036. The Final Shot - Bang!
Bang!
The gunshot that cleaved through the battlefield rang out.
The target was Hunter Association President Lee Geun-taek, locked in combat with two giants. But it was blocked by the intangible aura exploding forth alongside his lion's roar.
Meanwhile, the judges' seats and the audience were heating up even more.
Now it wasn't just Lee Chang-hyun and Lee Geun-taek—Yoo Hye-ju's team and Kim Jin-seung's crew had converged in the center too. It was on the verge of an all-out team fight with everyone piled in.
Lee Chang-hyun had called in Kim Jin-seung, whose growth was complete, along with his remaining teammates to the center. Yoo Hye-ju's team had tagged along.
And Lee Chang-hyun's pinpoint rift shot on his gear had turned it into perfect chaos.
With the giants fully awakened, the battlefield was a total mess.
"No way..."
Jo Ah-ra couldn't close her mouth.
Waking the giants had been an unpredictable scenario, but she never imagined he'd maneuver the situation into this utter disaster.
"What on earth is Player Lee Chang-hyun thinking?"
"First... the key point is that this chaotic melee favors Lee Chang-hyun's side the most."
Yeah. That was the core of it.
Lee Chang-hyun's side, equipped with unconventional mana gear like the Invisible Cloak, held overwhelming first-strike advantage in this brawl.
"And... if I had to guess, Yoo Hye-ju's team getting dragged into this was all part of Lee Chang-hyun's strategy too."
"It sure feels that way. In a 4v7, there's no reason Yoo Hye-ju's side wouldn't chase."
"He sends out members who can escape with higher growth potential but whom the enemy thinks they can beat—dangling the bait with a swish of the tail. Then leads them into a melee on a giant-infested battlefield. In that chaos, the side with first strike and Invisible Cloak has the edge... The entire battlefield is dancing to Lee Chang-hyun's tune."
"No way..."
It might seem like an obvious strategy at first glance, but to Lee Min-seok, this wasn't something a rookie fresh to the Hunters League could dream up.
Perfect grasp of the map.
Perfect read on the opponents.
And accounting for the wildcard Lee Geun-taek.
It evoked the image of a conductor weaving every variable into a grand orchestra.
This wasn't just about being smart—it was the mark of a seasoned, no, a veteran strategist.
Knowing exactly what the enemy would do, privy to map secrets no one else knew, blending in every variable seamlessly.
Experience... huh? No, this is his first Hunters League match. What the hell is that kid thinking...?
As he pondered briefly, another gunshot pierced his ears—no time for calm reflection. Yoo Hye-ju's mana shield shattered on screen.
Huh...? That's a bit different from usual?
Lee Min-seok felt a twinge of oddity.
Something felt off about the scene.
The chat revealed what it was.
The battlefield was squarely in Lee Chang-hyun's palm right now.
In the Hunters League, individual raw power, superhuman abilities, and mana gear setups mattered.
But that wasn't all.
Growth within the league. That's the other half.
No matter how strong your base power, you couldn't guarantee victory over opponents.
The in-game 'growth stats' factored into the outcome too—high base stats didn't seal the win until the end.
And there were two ways to grow.
First: Killing minions or map dungeon monsters.
Second: Killing opponents.
That's why taking out enemies makes comebacks harder...
Lee Chang-hyun's Plan B—after realizing his gun wouldn't pierce Lee Geun-taek easily—factored in growth too.
Even if he couldn't beat Lee Geun-taek right now, wiping Yoo Hye-ju's grown team changed everything.
And that scenario was unfolding.
Bang!
An Ether round laced with ground-up Mana Bomber.
It shattered Yoo Hye-ju's mana shield to pieces.
"...!"
Yoo Hye-ju's eyes widened—she clearly hadn't seen it coming.
Thanks to her healing field Holy Ground, the wound knit quickly, but it was so deep recovery wouldn't be easy.
Letting one through on the first shot seals it.
No matter the mana shield, her opponent wasn't just Lee Chang-hyun.
After the Invisible Cloak feint, Yoon Han-gyeol and Kim Do-jun charged from blind spots.
As close-range dealers, they closed in instantly, unleashing heavy hits and sowing perfect disruption.
This deadlock is a sniper's dream.
Lee Chang-hyun stayed hidden, fingers clicking away, picking them off one by one.
With Kim Jin-seung's crew, Yoon Han-gyeol's side, and Lee Chang-hyun launching a three-pronged assault, Yoo Hye-ju's team crumbled inevitably.
Injured but standing on her glowing yellow field, Yoo Hye-ju swung her mace with monstrous strength, taking one down—but that was it.
Her face twisted like a demon's; she was pissed.
Well, couldn't be helped.
She's up against me.
Comparing a fresh academy kid prepping for 3rd Division to me would be embarrassing.
He almost wanted to tell her not to stress too much.
But pros overcome that on their own.
On the opposite side, where Yoo Hye-ju's team was nearly wiped, massive booms kept echoing.
A true clash of titans.
No—Lee Geun-taek versus the giants.
Spear in one hand, shield in the other. Two throwing spears strapped to his back.
Boom rumble crash!
The moment Yoo Hye-ju's team fell, Lee Geun-taek downed both giants too.
Monster...
He clearly hadn't gone all-out against us.
But that didn't mean Lee Geun-taek held the edge now.
Wounds everywhere from the giant fight, broken spear, scraped shield.
Traces of a brutal war of attrition.
Chilling—he was grinning through it all.
"Refreshing. It's been ages since a real fight... Now, back to business. What about you, Chang-hyun?"
His subtly shifted tone showed he was loosening up.
But our side had wiped Yoo Hye-ju's team for growth boosts, plus Kim Jin-seung and three others who'd grown off minions.
"Did we ever have business to discuss here?"
"Huhu... Don't be like that—it'd hurt my feelings. Gotta say, prepping something like this surprised me. Tactics... Yeah, Korea's Hunters League runs on brute force now, but originally, tactics were key for Tower clears."
Lee Geun-taek stroked his chin, chuckling softly, looking pleased.
The vibe seemed relaxed, but Lee Chang-hyun's side tensed further.
That chuckle came with a surge of mana from Lee Geun-taek.
Going all-in on a short burst...!
Best choice for a heavily drained Lee Geun-taek.
"Dodge!"
The loose atmosphere flipped to suffocating battle tension in a heartbeat.
First target: me, naturally.
Tracked my voice?!
But cloaked in Invisible Cloak, I wasn't sitting idle.
He's a vet. High chance he'll pinpoint and target me.
As predicted, I triggered the pre-set Air Anchor behind me.
It let me barely evade the spear thrust as Lee Geun-taek charged.
"President Lee Geun-taek's got little left! Overwhelm with power!"
My order blared through the earpieces.
Whew... From that last strike, honestly not sure how much he has left...
No choice. We'd thrown everything at this.
Six of us drop Lee Geun-taek, or we all go down.
Only those two paths.
My voice echoed; Yoon Han-gyeol dashed to me, slashing supportively. Kim Jin-seung and his three, plus Kim Do-jun, engaged frontline.
Worries weren't unfounded—the fight dragged.
Bang...!
Bang bang!
Ranged checks from behind, but Lee Geun-taek's veteran shield blocked effortlessly.
Like he knew every shot's origin and timing.
This is 1st-gen hunter...
Could pre-regression me win?
The thought flashed, but I shook it off.
No distractions, not for a second.
A sensation like body and mind fused as one.
That focus was mandatory.
Lee Geun-taek was a monster.
To exploit his gaps, no less.
Kim Do-jun's swift blade stormed in, but Lee Geun-taek deflected with shield and impaled him deep, outing him.
Kim Jin-seung's crew dwindled one by one.
"No way..."
Yoon Han-gyeol looked shocked.
Wanna say that's the gap between top-tier and 3rd Division rookies, kid... but since I'm in it too, couldn't voice it.
Kept harassing, but eventually only Yoon Han-gyeol, me, and Lee Geun-taek remained.
"Surprised?"
"Nah. All as expected."
Yoon Han-gyeol shot me a "what?" look, but bluff harder when unsure.
I stuck to it 100%.
"Then you've got a counter ready?"
"Of course."
Lee Geun-taek eyed me coolly, then laughed heartily.
Who knew how much he saw through?
Bluff? Probably.
But best we had.
Yoon Han-gyeol swung down from above.
Shield blocked; he slipped sideways as spear slashed diagonally.
Yoon Han-gyeol got bisected in an instant.
Eyes wide in disbelief.
Well... skill gap's massive. Can't be helped.
Still, frustrating we couldn't win after dragging it this far.
Lee Geun-taek grinned triumphantly, like it was over.
Fair enough.
Couldn't deny it.
Tank-close dealer with ranged counter.
That's Lee Geun-taek.
Low HP? Irrelevant.
...That's what he'd think.
Lee Geun-taek charged leisurely yet swiftly, spear thrusting.
I flung up a hasty mana shield, but it only nudged the trajectory slightly.
The spear plunged straight in.
Missed vitals, but this was game over.
"My win, Chang-hyun."
Could only wryly smile.
Maybe feeling the pre-regression gap.
So many options then; now, this was it. Regrettable.
But I won't go quietly.
"We'll see."
Impaled on the spear, face-to-face with Lee Geun-taek, I detonated the last hidden Mana Bomber.