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Chapter 9
“Shin is really good at analysis.”
It was something I heard from my older brother when I was a child, running GM.
The GM’s status window is notorious.
Normally, a status window in a game serves to convey information.
It lowers the entry barrier by intuitively showing a few key words that convey a character’s condition or various progress in the game but GM is the exact opposite.
GM’s status window is extremely complicated. Not intuitive at all.
Looking at the screen filled densely with information makes one think, “Why am I studying while playing a game?” almost instinctively.
Yet young Shin actually liked this infamous status window.
It was fascinating to see the scattered information in his head come together like a painting. He enjoyed the sense of superiority from seeing things others couldn’t.
Above all, he loved the praise from his brother.
Perhaps those good memories from that time turned Shin into a veteran player.
On the way down to Busan, at the moment the acquisition work was finished, the long-awaited status windows finally opened before Shin’s eyes.
【Guild has been registered.】
【‘Guild Management Window’ is now active.】
[Guild Management Window]
※ Mir Guild
• League 4
• Representative: Lee Shin
• Raid Progress: 14/100
• Reputation: 40/100
• Finance: 5/100
• Facilities: 33/100
• Disposition: Conservative
• Value: 3,170,000,000
•
•
“Wow, this is it. If a guild is going to fail, it has to be this bad.”
“Representative?”
“Shh, wait a moment, hyung.”
From the wave of information flooding his vision, Shin extracted the data he wanted, analyzed it, judged the situation, and immediately came up with a plan.
“Dong-ha hyung.”
“Yes.”
“Hyung, we need to get to work.”
“What should we do?”
“Well, what we need to do is……”
If those who hooked oxygen tubes to the ICU dragon are called fans, there are also parasites that gnawed at its marrow and sent it to the ICU.
“Bring the deworming medicine. We need to eliminate the parasites first.”
The first task for Lee Shin as the official owner of the guild: Exterminate these parasites.
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Currently, Lee Shin is looking at those he has defined as “parasites.”
They are plump from eating so much.
“Haha, ha… transferring?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
All the raid team members stare at each other with question marks over their heads. No answer will come; bugs are still bugs no matter how much they think.
“Mm~ literally. Transfer. From tomorrow, you don’t need to appear in Mir Guild. Discuss the new guild with your agent. No agent? You’ll probably get contacted individually. Oh, your phone is ringing just now. And that one too.”
As soon as he spoke, phones vibrated everywhere.
Some faces turned pale as they checked the messages.
It was a one-sided notification of transfer.
“Max Guild? That’s the guild we fought for seats with before! I’ll die if I go there!”
“No way, transfers can’t be this simple, can they?”
“What? Enchobi? Where? What? 5th division guild?”
Panic, confusion, complete chaos.
It had started rosy. Lee Shin is LeeDo’s grandson, and LeeDo is rich, right? I expected a careful contract renewal, maybe even a cautious salary negotiation.
The kimchi soup we drank heavily turned out to be poison.
“I-I won’t accept this! How can you transfer without any discussion?!”
“This is invalid! What kind of raid is this!!”
Lee Shin scratched his head at the rush of protests erupting from every side.
“Mm, everyone. You may not know, but transfers are the exclusive authority of the front office. This is not your concern.”
Tch. Those who know should stop acting like amateurs.
With Lee Shin’s firm stance, the team switched their focus to Yang Pan-seok, the last lifeline.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Team Leader!”
“What’s going to happen to us?”
“What is this! You said if we negotiated well, the contract renewal was guaranteed……”
“……Quiet!”
Even in this chaos, Yang Pan-seok desperately maintained a smile.
Confused and angry, but first understand the situation. Only then could it be handled.
“Explain. What exactly is going on?”
-Clap clap!
“Excellent. To smile even in this situation! See, that’s a professional attitude. A pro keeps their pace no matter what, unlike you guys running around in panic.”
“Don’t joke.”
“I’m serious. They say those who can smile in sadness are top-tier. Seems true.”
“……Don’t test my patience.”
“Relax, relax. Okay, just finish this drink first.”
The fizzy bubbles pop refreshingly.
Even with the tense, almost life-threatening atmosphere, Lee Shin calmly savored the lingering taste of beer, flipped his chair around, crossed his arms on the backrest, and surveyed the surroundings.
“Let me ask you in reverse. Do I have an ‘obligation’ to go with you?”
“Well……!”
Obligation.
Everyone’s anger peaked, yet the word ‘obligation’ silenced them.
There’s nothing to say. How can you make something that doesn’t exist?
“Too hard? Let’s lower the hurdle a bit. Tell me why I should be responsible for you. Rationally, morally, anything goes.”
Perhaps because the hurdle was lowered, those who had kept silent like sweet-mouthed mutes muttered something.
Their effort to think was admirable, but most of it was useless.
Skip the ones whining randomly. Do they really have a sick mother and wife? Too cliché.
Skip the ones bowing apologetically. Asked what they did wrong, they have no idea.
The ones worth listening to are about two.
“Who transfers without any consultation? At least give time to settle!”
“I’ve devoted 20 years to Mir Guild. I can’t accept such a sudden transfer!”
It’s shocking that these trivial words are the best he’ll hear, but Shin’s principle is to honor what’s said.
He decided to answer as politely as possible.
“Mm, correct. Transfers usually happen after sufficient discussion with the person. But!”
This is etiquette or custom, not law.
“Another tiny point. Even that courtesy starts from at least League 2. Sorry to say, you’re in League 4. Doesn’t apply here.”
Next,
“20 years of devotion is good. Excellent. Young hunters these days hop around for 2-3 years to raise their worth, yet you’ve stayed 20! Your loyalty deserves applause. But here’s the thing.”
Shin’s previously soft half-moon eyes sharpen.
“Though you’ve devoted yourselves, why are your results this bad?”
Results aren’t everything, but sometimes results are everything in the guild’s bottom tier.
If you carry the title of professional, you must prove your value with results.
Currently, Mir Guild is in League 4.
“Given these results, isn’t it reasonable to say there’s a serious problem with your so-called devotion? That’s what I think.”
“……”
“……”
Ding ding ding―! Down!
The raid squad members are K.O.’d by the ruthless verbal attack.
Denial, humiliation, injustice—every negative emotion swirls around them, but the result had already been determined the moment Lee Shin presented concrete performance data.
Yet, when everyone bowed their heads in despair.
“If you send us out like this, do you think you can handle the aftermath?”
Finding an escape even in a hopeless situation is the mark of a leader’s ability. In that sense, Yang Pan-seok was a pretty good leader.
Unlike the others, who panicked when the situation went awry, he instantly assessed who Lee Shin was and perfectly grasped the position he needed to take.
“The fans won’t stay idle. Our dedication might mean nothing to the new CEO, but will the fans who endured a long dark period accept this situation?”
A fight where performance is brought up is impossible to win.
So, focus on the process rather than the result, on emotion rather than logic.
Yang Pan-seok boldly played his strongest card.
A shield called “the fans.”
And Lee Shin, faced with this audacity…
“Kyah…! Using the fans as hostages—never thought I’d see this in person.”
…Amazingly, he’s moved. Truly!
He is genuinely touched to witness firsthand the audacious pettiness that even a devil would click his tongue at. Tears nearly stream from his eyes.
Could Lee Shin not have known Yang Pan-seok’s character?
Impossible. He had toyed with him enough to see a “story ending.”
Decent stats, decent traits. Good looks and marketability, a jack-of-all-trades tank who functions well wherever placed.
Yet, despite his solid performance, Yang Pan-seok had critical flaws.
An overly high self-esteem, thinking only he is the best: “Hero Complex” and “Snake’s Tail.”
In situations requiring responsibility, a shocking thick-skinned “Blame Others” and “Shamelessness.”
Most importantly, though it appears he values fans, he is secretly gripped by a “Sense of Superiority” as a hunter.
With these five negative traits, Lee Shin’s assessment of Yang Pan-seok was: trash.
If not for causing chaos as a villain, he was absolutely not someone to go along with.
“All right. You’re done attacking? Now it’s my turn.”
“Noona, hand that over.”
When Lee Shin gestured, the woman a step behind handed over the documents.
She had been so inconspicuous that even the previously excited members were startled. Lee Shin glanced at it briefly and handed it to Yang Pan-seok.
“Here, take it. It’s my attack.”
The moment Yang Pan-seok looked at the document, his eyes widened as if they might tear.
Construction company rebates, kickbacks from equipment vendors, broadcasting rights, even scouting manipulations.
It was a list detailing all the creative corrupt practices tied to the Raid squad.
“What did you say earlier? That the guild’s core is the hunters and the guild’s motto is not to spare investment to improve hunter skills?”
According to this list, Yang Pan-seok’s name should go in the “Hunter” section. He is the guild’s core, and investment should not be spared to increase his wealth.
And whenever this motto is even slightly threatened, Yang Pan-seok’s ultimate move appears.
“For the fans, to repay the support of the fans! Oh, so busy, so busy, fans have lives too, give them a break.”
Trapped in a corner, Yang Pan-seok’s composure vanished.
His mouth, always chanting for the fans, growled “Shit, shit…,” and his eyes, usually righteous, glinted viciously like a beast seeking its own survival.
Eventually, he stared intently at Lee Shin.
‘Should I kill him?’
Since Yang Pan-seok lived on his image rather than skill, if this were exposed, mere criticism wouldn’t suffice.
Criminal charges, lawsuits… The deeper he thought, the clearer Lee Shin’s neck appeared.
The room was thick with killing intent.
The raid squad panicked: “Shouldn’t we stop him?” “You stop him.”
Then, the female secretary blocking Lee Shin’s path put her hand in her pocket.
A volatile situation.
Yet, Lee Shin’s reaction was:
“Pfft, what a ridiculous show.”
He laughed, sneering at how trivial it was.
Lee Shin rose from the chair.
“Noona, move.”
“….”
“Hurry, don’t make me say it twice.”
For the first time, the secretary wavered.
An inexplicable pressure. Was it just her imagination? Lee Shin’s back looked unusually large.
Standing before Yang Pan-seok, Lee Shin was calm, despite being close enough for Pan-seok to potentially kill him.
“You have two options. First, raise your hand and stab me.”
What will you do?
As Lee Shin stepped closer, Pan-seok subtly stepped back.
He had bitten the tail.
“I knew it. Of course you would.”
From “Blame Others” to “Sense of Superiority,” the key trait running through him was strong-weak-weak-strong.
He blames others because they are weaker, holds superiority because others are weaker.
Then what about someone who appears stronger than him? For example, Lee Shin, heir of the country’s top company, the LeeDo Group?
He certainly can’t do anything.
“Then only the second option remains. Spit out everything you’ve been hiding and quietly transfer.”
“Ugh…”
“Why? You twisting? Or want handcuffs?”
Lee Shin’s bright face approached the hesitant Yang Pan-seok.
“You can do the math yourself. Since it’s come to this, better to salvage even a small sum, right?”
At the moment he lost initiative, Pan-seok was finished. Lee Shin just had to decide whether to grill it or fry it.
And that choice was “transfer.”
After considering many factors, this was best.
If things got noisy, it would be harmful in multiple ways.
During the process of exposing Yang Pan-seok’s corruption, the guild’s deficiencies would become visible, lowering the guild’s value.
Even if that could somehow be overlooked, selling Yang Pan-seok and these idiots at their real value would become impossible.
No front office would throw the most expensive player in their team into the trash, right? Each of these is money.
To Lee Shin, it’s trash. In a lower league, this much is already generous. So, sell while there’s value.
“I really am sentimental. Even taking care of such trash. So, how about it? Decided?”
“….”
“All right, agreed?”
Patting the shoulders of the fully resigned Yang Pan-seok, Lee Shin smiled.
Then he turned and shouted:
“Everyone heard that, right? Remember, everything you’ve selfishly taken, even coffee mix, is listed here. Check it, pay your dues voluntarily, and keep quiet. If this causes trouble later.”
Then.
“I’ll make it truly miserable in my grandfather’s name.”
Everyone froze at Lee Shin’s final warning.
Satisfied, he clapped his hands.
“That was a bit long, but I believe it’s enough explanation. The time was short, but very interesting. In that sense, drinks are on me. Enjoy. Then…”
May fortune be with you all.
With that, Lee Shin and the secretary left, leaving Yang Pan-seok and his group frozen in the ruined hall.
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※ Mir Guild
• League 4
• CEO: Lee Shin
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•
• Raid Captain: Yang Pan-seok ▶▶ (No
