Side Story 4. One heart field day (3)

–As expected of the wonderful headquarters Field Operations Bureau! This much is easy, right? Then let's raise it by 3m!

Gigigik–

The crane extended its neck upwards. Faced with a sight never seen at ordinary field days, the expressions of those including Ayoung became aghast.

"Our Ayoung, hang in there!"

"Woof! Woof!"

"You're amazing, Lee Ayoung! Ayoung can do it! You're doing great! You hurry up and cheer too!"

"Do well..."

Ayoung burst into laughter hearing the familiar voices from the tent. Her cheeks twitched so much they hurt, making her even more determined not to lose.

At 23m, two people were eliminated, and two including Ayoung barely succeeded in the mission. The last one was Team 1's deputy Kim Dan-ah.

She was still fiddling with the pole with a puzzled expression. Then she raised her hand towards the judge.

"You said proper use of abilities is key, so it's okay to use our special abilities, right?"

The judge answered that it would be accepted as long as she used the pole to jump up. Kim Dan-ah nodded and raised the pole, taking a running start.

As she ran in large strides, her feet kicked off the ground first to jump. Then, in mid-air, she thrust the pole downwards.

Pak!!!

The end of the pole struck not the ground, but a wide, transparent shield spread about 10m above the ground.

The pole, using the shield as a foothold higher than the ground, propelled Kim Dan-ah even higher. It was an incredibly ingenious use of her special ability, Shield.

"I'm glad I came out."

Kim Dan-ah, who also landed easily using her shield, walked out with a gentle smile on her face.

–Yes, this is the picture I wanted! Deputy Kim Dan-ah, success!

Seeing that scene, Soram made a face like a screaming painting.

"No...! Lee Aila, you go there too and jump up together with your back!"

"Woof?"

"Soram oppa, I'm fine! I can do it well enough!"

After a fierce competition, Team 1 took 1st place in the pole vault, and Team 7 took 2nd. Despite being a deputy, the 2nd-grade hunter produced an astonishing result far surpassing the 1st-grade. Moreover, Kim Dan-ah was originally a crossbow-using hunter, ranking low even among 2nd-grades in arm strength. Points were distributed differentially to each team according to the unexpected rankings.

"Ahh, so close, so close! I could have cleared that last one too!"

"No, our Ayoung did plenty well. You're the best!"

"Hey, Kim Dan-ah! That was amazing! To use it like that... Keu!"

"Kim Ga-eul, it hurts! I'll break my arm here after clearing the pole well!"

"Looks like we need to come up with a proper strategy from the next round, huh?"

The large electronic display board showed the faces of each team captured by the cameras. Though it would be broadcast as edited footage, the sight of hunters engrossed like children was sure to make for quite an interesting scene.

It would also be a highly effective means of informing the public about the safety of the hunters who had fought the 4th Great Rift. It was also perfect for highlighting other hunters who had received relatively less attention than the 1st-grade hunters. The scream of joy that erupted from the audience seats came from the head of the headquarters' PR department.

The radically changed method of public training made it feel all the more real that the director had changed. Even Park Jae-seon, the former director, looked at Director Shin with a proud face. Of course, his face was also full of interest.

2ND MATCH ― Breaking the Gourd

The next event was revealed.

The hunters were guided to an open space outside the baseball field. There, seven large gourds were hanging from thick iron poles. The material of the gourds, which dazzlingly reflected the sunlight, was not the thin paper commonly used in field days, but thick chunks of metal.

It was one of the creations of the technology department, which had voluntarily been working suspicious overtime for days in this peaceful period.

–Now, now, the rules are, as you know, to rank based on who breaks the gourd first. However, attacks are only possible with the bean bags placed on the ground! Whether it's special abilities or physical attacks, direct hits are fouls and result in immediate disqualification.

As explained, bean bags were scattered around the gourds.

Each team discussed who should go out with a much more serious attitude than before. Meanwhile, black hands blinded by competitiveness secretly reached out to the field. Hunters with invisibility abilities, quick hands, or telekinesis from each team had stolen one bean bag each and started analyzing them.

"Han Tae-un, did you bring it?"

"...Yeah."

"What, you only brought this much?"

For Team 7 too, Tae-un had discreetly pulled two bean bags with his gravity manipulation. Under Soram's scolding, Tae-un gained his first record of ‘theft’ in life.

Ayoung, who was pressing the bean bags Tae-un had procured here and there, said:

"I guess it should be Tae-un oppa? You can throw the hardest, right?"

"No. If I throw this with all my might, I think the cloth will tear before it reaches the gourd."

"Ah... So the bean bag itself is really weak. Then Ga-eul unnie can't go out either. Hmm. Then should Soram oppa make it fly swoosh swoosh?"

"I can make it float too, but it's hard to keep imagining that the bean bag will ride it. The shape is just..."

As they were all 1st-grade, anyone from Team 7 would perform averagely, but it didn't seem like they could create as much synergy as Kim Dan-ah in the previous game.

"Should I go?"

Park Jae-seon, who was sitting with them, asked. The gazes of the other three converged on him.

"Do you have some kind of strategy?"

"Would I need anything as grand as a strategy?"

Park Jae-seon, who had taken a bean bag, lightly tossed it up and caught it. The bean bag that returned to his palm now had a solid ice wall on it.

"It doesn't seem difficult."

"...!"

Soram and Ayoung's faces brightened. Even a short exclamation escaped from Tae-un's mouth.

"W-wow!"

"Director, with this...!"

"Shh. Strategies shouldn't be exposed."

Ayoung and Soram quickly shut their mouths, but their uncontainable excitement was expressed through their nostrils instead.

"Then I'll go make our Flight Team number one."

"You're so cool! Director, you're the best!"

Soram shouted like an idol fan watching the stage up close. The director, who received fervent support, walked to Team 7's gourd.

The hunters from other teams flinched momentarily at Park Jae-seon's appearance, but soon welcomed him with cheers one by one. As long as it wasn't a one-on-one match, there was no reason not to welcome the opportunity to do anything with him.

"I may not be able to spar with you, Director, but I'll try to win with this!"

"Is that so? I don't intend to go easy either."

–A formidable player has appeared now! Well then, who will stage a legal rebellion today! Now, get ready.

Not only among the participants, but also among the hunters watching the game, an exciting tension swirled.

–Game start!

With the signal, the participants first bent down to pick up bean bags. Except for one person.

Contrary to the other six, Park Jae-seon jumped up into the air. A silvery-gray cold air rose from his palms pressed together.

Paak!

It became frost that froze the surroundings, spreading out to the left and right as if unfolding wings.

The cold air that originally bound the movements of mutants at the forefront of the battlefield this time arrived at the gourds of the opposing teams.

Jjang!

With an intense sound, the gourds of all teams except Team 7 froze solid white.

The hunters from each team threw the bean bags they had picked up with all their might, but the fragile bean bags burst like ripe persimmons without even shaking the frozen gourds. The dumbfounded gazes of the match participants turned to Park Jae-seon.

"I said I wouldn't go easy, didn't I?"

Park Jae-seon, who had completely sealed the gourds of the opposing teams, leisurely picked up a bean bag and surrounded it with ice.

'...No, is he competing so unfairly?'

It wasn't that this thought didn't cross everyone's minds. But their respect for Park Jae-seon prevented that thought from being expressed outwardly. Surely this person must have some grand intention. He must. Some greater cause that ordinary people couldn't think of...

But when the ice ball thrown by Park Jae-seon hit Team 7's gourd with a clang!, making it sway noisily, the other six snapped to their senses.

"Block the director, no, the agency director first!"

"Ground teams, unite!"

Park Jae-seon picked up a new bean bag and froze it.

Pueok!

The attack was kicked away by a hunter who desperately jumped up before it could reach the gourd. The ice bean bag that flew in a different direction collided with a broken streetlight, snapping its waist.

Meanwhile, two other hunters stood in front of Team 7's gourd like goalkeepers, and the remaining four surrounded the director, on edge for when he might attack.

Whik–!

"Hut!"

"Hraap!"

Park Jae-seon's subsequent attacks were all thoroughly blocked. Soram, who had been watching the situation, rushed out of the tent and shook his fist at Director Shin on the platform.

"Where's the referee? Director, look at this! It's 6 against 1, that's cheating!"

–Ah, you mean the 1 in the 6 vs 1 is cheating?

"That's right!"

"It's despicable to unleash a single-digit world ranker among six fragile hunters!"