074. The night before the lift
Time really flew by.
As the team was going to be relegated, there was a lot of talk going on inside and outside the team, so as the coach of the 2nd division SMB, there was a lot to do.
Because it wasn’t a large team that the front office would handle separately, the strategy and training for this promotion was mostly left to the coach.
It was fortunate that the coach seemed to be doing a good job in that regard. His expression didn’t look bad today either.
“Did you prepare well for the practice match with the kids?”
“Haha… … You’ll know when you see it.”
He was a coach who didn’t usually show much confidence, but perhaps it was because he was preparing for the relegation match, but this time he seemed quite confident.
“Well… … Since you’ve gained some experience, I think Coach Han will prepare you well… … But who did you pick as your practice opponent?”
“Ah. You seem so busy that I couldn’t tell you separately. I caught up with the 3rd division team that is challenging this promotion match.”
A third-tier team challenging for promotion? There’s no way they’d have a practice match with a team that’s competing against us…
‘Ah… … Was it RIX in Part 3?’
I don’t know for sure just from looking at the data, but it was a team that came in second in the third division.
What’s interesting is that the record was in the PER battle rather than the ranking.
[PER vs RIX match report]
– Overall, it was a tight, back-and-forth match.
– They both brought new tactics, and it seemed like RIX was gaining the upper hand, but this time, PER turned things around with the transparent tactics of Kim Do-jun, who became a hot topic.
‘So what… … is PER and Ttoitoi Ttoitoi? If we take out that tactic from last time, we might fall behind even more.’
Considering the level of their opponents, they were perfect practice partners.
‘Well, the team members might change after the season ends, but this would be better for the team atmosphere than having a practice match with another team from the second division and getting completely ruined.’
“If it’s a practice match against a third-tier team, it won’t be that difficult. The regular season was a bust, so to speak, but let’s finish it off cleanly.”
“Yes, director.”
I think this season will end well without any major worries.
***
The players could be heard chatting inside a rattling car that had “Team RIX” written on it.
“How long has it been since you played against the 2nd division? It’s been about 7 months since the summer season promotion match last year, right?”
“I guess so. But isn’t this your third time doing the 2nd part and the promotion match? How long are you planning on staying here?”
An unknown player from RIX laughed self-deprecatingly.
It is rare for a third division team to be promoted to the second division.
Therefore, the most common way to advance to the second division was to recruit from a top second division team.
For him, the fact that he had been unable to advance to the higher league despite being in a top team in the third division for a long time was fatal.
The players that are recruited from the upper leagues are not the ones with a lot of experience in the third division, but rather the new players from the third division who learn quickly and rise through the ranks.
For example, Yoo Hye-joo from the same team.
In fact, this time too, there were only a few players known to be being eyed by second division teams, and it was obvious.
There are probably a few PER players who were ranked first, and others like Yoo Hye-joo and Ryu Jae-jun who are considered outstanding newcomers.
Other than that, there wasn’t much of a buzz and it didn’t seem like there would be any significant recruiting offers.
That’s why it was more urgent.
Because I can’t rot in Part 3 without anyone knowing my name.
But he said it lightly, hiding his true feelings.
“Wouldn’t it be okay if we won the promotion battle? Right? Isn’t that right, Yoo Hye-joo?”
“Ah… … yes, senior.”
A lukewarm reaction that brings a bitter smile. Yes, actually, it’s impossible for someone like Yoo Hye-joo, who is quickly rising, to know this feeling.
“But let’s show them what we can do first in this match. I think it was a team called SMB in the 2nd division.”
“That’s right. Even if it’s a second division, it’s still the last place team in the second division, right?”
The guy next to me said with a smile.
Yeah, they’re the last guys.
I can do it. I made up my mind, got out of the car, and headed to the stadium.
On the way to the stadium, the SMB of the 2nd division, the practice opponent for the promotion match, arrived almost at the same time.
Just as we were about to say hello and say hello to each other, they passed by first, talking amongst themselves as if we weren’t even there, without even glancing at us.
‘Yeah… … I guess that could be the case.’
My fists were clenched. It wasn’t as much as the second part, but I had practiced quite a bit during the pre-relegation practice period.
My heart was filled with the desire to crush his nose.
“Guys, let’s win the practice match and then win the promotion/relegation match as well!”
“What? That’s obvious.”
“Yes, senior.”
… … .
Yeah… … I think it was like that before the game started… … .
“Uh… … Uh huh?”
Immediately after the practice match started.
I was respawning, wary of my opponents, and talking to them about joining the team.
Crunch -.
I was running forward without feeling any movement… …and then suddenly the world turned upside down.
What is it? Is it a map feature? Gravity reversal? Vision confusion? … … ? No… … The world is spinning. No, it’s rolling. Isn’t it? Why can’t I see my body over there?
“Kick… … They said our team’s relegation match opponents were on the same level, but this is too easy.”
That was the last I heard from the Hunter’s League.
It was only after hearing those words that I realized that my head had been cut off in an instant within the Hunter’s League.
‘……What’s this.’
It was disappointing. The season ended and we ended up not showing a single thing that we had prepared for the relegation battle after spending hours preparing for it.
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It felt like all my efforts up until now were being denied.
When I looked into the players’ waiting room, I saw that I wasn’t the only one who died.
“Uh… …? You too?”
“… … .”
There are already several players, including me, in the waiting room for the game where 7 members of RIX are participating.
It was an overwhelming lead before the game even started.
On the TV that was showing inside the stadium, Yoo Hye-joo was seen struggling to survive, but that only lasted for a moment.
“Those kids… … !”
Soon after, it became clear that Yoo Hye-joo was not fighting hard, but was just playing around because the SMB players had such an advantageous situation.
Beyond the screen, rather than focusing on attacking Yoo Hye-ju, they were laughing and chatting amongst themselves.
‘Now that it’s as good as won, is the game not even on your mind? … .’
Maybe that’s why. The team’s atmosphere, which had been quite bright when they entered the stadium, had become darker than ever.
An atmosphere where no one speaks easily.
‘Was the difference this big?’
All I could do was sigh.
In the past, when I only watched the Hunters League, I had to do this even when watching the first division.
That’s how it should be done. I would have done better.
I’m sure you’ve thought about that too…
Is this the difference between the actual second and third parts? I feel a sense of despair.
As the waiting room was filled with silence, a few minutes later, the end of the game was announced and Yoo Hye-ju entered the waiting room with a deep sigh.
“What did the seniors do that made them all die so quickly?”
It was not a genuine question, but rather a question with a tone closer to a criticism.
But I couldn’t give any answer to that question.
***
Unlike the gloomy waiting room of RIX, the waiting room of SMB, which won the match overwhelmingly, was full of energy.
“Did you see her last? It was Yoo Hye-joo, that girl who was swearing at me and leaving.”
“But if you’re that pretty, I’ll admit it even if you curse at me.”
“What are you admitting? Hehe. But didn’t you hear what we were talking about earlier when you swore at me?”
“If I was born a woman, I would have found a good man, married him, and made him suck honey. Why am I running around playing in the third division?”
The team members who heard that laughed in disbelief.
“Hey, of course I feel bad when I hear things like that. It was your fault.”
“But did I say something wrong? When I become a real woman, that’s what I’ll do.”
“I guess that’s why that girl was cursing that our team would fail in the relegation match earlier.”
“They’re on the same level as the team we’re playing against. So, there’s nothing more to see?”
“You’re just saying that in the heat of the moment because you’re annoyed.”
Perhaps it was because it was a match with less tension than usual. The atmosphere before the promotion/relegation match was not bad.
By the way, now that the game is over, it’s time to slowly wrap things up and wrap things up.
Clap clap ㅡ.
When I clapped, everyone stopped talking and looked at me.
“Um… … Overall, it was good. The flow of the game was generally as expected, and the detailed plays were good. Let’s continue like this in the promotion/relegation match. Then, let’s disband.”
“Yes, Coach.”
A practice game between RIX and SMB before the promotion.
No, it wasn’t even a practice game. The match time was overwhelmingly shorter than average.
‘I think it was perfect for warming up or as a test subject.’
Second division teams playing against third division teams don’t usually use the same tactics.
Because there are different tactics that work well against 3rd-tier opponents who have a hard time adapting to the Hunters League, where many things are changing as the stage changes to 2nd tier.
The lower division teams had several tactics specifically for promotion and relegation that they shared among their coaches and managers.
What we just used was also one of those types of escalation-only tactics.
‘It’s a kind of welcoming greeting to the second division.’
I turned on the TV in the waiting room, and the highlights of the match between RIX and SMB were just playing.
As soon as the game started, SMB’s team members moved in unison.
But interestingly enough, it is a movement that is far removed from the movement of team members trying to join together.
It was a movement completely focused on finding any sign of the surroundings.
Then, shortly after, he discovered RIX’s teammates who had not yet joined, and immediately engaged in combat.
Similar things were happening all over the map.
‘In order to induce team fights in the 3rd league, the starting respawn locations are set a little closer to each other, and the maps are simple and small, so it’s easy to avoid the opponents and join up… … but.’
Unlike Part 3, the maps in Part 2 are not only diverse in concept but also vast.
And the respawn location is completely random.
That’s why the game itself progressed differently from Part 2.
Before the large-scale battle phase, it was difficult to avoid small-scale skirmishes.
The screen showed sporadic, small-scale engagements between RIX and SMB.
Most of the winners were SMB team members.
As it was in the second part, not only were the 1v1 skills and individual skills higher, but the team selected players who were good at 1v1, and the mana equipment settings were exclusively for single-player matches.
In fact, a RIX player was shown rolling down with his neck cut off without even realizing it.
The player who cut off the neck was an assassin who was not usually a starter, but was skilled in one-on-one combat tactics and was often deployed as a sixth man for special tactics.
The equipped mana equipment was limited to ‘Air Dash’ for instantaneous explosive approach, ‘Invisible Cloak’ for surprise attacks, and ‘Mana Shield’ as a minimal defensive measure.
After these small-scale skirmishes, the outcome was obvious. There were only a lot of SMB team members left, and most of RIX’s team members were eliminated.
Since it specialized in single-player combat, the result was an easy victory since there weren’t many opponents left even without any air anchors or air beats equipped.
‘As expected of Coach Kim. Since he has experience in promotion and relegation, I can’t help but be surprised at his cleverness.
What… … Besides that, there’s more to it than just that tactic.’
It was probably a tactic the guys would never have imagined: PER’s transparent tactic.
‘No matter how well prepared you are, would you ever expect them to steal the tactics you used and use them in your own games? Heh heh.’
If you think about it simply, it’s a strategy created by that team, so you might think it won’t work on that team, but in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.
First of all, the analysis results of that strategy showed that in order to destroy that tactic, prior preparation was necessary, such as using special counter-powers or employing mana equipment.
That’s not all. A team that was just trying to get into the second division couldn’t possibly be good at improvising.
‘It’s about exploiting a psychological vulnerability that you wouldn’t expect the team that created the tactic to use.’
A situation that, in theory, should work perfectly.
On the one hand, I felt a little sorry for harassing a team from the third division that was going to win easily anyway, but on the other hand, I was excited.
The sight of them being unexpectedly hit by the tactics they had created, and their expressions distorting.
fantasy,
