Chapter 264 – Living Legend
“Ha ha, oh my goodness.”
The first thing I remembered was the earth-shattering vibration.
A buggy, weighing hundreds of kilograms, almost reaching a ton, moving at 80 km/h, suddenly crashed into the ground. The immense inertia created was enough to launch my body forward, even hurling me into the sky would have been normal. Unfortunately, the buggy’s frame was too confined to eject anyone.
As I awkwardly tumbled out of the hard seat, every bone in my body shattered. My neck broke miserably when my head slammed into the front of the vehicle. Death was already certain by that point, but the vehicle’s explosion sealed my fate.
Flames filled my vision.
Despite applying conventional pressure, a single unforeseen variable could crumble everything built up, shifting victory to the loser and vice versa.
With a rare, blank expression, I was organizing my thoughts on the bed. How much time had passed?
Someone, having heard of my demise, knocked urgently on my door.
“Lancer, Lancer! Is Carmen here?”
“Yes, come in.”
The door opened, and the coach entered. He too couldn’t hide his dumbfounded look, or the expression of having been struck hard. The difference between the dead and the witness was only a thin paper-thin margin.
The brief silence didn’t last long as the coach opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…Did you see the canister launch?”
“Did you?”
He shook his head in despair. He must have checked from both first-person and third-person perspectives, switching between free views. But if he couldn’t see it himself, how could anyone else?
The chain gun mounted on the vehicle, its firing noise, muzzle flash, the buggy’s uniquely obstructive frame, the urgency of the situation… all these minor variables I didn’t even pay attention to had no direct impact. Instead, they only made identifying significant variables that much harder.
This was the result.
The coach cautiously pulled over a chair and sat, looking into the air as if unsure what to say.
“We need to debrief on why you died, but in reality… that situation reversing wasn’t something you could have prevented.”
“…”
I couldn’t help it. Those words weighed heavily on me.
In the game, no coincidence acts independently. The implication of this result was clear – the person who engaged Lancer merely used quick wits and skill to overcome the situation.
In other words, I lost.
Lancer laughed in disbelief and added.
“…So, who was the user I fought?”
“Dice.”
“Hm.”
Yoo Jin’s first disciple.
A blade honed with all a monster’s might.
At that moment, Lancer erased the fading image of last year from his mind – his only memory of Dice was that she was the second of the four female users who made it to the finals a year ago.
Not anymore.
She now leaped into Lancer’s mind as one of the top threats to be wary of, and the result was far from trivial. Especially considering a single moment’s quick thinking could reverse the tide of battle in real combat.
More than anything….
“I remember Dice didn’t have any military experience.”
A brief nod.
I didn’t know what to say. As an ex-Secret Service agent, losing to someone who never stepped foot in the military… but that thought soon faded. Dice earned her spot in the final championship through her skill, so her background didn’t matter much.
In a world where virtual reality had become widespread, it wasn’t uncommon for untrained individuals to exhibit professional prowess. Dice was proof of that.
The conversation continued.
“What was it like? Did she adhere to the manual and basics? Or did she do the opposite?”
“It’s closer to maximizing unpredictable creativity based on solid fundamentals. Her driving skills are also out of this world. If it’s urban warfare, she’s likely above top-tier operators.”
“Hard to imagine.”
Even experienced combatants who were accustomed to battle rarely actively utilized surrounding terrain and led engagements through it. Situations and terrain changed every minute and every second.
All previous tactics were based on this fact, but if faced with a different principle of action….
Who knows.
After a brief sigh, a hologram popped up in the air. It was customary for eliminated players to watch the match results. About 10 minutes had passed since Lancer’s elimination, and the total number of users had already decreased to 43.
And yet, no Korean players had been eliminated.
Analyzing the kill log, Lancer added.
“The Korean team came prepared.”
The kill log was filled with skill, skill, and more skill….
Even if not all kills were solely by skills, what percentage of the entire process of killing a person did not involve skills? How many faced situations they had never experienced before, tried to overcome them, and ended up back in the lobby?
This clearly showed that all Korean users were on a flow completely detached from the so-called ‘meta.’ Knowing all elements of skills and understanding when and how they worked.
After thinking for a while, he added quietly.
“The more lessons we accumulate, the clearer the picture of how to deal with them will become. We need to grasp that picture before all the final championship matches end.”
“…Is that possible?”
“It must be.”
Otherwise, it would be too late.
Though I said that, no answer returned.
The first match was racing toward its end.
***
“The match is nearing its conclusion. Outside, the sandstorm rages endlessly. Only about five minutes remain until the kill zone completely narrows.”
“The remaining participants are Logan and Yoo Jin, just the two of them. They are users who have caused literal storms in Apex Predator recently. We can’t wait to see what kind of match they’ll put on.”
The shallow silence filled Madison Square Garden. Only the sound of the sandstorm raging outside and the ominous background music that only external viewers could hear.
In the tension that felt like even breathing would stop, two people slowly approached the giant hangar. In the space with numerous containers, all-terrain vehicles, and various construction materials, only silence flowed.
As many as the viewers, so were the diverse predictions. Most mainstream predictions anticipated – or rather, hoped for – an acrobatic skirmish that capitalized on the manifesters’ physical abilities, while some more pessimistic viewers speculated that the outcome would be decided like a bolt of lightning in a dull final moment.
However, the moment Yoo Jin and Logan stepped into the hangar simultaneously, all those predictions vanished into thin air.
“Ah, the two players… each of them… continuously scouting the surroundings and setting something down. We can’t even begin to guess what they’re doing!”
Between the wheels of the vehicles.
Under the containers.
In the gaps between construction materials.
Anywhere that a person could possibly pass through. It was as if they mirrored each other’s actions, moving in erratic routes and repeating similar behaviors as if they had agreed on it beforehand.
As a suffocating tension flowed between virtual and real life,
───!
Yoo Jin cautiously stopped in one place and scrutinized a specific spot.
But the stillness didn’t last long. At that moment, she pulled out a Seeker Mine from the pouch she had been holding in reserve and rolled it onto the ground. The tracking mine flew across the ground faster than one could imagine, making a sound like a fuse being lit as it rolled.
But at that moment,
“Ugh!”
Bang!
Without a sound, a black object, a grenade, flew beautifully through the air toward Yoo Jin. She hastily aimed her gun into the air and pulled the trigger, hitting the grenade directly.
The Seeker Mine and grenade exploded simultaneously, merging into a single loud blast.
-Kaboom!
Both Yoo Jin and Logan took minor damage and retreated, eliciting gasps and cheers from the tens, hundreds, and even millions of viewers watching.
But it didn’t end there – the explosion of the grenade and Seeker Mine gave both of them a rough idea of each other’s location, leading to the start of a full-fledged battle in no time.
As the moment where their accumulated experience and skills truly shone, countless viewers were glued to their screens, unable to tear their eyes away.
Two people watched this scene leisurely from the break room.
“Aren’t you curious how many people will truly appreciate the essence of this skirmish?”
“Even if there are, the chances that agents from the Ministry of Defense will impose an embargo before they can discuss the skirmish in detail are several times higher.”
“Haha, of course.”
The hologram projector, without any time lag, projected the battle between Logan and Yoo Jin.
Shooting, dodging, throwing grenades, closing or widening the distance. An intense skirmish without the slightest gap. The density of the battle was such that any mediocre player who got involved would be shredded within seconds.
No one expected a 1v1 skirmish to be this thrilling, and in direct proportion, the countless viewers went wild.
But this was more than just a battle.
───Kaboom!
-What, what is this! A sudden explosion out of nowhere! Yoo Jin is engulfed in flames!
“It’s not out of nowhere, it’s a hidden trap… still, our junior got hit pretty hard.”
“Logan will end up like that soon.”
Those who knew each other’s strategies well pointed their guns at each other.
Yoo Jin got hit first, and as flames rose into the air, bullets flew from the other side. Instead of hiding behind nearby cover, she took some damage but moved to a farther cover point.
At that moment, with a slight time delay – a grenade hidden between the cover Yoo Jin had passed exploded, shattering into fragments with a loud boom.
In other words, if Yoo Jin had hidden behind that cover, she would have been blown to pieces.
But there was something even Logan hadn’t noticed.
Yoo Jin had used the explosion as a distraction to throw a Seeker Mine near Logan’s hiding spot, and by the time Logan realized it, it was already too late.
“Damn…!”
Boom!
A tracking mine that leapt vigorously from the ground spewed out its intensely heated contents, causing flames to shoot up the hangar.
Despite his shield depleting rapidly, Logan didn’t show any sign of panic and continued suppressive fire towards Yoo Jin. The relentless, suffocating exchange of fire was so intense that it pressed even the viewers watching.
Only a few, or perhaps just a bit more, truly grasped the core of the battle.
“Let’s make a bet. I’ll bet on the junior winning.”
“Regrettable. I wanted to bet on Yoo Jin too.”
“Don’t you think a bet with only one winner isn’t necessary?”
“Do you argue about the necessity of a bet when someone hands you an option with low odds?”
A slight parting of moist lips revealed sharp teeth, and laughter slipped through. Laughing heartily, Laurentina glanced at the screen.
Their conclusions were already aligned.
“It may seem like Logan has the upper hand, but it looks like the junior already knows Logan’s location by the second. If it originally meant avoiding even the smallest damage…”
“She’s already memorized the tactical area map.”
“Well, indeed. Although it’s not certain, it seems like she’s already anticipated how to effectively create variables by bombing specific spots.”
It was as she said.
Logan had been in the Dark Zone for a shorter period than Yoo Jin, and even in Apex Predator, her time was shorter. Moreover, since she had no subordinates to teach, she hadn’t bothered to delve deeply into the map.
Whether she liked it or not, Yoo Jin had already thoroughly analyzed all the maps, which was demonstrated concretely when several grenades fell near Logan from a tilted container.
The impact of the container hitting the ground released the safety handles controlling the grenade’s explosion, and multiple explosives rolled towards the ground like spiky chestnuts.
The first grenade hit the ground. Logan kicked one away, shot two others, but another one rolled slightly slower, stopping right in front of her nose, as if it was expected.
───Kaboom!
“Ha, that was quite a hit. The junior too, but Logan took more substantial damage.”
Logan’s shield flickered violently as the new North Pole system wobbled.
But the important thing was separate.
Living flames were approaching her.
“Oh, Fire Snake.”
“Of all things, it had to be napalm, how refined.”
While Logan was dealing with the grenades, a napalm trap set on high ground was activated towards Yoo Jin.
If the trap had triggered earlier, Logan’s victory would have been secure. However, it activated only moments before the conclusion, and by then, both already knew each other’s location.
The commentator urgently added.
-Yoo Jin, wearing only a bulletproof vest, starts running! She’s approaching Logan quickly, with flames all over her body-!
The unconventional move of discarding her primary weapon, ammo, and explosives as soon as her body was on fire.
But as soon as the napalm flames spread, the gunpowder in the bullets auto-ignited, grenades exploded randomly, and within less than 30 seconds, the bullets loaded in the guns began popping like popcorn, everyone understood why.
Of course, by then, Yoo Jin had long since approached Logan, dodging bullets amid various debris.
As many as the viewers, so were the diverse predictions. Most mainstream predictions anticipated – or rather, hoped for – an acrobatic skirmish that capitalized on the manifesters’ physical abilities, while some more pessimistic viewers speculated that the outcome would be decided like a bolt of lightning in a dull final moment.
However, the moment Yoo Jin and Logan stepped into the hangar simultaneously, all those predictions vanished into thin air.
“Ah, the two players… each of them… continuously scouting the surroundings and setting something down. We can’t even begin to guess what they’re doing!”
Between the wheels of the vehicles.
Under the containers.
In the gaps between construction materials.
Anywhere that a person could possibly pass through. It was as if they mirrored each other’s actions, moving in erratic routes and repeating similar behaviors as if they had agreed on it beforehand.
As a suffocating tension flowed between virtual and real life,
───!
Yoo Jin cautiously stopped in one place and scrutinized a specific spot.
But the stillness didn’t last long. At that moment, she pulled out a Seeker Mine from the pouch she had been holding in reserve and rolled it onto the ground. The tracking mine flew across the ground faster than one could imagine, making a sound like a fuse being lit as it rolled.
But at that moment,
“Ugh!”
Bang!
Without a sound, a black object, a grenade, flew beautifully through the air toward Yoo Jin. She hastily aimed her gun into the air and pulled the trigger, hitting the grenade directly.
The Seeker Mine and grenade exploded simultaneously, merging into a single loud blast.
-Kaboom!
Both Yoo Jin and Logan took minor damage and retreated, eliciting gasps and cheers from the tens, hundreds, and even millions of viewers watching.
But it didn’t end there – the explosion of the grenade and Seeker Mine gave both of them a rough idea of each other’s location, leading to the start of a full-fledged battle in no time.
As the moment where their accumulated experience and skills truly shone, countless viewers were glued to their screens, unable to tear their eyes away.
Two people watched this scene leisurely from the break room.
“Aren’t you curious how many people will truly appreciate the essence of this skirmish?”
“Even if there are, the chances that agents from the Ministry of Defense will impose an embargo before they can discuss the skirmish in detail are several times higher.”
“Haha, of course.”
The hologram projector, without any time lag, projected the battle between Logan and Yoo Jin.
Shooting, dodging, throwing grenades, closing or widening the distance. An intense skirmish without the slightest gap. The density of the battle was such that any mediocre player who got involved would be shredded within seconds.
No one expected a 1v1 skirmish to be this thrilling, and in direct proportion, the countless viewers went wild.
But this was more than just a battle.
───Kaboom!
-What, what is this! A sudden explosion out of nowhere! Yoo Jin is engulfed in flames!
“It’s not out of nowhere, it’s a hidden trap… still, our junior got hit pretty hard.”
“Logan will end up like that soon.”
Those who knew each other’s strategies well pointed their guns at each other.
Yoo Jin got hit first, and as flames rose into the air, bullets flew from the other side. Instead of hiding behind nearby cover, she took some damage but moved to a farther cover point.
At that moment, with a slight time delay – a grenade hidden between the cover Yoo Jin had passed exploded, shattering into fragments with a loud boom.
In other words, if Yoo Jin had hidden behind that cover, she would have been blown to pieces.
But there was something even Logan hadn’t noticed.
Yoo Jin had used the explosion as a distraction to throw a Seeker Mine near Logan’s hiding spot, and by the time Logan realized it, it was already too late.
“Damn…!”
Boom!
A tracking mine that leapt vigorously from the ground spewed out its intensely heated contents, causing flames to shoot up the hangar.
Despite his shield depleting rapidly, Logan didn’t show any sign of panic and continued suppressive fire towards Yoo Jin. The relentless, suffocating exchange of fire was so intense that it pressed even the viewers watching.
Only a few, or perhaps just a bit more, truly grasped the core of the battle.
“Let’s make a bet. I’ll bet on the junior winning.”
“Regrettable. I wanted to bet on Yoo Jin too.”
“Don’t you think a bet with only one winner isn’t necessary?”
“Do you argue about the necessity of a bet when someone hands you an option with low odds?”
A slight parting of moist lips revealed sharp teeth, and laughter slipped through. Laughing heartily, Laurentina glanced at the screen.
Their conclusions were already aligned.
“It may seem like Logan has the upper hand, but it looks like the junior already knows Logan’s location by the second. If it originally meant avoiding even the smallest damage…”
“She’s already memorized the tactical area map.”
“Well, indeed. Although it’s not certain, it seems like she’s already anticipated how to effectively create variables by bombing specific spots.”
It was as she said.
Logan had been in the Dark Zone for a shorter period than Yoo Jin, and even in Apex Predator, her time was shorter. Moreover, since she had no subordinates to teach, she hadn’t bothered to delve deeply into the map.
Whether she liked it or not, Yoo Jin had already thoroughly analyzed all the maps, which was demonstrated concretely when several grenades fell near Logan from a tilted container.
The impact of the container hitting the ground released the safety handles controlling the grenade’s explosion, and multiple explosives rolled towards the ground like spiky chestnuts.
The first grenade hit the ground. Logan kicked one away, shot two others, but another one rolled slightly slower, stopping right in front of her nose, as if it was expected.
───Kaboom!
“Ha, that was quite a hit. The junior too, but Logan took more substantial damage.”
Logan’s shield flickered violently as the new North Pole system wobbled.
But the important thing was separate.
Living flames were approaching her.
“Oh, Fire Snake.”
“Of all things, it had to be napalm, how refined.”
While Logan was dealing with the grenades, a napalm trap set on high ground was activated towards Yoo Jin.
If the trap had triggered earlier, Logan’s victory would have been secure. However, it activated only moments before the conclusion, and by then, both already knew each other’s location.
The commentator urgently added.
-Yoo Jin, wearing only a bulletproof vest, starts running! She’s approaching Logan quickly, with flames all over her body-!
The unconventional move of discarding her primary weapon, ammo, and explosives as soon as her body was on fire.
But as soon as the napalm flames spread, the gunpowder in the bullets auto-ignited, grenades exploded randomly, and within less than 30 seconds, the bullets loaded in the guns began popping like popcorn, everyone understood why.
Of course, by then, Yoo Jin had long since approached Logan, dodging bullets amid various debris.
Owens continued speaking.
“Playing a bit longer means knowing the upper limits of how bold one can be….”
While Logan still had a vague sense of that boundary, Yoo Jin knew exactly how to exploit the fact that this world was just a game.
Even if her body was engulfed in flames, unlike reality where immediate fire suppression would be necessary, Logan hadn’t considered that Yoo Jin would charge forward without hesitation, even while on fire, for the sake of victory.
And Logan wasn’t quick enough to instinctively evade the trajectory of a tactical knife hidden by flames and smoke – especially when wielded by a manifester.
After a few more seconds,
───Thunk!
The burning tactical knife pierced Logan’s chin and went through her palate. With less than two seconds left before her HP hit zero, Yoo Jin barely secured the victory.
At that moment, she collapsed to the ground.
She knew that literally tens of millions, if not more, viewers were chanting her name, but….
“…The same move won’t work again.”
That was Yoo Jin’s only concern.
Thus, the first match of the Final Championship, which would be talked about for years to come, ended.