I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 78 Theory and Practice

* * *

“….”

As soon as the engagement ended, silence lingered.

Silence could usually be divided into two categories.

One was when people witnessed something so shocking they couldn’t say a word, and the other was when they had so many thoughts they completely missed the timing to speak.

Today, those who had gathered to listen to Yoo Jin’s lecture were closer to the latter.

Before entering actual combat, what she emphasized could be summed up as the purposefulness of actions.

In other words, she was not just training them to develop improvisational skills to break through combat situations, but rather to see every action as a step towards systematically eliminating the enemy.

Perhaps because the content was slightly different in direction, Yoo Jin’s lecture didn’t go beyond being considered exotic until the actual combat began.

Although divided into the first and second teams and the lower league, the feedback and lectures they had received so far, albeit with some numerical differences, were at a fairly high level.

After all, they were in a competitive arena gathering top players who played Apex Predator, and even though it was within the game, they were practicing how to effectively kill their opponents.

But.

But how could that user… how could she nonchalantly destroy everything that the AP pro gaming scene had built up until now?

However, now was not the time to question ‘why is that possible,’ but rather to ponder ‘how is that possible.’ It would take a little more time for the two players to return from the engagement, and everyone began to review the match just now with their own logic.

But in conclusion, they still couldn’t figure it out. Honestly, in some aspects, it even seemed ordinary. Just a normal engagement. It seemed like something they could do too.

Of course, as time went by───

­[Notification: Engagement Ended.]

­[Notification: Username ­Yoo Jin­ is currently on a 15-win streak.]

Even after an hour had passed, no one had been able to defeat Yoo Jin.

Even Dice, who racked his brain with various hypotheses, couldn’t come up with a plausible answer.

The only progress they had made was that, according to the analysis results from SSM’s analyzing engine, everyone realized that Yoo Jin’s actions had a definite direction.

She used various tricks and confusion to completely disrupt the opponent’s judgment, and during the moment when the opponent’s caution was eliminated due to their actions, she accurately penetrated. It was closer to penetrating through than merely exploiting a gap.

No one could break that flow and they were all swept away by the storm, scattered into pieces.

As the winner and loser stepped out, Yoo Jin, who had removed her protective gear, walked forward.

“Then, let’s start the feedback in earnest.”

It was the beginning.

Before officially starting her coaching duties, she first looked at the parts where there had been the most questions. Perhaps it was only natural, but the first match ranked highest.

Thinking about how to structure the lecture, she decided it would be best to explain the principles of action first and then take real-time questions on unclear parts.

While she was pondering this, various screens popped up in her mind.

“I will take questions in real-time, so please keep that in mind… Let’s start dissecting this step by step.”

Four screens floated in the air. Each was a first-person view, but at the same time, various mini-maps were displayed next to them.

The first screen showed actions to locate the opponent’s position. Based on the rough examination of the map’s structure, there were an abnormal number of hiding spots and too many visual obstructions.

Creating anxiety by shooting in all directions and using the noise when the enemy aimed here and there to track their location was one way, but today, she refrained from using such methods as much as possible.

There was also a reason why she didn’t use fishing lines or tripwire traps, which she had used frequently before.

She was here today to give a lecture, which meant teaching methods that everyone could follow, not techniques that only she could easily use to incapacitate the enemy.

This was why she carried a PDA and Surefire flash for the first match. The PDA was an item that could be obtained everywhere in the research facility map to understand Juggernaut’s patrol route, and the latter was the same.

The rules for the tournament applied to the matches, which meant there were many engagements and the tempo of the game itself was fast. In other words, it meant that various tactical equipment could be acquired in just a few minutes. The flash was no exception.

Therefore, the method she thought of on the spot was to use the flash to confuse the location tracking.

Fortunately, it worked better than she expected.

At that moment, the screen showed her placing the flash in various locations. Given the nature of the ICARUS Device, it didn’t require pressing a button with a finger; it could be turned on or off automatically when desired or when aiming forward.

She utilized this feature.

“That’s the method I chose, but honestly, it doesn’t matter much which method you choose. Ultimately, these actions are meant to disrupt the enemy’s concentration.”

“What would you have done if that method hadn’t worked?”

Someone raised their hand and asked just in time.

She answered without hesitation.

“As I said, it wouldn’t have mattered much. From the moment the enemy shot at me, both of our approximate positions were revealed, so from then on, all I had to do was think about closing the distance.”

She had already taught them that her combat doctrine wasn’t complicated.

Identify the enemy, accurately locate them, and then close the distance.

The entire process was not tightly interlocked but rather allowed for some gaps, making it closer to gradual approach. The methodology didn’t matter much.

After explaining up to this point, she quickly added.

“For those who are still curious, let’s consider a few alternatives. For example, throwing one or two grenades in succession and then rapidly closing the distance, or activating the PDA alarm while intentionally making noise to interfere with sound play and lure them out….”

A common point was emerging.

Through various methods, block the enemy’s choices while seizing the initiative. The one choosing the engagement location and timing should be oneself, not the enemy.

The explosion of the grenade followed by the PDA’s vibration sound successfully diverted the enemy’s attention before they could devise another method, causing them to be distracted by the noise instead of thinking of a third option.

In conclusion, the key was to prevent the enemy from coming up with a better method.

From that perspective, creating noise was always effective as it blocked the emergence of choices while making it easier for her to change positions.

The third screen appeared.

The enemy aimed at the place where she ‘had been’ and approached, only to be hit by a bullet fired from afar and quickly took cover. Meanwhile, she swiftly closed the distance, and Pigeon used a smoke grenade to escape instead of returning fire.

However, there was nowhere to go.

Cornered in a dead end, he was blown to pieces.

“…That’s it for now. Also, to see a different scenario, let’s move on to the second video.”

All the videos floating in the air began to change.

The seventh match. Besides herself, there was a familiar sight ­ Dice’s blonde hair was shaking wildly in the middle of the urban combat area of an abandoned training ground.

Watching the pattern of the previous engagements carefully, Dice approached in a way that had never been tried before ­ specifically, she avoided early combat as much as possible and waited for the cooldown of the scanning pulse.

Then, after closing the distance based on the footprints left in the sand, she used the pulse to accurately locate her, but as soon as she was detected, Yoo Jin used grenades to distract her.

Being detected by the pulse meant the opponent was within at least 25 meters, and at such times, throwing grenades around the estimated location could neutralize this advantage.

What followed was quite interesting. Having learned a lot from the previous highest difficulty level, Dice retreated from cover to cover at a speed that made it impossible for her to catch up as soon as the grenades exploded.

What followed was literally a direct confrontation.

After the five-minute skill suspension time passed, the cooldowns were significantly reduced compared to before. Hence, seeker mines and pulses flew everywhere, and Dice fought tooth and nail, seemingly unable to tolerate her staying in one place.

In a way, Dice grasped the essence of the lecture very accurately.

No matter what method was used, she eliminated the enemy’s advantageous position, creating a field to fight at least on equal terms.

It was a stark contrast to her early days when she fell for simple psychological warfare and was blown to pieces.

There was quite a bit to say.

“As you can see, this match has a very different engagement pattern compared to the previous one. What you should focus on is the latter part, where the field completely breaks down, and victory is determined almost purely by shooting.”

Only one’s eyes, breath, aiming skills, and sharp senses remained, with no other factors intervening. This was the realm of physicality.

This was why they practiced shooting, CQB, aiming, ambidextrous shooting, tactical reloads, and transitions between primary and secondary weapons.

In other words, these were not unnecessary, but there were specific times when they were needed.

While continuing the explanation, her mind was spinning.

Dice.

She hadn’t really thought about it before ­ and considering she was often lenient with those around her ­ but Dice had more talent than she expected. Specifically, she felt inclined to conduct individual training with her.

Although she hadn’t worked in other teams yet, and therefore couldn’t guarantee that there were no players with similar skills elsewhere, ultimately, wasn’t it first-come, first-served?

How far could she go?

Having established some rapport, wouldn’t it be fair to at least give her a ticket to the main round, beyond the Asian qualifiers?

It was just simple curiosity.

Perhaps this playful nature of mine, which hadn’t changed despite five years of hardship, was still within me.

After pausing briefly to clear her throat, she continued.

“…I think the basic lecture is roughly over. From now on, we will proceed with individual feedback. The order will be the same as before, starting with the first match and the seventh match, and then sequentially from the second match.”

She checked the time briefly.

Two hours had already passed.

“Before that, let’s take a break after answering a few questions. Is that alright?”

There were no objections.

“Then, does anyone have any questions?”

Swoosh.

With those words… countless hands immediately shot up, filling the front.

Over thirty people raised their hands instantly, looking at her with determined expressions.

…This wasn’t what she had expected?