Chapter 22
—
GM is unfriendly in many ways.
And it’s difficult.
The overwhelming number of status windows.
The hundreds of small stats and figures.
If you don’t configure the pop-ups, the lag becomes unbearable—a user interface nightmare in terms of convenience.
Despite being the undisputed number one among addictive “Devil’s Games,” it was undeniable that the entry barrier was absurdly high.
That’s why Lee Shin would always give one piece of advice to newbies:
“Don’t overcomplicate things; just focus on one thing.”
Points (Point).
Raids, league battles, achievements close to impossible—all these yield points.
With these points, you can increase stats in the [Manager Status Window].
With these points, you can develop the guild in the [Guild Management Window].
With these points, you can nurture the raid party in the [Growth Management Window].
Level up the main character.
Develop the guild.
Train the raid party.
Produce results to earn more points.
And repeat the cycle of leveling, developing, and training.
Though seemingly different, it all boils down to one core mechanic of GM gameplay:
Points.
.
.
Swish—!
[ First Gate Clear +200p ]
[ Goblin LV3-C2 Time Record Renewal +200p ]
[ Loss Rate Under 10% Bonus +300p ]
[ Goblin Slaughter (3,000) +100p ]
[ Acquired Title <Goblin Slayer 1> +50p ]
……
……
…
.
“This is why you play GM!”
Perhaps because it was the first gate clear, points were pouring down like rain.
Of course, it wasn’t always this easy.
GM’s rewards varied greatly depending on scores and records.
Recruiting a top-tier character like the Mountain King, rewriting recorded time at every gate— this was the result of ambitiously scraping up nearly impossible bonuses.
※ Overall Rank: SSS
※ Points Earned: 1250p
※ All available bonuses achieved. Additional reward: ‘Gold Card Pack (Special Traits).’
1250 points!
An extraordinary amount, especially at the beginning stages, and on top of that, a premium trait-draw pack?
“This is sweet!”
When the rewards are this good, even the drinks taste sweeter.
“Now, where should I start?”
Lee Shin briefly wiped his lips as his eyes gleamed.
“Of course, I’ll start with this.”
His finger tapped the [Manager Status Window].
The flood of information that filled his vision—
[Manager Status Window]
Name: Lee Shin (23 years old)
Affiliation: <Mir Guild>
Type:
Talent
Mind (0/0) (Restricted)
Skill (0/0) (Restricted)
Physical (0/0) (Restricted)
Combat (0/0) (Restricted)
Society (100/100) (MAX)
……
…
.
──Closed.
“I can’t look at this anymore. It’s like something straight out of an early-access beta build.”
The interfaces resembled what you’d expect from a game before its major UI updates—a tangled mess.
Lee Shin shuddered at the inconvenience, hastily tweaking the interface.
Since restricted stats couldn’t be touched, they were removed.
He focused entirely on maxing out “Society” stats while simplifying and improving visibility.
After a while, Lee Shin’s handiwork was complete.
※ Name: Lee Shin (23 years old)
※ Society (100/100) (MAX)
Politics: 0 (+50p)
Leadership: 0 (+50p)
Reputation: 0 (+50p)
Dominance: 0 (+50p)
Charm: 101 (???)
Wealth: 100 (MAX)
【 ‘Politics’ stat deficit greatly increases the probability of conflict. 】
【 ‘Leadership’ stat deficit greatly increases the probability of…… 】
【 ‘Reputation’ stat deficit causes conflict…… 】
【 ‘Dominance’ stat deficit causes…… 】
“So comfortable~.”
The warning messages were spicy, but it was oddly satisfying.
It meant there was plenty of room for improvement.
Lee Shin took another swig of soju and examined the stats.
Since the base stats were zero, raising just one stat only cost 50 points.
However, randomly distributing stats wasn’t a good idea.
Every five stat increases caused a major jump in point requirements, making proper allocation essential.
“What should I level up?”
Politics, Leadership, Reputation, Dominance.
“Of these, the one causing me the most trouble is…”
Reputation.
The others had subtle negative effects, but Reputation loudly announced, “Lee Shin is a bastard!”
If Reputation were raised to around 40 or 50, more than half the insults he received would likely disappear.
Logically, raising Reputation seemed like the obvious choice.
But unfortunately, Lee Shin wasn’t the type to care about that.
“Even hate is a form of attention.”
After all, it meant more people were paying attention to him.
According to the marketing team, half of the 100 articles about him were filled with insults.
Even the showcase for recruiting the Mountain King ended with comments like, “What a waste of money” and “The Mountain King must’ve been scammed.”
If he raised his Reputation and stopped receiving insults?
Half of those 100 articles would disappear.
Better to be insulted and have 100 articles than to be ignored with 50—that was Lee Shin’s conclusion.
A bit of hate wouldn’t kill him, and, in fact, being polarizing was part of his character’s “charm.”
“From the start, this is a spicy character. Gotta keep it bold.”
And with that resolve, Lee Shin confidently made his choice.
- Society (100/100) (MAX)
Politics: 0
Leadership: 0
Reputation: 0
Dominance: ‘5’ (+100p)
Charm: 101 (???)
Wealth: 100 (MAX)
‘Dominance (Charisma)’ is a stat that projects unilateral influence like coercion and obedience, rather than conversation, understanding, or negotiation.
It already feels overpowering enough, but adding more strength on top of this? It’s as if I can hear Chae Dong-ha’s screams.
B-but, it’s fun!
If luck is on my side, it can add a pinch of help in combat, making it the best choice in many ways.
“This settles this.”
Gulp, gulp.
Draining the last drop, I opened a new soju bottle with a refreshed mind.
“The next one should be easy.”
[ Guild Management Window ]
※ Mir Guild
* League 4
* Leader: Lee Shin
* Captain: Jeong Soon-dong
* Vice-Captain: Chae Dong-ha
* Raid Leader: Kim Jong-pil
* Raids: 14/100
* Fame: 40/100
* Finances: 5/100
* Facilities: 33/100
* Alignment: Progressive.
* Value: 89.1 billion
.
.
“Woah~”
The guild’s alignment, once ‘Conservative,’ has changed to ‘Progressive,’ and its value has risen from 3.1 billion to 89.1 billion.
Of course, 95% of the increased value is thanks to Kim Jong-pil’s contribution, but that’s a skill in itself, isn’t it? It can’t simply be overlooked.
Lee Shin’s shoulders danced with joy.
“Let’s go for honor and tackle fatigue tech.”
※ Mir Guild
* Leader: Lee Shin
.
.
* Honor
* Frontline Fatigue Reduction Lv1 (3%)
With a single click, 200 precious points vanished.
And what I got was a mere 3% fatigue reduction. The efficiency is trash.
Early-game efficiency-wise, the ‘Chemistry’ tech with its remarkable benefits or the ‘Loyalty’ tech known as a standard choice for beginners would’ve been far better.
But this character’s concept is extreme from the start.
Lee Shin’s ambitions are far greater. And achieving them requires an unconventional approach.
Rot away in this League 4 for years?
The early game is sacrificial!
“Now, there’s just one thing left.
Perhaps, at this point, it’s the main one.”
I pressed [ Growth Management Window ].
The status window swept over me again.
Even when it was just Lee Shin alone, it was overwhelming, but now, with Kim Jong-pil and the 15-member raid team’s pictures and stats flooding the screen, it was almost drowning in a sea of information.
Lee Shin boldly dismissed it all.
“You’re out, you’re on hold, and you get lost.”
At this point, Lee Shin’s growth philosophy is selection and focus.
No interest in tools to be used.
Focus only on a core few.
The first of these, without a doubt, is Kim Jong-pil.
※ Mountain King Kim Jong-pil
(Male. 59 years old)
(195/195) ▼
*Stats
Strength 21
Agility 25
Stamina 19
Intelligence 90
Wisdom 98
Magic Power 100
*Traits (9/9)
「World Tree’s Gardener」, 「Flawless Commander」, 「Tempest and Torrent」, 「Beast Tamer」, 「Spirit Eyes」, 「Natural Magic」, 「Spirit Fundamentals」, 「Multitasking」, 「Aging」
【 Target’s potential is decreasing ▼ due to 「Aging」. 】
【 Stats cannot be grown through ‘training’ due to advanced age. 】
And another.
“Park Soo-bin.”
*Stats
Strength 10
Agility 10
Stamina 31
Intelligence 31
Wisdom 33
Magic Power 50
*Traits (9/9)
「???」, 「Weak」, 「Timid」, 「Lacking」, 「Compulsive」, 「Inferiority Complex」, 「Self-Doubt」, 「Self-Deprecation」, 「Sweet Potato」
Far from impressive stats.
Even as a support role where wisdom and intelligence are critical for managing magic power, the stats are severely lacking.
On top of that, except for one undisclosed trait, the rest are all negative.
A character that could only be described as trash.
And yet, this trash character is─.
※ Park Soo-bin
(Male. 16 years old)
(73/200)
—One of the extremely rare few among hunters worldwide granted a potential of 200, labeled as ‘World Class (W.C).’
With those stats? Those traits? World Class?
It might seem doubtful.
But one thing to remember is that the GM’s status window never lies.
If it shows a potential of 200, the character’s final growth point is 200.
A World-Class level of growth is possible.
Of course, the number and severity of trials and tribulations vary in the growth process. And Park Soo-bin’s character is, in particular! The so-called hell of hell difficulty, to the point where even seasoned veterans hesitate to touch it…….
But I am Lee Shin.
The true veteran of this world.
Even trash can become World-Class in my hands.
“It’s time for some fun development~”
Lee Shin’s gaze sparkled as it turned toward the ‘Gold Card Pack (Traits).’
* * *
Meanwhile, while Lee Shin enjoyed the Mir Guild’s achievements with a sweet bottle of soju, Lee Myung-hwan was downing bitter whiskey as he watched the same results.
[ Mir Guild 1 Round Sweeps All Records ]
[ MVP Without Stepping Forward: Kim Jong-pil Shows the Dignity of the Mountain King ]
[ Five Reasons Why Lee Shin’s Mir Guild Is Different This Year ]
“That bastard.”
A photo of Lee Shin smiling, revealing his neatly aligned teeth, accompanied the article.
If it were up to him, he’d love to knock out those teeth.
As Lee Myung-hwan was about to check the next article, Jeong Su-mi, wrapped in a bathrobe, back-hugged him and asked, “What are you looking at, honey?” But seeing Lee Shin’s face over his shoulder made her flinch.
“What the—honey! It’s Lee Shin again!”
“That cocky bastard pisses me off.”
“Still, you should tone it down. The day before yesterday, it was Lee Shin. Yesterday, it was Lee Shin. Every day, it’s Lee Shin. Honey, that’s obsession.”
“Obsession? Give me a break. You should tone it down yourself. Stop being annoying.”
Ever since losing the Mountain King, Lee Myung-hwan habitually searched for Lee Shin.
It’s understandable, as it was the first failure he had ever experienced in his life.
He had never failed before. Even when he did, he had the power to turn any failure into success somehow.
But for the first time, someone had appeared who his power couldn’t influence.
Lee Shin. That damned bastard.
This fact was excruciatingly humiliating for Lee Myung-hwan, and it must’ve been since then that he became fixated on Lee Shin.
“Stop with the nonsense. What do you think?”
“About Mir Guild? Hmm… How should I answer? As your girlfriend? Or as Lee Myung-hwan’s ‘advisor’?”
“We’ll save the girlfriend talk for later. Right now, I need you as my advisor.”
“Hmm~ If you say so.”
Jeong Su-mi unwrapped her arms and sat across from Lee Myung-hwan.
“Where should I start? There’s no need to talk about Mir Guild’s popularity, right? The fact that articles are published daily despite them being in League 4 is unheard of.”
“I don’t care about their popularity. Their power. How far do you think they’ll go?”
“Judging by just the first round? They’d do well if they got promoted.”
“What?”
An unexpected answer.
Promotion was a given, and they were supposed to achieve overwhelming results, but she said doing well with promotion was the best they could hope for?
“Surprising, right? But if you think rationally, it makes sense.”
From her perspective as an expert, Mir Guild was currently a very sloppy guild, and it couldn’t be helped.
“They’re young and inexperienced, and they haven’t even worked together for a full month. Can this even be called a team?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“You can tell just by their first raid. Remember how they stumbled against goblins at the beginning? That’s proof of their lack of experience.”
And another thing.
“You might not know this, but their so-called rookies? It’s a stretch to even call them that. They’re all pretty mediocre.”
“That’s news to me. Go on.”
“The reviews from their former teammates aren’t great. They say these rookies don’t blend well into teams. When that happens, we usually judge them like this. Either their personality is problematic, or—here.”
Jeong Su-mi pointed to her head.
“They’re not smart.”
“Not smart…”
“Want an example? Do you remember who stood out the most after the Mountain King during Mir Guild’s first-round raid?”
“…I don’t know the name, but I remember the tank swinging around bucklers with both hands like a martial artist.”
“Park Jung-seok. As a tank, his agility and footwork were exceptional, and he was once called a top-tier prospect. But because of his terrible positioning, he was soon nicknamed ‘Fast Out’ and forgotten. Most of the members in Mir Guild are like that.”
They’re young, inexperienced, haven’t had time to synchronize, and lack intelligence.
While no one talks about it because of the hype, most experts probably agree with her assessment.
If things remain as they are, it’s clear Mir Guild has a ceiling.
What’s even more amusing?
“They’re not even helping with the schedule.”
A league notice had just been posted on her phone.
‘LV4. Imp Archer’s Advance Base.’
The next opponent for Mir Guild was the first vertex of the Death Triangle, renowned as the most challenging dungeon in League 4.
—
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