The First Step Forward Again
“Where’ve you been? I was worried you weren’t gonna show up in time.”
As if it’s his business, pacing around like that.
Was this affection or just borrowing trouble?
“Kim Do-jun. You think I can’t take care of myself?”
“That time you mouthed off to Instructor Lee Seong-jin, and everything else—you’re always making me anxious as hell.”
“They need footage for the broadcast anyway. They’re not gonna DQ us just for being a little late.”
“So where were you?”
“Ran into an old fox.”
What... well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t have taken the offer.
But as someone who’d regressed and knew his own worth inside out, I didn’t need to. Take it or leave it. I was confident I’d win the program and get a custom weapon from Moras Workshop anyway.
Deals like that? You jump in early only if you’re not sure of your value. The sweet spot is when everyone’s clamoring for you.
One thing was clear: it wasn’t ripe yet. Not until bigger players stepped up with fatter checks and better terms. That’s when I’d hop on board with a smile.
Or hell, maybe build my own team.
The 3v3v3 aerial urban warfare event used holograms for bodies, but the matches ran in real life—so crowds gathered outside the stadium.
True to its “aerial” name, the map was a cityscape, but bridges linked rooftops for traversal. Barriers kept you from dropping below certain floors or to street level. Sure, you could go down if you tried, but in an aerial fight, that’d likely mean disqualification.
Urban warfare, sure—but restricted to rooftops and upper floors to force air combat.
“Whoa...”
Kim Do-jun let out an awed breath. Fair enough.
Skyscrapers on a scale that beggared belief for a single game, packed with facilities tailored for matches. Of course, special modular setups let them reconfigure the map on the fly—not a one-off build.
As we took it in, the three mentors arrived with the judges.
“It’s been a short time. The training since we split up was brief. But top hunters—and our rivals—won’t wait for us. One thing’s certain: drop out here, and you won’t see your mentors again. These perks end too. Who grows faster from here? Obvious. So what we need to know for growth is simple: ‘victory’. Victory alone will push you to grow and advance.”
Jo Ah-ra’s words drew smiles from some, tension from others. But dropping to the bottom tier wasn’t just penalties.
“And to make that ‘victory’ burn brighter, we’ve got a little prize. The winning team gets a ‘Mana Awakening Stone’ courtesy of the Hunter Association.”
Mana Awakening Stone...
A gem that boosted mana quantity and quality—a treasure that had my mouth watering. With Bloom’s Ether or future skills, ramping mana was essential.
One more reason to win this round.
Jin Su-hyuk followed up. “Oh, and from this match, it’s the ‘real’ finals—full live broadcast. It’s already streaming, so keep that in mind.”
Live already...?
Memories of pre-regression reactions flooded back.
‘Lee Chang-hyun’s totally washed up, right? Fr lol, money-sucking machine. Why hasn’t he retired?’
‘Sell Lee Chang-hyun and LTD could snag two top-league stars lol.’
‘Pros speak with results. If you suck, get out. Makes me sick every time.’
No such comments in the live YouTube feed now, but the memories stung.
But not anymore.
Season 2 premiere loomed, so no hype for Lee Chang-hyun yet—he was barely known. Viewers scouted their fave teams’ talents or chatted league gossip.
The old Lee Chang-hyun is gone.
That washed-up criticism, dragging the team as reluctant ace, blowout fights with the coach—all buried in the past.
Time to leave it behind and charge ahead.
Let’s enjoy it.
Thinking of the old days: reveling in fan reactions, striding the Hunters League free and happy.
“How do we balance the teams?”
“Giving free pick order but keeping balance ain’t easy.”
“Standard way: first place picks one, rotate.”
“How rank ‘em? Positions are split already.”
“That’s the issue...”
The judges pondered. Wide gap between top and bottom applicants made balancing tricky.
“Rank all positions together. Lowest total rank gets an extra player.”
3v3v4, two rounds of 10. Lee Chang-hyun topped mana gear eval, so first pick.
“You’re giving me first dibs on two teammates?”
PD’s nod. My Air Anchor and Air Beat scores crushed across positions.
Obviously.
No pre-picked teammates, so awkward. No time to scan stats now.
Stick to known quantities...
No overlaps in roles, options limited. One choice.
“Ranged DPS: Kim Jin-seung. Support: Han Ji-su.”
Solid survival ranks, familiar faces. They’d follow orders. Their sour faces? Irrelevant.
Key is executing my strategy.
That conflict management answer from docs? “Just follow me”—dead serious.
Han Ji-su dodged my eyes, pretending otherwise. Kim Jin-seung, sparring foe, met my gaze and approached.
“Why pick me? Think I’m a joke?”
Prideful type.
More hassle than expected. Still salty about the loss? Han Ji-su’d crawl after that beatdown, but...
Kid stuff. Predictable personality, easy fix. Strong pride? Stroke it.
“I’m aiming to top this trial.”
“And?”
“I trust your skills. I need you.”
His eyes widened; he turned away.
Ugh...
Me, this age, spouting cringey lines. Victory madness. To that burly dude, no less.
But it worked—he shut up, caught off-guard.
True winners do anything to win.
3v3v3 mini-Hunters League. (3v3v4 here, but common format with official leagues.)
Three-player squads in battle royale survival. Sometimes more teams—team survival mode.
But underestimate teamwork with just three? Big mistake...
Jo Ah-ra knew it well. Survival solos to trios? Synergy, combos, breathing room—critical.
She’d teamed in threes for that.
Eye-catching in survival, but... too cocky.
Lee Chang-hyun nagged at her. Talent, sure—but lazy, arrogant beyond rookie. Amateur star turned pro bust—textbook.
She’d seen plenty flop.
Needs a crushing defeat.
Hence the map, the rules. Aerial urban warfare stood out.
“Ah-ra. That guy’s bugging you, huh?”
“...Yeah. Sharp eye.”
“Aerial urban at 20 left, team mission already—not solo buffs. You’d hold personal growth missions longer. Too early for them.”
“...I’m dropping him. That applicant.”
Yes. Jo Ah-ra planned to eliminate Lee Chang-hyun this round. Brutally.
Even acing Air Beat/Anchor, solo in aerial? Sitting duck for snipes. Allies essential for cover.
Not just teamwork. Vast map, flight/fast travel everywhere—base stats mattered hugely.
Poison for low-base-stat Lee Chang-hyun.
“Whew... Haven’t seen you this fixated in ages.”
“He shines. But he needs defeat now, not wins.”
“You just told everyone victory’s key...”
“I agree. Unripe cockiness is risky. Even 1st Division pros get wrecked on a whim.”
Jin Su-hyuk backed her; Lee Min-seok dropped it, chuckling lightly.
“Me? I always think: in competition—pro hunters especially—arrogance that dooms and confidence that wins? Paper-thin line. Let’s see on your stage. What happens to him.”
[Hunters Next Generation]
The first team battle curtain rose.