The Charismatic Genius’s Guild Management
Jonathan
매력 천재의 길드 매니지먼트 Jun 08, 2026 76 views
Chapter 8
“What do you mean there's no roster reinforcement?!”
Raid Captain Yang Pan-seok slammed the desk.
Promotion had slipped away by the narrowest margin.
Naturally, he had expected new recruits and reinforcements to follow. Instead, the answer he received was that.
A rejection without even entering negotiations.
Yang Pan-seok's handsome face looked as shattered as broken glass.
Across from him sat a man shriveled up like a crushed soda can.
“W-Well... it can't be helped. Recruiting anyone this year is i-impossible.”
Even while saying it was impossible, the man kept glancing around nervously.
Small build, unusually thick glasses.
A man who looked more suited to being an elementary school vice principal than a guild master.
His name was Jung Soon-dong.
The Guild Master of Mir Guild.
“Where did all the season ticket revenue go?! We made it all the way to the finals! The broadcast fees should've been substantial too!”
“The season ticket revenue w-went into last year's facility expansion. A-And the broadcast fees were used to repay guild debt...”
“What about our performance? Have you even thought about that?”
“That's w-what I wanted us to d-discuss together.”
“Haa...”
Conflicts between a guild master and a raid captain were common.
The guild master was responsible for finances and wanted to save every penny possible.
The raid captain, on the other hand, needed money spent to strengthen the roster.
In fact, if a guild was functioning properly, the two arguing could even be considered healthy.
That was why the balance between the two positions was important.
Unfortunately, Mir Guild lacked that balance.
“M-My opinion is—”
“Guild Master, could you please stop stuttering for a moment?”
“S-Sorry.”
To begin with, their personalities were completely incompatible.
Jung Soon-dong's hopelessly timid nature was impossible for Yang Pan-seok to accommodate.
And Yang Pan-seok himself was excessively driven.
As a result, every conversation inevitably became one-sided.
“Why is a professional guild talking about giving up on the league? I don't think a guild should ever abandon the league under any circumstances.”
“This year's spending was too much. After failing promotion, most of that spending became debt. O-Of course! Don't misunderstand. I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying...”
“We cannot give up. Not when we owe something to the fans. I'll give everything I have. Please trust me. This year will be different!”
“...Wouldn't it be okay to rest for one year? We've pushed ourselves hard, haven't we? The fans would probably understand for a year or so...”
“What are you talking about? Are we even discussing the same thing?”
“S-Sorry.”
“Haa. Could you please stop apologizing? You're the one who called this meeting.”
“S-Sor—”
“Guild Master!”
There was no debate taking place.
Unable to contain his frustration, Yang Pan-seok ended up steering the entire meeting according to his own wishes.
“Guild Master, listen to me first. This meeting is meaningless anyway. A new CEO is coming, isn't he?”
“I know. Lee Shin. That troublemaker. The front office staff are already worried because of him...”
“I don't care whether he's a troublemaker or not. What's important is that the Ido Group is standing behind him.”
What kind of place was the Ido Group?
People even called it the Ido Republic.
It was one of the greatest corporations in the country.
With their bottomless investments about to arrive, seeing the guild master talking about something as unproductive as financial stability was enough to make Yang Pan-seok's insides burst with frustration.
“Rather than worrying about useless things like a merchandise store, it's a hundred times better to aggressively strengthen the roster and achieve results.”
“Our debt is already t-too high.”
“The banks already know who's coming in behind us. They're probably waiting for our phone call right now. Just so they can offer us more loans.”
“But f-financial stability—”
“Financial stability! Financial stability! How many times do I have to say it?! It's Ido! Once they start spending money, this level of debt won't even be noticeable!”
He wasn't wrong.
The Ido Group's extravagant spending was famous.
And this time, they had been the ones to reach out first.
It was trustworthy.
Yang Pan-seok declared confidently.
“Haa... Guild Master, forget everything else. Let's focus on strengthening our power exactly as I say. Has there ever been a time things went badly when you followed my judgment?”
“P-Pan-seok.”
“I'm saying this for your sake as well. What kind of CEO wants to spend his first year taking things easy after an acquisition? Promotion is absolutely necessary. If we fail to get promoted again, we'd all deserve to be fired.”
“...”
“Nothing else matters right now. Remember this: results. Only results.”
After ending the conversation and leaving the office, Yang Pan-seok let out a sigh full of self-loathing.
In other guilds, the guild master ran around trying to support the raid team.
Why did he have to teach everything step by step here?
This can't continue.
For the guild's future.
And for his own future as well.
A Few Days Later – Mir Guild Main Gate
Lee Shin's Rolls-Royce came to a stop.
The moment he stepped out, thunderous greetings erupted.
““Welcome!””
Employees lined both sides of the entrance.
Among them, the loudest voice belonged to Yang Pan-seok and the raid team.
Escorted to the front gate by Yang Pan-seok, Lee Shin briefly looked around the guild with a nostalgic gaze before smiling with the famous beauty everyone talked about.
“Haha, this is embarrassing. You really didn't have to do all this. Anyway, nice to meet you. I'm Lee Shin.”
“You're our new CEO. It's only proper that we greet you. I'm Yang Pan-seok. I look forward to working with you.”
“Oh! So you're the famous Hunter Yang Pan-seok! Wow, your profile picture did you dirty. You look much younger in person. Can I shake your hand?”
“Haha, of course. Not at all. I'm already past my prime.”
As the two exchanged a friendly handshake, applause erupted from all directions.
Could a new CEO really be this welcome?
The reaction was almost excessive.
“By the way, are you alone? Shouldn't the guild master be here?”
“The guild master said he wasn't feeling well and didn't come in today.”
For a brief moment, Lee Shin's eyebrow twitched.
“Hm... Let me ask one thing. Did he perhaps not know I was coming today?”
“...”
Nobody answered.
Seeing everyone avoid the question, Lee Shin casually muttered,
“That's convenient.”
Then he returned to his cheerful smile.
“The absent person loses out. Let's just have fun among ourselves.”
“It would be our honor. You've come a long way. Have you eaten?”
“It's fine. I had a light breakfast. Could I get some coffee?”
“Of course.”
“I'll take an iced Americano with two extra shots. As for this beautiful secretary noona over here—”
“...”
“Please decide for her. As you can see, she's not much of a talker.”
“Understood.”
The vice-captain, who had been signaled with a sharp nod from Yang Pan-seok, immediately rushed off.
“How about showing me around before we head to the office?”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure. This way.”
Mir Guild was impressive overall.
A spacious main building.
A cafeteria.
And especially the wide-open grass field.
These days guilds preferred constructing tall buildings.
Mir Guild, however, stood out with only three floors but a vast amount of land.
An old-fashioned style.
The age of the facility showed everywhere.
“Hm? What's that building over there?”
“A building?”
“The hunter dormitory.”
“A dormitory?”
Lee Shin tilted his head.
“Am I mistaken? I thought lower-league guilds usually didn't provide dormitories.”
He wasn't wrong.
Having a dormitory implied recruiting people from distant places.
And who would travel far to join a fourth-division guild?
Yang Pan-seok calmly explained.
“To improve teamwork, the entire raid team agreed to live together during league season. The dormitory was built for that purpose.”
“Ohhh!”
“After all, hunters are the core of a guild. And if you want to improve hunters, you can't be stingy with investment. That's Mir Guild's philosophy.”
“Ah... ‘Investment,’ you say...”
Then came a sharp question.
“Does the guild master feel the same way?”
“...Of course.”
Lee Shin stared directly into Yang Pan-seok's eyes.
For a moment—
A chill ran down his spine.
Was it his imagination?
Lee Shin's eyes were bright and clear.
Yet beneath them lurked an incomprehensible madness.
Then, just as suddenly, the look vanished.
His expression returned to its usual cheerful smile.
“Well, if it was an investment, I'm sure it was made for a good reason.”
“...Thank you. Shall we continue?”
“Let's go.”
They visited the warehouse.
The cafeteria.
Various facilities.
Finally crossing the field and arriving at the training center.
Each held an iced Americano in hand.
“This is Team One's training facility.”
“Hm. The interior is much better than it looked from outside. Isn't that a new sparring court? One that can withstand mana usage?”
Despite the somewhat worn exterior, the inside contained lounges, physical therapy rooms, precision mana massage equipment, recovery whirlpools, and countless luxury facilities.
“All of this would be part of that investment you mentioned earlier?”
“Of course. If there's one thing you should never be stingy about, it's training facilities.”
“Impressive. Team One has been with you for a long time, right?”
“Yes. They're like family.”
“Ahh... ‘Family.’”
The moment the word family was spoken, Yang Pan-seok immediately began introducing the raid members who had been following him around like ducklings behind their mother.
This one's specialty.
That one's talent.
This guy used to be famous in Busan.
And so on.
One after another.
It was somewhat excessive, but if they truly considered one another family, it was a heartwarming sight.
The atmosphere remained cheerful until—
“Oh my, it's already this late.”
“We have plenty of time. How about we see the rest tomorrow and get something to eat?”
“That's an excellent idea.”
“If you're in Busan, you have to try pork soup rice. Allow me to treat you.”
“Now that's making me hungry already.”
The day passed smoothly.
Almost too smoothly.
A welcome dinner turned into a company gathering.
Ha ha ha.
Ho ho ho.
First round.
Second round.
Third round.
Glasses clinked endlessly.
As Lee Shin's face grew red from alcohol, Yang Pan-seok finally relaxed.
It's done.
He had been worried.
But everything had gone perfectly.
If things continued like this, he could build a good relationship with Lee Shin.
The troublesome guild master would eventually be pushed aside.
And the guild would return to stability.
All under my leadership.
Perfect.
For the first time all day, Yang Pan-seok smiled sincerely.
Completely unaware of what was about to happen next.
After checking a message on his phone, Lee Shin grinned.
Then he tapped his beer glass with chopsticks to draw everyone's attention.
“Attention, please. Just a moment. I have some good news!”
Everyone turned toward him with curious expressions.
Lee Shin flashed a broad smile.
Holding up his somaek glass, he looked directly at Yang Pan-seok and the raid team and spoke with complete sincerity.
