Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: 18. Attribute Tutoring (8)
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The showdown was over.
The mage's collapse perfectly matched the judge's mention of "significant damage."
"Match end. Team B wins!"
In truth, there was no room for change even if they continued.
With the priest taken down by Min Young-gi as well, Project Team A would have had to face Team B with only four members against six. They couldn't even beat them under equal conditions from the start. No one voiced any complaints about the verdict.
Except for one person.
"Ah, it's not over yet. I'm still standing, aren't I?"
Jo Dong-jae shouted.
It was unbelievable.
From the moment Project Team was formed until now, the Project A Team he belonged to had never once been pushed back by Team B. To suffer defeat in a match that decided their team's fate right before his eyes. Even after witnessing the mage fall, Jo Dong-jae couldn't accept that he had lost.
He rushed toward the judge.
He appealed to emotion.
"Ending it just because one mage went down is unfair. Let's continue without that one. We can definitely win."
"That's enough."
"Pardon?"
"Your rear line was completely breached just now. Even with your main tanker in position, the mage fell, and if I hadn't stopped the match, the priest would have been next as a matter of course. So how exactly do you plan to turn this around? If you had the power to reverse it despite being short on numbers, you should have settled it before things got to this point. And..."
He glanced at Team B.
Despite the fierce battle, Team B—including Han Eun-seong—showed no major disruption in their breathing or formation.
"Even if we went again, breaking through that defensive line doesn't look easy. Good work out there."
The judge turned away sharply.
Jo Dong-jae stared blankly.
If it couldn't be overturned...
Then Team A's defeat was reality.
And per the match conditions, it meant the A Team they had passionately maintained until now would be disbanded.
'That can't happen.'
He whipped his head around urgently.
Looking for Jeong Chan-hyuk.
He had been in sight just moments ago, but now he was nowhere to be found.
At that sight, Jo Dong-jae realized.
The price of defeat had to be accepted in full.
Right after the match ended...
Jeong Chan-hyuk had left the area.
More precisely, he had no choice but to attend an awkward meeting at the summons of his father, Jeong Man-seop, along with Jeong Hye-mi.
"Hye-mi, you did fantastic."
"No, not at all. You've supported us under the banner of the Project Team all this time, so we had to deliver results worthy of that."
"Truth be told, I was quite shocked seeing Project Team B's performance this time. As I recall, they barely scraped by the C-Rank test before, yet they reacted so calmly and efficiently to Team A's attacks. That must all be thanks to your hard work. On the other hand, Jeong Chan-hyuk... what on earth have you been doing all this time?"
"...I'm sorry."
Jeong Chan-hyuk bit his lip.
He had nothing to say.
He honestly admitted it.
Team B stayed composed even under Jo Dong-jae's assaults, and led by Min Young-gi, they dismantled Team A's defense in an instant. It was so impressive that he doubted if it was even the same team he knew. Jeong Chan-hyuk might have pushed for a rematch under normal circumstances, but he knew from his father's cold gaze during the match that he couldn't.
Jeong Man-seop spoke.
"What do you think was the cause of Team A's failure?"
"I think it was complacency. If you give Team A just one more chance, we'll definitely make up for this result."
"No. A person must show dignity befitting their position. We publicly announced that one of the Project Teams would disband based on this match's outcome, so we must pay the promised price. Project Team A is disbanded as of today. The budget allocated to you will now focus on Team B, and we'll promote them aggressively, raising them as the face of Heavenly Firmament."
Crunch.
Jeong Chan-hyuk ground his teeth.
He bowed his head, clenching his fists tightly.
It was an official defeat.
His father was backing Jeong Hye-mi, hinting that she might truly be his successor.
Jeong Man-seop said.
"Hye-mi, is there some secret to raising Team B's skills so quickly?"
"Actually, there's something I'd like to discuss about that."
Over the past fortnight...
Jeong Hye-mi had gained many insights.
And after much deliberation, she reached one conclusion.
"While preparing for this match, there was someone who took charge of training Project Team B. On the surface, he's D-Rank, but his actual skill is around C to B-Rank. Of course, purely in terms of ability, he can't compare to Heavenly Firmament's top elites yet, but from watching his growth rate and how he trained Team B this time, I realized he has an innate understanding that's on another level. Father, that person will grow into an A-Rank or beyond in the distant future. And looking at his party's growth alongside Project Team B's, he has this absurd potential to elevate those around him too. Above all, in this hunter market where skilled tankers are so rare, it would be a huge mistake for Heavenly Firmament not to recruit someone like that."
The atmosphere shifted.
Abruptly.
Jeong Hye-mi had kept Kang San tightly under wraps until now, but she knew the situation had changed during this test.
If she hesitated...
She'd lose him eventually.
The needle in her pocket was too sharp; it was poking out, demanding attention.
Jeong Hye-mi looked her father straight in the eye.
"Please grant me full authority to recruit Mr. Kang San. Minimum conditions: A-Rank or higher. If we don't show our sincerity, we might end up regretting it big time."
The meeting broke up.
Back in his office, Jeong Chan-hyuk barely swallowed his boiling rage.
'Father giving me that look...'
It was a first.
He was always the eldest son.
Always trusted, with full support.
Jeong Chan-hyuk had never disappointed his father before, yet he had suffered a complete loss to none other than Jeong Hye-mi. His father had a habit of saying that since he wasn't destined to be Heavenly Firmament's master forever, his successor needed true ability to fully inherit the power he passed on.
This incident...
It had given Jeong Hye-mi an opening.
Until now, he'd assumed he'd inherit as the eldest son without question, but now he couldn't be so sure.
'But who's this Kang San that Hye-mi is vouching for so hard?'
Doubt crept in.
He had already looked into Kang San.
Just a D-Rank hunter.
No matter how he thought about it, he didn't seem worth demanding A-Rank privileges for.
He called in a subordinate.
"Investigate everything about Kang San, from top to bottom."
"Understood."
He sat down.
As he tamped down his anger and waited, he reviewed more detailed reports than before.
'Post-awakening test judged F-Rank. Spent years as an arrow sponge after that, then sudden growth in the last year. And...'
"What?"
His eyes widened.
He learned too late.
Kang San was part of a Ranger team, and during a recent rescue op, he had bought time against an A-Rank Werewolf Lord. Suddenly, Kang San looked different. That was impossible by chance alone. In fact, the Hunter Management Bureau highly valued him for it, and Heavenly Firmament had tried recruiting but failed spectacularly, per the report.
'I judged too lightly. Hye-mi wouldn't push for just anyone.'
He changed his mind.
If...
Kang San truly had that kind of potential...
And if he played a decisive role in Project Team B's victory, then as Jeong Hye-mi said, he was worth recruiting at any cost. The problem was that she had declared it in front of their father. The gap this created would only widen further the day she succeeded in recruiting him.
Jo Dong-jae was already erased from his mind.
He had no interest in losers.
Jeong Chan-hyuk stood up immediately.
"Summon all of Team 2 right now. From this moment, we go all-in on recruiting Kang San."
Right after the match ended...
Kang San headed to the waiting room.
Min Young-gi spotted him and bowed deeply at once.
"...Thank you so much. We won because of you."
"No need. No matter what I taught, without your own ability to grow, nothing would have happened."
It was sincere.
Project Team B.
They had the passion to improve and the talent too.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been selected for the Project Team in the first place.
Min Young-gi said.
"I've gained so much insight from your guidance this time. How complacent we've been, and how small details can lead to massive results. We'll train like mad from now on. So we won't shame the title of Heavenly Firmament's Project Team, we'll show even greater growth. And if there's ever anything we can help with, contact us anytime. We won't forget this favor."
"Got it."
They exchanged smiles.
Kang San turned to leave.
As he headed out of the building, someone approached.
"Could we talk for a moment?"
An unfamiliar face.
The only clue to her identity was the press badge around her neck reading "Reporter."
"What's this about?"
"I'm a reporter from Newspaper A, preparing a story on the Project Teams. Word is that Heavenly Firmament insiders are saying Team B's win wasn't just their own doing. Over the past fortnight, an external team visited the training grounds daily under the guise of 'training.' That was your party, and they say you personally coached Team B to achieve this result. What are your thoughts?"
This incident...
Attracted more attention than expected.
Agency spies were present, and reporters like her were eager to write articles on the spot.
The usual Kang San would have brushed it off.
He hadn't wanted attention, for the sake of the trial's plausibility.
But now...
His thinking had shifted.
'Six months from now. I have to stop an S-Rank outbreak.'
The situation was dire.
No matter how prepared he was, Kang San believed he might lose everything in that trial.
So a few days ago...
When Jeong Hye-mi brought up Heavenly Firmament again, he responded less negatively than usual. Saying he might consider it if his heart moved him. The reason Jeong Hye-mi, who had maintained their tie through pretexts like lectures, suddenly pushed so aggressively—even to her father—was Kang San's response.
Why...
The change in attitude?
To enjoy fame and fortune before disaster struck?
No.
To develop more efficiently by joining a group like Heavenly Firmament?
That wasn't it either.
Kang San wanted to raise his own value.
If everyone focused on his movements, desperate to recruit him...
When such a person faced danger, wouldn't they respond faster than to someone ordinary?
He reframed his thoughts.
Kang San looked at the reporter and said.
"It's partly true. Saying I single-handedly created the win is an exaggeration, but I did coach Team B."
A casual remark.
The reporter's eyes gleamed.
At last, the needle had burst out of the pocket on its own.