The Black Prince Edward, having lost many young elves, was now in a highly disadvantageous position.

The amount of magic power harvested had diverged significantly.

As time went on, that would directly translate into a difference in military strength.

Knowing that time was not on his side, the Black Prince Edward made his move.

He judged that unless he concluded the battle while their forces were still roughly equal, there would be no hope.

The problem was that Lee Shin had come to the same conclusion.

Lee Shin refused to engage.

Even when he brought out all his forces for a decisive battle, he would retreat the moment Black Prince Edward's troops approached, heightening the tension.

Even as he repeatedly advanced, circled, and retreated to draw attention, he continued his harassing tactics.

Three or four knights would quickly charge and attack the magic stone gathering point at 11 o'clock, and just when that was dealt with, a hot air balloon would appear at 1 o'clock over the main base, dropping crossbowmen.

The crossbowmen would slaughter the young elves again, delivering a critical blow to the already fragile magic power supply of the Black Prince Edward.

This kind of interference—finding and piercing through unseen routes like a ghost—was like a signature move of Lee Shin.

Tormented to the point of neurosis by the constant harassment, the Black Prince Edward launched an assault on Lee Shin's main base.

Lee Shin waited from a favorable high ground with his troops deployed and responded to the attack.

The Black Prince Edward, having no other choice, had to fight despite the geographical disadvantage.

Lee Shin, deployed in a crane wing formation, waited for the Black Prince Edward's attack and then spread his wings wide to strike from three sides.

Ironically, it resembled the Battle of Poitiers.

Catapults hurled rocks from the high ground, and the Black Prince Edward’s forces had to climb uphill while being struck by them to launch their attack.

Still, the Black Prince Edward fought fiercely.

He possessed one of his Apostles, the Elf Guard, and led the charge himself.

However, even his bravery couldn’t break through the defensive line.

With his abundant magic power, Lee Shin continuously summoned reinforcements to replenish his forces.

Seeing no more hope, the Black Prince Edward tightly shut his eyes.

[Edward of Woodstock, Contractor of Demon Lord Decarabia, has declared defeat. Victory goes to Demon Lord Gremory.]

[Demon Lord Gremory has obtained 50,000 magic power.]

[With a total of 179,000 magic power, Demon Lord Gremory is now ranked 67th.]

[With a total of 73,750 magic power, Demon Lord Decarabia is now ranked 71st.]

The massive face of Decarabia, forming the main body, was filled with despair.

The devastating loss of 50,000 magic power seemed to have left him in shock, unable even to feel anger.

Lee Shin casually threw out a comment to the speechless Decarabia.

“Wishes are made with magic power.”

When Decarabia glared at him fiercely with bulging eyes, Lee Shin quickly slipped behind Gremory.

In the end, Decarabia handed over 737 magic power—1% of his total—to Lee Shin and disappeared along with the Black Prince Edward.

Now holding a total of 797 magic power, Lee Shin decided not to use it for the time being.

Lee Shin woke up inside the airplane.

He checked the remaining flight time by tapping the screen in front of him. Ten hours still remained until arrival.

Lee Shin spent his time going over the materials compiled by manager Bang Jin-ho.

They provided a relatively clear summary of Michael Joseph’s style.

After skimming through and getting a rough idea about Michael Joseph, Lee Shin pulled out his laptop and began watching the pre-downloaded game footage to see for himself.

Fast.

That was the only way to describe Michael Joseph's play.

His reaction speed was extremely fast.

It took him less than a second to control a unit the moment he spotted an enemy.

What was truly terrifying was that such reflexes remained sharp even in the latter half of matches lasting over 30 minutes.

‘Must be because he’s young.’

Michael Joseph was 18 years old internationally—19 in Korean age. A young player six years younger than Lee Shin.

Lee Shin let out a quiet sigh.

He had first started playing Space Craft in his senior year of high school.

His great-grandfather had been a noble educator, who donated his wealth during the Japanese occupation to build a school and teach children.

His grandfather was also a distinguished professor at a prestigious university, active in academic circles. Thanks to such a legacy, Lee Shin's father was appointed a university professor at a young age and followed an elite path.

Because he came from a long line of educators, academic expectations were high, and Lee Shin had to endure a lot of stress over college entrance exams.

Still, since it was his duty, he had no complaints about studying.

But the problem was Space Craft.

When Lee Shin first encountered the game, he was completely captivated by the charm of real-time strategy.

Like a hopeless addiction, he became obsessed with the game.

As a result, his CSAT scores fell far below his parents’ expectations. Though he barely got into a four-year university in Seoul, his family pressured him to retake the exam.

But having graduated high school and become an adult, Lee Shin no longer had to be intimidated by his authoritarian father.

When he happened to be selected as a trainee for a pro team, Lee Shin declared his intent to become a pro gamer and fled from his enraged father straight into the team dormitory.

He didn’t even spend a few months as a trainee.

He never had to play in the second team.

Lee Shin was simply too much of a genius for that.

He had already established his own unique style, and there was nothing anyone could teach him. No one could beat him either.

From there, his path was smooth.

Though he suffered a wrist injury in a regrettable attack incident, he had now returned.

But at times, he felt a tinge of regret.

What if I had started playing games back in middle school?

What if I had started my pro career in middle or high school, like other young rookie players?

Then I wouldn't have had to spend more than half of my prime years as a pro gamer—from my mid-teens to early twenties—on studying.

I might have been able to achieve even more than I have now.

Michael Joseph was living out exactly that kind of scenario.

At that age, he was already in his third year as a professional player.

“Being young must be nice.”

The words slipped out before he realized it.

“Hahaha!”

Just then, the middle-aged man sitting next to him suddenly burst into laughter.

When Lee Shin looked at him, the man raised his hand in apology.

“Sorry about that. Haha, it’s just funny hearing someone as young as you say that.”

“I understand.”

“I’m sure you’ve got your own struggles. Sorry again.”

“It’s alright.”

“Anyway, it’s nice to finally introduce myself. My name’s Park Jin-yong.”

“I’m Lee Shin.”

The man who introduced himself as Park Jin-yong handed over his business card and extended his hand for a handshake.

Lee Shin didn’t have a business card to give in return, so he simply shook his hand.

The card read that he was the Vice President of the Korean branch of Ares, a world-renowned sports brand.

“You’re headed to Las Vegas, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m on my way to the LA headquarters. I go to LA often, and even there, your popularity is huge.”

“Thank you.”

The two exchanged a few more words, mostly with Vice President Park Jin-yong asking the questions and Lee Shin answering them.

“Ever since your return, eSports, which had been somewhat stagnant in Korea, is on the rise again. We’re even considering sponsoring the pro league and looking into investing in several aspects of the industry.”

“Are you thinking of founding a pro team?”

“Haha, not that aggressively.”

Once the topic shifted to eSports, what seemed like a short conversation ended up going on longer than expected.

“If you play a match in Las Vegas, there’ll be a massive audience, right?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Doesn’t it make you nervous to compete in front of such a large crowd?”

“Not at all.”

“Haha, the audience is much bigger than in Korea, and Americans are much more intense in their reactions. The atmosphere will be quite different.”

Lee Shin shrugged.

“When I play, I’m ultimately alone. No one else brings me victory. So it really doesn’t matter.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Vice President Park Jin-yong looked intently at Lee Shin.

Lee Shin soon turned his attention away from him and focused again on the match footage of Michael Joseph.

After clearing immigration at LAX, they had about an hour before transferring to the flight to Las Vegas. During that time, Lee Shin met the guide assigned by the American pro league association.

She was a young Korean woman named Yoo Hye-jin, who had studied abroad in the U.S. and ended up settling there.

Of course, Lee Shin had no interest whatsoever in who she was as a person.

An hour later, the two of them boarded the plane to Las Vegas together.

Upon arrival in Las Vegas, the spotlight poured in.

With camera flashes and cheers bursting out from all directions, Lee Shin was overwhelmed.

Young fans, regardless of gender, gathered around asking for autographs. A lot of Korean-Americans had also come, so there were even cheers in Korean.

Thanks to the staff sent ahead by the American association, Lee Shin barely managed to get away from the crowd.

‘There are this many?’

Lee Shin was genuinely surprised by the number of fans he had in the U.S. He hadn’t expected such a passionate welcome.

Given that Lee Shin had been reigning at the top of the global eSports scene for several years, international recognition was a given—but since he’d only gone abroad for the World SC Grand Prix, he had no real awareness of that reality.

A press conference was held at a venue the association had prepared in advance.

Interpreter Yoo Hye-jin translated each of the journalists’ questions one by one.

“How does it feel to be in the United States?”

“It’s overwhelming.”

Laughter erupted.

“As you’ve seen from the welcome crowd, every eSports fan in America has been waiting for you. Please say a word to them.”

“Thank you for the welcome. I’ll show you a great match.”

Even as questions continued, Lee Shin stuck to short answers for the most part.

Then came a question about Michael Joseph.

“What do you think of Michael Joseph?”

“I envy his youth.”

The press conference broke into laughter again.

“We’d like to hear a bit more of your thoughts about Michael Joseph.”

After thinking it over for a moment, Lee Shin opened his mouth.

“Not long ago, I watched all of Michael Joseph’s matches from the World SC Grand Prix individual event. Among all the players I saw at the Grand Prix, I believe he has the greatest talent.”

The journalists, who had grown weary of his short replies, suddenly responded with enthusiasm.

“Two Korean players won silver and bronze in the individual event. Are you saying you rate Michael Joseph’s talent higher than theirs?”

“Yes.”

A candid, unapologetic one-liner.

Having grasped Lee Shin’s forthright and unfiltered personality, the reporters began firing off more colorful questions.

“You’re about to face Michael Joseph. Who do you think will win?”

“It’ll be a close match, so I can’t say for sure.”

“You said Michael Joseph has the greatest talent. How would you compare him to yourself?”

After seriously thinking it over again, Lee Shin answered.

“He’s not on the same level as me.”

Lee Shin didn’t know how to sugarcoat his words.