no, talent that had rolled into his hands.
Once he gained the initiative, he would press further.
The first topic, as expected, was this.
“If you were running a guild, how would you run it?”
“Suddenly about a guild?”
“Yes. A guild.”
As unpredictable as his first impression.
Chae Dong-ha tilts his head, clearly seeing through what this is about, while Lee Shin gazes at him, waiting for an answer.
His eyes are full of determination. No matter what, he will hear the answer. Eventually, Chae Dong-ha sighs and speaks.
“Sorry, but the question is wrong. Asking how to run a guild isn’t the first question. First, you need to know what kind of guild it is.”
“Whaaat~?”
“Yes. Not all guilds are the same. Each has a different character according to its purpose.”
Not everyone seeks promotion and league victories.
Some focus on raids to make a living—“hunting guilds”—or carefully raise promising juniors to sell to upper league guilds—“selling guilds,” and so on.
“…It’s obvious when you think about it. Normally, professional hunters start at League 3. Exposure is different because that’s when competitions start. And that number is less than 20% of all Awakened. League 2 is 5%. League 1 is 1%.”
“So those not included in the 20% have to make a choice?”
“Realistically, not everyone can aim for the top. Hunters are human too, they have to live in reality. So no two guilds can be the same.”
As if speaking about someone’s reality, Chae Dong-ha’s face briefly darkens but soon returns to normal.
“Good, excellent. Then let’s add conditions. A formerly thriving but now fallen regional prestigious guild. Lots of debt, terrible talent pool. They want a buyer immediately.”
“That’s very specific.”
“I thought it might suit my grandfather’s taste, so I made my own estimate. What do you think?”
“If it were me…”
“Ah, by the way, there’s a lot of money. Rottenly abundant.”
“In that case, recruitment first, right?”
A guild’s face is its conquest team, and hunters make up that team.
“First, make a shock in the market by recruiting a big shot, and choose coldly. Use all you have for Win-Now, or take time and gradually aim for promotion.”
“Interesting. What about you, hyung?”
“Normally, the promotion rate is 2%. I wouldn’t gamble on a 2% chance. I’d strengthen the foundation and rise gradually. That’s good for gathering fandom too. Also…”
Ideas pour out like a broken dam.
“Whoa~! Yeah~!”
With Lee Shin’s encouragement, Chae Dong-ha gradually pulls out the ideas he had hidden in his mind. His plan takes shape in his own colors.
Then, he suddenly stops.
“Ah…”
He’d been swept up in the mood, but it’s meaningless fantasy.
Chae Dong-ha’s face reddens.
How ridiculous must he look, an intern about to vanish like a fly, talking about running a guild? Embarrassing.
Yet Lee Shin is grinning from ear to ear.
‘I was worried, but it was unnecessary worry.’
According to the original story, Chae Dong-ha would first step into the guild world in his mid-thirties and then rapidly rise to success.
So Lee Shin wondered if he was no good when young.
But now, this conversation made him certain.
This guy is indeed a born genius.
“Excellent. Hyung, what do you think? About the plan I just mentioned. Let’s do it together.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Don’t understand? I’m recruiting you to my guild.”
“…!!”
The word “guild,” which he had dreamed of, hit Chae Dong-ha’s chest like a stone.
It was the stone called responsibility he had to bear.
“…I’m sorry. I really appreciate your offer, but I cannot join at this time.”
“Why?”
“…”
And having swept like a tsunami, he became rather cold.
Could such a good reality exist?
The probability that a guild master would recognize his talent and seriously recruit him, versus the probability that the troublemaker chaebol grandson hears a rumor about an employee liking guilds and comes to tease him.
Both situations are irrational, but in such cases, he always chooses the stable option.
“I’m sorry… but I can’t play along with such a joke.”
“So why not?”
“…”
Chae Dong-ha is stunned at Lee Shin, who’s still smiling.
With a permanent position about to be confirmed, there’s no way to argue with the chairman’s grandson.
He takes a deep breath inwardly.
Thinking of a stable job at LeeDo that can support his siblings in place of his late father, and cover his sick mother’s hospital bills.
He forcibly lifts the corners of his mouth, smiling as always to appear friendly.
“Ha, what should I do?”
But what he doesn’t know is that Lee Shin knows him better than he knows himself.
He’s the type who gives up dreams when blocked by the wall of reality, an all-too-common character.
“Hmm, how can I make you believe me?”
“…Yes?”
“Probably because, hyung, it’s about money. Siblings, mother, family… right?”
“…!!”
“Then, this should work.”
Currently, Lee Shin possesses the power to break the wall blocking Chae Dong-ha and help him achieve his dreams: wealth.
He takes a document from his pocket.
“Write whatever you want, hyung.”
The document before Chae Dong-ha is an employment contract. A blank contract with the salary section empty.
“I’ll deposit it immediately.”
