Game Tips

3... 2... 1...

LET THE GAME BEGIN!

The square arena shimmered, shifting before my eyes. The edges blurred, expanding outward as the once rigid battlefield transformed into a massive circular arena. Below me, my chosen Little Legend, Emberwing, flapped its ember-colored wings, hovering eagerly. Across from me, my opponent's companion, a small, rolling golem tumbled forward with surprising agility.

At the center of the battlefield, ten Hunters circled in a slow, walking motion. My opponent wasted no time. His golem rumbled forward, rolling toward the nearest Hunter. The moment it made contact, a glowing tether connected the two, signifying his successful selection.

So that's how it works.

I focused on Emberwing and wondered how to make it move. Before I could even lift a hand, I imagined it darting forward, and just like that, it obeyed. Emberwing flapped its wings, gliding toward Raiken, the Burning Blade exactly as I taught. 

It wasn't a click-to-move system. It wasn't even voice-activated. It was pure, thought-based control.

A grin tugged at the corner of my lips.

The moment I selected my Hunter, a miniature version of it materialized on the side of my chessboard. It stood there like a figurine, waiting. My eyes flicked across the board, quickly noting the layout of nine empty slots.

So I could recruit up to nine Hunters?

Before I could analyze further, the arena shifted again. The circular battlefield collapsed inward, reshaping itself back into the original square arena.

Then, like a floodgate opening, memories surged back.

The mechanics, the strategies, and the thrill of the match all came rushing in, and with it, a familiar feeling burned inside me.

Pure excitement!!!

In the arena, I noticed my opponent was gone.

Instead, below me, two goblins stood at the ready, their crude weapons raised.

I picked up my Hunter's miniature and placed it on the chessboard. The moment I did, it materialized on the battlefield below, standing firm against the goblins.

Then, the countdown hit zero.

Go.

My Hunter lunged forward, engaging the goblins in combat. As I mentally commanded it to attack and defend, it responded instantly slashing, dodging, and countering with precision.

In mere seconds, both goblins lay defeated.

As the goblins vanished into particles of light, they left behind a small pile of gold and a few shimmering Hunter Orbs. Before I could move, Emberwing fluttered over, letting out a tiny roar as it eagerly scooped up the rewards.

A notification appeared before me.

[Level Up!]

My level increased by one, and with it, a new slot was unlocked on my chessboard. I could now place 2 Hunter. The bottom of the chessboard lit up, and a row of hunters materialized before me.

Each one had a price tag in gold, and beneath them, a few buttons offered additional options. [Reroll for 2 gold] [Buy EXP for 4 gold]

As the game commenced, my confidence soared.

I had four units, including a 2-star Raiken with a few items on the PVP part of the match, while my opponent only had three 1-star hunters with an item or two. On paper, this was an easy win. The sheer difference in unit strength and numbers should have crushed him.

But the moment our hunters clashed, I realized this guy knew how to play.

His hunter movements were precise, dodging my attacks at the last second and weaving through openings. He positioned his units perfectly, forcing my hunters into bad trades while maximizing his damage output.

For a brief moment, I thought I might lose, if it weren't for my 2-star Raiken, who turned the tide with sheer brute force, I definitely would have.

...

How?!

That was the only question racing through my mind.

I had won most of the PvP rounds, barely, but a win was a win. Yet somehow, the game ended with... Him having three 3-star hunters with 10 units in the arena. While I have one 3-star Raiken with only 8 units on the board. 

How did this happen? Where did I go wrong?

Then the round began with me having only 3 HP left.

He smiled at me, a knowing grin."Having a strong start doesn't mean winning the game," he said, his tone calm but firm.

I frowned. Wasn't that the whole point?

"There's more to this than just brute force. You need to manage your gold, understand interest, and plan ahead. The more gold you save, the more you earn each round. It's called interest, and it lets you snowball your economy."

I swallowed hard. I hadn't even considered that.

"And then there's the hunters themselves," he continued. "They're a finite resource. The more you buy, the lower the chances of finding that same hunter again. And since every player pulls from the same pool…"

My eyes widened as realization struck. "You bought the hunters I needed."

He smirked. "Exactly."

He leaned back, arms crossed, watching me piece it all together.

"Knowing the abilities of your hunters can be a game-changer," he added. "Even with a weaker lineup, if you position correctly and time your abilities well, you can outplay a stronger opponent."

I clenched my fists. So it wasn't just about having stronger units, it was about how you used them.

He chuckled. "You're getting it now. A well-placed stun, a clutch heal, dodging at the right moment it all matters. This isn't just a game of strength. It's a game of strategy."

After the game was finished He waved and said good luck on my upcoming games. The arena returned to a table and I sat there, replaying everything he had said in my mind.

Gold management, resource denial, positioning, timing… It all connected.

I had focused too much on brute force, thinking that if I just had stronger hunters, I would win. But in reality, strength alone wasn't enough.

And if I wanted to win… I had to start thinking like a strategist.

With this in mind, I started by analyzing every hunter's abilities and committing them to memory. Some had powerful burst skills, while others provided buffs or debuffs that could turn the tide of battle.

Then, I moved on to synergies. Each hunter belonged to a class and an origin, and when combined correctly, they provided a powerful buff.

Armed with new knowledge, I entered my next game with a different mindset. The moment the game started, I could tell my opponent was a complete beginner.

I looked at him and said, "Good luck! Let's have a good match."

He seemed surprised for a moment before nodding. "Yeah! Same to you!"

As the game progressed, I dominated from start to finish. Every lesson my first opponent had drilled into me the importance of gold management, unit synergies, and ability timing played a crucial role in my victory.

But rather than just crushing my opponent outright, I decided to help him along the way. Whenever I saw him making a mistake, I gave him small tips on how to position his hunters better, when to reroll, and which units worked well together.

At first, he hesitated, unsure if he should listen to his opponent. But as he followed my advice, I saw his gameplay improve little by little.

By the time the match ended and I secured my victory, he looked at me and smiled. "Thanks for the tips! That actually helped a lot."

I nodded, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction.

As the arena faded away, transforming back into the familiar table setting, I noticed something new. Casual Match was now unlocked.

Curious, I selected it and queued up.

The moment the match began, I was met with a surprise. Instead of just one opponent, seven other players stood around the board, each carefully selecting their first hunter.

A grin spread across my face. Playing against a single opponent was fun, but a full lobby of eight players? That was an entirely different challenge.

And I was ready for it.

I was completely immersed in the matches I played, carefully managing my gold, planning my rerolls, and adapting to my opponents' strategies.

Then, out of nowhere, a game notification popped up in front of me:

[Warning: Your mana has dropped to 10%. For your safety, you will be logged out in 10 seconds.]

I blinked. Mana?

Once I was back in reality, I immediately checked my mana reserve and just as the system had warned, it was at 10%. I started playing with 60% of my mana so 10% can give me 1hr of playtime for the game.

I took a deep breath, assessing myself. No dizziness, no exhaustion. I felt fine. Then I noticed something. My overall mana capacity had increased.

Curious, I tried activating an ability. To my surprise, the mana cost had decreased, not by much, but it was noticeable.

Did... did playing the game somehow increase my mana and refine my control over it?

If that was the case, then this was big news, not just for me, but for every Hunter in the country. A system that could increase and refine mana just by playing a game? That was unheard of.

Compared to the current training methods, which were grueling, repetitive, and inefficient, this was on an entirely different level. And the best part?

It was fun.

And here I thought I could finally have a good weekend, just playing the whole day. But this... this was too important to ignore.

I reached for my phone and dialed a number. The moment they picked up, I didn't waste any time.

"Tell everyone in the guild that we're having an emergency meeting in one hour. At the guild building."

The voice on the other end didn't hesitate.

"Yes, Guild Master."