Episode 171 On the Opponent’s Stage
“What is Justin best at here?”
When I asked openly, the atmosphere in the room heated up.
It’s as if they’ve all predicted what’s happening and what’s going to happen. They’re probably going to find it entertaining to watch.
“Chang-Hyeon. It’s not good to look down on Justin. No matter how much you are, the other person… … .”
Lennon seemed quite surprised by what I said and tried to stop me, but it was too late. The person I was asking the question to answered as if it was funny.
“Justin’s best at… … Even though he’s a tough guy, he’s a pretty decent hunter, right? His best sport is ‘Tappa Mission’.”
It was a type that did not even exist in the Hunters League.
Of course, the ‘tappa mission’ was a mission to climb the tower alone with limited resources to a certain floor.
It was a training that focused on neutral monsters rather than single-person combat, the ability to respond to terrain, and the ability to improvise, which was important for explorers.
Did you know that?
The guy who mentioned the subject that Justin excelled in was also hesitant to accept this.
“For a player who plays Hunter’s League, ‘Dappa Mission’? Doesn’t it sound very unfamiliar? If I were to recommend something similar to Hunter’s League… … .”
“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll take that.”
“Chang-Hyeon!”
Was Lennon worried about me? He made a gesture to stop me, but I didn’t care.
Now that the level of [full bloom] has been raised, the power it already possesses has been confirmed to some extent. And even getting used to it.
‘The practice match against LTD last time… … and the 1 vs. 7 against TAM. That’s the end of the zero point adjustment.’
It meant that he was not weak enough to quietly endure the humiliation he suffered in a foreign land.
And since I’m going to be going to international exchange matches or international leagues anyway, wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to test myself against foreign hunters?
With those words, Justin and I each began to prepare ourselves.
***
Perhaps because this is an uncommon sight in everyday life, there were a lot of people waiting to watch the showdown between Lee Chang-hyun and Justin.
Among them, there was a small conversation between the PER team members and Lennon.
“Sir, this match… … what do you think? Sir, just like we saw in [Palace of Dreams] last time, I think Chang-Hyeon’s mettle will come out, right?”
Lee Jeong-hoon asked Lennon with bright eyes.
The eyes of a young child who clearly seems to be expecting something.
But Lennon had no choice but to look away from those eyes.
“Changhyun. I admit that he’s outstanding and special, but… … It was reckless of me to take Justin’s quarrel. It was my fault. It would have been better to just ignore it like I usually do… … .”
“Hey, I guess Chang-Hyeon thinks about it too. By the way, what is this ‘Tap-Pa Mission’? Please explain it to me more clearly.”
Yoon Han-gyeol, who was listening from the side, intervened.
“That’s exactly what it says. ‘Tappa Mission’ is a mission to climb a tower within a set amount of time. How high can you climb?
How to deal with neutral monsters or enemies you encounter in unexpected situations.
“How to solve the food problem, etc… … This is a mission that tends to evaluate the explorer’s tendencies rather than the Hunter’s League’s Hunters who focus on battle.”
The point was simple.
The stage that Lee Chang-hyun went up to was completely the opponent’s stage. That’s why it was inevitable that he would be at a disadvantage.
“… … So does that mean there’s no chance for Chang-Hyeon hyung to win?”
While listening to Lennon, Lee Jung-hoon’s expression hardened as he spoke, perhaps because he was worried. It may have been because he was thinking about the game between LTD and Blackhawk that he had seen not long ago.
“It’s a fight that’s advantageous to the opponent… … and honestly, considering that American hunters are basically in a higher weight class… … I think he has no chance of winning. I’ve seen him before and thought he was reckless. This time, it’s really a reckless fight.”
At the moment when such a pessimistic story was coming out.
Yoon Han-gyeol expressed his disagreement with those words.
“You don’t have to worry too much. I think they have a plan.”
Lennon was startled by the look in her eyes that seemed to show deep trust.
After watching the Korea vs. US international league match today, you must have felt the difference in level between the leagues. And on top of that, it’s Justin’s stage, so how can you say that?
Perhaps there was some ability or tactic that could be prepared with certainty. Lennon opened his eyes wide.
“Did you hear anything?”
“No. But… … .”
But the answer he heard from Yoon Han-gyeol was not the answer Lennon had expected. From the very beginning, everything from the event to the match had just been decided, so there was no way something like that could happen.
But why is Yoon Han-gyeol watching this match with such deep trust?
Lennon began to wonder why.
“but…….”
“However, considering what Chang-Hyeon has shown so far, I don’t think he will lose at all.”
Past events they had shared together flashed through Yoon Han-gyeol’s mind.
Audition program. An absurd elimination mission where the rest of the team was killed in a collapsing building.
He beat Lee Geun-taek, won the third part, and now he’s even tied with Kang Jun-hyeok in the first part. He’s even won in a 1 vs. 7 match.
“Because Chang-Hyeon isn’t the type of guy you can imagine losing to.”
Even if that guy is an American hunter, there’s no way he’d lose in a 1-on-1 fight.
***
I left the noisy crowd behind and entered the training facility.
‘Is this really a facility where hunters who enter the tower practice?’
As someone who has toured various teams’ homes, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the facilities.
Because it wasn’t a facility of the average standard.
A space that feels as if it were a real tower.
Perhaps, it seemed that they had specially implemented relics and mana equipment to give it a similar feel to an actual tower.
‘By the way, it’s a mission to get there… ‘
It was a type of training I had never done before. However, since I had studied the origins of the Hunters and the Tower while playing the Hunters League before returning, I knew the general rules and prototypes.
‘A mission to quickly overcome neutral monsters and obstacles and climb to a high place within the time limit… … So it’s basically an exploration mission.’
However, there is one blind spot here.
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The point is that when several people are doing a ‘tappa mission’ at the same time, it is not a big problem for them to interfere with each other.
The origin of the Hunter’s League itself was the sportingization of the Hunters’ custom of fighting over relics while exploring the tower. So the Dappa Mission also had to have those elements.
‘Of course, this is something I didn’t think about when I was recording the mission on my own.’
That is, it would be a good idea to also consider the option of leading to a fight.
Just as I was pondering the strategy for this match, I heard Justin’s voice from the side.
“Are you so nervous that you can’t even relax? I can already see you making excuses after losing. Since you won’t let me off easy, I’m telling you to try your best.”
With that sarcastic voice as the last, the ‘Tappa Mission’ began.
***
‘You idiot… … Why did you apply for a match with the Dappa Mission?’
Was it Lee Chang-hyun? I was dumbfounded by that guy’s arrogance.
That’s understandable, because Justin couldn’t even imagine that he would lose to a hunter from the Hunter’s League, not to mention an American hunter, but to a Korean hunter.
And the basis for that idea was actually unfolding right before our eyes.
After the game started, what unfolded before Justin’s eyes was a dark cave with an immeasurably high ceiling.
A very dark cave, without even a single ray of light coming in.
No matter how excellent the Hunters League hunters are, they would be at a loss as to what to do in such a sudden and unexpected situation.
But surprisingly, Justin seemed to know exactly where to go. No, he was running somewhere quickly as if he was used to this terrain.
‘The starting point is [The Cave of Darkness]. Then the next floor is the Great Waterway. And the floor above that is… … … … . It’s a familiar place. I already know the route to avoid the neutral monsters, so it doesn’t matter.’
Justin’s thoughts are familiar and highly organized, flowing and fast.
The incident continued without interruption until the very end, and it seemed as if he could foresee himself winning.
‘Maybe that guy. I might have to dig through the floors for a while, and I might not be able to get out of the darkness of this cave while I’m finishing?’
It was thrilling just to imagine it.
He’s a Korean hunter who’s not even on the international league main list, and he’s an arrogant and cocky guy.
Even if I win, there isn’t much to gain.
However, that guy is someone Lennon has proven himself to be, someone he brought in with permission from his superiors.
What if we educated that guy in front of all these American hunters right now?
‘Lennon’s reputation will be crushed to the ground.’
Especially in a situation like now where Lennon can’t even return as a hunter who can conquer the tower again.
Lennon’s position will be diminished.
And it didn’t seem like it would be long before that idea was actually proven.
“The exit… is visible.”
Because he had already memorized the geography and was familiar with the areas where neutral monsters appear and the route they were taking, there was evidence in front of him that he had safely and perfectly avoided them.
The distance between me and that guy who was already wandering around in the darkness must have been quite long.
Because this kind of knowledge was something that could only come from the experience and constant training of a hunter who entered the tower.
“Okay… … Now, the great waterway.”
Beyond the huge void, a huge waterway built in an unknown style appeared.
It took almost 8 minutes and 14 seconds to clear the first randomly assigned floor.
‘Is today even my best record?’
There’s no way anyone can keep up with this.
Perhaps now, even if we move leisurely, we will be able to overtake him and build up a significant gap.
Just as I was about to slowly move forward again, feeling relieved.
Now I was about to head towards the canal, but there was someone waiting ahead of me.
Something felt strange.
‘Did a humanoid neutral monster appear in [The Great Waterway]?’
No. I haven’t heard of that. This isn’t even an area where neutral monsters appear…
Then what the heck is that… …
The worries continued for a while.
The ‘Tappa Mission’ was to avoid neutral monsters as much as possible.
However, if I didn’t pass through here and there, I would likely lose several hours.
With that thought in mind, Justin headed towards where Inyoung was.
‘Well, it’s just one neutral monster. I’m probably already quite far away from that guy… … I’ll just take care of one and go… … .’
But at that moment.
Justin couldn’t help but notice the strange sensation he had felt for the first time.
What he saw was not something human-like.
Of course, it wasn’t a neutral monster or anything like that.
Lee Chang-hyun, who never thought he would be ahead of himself.
That Korean Hunters League nerd was waiting for him.
Yawning as if he had been waiting for a long time.
“Oh, you’re back now? You were bragging about being a true hunter… … um… … What was your name?”
fantasy,
