075. The World Beyond Regression
“Wow… … The stadium facilities in Part 2 are quite different from Part 3.”
That made me chuckle.
The team members that were brought in are from an audition program, and the rest of the PER team members were the last place team in the third division, so this might be their first time at the second division stadium.
“Then, if you go to the first division or the international stadium later, you’ll fall over.”
The first part is very different from the second part, and when it comes to international league matches, it’s hard to even call it a stadium.
On the other hand, there were some kids who accepted it calmly.
“Well, I’ve seen the stadium in person a few times… … .”
“Oh… … So have you ever been to an international league game?”
A team member asked Kim Do-jun with shining eyes.
“It’s because ticketing is difficult… … .”
“Ugh… …”
When he heard that it was difficult to get tickets, his expression changed and he shook his head.
Well, there is a perception that the international league is on a different level from the Hunters League.
“Well, don’t be nervous because it’s a new stadium. No one’s here to see you anyway.”
“No? I’m famous on the internet.”
It’s notorious for being bad, but I found Kim Do-jun’s mentality amazing as he boasted about it even though he knew it.
“Your next Snowball Villain. Enough with the small talk. The match will start soon. Let’s focus.”
There were two games scheduled for today.
One is the match between RIX, who came in third, and Team QQ, who came in 9th in the second division.
The match between PER and SMB was next.
That is, the match was scheduled to be played only after watching a previous match in the players’ waiting room.
And soon, all the lights in the stands went out, and a spotlight shone on them.
Unlike other matches, the atmosphere was dry.
The commentators and casters alike must know the gravity of this match.
[Commentator: That’s right… … The team that loses this game will end up being a third division team.
People say that Hunters League players are doing well, but in reality, there are more players from the 3rd division who come from poor environments than those who look so glamorous.]
That’s right. As much as the top leagues are in the spotlight, the leagues below are overshadowed by their huge shadows.
‘That’s why you want to win and move up even more.’
On one side of the stage, Team RIX members were visible. Rather than being full of enthusiasm, they looked more tense and serious.
On the other hand, the second team QQ looked quite relaxed.
And the game started right after.
Surprisingly, it was RIX that used a strategy of pushing from the beginning.
I thought that the game against our team would be similar to that of the team that is strong when they come together, so they would play a strategy centered on the second half… … .
‘What happened?’
There was a sense of impatience. Rather than gathering together to exert force, it seemed like at most two people gathered together to engage in small-scale combat.
but…….
‘You’re too honest.’
The opposing second division team, QQ, took it lightly.
It seems that they prepared for the early engagement in a similar way, but they modified their strategy when it seemed like their opponent was putting effort into the same area.
Although he avoided the initial fight lightly, he made corrections on the spot when it seemed like his opponent was going all-in.
[Commentator: Ah… … Contrary to expectations, RIX is going strong in the beginning. However, QQ, without falling for that strategy, flexibly buys time and joins in!]
[Caster: But even so, isn’t RIX better in the end? Even though it’s the third division, RIX team’s strength is also Hanta… …]
‘No. That’s different from the current situation… … When we were playing, it would have been possible to focus on team fights with weapons and mana equipment… … .’
[Commentator: No, RIX is in danger if they can’t end the match with small-scale battles in the early stages! Since they’ve gone all-in on short-term battles, the players’ weapons and mana equipment lack a balance between offense and defense!]
Yes. The equipment that RIX’s team members mainly equip is short-term decisive battle, instant firepower equipment such as Air Dash and Mana Bomber.
Unlike previous games, weapons such as shields were rarely used in consideration of the defense…
If this type of match goes on for a long time, it will be difficult to fight an opponent who has a well-balanced combination of mobility equipment such as Air Anchor or Air Beat and other special mana equipment.
And the results were immediate.
As three or four of QQ’s team members who had avoided battles and surprise attacks began to join, they began to maintain their formation and stably hunt their opponents.
‘It’s the end.’
***
Promotion/relegation match. The last real match of the league, held after the post-season matches and finals.
The match will not have any dazzling teaser videos, pre-match interviews with each player, or a separate media day like the finals.
Still, the most brutal battlefield where you have to fight for your life was the promotion battle.
For the third division players, it was a desperate struggle to advance to the higher leagues, to make a better future and to make their name known even a little more.
In contrast, it is truly the last chance for the second division players.
If even this falls, it was the Maginot Line, which could lead to a major fall in one’s future.
Because we lost that game.
The expressions on the faces of the defeated RIX team members did not look very good.
“Wow… … But the match was much more one-sided than I thought.”
“That’s right. It seems like RIX has prepared quite well.”
“Are we… okay?”
And that atmosphere at RIX was influencing our team, even if we didn’t want it to.
Perhaps intimidated by the gap between Part 2 and the first proper viewing, a negative atmosphere spread.
It seemed that the frustrating defeat of RIX, who had played quite well and had a pretty close match with our team the other day, was a shock.
“What’s wrong? Why is your expression so stiff? Everyone has changed so much this week that I can’t even recognize you.”
“still…….”
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“That won’t work. Can you play a video of your first Hunter Survival match?”
“Ahhhh!! Why did you even take a picture of something like that?”
I filmed it to properly show the mistake, but if you look at it now, it’s definitely quite shocking.
“The game hasn’t even started yet, so how can you be nervous already? Isn’t that right?”
Of course, it will never be an easy fight.
Because no team has been promoted from the 3rd to the 2nd division in the past 5 years. Looking at the entire history of the Hunters League, the probability of promotion is less than 10%.
but.
“Just remember what I said. Just do it like you did during practice.”
People who don’t believe in themselves will never move forward.
Before the reversion. Obviously, I and my team lost in the promotion match. Only I was nominated and promoted to the upper league… … .
This time it will be different.
Because the me now is different from the me back then.
“Well, let’s go and have fun.”
I just think that if I go back, the path I have walked so far will not have been in vain.
***
After our team’s match against RIX, I felt like my soul was going to leave.
The atmosphere surrounding the team was tense, 180 degrees different from when they were running in second place in the third division.
Unable to endure the atmosphere, some team members have already returned home.
But even so, Yoo Hye-ju remained and guarded the waiting room.
To watch the remaining match, PER vs. SMB.
‘Can I beat that guy?’
He was a guy who had a bad relationship with others, from the audition program all the way to the third division.
He’s annoying, but he’s a guy whose skills you can at least acknowledge.
No, maybe the reason I stayed and watched the game was because I hoped PER would beat SMB.
I did find the SMB guys annoying during the last practice match, but what would I do if I were them in a situation where all my teammates were struggling?
It was because I wanted to watch it closely with these two eyes.
Soon after, the game began to be broadcast on a screen in the waiting room.
[Caster: Yes. Next, we will bring you the match between PER and SMB. Commentator, what points should we focus on in this match?]
[Commentator: The randomly assigned map today is a map commonly referred to among pros as the ‘Space Station’.
A landscape map boasting an overwhelming view of numerous planets against the backdrop of black space.
You can think of the main battlefield as something like a spaceship floating in the air.]
As the narrator finished speaking, a vast distant view of planets against a black background appeared.
Against this backdrop, countless floating spaceship-shaped structures were visible.
‘A map I’m seeing for the first time… ‘
It didn’t seem to be a well-known map. That means… … This map element would also be advantageous for SMB, who experienced various maps in Part 2, rather than PER.
‘But… … This is something that can’t be helped as a third part.’
[Caster: ‘It looks like a planet… … ‘ ‘It looks like a spaceship… … ‘ Is it different from real space?]
[Commentator: Oh. I missed that explanation. As you all know, all maps in the 2nd Hunters League recreate the field of ‘Top’.
So even though it looks similar to what we know, it is fundamentally different.]
[Caster: Right… … The ‘Tower’ is actually known to be a place in another dimension, governed by separate laws.
So this map looks like a normal space station at first glance… … but what’s different?]
[Commentator: First of all, the most intuitive difference would be ‘gravity.’
It looks like space, but in fact, gravity acts normally downwards, except for floating objects like spaceships.]
‘The action of gravity… … .’
A variable that can cause a ‘fall’ if you step or get pushed outside the spaceship.
I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem since this isn’t a big part of the variables caused by the map.
Unless SMBs are prepared to use this tactic.
‘Hmm… … At this level, Lee Chang-hyun’s PER might be able to do it, depending on what he does?’
It was at that moment that I was thinking that way.
[Caster: Hoo… … Then, when we cross these spaceships, we have to be careful not to fall.]
[Commentator: That’s right. And in terms of strategic features… … I would say that it’s one of the most difficult places in the Hunters League to use team-based tactics.]
[Caster: Aha… … If everyone respawns on their own spaceships like this, it’ll be really hard to gather together. There’s also the risk of being shot while crossing the spaceships.]
[Narrator: Yes… … .
Only after hearing the commentator’s explanation could Yoo Hye-ju realize the scary aspects of this map.
The scariest thing about this map isn’t the risk of falling, but the fact that the floating spaceships start off isolated from each other, making it difficult to cross and risk falling.
‘But then… … there will be individual battles… … .’
What has a big impact on small-scale engagements is the mana equipment and the supernatural powers of the people participating.
Yoo Hye-joo quickly looked at it.
But there was no need to look.
PER was a team that was in last place in the third division until the previous season. There were no players to change according to tactics.
That wasn’t all.
[Caster: How do you think the game will progress?]
[Commentator: Hmm… … First of all, I think it starts from a situation where PER is overwhelmingly unfavorable.
Looking at the SMB’s mana equipment and skills, it seems like they were designed to be advantageous in individual battles from the beginning.
In order for PER to be advantageous, we need to gather first… … but as I said, that seems difficult due to the nature of the map… … .
‘Unlucky.’
It was a map that I couldn’t think of in any other way.
This theory will end without even being able to properly resist. Yoo Hye-joo swallowed her laughter.
I thought he might be the guy who could cause an upset in the promotion/relegation battle after 5 years.
I felt like the world was a cold, cold place.
‘Even if you prepare everything, you need luck to win… ‘
Yoo Hye-joo wasn’t confident she could watch this match until the end.
Although Lee Chang-hyun had shown a mean and annoying side by beating himself, at the same time, I didn’t want to see him lose miserably to the second division.
So I left the waiting room, leaving the one remaining RIX team member lying face down.
fantasy,
