The Team Taking Shape
A few days earlier, there had been the practice match at the Hunter Union Training Facility between TAK and PER. After that, Ryu Jae-jun never showed up again for another scrim with PER. He'd turned down any additional games that day and left right away.
'Ah... I thought he'd come around pretty well. Or maybe not?'
Honestly, I was on the fence. There was no way he hadn't felt something after syncing up with me in that match. That's why I'd suggested just one more game, figuring seeing the rest of the team might seal the deal for him to join PER.
But he'd refused. It made me think we might lose him for good. Bitter taste in my mouth, to be frank. He was too good to let slip to another team.
But that was that. Even without Ryu Jae-jun, the season wouldn't wait. PER had to keep rolling.
'Time to get our asses in gear.'
Obviously, the team had to function without him, so I headed back to the coach's office to handle the rest of the prep.
"Coach Lee Jong-gyu. What'd you think of the tests we ran at the PER home last time?"
"What... you asking about memorable players or something?"
Lee Jong-gyu rummaged through the evaluation sheets from before. It was kinda fun to watch—he'd sorted the profiles by rating tiers.
'Coaching skills might be iffy, but he's solid on the details...'
"If I pull the data and focus on the top scorers... yeah, Kim Yu-hyeon stands out. Then Lee Jong-un... and... [Player Name]. About that many? If there's specific specs the team needs, I could filter for those."
He turned back to me and handed over the sheets. Red "A" stamped at the top.
"As expected... Kim Yu-hyeon. Data checks out, and seeing him in action last time too. Solid. He's got past Second Division league experience in his history—any more details?"
At that, Lee Jong-gyu dug into his bag and pulled out more papers.
'Turned down a First Division recruitment offer...'
Interesting guy. With that kind of treatment and thinking about his future, how could he not go? Probably applied to us for the good conditions, but passed up a sure spot? Whatever, didn't matter much.
"Send the acceptance to Kim Yu-hyeon, and hold off on the next two top scorers for now. Like reserves or something."
'If Ryu Jae-jun joins, we might not need more anyway...'
Ryu Jae-jun and Kim Yu-hyeon. Plus the rest: Yi Gil-han, Yi Yeon-ju, Kim Do-jun, Han Ji-su, Yoon Han-gyeol. Me, Lee Chang-hyun. This new lineup sparked a ton of fresh tactics.
Lay turrets with Kim Yu-hyeon for traps, then have Han Ji-su and Yi Yeon-ju gravity-snipe intruders in a perfect space defense setup. Inside, we could keep hanging Mana Bombers on Yoon Han-gyeol's Seven Flying Swords for nonstop bombing runs.
Beyond that, stuff from the last scrim—like Ryu Jae-jun and me hitting multiple foes hard in a special ops strat. Follow up with Kim Do-jun, Yi Gil-han, and Yoon Han-gyeol as the second wave to spark chaos.
Even tactics I hadn't thought of yet—the possibilities were endless. It hit me again how our option pool had exploded.
'Even these make me itch to test 'em out...'
The upcoming matches, PER's future—it all felt electric. Sure, we still fell short of First Division level. But PER and I had plenty of growth left.
Meanwhile, someone else had been moping hard since PER's tests: Kim Yu-hyeon. He was an elite specialist in Second Division, a rare turret position player.
After bombing PER's test, he had no choice but to hit up other teams' tests and scrims.
'This wasn't the plan...'
Had he not skipped last season, he wouldn't even need tests. Applying to cushy PER, he'd have just sent match highlights instead of showing up. Maybe a scrim invite later.
No mess like this.
'If it'd been a scrim instead of a test, I could've shown my true value...'
His ability shone in structured fights, controlled scenarios. Chaos nerfed him.
And honestly, the test itself was ridiculous. Going through other teams' afterward drove it home.
'Those guys... really Second Division level?'
No matter how he sliced it, the ones who'd wrecked his turrets and turned it into pandemonium felt like top Second Division caliber. And not just one—multiple.
A vaguely familiar gunner, some weirdo blasting nails-on-chalkboard noise everywhere. Didn't join the party, but PER's ace was handpicked as Lee Geun-taek's successor... maybe hidden connections.
Still, just in case, he clutched his phone all day for an acceptance notice.
Ding!
Thank you for applying to Team PER, Yi Jong-hoon. Congratulations on passing the test.
We'll call soon with details, so please answer.
'Yi Jong-hoon...? My name's Kim Yu-hyeon.'
What the hell? Did he fail? His mind raced with worst-case scenarios.
Then—
Ding!
Phew... so it was a mistake, huh.
'But screwing up something this big and just a half-assed apology?'
Whatever. The real one should come soon. He waited.
'Uh... huh?'
Time dragged. Dusk fell outside.
'No message?'
Should've come right after the first. Nothing meant...
Kim Yu-hyeon wailed in despair. He didn't see the belated correction—actual acceptance—until much later, deep in panic.
Meanwhile, Ryu Jae-jun was still agonizing.
'Objectively, some offers beat PER's raw power...'
The TAK-PER scrim. That perfect sync, gears meshing flawlessly. Breathing as one. Unmatched thrill.
Won't find that elsewhere.
As he stewed, a welcome ping came.
Jo Yeon-hwa couldn't quite grasp a 2v7 after losing five, but the outcome piqued her interest.
'Bet those two were Ryu Jae-jun and Lee Chang-hyun.'
'Breathing that in sync?'
Ryu Jae-jun's Wave had no clear range or visual cue. Yet he read the timing and bailed outside it.
Maybe that ability he'd mentioned—simulating countless futures, internalized experience. Closest to "future sight."
'Talking it up that much—must've been special.'
For those trained by Lee Geun-taek and Jo Jun-ho like her, few hunter experiences felt "special." Intriguing.
'Crazy? Pass on that?'
Maybe 'cause he was new to team life. Didn't grasp a perfect fit's value.
She had to spell it out.
No quick reply after that. Probably deep in thought.
Whatever to her. But hearing it, they sounded like perfect partners. Teaming up like that uncovers new depths.
A few minutes later, ping.
'Ended up like that, huh.'
She'd nudged, but now Second Division got interesting. PER snagging 5 in a 2v7 against top teams.
Wonder how the cocky party guy would shine.
Especially since...
'Second Division's got that guy.'
Han Ji-hoo. First Division-level skills, yet stuck in Second Division as a sleeping dragon. Content with his prowess, he massacres teams. Facing him with Lee Chang-hyun and Ryu Jae-jun...
'Acted like a king against me—total prick.'
Wanted to crush that ego, but he was legit good. Team fight might not let them stomp clean.
One thing was sure.
'Gonna tune into PER's Second Division games at least once.'
He might actually hit First Division like he bragged. Had to watch closely from above till then.