055. The Watchers
"……That's the end of the team analysis."
"Hm…… The other teams are pretty much the same as last season or this one…… But surprisingly, PER's sailing smooth."
"Yes. I think it's because that so-called 'Bomber Tactic' from the presentation earlier worked so well."
"Got a countermeasure in mind?"
Silence stretched across LTD's meeting room.
"Sigh…… This is why you can't have analysts who weren't players themselves. They don't know real combat. What's the point of good analysis if they can't counter even a single new tactic?"
The head coach's sharp rebuke had everyone bowing their heads. Right or wrong, he was king here.
And so, it was LTD's head coach, Lee Hyung-geun, who broke the silence.
"Focus on managing the players' mentality for now. I've got counters swimming in my head. Dismissed."
With a wave of Lee Hyung-geun's hand, the meeting ended, and people filed out one by one.
Sighs escaped from the heart, echoing through the room. He had no interest in such trivialities right now.
This was just a pit stop on his way through 3rd Division coaching.
'Sigh…… How much more experience do I need to land a higher league team……?'
He'd thought his string of solid results in 3rd Division was impressive. But the higher-ups showed no sign of promoting him.
What could he do? Keep racking up wins and wait.
More pressingly, PER was the headache now.
Honestly, back during that absurd interview, he'd never imagined PER surging like this. Let alone with some unheard-of new tactic.
Losing a game or two wasn't a big deal……
The problem was, judging by that interview, a loss to them would stir a massive backlash from the fandom.
And word would reach the 1st and 2nd Division LTD coaches and staff.
That could complicate his move to a higher league.
'Above all, my pride won't allow it. All this fuss over some punk kid?'
Lee Hyung-geun slowly tidied the papers on his desk. His eyes gleamed at one player's profile from the bench roster.
Yeah, this combo can shut down their rootless setup. With this guy, countering won't be hard.
***
Even after the weekend training break, matches kept coming. And the relentless 'Bomber Tactic' proved devastatingly effective.
'Lower-tier teams can't handle diverse tactics anyway. Better to smash with one destructive playstyle……'
Various counters were attempted against the perfectly tuned tactic, but almost none worked. Proof it was solid strategy.
PER's record since 3rd Division started: 5 wins, 1 loss.
Not undefeated, but no regular-season team swept every game.
That loss was on a map unsuited for bombers, where the team got trapped and wiped out at once, leaving him without options.
They'd dominated otherwise, but no guarantees ahead.
The wins so far were against mostly bottom feeders.
'And next is LTD……'
PER's first top-tier matchup.
LTD wasn't dominating 1st place, but they matched PER's points in 2nd.
No pushover—and a key rival both gunning for 3rd Division title.
A single point could flip them, and playoffs loomed large.
"But Chang-hyun…… We should focus training on LTD, so why put Yeon-ju through that?"
"Whoa!"
Even I jumped. No presence at all.
At the Hunter Union Training Facility, I'd been spying on Yi Yeon-ju tackling the new drill I'd assigned. Somehow, Lee Jong-gyu had snuck up.
'Wasn't planning to tell the coach……'
He wouldn't get it anyway.
Yi Yeon-ju's current training—capturing monsters or minions alive in the map—was to unlock her Binding skill's hidden potential.
Skills like that unlocked upon achieving "capture instinct," like trapping beasts or netting bugs.
But oblivious Lee Jong-gyu couldn't grasp it.
Explaining hidden potential awakenings and her [Binding] potential? Tough sell.
So, bullshit it was.
"Coach, remember when I said Yeon-ju needs survival skills?"
"Uh…… yeah…… right?"
"What's most important then?"
"Mobility?"
"Good too…… But it's about understanding the ambushers' mindset. Empathize: where to strike, how to catch. Figure out attack routes."
"Ah…… So deep……"
Lee Jong-gyu lit up like he'd grasped enlightenment.
The vibe screamed, He really had a plan!
No such depth, of course……
'He bought it. Practice escaping if you wanna escape. Why capture practice?'
I couldn't fathom him buying this nonsense.
Was I a con artist at heart, not a hunter?
Random thoughts swirled.
Snapping back, I saw Yi Yeon-ju had changed.
'Huh……?'
Change bloomed as she set a mana trap for a minion.
As it barely dodged, sucked in her focus—something poured out.
Sudden black energy from below snared the minion.
"……!"
Yi Yeon-ju startled herself, stumbling back from her trance and falling on her ass.
"Yes!"
✦ Hidden Potential Awakened
I knew exactly what happened, but Yi Yeon-ju seemed clueless about her feat.
She emerged flustered, baffled by my ecstatic grin. Wary, even.
"Wh-what's up?"
"Yep. Big time."
I stepped close, grabbing both her hands.
"New ability unlocked. Congrats."
Yi Yeon-ju looked utterly lost.
***
Hunter Management Association.
Its role had shrunk lately, but during the Tower conquests, it wielded near-absolute power.
Thus, Lee Geun-taek knew many big names, crossing paths often.
Familiarity bred friendship, naturally.
"……You look different. Been a while."
"Me? That obvious?"
"Yeah…… Very."
In the Association President's office, the old man across from Lee Geun-taek was 1st-gen hunter and current Korean Hunters League powerhouse, Secretary Jo Jun-ho.
"Can't imagine how worried I was when you stepped back."
"Why? No dangerous monsters left by then."
"Think it'd be monsters? It was you I fretted over."
"Me?"
Jo Jun-ho reminisced.
Lee Geun-taek climbing the Tower, hellbent on conquering it, step by step.
Then, unexpectedly, after success—adrift in emptiness, like ashes scattered.
"Your goal was purely conquering the Tower, right? And done."
"Yeah…… So many died there. Now, I can't even recall all my comrades' faces. Those memories burned so bright then…… Now faded. Feels wrong for them."
"You conquered to stop more losses…… We know. But elders who burned everything for a goal can't just sit idle. Lose purpose, and they off themselves……"
"You thought I'd do that?"
Jo Jun-ho chuckled dryly. "Huh huh…… Back then, yeah. You look better now."
Lee Geun-taek grimaced awkwardly.
True, lately he'd found new interests, things worth seeing. Petty or not, reasons to cling to life had sprouted, bit by bit.
"Heard you found a fun kid to raise."
"Not raising. Just watching."
"Tch…… Hands over his whole team to 'just watch'?"
"I didn't hand it; he seized it."
"Would it have gone if you refused?"
Fair point. Lee Geun-taek conceded.
"Bring him sometime. Intriguing if he's caught your eye."
"I'm fine—no direct League ties. But you? Favoring a player makes you biased."
"Doesn't matter. I wanna see him, I will. What's heavier than human bonds?"
True enough. His position or not, it was his call.
Seasoned as he was, he'd handle it. Worrying was overkill.
"Your 'pupil' vs. the direct disciples you babied through Tower runs…… That'd be fun."
Jo Jun-ho mused alone.
Lee Geun-taek had mentored many as 1st-gen, now active in the League.
"Not directly mentored, but the one you're eyeing wins…… Or your precious direct heir does. Entertaining."
"Huh…… Never pushed hard. He learned on his own. Like I always said: hunters are like honest martial artists, stacking power steadily. Lately, watching Lee Chang-hyun, I doubt it again. Anyway."
"……?"
Jo Jun-ho tilted his head, missing the point. Then it clicked—who.
"What, think this newbie's stronger than your Tower-era disciple?"
"Maybe."
Jo Jun-ho's eyes widened.
Even after surviving hell with a 1st-gen to conquer the Tower, a rookie stronger?
Lee Geun-taek ignored the reaction, checking his next schedule quietly.
'Next match finally……'
If his hunch held, an exciting matchup awaited.