It had been 47 hours since they entered the gate.
Under the command of the Mountain King, the Mir Guild’s raid, which had sped through the gate at a terrifying pace, was already nearing its final stage.
Kieeeek—!!
After a brief moment of hearing a horribly unpleasant shriek, a horde of goblins came charging fiercely from beyond the forest.
Their numbers were so great that they completely blotted out the green of the weeds and shrubs spread across the ground.
As if to signal that the end of the gate was near, their onslaught was relentless.
But the raiding party’s momentum was no less fierce.
“I haven’t even slept!! You damn dwarfs!!”
“Hold the line! Stop running ahead!”
“Hey! Quiet down!”
“Uwahahaha!!”
The tanks at the very front, the first to face the goblins, bashed their shields roughly and dashed forward.
Once they had bravely opened the path, the damage dealers each used their own specialties to attack. Swords danced brilliantly and spears pierced through.
Blunt weapons shattered goblin skulls, while from above, showers of arrows and multicolored magic devastated the area.
Just yesterday, they had been thrown into confusion by a fifth—no, maybe even less—of this number, but now, even when completely surrounded with no escape route, they were not panicking.
In fact, they were so composed that they were enjoying the thrill of the battlefield.
Considering their initial disgrace, their rate of improvement was astonishing—and all of this was thanks to one man.
The Mountain King, Kim Jong-pil.
“There’s no need to panic just because they’re numerous. Those low-level goblins have an absolute shortage of ranged attack options. The actual number of goblins we have to clash with doesn’t change much.”
The terrain was flat, and there were no special elites or champions present.
Dozens of wind hawks circling above the battlefield were relaying information in real time: there were no unexpected variables.
“For the final push, conserve your stamina and advance calmly. That’s all.”
—“Yes, sir!!”
The loud acknowledgment came through the comms, and the formation of the raiding party became even more solid.
Satisfied, Kim Jong-pil sent the thought, “Let’s go up.”
The wind hawk carrying him flapped powerfully, climbing in altitude.
From this dizzying height, the battlefield looked tiny, like grains of rice.
And it wasn’t a metaphor—he could truly take in the whole battle at a glance.
The goblins resisted fiercely, and the raiding party pushed even harder in return.
Yet, despite the fierce fighting, Kim Jong-pil’s expression seemed almost oddly carefree.
And it wasn’t without reason.
Even setting aside his promise not to take the front lines, Kim Jong-pil simply wasn’t that worried about this raid.
No—that wasn’t quite right. The truth was, he wasn’t thinking much about it at all.
After all, “Mountain King” wasn’t some title he’d earned from a neighborhood marble game.
If he were to take a level 3 gate this seriously, it would be rather unbecoming, wouldn’t it?
Perhaps because of that, his attention wasn’t on the battlefield at all right now—it was on something else.
From his bosom, he took out a stack of papers—already worn at the edges from being read over and over.
They were the instructions given to him by Lee Shin.
“As he said, their potential really isn’t bad.”
Due to their low combat intelligence, they were incapable of playing multiple roles at once.
They couldn’t make proactive decisions in unexpected situations.
In every aspect modern raiding valued, they were subpar…
But the more Kim Jong-pil worked with them, the more he understood why Lee Shin had insisted they shone brightest when used as “tools.”
“They can’t multi-role, but they perform their single assigned task above average.”
“They can’t react proactively to sudden situations, but they follow given orders without question.”
“They’re lacking in every way modern raiding demands—but as tools… they’re actually quite good.”
As this thought reached its conclusion, Kim Jong-pil felt an odd sense of dissonance.
Something in the back of his mind itched, as though he had overlooked something.
And with his genius mind, he quickly figured out the source of this feeling.
Comfort.
No matter how good a tool is, it should take some time to get used to it when using it for the first time—
Yet they felt as comfortable as a custom-tailored outfit made by a master craftsman.
That’s when he finally realized—
Ah. This wasn’t a one-sided relationship.
It wasn’t just him filling in their shortcomings—they were also filling in his own.
Yes.
If Kim Jong-pil was taking on the role of the “head” the raid team lacked,
Then the raid team was making up for the Mountain King’s own greatest weakness—his lack of “youth.”
“Interesting.”
Even counting Kim Jong-pil, who was pushing 60, their average age was only 23.5—an astonishingly youthful group.
Realizing this, the instructions Lee Shin had given him took on new meaning.
For example, this guy—
• Name: Park Jung-seok
• Type: Martial-type front-line standard tank (shield knight)
• Weapons: Sword & shield or tower shield (don’t expect much offense)
• Stats: High HP, natural durability, and unusually decent agility for a tank, but hopeless positioning skills, a fatal flaw for a tank.
…
• Usage notes:
1. As an “aggro-drawing doll,” if overexposed on the line, he becomes a prime target for focused fire.
2. His overconfidence, relative to his judgment, can harm teamwork.
…
At first, Kim Jong-pil had simply admired the profile’s accuracy but once he understood Lee Shin’s style, he saw something else.
“This guy probably meant to use him as a sub-DPS.”
“Positioning” is a fatal flaw for a tank, but if you use him as a melee DPS capable of tanking, breaking enemy formations, there’s no problem at all.
The “aggro-drawing doll” trait is an issue—but not for a DPS. That can be handled through tactics.
Just like that, Lee Shin had hidden meanings all throughout his instructions.
Almost as if to say, “If you’re capable enough, why don’t you try finding them?”—like a challenge.
“Cocky brat. This isn’t a hidden picture puzzle, you know.”
Clicking his tongue, but with a smile blooming on his face—
It had been so long since he’d had a challenge like this.
He felt a bit sorry for the raiding party fighting goblins down below,
But for Kim Jong-pil, this mental chess match with Lee Shin was far more fun.
However—
“That said, there’s something I just don’t get.”
Shff—he flipped to the last page of the profile.
The face of a boy smiling innocently looked back at him.
Delicate, youthful features, almost as good-looking as Lee Shin himself.
“Park Soo-bin.”
Height 160 cm. Weight 45 kg. Sixteen years old—the youngest in the raid team.
His name was among the dealers in the formation.
He was painfully skinny, flimsier than a balloon figure at an event,
And on top of that, he was a defensive sorcerer—a class that was losing value in modern raiding.
And yet—
“Why would he write this about the kid?”
Just then, a few goblins lunged toward Park Soo-bin.
Since he wasn’t a dealer, Park Soo-bin stepped back.
The goblins clashed with nearby dealers, and Soo-bin extended his long, slender hand.
Index, ring, and middle fingers folded in sequence, forming the “finger gun” shape everyone tried as a kid.
As soon as mana began to gather at the fingertips—
Bzzzt!
A whitish barrier formed at frightening speed.
It had low durability—just a few hits from a goblin’s blade would shatter it—But it was an extremely rare instant-cast shield.
However… to Kim Jong-pil, that wasn’t a “shield.”
“The mana’s structure isn’t magic. Psychokinesis? No… maybe closer to a superpower?”
Either way, that strange, flawed ability was the only weapon Park Soo-bin had shown.
And yet…
The two letters written in the profile— W.C
A title given only to a handful of geniuses not just in Korea, but on the world stage—World Class.
“What the hell did that guy see in this kid?”
Aagh!!
Park Soo-bin slipped on goblin fluids and fell flat on the ground as a goblin charged him.
Watching him flail, Kim Jong-pil tilted his head.
“No matter how I look at him, he’s dead weight.”
And so, under such keen attention, the Mir Guild’s first raid ended in success.
________________________________________
※ Round 1
<Mir Guild>
• Gate: Goblin Red Mountain Village.
• Total Clear Time: 50 hours 42 minutes 27 seconds (New Record)
• Boss: Goblin Chief ‘Ppattu’
• Boss Clear Time: 29 minutes 31 seconds (New Record)
• League 4 Ranking: 1st place (New!!)
• MVP: Mountain King Kim Jong-pil (Rating: 9.9)
________________________________________
The main doors of the guild headquarters swung wide open.
“Congratulations—!!”
As Lee Shin shouted until his voice cracked, fireworks popped—bang, bang, bang—from both sides.
A welcome party was held for the raid team returning from a successful expedition. Shouts and applause from the entire front office poured toward the returning raiders.
“You were amazing!”
“Thank you.”
“The best! Incredible!”
“Hehe……”
“You were f***ing awesome!”
“It’s thanks to you.”
The young raiders, receiving this kind of applause for the first time, looked shy and flustered, yet their shoulders lifted with pride.
They knew it too that they deserved this kind of cheer.
‘Goblin Red Mountain Village’ time record broken.
‘Goblin Red Mountain Village’ most monsters defeated.
‘Goblin Chief Ppattu’ fastest boss clear.
Association-certified youngest hunter debut: ‘Park Soo-bin.’
These are just the records they broke.
Given the league’s system where records are engraved per gate, from now on at the very top of the Goblin Red Mountain Village’s gate board, the two characters “Mir” would be engraved, and Lee Shin could guarantee that unless a Mountain King–class hunter descended to League 4, the record would remain unbroken forever.
As if to celebrate the moment, in the corner of Lee Shin’s vision, ‘windows’ were shrieking in joy, but there was still work to be done.
He deliberately looked away and glanced around.
Guild members were also focused on his lips.
“As you all know, until just recently, our evaluation was not good.”
A fallen prestigious name.
A dragon in the ICU.
“But despite the doubtful gazes, you—all of you, both the front and the raid team—proved yourselves. You showed more than you had, and you shut the mouths of those doubting idiots in the most elegant way possible.”
“You’re all tired, so I won’t talk long.”
Both the front office and the raid team, Lee Shin looked each person in the eye, plainly.
“Good work.”
Waaaa—!
-Clap clap clap clap!!
Applause broke out again.
The fatigue of the front office, worn out from overtime and all-nighters, melted away, and some raiders’ eyes even grew moist, feeling their efforts had finally been rewarded.
Lee Shin shook each hand in congratulations, and finally stopped in front of Kim Jong-pil.
“Captain.”
“I’ve returned.”
Lee Shin and Kim Jong-pil embraced warmly.
The two key players of New Mir, exchanging genuine understanding regardless of age, made for quite a sight.
But did the moved onlookers know what the two were actually saying?
“Keukeu, honestly, it was a bit bland, right?”
“Tsk, listen to you.”
“Face control, face control.”
“Mind your own, you punk.”
The serious Lee Shin from moments ago was gone, replaced by his usual fluttery self.
At the abrupt shift, Kim Jong-pil gave a short, amused laugh.
“You brat, usually it’s ‘Were you okay?’ first, not ‘It was bland.’”
“Come on, you’ve got an image to keep. Congratulating you just because we broke a 3rd-level gate record? Look how many gates we’ve got left—if we celebrate every time we break a record, my mouth won’t survive.”
“Ha, listen to that slick tongue.”
Though neither yielded in words, outwardly they looked like a kindly grandfather and grandson.
The guild bloomed with laughter, the mood as good as it could be.
“Now, for the real last part. Director?”
“The afterparty is at Dari Galbi across the street from the bus stop. We’ve booked it from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. for our guild.”
“Attendance is optional, so no pressure! Bring family, bring girlfriends, whatever. You know my card has no limit, right? Eat your fill! Enjoy to the fullest.”
Lee Shin checked the clock.
“It’ll be noon soon. Go home or to your lodging, get a good nap, and let’s meet in the evening. Oh, and for the record, I’ll make myself scarce so you can all eat comfortably.”
That’s it! Dismissed~!
With a couple of claps, Lee Shin turned around, and everyone, as if on cue, clapped along as they left the guild.
________________________________________
In the now empty guild, Lee Shin was humming as he boiled water in the coffee pot.
“Lululu~”
He’d sent off Dong-ha hyung and the secretary noona too.
A real man, from time to time, must savor solitude.
Today was that day for real man Lee Shin.
“Hehehe. How long has it been since I had this combo?”
Cup noodles in his right hand, soju in his left, he took a seat.
For the record, the standard for cup noodles is the bowl type.
He slurped the thin noodles, then cracked open the soju he’d shaken in a swirling tornado and drank straight from the bottle.
And then—
Now for the real part.
He tapped the notification that had been furiously ringing in the corner of his vision.
【 Congratulations. You have completed your first raid. 】
【 ‘Manager Status Window’ is now activated. 】
【 ‘Growth Management Window’ is now activated. 】
※ Measuring raid performance.
[ First gate entry +50p ] [ First goblin encounter +50p ] [ First goblin first kill +50p ] [ First elite…….
……
Endless rewards.
This was the perfect drinking snack.
“Kkeuu, this is good~!”
