The Three Generations of Hunter Combat
“If it’s hard to memorize, just remember firepower, defense, and speed. That’s how kids these days do it. Of course, don’t mix them up on the actual test. If the exam asks for firepower or speed, don’t just guess randomly. You all know how picky they are about terminology on tests, right? Make sure you can write ‘firepower, mobility, and defense’ exactly like that.”
“But everyone, just focusing on firepower, mobility, and defense is pretty crude, isn’t it? Yes, by today’s standards it’s an unsophisticated metric. Still, back then it was the absolute truth. And even now, not much has changed. No matter what extra abilities get added, in the end, if your firepower, mobility, and defense are superior, you win.”
“Alright, let’s move on to the second generation. Now we’re getting into things you’re probably more familiar with. Detection. You know that one. Stealth. Even more familiar, right? Beyond-visual-range combat—BVR in English. You’ve heard that a million times, haven’t you? Exactly. These are the stats you’ll have to put on your hunter ability charts for certification exams, promotion tests, or when applying to combat units, security firms, or mercenary companies.”
“Starting in the 1950s, Dr. Robin Watson of Britain successfully developed the anti-monster radar. The problem was that this groundbreaking radar also picked up hunters. Its principle was to detect any living being with a certain level of mana, so anyone above a certain MCS value would show up. And since hunters are living beings too, they got detected.”
“That’s why hunters needed technology to avoid being picked up by the radar. You can’t just shrug and say ‘Oh well’ when the enemy can see right through you in a war, can you? That’s what we’re talking about now. I’m sure those of you who already know this stuff are familiar, but let’s start with stealth. First, let’s look at the footage.”
A scene played on the display screen: an assassin-type hunter ambushing another. The ambushed hunter seemed to defend well, but the initial surprise attack left them critically wounded, and they eventually died in combat. It looked like the outcome would have been different without that first strike. I wondered if this was actual footage of someone being killed—it felt too brutal—until a small subtitle clarified it was a live-combat test conducted in a virtual reality training facility. The subtitle also noted that the ambushed hunter was A-rank while the ambusher was only C-rank.
“The key point of this video is that no matter how strong a hunter is, they can still be caught off guard by an ambush in the most ridiculous way.”
“Stealth. What is it? In simple terms these days, it’s just hiding and stealth functions. Being able to hide or go stealth—how important is that? There was even a past exam question asking whether it counted as cover or concealment. Stealth is concealment, not cover. Cover is using terrain to protect yourself while fighting. Concealment is hiding.”
“Back to the main point—how do you counter stealth? You need detection, right? That’s why detection is important too. Of course, detection isn’t limited to just spotting stealth or invisibility. If you think that, you’ll get tricked by trap questions on the test.”
“The detection we’re talking about here includes not only finding hidden enemies but also wide-area terrain reconnaissance and mana radar functions that lock onto enemies or monsters. Remember this: early-warning capability, early-alert capability, and real-time multi-target detection. All of that falls under detection.”
“Now, the final and currently most important ability of the second generation—beyond-visual-range combat capability. Also known as BVR. You’ve heard it a lot, right? Because these days they really emphasize this ability. Detection and stealth get plenty of support from computers, drones, and magical tools these days, but beyond-visual-range combat ultimately requires a certain level of personal skill from the hunter themselves.”
“Of course, even this ability can be made easier with various tools nowadays. But if you don’t have the ability itself, you simply can’t do it. These days, it’s hard to even work as a hunter without it. Every famous hunter combat unit has adopted BVR. Even the Somali pirate villains check for BVR capability when recruiting members for raids, so that should tell you everything.”
While explaining the main ability criteria by hunter generation, the lecture occasionally showed flashy combat footage or explosion scenes, making it anything but boring. Park Hyeji had at least brought a proper video lecture. Watching this was definitely better than listening to her teach directly.
“Now, the long-awaited final generation—the current era, and the one that always tanks your test scores—the third generation!”
“Third-generation questions are the kind where you get at least fifty percent wrong the moment they appear. They’re difficult, so pay attention. As network warfare became prominent on the modern battlefield, network capability became necessary. Individual hunters also needed comprehensive tactical ability, so integrated tactical capability was added. Lastly, there’s real-time adaptation ability to adjust to rapidly changing combat environments. Remember that? Probably not. Alright, I’ll explain it slowly again. While I’m at it, let’s review the previous ones too.”
“For the first generation, just remember it as basic fighting tactics. Hit, get hit, hit, get hit. Even so, if your firepower, defense, and mobility are superior, you win.”
“In the second generation, stealth and invisibility became important, along with corresponding stealth detection and wide-area radar-style early-warning capabilities. Beyond that, tactics for engaging targets outside visual range also developed.”
“In the third generation, as combat became increasingly group-based and large-scale, network warfare became essential. Smooth communication and situational awareness, and furthermore, the ability to view 3D map information, allow for better decisions in attack, defense, and retreat. Of course, jamming capabilities to counter this also developed. We’ll cover jamming in more depth when we discuss advanced detection later.”
“Additionally, as each hunter’s individual tactical competence grew in importance, integrated tactical capability became mandatory. In other words, everyone needs a certain level of tactical skill. When executing timed attacks or defensive maneuvers, your coordination mustn’t fall apart. And obviously, no one should stupidly charge straight into an obvious trap or ambush.”
“Think about it. In popular games these days, people call you a troll if you brainlessly dive into a tower. Or when everyone can see the enemy is hiding in a bush and pulling the lane toward them, but some naive kid still walks right in. Honestly, that’s just stupid. The ability to see through that and respond in advance is also part of integrated tactical capability.”
“Lastly, real-time adaptation to the enemy’s tactics in rapidly changing combat environments became crucial. Real-time adaptation also includes the ability to assess your allies’ strengths and weaknesses as well as the enemy’s. Modern hunter battles are truly chaotic, with firepower pouring in and terrain constantly shifting.”
“So in the middle of a rapidly changing battlefield, you need to quickly identify your side’s advantages and the enemy’s disadvantages, then use them at the right moment. That’s what real-time adaptation means. Combined with integrated tactical capability, it also allows you to spot the enemy’s culminating point of attack and launch a counterstrike at the appropriate time and terrain, among other integrated applications.”
“Now I’ll explain the historical context behind why hunter ability criteria have evolved this way. It’ll make it easier to understand. Up until the 1900s, duels were extremely common. They were the norm. That atmosphere and culture had become widespread around the world. Otherwise, you’d be seen as cowardly or dishonorable. So people deliberately picked opponents and fought one-on-one.”
“Even if you were winning, you’d wait for your opponent’s allies instead of helping your own comrades—it had that duel-like feeling. It was an era with a certain romance and fantasy unique to hunters. That’s why older hunter elders say we live in an unromantic age. Anyway, because of that, back then it was just crude firepower, mobility, and defense. Why? Because most fights were one-on-one. Even in group brawls, they didn’t use tactics or strategy at the scale we do now—it was more like neighborhood alley hunter fights by today’s standards.”
“Then the times gradually changed. Even into the 1950s, things were still somewhat like that—some duels still happened. But that era was slowly coming to an end. We call it the decline of the age of duels. By the 2000s, no one fought that way anymore. A duel? Are you kidding? One-on-one? Are you crazy? Are you some fossil? That’s the feeling now. It’s all about ganging up. That’s why things like networks became important.”
“Besides, it’s no longer an era with that kind of romantic dueling. These days, hunters rarely fight on a large scale unless it’s an actual war. Around 1900, there were tons of villainous bandits and raiders, and even in China during the 1960s and 70s there were countless self-proclaimed demonic cults and martial alliances. Of course, both were eventually wiped out by the Chinese government forces waving red flags…”
“Personally, I think most of the martial alliance people were truly righteous and would’ve been called great heroes. It’s a shame. We should consider that all the good Chinese hunters died back then. That’s why modern Chinese hunters keep claiming they developed hunter tools that we actually created first… They say the old Chinese hero hunters weren’t like that. Anyway…”
Ding-dong-dang-dong~
The school bell rang. First period must have ended already. I hadn’t realized how fast time had passed because the lecture was so engaging. Park Hyeji paused the video and told everyone to rest during break time.
“Rest up during break. From second period onward, either keep watching the video lecture or study on your own.”
“““Yeees~~”””
“And class president and vice president, come with me. I have some errands for you.”
She added that since she herself wouldn’t be there from second period, everyone should watch the video or self-study, then gestured for me to follow her. I stayed seated, reluctant to go, until Choi Seoa came over, lightly poked my side, gave me a look, and whispered in my ear.
“Dojin♡ Let’s go quickly♡ While she’s still asking nicely♡ The teacher called for the class president—you—and the vice president—me—didn’t she♡”
Every time she whispered, I could feel her breath against my ear, carrying a strangely sweet, pheromone-laden scent, as if steeped in the heat of an aroused female.