Chapter 162: The First Team Battle

Episode 162

The results of the first round of the newbie showdown, held in the ‘Void Dungeon’, defied everyone’s expectations.

1st Place: Team 6

2nd Place: Team 1

3rd Place: Team 2

4th Place: Team 3

5th Place: Team 4

…

9th Place: Team 9

10th Place: Team 10

It was a striking result, with the rankings perfectly aligned with the team numbers, except for one person: Alopsky from Team 6, who had secured first place.

The outcome of the first round had made it impossible for anyone to ignore Alopsky.

– Well done, well done! I knew I had a good eye for talent!

Ricardo exclaimed with joy over the phone that night, calling Kim Jinsung.

Kim Jinsung was in the temporary accommodation provided for the newbie showdown participants. Each participant was assigned a separate room.

The participants were not allowed to leave the accommodation until the competition ended, to prevent any possibility of receiving illicit items like doping potions from their teammates.

Therefore, communication with the participants was only possible through phone calls, like the one Ricardo was making.

– Even when I saw you fighting in the B district, I thought you hadn’t shown your full potential yet, and I was right! To think you’d be capable of eliminating the Void…!

“Haha…”

– I was originally going to tell you to just try to stay in the middle ranks and finish the competition, but I’ve changed my mind! With the skills you showed today, you can definitely aim for first place!

Kim Jinsung replied to Ricardo, who was filled with anticipation,

“I’m also aiming for first place.”

– That’s the spirit! But don’t get complacent. If you slip up even for a moment, Juan and Luca, especially, will overtake you and leave you in the dust.

“I know.”

– And there’s one more important thing.

Ricardo continued.

– There are two more rounds left, right? There’s a high chance that one of them will be a team battle.

Kim Jinsung’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“A team battle?”

– Yes. It’s not 100% confirmed, but there’s always been at least one team battle round in recent newbie showdowns. I think it’ll be the same this time.

“If it’s a team battle, will it be 5 vs 5?”

– That’s right. Usually, we divide the teams into even and odd numbers, and I think it’ll be the same this time.

Even and odd teams.

Come to think of it, there was no better way to balance the teams.

‘Then my team, the even team, would definitely have the advantage this time, wouldn’t it?’

Of course, he didn’t know the rules for the second round yet, so he would have to wait until tomorrow evening to find out. But based on basic skills, the even team had a clear advantage.

Because of Kim Jinsung.

– In a team battle, teamwork is more important than individual strength! If you rely solely on your own strength and act recklessly, the entire team will lose. Keep that in mind!

“Thank you for the information, Team Leader.”

– Just keep it in mind because things might change tomorrow. The most important thing is to manage your condition for the next two days. Your condition! Don’t forget that there are still two rounds left!

“Yes, Team Leader.”

– Alright, get some rest.

Ricardo ended the call with those words.

Kim Jinsung immediately opened the ‘Sselephone’ app on his smartphone.

‘…I should at least get a grasp of the other nine participants’ skill levels, just in case.’

He thought to himself and pressed the ‘Replay’ button for the first day of the newbie showdown broadcast.

He had no intention of sleeping until he had assessed the skills of the other nine participants.

* * *

[Greetings, viewers of the Sselepoh continent! Today is the day of the second round of the ‘Newbie Showdown’ hosted by the Triunfo Clan. I’m your caster, Thomas, and as always, Daniel is here with me as the commentator. Hello!]

[Hello.]

[There was quite a big upset in the first round yesterday, right?]

[Yes. Alopsky, the participant from Team 6, who was considered to be in the middle ranks, surpassed Juan from Team 1 and Luca from Team 2 and finished the first round in first place.]

[I looked it up, and it’s been 32 years since a participant from Team 6 or lower has achieved first place in any round.]

[I see… But it’s understandable. The gap between teams has narrowed recently, but in the past, there was a significant difference in power even within the clan.]

[Now, here’s a question for you all. What’s the biggest reason for the recent narrowing of the power gap between teams?]

After a brief silence, Thomas, the caster, revealed the answer.

[It’s because of Triunfo Clan’s ‘New Recruit Training Center’! As outstanding rookies trained at this center started joining each team, the gap between teams gradually narrowed.]

[In fact, Triunfo is known for being the best at improving the skills of new clan members among all the Major Clans in the Sselepoh continent, right?]

[That’s right! And the notable individuals who graduated from this training center, which is Triunfo’s pride, are…]

The two commentators continued to boast about the training center.

“But the participants in this competition have nothing to do with the training center, right?”

Dio, the vice-master of Hunter Team 9, who was sitting in the front row, asked Sergio, the head of the evaluation team, who was sitting next to him.

Sergio replied,

“Right. They were all handpicked by the team leaders. But the viewers will think they all graduated from the training center, right?”

“Probably. They won’t know that they were brought in through connections.”

“That’s what the headquarters is aiming for. They’re subtly spreading the information that Alopsky and the others are graduates of the training center to encourage viewers to join the Triunfo Clan.”

“Hmm… But do they really need to deceive people like this for publicity? It’s Triunfo, after all.”

“You don’t understand.”

Sergio said firmly.

“Do you know how many Major Clans there are in this Sselepoh City?”

“Uh… I don’t know the exact number, but aren’t there over 50?”

“Exactly 54. It’s not a small number like 5 or 10. There are over 50.”

“That’s because each country in the world has established a representative clan here, right?”

“That’s the problem.”

Sergio explained.

“Every country has a Major Clan established in this Sselepoh City, and superpowers like the US even have three Major Clans. As a result, over 50 clans have settled in the Center district.

In other words, the competition for recruiting new clan members is getting fiercer.”

“Hmm…”

“And the number of hunters coming to the Sselepoh continent has been decreasing every year.”

“Oh, really?”

“Pay attention to the news, man. The number of people on Earth is decreasing because of the portals appearing all over the world and the monsters emerging from them!”

“Ah, I know about that. I heard that only a third of Africa is left as a proper country.”

“Right. This means that the number of hunters coming to the Sselepoh continent will continue to decrease. And the competition for recruiting new members among Major Clans will become even more intense.”

“Ah~! So that’s why they’re openly promoting the training center? They’re saying, ‘Look how strong the hunters we trained are, so trust us and join our clan’?”

“That’s right, man! You’re finally getting it.”

As they were talking,

[We’ll be arriving at the ‘Special Training Ground’ shortly.]

The bus driver’s voice echoed through the bus via the microphone.

The participants and the evaluation team, who were sitting inside, looked ahead.

They saw a large stadium-like building in the middle of the city.

‘We arrived pretty quickly.’

Kim Jinsung looked out the window at a sign that read “G-4”.

This was the Green district, located just outside the Center district.

The Triunfo Clan-owned stadium in the center of the G4 district was the venue for today’s second round.

* * *

A while later,

the ten newest members of each team gathered in a small room and listened to the PD’s explanation of this round.

“I’ll now explain the second round, which will begin at 7 PM. First…”

The PD tapped the large screen with his finger. The words “Team Battle” appeared in the center.

‘…It’s really a team battle.’

As he recalled his conversation with Ricardo yesterday, the PD continued.

“This round is a team battle, with five members on each side, making it a 5 vs 5 match.

The match will be a siege battle. The team that destroys the opponent’s base, the ‘Nexus’, wins, regardless of the method.

Have you all heard of the popular game ‘ROL’ on Earth?”

Juan answered immediately,

“Round of Legends?”

(TLN: i hate it when koreans do this……. WHAT THE HELL IS ROL)

“Yes. You can think of it as a real-life version of that game.”

“Ah~!”

All ten participants exclaimed in understanding.

It was rare to find a young person in their twenties or thirties who didn’t know ROL, the most popular game in the world.

‘I’ve never played it.’

Of course, there were exceptions, like Kim Jinsung, who couldn’t even afford to buy a computer.

“I’m sure you all know, but I’ll explain the rules in detail just in case there’s someone who doesn’t.”

‘Of course.’

“But before that!”

The PD raised his voice.

“We’ll divide the teams first. There will be two teams, the Blue Team and the Red Team. The production team has already decided which team each member will be on.

We were originally going to divide the teams into odd and even numbers, like in previous competitions…”

‘But?’

Kim Jinsung raised an eyebrow as the PD trailed off.

“As you all know, there was a rather big ‘variable’ in the first round, wasn’t there?”

All eyes turned to Kim Jinsung at the PD’s words.

The PD, seeing their reaction, decided that further explanation was unnecessary and continued.

“So, many people pointed out that the balance would be severely disrupted if we divided the teams into odd and even numbers as usual.

Therefore, after much discussion, we decided to form the teams in a new way, balancing them as much as possible.”

He tapped the large screen again.

“We’ll now reveal the members of the Blue Team and the Red Team.”

The list appeared on the screen.

Blue Team: Participants from Teams 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10.

Red Team: Participants from Teams 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

“Huh?”

“No…!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

Juan from Team 1 and Luca from Team 2, the two strongest participants, had been assigned to the same team.

—