Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Hope's List Tournament Rules
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The rules for the tournament to earn a spot on Hope's List are simple.
Preliminaries are held in each region in a tournament format, and one winner from each advances to the finals tournament in Seoul.
Your ranking in the finals determines the order in which you can challenge those on Hope's List. The finals champion gets first pick on which ranker to challenge.
And the ranker who receives the challenge has no right to refuse. If the challenger wins, they take the ranker's spot. If they lose, nothing changes.
I flipped through the pamphlet, my expression turning ambiguous.
"There are seventeen preliminaries just within Korea?"
Han Sang-ah answered my question.
"Every administrative district in Korea hosts one."
That covers the six metropolitan cities centered on Seoul, Jeju Island, and all eight provinces.
"This tiny chunk of land has roughly three hundred million people crammed onto it?"
That's nearly six times the population from my era. Of course, about forty-five percent of them are foreigners who fled to Korea to escape monster threats.
Even a place like Gyeryong City, known for its low population density, is now home to 1.68 million.
"Anyway, that means at least seventeen Korean hunters advance to the finals."
The preliminaries in Korea are, naturally, managed by the Korea Hunter Association. Non-Korean nationals can't register for them.
"Pretty much."
Excluding Korea, the entire Eurasian continent hosts only thirty preliminaries combined. In other words, this little country accounts for half of all preliminaries across Eurasia.
"At least we're all from different regions, so that's a relief."
Han Sang-ah is entering the Seoul prelims. I'm doing Gyeonggi Province. And Jung No-hun is in Gangwon Province.
Jung No-hun grinned as he spoke.
"If all three of us entered the same prelim, only one could advance anyway."
That's the issue. Only one hunter per preliminary gets to challenge Hope's List.
"The finals tournament doesn't mean much anyway."
It's more of a spectacle. All prelim winners can challenge Hope's List regardless—just without priority.
Han Sang-ah applied lotion to her hands as she spoke.
"Finals winners usually challenge someone they can handle."
"Handle? It's still a ranker."
Jung No-hun clicked his tongue at my words.
"Even so, challenging around 100th gives you a shot. If you really want on the list, win the finals and go for a lower ranker."
We chatted while packing. Thirty minutes later, we were done.
"See you in Seoul, then."
Han Sang-ah didn't need to pack. She's competing in Seoul, and we're already here.
"I heard some hunters in Gyeonggi dropped out after hearing you're entering."
I snorted at that.
"Drop out? What, do they think I'm gonna kill them?"
It's just a tournament. You might break a few bones, but death's off the table.
Fighting a strong opponent is valuable experience in itself. And the risk of dying is low. Backing out because you're scared of losing? Come on.
"Usually around 150 enter per prelim, but Gyeonggi only got about forty this time. Because of you."
Han Sang-ah handed me a newspaper as she said it. Ouch, that stings.
"Nothing to say to that. Bags are packed, so I'm off to the Gyeonggi prelim site. Catch you later."
With that, I headed straight to Suwon, where the Gyeonggi prelims were at Suwon Comprehensive Stadium in Jangan-gu.
There are many ways to earn a new spot on Hope's List, but the surest is passing the annual tournament prelims.
For hunters, it's the most reliable path to getting their name up there.
For the general public, it's the most exciting event of the year, drawing massive attention.
Months before it starts, broadcasters air specials.
Video sites flood with clips speculating about the participants.
—The biggest buzz in this prelim is the three from Headhunter, who've been stealing the spotlight with their recent activities and interviews.
And the names on everyone's lips are the three operating under the Headhunter banner.
—Hunter Yoo Chan-seok's career started strong and hasn't let up: Gyodong Island, Tsushima, Bratzk's fridge, and now Jaun Valley.
It's impossible not to pay attention.
—He's the textbook royal road hunter—you won't find many like him.
—Add in Hunter Han Sang-ah, granddaughter of Geumyang Group, and Jung No-hun, whose skills no one can deny despite the controversies.
—Korean hunters are carrying expectations again this year, just like last. Korea's the hunters' homeland and stronghold, after all. It's only natural.
After the program analyzing participants' backgrounds and highlights, ads featuring hunters play.
The event isn't long: one week prelims, three days finals. Ten straight days of non-stop tournament—a massive annual spectacle.
—Tickets for the Korean tournaments sold out in ten minutes.
—Yes, and for the Gyeonggi prelim with Yoo Chan-seok, even with only a third the usual entrants, it sold out in twelve seconds.
—Incredible interest.
Choi Yeo-reum, watching the broadcast, raised her hand slightly. A hunter behind her promptly turned off the TV.
"That's the situation. What do you think?"
Choi Yeo-reum glanced sideways. There sat a man with monstrous muscles bulging as he did dumbbell curls.
"What? It's natural to be interested in the strong."
Of course, his "dumbbell curls" weren't ordinary. He was curling a barbell one-handed—at 600kg total.
Lifting a weight that bent the bar like it was nothing, sweat pouring off him—he was a beast incarnate.
"Brute."
Choi Yeo-reum leaned back on the sofa, giving her curt assessment.
"Not planning to just watch, are you?"
The man set the barbell down and replied.
"Gonna do something stupid? The strong deserve status and honor."
"That guy's ideology is dangerous. He's a protein-brained idiot. You haven't faced him, so you don't get it."
The man wiped his sweat and chugged a protein shake from his tumbler.
"So, what's your point?"
"Best if we knock him out in prelims, but that's probably impossible."
The man nodded.
"He seems way beyond average hunters already. To drop him in prelims, we'd need to drug him or something."
Not an option. Choi Yeo-reum rested her chin on her hand, watching him resume his workout.
"So, what do you think of the thing the government handed us this time?"
The man's gaze shifted to the black gem on the table.
"If it makes me stronger, who cares."
Choi Yeo-reum frowned ambiguously, fiddling with the mouthpiece in her hand.
"I'm against it. We don't know what it is—no solid data yet."
Choi Yeo-reum doesn't take risks lightly.
"It's like the government thinks they can use me as a lab rat."
"Overcome trials, get stronger."
Choi Yeo-reum looked at him pitifully as he kept exercising.
"Cool-sounding words are usually baseless. But people eat them up."
"You talk big for someone who's never really pushed herself."
As he set the barbell down, Choi Yeo-reum twitched her finger. The massive barbell on the floor shifted at her command.
"You're right. Look at me."
To know your limits, you gotta nudge the line? Sounds good, but unnecessary. You can get strong without it.
"So, what'd Taebaek say?"
"Meeting their rep, Sung Si-hoon, today."
The man's eyes turned to her.
"I'm going to him. He's not coming to the clubhouse."
His gaze flicked back to the barbell. Checking the time, Choi Yeo-reum stood.
"Alright, I'm off. Keep training hard."
With her farewell, Choi Yeo-reum headed to meet Taebaek's CEO, Sung Si-hoon.
"Ugh, I hate raw fish."
Sung Si-hoon had reserved a sashimi place. Dressed in a red dress shirt and black tie, he greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Thought you'd like no-cook meals."
"Eat the wrong one, and you get stomachache."
"Not at a high-end spot."
"Same price, I prefer safer food."
As they sat and chatted, the sake bottle and glass on the table poured her a drink on their own.
"You wanted to talk about Yoo Chan-seok? I'm dying to hear what."
Sung Si-hoon kept smiling at her.
The queen of Wonder Club's first meeting with Yoo Chan-seok had clearly gone off on the wrong foot.
"Heard Taebaek's on bad terms with that newbie hunter too."
"Ah, that arrogant prick."
Sung Si-hoon raised his glass, and Choi Yeo-reum followed. They clinked with a clear chime.
"Taebaek's losing face, right?"
"Nah, not that bad."
It was that bad. Sung Si-hoon smiled, but his eyes coldly eyed the sashimi.
Taebaek had targeted Yoo Chan-seok openly. They never missed talent they wanted.
Until now.
"The gap between never failing and failing once is huge. No posturing between us."
Choi Yeo-reum nailed it, and Sung Si-hoon waved it off with a sigh, stirring his chopsticks.
"Enough bad vibes. So, what's the plan? Yoo Chan-seok's got all the popularity and attention."
He'd soloed two fresh Grade 1 Erosion Cores.
With public interest and results to match, any move against him needed finesse, Sung Si-hoon figured.
So they were holding off—for now. More like, they couldn't act yet.
"No need to hit Yoo Chan-seok. Just take out the other two."
Simple when you think about it. Yoo's feats weren't solo. Without his two lackeys, he couldn't have done it.
"Cut off heads or limbs?"
"Crippling's crippling."
Sung Si-hoon clicked his tongue.
"One's Geumyang Group's heiress, the other's a street-toughened vet."
He'd considered it. Messing with Han Sang-ah and Jung No-hun was as tricky as Yoo.
"But they're in the tournament for Hope's List. And that's our turf."
Perfect timing to strike those two. They talked a while longer, then parted satisfied.