023. Superpowers in Someone Else's Elimination Mission

Superpowers. Among hunters, this was the most crucial ability, yet its value varied wildly depending on how it was utilized. Take Yoon Han-gyeol's Seven Flying Swords, for example. He could levitate his weapon at will, and when combined with his own combat prowess, it made him unstoppable in one-on-one fights. That was why most of the judges had high expectations for Yoon Han-gyeol.

Rookie matches rarely featured standout strategies anyway.

'But to think he'd lose this easily...'

Objectively speaking, in a straight-up 3v3 brawl, Lee Chang-hyun's team had zero chance of winning. Gravity Field was powerful but hard to control and had a slow cast time, while telekinesis demanded intense focus. In contrast, Jin Han, Yoon Han-gyeol, and Yoo Hye-ju's raw power was straightforward and overwhelmingly strong.

No matter how you sliced it, victory for Lee Chang-hyun's side seemed improbable. Yoo Hye-ju with her Holy Ground skill that activated regeneration in an area. Yoon Han-gyeol's Seven ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Flying Swords that amplified destructive force. Jin Han's sky-high stats... and more.

'Yet he overcame all that...'

"This is a complete victory of strategy. The result was totally out of left field."

"I told you that guy's the real deal."

"Lee Chang-hyun, you mean?"

"Who else?"

Lee Min-seok was now openly singing Lee Chang-hyun's praises. Even Jin Su-hyuk was nodding in agreement.

"This test wasn't even meant to evaluate strategy... It's a bit surprising, even for me."

Jo Ah-ra offered her candid assessment too.

'This match wasn't supposed to test strategy or tactical ability at all. Hell, no one even thought to look for it.'

To devise tactics, you first had to assess superpowers and assign optimal positions. And that was just the foundation. You also needed ways to adapt to the map and unexpected events.

Yet out of 20 applicants, most barely knew each other, let alone each other's abilities. Crafting optimal tactics on the fly with zero intel? Even a pro like Jo Ah-ra—or her grandfather—couldn't pull that off in a game.

'Of course, it wasn't zero information.'

Jo Ah-ra knew about the survival game and Kim Jin-seung's spar with Lee Chang-hyun. But she'd assumed the spar stemmed from bad blood, not that they'd end up teammates. If he could even recruit former enemies, that spoke volumes about his talent.

"Anyway, it's unexpected that A Team—Yoon Han-gyeol, Jin Han, and Yoo Hye-ju—ended up in the elimination mission."

"Yeah, we'll have to watch that closely."

Mana Awakening Stone. An awakening stone that refined the user's mana to a higher quality, greatly boosting mana capacity.

'And that wasn't even the end of its effects... though I only learned that right before regressing.'

At the time, no one knew. Instead of increasing mana capacity, it could raise skill ranks.

'And even then, I think I was the only one who figured it out.'

Lee Chang-hyun had uncovered it when his Piercing Eye reached its peak. It never spread because skills above a certain rank couldn't use it anyway. Pre-regression, it held little value for him.

But now, with his low skill ranks, it was invaluable.

And right now.

Jin Su-hyuk's booming voice called out Team C. They pushed past the losers and approached the podium.

"Mana Awakening Stones. Take them."

Three translucent blue octahedrons shimmered with inner light.

The trio bowed their heads and accepted the stones.

'Phew... Finally cleared the first hurdle since regressing.'

He hadn't absorbed it yet, but doing so might raise Bloom [E]'s rank. He was dying to test it. Would the sub-skills from blooming strengthen too? Or unlock easier? It might even flip his current struggle of scraping by on wits alone.

"These stones will expand your mana capacity and make you stronger. Use them and press on—to shoulder Korea's hunters, conquer the Tower, and become world-class."

It felt like a dull principal's speech. But that faded fast.

The next words were ice-cold.

"However, not everyone deserves to be a hunter. Losing teams ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the 3v3v3 must face the elimination mission. And any applicant we judges deem unqualified will be cut from the program."

A chill swept the room.

Elimination Mission.

As a competition show, Hunters, The Next Generation naturally had elimination missions. Fail one, and you were out—making rivalries fiercer than most programs.

The participants: 6 losers from Lee Chang-hyun's 3v3v3 match, plus 7 from the next—for 13 total.

'...Kim Do-jun?'

A familiar face. Part of him found it funny seeing someone he knew in the mix; another part worried. He'd given the guy a quick sword lesson, and his skills had improved fast. But apparently not enough.

They weren't teammates, and Kim Do-jun wasn't in his future PER plans anyway—no real loss. Or maybe I am a little bummed. I taught him myself, and he's already on the chopping block?

"A quick rundown of the elimination mission. The 3v3v3 tested basic team synergy, so this 3v3v4 will focus on whether pairs can sync up."

The game: Hunter Duo Triangle Conquest.

The massive screen displayed the rules. Simple: duos in a conquest format. Hold the central main street point for a minute to pass instantly. Tough, so fallback was kill points—occupiers vs. defenders racing to rack them up.

Everyone scanned for partners right away.

'As expected...'

Yoon Han-gyeol and Yoo Hye-ju drew the biggest crowds, then Jin Han—thanks to his survival game rank boosting his rep.

But Yoo Hye-ju teamed with Yoon Han-gyeol, leaving others stunned.

'Makes sense. I'd do the same.'

Pairing with the strongest was the safest bet.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-jun still had no team.

'Gonna drop this time?'

Pre-regression, he'd never heard of Kim Do-jun winning or placing high here.

'Yeah... Future's uncertain, but right now...'

He'd likely struggle in this mission too—even if he passed.

Unaware of the doubts, Kim Do-jun stood alone, lost in thought. He needed to hustle for a decent partner, but his head was elsewhere.

Then—

'...'

Kim Do-jun pushed through the elimination pool and headed straight for him.

"Hey, Lee Chang-hyun. Same school and all— you'll help me out, right? You're my only shot."

His eyes sparkled with puppy-dog hope.

Ah... damn.

Even if he could help, joining felt off. Winning as a rookie, regressing to squeeze among newbies was one thing—but carrying an elimination mission? That crossed sportsmanship lines.

He reflexively shot it down. No big deal.

"Nah."

"C'mon, why not? Oh, right—you taught me swordplay. We're basically master and disciple! What master abandons his pupil on the brink?"

One rejection, and the guy went full salesman. A quick demo made him a master? Then academy instructors were grandmasters.

"Hmph..."

Fine, nothing better to do. He'd taught the kid a bit—curious how fast he'd grow this life.

'...Plus, perfect test bed for Bloom rank-up after the Mana Awakening Stone.'

"Alright. But strategy's all mine. And never again. Got it?"

"Yes! Knew I could count on you~ Shit yeah~"

His goofy grin was ridiculous. Guy needed a reality check via broken hilt or something.

With teams set, elimination participants headed back to the dorms in groups, faces etched with fatigue from the day's program.

But Lee Chang-hyun couldn't wait to get back.

'Finally...'

Post-regression, Bloom [E] had stagnated—no growth despite stats improving. It felt impossible.

Yet the blue glow pulsing from the Mana Awakening Stone in his hand gave him certainty. It would break the deadlock. He could only hope.