Dead End
"All talk and no bite. Why don't you shut your trap already?"
Instead, the SMB player was the one fuming at those words. The funny thing was, even so, he wasn't charging in first.
That was when it clicked. Whatever the reason, one thing was clear: the opponent didn't want to attack first.
Now that he knew that, all he had to do was refuse to play along.
'Plus, dragging this out might actually benefit our team more...'
In fact, Lee Chang-hyun had already taken out two SMB players and gone to support the others. No one knew where he'd pop up next, but given his firepower, the longer they held out, the better their odds.
So he gripped his shield even tighter, maintaining a frustratingly defensive stance.
"...Hah!"
The SMB player clicked his tongue in disbelief at the sight. He'd clearly caught on that there was no intention to fight—or at least, no eagerness to strike first.
"Pathetic cowards who only know how to huddle up like bugs..."
That was when it happened.
Unable to hold back any longer, the opponent charged with knuckles flashing so brightly they could blind anyone who looked.
'That thing...'
It was a tactic similar to the one Kim Do-jun had used before. No matter how solid the defense, no one could stare straight into that glare.
Sure enough, he had no choice but to slap on his sunglasses. And right on cue, as he did, the opponent's Invisible Cloak activated, and the assault poured in.
A heavy punch landed with crushing weight. The force behind those knuckles shook his entire body, shield and all.
'But...'
He could endure it.
With his armor on, body crouched, shield raised high, and a mana shield deployed behind—that turtle-shell formation. It might rattle him to the core from the vibrations, but it wouldn't shatter easily.
He could vaguely see why the opponent had deliberately shown an opening. If he attacked first and exposed a gap in defense, they'd slip in and finish it quick.
Good thing I stuck to defense.
But that thought didn't last.
Bam! Bam! Boom!
The SMB guy kept hammering away at weak spots in the defense while stealthed. Come to think of it, whether he was defending or not, this was a one-sided beatdown—and it wasn't changing anytime soon.
'If I could at least see the bastard, I could counter during his attacks...'
At this rate, worst case, he'd just keep taking hits until his guard crumbled.
He'd bought time, but he needed a breakthrough.
'Kim Do-jun... Invisible Cloak... stealth tactics...'
Now that he thought about it, they'd discussed this exact thing with the team once.
It was back when LTD had gone viral using that tactic in the first division.
"Whoa... watching from the opponent's POV, that thing's unbeatable. Doesn't that mean they could pull it on us too?"
"Pretty much. But now that LTD used it so blatantly, its tactical value's tanked. It'll pop up now and then, sure."
"Huh? Why?"
"'Cause you need sharp swordplay like mine, duh." Kim Do-jun smirked smugly, but Lee Chang-hyun just chuckled from the side.
"Nah, it's not that. In the LTD match or our RIX game, it worked because they didn't see it coming. Once you predict it, there are plenty of counters."
"For that?"
"What do you take the Hunters League for? If you think that'll keep working here, you're arrogant."
Lee Chang-hyun grinned lightly.
"Maps limit it too, and off the top of my head, there are a bunch of counters..."
From there, a ton of unexpected countermeasures poured out of him. Unfortunately, none were usable on the spot—they all needed prep.
But his final words stuck clear as day.
"Sure, there are tons of ways, but almost none you can pull off without prep in a real fight. Still, for this kind of thing, there's a super simple improv fix. Like, if you have an AoE skill like Yi Gil-han's, you're golden."
"There's something like that? What is it?"
Lee Chang-hyun grinned.
Meanwhile, the broadcast feed was glued to Yoon Han-gyeol.
Just when it seemed Yoon Han-gyeol was backed into a dead end by the terrain and invisible enemy, he blasted the wall with a Mana Bomber. The situation flipped instantly.
The space opened up, and the opponent's form emerged through the explosion's dust.
And just like the chat exploding on screen, Yoon Han-gyeol sliced through the foe with ease.
But the caster's words cut short. The screen whipped to another battlefield, proving the chaos everywhere.
Next up: Yi Gil-han's battlefield. Or rather, it barely qualified as a fight. On screen, it looked like Yi Gil-han was just getting pummeled.
'Well... Yoon Han-gyeol was handpicked by Chang-hyun, so he's fine. But Yi Gil-han was dead last even in 3rd division.'
Lee Geun-taek had seen the kid play. Utterly mediocre. Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, holding steady instead of his usual reckless charges? Worth praise. Way better than before.
But his defensive huddle didn't last. Suddenly, Yi Gil-han moved.
'Bad choice for defense...'
Lee Geun-taek tsked. Staying rooted would've bought more time...
But that thought faded fast. He realized the position shift wasn't random.
It seemed minor at first glance, but the impact was massive.
'Wall at his back...'
A simple difference, almost laughably basic. Yet Lee Geun-taek couldn't stop smiling fondly.
'Taught 'em right, huh.'
That tiny change flipped the fight. No attacks from behind now—options limited.
Limited angles meant predictable strikes. Time it right, and boom.
'Smart kid.'
And right then, as the SMB player lunged—unavoidable—the next instant, Yi Gil-han's [Destructive Charge] exploded.
Lee Geun-taek's face lit up with a grin. It wasn't just Lee Chang-hyun growing. Team PER was evolving.
Meanwhile, some PER vs. SMB fights had ended—others hadn't even started.
'Whew...'
Lee Yeon-ju's spaceship spot was one such.
The opponent had freakish hearing. At first, she chatted casually with teammates via earpiece, wandered the map—no biggie. But each time, the enemy closed in dramatically.
Felt like superhuman ears. Distances where no one should hear...
Anyway, it turned into a deadly game of hide-and-seek between her and the foe.
Clack. Clack.
She muffled her breath, hands over her face.
'But this is temporary... Gotta create distance eventually...'
At least for now, the enemy seemed to pass by unaware.
Or so she thought.
"...Hey! I finished mine. Which way? Who's in a pinch?"
Kim Do-jun's voice leaked from the earpiece.
'...!'
Panicking, she looked up—and locked eyes with the enemy who'd circled back on the sound.
Shock froze her scream; she bolted down the corridor instead.
'How...'
The foe closed in instantly. Right in her face, she slid low.
Whoosh.
Her ponytail floated a beat too long—sliced clean by something sharp.
"Sneaky rat."
Clacking heels and a fierce woman appeared behind. Overwhelming mana and presence. No chance of winning.
If only she'd roamed freely pre-meet for artifacts. But those senses ruined that.
Only option: run.
Decision made, she scattered Air Beats to widen the gap.
"Where you going?"
Chilling laugh—and the woman was ahead.
'Air Dash...'
Short range, Air Dash outsped anchors or beats.
'Can't shake her...'
And unlike Hunter Survival's open field, this was a confined ship. Limited escape routes.
Still, run she did—dodging attacks best she could.
No hope in sight.
Eventually, her flight ended at a dead-end wall.
"No more running, little rat..."
The enemy grinned wide across from her.