They had no idea what the hell the history and the traditions of the Demon clan were, but the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were shaken when the A-grade hunters kept talking about it over and over again.
Were history and tradition really that important?
“Hey. Is there something hidden within the Demon clan?”
“Are there any secret items buried by a constellation??”
“Why would there be such a thing in the clan?”
The whole situation was confusing, but nevertheless, the match had to start.
The hunters of the Red-Haired Spirit clan were ready. They would’ve initially looked down on their opponents because they were from the Demon clan, but this was no longer the case.
“There’s an A-grade hunter, so we can’t afford to underestimate them.”
“By the way, does Hunter Choi Yeonseung have any experience in the SSL?”
“I don’t know, but he must be confident if he’s participating. If not, why would an A-grade hunter risk ruining their reputation?”“Yes, indeed.”
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters murmured and made up their minds.
Many people called them hot-tempered and aggressive, but the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were undoubtedly talented. They had a lot of experience, they understood strategy and tactics, and they worked well together. They were considered strong for a reason, and they were ready to face Choi Yeonseung.
In comparison...
“Do we have anything?”
“Of course not. It’s only been a day,” Lee Changsik answered Choi Yeonseung’s question with a slightly apologetic expression. In this situation, they had no tactics or strategies.
“First of all, we’ve built it based on the original lineup.”
“Yeah.” Choi Yeonseung glanced at the hunters he was going to fight alongside with. Their stats were underwhelming, but that didn’t matter, as skills were the most important thing.
‘I wasn’t looking for any outstanding skills, but isn’t this just ridiculous?’
He sighed when he saw things like ‘Lazy Habits’, ‘Arrogant Mind’ or ‘Careless Ego’ in their sets of skills. If they were weak, they should at least be diligent. Why were they like this?
“... I’ll be the one in charge,” said one of the hunters.
"Is that so? Sure.”
The ace of the Demon clan was the one who wanted to be in charge. Choi Yeonseung just shrugged, seemingly allowing him to do whatever he wanted. To him, it didn’t really matter who was in charge. However, it was important for Go Junwon. An A-grade hunter was following his orders!
“Did you see?”
“What?”
“Even Hunter Choi Yeonseung follows my lead.”
“It didn’t seem like he really cared about it…”
“...”
It was shocking to see those who had used to obey him unconditionally act like this, but even Go Junwon could see that the atmosphere of the clan had changed.
Choi Yeonseung was lingering behind the hunters, so Go Junwon couldn’t argue with them here… He instead said, “Keep acting like this.”
“Ah. What is it now?”
“I guess you think you can act like this now, but you’re mistaken. Who did Lee Changsik pick?”
“...?”
“He picked me. On top of that, Hunter Choi Yeonseung entrusted me with being in charge. What do you think this means?”
At first, the hunters had sour looks as they listened to Go Junwon’s words, but they eventually became somewhat convinced.
He certainly had a point. Go Junwon had a dirty personality and had made his own inner circle, spoiling the atmosphere, but he was popular with the fans and was also quite skilled. Even the new owner and manager seemed like they would use Go Junwon, and when it came to evaluating players, wouldn’t they listen to him to some extent?
“Do you understand now?”
“Hahaha. Junwon hyung-nim, what’s wrong?”
“That’s right. We love you so much.”
The hunters, who were sullen just a second ago, quickly changed their attitudes.
Go Junwon suppressed his disappointment. He himself was aware that he had a nasty character, but the people next to him seemed worse.
***
Choi Yeonseung stated, “I’ve only ever played in the top lane, so I’ll go up.”
“Ah, yes. You do that.”
Go Junwon wasn’t surprised because he knew that Choi Yeonseung would go to the top lane anyway.
-Low-grade Telepathy.
Go Junwon had cast low level telepathic magic on the players. This magic was essential for a commander. Thanks to this, the Low-grade Telepathy had a high price on the market despite only being 2nd circle magic...
Go Junwon never regretted buying this magic, which showed how important it really was.
“The two of you go to the bottom lane. You will follow me... You know what type of bastards those Red-Haired Spirit guys are, right?”
“Yes, of course, Hyung.”
“Alright. Do your thing and don’t cause any trouble.”
Go Junwon wasn’t a genius strategist, so he couldn’t come up with any game-changing tricks for the match by himself.
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters were fierce and aggressive. Therefore, the Demon clan hunters had to hold onto the towers, lure in their opponents, and bait them into making mistakes. In fact, the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were so aggressive that they made blunders quite often.
One of the Red-Haired Spirit hunters wondered, “Aren’t those bastards looking down on us too much?”
“That’s right.”
This dungeon was called the ‘Forest of Tree Spirits,’ and it appeared thirteen years ago. It was a fairly popular Otherworld dungeon.
This dungeon had plant-type monsters and there was a lot of terrain to hide behind throughout the entire map. Therefore, all sorts of ingenious strategies were bound to be employed, which was the reason why the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were among those who were quite fond of this dungeon.
It perfectly matched their personality!
Oh Kwanggyu, a hunter from the Red-Haired Spirit clan, came to the bottom lane with his teammates and clicked his tongue as he noticed the opposing hunter staying close to the tower and killing monsters one by one.
Did that hunter think that that strategy would prevent them from getting to him?
“Hey. Let’s go.”
“Right now? Isn’t it too early to...”
“Have you forgotten who we’re facing? It’s the Demon clan.”
“Ah, you’re right. Let’s go.”
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters jumped into action.
-Low-grade Cold Clone.
-Low-grade Cold Clone.
It was the 2nd circle magic, Low-grade Cold Clone.
The clone wasn’t particularly strong and it didn’t fool anybody if they were close to it, but the Forest of Tree Spirits had a lot of fog and various types of terrain. Therefore, from a long distance, it was harder to notice that it was a clone.
The two clones moved like they were going to attack, and the Demon clan hunters hesitated because they were extremely nervous.
‘Are they attacking?’
‘The Red-Haired Spirit clan would be capable of this...’
During the early stages of the match, hunters usually attacked with the help of the magic tower, but the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were known for being fierce.
The hunter from the Demon clan couldn’t help but hesitate.
In the meantime, the Red-Haired Spirit hunters moved to the middle lane.
-We’re here.
-Already?
-Let’s just kill these guys. Ugh. Look at the word ‘ace’ on this guy.
Go Junwon and another hunter from the Demon clan were confident in their abilities and moved away from the towers in order to kill monsters. For the Red-Haired Spirit clan, who had four people gathered here, the hunters from the Demon clan were just prey asking to get killed.
-Magic Blocking!
“Let’s go!”
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters cut off the telepathic magic and then charged at their enemies.
Go Junwon freaked out when he spotted four hunters rushing at them.
“What...?!”
***
‘Umm. As expected, I don’t think I’m the right fit for this.’
Choi Yeonseung thought so as he killed the tree spirits.
He had become used to the UHC, which was a one-on-one competition. In comparison, the SSL was really...
He had no clue what he was doing! Going after real dungeons was straightforward for him, but here, he had to kill the monsters that constantly came out, suppress the enemy hunters, and also protect his base. What should he do...?
“What are you doing?”
Na Euna, the Red-Haired Spirit hunter in charge of the top lane, spoke to Choi Yeonseung as if she was shocked. Both sides usually exchanged a few words during the game, but they were mostly provocations like ‘Come, you bastard’ or ‘You’re dead if you come at me.’
However, Na Eunah felt like she had to say something.
Choi Yeonseung… He had advanced too much. What was he doing? Was he provoking her?
“What are you doing?”
“Uh... I’m killing monsters?” Choi Yeonseung answered.
His reply was reassuring, as Na Euna had had the slight impression that the two of them were running around the dungeon as teammates. After all, this was a competition, not a regular dungeon. Choi Yeonseung was her enemy.
‘He might be A-grade, but don’t we all have the same stats here in the Otherworld?’
“Hey!”
“I’m here!”
Another Red-Haired Spirit hunter suddenly appeared next to her. They brought another person here in case Choi Yeonseung was overly strong. He was the only factor that worried the Red-Haired Spirit hunters. If Choi Yeonseung was actually a great person who had prepared for the SSL like the best hunters in the United States...
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, no matter how you look at it, you underestimate us too much!”
“Don’t let him run away!”
-Summon Miniature Swamp!
This skill was normally used to prevent monsters from coming out or to avoid being tracked. This time, they used it to restrict Choi Yeonseung’s movement.
A swamp was formed on the ground, which made it harder to move around.
“...?”
However, Choi Yeonseung didn’t seem to panic or to want to run away.
Rather...
“????”
He was getting ready to fight.
“D-Do you really want to fight?”
Choi Yeonseung wondered, “Am I not allowed to?”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, you normally try to flee from fights that are two versus one.”
The fact that the Red-Haired Spirit hunters were giving Choi Yeonseung advice on how to play was absurd.
Was it his first time in the SSL?
“Umm, but what can I do? Let’s fight.”
“... Alright.”
“It’s nice to meet you…?”
“Why are you greeting me?”
“Uhm… I felt like I had to say something…”
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters finished with their greetings and proceeded to attack.
***
-Hey. I caught the two Demon Clan members in the middle lane. I also confused the two on the bottom lane and killed them.
-We killed four people in the beginning, so the match is over.
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters had an encouraging telepathic conversation. The hunters from the Demon clan could resurrect themselves and come back, but taking such a beating so early into the game meant losing all their momentum.
They just wanted to finish the match and go home. The pain and horrors of the match in the Otherworld were all real for the hunters. Even if they endured it for a long time, they would only end up in a bad situation.
-What’s happening in the top lane? Why aren’t you saying anything?
-... I was hit...
-What???
-How many times have I told you not to let your guard down? He’s an A-grade hunter!
-Calm down. Anyone can lose a one-on-one fight if they screw up somehow.
-... We lost two against one.
-Ah. Two versus one? He must’ve had a teammate with him. It’s okay. They have an overwhelming number of hunters.
-No. We were two...
-... What the hell are you guys doing???
The other Red-Haired Spirit hunters yelled in disbelief. How were they supposed to react to one enemy beating two of their teammates by himself?
-He kept evading our magic, so I tried to finish him in close combat. Then suddenly.. That... I got close to him, but I don’t remember what happened after that.
-I was about to shoot magic, but he suddenly held up my teammate and used him as a shield...
-... In any case, I got it. Just defend! Hold on using defenses. Don’t do anything risky!
-I got it.
-But we were already playing defensively...
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters were bewildered, but they soon accepted the situation. After all, wasn’t a dungeon a place where many absurd things happened?
“It can’t be helped. Let’s bring Hunter Choi Yeonseung here. This time, don’t block their telepathic magic and just attack. Then we’ll join forces in the middle lane.”
“The hunter in the middle lane might try to resist on his own and not call for help.”
“Since he’s already died once, he’ll absolutely call for reinforcements. He knows himself.”
The Red-Haired Spirit hunters spoke confidently and once again aimed for Go Junwon.
They could see Go Junwon stepping back and calling for other hunters.
-Now, come!
“... He’s not coming??”
“What? He has to.”
“No... He’s actually not.”
“...”
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