Chapter 6
—
A field overgrown with weeds.
On the outskirts of the city stood a towering reinforced concrete wall.
At the entrance, large letters read, “Lee Do Comprehensive Logistics Center.”
This was the workplace of a sturdy young man, Chae Dong-ha, who worked here as an intern.
“Dong-ha! Chae Dong-ha!”
“Where are you, Dong-ha?”
“Yes, Team Leader, I’m over here!!”
From across the warehouse, Chae Dong-ha quickly extinguished his cigarette and tried to stand up at the sound of someone calling for him.
But his shoulders were suddenly pinned down by Team Leader Choi and Deputy Park.
“Oh, come on, pretty boy. Why are you standing? Stay seated. Relax.”
“Absolutely, you’re just a treasure, you know.”
With gentle smiles and soft voices, the two looked like broken dolls grinning from ear to ear.
Chae Dong-ha immediately knew what they were about to say.
“Looks like both of you won. Congratulations.”
The finals of the “Kirin vs. White Sword” Guild War Korea were held just a few days ago.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations that Kirin Guild would dominate, the finals turned into an epic seven-round battle, concluding with a shocking twist in the final raid.
Chae Dong-ha had accurately predicted the outcome of this unprecedented match.
And these two hadn’t ignored his words, betting on the results and making a decent profit.
“How could you predict all the finals!”
“I’m genuinely curious, Dong-ha. How did you know that the White Sword Guild would drag it to seven rounds? I couldn’t even imagine that.”
“Haha… It wasn’t really a prediction. I just went with what seemed statistically likely.”
“Wow, statistics! Team Leader, did you hear that? This is what humility looks like.”
“It’s really nothing…”
“Nothing? Everything you said was right!”
“That’s right! You amazed us!”
In a best-of-seven series, the absence of “Mountain King” would weigh heavier than expected, leading to all seven rounds being played.
However, once the final stage was reached, “Flame Queen” would likely wrap things up swiftly.
From start to finish, every prediction Chae Dong-ha made had been spot-on.
“Is that all? You practically provided commentary on each Hunter, and every single one was accurate.”
“Chills! Team Leader, look at this. I’ve got goosebumps!”
“Hahaha… Thank you.”
Despite their fuss, Chae Dong-ha only smiled humbly as always, showing little excitement.
All he did was share observations based on visible probabilities. There was nothing extraordinary about it.
In this day and age, information was abundant.
Field data, monster types, and raid team compositions—all this information allowed Chae Dong-ha to calculate probabilities and simply state them.
From his perspective, it was the team leader and deputy, who gambled their hard-earned money on such uncertainties, that were harder to understand.
“It’s amazing. All those hours you spend during lunch scrolling through guild communities, and you actually have a knack for this.”
“You know those people who are naturally gifted in one area? Their minds just work differently in that field.”
“That must be it.”
“Dong-ha, I see you differently now. You should really consider pursuing this—maybe as a strategy analyst or scout.”
“…!”
“…”
At Deputy Park’s careless remark, Team Leader Choi seemed to realize his mistake and cautiously observed Chae Dong-ha’s reaction.
A fleeting shadow crossed Chae Dong-ha’s face, but he quickly regained his usual smile.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Nothing? Rumours about you are everywhere! I’ve got an eye for people, and you’re seriously talented in this field!”
But Deputy Park, lacking tact, didn’t stop.
He even started pressing Dong-ha about whether he’d consider working for a guild his cousin was part of.
Unable to bear it any longer, Team Leader Choi scolded him, “Hey, calm down and stop it already.”
“But Team Leader, you saw it too. How much do successful analysts or scouts make? It’d be such a waste. Listen to me—Dong-ha, you’re young. Even if it’s tough to break into League 2 or 1 right now, you could start with lower leagues and work your way up…”
“Shut up already!”
“Jeez! Why are you yelling at me?”
“Just zip it, will you?”
“Alright, alright…”
It wasn’t until the team leader gave him a sharp look that Deputy Park noticed the gloom on Chae Dong-ha’s face.
Talent?
Chae Dong-ha knew he had a talent for this. As a child, he even dreamed of working for a guild.
But the current Chae Dong-ha couldn’t afford to dream.
His younger siblings’ tuition, his mother’s hospital bills, the lease loan…
As the family’s breadwinner, the weight of reality was already overwhelming.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“Haha, it’s fine. Really, it’s okay.”
“Let’s just go eat. What’s for lunch today?”
In the world of probabilities that Chae Dong-ha saw, the answer was already clear.
The chance of achieving his dream? At most, 10%.
The chance his family couldn’t withstand the cost of chasing that dream? At least 90%.
Meanwhile, here, as long as he didn’t mess up, he had a 100% chance of becoming a regular employee at a major company.
The choice was too obvious.
Chae Dong-ha turned off his phone, its wallpaper showing the Guild War logo.
“If I can just finish this internship, get a steady paycheck, and provide for my family—give them what they want to wear and eat—then that’ll be my dream.”
With that thought, he consoled himself and headed to the cafeteria.
But probabilities are still probabilities.
Anything less than 100% always leaves room for variables.
― “Intern Chae Dong-ha, please come to the center lounge immediately. I repeat, Intern Chae Dong-ha, please come to the center lounge immediately…”
Although Chae Dong-ha had calculated the probability of his dream coming true.
“Hello, I’m Lee Shin.”
He had underestimated the variable called luck.
* * *
From the moment Lee Shin opened his eyes in this world, it had been full of delight.
Living a life of overwhelming charm and appearance he had never experienced before was enjoyable, as was experiencing the superficial superiority that came with the word “chaebol.”
But.
Even so.
He could confidently say that none of the joys he had experienced so far could compare to this very moment.
“Wow, Chae Dong-ha… You look exactly like the illustration…!”
“Excuse me?”
“Hold on. Give me a moment to take this in.”
Seeing it on TV is one thing. Searching on the internet is on a completely different level.
But the real thing! A real, living character!
And not just any character, but one of Lee Shin’s top five favourite characters in GM, standing right before him!
When it came to Chae Dong-ha, he was classified as an SS-tier character on Lee Shin’s meticulously crafted character ranking chart.
To put it into perspective, SSS-tier was reserved for gods, making SS-tier the immediate level below that.
He was someone who had broken through the infamous S-tier wall that even the most elite awakeners couldn’t breach, reaching the pinnacle as a non-awakener.
For reference, the crotchety grandfather Lee Sang-byuk, whom Lee Shin had met a few days prior, was also an SS-tier character, which illustrated just how valuable Chae Dong-ha was.
‘The man who pulled a bottom-tier League 5 guild up to the major leagues!’
‘The devil of the agent world, who rakes in astronomical profits through trades leveraging Hunters’ reputations, akin to influencer marketing!’
‘The legendary manager, set to rewrite history with his record-breaking contract and move to Kirin after a brief slump!’
Although his talents allowed for multiple paths, the one Lee Shin liked the most was the cheat code for management.
This was when he envisioned him working under his command.
‘I’m full just looking at him.’
Honey practically dripped from Lee Shin’s eyes. On the other hand, the more intense his gaze, the more Chae Dong-ha’s pupils seemed to tremble.
“Is… is there something on my face?”
Being called to the lounge and finding the chairman’s grandson sitting there?
And not just any grandson, but the infamous troublemaker Lee Shin who had been dominating the news?
Moreover, the way he looked at him with an intense, almost greedy gaze was overwhelming.
At this point, Chae Dong-ha’s thought process completely froze. His stiff gestures were evidence of that.
“Ah, don’t be nervous. I just wanted to have a chat with you.”
“A chat? With me? About what?”
“I heard rumours about you. That you’re very interested in guilds. I’m into them too.”
“Just… that?”
Just for that reason, he came all the way here and pulled him out during work hours?
Was this the so-called chaebol privilege he’d only heard about?
But this wasn’t even the main point yet.
“Let’s drop the formalities while we’re at it. It’ll make talking easier.”
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, you just said ‘yes’! How old are you, Dong-ha? You’re 25, right? I’m 23. Perfect, the ideal two-year age gap for brothers. Don’t you think?”
“B-Brothers?”
“Then I’ll call you hyung from now on. You can call me comfortably too.”
“Uh… what??”
“Well, I should explain the situation to you, shouldn’t I, Dong-ha hyung?”
“I… I suppose so?”
Thus, the declaration of brotherhood was made, passing by like lightning.
The completely unpredictable development finally caused Chae Dong-ha’s thought process to grind to a halt.
Lee Shin nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
Everything was going well.
He had no intention of letting go of this talented SS-tier slave… no, genius, that had landed in his lap.
When in control, it’s best to press forward.
The first topic had to be this:
“If you were to run a guild, how would you do it?”
“A guild? All of a sudden?”
“Yeah, a guild.”
As unpredictable as his first impression was, so was the question.
Chae Dong-ha tilted his head, trying to figure out what this was all about, while Lee Shin stared intently, waiting for his answer.
His eyes were filled with determination. No matter how much Dong-ha resisted, it was clear he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer.
Eventually, Dong-ha sighed and opened his mouth.
“Sorry, but the question is flawed. Asking how to run a guild shouldn’t come first. You need to know what kind of guild it is first.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Not all guilds are the same. Each one has a distinct character depending on its purpose.”
Not everyone aims for promotions and league championships.
Some focus on survival through raids, known as “Hunting Guilds,” while others specialize in raising and selling promising rookies to higher-league guilds, known as “Selling Guilds.”
“When you think about it, it’s only natural. Generally, professional Hunters are considered part of League 3 and above. That’s when tournaments begin, and exposure is on a different level. However, they make up less than 20% of all awakeners.
League 2 is only 5%. League 1 is just 1%.”
“So, the remaining 80% have to make a choice?”
“Realistically, not everyone can aim for the top. Hunters are human too, and they have to live in the real world. That’s why there can never be identical guilds in this world.”
It sounded as if he was talking about someone’s reality.
For a moment, a shadow crossed Chae Dong-ha’s face, but he quickly returned to normal.
“Alright, great. Then let’s add some conditions. A once-renowned local guild that has now fallen from grace. It’s burdened with debt, its talent pool is non-existent, and it’s desperate for a buyer.”
“That’s awfully specific.”
“I made an estimate, thinking it might be something my grandfather would be into. So, what do you think? What would you do?”
“If it were me…”
“Oh, and by the way, there’s plenty of money. Almost disgustingly so.”
“In that case, recruitment would come first.”
The face of a guild is its raid team, and its raid team is made up of Hunters.
“First, I’d make a high-profile acquisition to shock the market, then carefully choose a direction. Whether to use every resource available for a win-now approach or to aim for steady progress over time.”
“Interesting. And what would you do?”
“Promotion odds are typically 2%. I wouldn’t gamble on such slim chances. I’d focus on building a solid foundation and working my way up gradually. That’s also better for building a fanbase. Plus…”
Ideas began pouring out like a broken dam.
With Lee Shin’s occasional “Oh~!” and “Wow~!” interjections, Chae Dong-ha got more excited and started pulling out ideas he had kept buried in his mind.
As his plans began to take shape with his personal touch, he suddenly stopped.
“Ah…”
Without realizing it, he had gotten swept up in the moment, but it was nothing more than a pointless fantasy.
Chae Dong-ha’s face turned red.
How ridiculous must he have looked, an intern about to disappear like a fly in the wind, babbling about guild management? He was dying of embarrassment.
But Lee Shin, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear, thoroughly delighted.
‘I was worried for nothing.’
According to the original storyline, Chae Dong-ha would take his first steps into the guild world in his mid-thirties, a somewhat late age, and then achieve rapid success.
So Lee Shin had wondered—was he just a dud in his youth?
But now, this conversation confirmed it.
This guy was indeed the born genius he had known.
“Excellent. So, how about this, hyung? That plan you just mentioned—let’s do it together.”
“Pardon…?”
“Don’t you get it? I’m scouting you. For my guild.”
“…!!”
The moment the word “guild,” which he had dreamed of for so long, was mentioned, Chae Dong-ha’s heart surged.
But then, a heavy stone dropped into it.
That stone was called responsibility, the weight he bore and had to continue bearing.
“…I’m sorry. I truly appreciate the offer, but I’m not in a position to accept it right now.”
“Why?”
“…”
As a tsunami of emotions passed, he regained his composure.
Could such an ideal reality even exist?
The probability that a guild master would recognize his talent and seriously scout him versus the probability that a troublemaking third-generation chaebol heard a rumour about a guild-loving employee and came to tease him.
Neither scenario made much sense, but when in doubt, he always chose the stable option.
“I’m sorry… but I can’t go along with such a joke.”
“And why not?”
“….”
Lee Shin continued to smile, leaving Chae Dong-ha speechless.
With his regular employment status just within reach, there was no way he could talk back to the chairman’s grandson.
He took a deep breath internally.
He thought about the stable job that would provide for his siblings, replacing his late father.
The benefits that would cover his sick mother’s hospital bills.
Forcing a smile, he prepared to respond with his usual agreeable demeanour.
“Hah, what to do?”
But there was one thing he didn’t know.
Lee Shin understood him better than he did himself.
He knew that Chae Dong-ha was the kind of character often seen in reality—someone who gave up their dreams when faced with the walls of reality.
“Hm, how can I get you to believe me?”
“…Excuse me?”
“It must be about money since you’re the eldest. Your siblings, your mother, your family… right?”
“…!!”
“Well, then, let’s do this.”
And Lee Shin, as he was now, possessed the wealth to shatter the walls blocking Chae Dong-ha and make his dreams come true.
Lee Shin pulled out a document from his pocket.
“Write down whatever amount you want to receive.”
The document he placed in front of Chae Dong-ha was an employment contract.
The salary section was blank—a completely open contract.
“I’ll transfer it to you immediately.”
—
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