028. Feat

The community's reaction was explosive.

'Even if I'd been in the audience, I would've felt the same...'

The fearless building demolition at the occupation point. And picking off double-digit elimination mission participants one by one with gunfire.

From the spectators' perspective, it must've been utterly overwhelming.

Of course, that was just from the audience's view. The situation hadn't been as dominant as it seemed.

'The battlefield was overwhelmingly in my favor to begin with.'

Kim Do-jun providing close-range cover so I could focus purely on shooting. The dust cloud where only I could land hits. Building debris restricting movement, making them sitting ducks.

Everything was set up perfectly for marksmanship.

And on top of that, I'd run similar ops in the past—it was a huge edge.

If we hadn't collapsed those buildings, a straight-up assault would've fallen way short of an all-kill, let alone half.

Hunters aren't easy to drop with bullets, no matter how much mana they throw around.

Still, it was feat-worthy enough.

'Full Bloom's rank went up.'

I was still far from regaining my pre-regression power, but I couldn't help feeling a swell of pride.

Even amid the pride, down below were heaps of people sobbing and writhing in agony.

The arena floor was chaos with the eliminated contestants.

Most dropouts were those sniped early without showing anything.

'Well... dropping out that quick meant they wouldn't have shown much anyway...'

Part of me felt sorry, but it was unavoidable.

Going easy would've been the real insult.

Someone else was even more hyped than me.

"Yo, you been hiding this the whole time? Kya... You were straight-up nasty with those shots. Can I touch the gun just once?"

"......"

"C'mon~ If your mana pool's that overflowing you were gonna sweep with bullets, you should've said so earlier! You know how shocked I was when you dropped that building? And how'd you nail 'em all in that dust cloud?"

"Secret."

I figured he'd guess some skill was involved, but no need to spill my info.

Knowledge is power and ammo—no point blabbing.

Of course, my curt reply unleashed Kim Do-jun's tirade.

"That's how you treat your one and only friend? Wow... Didn't peg you for that, Lee Chang-hyun. Seeing you in a new light."

"How new?"

"Lil' punk?"

One and only friend, huh...

Thinking about it, post-regression, this guy's the only real friend I've got.

Not like I regressed to make buddies, but getting called out on it felt weird.

'Is my social circle that small?'

While bantering with Kim Do-jun off to the side, the eliminated players had cleared out before I knew it.

Then the survivors from the elimination mission reappeared.

Was it my imagination? Felt like they were all staring our way.

Makes sense—not thrilled after getting wiped by us.

The survivors were the ones from that final clash—familiar faces.

Eight from the elimination mission, six who'd won their mini Hunters League matches. Fourteen total.

Perfect for 7v7, with the rest cut.

Then came the big next-mission reveal.

"Not everyone can become a hunter. It's all about talent—or lack thereof. Harsh, maybe. But I see it as giving you a chance to quit."

"Every year, 50,000 awakeners try for pro. How many rookies hit 1st Division? You can count 'em on one hand. The rest fade away in 2nd or 3rd Division, or amateur leagues, dreams unfulfilled."

"Hunters, The Next Generation seeks the next league toppers, so it's ruthless. But you've survived. You've still got a shot. Congrats."

Jo Ah-ra clapped dramatically.

"Ready to celebrate? Nah. You're just at the starting line now. Welcome to the Hunters League."

Lee Min-seok took over as she finished.

"Short and sweet to crown the best. That's Hunters, The Next Generation. We've already sifted the qualifiers worthy of the top."

The crowd buzzed at his words.

Implying few matches left.

Everyone figured I was leading anyway, but hearing it from a judge felt damn good.

Like my first real step post-regression toward the pro league.

"So this next eval is the finals. 7v7 standard Hunters League match."

"Teams drawn today, matches in a week. The MVP of the winning team takes first. Second goes to the standout regardless of team win."

Right after, Jin Su-hyuk tilted his head like he'd forgotten something and grabbed the mic.

"Oh, and for these finals, we've got a legendary guest. Get hyped."

'Legendary guest?'

No clue who, but didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter.

I had the confidence to steal the show anyway.

Stepping out of the arena, it was evening, but a crowd jammed the entrance.

Mostly not players, though...

'Scouts...'

The real recruitment war had kicked off.

Naturally, the biggest swarm was at me.

"Player Lee Chang-hyun, I'm Yi Han-gil, scout for LHR. Got a sec...?"

"Hey! I was here first—can't you see? Chang-hyun, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm Lee Jong-gyu from PER."

Voices overlapping—total chaos. Couldn't make out a word.

'Might as well scout teams that match my terms now...'

My demands were tricky anyway—needed deep talks to pick right.

I pointed to the Hunter Union Training Facility's private room.

"Let's talk inside."

A ton of scouts followed me in.

This Hunters, The Next Generation was hot—plenty of prospects drew crowds.

Half targeted me.

Normally, one-on-ones, but...

I didn't need that.

"With so many here, let's lay out terms upfront."

I had the hype leverage—top draw from the show.

No way they'd all swarm otherwise.

"Shin Ui-cheol, director of SMA Seoul City Academy Team. Loved your matches. You know we feed into 2nd and 1st Division, even overseas if you want—international exchanges. Join us, we'll fly in foreign league coaches for personal training."

Old man's rambling useless stuff.

Didn't need coaching.

Cut him off before it dragged.

"Sorry, lots of folks here. Just your unique pitch, quick."

Shin Ui-cheol looked floored.

First time seeing this from a vet recruiter.

'Damn... should've contacted when Ji-su scouted him...'

Could've sweet-talked the clueless kid back then.

"Signing bonus: 100 million. Salary separate: 200 million more. Deal, Chang-hyun?"

He'd pegged me as essential—max offer off the bat.

His ceiling.

No precedent for this to a show rookie.

'Front office'll chew me out, but if he pans out...'

Solid thinking.

Untested rookie getting pro 3rd Division salary? Generous.

But things didn't go smooth.

"Signing bonus: 300 million. Lump sum. Salary on top, separately. Can't quote yet, but won't disappoint—I promise."

Yi Han-gil from LHR glanced at Shin, jumping in.

Big team—loaded wallet.

'300 mil signing... solid cash...'

Money's nice.

But something key was missing.

Hit me quick.

'Team comp. I need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to handpick my squad.'

Hunters League is 7v7 teamplay.

Amateurs now, so all-kills possible.

Pro level? Dream on.

I knew who'd win big in the future.

'Maybe better off skipping teams altogether?'