Junhyuk read about Gongon and Sarangâs team. He read about their experience and powers, everything about their results in the Championsâ Battlefield and about the other champion.
âA sniper.â
The new champion also had the power to tie enemies up. Their experience wasnât bad either: six victories and three defeats. The new champion had started with losses, but theyâd been on a winning streak nowadays. They would be a big help to the allies.
Junhyuk checked out their adversaries as well. The enemy champions had a distinguished record.
âThis wonât be easy.â
Theyâd been paired up with the opposing team because Junhyuk used to be on their team. The opponents also had six straight wins, and their team was composed of a tank, an assassin and a vanguard. It was a balanced team.
âThe assassin is the problem.â
If Junhyuk were still there, he would have been able to protect Sarang with his force field, but that wasnât the case. Who would save Sarang in his stead? However, the new assassin did not have a hiding power.
The assassin used shadows to move in and out to attack, just like a hero Junhyuk had fought early in his career. If Sarang was aware of the distance between them, sheâd be able to deal with the assassin.
Her Thunderstorm could kill enemies who had not invested much on defense, and if her enemy survived the first one, she could always trigger her item and cast another one right after. Two of those should be able to kill any champion.
The itemâs effect had a long cooldown, but even without it, her power was still the most useful of the bunch. After reading through that, he scanned further through the book.
âCan I take the book with me?â
[You canât take it outside. And you must place your bet now.]
âI heard I can watch the battle in real time. How is that possible?â
[You canât watch all of the Championsâ Battlefields, but you may watch the one you bet on. We have a viewing room.]
âThen, my time will stop also?â
[Certainly!]
He nodded.
âWhat is the rate of return for Gongonâs battlefield?â
[Gongon teamâs core strength, Junhyuk Lee, is out, so the rate went up. Because of Junhyuk, the rate for the other team had gone down as well, but now itâs up again. Those placing bets have higher opinions of the enemy than of Gongonâs team.]
âBut Gongon is still there!â
[Yes, but Sarangâs equipment is still very weak.]
Sarang had bought a lot of equipment, and her defense had increased. The truth was that Kilraden was strong, especially against Sarang, and he had realized that even more after fighting those weak heroes.
He wondered just how high Kilradenâs attack stat was. Maybe now that he wasnât in the battlefield, Sarang would really be able to shine.
âSo, what are the odds now?â
[If you bet now, youâll get about twice what you put in. The battle will take place next week, so itâs impossible to predict the exact odds.]
Junhyuk nodded and pulled out his hand.
âIâll bet 200,000G on Gongonâs team.â
He was betting his entire victory reward. He was gambling, sure, but he also trusted Gongon and Sarang.
[Thatâs a significant amount. Your bet has been registered.]
Junhyuk looked at Ariel and asked, âAm I going back now?â
[Thereâs one more thing for you to do. Did you like anybody on your team today?]
He shook his head.
âNo. Did anyone pick me?â
[All four of your teammates picked you for their team.]
Laughing, Junhyuk asked, âI canât decide now. If I want to pick a hero from this team, can I decide that after the three rounds?â
[Thatâs not possible.]
âWell, nothing I can do for now,â he said, smacking his lips. âI canât decide for now.â
[Understood. I will see you in the next round.]
âTill next time.â
He said his goodbye, and the space around him crumbled. The world changed. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was on a bed in the Japanese hotel.
Junhyuk pulled out the magitek book and said, âI have to visit Korea soon.â
He wanted to meet with Elise, but if he could not, he would ask her to come to Japan. As he thought about it, he murmured, âIt would be nice if I could teleport to South Korea.â
Junhyuk entered his training facility. Inside, he watched as the morning monster appeared. It was a fully-powered A-ranked monster, and if he didnât kill it, more wouldnât show up.
He walked toward the monsters that had appeared, and the Wolf Warlord turned to him. Howling, it ran toward Junhyuk. By now, Junhyuk knew that he could use the Spatial Collapse on living things.
What about using it on the Wolf Warlord?
He cast the Spatial Collapse on the middle of the Wolf Warlordâs chest. The monster sensed the attack coming and quickly tried to withdraw, but there was no way to escape the collapse.
Craack!
The Wolf Warlordâs ribs were shattered, and it started getting squeezed by the vacuum of space. Then, Junhyuk used his Spatial Slash. The Wolf Warlord couldnât move, so the attack landed.
Junhyuk looked at the dead body of the Wolf Warlord, pulled out his communication crystal orb and connected to Gongon and Sarang.
Sarang was still wearing her pajamas, and Gongon looked all sweaty.
âWhy did you call me two days in a row?â the hatchling complained slightly, and Junhyuk smiled at him.
âI can bet on you guys now that Iâve become a hero and I read the entries for your new enemies.â
âYeah? What are they like?â
âA standard tank, an assassin, and a vanguard.â
âInteresting. What about our new partner?â
âA sniper with a recent winning record.â
âI donât have time to strategize!â
âIâll do it!â Sarang shouted with her hand up, and Gongon shrugged.
âDo it. I must train some more.â
Looking at Junhyuk, she asked, âBig brother, did you win?â
Gongon was curious too, and as the hatchling looked at him, Junhyuk sighed and answered, âI fought heroes, sure, but the team selection process was crap!â
âTeam selection?â
âThatâs right. I have to form a team within three rounds. If not, Iâll get randomly assigned to heroes whoâve selected me.â
âSo, youâre depending on luck?â
âYou must become a hero soon. I want you on my team.â
âHa-ha-ha! You know my value.â
Junhyuk smiled and nodded.
âPlease do it. And win in the Championsâ Battlefield.â
âHow much did you bet?â
âTwo hundred thousand.â
âThatâs a lot! And when you win?â
âTwice that.â
âOK. Iâll win for sure.â
Gongon disappeared, and Sarang waved at Junhyuk, saying, âIâll plan our strategy.â
âRight.â
Then, she was gone, and Junhyuk connected with Artlan.
âHm? Did you select a team?â
âYou knew about that?!â
âAll heroes know about it. The selection process happens to everyone.â
âIs that how you made your team?â
Artlan laughed and said, âI knew Vera beforehand. Sheâs from my dimension. The others came from the team selection.â
âRight.â
âDid you find anybody you like?â
âNo,â he answered curtly.
Artlan gave him some advice, âPeople who donât find harmony within their team members often arenât selected. Such people arenât quite heroes. However, donât be dismissive of those you are working with.â
âThanks for the advice. I was having a hard time.â
âDid you win?â
âYes,â he answered, and Artlan laughed with joy.
âWe may fight one another someday.â
His heart pounded. Artlan had taught him what he knew, and Junhyuk did not want to fight him or any of his former teammates.
âIf you want to fight me, win and win again. Form a nice team as well.â
Junhyuk nodded and asked, âNow that Iâm out, are you keeping Sarang?â
âProbably. Vera still wants her.â
âDo look after her.â
âDonât worry. We are fighting to win.â
Junhyuk disconnected and returned to the hotel room. He washed himself lightly and walked out. When he did, he saw Major Jiro waiting for him.
âGuardians has called for you.â
He had been expecting that call as well. A thousand people had been summoned that day, just in his battlefield. Even though many had returned, abnormal narcolepsy cases were happening again. Guardians was aware of that too.
Eunseo already knew about the situation, but the countriesâ delegates didnât.
Junhyuk could see the people gathered in the Guardiansâ meeting room. Eunseo and delegates from five other countries were there. He greeted them.
âWhy did you call me?â
Steve spoke up carefully, âThere are cases of abnormal narcolepsy again. Do you know anything about it?
Junhyuk answered calmly, âThe abnormal narcolepsy happens because people are summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield, but you already know about that. It only means that the Dimensional Battlefield has started up again.â
âYou mean it wasnât over?â
He felt no need to share the information.
âI donât know why it had stopped, but it began again. Iâll let the teams rest so they can be summoned to the battlefield. You must recheck on activated novices and experts. Those will also be summoned to the battlefield.â
âSure. Weâll check.â
After that, Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, âIâll restart the training on Sunday, but the team members will probably be summoned today, and some of them will not come back. Iâll need more experts and novices. Is that possible?â
âItâs possible. Just tell me when novices go missing, and Iâll get those position filled.â
Junhyuk had handpicked the teams, and they all served a purpose together. He had thought about their combination, but if some didnât come back, he had to fill the void.
He had a lot of ranged attackers. There was a high number of DPS novices in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he wished his own novices would come back safely.
âIâll call you again tomorrow.â
âIâll be waiting.â
Junhyuk got up and looked at Jiro.
âAbnormal narcolepsy is a thing again. Report to me on my novices and experts every two hours.â
âYes, sir!â
Junhyuk went to his room and called Elise through his phone.
âArenât you busy? Why did you call me?â
âI got the stuff you asked for, but I also have another present youâll like.â
âA present?!â
âHowever, I have to stay where I am, so what do we do?â
âIâll see you in three hours!â