The First Law of Backseat Coaching

The Vice Guild Master found himself frowning at the strange report.

"Hunter Jeong Sangguk?"

"Yes. They say he went over to Support Team 3."

"I see."

He answered evenly enough. Inwardly, it was another story.

How pathetic. A man well into his years, pulling an opportunist's stunt at the twilight of his career.

Jo Youchan had blossomed in Support Team 3, true enough. But that was because Jo Youchan was exceptional — not because Team 3 was anything special. Jo Youchan had always been a genius.

People say cutting-edge equipment and support staff have become important in this day and age, but that's all secondary. Once you're at a major guild, one place is much the same as another.

And Jeong Sangguk had already taken help from countless masters. After all that clawing and scraping, the highest he'd reached was the 32nd floor. That was the measure of his talent, and nothing more.

How ugly, Jeong Sangguk.

In the end, he had never been destined to become Headquarters Director. If the Vice Guild Master had known it would come to this, he wouldn't have pushed the man out with his own hands.

"The people on Support Team 5 will feel left out."

"They will, sir."

A man once spoken of as the next Director of Hunter Management Headquarters — how had he fallen this far?

The Vice Guild Master decided to put the whole matter out of his mind.

Being a hunter is nice. Don't even get cold on the commute anymore.

Another ordinary morning, another ordinary walk into work.

"Good morning. Huh?"

The office was empty.

What?

Just in case, I headed down to the training room.

Ah. There they are.

What were they all doing down here first thing in the morning? Looking closer, I found Jo Youchan and Jeong Sangguk flashing and clashing inside the room, a blur of light and motion. The rest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the team was gathered around, watching the superhumans' dazzling exchange.

I stood there watching, and Team Leader Song came down a little later.

"Wh-what is that?"

"You're here, sir?"

"That guy didn't have a skill like that as of yesterday. How does a 32nd-floor hunter move like that..."

The Team Leader's gaze swung toward me. I looked straight ahead and pretended not to notice.

"You did it again?"

"It was Hunter Jeong Sangguk who pulled it off, not me."

"Hah... that's just lip service, isn't it?"

"..."

"Go ask every member of this team and Hunter Jeong Sangguk himself. See if a single one of them thinks that."

The team members, overhearing, started glancing our way one by one.

"So that insight of yours wasn't limited to Thunder Finger. At your age — when, and how, did you build skill like that?"

"Even if you ask me that, I can't give you an answer."

"Ah, right. I forgot for a second."

"Hm?"

Forgot what?

"So. Did he clear the 32nd floor?"

"I'll ask."

I switched on the mic.

"Hunter Jeong Sangguk, good morning. Have you tried the 32nd floor by any chance?"

"Ah...! Yes, yes! A truly good morning to you. Yes — thanks to you, I was able to clear the 32nd floor. Thank you so much."

He bowed deeply in our direction. For a man who'd held such a high office, he was remarkably humble.

"And the clear rank?"

He was someone I'd taught, after all. I hoped it had come out well.

I wasn't hoping for an SS-Rank like Jo Youchan. That kid had two awakened skills and had been a genius from the start. But with a broken skill like that, an A-Rank wasn't too much to expect...

"C-Rank."

"Huh? C-Rank? Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why only C-Rank?"

"C-Rank is a perfectly decent result..."

Even so — clearing with Shunpo and only getting a C-Rank?

"Well, since my awakened skill is a movement skill... even when I take their back, I couldn't generate any real firepower with ordinary skills."

Monsters in the thirties were pretty tanky, yeah.

"What do you mean you don't have enough firepower? That can't be right."

"What do you mean?"

Where had he sold off Shunpo's 400% damage amplification?

Don't tell me he doesn't know how to use it?

Jo Youchan had been the same. Even after learning Heavenly Explosive Strike, he'd just been standing there flicking his fingers. Getting a skill and knowing how to use it were two very different things, and the gap came down to proficiency.

Let's see.

I opened Jeong Sangguk's status window, hunting for red text. But what appeared before my eyes was gold.

Huh?

Gold text meant the Guidance system. It meant a hunter character had reached the moment of awakening their potential.

Why gold... ah, right. The crit effect had to be unlocked separately.

The skill lineage of Shunpo started from Evasion and passed through several transformations. The critical-hit damage came later.

Which means my own Shunpo probably doesn't have crit yet either.

That wouldn't do. I clicked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the gold text.

"I'll need a hunter. Someone who can tank Hunter Jeong Sangguk's attacks."

"Hah—! I'll bring someone right away!"

He really did find someone fast.

"Shin Dongwook, 40th-floor hunter."

"He was with me back when I was indebted to Support Team 5."

"Whoa, Team 3's facilities are no joke."

A tank, just from looking at him. Not quite on my father's level, but a very solid-looking man.

"Director, I hear you need help."

"Shin Dongwook, I told you I'm not the Director."

"You were a director at Headquarters, so you're the Director. Bahaha!"

"..."

Jeong Sangguk didn't dignify that with a response. This guy's sense of humor was even older than Jeong Sangguk.

Once the two of them had entered the Special Training Room, I spoke into the mic.

"The first step of Shunpo is a forward advance. The second step is the strike. After taking the enemy's back, use Shunpo one more time — toward the front. Keep it very short. You load the thrust that generates into your attack."

"That's not how the skill is supposed to work..."

"I'm not finished."

"S-sorry."

I don't normally argue, but this time he'd cut me off mid-sentence.

"Shunpo is a free step. Don't make the same mistake of locking Evasion into the image of evasion alone. It is not a skill that only takes the opponent's back."

Jeong Sangguk still looked unconvinced. And Hunter Shin Dongwook's face had gone sour. Apparently the sight of me giving backseat advice looked wrong to him.

"Who's that? The way that young guy talks... I don't think he's in any position to be lecturing the Director."

"Ha, haha! Just follow along for now. I'll explain later."

Jeong Sangguk talked him down, and Shin Dongwook settled into a stance. The training began.

Shin Dongwook attacked. Shunpo flared, taking the back. A fist drove into Shin Dongwook's spine.

Thud!

No impact whatsoever.

"Whoa, Director, when did you learn a skill like that? That's insane! I completely lost you!"

"..."

A 40th-floor hunter, so his stats sat higher than Jeong Sangguk's. On top of that, a tank specialized in durability. Meanwhile Jeong Sangguk's attack power was nothing special. Even with a surprise strike, he never had a chance.

Jeong Sangguk looked at me as if to say, See?

"Again. Support team, pull up the data."

One more attempt.

Thud!

Another failure. But this time, thanks to watching the data together, red text bloomed across the window.

"You used the second Shunpo in place. You have to advance even a short distance for the speed to load into the attack. You're still trapped in the image of Eva—"

"Hey, kid. What are you?"

Shin Dongwook's voice came through thick with displeasure.

"You're support staff, aren't you? You don't even know the basic courtesy toward hunters? Who do you think you are, giving a hunter technical backseat lectures..."

"P-please don't—"

"Didn't anyone teach you that sticking your nose into hunter business will get your head chopped off? Huh?"

Hunters really were mostly authoritarian, huh.

"Shin Dongwook, I'm doing this with my full consent!"

Right — this was backseat coaching Jeong Sangguk had agreed to. Even so, I understood why Shin Dongwook was angry. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That was just how backseat coaching worked. The whole look of it could come off as arrogant.

"Fine, fine. I won't use harsh language. But I can't just sit here listening to wrong information."

"That's..."

"Listen. A skill's judgment and activation conditions don't just flip around that conveniently. You understand?"

Fair enough. But this time would be different. Shunpo was a skill that had evolved through Hunter Management.

Jeong Sangguk seemed to agree, because he stayed quiet.

"You get it? No, of course you don't — you're not a hunter. If you don't know, sit still. Okay?"

The atmosphere sank. Even the team members who'd seen my results twice now kept their mouths shut. As always, they weren't going to understand what I was saying this time either. The only reason they weren't stopping me was because of what they'd already witnessed.

So what do you do in a situation like this?

The first law of the backseat gamer.

You don't argue.

"Yes. You're all right. Let's leave it here."

Not today, then. I'd just coach him later, when it was the two of us.

"W-wait! Wait a moment!"

But Jeong Sangguk startled and caught me before I could turn away.

"This is my fault — please, just let it go this once!"

His face had gone ashen. Jeong Sangguk, who had already gained a skill from my advice. He must have done a lot of thinking overnight. Nothing else would produce that kind of humiliating posture so quickly.

He'd still been half-doubtful of my ability. But the moment I said I was leaving, the fear must have hit him all at once.

"D-Director? What's going on, Director?"

"I will follow everything! I will not talk back! I will treasure every single word — please, forgive me just this once!"

Shin Dongwook was thoroughly flustered. I was pretty thrown myself. He'd clearly gotten the wrong idea about something.

"Alright... let's try again."

This was a lot more comfortable than arguing, so I let it be.

And the next attempt. Shunpo to move behind. Then another Shunpo over a short distance.

That's it.

I knew the instant I saw it. The red had drained from the skill name.

The fist touched Shin Dongwook's back.

THOOOM—!

A heavy sound like a struck gong, and Shin Dongwook went flying into the wall.

"Hhk—"

"Huuuh!"

He must have swung extra hard to look good in front of me.

Yes!

Shin Dongwook, flipped onto his back, stared with his eyes wide.

"Wh-what was that just now?"

"I knew it wasn't a coincidence! This time too!"

Jeong Sangguk trembled as he stared at his own fist. Then he snapped his gaze toward me. Yikes. Why was he looking at me like that? It was scary.

"I... would it be all right if I stepped into the Tower for a moment? I'll be right out!"

"Sure, take your time."

"Thank you!"

Jeong Sangguk vanished. His body must have been burning up. A man whose path to advancement had been blocked by despair over his own talent — and then this happens.

I couldn't wait either.

"Then I'll just step out for a bit too..."

Time to enter the Tower. I left the team behind and headed for the bathroom.

A short while later, Jeong Sangguk appeared in the spot where he'd vanished.

"Oh, he's back!"

"But he came out way too fast?"

The waiting support team and Shin Dongwook rushed over.

"How did it go?"

"You just went in to test the skill, huh."

"Did Hyeonseok's coaching really create another new skill?"

"It's not a new skill. Hyeonseok said it was about application."

For a support team, their assigned hunter's growth was the number-one concern — and this situation was anything but ordinary. But Jeong Sangguk still seemed lost in the afterglow, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Shin Dongwook shook his shoulder.

"Director. I heard from these people. Is it true? Did that guy really create two new skills for you?"

"Ah, Hunter! We already told you everything! More importantly — the rank?"

"Obviously he hasn't cleared it yet."

"Enough."

Jeong Sangguk spoke mildly.

"SS-Rank... it is."

"What!?"

"...Excuse me?"

Jeong Sangguk looked through the crowd at Team Leader Song.

"Team Leader. Just who is that man."

"You're only asking now."

"What did you mean by what you said at our first meeting yesterday?"

"Shall we talk for a moment?"

The two of them were about to leave when—

"Wait!"

"Shin Dongwook?"

"Director. Later, introduce me to that guy."

"Heh heh."

"I helped out today, didn't I? You got that?"

"What's gotten into you?"

"Ah, Director!"

It took a little while before they could actually leave.

After they had moved to the reception room, Team Leader Song set ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down a coffee.

"Please, drink."

"Do you know why Hyeonseok helped me?"

"Heh heh. Impatient, aren't we."

"Team Leader."

"Very well. You remember what I said?"

"Do Hyeonseok. That young man is the son of Do Hyeoncheol — the one the Vice Guild Master cast aside."

"......!"

"He's operating in secret on the support team, hiding the fact that he's a hunter."

"Operating, meaning."

"Gathering people like you, Hunter Jeong Sangguk, and placing them in his debt. His first was Hunter Jo Youchan."

Do Hyeoncheol's son, Do Hyeonseok. The Guild Master's son, Jo Youchan. Himself, cast aside by the Vice Guild Master. A clear common thread ran through all three of them. They stood opposite the Vice Guild Master.

"I see — that skill, because he's the son of a legend..."

"A new legend is being written."

Team Leader Song took a solemn sip of coffee.

"I'll be blunt. If Hunter Jeong Sangguk has a human heart—"

How could he refuse? Their purposes aligned, and he was in the man's debt.

"The Director of Hunter Management Headquarters will always be a neutral figure. But Hunter Jeong Sangguk will not."

He would keep public duty and private feeling separate. But how cleanly can a human heart ever be divided? That much of a promise was enough.

"We ask for your support, for the sake of our Advance Guild."

"I ask the same of you."

And just like that, without quite meaning to, Hyeonseok had landed the next Director of Hunter Management Headquarters as his backer.

"A new skill really is always a thrill."

Hyeonseok nodded, thoroughly pleased with himself.