001. The Resurrection of the Legend
30 years after the first monster appearance incident, the world was no longer troubled by monsters coming from the tower.
Because powerful abilities were awakened, there was no shortage of abilities to defeat monsters.
Instead, a sport for awakened hunters called the Hunters League, commonly known as HL, became popular in the world.
And I was a legendary player in the Hunter’s League.
7v7 Hunters League official match record: 435 matches, 336 wins, 99 losses.
3 Hunter International League Championships, 3 Mid-Season Championships, 10 KHL Championships, 8 tournament MVPs, 4 All-Star Game Championships, and 2 other tournament championships.
And many 1st place winners in 3v3 Mini Hunters League and 1v1 Hunter Ranking Matches… …
… … But that too was just a passing glory.
The moment I stepped down from the throne, everything became as empty as a dream.
Lee Chang-hyun, a legend in the Korean Hunter League, returns.
***
Sports are always a mix of ups and downs between new rookies and veterans nearing retirement. It’s only natural.
I didn’t know that. It was obvious that I would grow old someday, and there is no athlete who never retires.
However, I couldn’t retire like this.
[gadg914: Isn’t Lee Chang-hyun a total piece of trash now? Seriously, he’s just a money-sucking machine. What is he doing instead of retiring?]
[1124fmka: That’s true. If you sell Lee Chang-hyun, you’ll probably bring in two of the top players currently playing in the league. LOL]
[ckdgus1414: But can you really say that the fact that this team has won so far is all thanks to Lee Chang-hyun? What a character level lol]
n [gadg914: Is this a place where pro teams do charity work? Just end it as selling memories, lol]
ㄴ [ckdgus1414: What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t treat franchise stars like that poorly and put them down.]
n [Retirement: Pros are talking about performance. He’s a franchise star and a brat. Don’t you know that the reason the team is going down right now is because of Lee Chang-hyun who’s just raising his voice? If you look at the coach guiding Lee Chang-hyun right now, you can see that the team is in shambles ㅋㅋ]
[hdgmk95: That’s why you should’ve left when the applause started. Tsk tsk. It’s really disgusting to keep playing in the game while receiving that salary until you become trash.]
I couldn’t help but laugh in vain.
It was thanks to me that Korea’s status in HL rose to this level and that it became a popular sport. Before that, Korea was a country on the periphery of the Hunter League world.
But now all those things were meaningless.
Exactly two seasons, no. After failing to advance to the postseason due to poor performance in the summer season, all kinds of rumors of discord within the team and retirement rumors emerged.
[ckdgus1414: What the heck. He did well last season, and honestly, isn’t it Lee Chang-hyun’s fault that he lost the game this season? He doesn’t know how to play. Tsk tsk. And if Lee Chang-hyun wasn’t around, Korea would have been in the 4th division from the beginning to the end.]
n [ hdgmk95: Lee Chang-hyun, welcome ㅋㅋ You’ve been a piece of trash since last season, but you talk nonsense every time you open your mouth, right?]
Ah… … What the fuck. I can’t possibly feel this shitty. I didn’t want to look at the comments on my phone screen anymore, and I didn’t want to see the KakaoTalk messages that people sent me as if they were worried after seeing the article.
‘I don’t really want to see the captain, but… … .’
Anyway, since it was work that had to be done, I put down my dead phone and looked at the manager sitting across from me.
“Changhyun-ah.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t worry too much about comments like that. You know that they don’t help your mental health. By the way, I think I might need to prepare myself a little mentally by the end of this season.”
“Are you mentally prepared?”
It’s amazing what he says when he tells people not to worry about things like comments.
What? Are you mentally prepared? Are you going to pick on me and release me as the captain?
“I won’t say much. I think the owner wants me to focus on advertising, marketing, and business affairs after this season ends as the face of the team. You also have to go to the military soon, so you know it’ll be hard to do it for much longer, right?”
“What the fuck!”
bang.
It was something I didn’t need to hear anymore. I stormed out of the manager’s office.
I didn’t want to stay in this position any longer. How can a manager say to a player who was in a slump for a while, no, to a player who led the team alone, that the only value he has left is the sign that says “star”?
A kid who doesn’t even remember who he owes for being in that position.
“You’re a piece of trash who answers indifferently while looking at your phone when adults are talking. That’s why your skills are lacking and you’ll immediately retire and have a controversy over your character! I shouldn’t have raised such a baseless kid.”
As I was rushing out the door, I could hear the captain shouting from here. Of course, I tried not to let him hear, but I was an awakened person, so I could hear it all.
As soon as I heard that sound, I went back into the captain’s office, and when the captain saw me coming in, he fell backwards.
“Why… why! What did you leave behind?”
It’s so funny how people who gossip behind someone’s back end up falling behind.
Come to think of it, all the things the captain was gossiping about were all because of him.
[Blooming (C+): Talent blooms. Blossom’s skill rank increases over time. When talent blooms, Blossom’s skill rank growth stops, but all other abilities are strengthened according to Blossom’s skill rank.]
If I hadn’t been tricked by this leader and unlocked [Full Bloom] in high school, this skill would have been around S-rank by now.
As I continued to approach without saying anything, the captain’s face turned pale.
“Well, the little bastard said yes and yes… … .”
‘If only the captain’s brat hadn’t been urging me to wake up right then and there.’
Last season we were in danger of relegation, so if we don’t get results right away, my future is basically ruined because of this dangerous manager.
Without using the power of the Awakened One, he grabbed the captain by the collar.
Only then did the captain realize the situation, and his eyes shook back and forth as if he was anxious.
An unbearable anger boiled over me. I couldn’t just sit still and watch this guy who sold his life and couldn’t protect his players, but only wanted to advance himself.
“It must have been nice so far. You got to suck up some honey thanks to me. You got to swear at me when you didn’t like something. But maybe because you’ve been living so comfortably up until now, you don’t know the line.”
The captain’s arrogant attitude was short-lived. When I grabbed the captain by the collar and lifted him up as if I was going to kill him, he quickly changed his attitude and began to plead.
“Ugh…Ugh. Ah…No… …I did that because I was worried about you… … .”
A hypocritical little kid. A piece of trash who survives by selling half of other people’s lives.
I was avoiding eye contact and praying hard, but I didn’t feel very refreshed.
“after…”
I grabbed the manager by the collar, but I couldn’t bring myself to hit him. I just felt a sense of suffocation as I closed the door and left the manager’s office.
Even if you hit the captain and fan him, you’ll only feel relief for a moment. It won’t solve anything.
Because I know better than anyone that this cannot be a fundamental solution.
‘… … .’
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Yeah, no problem. It’ll all be over.
But… … But why is it so vain?
Tears welled up in my eyes without me knowing.
Because I felt empty. Because it felt like everything I had accomplished up until now had no meaning. Because I was so angry that I ended my career as an athlete while being treated like trash.
‘Status window’
[skill]
[Piercing Eyes: S+]
[Magic Engineering Weapon Conversion: A]
[Full bloom: C+]
[keyword]
[Full Bloom – Talent Blossom: Legendary Sniper]
[Full bloom – Talent blooming: 3D movement]
All of the useful and high-ranking skills and keywords are worth your time.
But now there is nothing left to grow. The only thing that remains is an aging body, and the skill [Full Bloom] that was blocked early blocks the way forward.
What’s the use of being angry? I’m the only one who’s going to get hurt. With that thought in mind, I left the building and crossed the crosswalk that seemed to have turned blue. But I had no luck.
It must have been a blue light… … .
Suddenly, a huge 25-ton truck rushed forward, blaring its horn. The powerful weight of the speeding 25-ton truck shook my whole body.
Even if you are an awakened person, you feel a strong force that cannot be resisted. Your body absorbs the shock like a sponge, and the pungent smell of blood seems to rise from your entire body that cannot withstand the shock.
In an instant, death was right before my eyes.
‘Ah… … I feel sick.’
If I had known this would happen, I would have lived the way I wanted to live… …I think so. I should have sued all the people who wrote malicious comments. I should have also given a warning to the manager who only trusted the capable players and came up with stupid tactics.
Please take a look at those who are picking a fight. And please break the noses of those who are arrogant and don’t know how high the sky is.
The captain’s son needs to be educated a bit too…….
No. It’s not.
That’s not what I remember most.
A magical moment when tens of thousands of spectators are looking at me and chanting my name. A blood-boiling, desperate battle. Teammates who can trust each other. And… … victory.
I just wanted to lift the World Championship trophy one more time, just one more time.
However, even though I won the World Championship trophy three times in a row, I only remember the downward slope that I went down from there, never to be able to get back up again.
‘If only I could have held out a little longer… … ‘
I remembered the plan to restore Korea’s status in the soon-to-be-established Hunters League Olympic Games.
But I ended up being trash, and I will never regain my former glory.
Ah, I regret it.
The past when I had to force my talents to bloom before they could fully mature.
I wanted to leave my mark as a beautiful memory through my honorable retirement.
I wanted to leave a mark that everyone would envy, like leaving footprints in a pure white snow field where no one has been.
That is my last memory in this life.
***
return.
It’s an imagination that everyone has imagined at least once.
If I could go back to my third year of high school, when I was taking the college entrance exam… … .
If we could go back to before Bitcoin was really known… … .
It’s usually something like that.
People cannot help but have regrets as they live, and everyone has a desire to go back in their hearts.
‘I never imagined that I would regress… … .’
At first I couldn’t believe it, but soon I realized that my hands, feet, and I were inside an awakening testing machine.
That would be the case, because I could not forget the scenery of that day when all my history began.
And the moment I realized that I had regressed, the emptiness, regret, and pain I had felt before I died came back to me and I found myself shedding tears without realizing it.
At the same time, what I feel is joy. Relief. And… …
I felt a vague sense of anticipation that I might be able to do it again.
That also calmed my mind for a moment.
‘Don’t get carried away by emotions and don’t repeat the same mistakes you made in your past life.’
Since we were starting over, it was clear what we should and shouldn’t do.
What I immediately saw before my eyes was the screen of a familiar capsule-shaped testing device.
[Physical ability test results]
[Strength: 5]
[Reaction speed: 6]
[Flexibility: 6.6]
[Stamina: 5]
[Regeneration: 5]
[Testing is complete! Press the bottom right button and get up.]
The capsule’s lid opened like a convertible, and light from the ceiling came in.
A doctor nearby and a slightly fidgety mother.
“Congratulations. Your son is indeed an Awakened One.”
My mother’s expression was delicate as she listened to the doctor’s continued judgment. There had never been an awakened person in our family before.
“Mom, the test is finished.”
“Oh yeah.”
My mother, who had been dazed for a moment, came to her senses at my words, received the test results from the doctor, and greeted him.
You’ll probably be pretty out of your mind.
“When did you realize you were awakened?”
“It hasn’t been that long for me either.”
“You didn’t catch a break, did you?”
I’m talking about players from the Hunter’s League.
Recently, there have been many awakened people, so the competition rate is not much different from that of other professions such as idols or actors, so I am worried that I may have gotten wind of it.
Of course, that was a needless worry… …
‘Mom, before I regressed, I was a legend in the Hunter’s League.’
I can’t say it like that. I can’t believe it.
“Why? Are you afraid I’ll be called a hunter?”
“Can anyone be a hunter? Even if you say you can, look. In reality, only the top 1st-tier kids appear on the show, and they’re really a handful. Besides, if you say you’re a hunter and you don’t lose money, you’re lucky.”
“Are you talking about the club academy?”
“okay.”
By the way, I was surprised that my mom knew a lot more than I thought. She’d only just been judged as awakened, but she knew about the Hunters League players’ competition system and even the Academy.
“You don’t need to enroll in an academy. I can show it to you by myself.”
“What can I show you? You’ll be a high school student next year, so just focus on your studies.”
“Studying is… easy.”
“You speak well~”
Before returning, I had to resort to all kinds of tactics to get my mother to vehemently oppose me, but this time, I didn’t have to do that.
The reason my mom is against it is because she’s afraid of getting carried away with something she can’t do, so she just needs to show me the results.
‘There was a Hunters League Rookie Discovery Program that was held next year, right?’
It was something I couldn’t even imagine before my return, but now, even if I just participate without any preparation, I can still win.
Form is temporary, but class is eternal.
Even if I regress.
So, this time I’m going to chew it all up.
Heat once again lingered in my tightly clenched hands.
fantasy,
