Chapter 131
“Ah. That weak guy.”
“He wasn’t weak.”
Aine corrected him.
Maximilian wasn’t a weak hunter. Stepping into the B rank itself meant he was one of the chosen ones among the hunters. Although he had no real combat experience, Maximilian had fraudulent power skills and the magic power he had received from the constellation. This was enough to cover his lack of practical experience.
In fact, many experts didn’t expect Maximilian’s performance.
“His skills and magic power certainly make him seem strong, but strength isn’t determined by those things.”
“What decides it, then?” Aine asked with interest, curious about Choi Yeonseung’s thoughts. He was a first-generation hunter and a martial artist, which was rare to find now. What kind of mindset did he have?
“It depends on how well you understand and use your skills. There is a saying along the lines of, ‘Don’t fear those who have learned a thousand skills, fear those who have mastered one skill.’”
“Wow... That’s a great saying,” Aine admired. It was absolutely right. Hunters who did nothing but learn everything they could learn were bound to get a big nose injury later.
Real fights weren’t that easy. In an urgent situation where a single mistake could cost their lives, it took a lot of training to calmly use magic. They should fully understand the skills they?had?and let their muscles memorize how to use them.
Aine agreed.
“Did that saying circulate among martial artists in the past?”
“No. I read it in a martial arts novel.”
“......”
Aine wanted to swear.
‘Come to think of it, why did Arrogant Light Elf take Maximilian as a household member?’
Choi Yeonseung suddenly became curious. Among the minions of the constellation, only the most talented could become a household member. A constellation’s henchman, right arm, and sword were all household members. However, from Choi Yeonseung’s perspective, Maximilian wasn’t a very good hunter. He was arrogant and didn’t properly practice his skills. Moreover, he was careless...
Choi Yeonseung wondered if he was born with magical talents or special skills, but seeing him fight confirmed that wasn’t the case. How did he become a household member?
-That’s simple. It is due to the way that the Arrogant Light Elf looks for talent.
-How does he look for them?
-He only looks at their face.
-... Really?
-Yes.
Choi Yeonseung was shocked. There was such a constellation? In the eyes of other constellations, however, the elf constellation’s behavior wasn’t unusual. Constellations were rulers, and household members were their attendants. Regardless of ability, they had to suit the taste of the constellation.
On the contrary, constellations like Choi Yeonseung, who worried about conditions and conducted an interview regardless of his own taste, were the peculiar ones.
-That’s a pretty mortal choice.
-You must be pretty proud to be born as a constellation.
In any case, the explanation gave some sense to how Maximillian was picked. He could understand Maximillian becoming a household member through looks alone.
“So who’s my opponent this time?”
“Christopher Winter. He’s a B- hunter signed to the Arrogant Light Elf. He doesn’t have any ranking yet since he reached the B-grade league through the qualifiers.”
“... Isn’t that too blatant?”
“It is.”
A hunter who wasn’t even in the UHC appeared with only one purpose: to get revenge on Choi Yeonseung! As household members of the same constellation, it was only natural for him to seek revenge for his colleague. He could be considered some form of an alumnus.
“What is that Maxi guy up to these days?”
“His pride must’ve been hurt a lot, considering he has withdrawn from all social media.”
“He’s a bit mentally weak.”
“It doesn’t matter if you refuse because he just started a fight out of nowhere even though he doesn’t have any ranking yet.”
For the matches of the UHC League to be scheduled, the participants had to agree on the match first. If Hunter A was ranked 13th and wanted to fight Hunter B, who was ranked 4th, and Hunter B agreed, the match would be scheduled pretty quickly. It usually wasn’t that easy, though. If Hunter B wanted to fight Hunter C, who was ranked 2nd, and Hunter C wanted to fight the champion...
There would be no end to it if they were allowed to do what they wanted. That was why they were given some form of pressure. If they wanted to defend their ranking, they had to fight at least once or twice a year, etc. Their reputations were even scarier than those rules, though. Relentless rumors followed hunters who deliberately fought only weaker opponents or dodged fights.
The people’s interest was the reason hunters in the league could earn astronomical sums of money from one match. Hence, hunters had to constantly meet people’s expectations.
“That’s why hunters have to kill monsters. Focusing on this type of thing rather than killing monsters...”
“Yes, yes. Let’s talk about that later. In any case, this challenger is so blatant that it doesn’t matter much if you refuse.”
“No. I accept.”
“!”
Aine was surprised.
“Won’t I get benefits if I win?”
“That’s... right?”
Winning any match was always beneficial. Glory was for the winner, despair was for the loser. However, nothing was absolute in the world. Why would hunters aim for opponents above them in the rankings? Since matches were risky and put a lot at stake anyway, it was better to aim for those that provided lots of benefits.
“I’m thinking of promoting the match. How do hunters usually do this?”
Aine’s eyes widened at Choi Yeonseung’s words.
Oh my god, Choi Yeonseung actually said that!
“Have you finally understood the importance of marketing?”
Hunters didn’t just fight in matches. Before the battle, they often swore at each other on social media, made some taunts, posted videos of training, had interviews with the hunters they trained with, and put in the predictions of experts...
That was how they attracted people’s attention! It was an essential skill.
“How do you want to publicize this? Do you have something in mind?”
"Yes. I’m thinking of promoting martial arts.”
“... Huh?”
Aine felt?something wrong?from her conversation with Choi Yeonseung. Instead of promoting himself, he wanted to promote martial arts?
***
Choi Yeonseung succeeded in making Aine accept his plan, although there had been some changes.
“This is what we’ll do.”
They were going to let the people know how good martial arts were before the match, then perform well with it during the match. It should result in people being moved and becoming interested in martial arts.
“How is it?”
“... How...”
Aine was speechless and wasn’t even sure where to start. He planned to reveal what he would be using during the fight, which was shocking. Choi Yeonseung’s opponent had a brain and would analyze him as much as he could anyway, but explaining everything to him exceeded expectations.
“I think that would gather a lot of attention.”
“Really?”
Choi Yeonseung was pleased with Aine’s response. Aine didn’t know what to say, though.
“Isn’t it dangerous to let the person analyzing you learn more about you?”
“I have taken that into consideration.”
‘... Is it really something to be taken into consideration in the first place?’
Aine didn’t argue further, though.
Choi Yeonseung had already shown that he could handle himself during the Maximilian bout. He was completely different from the kids who had just become hunters and got drunk on fame and popularity. It was clear that he had an idea again this time.
“I understand. I’ll prepare what you need and call the filming team. However, you can’t be training alone. Have you thought of a hunter you can go against?”
Before a match, hunters normally sharpened their senses and tested various tactics through multiple training sessions. Above all, the videos he would film and upload would be better if he had someone with him than if he was just alone. Wouldn’t that show more intuitively what martial arts were?
“What about the hunters of the Icarus clan?”
“They aren’t bad. Will they help you?”
“I haven’t asked.”
“... You should ask first.”
Aine found it ridiculous. Hunters only cared about themselves. They didn’t help even those in the same clan with practice matches.
‘He probably won’t find anyone.’
Aine knew the Icarus clan all too well. After all, it was Hwang Gyeongryong’s. It only gathered aces and those with the potential to be one, which was why there were an unusually high number of bastards among them. It was unlikely that such people would listen to Choi Yeonseung’s words with great enthusiasm.
“I understand. I’ll try to get hunters myself. Don’t expect too much.”
“It’s okay to fail, so don’t overdo it.”
‘He has a knack for speaking beautifully,’?Aine thought.
Choi Yeonseung was a hunter who made her want to help him. There were hunters who made her want to slap them on the back of the head for saying the same thing, but there were also hunters who made her want to do the opposite.
Choi Yeonseung was the latter.
-Why am I even paying you when you can’t even get me a partner despite all the money you’ve spent? Why don’t you just get out of here? Your corpse would probably do a better job than you.
That was how the average hunter would react and behave.
Compared to that, Choi Yeonseung, who told her not to overdo it, was a lot better. Promoting his secrets before he fought... It sounded a bit like self-destruction, but Aine was going to do her best to help.
***
-I don’t have that number...
“Don’t waste my time and give it to me now.”
-Miss Lawrence... This won’t make a difference. I know what you’re trying to do.
“?”
Aine was puzzled by the words of the person on the other end of the call. He already knew why she called? Had rumors already spread?
-I heard you signed a contract with that martial arts hunter. No matter how hard you ask, I refuse to fight that hunter. You better give up.
Cantu was a famous manager in the UHC League. He was familiar with the UHC and was good at various tactical strategies. That was why hunters aiming for the UHC wanted to sign with him.
“Do you think I’m doing this to get a match?”
-Don’t deceive me, Miss Lawrence. I won’t be fooled.
“I’m disappointed, Cantu. We already have a match scheduled. I have no intention of fighting the players under you.”
-... Really?
Aine was surprised by the relieved Cantu. He was?warier?of Choi?Yeonseung than she expected. It was understandable, though. Choi Yeonseung got a landslide victory over Maximilian when everyone thought he would lose, and there were also his recent performances. For the other hunters in the top ranks, Choi Yeonseung was like an unidentified opponent they were reluctant to face.
It was stupid to face an opponent like that. It would be better to wait for Choi Yeonseung to fight someone else. The more he fought, the more information and countermeasures would accumulate and appear. Such was the mindset of a seasoned manager.
-Why did you call, then?
“I was going to ask if you have any players available to participate in a practice match with Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
-I accept! I welcome practice matches!
Cantu exclaimed urgently. This was an opportunity he had to grab even if he had to pay extra money. When else would they get another opportunity to gain experience in fighting martial arts? Not even money could easily get them such a rare chance.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to?”
-I-I didn’t. Miss Lawrence. Don’t do this. We’re friends, aren’t we?
Cantu quickly changed his attitude and began sounding desperate.
Aine felt a pleasant sense of victory. With a good player, she could keep her shoulders up even in situations like this.
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