Judy was a blank slate.

Even amateurs usually picked up some professional know-how from circulating strategies, but Judy had none of that.

Her gameplay was nothing but a direct copy of Lee Shin.

A style with no personal touch.

In that sense, manager Bang Jin-ho’s skepticism about Judy’s potential was understandable.

But this was exactly why Lee Shin had confidently taken her as his disciple.

‘Since I can instill my methods in her exactly as they are, there’s nothing to get in the way.’

Even when repeating the same build like a machine, players—whether professional or trainee—would usually develop their own quirks.

However, since Judy had no individuality that needed to be respected, Lee Shin could teach her unilaterally without hesitation.

‘I should consider this a warm-up as a coach.’

Though he planned to return as a player once his preparations were complete, Lee Shin was already 25.

After his pro gaming career, he had been considering transitioning into coaching.

His decision to become a coach for MBS had been influenced by this plan.

Lee Shin wanted to turn Judy into an outstanding player.

An outstanding player was one who contributed to the team.

“You don’t know anything, so just do exactly as I say.”

“Yes.”

Lee Shin called over a young trainee who looked about middle school age to be Judy’s practice opponent.

As the practice match began, Lee Shin spoke.

“From now on, just follow my instructions.”

“Yes.”

“Your own judgment is unnecessary. You’re my avatar. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Judy nodded.

“Keep producing workers.”

And so, the strange training began.

Judy followed his instructions like a puppet.

“Use the workers coming out now to build a barracks. Place it right next to the command center.”

Lee Shin played the game with his words. Judy was his keyboard and mouse.

Whenever the foreigner Judy failed to understand his instructions, Lee Shin paused the game without hesitation and carefully repeated himself until she understood.

Because of this, the game was interrupted countless times without warning, but the opposing trainee followed along without complaint.

“Attack. But don’t engage.”

“What?”

Lee Shin immediately hit pause.

“Move out with all your troops, but don’t fight. Just intimidate them so their attention stays on this side.”

“Ah, bluffing?”

“Yeah, bluffing.”

“Okay.”

Lee Shin resumed the game right away. By now, the opposing trainee had gotten used to it and no longer needed advance warnings.

The other players taking a break stared in shock at the bizarre training method.

“Alright. Now load the high-speed tanks onto the air transporters.”

“Move them while sticking close to the wall.”

“Fire one radar scan before going in.”

“What are you doing? Don’t stop. Keep the front troops moving too to hold their attention!”

“What?”

Lee Shin hit pause again and explained in detail. Only then did Judy nod in understanding.

“Tempo is important. You just gave the opponent time to think.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Let’s keep going.”

“Yes.”

The game resumed, and Judy followed his instructions precisely.

The air transporters infiltrated the enemy’s main base in large numbers.

However, some of the opponent’s troops had already returned to defend against the drop assault.

During the pause, the trainee must have sensed something.

“Pull back immediately!”

Judy swiftly recalled the air transporters.

Lee Shin pressed pause again.

“Now, look. The opponent noticed something and pulled their troops back, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what should we be thinking about here?”

Judy widened her blue eyes and shook her head.

“You need to think about where those troops were originally stationed. It means a force of that size has left a certain area unguarded. That’s the weak spot.”

“Ah!”

Judy’s eyes sparkled as she nodded.

“Good. Then, as soon as we start, scan the 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions with radar.”

“Yes.”

The game resumed.

Judy scanned the 1 o’clock and 3 o’clock areas with radar.

She discovered that the defensive line at the opponent’s expansion base at 12 o’clock was weak.

The trainee had moved the forces guarding the 12 o’clock position back to defend the main base!

“Send the air transporters to 12 o’clock.”

“Yes!”

The air transporters infiltrated the 12 o’clock area.

Anti-air cannons fired, but before the transporters could be shot down, they deployed high-speed tanks and mobile turrets.

The balance of the game was shattered.

The trainee fought desperately to defend, but under Lee Shin’s orders, Judy launched multi-directional attacks and ultimately forced the opponent to surrender.

“Wow!”

Judy clapped her hands in excitement.

Exhausted from commanding solely by voice, Lee Shin wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

‘This feels strange.’

Playing while explaining the game theoretically felt like an odd experience.

Even the minor plays he had done instinctively were now being structured into clear meanings. Instead of just training Judy, Lee Shin felt like he himself was gaining valuable practice.

“How was it? Doable?”

“Yes, I love it.”

Judy seemed deeply impressed by the high-level play unfolding under her own hands.

“Then let’s keep going.”

This time, they called in a trainee who played a different race for another match.

After rotating through three trainees for practice, evening had arrived before they knew it.

Lee Shin gathered the trainees and handed each of them a 50,000-won bill.

“Good work. Treat yourselves to something good.”

It was a token of appreciation for enduring the frustrating practice, constantly interrupted by pauses.

“Wow!”

“Thank you!”

The trainees cheered as they took the money and left.

After dinner, it was time for physical training.

The MBS team trained at a contracted gym nearby under the guidance of a professional trainer.

Lee Shin, however, received personal training from a trainer he had hired separately.

Judy, who had been following along with the other team members’ training, tilted her head as she watched Lee Shin train alone.

She hesitantly approached him.

“I want personal training too. Can I do it?”

“The team doesn’t cover it.”

“I’ll pay for it myself. Is that okay?”

“Then sure.”

Judy beamed and headed to the counter. A little while later, she too began one-on-one training with a personal trainer.

Watching from the treadmill, manager Bang Jin-ho clicked his tongue.

“Rich kids flock together.”

Judy, a foreigner with a different mindset, and Lee Shin, as if from an entirely different world—they made a perfectly matched master-disciple pair.

After training, while the other players attended meditation sessions, Lee Shin returned to the practice room first.

He logged onto the internet and began watching the VOD of a past match.

The match title read:

[2020 Pro League Round 1, Match 7, Twin Star Electronics vs. MBS, Set 5, Choi Young-jun vs. Shin Ji-ho]

Before teaching Judy how to play the Humans vs. Shin Race matchup, he wanted to review a relevant reference game.

Choi Young-jun, the top player of ‘Twin Star.’

Shin Ji-ho, the best Human player in Korea.

Since it was a high-level match between two top-tier players, there was a lot to learn from it.

‘I wonder what this so-called genius, my so-called successor, looks like.’

Lee Shin clicked play on the VOD.