011. Interview
What is the easiest way to gain the upper hand in battle?
Great weapons? Strategic tactics? Efficient manpower deployment? No.
The easiest and most effective method was the human wave tactic. Pushing in with a large number of people was the easiest and most difficult method to deal with.
‘This is especially prominent in the Hunter world.’
And even though there are differences in ability, the Hunters League, where each individual has a unique ability, tends to have a greater advantage in terms of number of members.
Because it is very easy to fall for skills that your opponent doesn’t know about or the power of skill combos.
That wasn’t all. When one person fights against several others, blind spots naturally appear, and since you have to fight while being mindful of such things, the opponents become exponentially more difficult.
That is why what Lee Chang-hyun is doing now could be seen as something close to eccentricity.
Even though he had a lot of ether, Lee Chang-hyun was still basically a single man, except for the supporter who strengthened his gravity from behind.
‘Even if you fly and crawl, you’re still just a single person. So… What are you going to do, Lee Chang-hyun?’
***
The biggest enemy. The enemy you had to be most careful of was Yoon Han-gyeol right in front of you. He was a melee dealer who used swords, but he was also capable of long-distance control, and he was wielding a kind of Igi-geom. He was wielding the Whirlwind Sword.
‘Are you saying this guy is number one?’
It was somewhat understandable, because Yoon Han-gyeol’s appearance before his regression was extremely powerful.
A hunter who can cover both close and long range, which is rare in the Hunter’s League.
Yoon Han-gyeol uses multiple swords to corner his opponents.
But the sword he was handling now was the only one.
‘It means that he is still at the rookie level.’
I lightened my mind and looked back at Yoon Han-gyeol.
But I couldn’t just care about Yoon Han-gyeol.
‘……back!’
Lee Chang-hyun quickly moved to the side.
Immediately after that, a spear flew into the spot where Lee Chang-hyun was.
Since he had seen the first two die without being able to respond, he shot Lee Chang-hyun, who was considered the most dangerous during the melee.
“This kind of atmosphere… … It’s been a while. Is this your first time too?”
“… … I don’t know what you did, but yours… … was no ordinary weapon. You brought it upon yourself. Don’t blame me.”
With those last words, the sword that had been floating in front of Yoon Han-gyeol flew back.
‘I rather like it.’
I don’t know about Yoon Han-gyeol when he’s wielding multiple swords, but since he only has one sword right now, there’s no way to stop him when he’s shot with a pistol.
Bang! Ta-tang!
This time I tried to shoot while it was landing, but unfortunately I failed.
‘You’re going to throw your sword and hide behind a tree right away… … Even though you’re still young, you know a little bit about strategic movement, right?’
Before the regression, it felt like a stage where you had to push through with force, but it seemed like it was a little different when I was young.
Yoon Han-gyeol also hid behind a tree. Since he could not chase Lee Chang-hyun with his sword because his vision was obscured, the standoff continued. However, if there was a difference between Lee Chang-hyun and Yoon Han-gyeol, it was [piercing eyes].
The ability to know exactly where everyone is, even on a forest map with limited visibility.
Because he had this ability, Lee Chang-hyun was able to change his mind even during the standoff with Yoon Han-gyeol.
‘While Yoon Han-gyeol is protecting himself, I’ll take care of the other guy first. First… … the area under the tree 3m behind… … .’
The moment when he pretends to step back while confronting Yoon Han-gyeol, the silhouette of the person at the bottom of the tree is revealed.
When our eyes met, the applicant had a very surprised expression on his face.
But for Lee Chang-hyun, it was all expected. There was no hesitation.
Soup –
Another kill.
Now that I was away from Yoon Han-gyeol and could pay less attention, it was a great opportunity to kill him.
And that was true even when dealing with quite a large number of people.
Two people in a temporary truce behind cover on the empty lot side.
One person hiding behind a rock in a cave that runs down.
And one person appeared in front of Lee Chang-hyun without fear.
Kill. Kill. And kill.
Even though it was a multiplayer match, the balance was broken from the start when fighting Lee Chang-hyun, who had ridiculous penetration power, rate of fire, and talent to match.
As he suddenly went up 7 kilometers, I felt Yoon Han-gyeol coming up from behind again, either to catch his breath or to come up with a new strategy.
‘You should have known that it wouldn’t work from mid-range… … .’
There was no way a hunter of that caliber would charge in without thinking.
So I fired a deflecting shot with tension, but… … Yoon Han-gyeol ran towards me without swinging his sword, and started to fire ether bullets with his hand.
‘The speed of the bullet is slow because the amount of mana is low, but… … .’
The reaction speed was definitely not normal. Even if it was a skill that required all of one’s concentration, it was still an incredible skill.
……but.
Memories from before the regression came flooding back. Even then, Yoon Han-gyeol had pushed forward with the same powerful force as now, and the other hunters were bound to panic.
But… … there is always someone flying above the one who runs.
And I was a bastard.
Ting ting ㅡ
Bullets bounce off one by one.
And at some point, Yoon Han-gyeol became close to Lee Chang-hyun.
At that moment, one step changed the flow.
Ting –
Another shot was fired at the one foot that bounced off as before.
A truly miraculous, irregular shooting using a slingshot.
Because it was a volley, this shot was out of Yoon Han-gyeol’s field of vision for a moment. That’s why he was absolutely certain that he would not be able to react.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
‘I won… …!’
I thought so, but unfortunately luck was not on my side.
Beep beep –
“The final 20 survivors have been confirmed! The survival game is over!”
***
After the survival game ended, the 20 who succeeded in surviving returned to the main hall. Then, on the opened stage, three judges, Jo Ara, Jin Soo-hyeok, and Lee Min-seok, appeared.
The first one to open the gate was Joara.
“Congratulations. You are true Hunters who can enjoy the joy of victory. Considering that only a small number of the Awakened are Hunters, this is truly amazing.”
Lee Min-seok took over the baton and continued his congratulatory remarks.
“What is the basic quality of a hunter? Some might say it is winning the game. However, the hunters we want, the hunters we dream of, are not like that. Those who protected humanity, always stood at the forefront of crisis, and explored dungeons. Aren’t they like the first generation of hunters? In that sense, I believe that your survival game has shown you your qualities as a hunter, and has shown you the future.”
“The next mission will be revealed in a week, back in this main hall. You must have realized many of your shortcomings during this survival game, so you should prepare hard for the week. You can use the practice facilities in the dorms without limit, so please use them. Then, good luck to the remaining 20 people.”
With those words, all the judges left, and all that remained was the rankings on the electronic scoreboard.
[Survival Game Leaderboard]
1st place Yoon Han-gyeol: 17 kills
2nd place Yoo Hye-ju: 10 kills
3rd place Han Ji-soo: 8 kills
3rd place Jin Han: 8 kills
5th place Lee Chang-hyun: 7 kills
5th place Kim Jin-seung: 7 kills
‘Only 5th place… … .’
I guess I was left with a lot of regrets because of the variables I hadn’t considered this time. If I had known this would happen, I would have risked elimination and focused on the battle from the beginning, which would have resulted in a higher ranking.
‘Of course, it’s not that there are no results, but… … .’
[Task Accomplished!]
[Full Bloom – Talent Bloom: Ether]: You can indirectly create Ether using mana.
While Lee Chang-hyun was standing around in the waiting room thinking, Kim Do-jun approached him and spoke to him.
“Hey! Lee Chang-hyun! I heard you got 5th place.”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t even thought about it, but this guy was participating too…
He was a top-tier dealer before his return, but since he doesn’t even show up in the rankings, does that mean he was eliminated?
“You? Did you pass?”
“I… somehow got through. There was a lot of talk about someone using a gun in the waiting room. Is that your story? You weren’t even given a gun in the first place. Where did you find it?”
Anyway, he was quite a noisy guy whenever I met him. I want to get rid of him a bit… … .
Just as I was thinking that, fortunately, there was a savior.
“Mr. Lee Chang-hyun, please prepare for the interview.”
Before I knew it, the PD had arrived in the waiting room with the cameraman.
***
Being a broadcaster wasn’t just a job of taking pictures of people on camera.
To be exact, it was a job that “contained” people.
Naturally, it was shown differently depending on the content, and the viewer ratings fluctuated accordingly.
PD Lee Jun-seok was naturally well aware of this aspect, so he was the one who thought about how to package each applicant by separating them according to their characteristics, personality, and the performance they showed.
My first impression was that he was a completely strange guy.
Honestly, I didn’t even know I would be picked.
That makes sense, since PD Lee Jun-seok also watched the document review as part of his reporting.
Do you think that conflict management is all about leaving all decisions up to you? Life is easy and you’ve never experienced any adversity?
I didn’t even think he was being sincere when he wrote his application, as it seemed like he didn’t put even the slightest bit of sincerity into it.
However, it was different in real life, not during the document review.
‘Document review question number 3… … .’
This was certainly an action that could be seen as luck at first. However, luck is not something that happens once, but if you succeed twice or three times, it becomes like skill.
The actions he showed in [Survival Game] this time were enough to make you feel like there was something to it and not just luck.
So how should the concept be captured so that it sells well? That was the question that PD Lee Jun-seok had to worry about.
A confident boy who hides many things to the point of being suspicious?
My pace, an eccentric person who walks his own path?
Either way, it wasn’t ordinary, but it’s not clear whether it had marketability…
That is why PD Lee Jun-seok thought hard about questions that could provide a new concept.
First, I started with some easy questions to get a feel for it.
***
In the waiting room, there was a PD named Lee Jun-seok, who had a slightly warm impression, waiting for me, and a cameraman. Since this was my first interview after returning, I was a little nervous.
But even so, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem since I had done a lot of interviews.
“How did you support [Hunters, The Next Generation]?”
“I thought someone like me should apply.”
Of course. I think I should be grateful that Lee Chang-hyun, who has won the Hunters League, supported me. This is my honest opinion.
“Oh, and congratulations on passing, Hunter Lee Chang-hyun. Let me hear your thoughts on the first round.”
“Well, it wasn’t as good as I thought, but it was an expected result.”
To be honest, I think the first round was actually a bit precarious. That’s understandable, since there was a document review. I wasn’t very good at interviews and questions like that. But if you evaluate my skills now, I think it was all right.
“You must have faced many applicants for this competition. Is there anyone you consider your rival?”
“yes.”
“… … .”
“I said there isn’t any.”
Yoon Han-gyeol is a little conscious, but it’s a bit too much to count him as a rival… … That’s because even before the regression, when we met in the finals, I won every time without fail. It may seem a little arrogant, but it’s the truth.
On the other hand, Lee Jun-seok couldn’t help but feel absurd. The applicant’s story was not touching, but rather a common story that anyone could have. It was difficult to consider it as a general commercial product. The answers were all short answers, and it was difficult to ask more questions.
Was that why?
PD Lee Jun-seok asked a slightly aggressive question.
“I had no rivals, so why did I only get 5th place?”
“Um… … It wouldn’t be fun if I just buried it all?”
Of course, due to realistic constraints, I had no choice but to take 5th place, but if I had opened up “Mankae”, I would have easily taken 1st place without that. I could be arrogant if I wanted to, but in my opinion, it was all true in this interview.
Of course, Lee Jun-seok thought, not knowing anything like that.
‘I feel dizzy.’
fantasy,
