# Chapter 55
After a while, the man in the black hood reappeared toward the alley he had passed through earlier.
Looking around, the black hood confirmed the positions of his companions who were watching his movements from a distance. When the black hood nodded slightly and disappeared back into the alley, his companions cautiously moved in that direction.
In their first SuperCom, hunters typically get demolished while moving alone. It was something that happened to the majority of hunters, almost like a rite of passage. After tasting this bitter reality, hunters would find companions to team up with and score points in their next SuperCom.
More sensibly thinking, it would have been much better if Tier 2 hunters with SuperCom experience gave advice to prevent newcomers from getting demolished like that, but strangely, hunters who offered such tips were almost nonexistent. It was truly a peculiar psychology.
Anyway, experience accumulated that way would be utilized in the next SuperCom, allowing them to grow progressively. It somewhat aligned with the purpose of the test.
The group of hunters that had been moving stealthily entered the alley. Far ahead, they could see the back of the black hood’s head as he was about to turn into another alley. Being too close to the bait wasn’t good, but being too far had no meaning either. The group took somewhat bold steps to catch up with the black head.
There was a swift movement following close behind them.
Young, who had instantly caught up to the back of the group, swung her pole toward the woman at the very rear.
“Ack, here…!”
A scream burst out as the marker on the woman’s wing-joint disappeared upon being hit.
“What?”
“Everyone be careful!”
The group turned around in confusion. The alley had been completely empty just moments before. They had been behind it, so how could someone so easily get behind them… The group realized a half-beat too late. The alley was made up of walls on both sides.
She had jumped over those walls.
“Stay calm, it’s just one opponent!”
It seemed they weren’t inexperienced as hunters, as the group quickly assumed combat positions. Three men and two women. Judging by their formation split into two lines, the bob-haired woman in front, along with the short-haired man and the yellow-haired man seemed skilled in physical attacks.
Young’s elongated hand lightly shook her pole. Despite the clear numerical disadvantage, her steps forward were unwavering.
Bang!
A vine-like whip flew toward Young’s legs. She jumped high to avoid the attack and kicked at the short-haired man who was just about to throw a punch at her.
“Urgh…!”
To cover the man who was staggering in pain, a woman in the back line launched steel balls levitated with her telekinesis. Young strongly deflected the steel balls that were charging at her like guided missiles. Some were driven into the ground, but some bounced toward the people in the front line.
“Be careful!”
A scream-like shout erupted from behind as attacks scattered sporadically. People who were about to use their superpowers scattered in confusion. Young dug into that gap again.
Her nimble body, moving like she was ice skating, weaved between people. Each time the long pole elegantly swung around, people’s markers disappeared one by one.
Thwack!
“Ah!”
The screams that burst out from the forceful blows were just a bonus.
Though they called it an alliance, it was a temporary one formed just minutes ago. It was difficult to have good coordination from the start. Young appropriately exploited those gaps. Her fighting style of momentarily freezing the ground beneath her feet only when needed and freely changing her attack rhythm was effectively working in this one-versus-many battle.
Before long, the hunters in the front line had lost at least one marker each, and some had only one left. On the other hand, the back line was intact. This was because the range of their attacks was long enough to be beyond the reach of Young’s pole.
After deflecting compressed air shots and shaking off mud that stuck to her shoes, Young removed another marker from a man in the front line. Now the people in the front line had only one marker each left.
Even though she was facing five people, Young wasn’t being pushed back much—rather, she was making them lose markers one after another, and anxiety spread throughout the group’s atmosphere.
“Ah…!”
Unlike before, their actions began to be mixed with irritation. The frustration of not being able to display their skills due to poor coordination was clearly visible on their distorted faces.
Especially the actions of the front-line people became noticeably timid. If they acted recklessly and lost just one more marker, they would be immediately eliminated. They had just formed an alliance and were trying to accomplish something. Naturally, no one wanted to be eliminated in vain.
The more they hesitated, the more advantageous it was for Young.
As the people who should have been actively engaging in physical attacks up front focused on personal defense, Young’s attack range gradually widened. Eventually, the curly-haired woman who was supporting with ranged attacks from the back line almost got hit by the pole. An irritated shout burst out from the curly-haired woman who had barely avoided the attack coming right at her face.
“Block properly, please! Only then can I attack too.”
In an instant, a sharp atmosphere circulated. Taking advantage of the moment when Young pulled back briefly to readjust her stance, people who had become sensitive looked at each other with unfriendly gazes. Those who were still confused didn’t dare to speak up and just watched cautiously.
There was no way a team hastily put together would have strong trust. Especially if there was someone who couldn’t fulfill their role.
Young charged in again. It was an attack aimed at the yellow-haired man who was on the leftmost side of the group. To avoid the pole being swung in a large arc, he had to abandon his attack and roll. The yellow-haired man inhaled sharply and threw his body desperately.
In the process, the yellow-haired man’s rear was completely exposed. More than one person noticed the round marker on the back of his thigh.
A strange silence flowed among the people.
Pop.
Attacking that spot was almost on a first-come, first-served basis.
[Mugunghwa Tier 2 Lee Seongyu. You have been eliminated as you have lost all your markers. Please exit the testing grounds immediately. From now on, all actions except departure will be considered cheating, and if there is a delay in exit, you may be forcibly removed.]
“What?”
The yellow-haired man turned his head in surprise at the attack that had come from behind. Elimination? Only our team was behind…
But no one cared about him anymore now that he was eliminated.
The attacker was the short-haired man. However, he wasn’t the only one who had reached out toward the yellow-haired man. If he had been just a bit slower, it would have undoubtedly been someone else who took the marker.
“What is this…?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Exclamations from people who hadn’t attacked burst out belatedly. Instantly, the distance between people widened. Those separated from their recent comrades glared at each other with anxious eyes.
Having attacked someone who had been on the same team, the group had essentially collapsed. Wary glances crossed. Like playing a game of chicken, looks were exchanged between those in the front line who had only one marker left and those in the back line who still had markers to spare. It was cooperation for survival among those in similar situations.
But now, no one trusted each other anymore.
Interest in Young decreased slightly as they were busy monitoring the people right in front of them. They were in a standoff among themselves, ignoring the actual attacker, but Young simply watched with interest without moving any further.
It was natural. This was exactly the situation she had wanted.
Driving them too hard would strengthen the team’s cohesion, so Young had intentionally kept all five alive. When no one dies but they can’t defeat the opponent either, anxiety spreads and it becomes easier to blame others. Typically, Tier 2 hunters are the youngest position in a team. Having never led anyone, they lacked the composure to encourage others and remind them of teamwork in such situations.
In a real situation, there would be more variables, but this was a test that didn’t endanger human lives. There was some justification for acting in one’s own interest rather than maintaining trust.
This is a test where you win by scoring more points, so it doesn’t matter, right? It’s not like anyone is dying.
Internal strife broke out in an instant. The alley quickly turned into a mess as they attacked each other and defended themselves. Around that time, the black hood peeked out from beyond the alley and slipped into the battlefield that had become a scene of pandemonium. It was only natural for him to ambush these people who had threatened and used him as a sacrifice. Such rationalization was also easy.
Watching the scene, Young leaned against the alley wall. Iyeon, who had somehow been sitting on top of the wall above, confirmed the paper bundles he had scattered on the street. Thanks to Young herding them well, they were exactly within range.
As he subtly materialized it, a cylindrical cannon appeared. Iyeon counted in his mind.
One, two, three.
With a “bang” sound, a large net fell right into the middle of the fight. The overlapping nets had a range large enough to cover the entire alley.
The five hunters were caught under the pressing net and fell over in surprise. The more they floundered, unable to make calm judgments in the face of the unexpected event, the more the net tightened around their bodies.
Among the group, there was only one ability that could directly remove the net: a weak poison spray that could dissolve objects.
That was the ability of the yellow-haired man who had already been eliminated.
“Let’s go.”
So they had plenty of time to remove all the markers from everyone. The yellow-haired man blankly watched as Iyeon, who had jumped down from the wall, and Young, who had raised her body from leaning against the wall, approached the people trapped in the net.
[Mugunghwa Tier 2 Jang Hae-in. You have been eliminated as you have lost all your markers. Please exit the testing grounds…]
[Mugunghwa Tier 2 Park Jin-ho. You have lost all…]
[Mugunghwa Tier 2 Lee…]
[Mugunghwa Tier…]
[Mugung…]
In their second SuperCom, hunters typically get demolished by forming alliances with too many comrades.
