novelraw Chapter 68 : Gate (3)
Chapter 68 : Gate (3)
Turning back time a bit to Sunday evening.
Kim Cheol-han, who was organizing teams for the gate wave practical training the next day, was racking his brain over a problem that wouldn't yield a solution no matter how much he thought about it.
"Whichever way I go, it doesn't work out cleanly."
The teams to be formed this time were 10 people per team, making exactly 3 teams.
Since the scale was so large, there were many factors to consider.
'First, the main problem is this.'
Who would be the leader of each team?
Looking at the current composition of cadets, there were exactly four students who could be chosen as team leaders.
"Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, Lee Yu-jin, and Jeong Su-hyeon."
Kim Cheol-han sighed as he looked at the cadet nameplates spread out on the whiteboard.
"Which one should I leave out?"
This was the biggest problem.
First, he needed to designate one leader for each team, and then arrange the rest of the team members accordingly.
'Leaving one of them out is something I really can't do.'
The bigger problem was.
'If one of these leader-level personnel goes elsewhere, that team becomes too strong.'
That could completely destroy the balance.
'I'm having such concerns.'
To begin with, Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, and Lee Yu-jin.
It was rare enough to have three top-tier talents in the same year.
Neither he nor Song Young-hwan had considered that Jeong Su-hyeon, who was just a dark horse with promising potential at the time of admission, would rise up in such a short period and expand the "Big 3" into the "Big 4."
'Moreover, I heard Hwang Ji-su lost to him in their sparring match.'
Only Kim Cheol-han knew the outcome of that sparring match.
Even that wasn't so surprising considering Su-hyeon's abilities during the Ma-in attack.
'If I really think about it rationally, I should assign leadership to Seo Jun-seong and Jeong Su-hyeon, and give the remaining position to either Hwang Ji-su or Lee Yu-jin. Judging by recent performance, Lee Yu-jin might be slightly ahead.'
But.
As a homeroom instructor, he couldn't help but consider the repercussions that would follow such a decision.
"Urgh."
After agonizing with uncharacteristic groans, he eventually shifted his gaze elsewhere.
Anyway, if one of those four were to be demoted to deputy leader.
Who should the other two leaders be?
'First potential candidate to consider is Hong In-hyeon.'
Hong In-hyeon's position should be secure, but.
'Who comes next? Choi Min-ah? Kang Geon-woo? Kwon Seung-yeon?'
This combination had to consider not only capabilities but also the characteristics of each cadet.
For instance, if the versatile Seo Jun-seong and Hwang Ji-su, who had no range limitations, became leaders?
'I should pair them with cadets like Kang Geon-woo or Kwon Seung-yeon who can support close combat as deputy leaders.'
Conversely, if Lee Yu-jin and Jeong Su-hyeon, who focus on close combat, became leaders?
'Hong In-hyeon or Choi Min-ah would suit the deputy leader position.'
The considerations continued endlessly.
"...Alright."
Finally.
"I guess the most straightforward way is to go by entrance exam results."
Kim Cheol-han gave up further thinking.
'I'll prioritize entrance exam results until the midterm exam.'
He decided to think about what comes after when the time comes.
"Then where should I place Jeong Su-hyeon?"
As one concern ended, another followed.
'Putting Seo Jun-seong and Jeong Su-hyeon together would be the end. The difference would be too great.'
So he decided to definitely separate those two.
"Then whether to give him to Lee Yu-jin's or Hwang Ji-su's team..."
This part was actually easier to judge.
"If Lee Yu-jin and Jeong Su-hyeon are together, they would both fight in close combat, which would be hard to call balanced."
Kim Cheol-han's hand quickly matched the leaders and deputy leaders for the three teams.
Thus.
[Team 1, Seo Jun-seong, Kang Geon-woo.]
[Team 2, Lee Yu-jin, Hong In-hyeon.]
[Team 3, Hwang Ji-su, Jeong Su-hyeon.]
Such leader-deputy leader composition was created.
Team 1's deputy leader seemed somewhat weak, but.
'Kang Geon-woo's close combat ability, durability, and qualities as a tanker are excellent. He even has martial arts that cadets like Kwak Dong-ho or Go Do-il don't possess.'
Kim Cheol-han had quite a high evaluation of Kang Geon-woo's qualities.
Moreover, it was clear that Seo Jun-seong's versatile psychokinesis would show overwhelming performance in this battlefield as well.
Meanwhile, how much destructive power the combination of Hwang Ji-su and Jeong Su-hyeon would create was half expectation, half concern.
And Lee Yu-jin's steadiness and Hong In-hyeon's sense also seemed like a good combination.
"Good."
Having solved the most difficult problem, Kim Cheol-han's hand moved busily to complete the roster for the three teams.
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"Team 1, led by leader Seo Jun-seong, followed by Kang Geon-woo, Jeremy McGarr, Kim A-yun, Han So-yul..."
As Kim Cheol-han continued calling out names, the cadets' whispering grew louder.
"That's a good combination."
"Indeed."
"Next is Team 2. Led by leader Lee Yu-jin, followed by Hong In-hyeon, Choi Min-ah, Go Do-il, Oh Min-seon, Kwak Dong-ho..."
Cadets gasped at Team 2's roster.
"So I guess Hwang Ji-su and Lee Yu-jin will be leaders."
"Isn't Su-hyeon qualified to be a leader too?"
"It's still too early for that."
"What do you mean too early?"
"Quiet."
With one word, Kim Cheol-han dismissed the cadets' murmuring and announced the remaining roster.
"The final Team 3 is led by leader Hwang Ji-su, followed by Jeong Su-hyeon, Kwon Seung-yeon, Nam Tae-hoon, Park Chang-jun, Yoon Ga-ram, Sung Do-kyung, Hwang Kyung-soo, Kim Sang-jung, and Jang So-hyun."
'So that's how it's going to be.'
I nodded.
'A decent combination.'
There were many characters that could be utilized efficiently.
'Hwang Ji-su's battlefield control is a top-class ability without question.'
Kwon Seung-yeon can perform as well as I can in close combat, and even Nam Tae-hoon, who's hiding his strength, is enough to create tremendous variables by moving between shadows.
Yoon Ga-ram's sniping ability and Sung Do-kyung's immense strength were also excellent tactical elements.
'The key here might be Park Chang-jun.'
The completeness of this formation depends on how Park Chang-jun is utilized.
"Hwang Ji-su."
"Hmm?"
I approached Hwang Ji-su, who had become the leader.
"Do you have any formations or tactics in mind?"
"Hmm. A few ideas do come to mind."
Of course, there's not enough time for something concrete to immediately come to mind.
"Then how about this? I've been thinking..."
"Hmm."
Hwang Ji-su listened with pursed lips, but gradually the corners of her mouth turned upward.
"What is this? Then how about we try this?"
"That would be good too."
"Great! Then..."
As expected, Hwang Ji-su was quick to understand.
And our team members who were listening to the conversation also nodded in agreement.
"This is good. No, really. I think we can do this."
Kwon Seung-yeon nodded.
"Hmm. Then let's go with this outline."
After roughly coordinating, I approached Park Chang-jun, who had been listening with a blank face.
"Let's talk for a bit."
"What's with calling just me out like this?"
Park Chang-jun grumbled but followed me with a somewhat subdued expression.
"You were quite uncooperative during the practical class with Lee Yu-jin."
"......"
Given his past performance and how he'd been beaten in direct confrontation.
Park Chang-jun's face crumpled as he had no choice but to acknowledge, even if reluctantly, that I was a level above him.
"Do you remember how the entire team received penalty points as a result of your actions back then?"
"Tch. That was a loss for me too."
Park Chang-jun, who had nothing to say, grumbled.
"So. Is that what you want to say? That I should behave properly?"
"Well. Not just that."
I shook my head.
"What else then?"
"I think I can fully utilize your abilities in this fight. No, maybe your abilities could even be the key."
"...!"
Whipping first, then offering a carrot.
It was a much more effective conversational approach than giving lots of carrots first and then hitting with a whip.
"What do you mean?"
Sure enough, Park Chang-jun leaned toward me in a posture of at least listening to what I had to say.
"What, are you going to make me do another bombardment with my abilities? If that's it..."
"There are more ways to utilize your abilities than just that, aren't there?"
I dismissed.
"What you need to do in this fight is precision bombardment."
"Precision bombardment?"
"Yes."
I said.
"Today, you will become both a bomber and an artillery."
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For fairness, all three teams began the performance evaluation simultaneously.
[Team 3. Connection will now begin.]
The ten cadets connected to a map of a site where a gate wave was in full swing.
[Let me just say one thing. It would be good to put aside any complacent thoughts that you can make up for poor performance here in the midterm exam.]
"...!"
The cadets swallowed dryly.
"Kieeeeek!"
"Kyaaaaa!"
"Maintain formation! Don't get pushed back!"
"Damn it! Where are the healers?"
"Need fire support! System overload!"
A massive army of advancing demonic beasts.
"So first we wait from a distance."
Hwang Ji-su muttered.
"It won't be long. Probably about 5 minutes?"
Su-hyeon left a hint casually.
"During that time, we're supposed to observe the demonic beasts and the abilities of hunters who might undergo Ma-in transformation."
"Hmm."
Hwang Ji-su nodded.
"Then let's take our positions and observe. Be ready to respond at any time."
"Okay!"
At her words, the ten cadets took their positions as previously discussed.
'Hmm. Very orthodox.'
Su-hyeon's eyes narrowed.
Originally, the response operations and hunter composition change depending on the gate's location.
In a situation like this where a wave occurs in a somewhat populated suburban area?
'They divide into elimination and protection teams. While the elimination team kills the demonic beasts and creates containment lines to drive them in, the protection team evacuates citizens and protects important facilities and hazardous facilities.'
This distribution is determined through each person's abilities and rank, and officials from the Hunter Bureau and high-ranking hunters who command them are also deployed at the scene.
The elimination team is further divided into vanguard, rear guard, supporters, healers, etc.
The protection team also has its own system to divide roles.
'Not only the Execution Force but also hunters' fights are quite systematic and tactical.'
This was a natural conclusion given that the Gate Era had continued through three generations.
While Su-hyeon was thinking about this.
[Now we will enter the Ma-in emergence situation, the fifth stage I mentioned earlier.]
With Kim Cheol-han's voice, the situation began to change drastically.
"Kraaaagh!"
One-fifth of the hunters suddenly began to convulse.
[There are two conditions. First, defend the containment line. Second, quickly subdue the Ma-in while protecting the hunters. That's all.]
Though the mission given wasn't easy, the cadets didn't panic.
"Hwang Ji-su!"
"Haaaaap!"
Hwang Ji-su created ice walls throughout the battlefield, drawing out her full power.
The largest and thickest wall was created to block between the demonic beasts and hunters.
"Kerrrrrrk!"
The demonic beasts retreated as they saw their companions engulfed by cold air and turned into ice pieces.
'This should buy us quite some time.'
Su-hyeon smiled.
With this one move from Hwang Ji-su, the fight had changed from a skirmish to a siege battle.
Strong individuals might be able to break through or climb over the ice walls.
But just being able to intercept enemies coming that way would greatly relieve pressure on the hunters.
In addition to this, Hwang Ji-su's ice walls divided the rear into three zones, preventing cooperation between Ma-in.
Hwang Ji-su, who had essentially created advantageous terrain single-handedly as soon as the battle began, staggered slightly from a sudden dizziness.
"Good! Now we charge in!"
In the meantime, Su-hyeon took the lead.
"Okay!"
"Let's go!"
'The stage is well set.'
Su-hyeon smiled.
The initial tactic was to separate the battlefield with barriers using Hwang Ji-su's ice ability and command individual battles of favorable matchups.
This was a winning strategy that he had profitably used whenever Hwang Ji-su became a team member in this event.
'I'm lucky.'
"Cover me!"
"Leave it to me!"
Led by Hwang Ji-su, the archer Yoon Ga-ram with the "Accuracy" characteristic, and Park Chang-jun, the owner of "Mana Tank," each took on responsibilities of sniping and bombardment from a distance.
Swoosh!
A specially crafted spiral arrow pierced the waist of a Ma-in trying to stab a comrade from behind.
"7 o'clock direction! Concentrated bombardment in a 5-meter radius!"
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Following Su-hyeon's precise instructions, Park Chang-jun concentrated an overwhelming volume of energy shots to devastate the area.
"Wow, that's incredible!"
Seeing this, Kwon Seung-yeon whistled.
"This makes things easier!"
Those responsible for close combat at the forefront were Su-hyeon in the lead with Kwon Seung-yeon and Sung Do-kyung on either side.
Kwon Seung-yeon, who had the most outstanding close combat ability among Class 1 female cadets, as well as Sung Do-kyung with his body enlargement characteristic, were both excellent assault captains.
"Nam Tae-hoon!"
"Leave it to me."
Nam Tae-hoon, Kim Sang-jung, and Jang So-hyun followed behind the three, providing support.
"Kyaaaaa!"
The first to greet them were low-level Ma-in who hadn't even gained enough intelligence to speak.
"Take their weapons!"
"Okay!"
Just before the charge, Hwang Kyung-soo maximized the magnetism in his body, pulling numerous metal weapons from the Ma-in toward himself.
"Keeek?"
In addition to their formation being hit by long-range attacks, they now had their weapons taken away.
At this point, the outcome was virtually decided even before engagement.
"Let's crush them all!"
"Oww!"