Chapter 21
—
47 hours after entering the gate.
The Mir Guild raid, led by the Mountain King, Kim Jong-pil, had progressed at a terrifying speed and was now nearing its final stages.
Keiieeek―!!
A horrifyingly unpleasant screech rang out for a moment before a swarm of goblins came charging fiercely from the forest.
The sheer number of goblins was so overwhelming that the greenery of weeds and shrubs scattered across the ground was no longer visible.
It was a ferocious assault, almost as if announcing that the end of the gate was near.
But the momentum of the raid party was no less intense.
“We haven’t slept, damn it!! You stupid dwarves!!”
“Stick to the line! Stop rushing forward!”
“Hey! Shut up already!”
“Woohoo!!”
The tankers at the very front were the first to clash with the goblins, fiercely slamming their shields as they dashed forward.
Bravely carving a path, the damage dealers then unleashed their specialties in attacks. Swords danced dazzlingly, and spears pierced through the air.
Maces shattered goblin skulls, while arrows rained down from the sky, accompanied by bursts of colorful magic that scorched the entire battlefield.
Only yesterday, they had been in complete disarray, struggling to handle even a fifth of this number—perhaps even less. But now, even when completely surrounded with no retreat in sight, they showed no panic, even enjoying the thrill of the battlefield.
Considering their earlier disgraceful performance, their rapid improvement was astonishing, and it was all thanks to one person.
The Mountain King, Kim Jong-pil.
“Just because there are a lot of them doesn’t mean you need to panic. Those low-level goblins lack ranged attack options. The actual number of goblins you’ll face directly isn’t that different.”
The terrain was flat, and there were no special entities like elites or champions.
Dozens of wind hawks soaring over the battlefield continuously relayed real-time information, confirming there were no unexpected variables.
“Finish them off while conserving your stamina and advancing steadily. That’s all.”
― ““Yes!!””
A booming reply came over the comms, and the raid party’s formation became even more solid.
Satisfied that everything was under control, Kim Jong-pil signaled, “Take me up,” and the wind hawk carrying him flapped its wings powerfully, ascending into the air.
A dizzying height. The battlefield below appeared tiny, like scattered grains.
This wasn’t just a figure of speech—his eyes truly captured the entire battlefield at once.
The goblins fiercely resisting. The raid party pushing back with even greater fervor. Yet, despite the intense battle, Kim Jong-pil wore a somewhat distant expression.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong.
Even putting aside his pledge not to step onto the frontlines, Kim Jong-pil wasn’t particularly worried about the raid. No, to be precise, he wasn’t even thinking much about it.
To be honest, the Mountain King wasn’t a title he’d won playing marbles in his hometown, and taking a level-3 gate seriously would be embarrassing in its own right.
Perhaps that’s why his focus wasn’t on the battlefield but elsewhere.
Pulling out a stack of papers from his coat, he glanced at the guide given to him by Lee Shin, worn at the edges from repeated readings.
“As expected, he was right. Their potential isn’t bad.”
Their low combat intelligence made them incapable of multitasking. They also lacked the ability to make autonomous decisions in unexpected situations.
In every aspect that modern raids prioritized, they fell short. However……
The more Kim Jong-pil worked with them, the more he understood why Lee Shin had confidently declared they shone brightest when treated as “tools.”
“They can’t multitask, but they perform their assigned role above average.”
“They can’t make autonomous decisions in unexpected situations, but they follow instructions without question.”
“They may fall short in every aspect modern raids prioritize, but as tools…… they’re quite exceptional.”
As this thought crystallized in his mind, Kim Jong-pil felt a strange sense of discomfort.
A nagging sensation in the back of his head, like he’d missed something. And his brilliant mind quickly identified the source of the discomfort.
Familiarity.
No matter how good a tool is, it should feel unfamiliar when used for the first time. But they felt as comfortable as custom-fitted clothing tailored by a master artisan.
It was then that he realized.
Ah, this isn’t a one-sided relationship.
It’s not just that I’m compensating for their deficiencies; they’ve been compensating for mine as well.
Exactly.
If Kim Jong-pil played the role of the “head” to cover the raid party’s shortcomings, then the raid party was filling in the one area where the Mountain King was most lacking and vulnerable.
That area was “youth.”
“Fascinating.”
Even when including Kim Jong-pil, who was nearing sixty, the team’s average age was an astonishing 23.5 years.
Realizing this, the guide provided by Lee Shin took on a whole new meaning.
Take, for example, this individual.
Name: Park Jung-seok
Type: Martial 1st Line Standard Tanker (Shield Knight)
Equipment: Sword & Shield or Tower Shield (Don’t expect much offensive power)
Stats: High health and innate durability, with decent agility for a tanker, but terrible at positional awareness—a must-have skill for a tanker.
.
.
Usage Notes:
- Acts as an 「Aggro Doll」 automatically drawing enemy attention. If overly exposed on the line, they will become a focus target.
- Excessive confidence compared to judgment ability can disrupt team coordination.
At first, Kim Jong-pil had only admired the profile for its accuracy. However, after understanding Lee Shin’s style, he began to see something else.
‘He’s probably planning to use this guy as a sub-damage dealer.’
“Positional awareness” was a critical flaw for a tank, but if the character was reimagined as a melee damage dealer capable of breaking formations, it posed no issue at all.
The “Aggro Doll” trait might have been a problem, but even this could be mitigated through strategy if the character wasn’t a tank but a damage dealer.
Indeed, Lee Shin had hidden deeper meanings throughout the guide, as if daring Kim Jong-pil, “If you’re capable, why not try figuring it out?”
“What a cheeky guy, like playing a hidden picture game.”
Kim Jong-pil clicked his tongue, but a smile spread across his face.
It had been so long since he felt challenged like this.
He felt a little sorry for the raid party battling fiercely against the goblins below, but Kim Jong-pil found this mental battle with Lee Shin far more engaging.
However.
“There’s still one thing I just don’t get.”
Some parts remained beyond even Kim Jong-pil’s understanding.
He flipped to the last page of the profile.
The face of a boy smiling innocently greeted him. With delicate features as youthful as Lee Shin’s, the boy appeared tender and fragile.
“Park Soo-bin.”
160 cm in height. 45 kg in weight. Just 16 years old. The youngest member of the raid party.
His slender, almost waif-like frame looked as if it would blow away in the wind. Adding to the oddity, he was a defensive sorcerer—a role gradually losing relevance in modern raids.
But.
“Why would he write about this kid like that?”
At that moment, a few goblins leapt toward Park Soo-bin.
Since he wasn’t a damage dealer, Park Soo-bin stepped back with a stretch of his legs, retreating in measured backsteps.
As the goblins collided with the nearby damage dealers, Park Soo-bin extended his long, delicate fingers.
Index, middle, and ring fingers folded one by one, forming the familiar “finger gun” gesture every child had tried at least once.
As soon as a ball of energy formed at his fingertips—
Crackle!
A translucent barrier emerged with remarkable speed.
Though the shield’s durability was low enough to shatter after a few hits from the goblins’ blades, it was still a rare and instantaneous defense spell.
However, to Kim Jong-pil, it didn’t look like a shield.
“That’s not magic. The energy form isn’t right. Is it telekinesis? No, maybe it’s closer to psychic power?”
Regardless, this peculiar and flawed ability was the only weapon Park Soo-bin had displayed.
Yet.
Two letters in his profile stood out.
W.C.
A title given only to a select few geniuses capable of competing on the global stage—World Class.
“What on earth did he see in this kid?”
Aagh!!
Park Soo-bin fell to the ground as a goblin charged into him. Covered in goblin fluids, he flailed helplessly, slipping in the mess. Watching this, Kim Jong-pil tilted his head.
“No matter how I look at him, he seems completely useless.”
Thus, the Mir Guild’s first raid concluded amidst such passionate scrutiny.
* * *
※ 1st Round
<Mir Guild>
Gate: Goblin Crimson Mountain Village
Total Raid Time: 50 hours, 42 minutes, 27 seconds (New Record)
Boss: Goblin Chieftain ‘Battu’
Boss Clear Time: 29 minutes, 31 seconds (New Record)·
League 4 Ranking: 1st (New!!)
MVP: Mountain King Kim Jong-pil (Rating: 9.9)
* * *
The doors to the guild headquarters swung open.
“Congratulations!!”
Lee Shin’s voice cracked from yelling as fireworks erupted on both sides with a loud pop-pop-pop!
It was a welcome ceremony for the raid party, celebrating the success of their first expedition. As they returned, the entire guild staff showered them with cheers and applause.
“You were amazing!”
“Thank you.”
“You’re the best! Absolutely incredible!”
“Hehe…”
“You were seriously awesome!”
“Thanks to you all.”
For the young raid members, it was their first time receiving such praise. Though shy, they couldn’t help but puff up with pride.
They knew.
They knew they deserved this.
- Goblin Crimson Mountain Village Time Record Broken
- Most Monsters Defeated in Goblin Crimson Mountain Village
- Fastest Boss Clear for Goblin Chieftain Battu
- Youngest Certified Hunter Debut: Park Soo-bin
These were just a few of the records they shattered.
Given the league’s tradition of carving achievements into each gate, the Goblin Crimson Mountain Village would now bear the name “Mir” prominently at its entrance.
Lee Shin was confident that unless a hunter of Mountain King caliber descended to League 4, these records would remain unbroken for eternity.
As if to celebrate, numerous notifications flashed joyously in the corner of Lee Shin’s vision. But he had unfinished business.
Lee Shin brushed them aside and surveyed the surroundings.
The guild members turned their attention to him.
“As you all know, the perception of us wasn’t exactly favorable until just recently.”
A fallen noble.
A dragon on life support.
“But despite the skeptical gazes, all of you—the staff and the raid party—have proven yourselves spectacularly.
You’ve shown more than anyone expected and shut up those doubters in the most elegant way.”
“I won’t say much since you’re all tired.”
Locking eyes with every single guild member, staff and raiders alike, Lee Shin spoke sincerely.
“Well done.”
Waaaah―!
Clap clap clap clap!!
Thunderous applause broke out again.
The guild staff, fatigued from long nights of overtime, felt their weariness melt away.
Some raid members, overwhelmed by the validation of their hard work, even found their eyes welling up.
Lee Shin moved through the crowd, shaking hands with those moved by the moment, before finally stopping in front of Kim Jong-pil.
“Captain.”
“We’re back.”
Lee Shin and Kim Jong-pil exchanged a heartfelt embrace.
The sight of the two pivotal figures of the new Mir Guild, transcending their age difference to share genuine camaraderie, was undoubtedly inspiring.
However, little did the cheering crowd know about the conversation taking place between the two.
“Heh heh, to be honest, that was too easy, right?”
“Click that tongue of yours.”
“Mind your expression. Keep it professional.”
“Mind your own, you little brat.”
The previously serious Lee Shin disappeared, replaced by his usual carefree demeanor, fluttering about as if on a whim.
Faced with this drastic shift, Kim Jong-pil could only chuckle dryly, exhaling in disbelief.
“This kid, isn’t the usual response supposed to start with ‘Was it okay?’ What’s with calling it dull, huh?”
“Come on, elder. You’ve got your pride. It’s just a record-breaking run in a level 3 gate. Celebrating that feels a bit much, doesn’t it? How many gates do we have left? If we celebrate every time we break a record, my mouth won’t survive.”
“Hah, look at that quick tongue.”
Though their banter seemed contentious, it gave off the heartwarming impression of a grandfather and grandson teasing each other.
The guild brimmed with laughter, and the atmosphere couldn’t have been better.
“Alright, this is really the last announcement. Director?”
“The afterparty venue is the ribs place across the bus stop. We’ve rented it out from 9 PM to 1 AM.”
“Attendance is optional, so don’t feel pressured! Bring your family or your significant other—it’s all good. You know my card has no limit, right? Eat as much as you want!”
Checking the time, Lee Shin added:
“It’s almost noon, so hurry back home or to the dorms and get some rest. See you tonight. Oh, by the way, I’ll make myself scarce so you can all relax and enjoy.”
“Dismissed!”
With a couple of claps, Lee Shin turned away, and as if on cue, everyone applauded and began to leave the guild building.
* * *
And Then
The guild emptied.
Lee Shin hummed a tune as he boiled water in a coffee pot.
“La la la~”
He had sent Dong-ha home. The secretary had left too.
Every true man needed moments of solitude now and then.
For Lee Shin, today was that day.
“Ah, how long has it been since I’ve had this combo?”
In his right hand was a cup of instant noodles, and in his left, a bottle of soju.
For the record, the instant noodles were the big bowl kind—standard protocol.
Slurping the thin noodles with gusto, he spun the soju bottle into a swirl and poured himself a hearty drink straight from the bottle.
And now, the main event.
Turning his gaze to the notifications that had been flashing non-stop:
【 Congratulations. You have completed your first raid. 】
【 The ‘Manager Status Window’ is now activated. 】
【 The ‘Growth Management Window’ is now activated. 】
※ Measuring Raid Achievements.
[ First Gate Entry +50p ]
[ First Goblin Encounter +50p ]
[ First Goblin First Kill +50p ]
[ First Elite…
……
…
.
Endless rewards cascaded before him.
Now, this was the best snack.
“Ah, life is good~!”
—
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