Unexpected Meeting
PER's current ranking was joint first after their victory over LTD. LTD, meanwhile, had dropped from joint second to third, while RIX was holding steady in joint first. The match against RIX would probably be the turning point for reclaiming sole first place.
In truth, whether they finished first or second didn't matter all that much. The promotion matches to advance to the 2nd Division league allowed up to second place.
'Well, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our best not to lose, obviously.'
Team RIX had handed LTD a defeat right from the opening match, and their momentum was fantastic. They'd even brought in Yoo Hye-ju as a new signing this season. It felt like ages ago now, but thinking of RIX brought back the image of Yoo Hye-ju fuming during Hunters – The Next Generation.
'She'll probably come at us with gritted teeth this time.'
Not just as part of the RIX team, but Yoo Hye-ju personally probably had a lot pent up against him. Not that he'd done anything wrong, but from their last text exchange, it seemed he came off as quite the jerk to her. He could understand that—if someone kept blocking his path, he'd get annoyed too…
Anyway, RIX had recently started employing special tactics through Yoo Hye-ju, much like PER. They used her Holy Ground skill to create an integrated offense-defense formation, then had their ranged dealers pummel the enemy—like a mobile siege tank.
He'd seen that setup a few times before regression, and it was still pretty intriguing even now. Pre-regression, Yoo Hye-ju had favored building a strong, expansive front line for large-scale close-combat dealer brawls over this siege-tank style.
That aside… RIX's next match was coming up, but PER had a few days off, so they had some breathing room. They'd probably need team-wide counter-practice tailored to RIX during that time.
As he mulled this over, a call came in from Lee Geun-taek—the Hunter Association President—after quite a while. With no matches for a few days, he just wanted to see his face.
Ah… the 3rd Division Hunters League was climbing toward the 8th round now. At this point, the president probably had a ton of questions about the team.
'He was the original owner of this team, after all… He must be curious how we're running things. And shocked by our unexpected results.'
Of course, in the grand scheme of the entire Hunters League, they still had a long way to go.
The meeting spot with Lee Geun-taek turned out to be his private residence—an utter shock, even for someone like him who'd regressed.
'I'd heard he'd received a lot of privileges honoring his contributions as a 1st-generation hunter…'
But he hadn't expected this level. Palace fit better than house. Residential facilities, a private training ground, impeccably manicured gardens—everything gleamed.
Guided by his secretary, he entered to find Lee Geun-taek waiting in a pavilion in the garden, tea already poured. The surprise was that he wasn't alone.
"President. Those folks over there…"
After exchanging greetings with Lee Geun-taek, he asked. The group approached first.
A clean-cut middle-aged man around the president's age spoke up. "Haha, Player Lee Chang-hyun. I've been watching your matches closely. I'm Jo Jun-ho, secretary of the Korean Hunter Association."
Despite the age gap, his polite demeanor gave off a good impression. Meanwhile, the girl sitting beside him caught his eye.
'Around my age now… A Hunters League player?'
But even rummaging through pre-regression memories, no player with that face came to mind. He didn't remember every player, but the famous ones stuck.
Sensing his gaze, Secretary Jo Jun-ho stood and introduced the girl beside him. "Ah, this is my daughter, Jo Yeon-hwa. She's a Hunters League player like you, but she's been in a slump lately, so I brought her out for some fresh air."
For someone in a slump, she didn't look thrilled. Her head turned away, face scrunched—it screamed "dragged here against her will." Glancing over half-heartedly bordered on rude, but he wasn't one to nitpick manners.
"Yeon-hwa here's already a 1st Division leaguer, same age as you, so it wouldn't hurt to get along like close seniors and juniors. Heh heh. That's why I brought her along to introduce you."
"Same age as me, and already in the 1st Division Hunters League?"
Someone his age in 1st Division should've been hugely famous—he'd have known. 'Did she retire young or get demoted after slumping?'
Before he could dwell, Jo Jun-ho continued Lee Geun-taek's words. "Not just the youngest in 1st Division, but the youngest pro debut in Hunters League history. I figured you'd at least heard the name. Surprisingly uninformed, aren't you?"
Lee Geun-taek seemed genuinely surprised. Well… thanks to regression, he knew all the must-know players, so he hadn't bothered looking up or watching others. Unavoidable.
Either way, she didn't seem worth remembering. If she'd bloomed huge or lasted long in 1st Division with big plays, he'd recall her.
But making that thought moot, President Lee Geun-taek spoke up. "Sorry to call you here just to say this, but I need a quick word with Secretary Jo Jun-ho. Why don't you two take a stroll in the garden?"
"Me?"
He couldn't help blurting in disbelief. Called him here just to ship him off?
Lee Geun-taek winked at him. 'I get the intent, sort of…'
Probably building connections in the Hunters League world—PER's original owner, and linking him to Secretary Jo Jun-ho. Honestly… was it necessary? He figured he could climb fine on raw skill alone.
Of course, networking like this wasn't useless, but… Anyway, feigning defeat, he stepped out with Jo Yeon-hwa, who still looked thoroughly displeased.
"So, Chang-hyun wouldn't be jealous or anything, but why pair him with Yeon-hwa?"
Lee Geun-taek asked Secretary Jo Jun-ho. Even if he saw huge promise in Lee Chang-hyun, forcing a friendship just because they were similar ages felt odd. They weren't little kids anymore—practically adults.
Plus, he'd thought Yeon-hwa requested it, but no—Jo Jun-ho had wanted to matchmake Lee Chang-hyun and Jo Yeon-hwa. Otherwise, she wouldn't be sitting there all pouty and alone.
"Do you know what state Yeon-hwa's in right now?"
"I know she's shattered every youngest-record in Korean Hunters League history."
"Sigh… That's just on the surface."
Jo Jun-ho's expression stayed grim despite Lee Geun-taek's praise. "Her skills are top-notch, sure, but her mentality's still that of a kid."
"She's barely late teens—what do you expect?"
"The issue is her mentality's shattered to the point she's considering quitting hunting altogether."
"Her team's not doing that badly, is it?"
True enough. Jo Yeon-hwa wasn't dominating 1st Division, but she pulled more than her weight—overperformed, even.
"It's not about simple team wins and losses. Yeon-hwa grew up idolizing top 1st-gen hunters like us, dreaming of becoming Korea's best in the world. But reality? Korean Hunters League is a backwater compared to global leagues."
Suddenly, Lee Geun-taek recalled the recent Japan vs. Korean Hunters League international match. Any Korean who'd seen it would've been pissed.
"Well, yeah."
"She rocketed up fast, so she took changing Korean Hunters League—and eventually topping world rankings with a Korean team—as her natural goal. But she realized it's not that simple. Everyone called her a genius, but her limits cap at top of Korea's backwater 1st Division. Worse, she realized her success so far stemmed from my early training as a 1st-gen hunter."
'Realized her limits, huh.'
The higher you climb smoothly, the easier it is to crumble at a big wall. World-best? Leading Korean league to challenge the world? She'd finally grasped the gap between dreams and reality.
"That's why I wanted her to meet Chang-hyun. Still in 3rd Division, but he reached the top differently from her. Seeing Minamino Takumi's interview sealed it for me. Maybe he could reignite Yeon-hwa's motivation, her passion."
'Hmm…'
Hearing it laid out, Lee Chang-hyun seemed perfect. Comet-like debut, unimaginable impact in Hunters – The Next Generation. Player, acting director/owner, coach—dragged bottom 3rd Division PER to joint first. Rumors swirled he'd beaten Japan's national player Minamino Takumi. Not shaking the Korean Hunters League yet, but enough to spark bottom-up revolution.
But doubt crept in. "Yeon-hwa's got a temper, though. She won't know Chang-hyun. Introduce himself as a 3rd Divisioner, and she'll barely glance. Not sure there's even a conversation hook."
Lee Geun-taek stroked his chin. Jo Yeon-hwa had shot from 3rd to 1st Division fast, so she knew the brutal gap viscerally. Mana gear mastery, skill understanding, base stats—relative to average 3rd Divisioners, she'd dismiss him. To influence her, he'd need her to know something about him or spark talk—but given her personality, she'd treat him like air if she deemed him worthless. She could be brutally cold to those she saw as beneath her.
"Maybe I'm overexpecting from an unrelated boy… But for him, meeting the Hunter Association secretary in exchange for humoring Yeon-hwa's no bad deal, right?"
"True…"
Definitely a win for Lee Chang-hyun. Lee Geun-taek himself had little real power left—Hunter Association president meant little without active dungeon warriors. But Jo Jun-ho? He wielded influence across the industry, including Hunters League. Huge boon for Lee Chang-hyun running PER solo ahead.
"Anyway, I'm curious. What're those two talking about right now…?"
Frankly, from interviews, Lee Chang-hyun had bite too. Lee Geun-taek wondered what fireworks they'd spark.