Buildup
The next morning dawned quickly.
The audition program ends in just six days...
The program had felt endlessly long, but realizing it was almost over brought a fresh wave of emotion. And on top of that, the thrilling anticipation of returning to the league.
"Thank you all for waiting. The finals will be in six days. We're now announcing the team compositions and map selection!"
The judges lined up before Lee Chang-hyun and the other 14 surviving applicants. A massive screen lit up behind them, filling with a sweeping view of the map they'd battle on: Gods' Battlefield.
Gods' Battlefield
A colossal arena where towering statues of gods in diverse forms clash in epic combat. Dense, treacherous forested mountains sprawl below.
"Ooooh..."
The applicants buzzed with awe at the overwhelming vista. It carried a grandeur unlike the urban battles or survival game maps they'd fought on before. Modeled after a real Tower Dungeon, that sense of scale was inevitable.
Of course, for me, it was a battlefield I'd clashed on several times before. I knew its features and layout inside out. Already, I could feel it would be a blast.
"And now, based on performances so far, we're dividing you into two teams! First, the Blue Team!"
Yoo Hye-ju, Jin Han, Han Ji-su, ...
Lee Chang-hyun, Yoon Han-gyeol, Kim Do-jun, Kim Jin-seung, ...
"With the teams officially announced, we expect teamwork and coordination."
Teamwork in a one-week pickup squad? Please. I clicked my tongue, but since the opponents were in the same boat, it wouldn't matter much.
With nothing left to announce, I tuned out to ponder strategies—only for the real bombshell to drop next.
"And a surprise announcement! For this game, we're applying a special rule: joining the neutral monsters' side will be none other than a 1st Generation Hunter and Hunter Association President Lee Geun-taek!"
"What?"
I couldn't believe it. Precedent be damned—this was a veteran whose stats were in another league altogether, a 1st Gen Hunter crashing the field? Balance collapse didn't even begin to cover it.
The applicants murmured in shock too.
Idiots.
The organizers' intent wasn't that simplistic. 1st Gen Hunters were the elite who'd bled through real battles at the Tower's frontline—nothing like today's hunters. With current stats and proficiency, even scratching them would be a miracle.
They want to test us directly, huh?
Winning the whole thing was an absurd condition anyway—MVP of the game crowned champion? I wasn't the only one thinking that; Yoon Han-gyeol beside me looked grim too.
"Heh heh... Glad you're all taking it positively. Much appreciated."
Enter the man himself, Lee Geun-taek.
"I've got high hopes for this Hunters Next Generation, so this old-timer's joining as a little gift—sharing some experience. Relax and enjoy the finals."
His words were mild, but to me, they rang like a promise: no holding back.
Anyone who'd sparred active hunters at the academy knew the gap. And against a top 1st Gen like Lee Geun-taek? The chasm would be vast.
The judges wrapped up swiftly.
"See you in a week. May the brightest shine on the stage we've prepared. Dismissed!"
As the judges and cameras left, the applicants from both teams buzzed with chatter—new teammates, hot topics aplenty.
I ignored it, slipping out after the judges to meet Lee Geun-taek again.
***
PER. Even in 3rd Division, they were perennial bottom-feeders—unsellable dead stock, basically.
Pre-regression, no reason to remember them. But thinking back, I recalled: Lee Geun-taek was their owner, revealed much later to huge buzz.
It broke right before my regression, causing waves. Something like: too busy as president to manage, but he'd bought the team ages ago to nurture as owner-director...
Yeah, roughly that.
And now, here I stood before him.
"...Chang-hyun? What's this about?"
Instead of answering, I pulled out the business card I'd gotten from Lee Jong-gyu—PER's card.
"Returning this."
"To me...?"
Lee Geun-taek feigned confusion.
"Lee Jong-gyu the scout told me to meet the owner."
Well, with the nominal owner being someone else, he wouldn't expect it.
"Heh heh..."
He looked briefly flustered, then fixed me with a stare. For a split second, his eyes gleamed fiercely.
This is a 1st Gen Hunter...
Even I, regressing from top-tier, felt the overwhelming pressure.
"The nominal owner was Hunter Lee Jung-geun... How'd you know?"
No more kindly grandpa—just a feral, aura-pulsing 1st Gen beast.
But now was the time to brazen it out.
Can't exactly say I regressed.
The mana pressure crushed me, but I forced a grin.
"I see everything."
Loaded words. My power pierces you—down to personal secrets.
Piercing Eye didn't show that, but I sold it like it did.
Lee Geun-taek hesitated, pondering—or stunned.
Yeah... No one's heard of a skill piercing social status. Not that it actually does, but...
From his view, it'd terrify—a skill beyond his battle-hardened experience.
After a long silence, a soft exclamation.
"Impressive. Never imagined such a skill... Anyway, you're right. Allow a proper intro: I'm Lee Geun-taek, de facto owner of PER and Hunter Association President—though not front-facing. My scout offer and Lee Jong-gyu's got shot down before... Changed your mind?"
No more pretense. He probed my intent.
Perfect.
Time for the real deal.
"I want PER in exchange for signing with you."
***
Huh...
Lee Geun-taek felt his heart stir—a sensation absent since leaving the Tower, facing real dungeon monsters.
Almost no one knew he was PER's true owner. Nominal owner Lee Jung-geun and a couple front-office staff—that was it.
Yet Lee Chang-hyun, no connection to them, shows up after a scout's vague "meet the owner."
Such a skill...
Owner was a social title—abstract. Seeing raw power or mana? Fine. But this? Utility off the charts.
Not wholly unexpected. Unearthing hidden pieces, pinpoint shots from dust clouds—something "piercing" was likely.
But the real shock came next.
Demanding team control and signing rights for his recruitment...
Masterstroke. Seemed like building a 3rd Div squad around himself, but really a silent demand for investment in cash-strapped PER.
Savvy as hell.
From his side? Welcome.
Lee Chang-hyun coming to him flipped the power dynamic. After rejection? Positive shift.
Even PER scout Lee Jong-gyu, with them now, beamed.
"So you gave him my card to deliver to you?"
"Yep."
"But those terms... Honestly tough, sir. Not sure player Lee Chang-hyun's worth that yet."
Fair point. Even as Korea's first sniper, he was amateur-stage. Pro leagues? Unknown.
Handing near-total team authority? Overreach.
Funniest part: he read that too...
"You're right. So he made a new proposal."
"Proposal?"
"Finals showdown—bet against me. Win the finals and beat me."
"He's insane!"
Lee Jong-gyu tsked. Finals win? Maybe. Beat the Association President, a 1st Gen? Absurd.
"Won't go full throttle, of course... But if he pulls it off, snagging him cheap would be the steal."
"If possible, yeah..."
"Get this: I said 'of course' and accepted—he fires back, 'Of course? Then I'd be the one recruiting you.'"
Lee Geun-taek chuckled like a proud grandpa, reciting verbatim.