Episode 330 Hot Place
“That won’t happen. Didn’t you say that you would give a special treat to the first place winner this time?”
Leonardo shrugged. He seemed confident about this part, since it was the map he had chosen.
But even at Leonardo’s appearance, the other first-generation veteran hunters just tilted their heads.
“Hmm… … Even so, there’s only one person in first place. Besides, it’s too risky to survive by making everyone your enemy in order to deal with the other guys. Making everyone your enemy and surviving alone, or making everyone your ally and surviving together… … If you think about it rationally, it’s generally the latter.”
John Smith said, stroking his chin.
Could it be that the other elder hunters also unusually disagreed with Leonardo’s opinion? They simply added to his silence of affirmation.
“You should know better, but it’s not easy to survive on a map like that. Trying to kill others when you can barely survive yourself is ridiculous.”
That was certainly true. After all, reducing the number of survivors wasn’t the only way to survive.
That’s not all. In the end, even if you take all those risks and defeat other guys, the only thing that will give you a special benefit is ‘1st place’.
That is why cooperation is the only way to have an advantage.
It was a logic without flaws. It was so obvious that it was hard to understand why Leonardo thought differently.
Yet Leonardo just laughed after hearing all these stories.
“Yes. That would certainly be true if he were someone who felt burdened by his own survival, or someone who had difficulty targeting others. But what do you think? Do you think ‘that guy’ who is currently aiming for first place in this international league would have trouble with something like that?”
Perhaps overwhelmed by Leonardo’s words that seemed to convey strong conviction, the other first-generation elder hunters present flinched.
Then, let’s look at where his eyes landed. Only then could I easily understand what he was saying.
“Ethan… … .”
If it’s that guy, he’ll definitely be able to attack from places where the enemy’s attacks won’t be a threat, and as he’s a top-tier player in the international league, there won’t be any major issues with his personal survival.
What if he, like in the first stage last time, shoots down a group that is trying to survive?
It wouldn’t be strange to dream of total annihilation, except for Ethan.
And as much as the mind of a hunter works extraordinarily, there has never been a hunter here who did not understand Leonardo’s words.
“Isn’t that so?”
Only then did Leonardo ask the elder hunters, who were shocked and silent, as if he had finally received their consent.
Unlike usual, he spoke very politely and formally.
As expected by all the senior hunters except Leonardo in this place, the participants would come together and join forces.
Because for Ethan, it was a given that a good meal would be served.
But even in that situation, there were people who opposed it… …
“Hmm… … That Ethan guy. So how was it on the first stage? Didn’t you end up sniping from behind like a sniper and not getting a single one?”
While Leonardo perfectly predicted the flow of the game, Lee Geun-taek stepped in.
And that too by poking at the most painful part.
But that didn’t mean Leonardo had nothing to say. No, rather, he confidently asked back.
“You too, this map… … do you know something about the ‘Magyeong’?”
“Okay. I know.”
“Then you understand. The characteristic of this map. That black sphere that sucks everything in doesn’t just suck in other things, but also pulls in mana, so there is a very dense mana around it.”
“… … .”
Leonardo didn’t continue speaking, but everyone there knew what he was trying to say.
Ethan was a hunter who could draw mana from his body when the surrounding environment was sparse, and was powerful. If the surrounding environment had a high density of mana, he could use that as well.
That is, Ethan’s one step in the environment would be on a different level from what he had shown elsewhere so far.
At this point, even Lee Geun-taek had no choice but to admit it.
“So this game already has a winner and loser. Those guys who huddle together to survive will just be Ethan’s targets. So first place goes to Ethan… … Well, if he runs around here and there and runs hard, that guy you said you were raising… Lee Changmin? He might be able to get second place too.”
Leonardo’s blatant provocations continued.
Perhaps Lee Chang-hyun was using a ‘gun’ just like Ethan, whom he protects, and it seemed that he didn’t look as good as he had been when he was watered down on the last stage.
“Hunter Lee Geun-taek. I understand how you feel, but… … What can we do? This time, Leonardo had the authority to choose the map, so he chose a map that was somewhat advantageous to the player he was protecting. But you won’t be eliminated, so don’t worry too much about it.”
Even Theo Dominic might have been uncomfortable with the fight between Lee Geun-taek and Leonardo.
He even said this to Lee Geun-taek, who was glaring at him… … This fight was showing signs of ending.
“Heh… … So you’re saying that in Stage 1, all of the attacks were read and destroyed? In my opinion, in this stage as well, Ethan will just be our Chang-Hyeon’s puppet, and he’ll just shoot around a bit and be done with it. As the saying goes, a hunter has to be not only skilled but also incredibly smart… … … … ^#%*^#$%&@#%!!”
“What? Even so, in the end, only those with strong destructive power can claim the title of the strongest… … … … #$&@$^*!!”
Could it be because of Lee Geun-taek’s resistance, who thought he could never win?
As the match progressed, the panel of veteran hunters only became more and more chaotic.
***
There are two major types of experience that you gain as a hunter in the Hunter’s League over a long period of time.
First, information that you naturally become accustomed to as you encounter and become familiar with various maps. In this case, it is basically maps that appear frequently. And it helps you quickly deal with maps similar to those and easily decide on a strategy for how to move.
…and secondly.
‘You have to figure out how to approach a map you’re encountering for the first time. What to watch out for, what to find out. That’s what it means to know.’
As I have been a Hunter’s League player for quite some time, I basically knew a lot of the maps, but even in places I was not familiar with, I also had a lot of know-how on how to approach them and get through them without any accidents.
For example, like this.
He aimed his gun at a tree, which was commonly thought of as a landmark, and fired.
container!
A gun that doesn’t have that much mana, so it just fires slightly stronger bullets like BB bullets.
But it clearly pierced the tree, and the creature within it.
Immediately after, a large number of larvae began to pour out through the holes made in the tree by the bullets.
A bizarre sight. But… …
‘Because it’s basic to understand the vegetation. But, unlike the ones I found on the black flower earlier, don’t those bugs look fatally harmful? … .’
Basically, put on the robe you carry around, put on the gloves, and examine each one to see if there are any similarities to the creatures on other floors that appear in the tower.
So I started to figure out what the ecology of this place was like, what kind of monsters there were, and what kind of traps and dangers there might be.
Hunters may think that their job is to just fight and fight, but in this map, they are like the first generation hunters.
‘Yes, it’s safer to approach slowly like an explorer.’
After I reached the top in the past, there were many shocking things in the literature of the first generation hunters that I read. Perhaps that is to be expected.
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While I was observing the creatures of these strange places with such thoughts… …
Rustle.
There was a distinct presence behind me.
I looked back, thinking that it was either not an enemy or a native creature of this place, since it didn’t seem to be hiding anything. Surprisingly, a rather welcoming face was standing there.
“Kim Do-jun.”
“Lee Chang-hyun… … That’s right!”
The guy must have been overwhelmed by this bizarre sight. He had a really uncomfortable expression on his face, but now he seemed ready to live.
It clung to me in a disgusting way.
“Ugh… … There were so many weird things that I really thought I was going to die. Just now, there was a monster with a human face and stuff, really.”
‘A monster with a human face… … .’
No matter how different the worlds of the towers were, this was not a common occurrence.
I was thinking that the heterogeneity of this place was different from other places and that it was dangerous… … but then suddenly I became curious.
“So you got away from that guy, he was a bit slow?”
I wondered what exactly the creature he saw was.
That would be the case, it was the first time I had heard about such information.
“Foot? No. It wasn’t moving that slowly. No, what’s really hideous about it is that it not only looks hideous, but it moves so fast that it’s really gross. I tried to cut it with my sword, but the outer skin was so hard that it wouldn’t go in… … .”
Kim Do-jun seemed excited and poured out information, but it was still the same thing that was impossible to imagine.
‘So what does it look like?’
The same questions just remain.
No, about that. There were more important matters left.
There is one thing you absolutely must know about this game.
“So how did you survive that?”
The minimum requirement for clearing this festival stage is ‘survival’. If you know how Kim Do-jun survived despite not being able to defeat that monster, it would probably be of great help…
“What the heck. I used this.”
What Kim Do-jun lifted up with a smirk was surprisingly… … a sword.
‘No, it’s not surprising anymore.’
They would either chase it away by flashing it or by making a scratching sound like they were on a blackboard.
It was absurd at the time, but at the same time, it was so convincing that it relieved the tension.
“Ha… … That’s about it.”
I was thinking about the vegetation on this floor and what the risk factors were.
Because suddenly the world felt so insignificant.
“By the way, what are we going to do now? Since this is a survival mission, there’s no need for us to fight among ourselves, right?”
“Why? Now, why don’t I beat you up so you don’t advance to the next stage?”
“No, no… … That’s not it. We happen to be on the same team, so we meet inside and work together easily. But anyway, isn’t it better to work together to clear the stage?”
“… … I guess so.”
Unless there is something contagious, like an epidemic or endemic disease that we don’t know about.
Whether it’s a strong monster, an insect, or a strange plant, it’s an established fact that the more hunters gathered together, the better they can deal with any enemy with their various abilities.
“Actually, before we came here, there were quite a few guys gathered there. Do you want to go there too? They’re pretty safe. A pretty famous hunter is leading and commanding there, so there’s a sense of trust.”
‘Hoo… … .’
Let’s all come together and hold on.
It must be some kind of one-night stand… …
They said that they would give a special gift to the person who wins first place on this stage. And that many people gathered just to pass the stage.
An interesting situation was unfolding in my head as I imagined it.
‘I don’t know if the situation I’m drawing will actually happen, but… … .’
One thing was certain.
This stage, that place will be a hot place.
“What, a temporary alliance to pass the stage? Sounds good. Should we go there too?”
And while hiding his intention to heat up the place, he said that to Kim Do-jun.
fantasy,
