Minamino's Shocking Third-Division Pick
The day after the Korea-Japan national team match, the PER team home was in an uproar. It was all because of a newspaper article. The team's dorm wasn't all that spacious to begin with, so everyone was gathered closely together when Yoon Han-gyeol, browsing a hunters' sports article, stumbled upon something amusing.
The headline made it sound like he'd acknowledged one of the Korean national team members as a rival, but the reality was completely different. The player mentioned in the article was none other than third-division leaguer Lee Chang-hyun.
"You went out yesterday... don't tell me you were at the stadium..."
Yoon Han-gyeol looked shocked at first, then leaned in with eyes full of curiosity.
"What happened?"
And it was no wonder. The article's content was that shocking.
Interview with Minamino Takumi: The Korean Player He's Looking Forward To — Lee Chang-hyun
"This international league Korea-Japan match was pretty boring... but there are definitely Korean players I think will shine big time in the future. I'm looking forward to the next international league."
"Oh... I see. The match did feature a lot of promising first-division prospects. Who's the promising talent you're hoping to face again?"
At that, Takumi let out a hollow chuckle. He wasn't talking about any of the Korean national team hunters he'd faced in the international league match.
As far as Takumi was concerned, he'd initially seen the third-division player as mere entertainment. So he figured Koreans would be shocked if he mentioned Lee Chang-hyun, a third-division leaguer.
Interesting...
"It's Lee Chang-hyun from the third division."
"Third division? We're talking international league, why suddenly a third-division player...? Did you have some extra match or backstory?"
The caster kept calling after the departing Takumi, but got no further answer. To an outsider's ear, it almost sounded like a humiliating interview.
But the real fun was the netizens' reactions.
[[Photo] I was at the international league stadium yesterday. Takumi and Lee Chang-hyun had a spar. Doesn't look like a diss or mockery in that interview.]
There were more comments trash-talking the Korean national team than praising my skills or potential. Bitter, but unavoidable. Still, getting this much attention felt fresh after a long time.
Yoon Han-gyeol, unable to stand me casually scrolling comments on his phone any longer, snatched it back. Before long, it wasn't just him drawing a crowd. Whether they'd heard through the grapevine or seen the same article, Kim Do-jun, Yi Gil-han, and Yi Yeon-ju had all gathered around.
I couldn't hold out against the pressure and had to spill a bit.
"Yeah. Went to the stadium yesterday. With senior Lee Min-seok."
"So you actually sparred with Takumi?"
"Signature?? Did you get his signature?"
"National team's getting roasted and it's a funeral vibe—signature my ass."
With so many chiming in, it was chaos. Time to sum it up short and sweet.
"1v1 rank match rules. I won."
Silence fell. No one spoke.
A brief hush. Yoon Han-gyeol broke it.
"Knew it! Told ya. We just gotta listen to Chang-hyun hyung, right?"
I hadn't said half that, but whatever. Dude's been possessed since that interview or something. Not right in the head.
"Aww, if you were meeting Takumi, you should've taken me! I could've gone in with my sword—slash slash! Ta-ta-tat! And won easy~"
Here we go again. Kim Do-jun would eat a crossbow bolt before closing in and drop first, guaranteed. Kinda admirable guts, though.
At his peak pre-regression, he could've put up a decent show... but not now.
As team leader, I couldn't let him dream on.
"Wake up, kid."
I flicked his forehead hard. As Kim Do-jun clutched his head, Yoon Han-gyeol piled on.
"Hyung's right for sure. Anyone but Chang-hyun hyung, your level..."
Yoon Han-gyeol smirked slyly, eyes half-lidded. Kim Do-jun hissed in annoyance.
Fair enough. Deep down, he might envy actually sparring more than winning. He loves the spotlight, and nothing beats facing a world-class player for growth and broadening horizons.
Or maybe he's antsy 'cause Yoon Han-gyeol's bombing meta is stealing the show while he's lagging.
Anyway, not my headache. Can't babysit everyone's growth one-on-one.
What mattered more: the Takumi fight counted as an achievement, boosting skill proficiency.
Piercing Eye: A (S+) → S (S+)
Piercing Eye no longer shows only current stats. It pierces through stat upper limits and skill potentials. It also intuitively and perfectly predicts projectile trajectories.
Finally...
The key option for Piercing Eye, vital for boosting team power: seeing potentials unlocked. Plus projectile trajectory prediction.
Probably from maxing out trajectory measurement and sniping with Piercing Eye against Takumi.
Perfect timing. Essential for training the team.
Time to seriously amp up team strength.
The third division doesn't draw huge crowds, and matches are sparse. Scheduled on Mondays and Tuesdays—days people skip—to avoid clashing with first- and second-division games.
So even on a weekend when pro hunters play, the PER home was lively.
A few watching matches in the living room. Others lounging in rooms.
First win had dulled their edge completely.
Sigh... leading these kids...
Training them felt daunting. No team drills yet.
Our wins so far? Pure tactics. Head-on team vs. team? Doubtful.
Good thing not everyone's slacking. Coach Lee Jong-gyu had accepted me as director post-scrimmage, pondering the schedule. Tossing ideas, even if they flopped.
"So, coach. Your take on our current state?"
"Starting the season with a win's great momentum... but we're fine like this, no? Got a winning formula, even if tactics are limited. Team's got more energy than last season."
Nope. Zero-win last season killed his drive. Enemy to my first-division push.
"Wrong. Completely."
Coach winced, hurt. Tough luck—cold truth.
"What team tactics do we have if bombing gets shut down? Unless I solo carry, it's auto-loss."
"But the new guys are doing well..."
Stubborn. Last season's flop? Half his fault, probably.
"No options if bombing fails. Strengthen it, build new ones... or boost base stamina."
"Base stamina..."
New tactics tough now—too skill-dependent.
But individual combat power? Always doable.
Priority: personal growth.
"No match today. Let's all grind rank matches for training. Focus individual skills for a bit."
"I'll round 'em up."
Coach finally looked decisive, heading out relieved.
Thus, to the Hunter Union Training Facility. First time since the audition show... Felt nostalgic. Pre-regression home base. Where I trained Kim Do-jun too—best spot.
"Everyone hear the coach?"
"Rank matches for training for a while?"
"Yeah."
Reactions lukewarm. Meh.
"Why rank matches? Team drills better, no?"
Ah, that. Kim Do-jun voiced the group's vibe.
"'Cause individuals gotta be strong first for team comps to matter."
Blunt: Y'all ain't pulling weight solo yet. Grind that, then team up.
Some flinched, but most nodded.
"Watch coach's rank matches one by one, analyze. Focus hard. Good luck everyone!"
With that, the team scattered to their rank matches.