Chapter: Exchange Match
The controversy over whether Geuru would truly play as a starter never ceased.
Following that, there had also been arguments over Hyeonak’s coaching authority, but as always, Jurim remained consistently silent.
There was fierce backlash regarding Geuru’s participation, but replacing the coach at this point was realistically impossible.
Thus, the Korean team lineup was finalized as “Gidan, Sereuhi, Lee Taemin, On Geuru, Jeong Chaerin (substitute).”
And so, on the day of the Exchange Match.
Not a single seat in the stadium was empty; the stands were packed to capacity.
People who had come to enjoy the matches of the rookies who would lead the Hunter world going forward, and people who wanted to see the arrogance of Hyeonak—which had piled on self-imposed penalties—crumble, chatted away happily.
In the waiting room, Geuru looked at the screen showing the spectators and let out a soft “Huh,” her mouth falling open.
There are this many people?
Of course, due to spectator safety concerns, the match was taking place on a different field, with the scenes being shown on the stadium’s central screen, but still.
*Thump, thump.*
With a fluttering heart, Geuru tightly grabbed Taemin’s hand. Taemin also smiled with a slightly nervous expression.
Gidan and Sereuhi would handle themselves, so the two of them had promised to be partners for this event.
At that moment, Jurim pulled Geuru’s Korean team uniform zipper up to just below her chin and spoke.
“If you don’t want to do it anymore, tell me anytime. It’s okay.”
Hugging her chick drone, Geuru shook her head left and right challengingly and said, “I wanna show the German team.”
Jurim let out a small chuckle.
It was because she recalled Geuru holding the drone and struggling for days on end.
How she’d made sounds with her mouth like “Ooooh—” and “Waaah—” while holding a quiet toy. The noise Geuru made still echoed in her ears.
Geuru hugged the chick drone tightly and preciously, putting on a determined expression.
She had kept it a secret, saying she wanted to show what functions it had inside the stadium, so all Jurim knew was that Geuru had made this through sheer grit.
She had to worry whether the drone—which hadn’t even been formally tested and thus hadn’t received a rank—would move properly in actual combat, but……
Jurim admitted that, no matter how much trouble Geuru caused, he fundamentally had faith in her.
Similar to what he had held for his older brother. The certainty that she would somehow pull through.
That was precisely why he hadn’t stubbornly tried to talk her out of it, even though he knew Geuru would look like a massive burden in this match.
Because she would pull through anyway.
If she just pulled it off, public opinion would flip immediately.
“Got it.”
When Jurim nodded, Geuru beamed.
“They say it’s time to enter now.”
Gidan walked into the waiting room with a grin, a staff member at his side.
“Hunters, please make your entrance now.”
Jurim checked Geuru’s shoelaces and uniform once more, then followed behind the children heading out to the field.
Just then, the German team emerged and stood beside the Korean team, passing through the corridor together.
Then, feeling the sting of two gazes, Jurim subtly turned his head.
One was the German team’s coach, Thomas Kuntz.
He was someone who harbored an inferiority complex toward Jurim, so it wasn’t strange that he burned with fighting spirit.
The other was…… Lea Müller?
*……Why?*
As soon as their eyes met, Lea Müller glared at Jurim fiercely before promptly whipping her head away.
“……?”
Unable to understand why Lea reacted that way, Jurim tilted his head in confusion and withdrew to the coaching zone.
Soon, as the German and Korean teams exited the tunnel and faced each other, cheers began to pour through the screen.
“Waaaah!!!”
Before the roar could cascade down like a waterfall, Gidan set up a barrier around Geuru.
He was worried the child might get startled and tense.
Gidan cracked a sly grin.
“Geurugeuru, ready?”
“Yeah-ee!”
As Geuru raised her clenched fist high, the camera zoomed in and focused on her face.
Inaudible to Geuru, who was surrounded by the barrier, the crowd erupted in cheers once more.
Gidan nodded in satisfaction.
*Cute babies are invincible.*
At that moment, the German team captain across from Gidan scoffed with a translator earpiece in, looking displeased.
“So that Gidan is playing babysitter today?”
Gidan cackled.
“Feeling cornered thinking you’ll lose to a cute babysitter?”
“Which one of you is the cute one?”
As the German captain looked back and forth between Gidan and Geuru, Gidan pointed at himself, causing the German captain’s face to contort.
“Ugh!”
“Let’s have a good match.”
Gidan kept giggling and reached out his hand.
The German captain firmed his expression and shook it.
Korea was a powerhouse among powerhouses.
In the Exchange Matches held so far, the two sides had been more or less even, but Korea had always held the upper hand.
But…….
“We absolutely won’t lose this time.”
Gidan playfully flicked the arm of the drone that Geuru was hugging tightly.
“Our Chick Drone-kun says you’ll know once you see it in action.”
Then Geuru spoke gravely.
“This is the Mephisto Series Mk.3.”
The German captain burst into a “pfft,” and Gidan shrugged.
With that, the two teams finished their greetings and stood at the starting point of the field as the match began.
*
“Sparks are flying between both teams before the match even begins.”
The commentators remarked as they watched the greeting between the Korean and German teams.
“This is an unusual sight.”
“The German team seems extremely fired up because the Korean team brought out a kindergartener. It seems like they’re saying, ‘Are you looking down on us this much? Then we can’t lose either.’ Oh, the team members are starting to take their positions now. Is the whistle blowing? This is such a heart-pounding moment. The Korean team doesn’t look nervous. Yes! Now—the match begins!”
The Exchange Match took place on a massive field composed of a war-torn cityscape with skeletal buildings jutting out on the left and right as starting points, and a densely growing forest toward the center.
Just then, the camera shone on the pulsating monsters in the dense forest at the center.
Normal monsters and boss monsters were scattered throughout; the rule was that the team which caught monsters and raised their contribution points more within the time limit would win.
At that moment, the camera focused on the German team’s unusual movement.
The commentators couldn’t hide their surprise.
“Huh? The German team is heading straight for the boss.”
“The standard strategy is to catch normal monsters first and stack team buffs before taking on the boss. That way, you receive accuracy correction to avoid misses. But the German team is going straight for the boss without hesitation.”
“Oh, the German team’s hunter Lea is using a skill. Six wings have emerged and are wrapping around the team members—I believe that’s the famous Blessing.”
“That’s right. Since it’s an S-rank buff, you can feel the confidence that they can easily offset the team buffs gained from catching normal monsters early on.”
Indeed, the German team’s confidence was not arrogance.
The red gauge showing the boss’s health at the very top of the screen dropped in an instant, and the German team began to seize the momentum.
Moreover, watching the German team flawlessly evading the poison pits laid out by the boss “Priest Liella,” a commenter exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow! The German team’s teamwork is truly incredible. Their movements like a single body are enough to draw admiration.”
“Teams with lower proficiency often fall into poison pits and waste stamina, but we don’t see any of that whatsoever.”
[‘Team Germany’ has subdued ‘Priest Liella (Left)’ in Phase 1.]
There are a total of three bosses in Phase 1.
[‘Team Germany’ has subdued ‘Sad Crown (Left)’ in Phase 1.]
While the Korean team hadn’t subdued a single Phase 1 boss, the German team had already taken down two Phase 1 bosses and was pulling far ahead.
“The Korean team has outstanding individual capabilities, but because their support line is unstable, they inevitably have to stack buffs. That’s why Phase 1 is progressing more poorly for them than for the German team.”
“Still, there are four phases remaining. We still have to wait and see.”
The camera began to capture the Korean team’s supporters in the stands looking anxious.
Both teams are sufficiently proficient in boss monster raids. Therefore, it is a battle of speed.
If the gap opens up this much from the beginning, it becomes impossible to catch up later.
“It is a speed battle, but the late game is important too. So our team can take it slow and build up early on.”
“Yes, that’s right. Moving honestly and by the book without using tricks is also a strategy.”
It was then, as the commentators were making hopeful remarks.
“Actually, the Korean team probably expected that they would have no choice but to lose the early fight— Huh? What is that?”
Notifications began popping up on the screen in succession.
[‘Team Korea’ has subdued ‘Priest Liella (Right)’ in Phase 1.]
[‘Team Korea’ has subdued ‘Sad Crown (Right)’ in Phase 1.]
[‘Team Korea’ has subdued ‘Ether Knight (Right)’ in Phase 1.]
[‘Team Korea’ is advancing to Phase 2.]