153. Before a fight where defeat is obvious
“Haaah… … .”
On the other side of PER’s waiting room. The first player to be eliminated from LTD. Kang Jun-hyeok was sighing.
‘There were so many unexpected things.’
The meteor bombardment didn’t work properly. I had to use a lure tactic. The [Mana Expansion] attack didn’t work. Even that was destroyed.
… … In this match, there wasn’t a single tactic that meshed well and worked well.
If this had been an international league match, it would have been met with a lot of criticism.
But, the opponent is not even a top team from the international league, but a second division team called PER.
‘I thought it was highly rated, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.’
For Kang Jun-hyeok, it was now more than just surprising; he was embarrassed.
“Why? Are you flustered because nothing is going as planned in this match? Our ace.”
The sound of heels echoed outside the waiting room, and then a voice was heard. I looked up and saw that it was none other than the general manager of LTD.
“Haa… … I told you to come see me, but I didn’t mean to show you this sight. I’m sorry.”
“Players and coaches. Coaches simulate countless strategies and possible events before a match. They simulate the fight.
But how often do they really fit together?”
“Still, I have a rough idea of the opponent’s abilities and my own abilities, so it’s a lot easier than I thought.”
“Quite a bit more clumsy than I thought? Isn’t that right? He’s considered the best player in Korea. How dare he say that. Quite a bit more than I thought. I think it means that even if nothing is right, it’s not strange at all.”
Kang Jun-hyuk couldn’t help but be speechless.
No matter how you refute it here, it is impossible to fundamentally refute the director’s words.
I didn’t let my guard down against PER. I watched Lee Chang-hyun’s game in person, thought about the fight, and actually read Lee Chang-hyun’s tactics a few times.
But what was the result? After much consideration, the game did not end as expected.
Instead, he got the exact opposite result, losing to Lee Chang-hyun.
“I’m not trying to scold them. I just want to say that that’s how the Hunters League is. In the Korean Hunters League, LTD is definitely the best. Yes. It’s not at all strange for them to be in first place.
But what if we broaden our view to the world? You won’t even find it in the International Hunters League Power Rankings.”
“… … .”
There was no refutation.
“The international league is a league where the best teams from each country come out, regardless of the level of the league in that country. No matter how low the power ranking of a team is, they are all teams with their own winning formula.”
“… … What do you want to say?”
“I’m telling you not to try to anticipate too much. And… …your play today… wasn’t too bad.”
Kang Jun-hyeok couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at those words.
‘My play wasn’t that bad… … is it?’
“You’ll experience this kind of thing countless times in the International League. Last year, too. In the last game, when did the opponent in the International League ever act the way we expected? Except that the opponent was a team trying to get promoted from the second division. I learned something that I absolutely needed to learn in the International League in this game. Think of it that way.”
Suddenly, I had a thought that maybe I was too obsessed with the other person’s level.
Because the opponent is a second division team. Because Lee Chang-hyun is considered a promising prospect in the second division.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can say that he’s a worse player than me… … .’
I had a feeling that he might have been looking down at me vaguely.
The Hunters League, where even the most outstanding players must play in the 3rd and 2nd divisions for at least one season to advance to the 1st division.
That guy might be in the second part just because of that rule. It wasn’t something I should have labeled as a second part.
‘Oh my. I was looking down on a guy I’d never fought properly before.’
When I first entered the Hunter’s League, I thought to myself that I needed to regain my original intentions from the time I looked up to everyone in the 3rd division.
‘It remains unchanged that our country is ranked low in international leagues… … .’
I thought that perhaps this was the mindset that Kang Jun-hyeok and LTD needed right now to win in the international league.
“… … The director is right. I’ll try to get back to my original intention.”
The general director seemed to like that answer. He smiled faintly after hearing that.
“Ah. So how did the game end up?”
“Surprisingly, the final battle is still going on.”
Kang Jun-hyeok and the general manager went to see the final fight between LTD and PER that was still ongoing.
***
A huge crowd was gathered in front of the screen broadcasting the internal match, making one wonder when so many people had gathered.
And, a rather unexpected situation unfolded on that screen.
Although Lee Chang-hyun upset LTD’s Kang Jun-hyeok, Team LTD’s weight class basically crushes PER.
This must have been the mainstream opinion… …
‘It’s surprisingly tight, isn’t it?’
PER’s Kim Yu-hyeon and Kim Do-jun are having their final fight on the screen. And the LTD players they are opposing are Lee Ga-ram and Ah-hyeon.
Among them, Igaram’s condition did not look particularly good.
“Hey… … That thing is bleeding profusely from its ear. Are you okay?”
As Kang Jun-hyeok didn’t know the situation, he couldn’t keep up with what kind of fight Lee Garam was having.
It would be like that, with blood flowing from the ears like that. It was definitely not something you could see very often in combat.
On the other hand, on the PER side, Kim Yu-hyeon and Kim Do-jun were in pretty good shape.
“Wow… LTD is all ruined. You were so excited about going to the international league. Are you going to get beat by a second division team?”
There was a guy who said something like that. It was obvious how serious the situation was without even looking at him.
“Director, what the heck is this… … .”
Kang Jun-hyeok asked the director, but the director just smiled broadly.
Is it leisure? Judging from the reactions of those around me, it doesn’t seem like that at all. Of the four, only Lee Garam was injured…
It’s a situation where you can’t help but feel pushed.
“Do you remember what I said earlier? Don’t try to anticipate too much. But even so, we have built up a foundation. Up until now, we didn’t just sloppily make it to the first division. And we didn’t become the best team there.”
Even in such a situation, the general manager just sat there with his shoulders back and watched the game.
***
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Meanwhile at the stadium.
Kim Yu-hyeon’s [Fortification] and Kim Do-jun’s various miscellaneous skills and his own quick swordsmanship.
The two remaining PERs used their best moves to attack Igaram and Ahyeon, but the situation was not easy at all.
‘It looks like we’re going on the offensive… … but this doesn’t look good.’
The attacks from Kim Yu-Hyeon’s turret and my swordsmanship were all blocked.
Not only swordsmanship, but also all strategies including the Gwi-Gang and Nung-Gang.
None other than Ahyeon, who newly joined LTD.
“Oh my. I’m going to get treated like that by these guys. What do the teams that lost to us in the postseason think of us? Now our team will be representing Korea in the international league.”
“If you were my first opponent, you would have been hit too?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t throw punches like you do, so I wouldn’t have any reason to do that.”
Not only that, after Ahyeon joined, the two of them became quite relaxed and even bickered.
‘I think it’ll be okay if we just deal with that robot somehow… … .’
That humanoid robot that appeared carrying Ahyeon. That was the real problem.
A robot that operates using mana. A robot that operates as mana equipment.
But honestly, I don’t quite understand why that’s a single piece of mana equipment that can be brought into a match…
‘If you think about it, the mana equipment I made in the workshop didn’t have any restrictions at all… … .’
This has been a problem that has been considered to be unfair for quite some time, but since it doesn’t seem to be changing easily, it seems like there must be some adult circumstances involved.
“… … So, Yuhyeon-ah. That robot. What can’t you do? With the ability to change the terrain of [Fortification], you can’t just nail it into a hole or something.”
“Common sense would suggest that a robot like that wouldn’t be able to get out of a hole… …?”
Kim Yu-hyeon answered with a dumbfounded expression.
Well, the equipment that runs on mana is blocking all the mana bullets that Kim Yu-Hyeon’s turret is firing right now. There’s no way it won’t be able to get out of a hole or something.
Besides, even though it looked like I had fought that guy named Igaram, judging by the way that robot was aware of my sword and dodging it… … it didn’t look like it would be easy to defeat.
‘It’s not good to delay any longer… … .’
That guy named Igaram. I noticed that he was able to keep blocking while staggering even after being hit hard by the demon at first, but his resilience and adaptability were also amazing.
I was pushed back in that state earlier, and I had no idea that it would get better as more time passed.
I thought I would finally be able to face Ahyeon’s mana equipment, but it wouldn’t have been strange if I just got KO’d.
“Did you gain any new abilities or anything from the last ‘Closing the Possibilities’?”
“that is…….”
Kim Yu-hyeon couldn’t open his mouth easily.
Well, most of the team members haven’t figured out the answer yet, so it would be unreasonable to ask Kim Yu-hyeon to do something about it right now.
“Haa… … Then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
“… …Shall I surrender…?”
Kim Yu-hyeon glanced at me and said.
“What? We pushed pretty hard, but you want to end this match like this? Without even seeing the end?”
“Still… … Looking at the current situation, it’s hard to win. Let’s be calm.”
If you think about it calmly, there was some truth to what Kim Yu-hyeon said. But… … To be honest, I didn’t really like it.
“We haven’t even been hurt yet. Are we going to end it like this?”
The audience might just think I’m a clown, because I win in a comical and evil way by blinding my opponents with a shining sword and even by turning them into ghosts.
but.
‘That doesn’t mean I ever took the game lightly.’
I also want to stand out in the game. To be honest, it’s true that I also want to get more attention than other players.
Still, I have pride in being a player in the Hunters League.
That’s why I thought I couldn’t surrender in this situation.
“Well… … The first division league has a lot of injuries and a lot of hardships, so it’s important to stay mentally and physically fit. This isn’t even a promotion match… … .”
“… … If that’s what you want, then there’s nothing I can do. I won’t stop you from going.”
Even though it’s regrettable, even though it remains as a slightly painful memory, even though I’m tired of being hurt by the other person, because I know that opportunities like this don’t come easily.
“But, it’s good to remember. In the end, no matter what you learn, you have to start off right.”
The first shining sword I made wasn’t just to attract aggro.
Lee Chang-hyun, who couldn’t win even once despite several consecutive duels.
I thought I could steal his attention for a moment, so I made him look like a simple excited child, like an attendant.
In fact, there was that achievement, and if he hadn’t kept on running despite losing to Lee Chang-hyun every time,
It’s an idea I would never have reached.
At those words, Kim Yu-hyeon seemed conflicted. He soon opened his mouth.
fantasy,
