034. The Aim
"Honestly, it's absolutely disadvantageous... but there is a breakthrough, if you can call it that."
The battlefield was none other than the Gods' Battlefield.
Gods' Battlefield. A Tower dungeon from a massive giant civilization where battles raged until, for some unidentified reason, everyone suddenly turned to stone.
"The interesting part is that those giants were still alive, trapped inside the stone."
In fact, during the actual past Tower raid, that had been the biggest talking point. Because when the stones shattered during the raid, the statues everyone thought were just idols started moving like real people.
Lee Chang-hyun hadn't experienced it firsthand, but since Hunters League finals series often took place inside the real Tower, this map wasn't entirely new to him.
"Of course, at this point in time, it hasn't appeared as a finals stage yet..."
Thanks to his regression knowledge.
That's why he remembered it. The way to awaken those giants.
Liberation.
"You're saying we can awaken the statues on the Gods' Battlefield?"
To Kim Do-jun and Yoon Han-gyeol, it sounded like nonsense out of nowhere.
Statues? Weren't they just map objects?
They must have been thinking the same thing.
"Did you... see something? Like in the survival game?"
Yoon Han-gyeol, as expected of a sharp kid, nailed it right away.
No need to reveal the regression anyway, so playing along with him was the way to go.
"I can feel it..."
Putting on a mock-serious face and saying he felt it, Kim Do-jun and Yoon Han-gyeol's expressions turned grave too.
Well, in truth, it was just veteran hunter knowledge.
"What?"
"A way to awaken the statues..."
"Isn't that too uncertain? If it's just a hunch..."
"A hunch? It's probably a skill. Right, Chang-hyun?"
"Uh... yeah, probably..."
Yoon Han-gyeol was eagerly writing the story for him, eyes sparkling. Super convenient.
"So, what's the method?"
"Cracks. Hit the cracks on the statues precisely, and they'll shatter like eggshells, waking the giants inside."
"Oh..."
"And? Will the giants that come out help the hunters?"
Yoon Han-gyeol tilted his head curiously.
Sharp as ever. No wonder he'd climbed high in the rankings before regression.
"No, the giants that emerge have spent too long petrified. They'll lose their minds and attack anything in sight."
"...You sure? It's way too uncertain... Plus, Lee Geun-taek's using neutral monster formations. I get what you're thinking, but even if we wake them, they won't attack the Association President, right?"
Yoon Han-gyeol asked skeptically.
Understandable—too many unknowns beyond just awakening them.
"Well, probably not. If my guess is right..."
The giants inside the statues weren't prepared for this game. They weren't neutral monsters.
"Chang-hyun, even if you're right, that's the problem. If we wake them and we get hit, we're done."
"That's why we have mana gear."
Lee Chang-hyun pulled out the mana equipment he'd grabbed from the prep station with Kim Do-jun.
"Ah... right!"
Rumble rumble rumble...
The battle statues scattered across the field were moving.
Lee Geun-taek glanced back at the unexpected sight, and there—on an ancient statue cracked all over—bullets had struck precisely along the fissures.
'It wasn't aiming at me from the start... Pretending to target me was a bluff. Aiming for the cracks... who would've thought.'
Lee Geun-taek had doubted it at first, but the shock was inevitable.
No. Wait.
This was the guy who'd seen through him being PER's owner.
He might have even calculated awakening the statues.
'But... even knowing that, he'd only learn after entering the map... Yet he came prepared, like he knew, and awakened it. How...'
Lee Geun-taek's mind grew more tangled.
No matter how great an observation skill was, this defied explanation.
Of course, while his head spun, the outside world didn't wait.
The massive giant bursting from the shattered stone began rampaging.
This statue held a gigantic axe.
And the next thing Lee Geun-taek saw was that axe swinging at him.
Rumble...!
An axe dozens of times a human's size.
'I can block it...'
Tough, but doable for him. Even with debuffs lowering his stats, he was a first-gen hunter who'd survived hell.
But that wasn't the point.
Lee Chang-hyun's group, who'd been shooting guns and clashing swords moments ago, had vanished.
That gnawed at him.
'Not just hiding...'
Even with the giant's movements masking presences, they'd disappeared from sight all at once.
Then it hit him.
'Invisible Cloak...!'
A special mana gear cloak that hid the body like a chameleon for a time.
Not versatile, easily spotted with scrutiny, so rarely used.
But amid a massive statue's chaos, impossible to focus—it looked like they'd vanished.
And that thought proved right.
As if confirming it, gunfire rang out from close range.
Perfectly timed as Lee Geun-taek blocked the giant's axe with his shield.
No dodging, no blocking.
'Got you...!'
Lee Chang-hyun must've thought that.
But what followed stunned everyone.
"Kuhahaha!!!"
Instead, Association President Lee Geun-taek burst into roaring laughter as the bullets flew.
Then, an unknown shockwave erupted from him, deflecting the shots.
"Pushing this old man to the brink... It's been ages, and impressive too."
An opponent Lee Chang-hyun couldn't beat alone. Even with his full team, tough.
The map favored the enemy.
Yet Lee Chang-hyun didn't give up.
He broke the "fight with numbers" mold.
Unpredictable route, timing, actions.
Pierced the statue awakening—skill or not.
Faked attacking Lee Geun-taek to hit the rear.
Secured safety from the rampaging statue with Invisible Cloak.
'Yes... your victory.'
Brilliant. Truly brilliant.
A direct rebuke to the Hunters League's upper tiers, where raw superpowers and stats bulldozed strategy.
Even Lee Geun-taek welcomed it.
"But... don't you think it's still too early to actually defeat this old man?"
Impressive or not, he hadn't lost.
Instead, he laughed louder.
"Good! Now we're equals. Come at this old man properly!"
Meanwhile, before the statue awakened.
The judges' booth, broadcasting live, was abuzz in its own way.
"Player Lee Chang-hyun...! No real strategy, just charging at Association President Lee Geun-taek. Tried sniping, but as expected, it doesn't get through..."
"Any variables for Lee Chang-hyun to turn this around?"
"Hm... Nothing comes to mind easily. No mana gear to flip the board... At best, map gimmicks, but..."
Lee Min-seok paused, then continued.
"Right, since it's the Gods' Battlefield, they might Liberate the statues."
"But that's obscure, and even if liberated, surviving indiscriminate attacks favors the President more..."
"Spot on. So we need to watch more, but..."
Lee Min-seok stared coldly at the screen.
'Though to me, it looks hopeless as is...'
The kid wouldn't charge blindly.
Bullets missing shields and dodges now, but...
Online reactions were similar.
Obviously hopeless.
Then.
Lee Chang-hyun firing.
Lee Geun-taek defending.
Behind—a massive statue's stone crumbling, starting to move.
Devastating reactions as the upset unfolded.
While Lee Geun-taek blocked or dodged Ether bullets, Lee Chang-hyun had precisely hit the statue's cracks.
'No way...'
Unforeseen scenario for Lee Min-seok.
Beyond unexpected—pure shock.
Jo Ah-ra noticed his speechlessness and snatched the mic.
"Ahh...! Player Lee Chang-hyun! Thought he was just shooting wildly, but he spotted the statue revival gimmick. The bullets missing the President hit the statue instead—backfired! Where does the match go now?"
She handed the mic back to a recovering Lee Min-seok.
'Right... no time to be stunned.'
Lee Min-seok inhaled deeply.
"First, it's an official gimmick on Gods' Battlefield. Destroy specific cracks to Liberate statues, and they attack indiscriminately."
"Indiscriminately...! With such strong statues rampaging wildly, doesn't that disadvantage Lee Chang-hyun more?"
"Indeed, but..."
Agreeing while glancing back—speechless again.
'Invisible Cloak...!'
Lee Chang-hyun's team had strategically brought the rarely used mana gear and gone stealth.
Then, as Lee Geun-taek blocked the statue's axe—bang!
Gunfire cleaved the field crisply.
With such an intriguing setup, the chat was heating up too.