072. Intensive Practice
"Even if you play like total dogs, don't you think we can still beat punks at your level?"
"What the hell? You’re just rookies who barely made it to the third division..."
"Hey... hey, let's just go."
One of them glanced at me nervously, holding back the guy who was about to blow up. But the hothead wasn't having it—he huffed and puffed, refusing to back down easily. Just as it seemed like he might slink away, he spun around and spat one last barb.
"You think you’re on a hot streak just because you won a few debut matches? Tsk. Too bad you won’t climb any higher than this—you won’t even make it to the second division. Come on, let’s bounce."
I was about to fire back when he finally scrammed. Shame... woulda been fun to mess with them more. The way they talked big but bailed quick? They knew damn well they couldn't take me one-on-one. Normally, when hunters pick a fight like that, it ends in a scrap. Dodging after eating the first punch? Yeah, 100%.
Nothing pisses off louder than the empty-headed types.
On the flip side, watching them scram got me thinking: We’re only aiming for the second division, but hey, I guess we’re kind of famous now. Or maybe even a rotten fish has some backbone—they could see the gap between us and knew they were outclassed at their level.
Anyway, annoying as they were, they weren't totally off-base. From what I knew of PER's old roster and the team plays I saw in today's Hunter Survival, I could beat those guys solo easy. But our squad taking their team? Looked rough.
Right then, the screen panned to Yi Yeon-ju's Hunter Survival feed.
She's gonna have it especially tough...
A rear-support spotting positions to snipe enemies and binding them from range. Surviving a free-for-all like that? She'd need her head on straight. Knowing her PvP weaknesses, Yi Yeon-ju had hunted relics with her position sense, sticking to enemy-free zones for the edge.
And soon enough, she spotted a glow in a tree knot, reached in...
Pfshk—
The instant her hand went in, the bushes behind her warped. A shadow lunged, stabbing her square in the back.
"...!"
Yi Yeon-ju didn't even get a word out before she was out.
Bet that rattled her bad. She had never been ambushed or assassinated—her skill made her untouchable in that regard. But that only held within third-division limits. Climbing higher meant nothing was absolute.
The higher you go, the more Tower spawns with wild skills flip the script—relics, map quirks, ability matchups turning your "edge" into a trap.
And yeah, not just that... she was just too green.
Even if she missed him, had it been me—or hell, even Yoon Han-gyeol—in that spot, no easy backstab.
Our team had masked individual flaws with squad tactics and synergy so far. But that wouldn't cut it anymore. Once foes clocked our teamfight preference, they'd scatter us early with pickoffs.
In the third division, Yi Yeon-ju would dodge to help us regroup. But like in that Hunter Survival? Not anymore..
So, future matches meant every one of us needed baseline personal skill. Hunter Survival was step one.
...Silver lining? Not everyone's critically bad.
As the map shrank, most of PER was out early. But a couple hung on.
Han Ji-su, dropping dead-center and gravity-digging a pit to hide flawlessly. Yoon Han-gyeol, bulldozing through with raw power that stacked up to upper-league solos.
Just those two. Though even they dropped soon after.
Yoon Han-gyeol flung swords in a flashy melee, drawing a mob and getting ganged out. Han Ji-su's pit got sniffed by a scout who mana-bombed it.
They probably thought it was slick tactics...
In chaotic Hunter Survival—or predictable Hunters League—it was basic bait.
That wrapped the read. One round showed fixes needed and our path forward.
Now the real work began.
After the Hunter Survival round, the packed hall buzzed again.
No official league, but ranked points and top streams kept the hype high.
"All that training from Chang-hyun, and you still wipe first round?"
Yoon Han-gyeol sighed at Kim Do-jun.
...For the record, Kim Do-jun had flashed his shiny sword and sniped out instantly.
"That was a cheap long-range snipe, okay? Who plays that dirty?"
...Both died to the same flashy BS. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. If anything, Yoon's multi-sword chaos was inevitable flair, less blatant than Do-jun's disco ball.
"Anyway, you’ve felt the gap now. Once you move up through promotion matches into the second division, grouping up like this won’t be so easy."
"Can't Yeon-ju just ping positions like always?"
Yi Yeon-ju shook her head at the question. She'd felt it in that round.
"Actually... I've noticed it before, but relics or stealth skills block my reads sometimes..."
"Yeah, that's a problem."
Team-tactic edges or surprise plays? Foes with assassins or split-push would carve us up first.
"So what's the plan?"
"Figured it out yet? Survival drills."
PER clicked then—the Hunter Survival point, future training.
"One-by-one, you'll 1v1 me in survival practice. Rest grind Hunter Survival to last-man-standing."
Simple fix. Going up against me last? They’d outlast second-division scrubs easily.
PER's coach—really just Lee Chang-hyun's errand boy—Lee Jong-gyu was recapping the day with Hunter Association President Lee Geun-taek.
Sudden menu shift. PER's Hunter Survival. Chang-hyun's 1v1 lessons... random maps, survive him to escape point.
"Will this... even work? Honestly, no clue."
"Tch... Hunter Survival, eh. Interesting pick."
"Survival practice is fine, but it's not Hunters League at core."
"You really think that?"
Lee Geun-taek looked up from below, eyes glinting. Lee Jong-gyu froze under the pressure as the elder continued.
"You're right. They're different beasts—top players, meta skills, tactics all vary."
"Then why..."
Lee Geun-taek chuckled.
"You've not changed a bit. I told you: flashy tactics decide close calls. The real meat? Fundamentals."
"Like... ability matchups? They shift fights and strats."
"No, primal stuff."
"Combat technique?"
Lee Geun-taek grinned.
"Close enough. Hunters League is knocking foes out. Maps, skills, relics—all for that. Core? Land yours, dodge theirs."
Lee Jong-gyu blinked. Duh... hit and don't get hit, you win. All that buildup for basics?
"That's the bedrock, the base weight class. Now back to Hunter Survival..."
...!
Pieces clicked. Team's weak spot: pre-group scatter phase. Hunter Survival drilled exactly that—solo to "regroup."
Better yet, sharpening dodge picks leveled personal threat response, boosting team weight too.
Direct weakness grind? Beats generic scrims.
"Rookie using variety to awaken raw sense? Rare. Promotion match gonna be fun."
Lee Geun-taek stroked his beard, musing.
Why had he been half-assing it with PER in the third division? He’d thought promotion was impossible.
No lower-league wins in five years. So, Lee Chang-hyun… will you pull off what I couldn’t? Or will you flop in the third division?
Looked like boredom off the table. Let's see it.
A sly smile crept up unbidden.