Episode 229: Crossroads of Choice
“So, this is how the lineup for this match will go.”
PER’s home. My voice echoed to all the team members gathered in the conference room.
[Lee Chang-hyun, Ryu Jae-jun, Yoon Han-gyeol, Kim Yu-hyeon, Lee Seong-tae, Lee Yeon-ju, Han Ji-su] + Kim Do-jun (Mana Equipment Support)
Also, when I gestured, there was a rough outline of each person’s role written next to the PPT.
‘This LTD battle may require a lot of personal force in particular… … ‘
The biggest factor in selection was the level of personal powerlessness. Or, whether or not one could escape from the situation.
Because if you’re not careful, there’s a high chance it could end before you even join.
This was also the reason why Yoon Han-gyeol, Lee Seong-tae, and Ryu Jae-jun, who had excellent personal strength, were the main characters.
“Ugh~ My performance in the SAA match wasn’t even counted as a score. I cried because it was so unfair.”
Kim Do-jun was furious when he was left off the roster to participate in the game, but there was nothing he could do.
At this stage, there was no special Mana equipment prepared just for Kim Do-jun.
Moreover, this personnel selection itself was a personnel selection to use the strongest strategies that our team can digest and that can be applied to LTD.
A three-top tactic led by Lee Seong-tae, Yoon Han-gyeol, and Ryu Jae-jun.
Space defense strategy. And the combo of Ryu Jae-jun and I, who defeated Kang Jun-hyeok last time.
Kim Yu-Hyeon can change the terrain through [Creating a Non-Violent Zone] or [Fortification] to reduce the damage from the meteor bombardment by O Je-Heon that approached threateningly last time.
It was optimal when considering the opposing team’s ability and strength and our team’s compatibility.
“But Chang-Hyeon, I’m not dissatisfied with the lineup, but why did you leave out ‘Dimension Gate Strategy’?”
Certainly. It would be questionable for Gilhan Lee, who had the thrilling memory of using Lee Seo-hyun’s dimensional gate and his own clone powers to turn the tables in the past.
“That’s a good question. Have you ever felt anything after using the ‘Dimensional Gate Strategy’ that I used before?”
“What I felt was… … that it was easy to overpower the opponent through numerical superiority?”
Certainly, that was the core of the Dimension Gate strategy. Putting the opponent to sleep through a momentary numerical advantage. But can numerical superiority immediately lead to a strategic advantage when the opponent is LTD?
That was something I didn’t know.
“Yes, that’s right. But what if you open a dimensional gate and attack the enemy squad, and Kang Jun-hyeok is there? Do you think you’ll still be able to gain the upper hand?”
At those words, Lee Gil-han became as silent as a mute who had eaten honey.
It seemed that he intuitively knew that numerical superiority would most likely not work where Kang Jun-hyeok was.
“As you may have felt during the last practice match, rather than having a numerical advantage, teammates can get swept up in Kang Jun-hyeok’s [Mana Expansion] and the damage can only increase. So in this match, especially against Kang Jun-hyeok, rather than taking advantage of the numerical advantage to overpower him, like how Ryu Jae-jun and I teamed up to take him down that time, it would be better to send in a special force to mark or confront Kang Jun-hyeok with just the right number of people.”
Of course, it could be effective if the dimensional gate was dropped in the LTD camp without Kang Jun-hyeok… … but that was pure luck.
If that fails, Lee Seo-hyun, who has weak combat power other than the dimensional gate, will be no different from just losing one member to the team. It was also a matter of probability.
‘And the key to this match is that the PER team members, excluding me, do not fall behind the LTD team members… … but in the end, the only way to complete it is to defeat Kang Jun-hyeok.’
“Then get some good rest today. Those who can’t sleep, read the action guidelines and strategic directions for each map type one more time before going to bed. Dismissal!”
The team members started to move around, and things got a little hectic.
And everyone went into their rooms, or anxiously headed to the practice room. They started moving about with their own purposes, but there were still people sitting in the conference room.
Me. And Coach Lee Jong-gyu. Technical Coach Lim Seong-tae. And even Kim Seong-jun, who was Lehmann’s right-hand man but is working hard with PER.
“Ha. We’ve really come a long way. I can sense it now. It seems like only yesterday that Lehman-nim was telling me not to invest a lot of money in such a worthless team just because of my connections… … .”
“Do you still regret it?”
“That’s not possible. I heard that Lehmann is also showing considerable interest in this match. I heard that he might come to watch it in person. He told me that if we win this match, he will consider investing in players, facilities, and even artifacts that we want from overseas, rather than financial support.”
Well, I don’t know for sure, but the one who’s most jaw-dropping right now is probably Lehmann.
Life must be enjoyable thanks to Chairman Lee Geun-taek.
Lee Geun-taek saved my life, and thanks to him, I was able to discover a ridiculous rookie. He also invested early on, and he held on tight, not letting go even after he had set his sights on me… … I guess luck is important to people.
“I think it was good to hear the explanation of the preparations and strategies for this match. As someone who has watched the American league, I know that it is difficult to play against a team that has [Mana Expansion] users. But to think this thoroughly and plan it out… If it turns out well, it is inevitable.”
‘It’s a good result… … .’
“And this time… … This is the secret information that Lehman-nim told me. He said that this result will have a big impact on the selection of members for the international exchange. If we just win, a lot of PER team members will probably go up for the international exchange. Well then, I will go first to submit my regular report to Lehman-nim. Let’s talk.”
Kim Sung-jun left the room after saying everything he wanted to say.
Although it may have been a compliment, I already expected that it would have an impact on the selection of members for the international exchange program. However, it was a remark that made me think quite a bit.
Especially regarding Kim Sung-jun’s words that he thought he would win.
“… …Do the coaches think so too?”
Technical coach Im Seong-tae was by no means ignorant of strategy, even though I hired him as a technical coach, and Lee Jong-gyu also kept watching over his shoulder, so he was definitely not a beginner anymore.
So you probably know what Kim Sung-jun missed.
“To be honest… … Unlike the players or Mr. Kim Seong-jun, I was a little skeptical. I definitely agree that this strategy is the best, but I personally felt that the vision seemed a little weak.”
“Me too… … Changhyun.”
“Why did you think so?”
It seemed like everyone was probably thinking the same thing.
I didn’t talk to the players during the meeting. I didn’t mention it specifically because it was a tactical difficulty.
A huge wall that PER must overcome to beat LTD.
“It is said that I knocked down Kang Jun-hyeok in the LTD match during the last practice match, but that was actually just a fluke. There were more PER members at the time of the fight, and Lee Chang-hyun found an opening with Ryu Jae-jun’s temporary counter and sneaked in, but… … That was the end.”
The point was simple. The loss to LTD in the practice match last time meant that they were lucky to have fought that hard, even though they should have lost by a much greater margin.
“Besides, Chang-Hyeon-ah. So, if you just mark Ryu Jae-Jun, you can block Kang Jun-Hyeok. At this point, aren’t you lacking too many cards?”
Lee Jong-gyu’s words were also right. Even if Ryu Jae-jun and I were to team up with Kang Jun-hyeok like last time, it would be a huge loss since it was a 2-on-1 exchange. The other party would likely not even allow that.
[Mana Unfolding] The weight of Kang Jun-hyeok, the user. The asymmetrical power was strongly pressing down on PER’s shoulders.
And in this meeting, only the overall strategy on how to deal with ‘Team LTD’ was established. In the end, we have to deal with Kang Jun-hyeok to win, but we ended up not having any tactics prepared on how to deal with him.
If there had been a way to easily destroy it by wrapping the head, LTD would not have been reigning as the emperor in the first division for several years now. It was a natural story.
“You all know it well. I’ll think of a way, so everyone go in and rest. It’s getting late.”
Lim Seong-tae and Lee Jong-gyu left with uncomfortable expressions. They probably felt uneasy because they hadn’t solved the problem that had to be solved by tomorrow.
But I had a solution that I hadn’t told anyone about.
‘If [Full Bloom] is opened… … .’
Needless to say, I was confident that I would not be pushed back in a 1-on-1 match against Kang Jun-hyeok, but would overwhelm him.
The only thing that bothers me is that the rank of Mankai is still B.
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It was a big difference from what was open in C+ before the regression, but it wasn’t a huge advancement considering it lasted for so long.
And since once you open it, you can never turn it back. Since I regretted it once, I had to be careful.
I could think of reasons why I shouldn’t be so open, but on the other hand, I also had clear reasons why I wanted to be open.
‘Kang Jun-hyuk is strong, but… … In the end, Kang Jun-hyuk is just the beginning.’
If you go to the international league, there are many hunters stronger than Kang Jun-hyeok. Not long ago, LTD led by Kang Jun-hyeok was completely destroyed by the American team in the international league.
Should I struggle, desperate for victory, without opening [Full Bloom], which I don’t know when my rank will go up? Or should I open [Full Bloom], which I might regret?
‘I guess I’m going crazy. This game.’
It was a night of deep thought.
***
Time passed in an instant.
Just by closing and opening my eyes once, I felt like game time had arrived.
I hadn’t even come to a decision or a method yet, but before I knew it, I had arrived in front of the stadium.
“Changhyun, did you sleep well? Why do you look so thoughtful? It’s not like it’s the post-season finals, you just have to fight and get there once. Huh?”
Lee Jong-gyu was trying hard to cheer me up, but honestly, it didn’t really register in my ears.
Before the return period when [Full Bloom] was released, there were many instances where I was overwhelmed by Ethan’s overwhelming abilities, and even when facing [Mana Expansion] users, there were only a few instances where I felt like I was inferior in ability in a 1v1 fight, up until the very end.
It may be natural that worries are not easy.
It would be even more natural if the opponent is Kang Jun-hyeok, who can easily show his business card in a 1-on-1 match rather than a 7-on-7 match on an international league level.
While I was thinking about that.
“No, how come I ran into you on my way to the waiting room. It makes me feel uncomfortable for no reason… .”
I heard Lee Yeon-ju muttering. I saw her. Who was it? I looked up and saw LTD team members walking in the opposite direction in the hallway.
There are quite a few reserve members, so I don’t know who will participate, but Kang Jun-hyuk is among them.
“Who is this? This isn’t Lee Chang-hyun who told me to wait a year.”
Kang Jun-hyuk smiled and extended his hand to me, as if he found it funny or as if he was happy to see me.
“It seems like you kept your promise. But now that your junior has arrived, don’t you think it’s time to step aside?”
When I saw the other person on the other side, other miscellaneous thoughts subsided and I could only see the person in front of me.
The funny thing was that I could feel Kang Jun-hyeok’s voice shaking so subtly that even a hunter might not be able to sense it.
It could be excitement. Or it could be a slight nervousness that I might actually be caught up to by my junior.
“You’re not that old yet, so hold on tight and don’t cry when you break. But… if you get too depressed after you lose, tell me. I’ll buy you a drink or two.”
Before we could even say anything about not being able to drink alcohol because I was still a minor, LTD passed by, led by Kang Jun-hyeok.
“What are you crying about…? … You seem to be more nervous.”
After shaking hands with Kang Jun-hyeok, I felt more at ease.
As I am struggling, LTD is a high-risk organization when it loses. The pressure that its leader, Kang Jun-hyeok, feels will be just as great.
Why did I forget?
Originally, before I returned, I was a professional who lived on the edge of a cliff in battlefields like this.
Maybe it’s because we’ve been fighting leisurely rather than in intense fights for too long.
The time for the game to start was approaching.
My heart was pounding. It was definitely pounding for a different reason than last night.
fantasy,
