Episode 242: Starting the Engine
“No. Like this… … .”
Jin Soo-hyuk was at SAA’s home. He was amazed by a Hunters League match he watched while rolling around in his bed.
That’s understandable, LTD, which I thought would never lose. Didn’t it lose to PER?
If I had to pick the most shocking scene, it would be when Kang Jun-hyeok lost to Lee Chang-hyun.
“What the hell was that in the end?”
Because it was shown again in slow motion, it was not that I didn’t know what happened.
But how can humans show such detailed movements at such a fast speed?
It just didn’t make sense.
Because, no matter how excellent the [Swift] ability that allows quick movements is, I have never heard of a hunter moving like that.
Using that ability didn’t make his reflexes any faster, but rather, his movements became sluggish and lacked detail because he couldn’t handle the increased speed.
If I had to name a player who showed a similar appearance, I would say the queen of Europe who is famous in the international league. Anna is the one who comes to mind… … but she was subtly different from that.
Since he was so curious, it was natural that Jin Soo-hyuk would not skip the interviews that he usually didn’t watch and would watch them in detail one by one.
So, it’s a bit new, but while watching PER’s interview, especially Lee Chang-hyun’s interview… … the question I was curious about just came out of the caster’s mouth.
[Caster: Did you know that this match itself was a huge topic of conversation? It wasn’t the regular Hunters League, but I had a draw with a masked ranker in the ranked match. The fight I had after that was the LTD match with Kang Jun-hyeok.
There are jokes going around saying that since he had a draw with that masked ranker, he must be stronger than Kang Jun-hyeok… … What do you think?
[Lee Chang-hyun: Hmm… … If I were to compare the two players… … Honestly, it’s difficult. At that time, the player who wore the mask tried to hide himself and didn’t use his abilities. To be honest, it didn’t feel like they were at full strength.
However, I have to say that I was quite excited and nervous about today’s match with Kang Jun-hyeok.]
‘It’s so boring, but it’s true.’
Jin Su-hyeok commented on Lee Chang-hyun’s interview like this.
I still don’t know exactly how he won that ability.
But no matter how powerful one’s abilities are, how could one not be nervous in front of Kang Jun-hyeok, whose abilities are so overwhelming in scale?
Even Jin Su-hyeok, who is said to have the most deceptive ability in close combat, felt a thrill from Kang Jun-hyeok’s overwhelming power when he first encountered him.
As a rookie, Lee Chang-hyun must have felt even more nervous and excited.
Anyway, Lee Chang-hyun won.
[Caster: That’s definitely true. If you watch this video, you can see that with every single gesture made by Kang Jun-hyeok, the map is cut out like nothing. If I were in Lee Chang-hyun’s place, I think I would have been trembling.]
[Lee Chang-hyun: No… … That’s not it.]
[Caster: ?]
[Lee Chang-hyun: About my own ability. About strength?]
Jin Su-hyeok momentarily doubted his ears.
Weren’t you nervous when you saw Kang Jun-hyuk?
Are you excited about your own abilities?
‘Are you crazy?’
If you say something like that, don’t you think about what will happen if you lose to LTD or another team next time?
But Lee Chang-hyun’s words did not end there.
[Caster: I guess you had strong confidence.]
[Lee Chang-hyun: Well. Yes. That’s right. The Hunters League is not the end. It’s the world. The international league. The best. My body is going? That’s the feeling I’ve had while playing until now.]
Then, Jin Su-hyeok felt a strange sense of discomfort while listening to Lee Chang-hyun’s answer.
I think I’ve heard this somewhere…
[Lee Chang-hyun: If you say it is the source of confidence… … the existence of a country? Self-confidence. Pride. Overwhelming sense of victory?]
And when we got to this point, the identity became clear.
This is a vague version of the egoist’s answer that became a hot topic on some entertainment show…
Jin Soo-hyeok became dizzy during the interview, which was supposed to give him a clue as to the true nature of Lee Chang-hyun’s abilities.
Of course the fans will be happy, but… …
I wonder if that guy is thinking of this interview as some kind of entertainment show?
Something that definitely makes both Pawa and Kardashian dazzle. This one thing was for sure.
***
After the LTD match, the next morning, as expected, the community was in chaos.
Naturally, the fact that PER beat LTD as an underdog was basically the biggest story, and then there was the content of my interview.
A crazy and arrogant interview that could perhaps be seen as crossing the line.
However, the atmosphere was somewhat understanding when they found out that it was actually a parody of a certain entertainment program.
‘From the perspective of someone who was actually watching the game, it must have seemed like a really overwhelming victory… … .’
This time, there might be a lot of players who hate me… …but what can I do?
Originally, it was impossible for a person to be born loved by everyone.
In that case, wouldn’t it be great showmanship for a player to burn his body to gain some fame through PER and provide a fun story for the fans?
While I was feeling happy while reading the comments.
I heard a knock on my private room door.
It was Kim Seong-jun, who was in charge of the PER team.
I don’t usually come to visit you in person, but what’s going on?
“I have received a call from the Korean Hunters League Association. This is a document regarding ‘Cooperation in the selection of international exchange players.’”
It was just the news I was waiting for.
Borrowing, cooperation, something like that.
It was a time when the upcoming international exchange event was anticipated.
‘Ah… …but I feel like I keep missing something?’
I feel like there was something else that needed to be done.
The word alone may seem negative at first glance, but it was actually an experience. And it was one of the most necessary experiences for our PER team members who are aiming for the international league.
It was also a step that had to be taken in order to become a team that could advance to the international league.
“How many digits is it?”
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“That’s… … 2 regular member spots and 1 reserve member spot.”
The question was how many seats were allocated to PER in the international exchange event with 7 regular members and reserve members.
Two seats for one person… … It was just the right number of people, not too many or too few.
Of course, I’ll take one seat… … and I thought I should think carefully about the remaining seat.
Whoever goes will be a big help. If possible, it would be better to take someone who has the potential to grow significantly.
However, strangely enough, Kim Seong-jun did not leave even after finishing his assigned duties and stayed behind.
It seemed like he had something left to say.
“Is there anything else…?”
“That. It’s nothing special, I was just thinking that you were going to the ‘ranked match’ location with the PER team members like you normally do today. I had to have the car ready.”
“ah…….”
Was that all? Of course, I shouldn’t be overjoyed or saddened by one or two games, so I have to go…
‘… … !’
Only then did I realize it.
Yesterday, [Mankai]’s rank went up and I was testing out the abilities that had grown, and I thought I had missed something.
“Ranked Match!”
Yes. He said he would take first place in the ranked matches while still wearing a mask and hiding his identity, but he left Jin Su-hyeok behind.
Was it because the recent series of Hunters League 1st Division matches were so intense? Why did I forget this important thing?
Now that the score gap between you and the top rankers has widened, Jin Su-hyeok can appear whenever you match him up, but you haven’t prepared a separate method to deal with him.
‘Should I announce that we’re having team practice today instead of ranked play?’
I also had a moment of concern.
Soon the embarrassment subsided, and after calming down and thinking about it slowly, I realized that there was no need to do that.
Originally, he went up wearing a mask and not using his abilities in order to train. And to hide his identity.
So, there was no point in winning by using some abilities like [Magical Engineering Weapon Transformation] or [Full Bloom], which would reveal your identity and not greatly increase your proficiency…
What are the new abilities that [Mankai] has gained by ranking up this time?
Since they were abilities that did not originally exist, there was no reason for their identity to be revealed, and it did not go against the original purpose of training.
And honestly… …I’m saying this because I once experienced Jin Su-hyeok, who specialized in one-on-one combat. If I were to deal with a guy like that, wouldn’t I need at least one weapon?
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought that this ranked match might be quite enjoyable.
“Oh, the ranked match. It’s something I usually go to, but I can’t miss it just because it’s a happy day. Let’s get ready.”
“… … I will do that.”
Before the international exchange event begins, let’s take a moment to stretch our bodies.
***
The waiting room of the Hunter Union Training Center, where most hunters visit to play ranked matches.
There were many more hunters loitering around the waiting room than usual.
Was it because of the LTD and PER battle yesterday that I felt excited?
At that moment, I was wondering while doing that.
I could figure out the cause.
‘Jin Soo-hyuk is standing in the waiting room like that… … .’
In the case of top ranked players, since there are a small number of players, they can enter a private room and wait to avoid concerns about sniping matches.
That’s why top ranked users don’t usually show up in these integrated waiting rooms… … But today, for some reason, they were in a place where everyone could see them.
That may be why the atmosphere in this somewhat stuffy waiting room is so awkward.
However, I could easily see through the intention.
‘I don’t know why, but… … Since the masked guy has been a hot topic recently, I guess he’s here to declare war and tell me to take a look.’
If it was obvious, then it was obvious.
It could be the mentality of a strong person who wants to organize the hierarchy.
Well, whatever. He said he would fight like that, so there was no reason for me to refuse.
My hands are itching to test out my new abilities.
“Let’s each start our ranked matches today. If anything comes up, let me know. I’ll be going to take care of business.”
PER’s team members. And after shaking off Kim Do-jun who was looking at me with a sinister expression, I came back out to the waiting room wearing a mask and changed my clothes.
Jin Soo-hyuk is still in the same spot as before.
Let me break through the crowd of people and apply for a match.
Jin Soo-hyuk also seemed determined not to give up. He walked out and confidently applied for the match.
As they faced each other like that, Jin Su-hyeok spoke softly.
“Last time, was it Lee Chang-hyun? You had a draw with him, right? You shouldn’t let your guard down just because you beat him… …
“I won thanks to the trick of packing gas with strange equipment. It was a match that was almost like I won.”
It felt a little unfair.
It’s true that I won with the help of that mana equipment back then, but the reason I bought gas was purely because of Kim Do-jun…
My image is… …
fantasy,
