I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 81 Last Day

* * *

“Ugh. I’m dizzy.”

August.

The night sky was drenched by the light drizzle falling from above. The deepening darkness vividly indicated that the day was already over.

However, while the gamers belonging to the club and the independent users eligible to participate in the preliminary ranks were all taking an early rest in preparation for tomorrow, there were those who couldn’t sleep and were staying up just for tomorrow.

In the black building jokingly called Yeouido’s yeonyanggaeng, where the lights were still on, many ICARUS employees were still moving around.

The affiliations were diverse – TV and Yourspace, Tricky, and numerous other places were checking if there were any deficiencies in the Dark Zone AP soloing competition advertisements to be broadcast starting tomorrow, and furthermore, coordinating schedules and times with other broadcasters in the PR department.

The server management department was making every effort to ensure that the server would not crash, adjusting traffic routes, and guaranteeing the smooth operation of commentary, spectating, and observers that would be implemented from the middle to the end of the preliminary rank.

There were also program engineers repeatedly checking to ensure there were no errors in the match results calculated by the machines, some executives overseeing everything, and the cafeteria staff preparing late dinners or snacks for them.

And because transportation might stop running after their overtime work, there were those checking the sleeping facilities in the building and standing on duty.

Just because one person’s day ended didn’t guarantee the end of another’s day.

Meanwhile, in the PR department.

Amid those coordinating various things until the last minute, conversations began to emerge one by one.

As always, during the competition season, the inevitable topic arose: Would there be any outstanding individuals who advance to the finals with excellent results? If there were, where would they come from? Honestly, it didn’t matter much. They belonged to ICARUS, not the club.

It wasn’t extremely important, but it wasn’t unimportant either. Those who showed excellent performance – for instance, pro gamers – often received advertising model requests from ICARUS International.

Anyway, the members of the department had to be quick in acquiring information, and all the stories that emerged were based on information updated on average daily, sometimes hourly.

“How do you select 100 out of about 1500 people? Assuming all the pro first-team members make it up, are there any spots left? This is really brutal.”

“But AP soloing has a very fast player rotation speed, so it’s not something to think too seriously about.”

“That’s true. Which team will be strong this time? Reaper Infected? Xi? Arcadia Games or TK1?”

“Who knows? It might be SSM.”

“They’re really serious about nurturing their secondary players. I get that all the first-team members were eliminated in the Asian preliminaries two years ago, and Dice had to work alone… ”

“We’ll have to see again this time. Are there any notable players among the non-pros?”

“We’ll find out toward the end of the preliminary rank. For now, it’s uncertain….”

Amid such ongoing conversations, a sudden spark flew to the side.

“Deputy Jincheol… Oh right, you had additional tasks recently. Any notable points? Any difficulties?”

“Ah, it wasn’t too difficult. The last task was just about testifying regarding a user’s hack suspicion.”

“Was the work wrapped up well?”

“Yes. The evidence was so clear that it was resolved with just that.”

“Good. Since it involves an Awakened, report immediately if anything happens.”

Fortunately, it ended with that… but that didn’t mean it didn’t make one feel itchy to talk. The ‘notable non-pro’ they were talking about was the Awakened person he knew.

Even though these people were well-versed in all sorts of information, they didn’t know everything. Especially since it had only been less than a month since Yoo Jin entered the game scene and showed such skills, it could be dismissed as unbelievable.

Or maybe, they just didn’t know.

Whatever the case, they were still a notch below professional analysts affiliated with pro teams who practically bet their lives on information. Meaning, their sharpness couldn’t match those who controlled the direction of the teams through data.

Anyway, unlike the unexpectedly uneventful matter, for those in the know, curiosity was inevitable.

What kind of storm would that user stir?

It remained a secret joy for the few who knew.

Meanwhile, what was that user doing now?

­[Nyanyanya Aunt─────!!!］

­“Damn it! Damn milf-loving Cthulhu mythos Nyarlathotep noona, where are you going?!”

“…Even if I were Nyanyanya Aunt, I’d have run away too. That’s right, Reformed Yoo Jin.”

At the end of the Lovecraft dating sim, I was barely steering a ship full of perverted sailors.

“Nyanyanya Aunt….”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Monday, 10 AM.

Two hours before the preliminary rank opened – in a dedicated space within the virtual reality for SSM.

Regardless of soloing, duo, or squad, all AP pro gamers of SSM were gathered in a surreal auditorium, staring at the screen in front.

In a way, it was the last lecture before the preliminary rank, and in another way, it was the final conference for morale boosting and alleviating anxiety.

In any case, they were about to face not only other teams but also competition within their own team, as always – applause and support for the victors, consolation for the losers.

In short, it was about giving the final instructions for the match and emphasizing the spirit of fair play.

Of course, in the midst of it all, Dice, who had unexpectedly witnessed a bizarre dating sim she had never experienced before while tuning into Yoo Jin’s stream yesterday, was only half-listening.

In fact, it didn’t really matter if someone like her didn’t participate. She had safely participated in the Asian preliminaries for three years and was one of the four who made it to the finals last year.

She was just passing through.

‘So this is why everyone watches streams….’

Anyway, her mind was still on yesterday.

Yoo Jin’s stream wasn’t the type to be incredibly amusing. There were plenty of gentle laughs, but it wasn’t a stream that kept you laughing continuously due to high tension.

But how should I put it? The gap between her ironclad persona during scrims and the casual remarks she made during that bizarre game – it was fascinating.

She could laugh, had preferences, and reacted consistently to the absurd progress of the strange game. It was a novelty.

So she ended up giggling until the end of the stream yesterday….

“Dice, stop laughing and come out to share some useful tips with everyone.”

“No, that’s a bit….”

But the fact that attention was drawn to her didn’t bode well, and she eventually found herself on the stage amidst a burst of applause.

It wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, she was quite used to it – she had somewhat predicted it. She was one of SSM’s top pro gamers and made it to the finals last year.

Dice grabbed the microphone and started speaking.

“Does anyone here not understand the preliminary rank rules?”

Of course, no one raised their hand. If someone did, it would be a problem.

Since there wasn’t much to do until the preliminary rank started at noon, she decided to say what she wanted now that she was on stage.

“Then that’s good. Anyway, by now, everyone should have their preliminary rank schedules, and some of you might be in the same room. Of course, you won’t know which room until you enter, so it’s not that important….”

Preliminary rank.

From this point on, unlike the regular ranks, you couldn’t significantly change the ranking just by investing time. You received an invitation code for a room that only opened at specific times and had to achieve excellent results in that session to rise in rank.

In essence, it was a kind of online competition.

“From now on, the broadcast rooms will be active, so don’t carelessly use any hidden tactics or tricks. Of course, if you hit your skill limit, there’s no helping it, but to be blunt, if you struggle from the preliminary rank, it will be tough moving forward.”

Broadcast rooms becoming active.

This meant that outsiders could officially spectate the matches, and in other words, overseas analysts would be keenly watching and analyzing every move and tactic.

Of course, tactics were – although her thoughts had somewhat changed due to Yoo Jin’s lecture – essentially a standardized ad hoc strategy, which was an oxymoron, and at least in Asia, it didn’t matter much.

In other words, the finals….

She didn’t even want to think about it.

Just in time, questions started coming in one by one.

The endless loop of questions she had faced after returning from the finals last year resurfaced in her mind, but what could she do?

She had no choice but to say what she could.

“How was the level in the finals?”

“You’ll see things beyond your imagination.”

It could be described in many ways, but one way was feeling like ingredients in a blender.

Even amidst the barrage of questions, Dice’s mind was already flashing back to past memories. Despite fighting fiercely, they were outmatched in every aspect – movement, reaction speed, mobility using cover.

It felt like fighting a bulldozer wrapped in bulletproof plates with auto-aim turrets. A strong sense of helplessness and certainty that she couldn’t surpass that point surged.

Quick and natural aiming, decisive firing, precise bullet grouping without an inch of deviation, frightening reaction speed, and ruthless close combat.

‘They didn’t seem to come to play a game….’

How should I put it?

She came back deeply realizing how scary it was to make enemies of the U.S. military.

In that

sense, these people were working hard to walk into hell. Such cheeky thoughts crossed her mind, but it wasn’t good to voice them.

Not when countless bloody competitions were ahead, including herself.

However, this year, for some reason, she couldn’t give up.

It wasn’t merely because of the inherent desire to win, but simply… the desire to follow someone’s path, walk together, and see how far that person’s predetermined end would go.

It was a strange motivation to set as a goal, but it was an undeniable driving force.

“How many of you have played North American ranks?”

Everyone quickly raised their hands.

Of course, it was obvious that none of them were as dedicated to North American rank games as they were to Korean servers. Even if they tried hard, there weren’t more than SOF members.

And essentially, the important thing was – the real hellish battlegrounds they could experience weren’t the North American ranks.

Only she had participated in scrims hosted in North America after the Asian preliminaries, and there was no need to explain it. It was like a slightly degraded version of the finals.

So she added.

“It would be great to participate in North American scrims after passing the Asian preliminaries…. Anyway, if you get the chance, make sure to join the practice matches held in the U.S.

The AP soloing winner who can become the only one in the world… will have to walk a thorny path beyond imagination to get there. I guarantee it.”

There wasn’t much else to say.

“Let’s meet in the Asian preliminaries.”

That was the only blessing she could offer.