A Magical Moment
"I'll be giving this team's orders. You have to follow them to the letter."
That was the first thing he said into the earpiece. Of course, even as he spoke, he didn't expect them to listen perfectly. If orders had gone through smoothly enough to weave airtight tactics, the team wouldn't have been on a losing streak. He had to approach this assuming the team's state was worse than he could imagine.
Moreover, this match didn't even feature all the new recruits—just the five existing PER members plus himself and Kim Do-jun. Hardly any boost from fresh blood. But there was a deliberate reason for stacking the deck this way.
'They need to realize they can win.'
Until now, they'd probably been crushed overwhelmingly, eroding any confidence in victory. Showing these defeat-weary veterans the real possibility of winning—that was the point of this game.
Separately, ESP was openly mocking their team.
"Ah... so you're the new owner? Director? Whatever. Nice to meet you."
ESP's director, Choi Han-gyu, tossed out the words half-heartedly, a smirk playing on his face. As the overwhelming underdogs who'd begged for a practice match, they were getting the brush-off treatment. And yeah, part of it was probably because their "owner-director-player" was such an absurd triple-threat character.
'Rude bastard.'
Lee Chang-hyun couldn't help feeling annoyed. But there was no point saying more— he'd prove it on the field.
"Alright then, match start!"
In 3rd Division Hunters League matches—low on variables, heavy on team fights—the most crucial element was holding formation without crumbling.
'Easy to say, but in the heat of battle, nothing exposes skill gaps like this.'
Hold formation. Account for the enemy's close-range dealers and ranged dealers, constantly adjusting your position to compensate. Be ready to support your vanguard the instant they engage, while shielding your own dealers from attacks. Positions shift moment to moment with enemy movements and attack patterns.
In these massive 7v7 brawls, such precise positioning decided the fight's outcome.
'The last PER vs. ESP match fell apart because their formation shattered instantly. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been that one-sided.'
Knowing that, he issued meticulous orders, one by one.
"Yi Gil-han, take the front like last time, but don't charge ahead solo without my signal. Even if a Mana Bomber comes flying, hold position unless I say otherwise."
"...Got it."
"Yi Yeon-ju, stick by my side—same line at minimum. Kim Do-jun, right in front of me. Harass anyone pushing in from there."
"Can't I just go out and smack 'em myself?"
Kim Do-jun questioned the order, but Lee Chang-hyun could only grin.
"You'll see."
This map, Imperial Bridge, made formation battles even more critical. Fighting atop a massive bridge left little room for tricks—just raw clashes of lines.
'No way they won't have doubts.'
Time to showcase his brainpower—the "battlefield conductor" physique that had nothing to do with raw physicals.
ESP director Choi Han-gyu watched the match screen in silence. Hunters League had elements beyond formation—like maps favoring individual skill or skirmish-heavy slugfests.
But nothing built team synergy, unity, and morale like fighting in tight formation. Classic for a reason.
'That's why I picked this map.'
Formations were tough to master quickly, so PER would crumble like last time. That was his read.
"Director, their formation's surprisingly tight for a ragtag squad."
"Hmph... Probably just looks good. How much time since their last match? They're static right now—that's why it holds."
It did look solid, thanks to Lee Chang-hyun micromanaging every position. But its weight felt far beyond a hasty setup.
'Heavy...'
"Think that owner-director-proxy guy pulled it off?"
"Who knows. We'll see."
Sure enough, as PER and ESP lines clashed, ranged dealer Lee Chang-hyun briefly exposed himself—a gap from team shifts.
Choi Han-gyu smirked. 'Too busy commanding to watch his own spot. Classic tunnel vision.'
Overloaded players always missed something. And ESP agreed—the moment he popped out, they dropped layered mana shields forward and charged like a spearhead.
'Tch... Can't even save face now.'
Losing a key player first would tank morale. But hey, not his team—let that cocky interviewer pay.
Then—
"...!"
Lee Chang-hyun, who'd seemed slightly forward, stepped on a pre-planted Air Beat on the ground and snapped back to his spot. Purely intentional, in a blink.
'Not a mistake... bait to lure them in.'
While ESP committed aggressively to snag the "stray," PER reformed ironclad. Their captain yelled to pull back, but offensive shifts didn't reverse easily.
In that hesitation—
Taang—
Shields dipped briefly; under covering fire, Lee Chang-hyun unleashed a barrage.
'This crazy...'
Worst-case didn't cover this worst. No excuses, even if they'd underestimated—the bait was too juicy.
ESP threw up shields hastily, but thin ones meant nothing to him.
'Mana Bombers...'
He loaded them with Ether, firing missile-like shots unlike before. No basic shield blocked that.
ESP scattered to dodge, formation obliterated.
Still, refusing a 7-0 repeat, their captain roared into his earpiece:
"Their individuals can't match us anyway! All-in!"
A desperate stand-your-ground declaration.
But...
'Ah... no!'
From outside, Choi Han-gyu saw it: Lee Chang-hyun's encirclement formation, shielding their deadly ranged dealer. Fail to reach him, and pushing the front got picked off one by one through gaps.
Spot on. ESP crumbled trying to breach the vanguard, picked apart by support fire.
Too late, their captain screamed to target the backline first—but against PER's intact formation, even a stronger team couldn't.
And it wasn't just that. Kim Do-jun frontlined perfectly, slicing incoming rushers as if reading paths ahead.
"No way..."
Soon, ESP wiped. PER survived intact.
Yi Gil-han's heart pounded hotter than ever.
'No way...'
Lee Chang-hyun's initial orders made zero sense. A ranged commander ordering the team static while he solo-charged? Guy seemed insane.
But the result? Lured ESP's rock-solid formation to shatter itself. Mission accomplished.
And back inside? Chilling precision.
"Kim Do-jun, focus left flank. Hold position—timings will open up."
Preemptive, prophetic. Warn left? Attack came left. Prep right counter? Right assaulted.
Unbelievable at first, but two, three repeats? Had to trust it.
'He's reading their flow completely.'
How he'd move, their counters, counters to counters. Battlefield in his eyes, relayed flawlessly.
Even stronger foes? Predict every action, and defeat's impossible.
At some point, Yi Gil-han realized he was following orders wholeheartedly. They worked, racking wins steadily.
Before long, after the opening snipe dropping two, and stabbing/defending rushers... only PER's seven remained.
Exact reverse of their prior 7-0 loss.
'What the hell...'
Even after the win, Yi Gil-han couldn't trust his eyes. Only one thought fit:
'Magic... this is magic.'
Lee Chang-hyun and Kim Do-jun aside, the five PER veterans had no choice but to feel it: not a word of his was empty talk.