Chapter 267 – Aftermath
“Where are you going?”
“I need to scout that friend. The MAVNI law should still be valid. Where’s the U.S. Navy application form? If they survived that crazy polar bear, their skills are practically verified….”
“Stop talking nonsense and sit down.”
Madison Square Garden was buzzing.
People always longed for the fight between David and Goliath, and they especially wished for the thrilling victory of the former. The explosion that occurred just before Logan pounced on Dice took the battle in an unpredictable direction.
However, when the smoke cleared and the result was revealed, everyone was astonished. Both of them were sprawled on the ground like trash, yet both were still alive. Particularly, Dice had not only survived but had also successfully retreated with his life intact.
While many were more interested in the direct confrontation between Logan and Juggernaut that followed, not everyone felt the same.
Laurentina, who had tried to stand but then sat back down heavily, added her thoughts.
“Good situational awareness, and the tactics and strategy aren’t bad. Once shooting skills reach a certain level, they’re all about the same… It’s just unfortunate the opponent was that maniac polar bear, so it doesn’t stand out much, but surviving alone earns a point.”
“Is that kid Yoo Jin’s disciple? They’ve been meticulously trained. It’s impossible for a regular person to escape Logan’s trap, and yet here we are.”
Task Force Dagger, particularly the three central figures responsible for combat.
Their power, incomparable to any other, was the sharpest blade in this world, effective regardless of the opponent’s training or military experience. In the face of a hurricane, age and gender didn’t matter.
Being teammates, they were acutely aware of each other’s combat abilities. Thus, they could clearly predict the outcome whenever someone fell into Logan’s trap.
Yet, a regular person – even one seasoned in the Dark Zone – had escaped those clutches.
Logan’s full-scale battle with Juggernaut began. But the two leaned back in their cushioned chairs, barely paying attention.
Most of the Dark Zone skirmishes were situations they had experienced, naturally leading the story to reminisce about the past.
And that’s precisely why Laurentina and Owens had no interest in Logan’s engagement.
“Seeing that reminds me of the operations in northern New York. I think that’s where we first saw those heavily armored soldiers.”
“I don’t think Logan will die there, but this map is pretty tight and troublesome.”
“They’ve created an advantageous environment. Without it, they’d be sandbags.”
The memory of encountering heavily armored soldiers from Artemis for the first time. The initial intimidation lasted barely ten seconds, and after realizing they were easy to take down from a distance, it was no longer an issue.
Such memories continued to this day, and all Dagger team members, including Logan, were long accustomed to fighting Juggernauts. High-value research facilities compensated for these differences with sheer numbers.
The notion that Logan could be taken out by a mere special rescue team was laughable. Yoo Jin had once dismantled a three-man Juggernaut squad head-on with an EMP grenade and a Barrett rifle.
Of course, this was a story that would astonish other players.
And, as expected, Logan slaughtered the Minigun Juggernaut first within a few minutes without much trouble.
As the astonished caster heaped praise, Laurentina, who had been watching the hologram with a disinterested expression, turned her eyes.
Her gaze prompted a popup to appear, catching both Laurentina and Owens’s attention.
It was a message accompanied by a slightly delayed topic.
-[Chester: Dice? Is that really a civilian? I’m not seeing things, right?]
-[Laurentina: I’ve claimed them first, so don’t get any ideas and stay bedridden.]
-[Chester: You’re the only one who’d dare to ask anyone to join the Navy here. Crazy woman.]
-[Laurentina: (A meme of a shark flipping the bird)]
The quiet group chat soon became lively.
Chester, lying in bed, and Sirkins, who was on leave and roaming around, responded first. Marcus and Rapier, who were acting as PMC advisors and seemed to have dropped by New York, joined the conversation next.
Everyone started chiming in, except for Logan and Yoo Jin, who were in the middle of a match, and Morgan and Kissinger, who were too busy to attend.
-[Serkins: Again with the stories I know nothing about.]
-[Marcus: Can’t believe someone doesn’t keep up with the games. Should we kick him out of the chat?]
-[Rapier: Seems like there’s a lack of research from our squad leader.]
-[Serkins: Why am I the one getting hit?]
After a brief exchange of jokes, the topic naturally shifted to Dice.
Millions of viewers were converting the live match into countless clips, sharing them with friends or uploading them to social media and Yourspace.
Laurentina merely had to pick one of those clips to share in the chat. When everyone watched the 1 minute and 30-second combat video, comments started pouring in.
-[Laurentina: Can anyone do that?]
-[Marcus: No way. Just fighting Logan is a punishment in itself.]
-[Serkins: If they were like that in real life, they could’ve had a position in any security firm or PMC. Where are they from?]
-[Laurentina: Surprisingly, she’s a regular woman, apart from being a pro gamer.]
-[Rapier: I knew our youngest was up to something interesting, but I didn’t expect these results….”
-[Marcus: Don’t even think about poaching her for Blaze Company, Rapier.]
-[Rapier: If I had 38 lives, I might consider it. But I don’t, so the moment I tried headhunting, you all would literally hunt my head.]
Exactly.
Ironically, none of them wanted Yoo Jin to return to the battlefield – perhaps it was a given.
However, those in the military and special forces, especially those in PMC consulting, saw Yoo Jin as a golden goose.
Not years, but just a few months. In that short time, she had turned a person into someone capable of facing Logan head-on and escaping. This implication was profound.
Amidst this, Laurentina added a comment.
-[Laurentina: Speaking of which, I did a mission in Northpheus with a cute green cat that was following our youngest. It was slow, but it kept up with Dagger’s pace. They even did well as a spotter during sniping. Our youngest sure has a knack for teaching.]
-[Rapier: Marcus, are you telling me to hold back after hearing this?]
-[Marcus: Don’t get carried away with end-of-year nonsense.]
Meanwhile,
The number of users gradually decreased, and Dice, who had suddenly become a hot topic, was smoothly dealing with all the enemies they encountered after escaping Logan.
Seeing this piqued the interest of the chat members, increasing the number of people watching the broadcast. None of them were ignoring Dice’s gameplay.
From Dice’s movements, Yoo Jin’s influence was evident.
From scouting the surroundings to handling firearms and engaging in combat, Yoo Jin’s meticulous feedback was apparent. Even the grenades tied to Molly and the fishing line… Beyond those small details, they could see how well Yoo Jin had guided this player.
Naturally, Dice’s skills had blossomed into those of a proud operator.
A brief silence.
Then came the following words.
-[Rapier: I came to New York for a break, but this is more interesting than expected. Did you say the arena is Madison Square Garden?]
-[Marcus: Looks like an unplanned visit to Manhattan is in order. Owens, do you have space in your penthouse? If not, I might have to borrow it from the owner for a few days.]
-[Owens: Do as you please.]
-[Laurentina: When our youngest finishes the match and sees this insane conversation, they’ll only be curious about what’s going on.]
-[Serkins: I’ll pass. I saw it last time.]
-[Kissinger: I’d love to go, but I can’t. If you find a counterfeit printing plate in Madison Square Park, let me know. Then I can visit legally.]
-[Laurentina: The Secret Service’s stand-up comedy is pretty brutal.]
She laughed and added.
-[Laurentina: The deadline is three hours. Let’s meet at the VIP lounge on the fifth floor of Madison Square Park. I’ll ask our senator, and if I get the entry pass, I’ll post it here immediately.]
-[Serkins: Thinking about a Dagger team assembly makes it appealing. I take back what I said; I’m leaving now.]
-[Laurentina: Part squad leader. Always like this, aren’t you?]
Lauren and Owens met each other’s eyes.
Both smiled softly and added:
“It’s going to be quite crowded.”
“Let’s just say the youngest is lucky.”
The content of the match no longer mattered to them.
The second day of the Final Championship was passing by.
“Wow, today was really tough. Even though it was just a game, I felt like I was going to be killed….”
“You did well. No joke, really.”
Tuesday’s match was ending.
The Poplar Ridge Correctional Facility, the High-Value Research Complex, and the Kalamansk Metropolis. Among them, the one that attracted all the attention today was none other than the play at the High-Value Research Complex—it had been a match with many unexpected twists and turns.
First and foremost, one could discuss Logan’s elimination in fifth place.
“Now you seem to understand something.”
“…Yes. I painfully understood Yoo Jin’s advice to offload burdens I couldn’t handle elsewhere.”
It was natural.
Separate from the unfortunate encounter in the early stages, as the kill zone narrowed and the game entered the latter stages, Dice and Logan were destined to meet again. Neither wanted to be eliminated early.
Their reunion was inevitable, but that didn’t mean Dice had to repeat the same mistakes.
Instead, Dice found two more devices with special rescue functions while traversing the map—and when only five players remained, she lured Logan into a brutally designed trap.
However, Logan wasn’t an ordinary person, and what should have ended in a landslide victory for her turned into an unprecedented battlefield.
But.
“If one wasn’t enough, then two… I managed to reduce Logan’s strength somehow. Of course, I almost died several times from the Juggernaut’s attacks too. But I have no regrets.”
“Winning is what’s important.”
“You’re right….”
A fact to remember at this point.
Killing a Juggernaut granted the same one kill point as a regular user, and Logan, who had been sweeping the battlefield like a storm, unintentionally gained three more kill points.
Thus, while Dice ranked higher than Logan by defeating him, a strange phenomenon occurred where her points were lower than Logan’s.
But none of that mattered.
She survived.
“Of course, Storm Seer was a tough opponent. Maybe because it was the most intense battle of the day, but fighting him after Logan was indeed exhausting.”
“So I took him out first.”
“Being second doesn’t feel so great….”
A simple and clear windfall.
Dice, who had exhausted her abilities through consecutive battles, was an appetizing bait that should not have been left untouched. Unfortunately, Storm Seer underestimated Dice’s determination to survive.
As a result, he attracted unnecessary attention and expended more energy than necessary—and that’s when Yoo Jin intervened.
The result was clear as day.
It might have seemed dishonorable, but it was essentially the result of top-tier players’ poor strategic decisions. Even Storm Seer lamented his misjudgment during the post-match interview.
‘…I should have identified the positions of all users and targeted them methodically. Especially, I should have cornered Yoo Jin in the kill zone’s center to induce a natural alliance, but I failed, distracted by Dice.’
The interview playing from the ceiling.
Yoo Jin’s tail, leaving a small smile, wrapped around Dice’s neck like a scarf, and she patted Ye-rin’s shoulder, adding:
“Still, coming in second is a great achievement.”
“Wow…this really motivates me. I’ll do my best tomorrow….”
“Yeah, tomorrow I’ll make it to the top ten for sure.”
“I ranked ninth! Me too! Please!”
“Alright, alright.”
A tail parade continued with a smirk. Unlike Dice, however, the sight of men surrounded by tails wasn’t particularly pleasant.
After the tail parade ended, Harmony burst through the door with a bright smile, holding all kinds of luxurious snacks and chocolates.
“You all worked hard today! Eat something sweet and cheer up!”
“Ah, thank you so much….”
“By the way, Harmony, don’t you have a streamer team match tomorrow? What was the first-place prize again…?”
“A car!”
“Wow.”
A prize big enough to make one’s eyes pop.
Harmony added nonchalantly:
“I’ll be going back in about a week, so I don’t really want to drive in New York…but, well, I’ll just try my best.”
“With Harmony participating, winning might be possible….”
For some reason, everyone nodded earnestly.
Yoo Jin found it a bit puzzling. Harmony had trained together in preparation for soloing the Final Championship, sharpening their skills together, but it was uncertain if that preparation was sufficient.
Unlike the Final Championship, Yoo Jin hadn’t analyzed the strengths of the users Harmony would face, so it was understandable.
“Anyway, three days left. Tomorrow marks the midpoint. Once we return to the accommodation, let’s have a quick debrief and get some rest. Does anyone need room service? As I said yesterday, it’s all on my tab and my goodwill during the matches.”
“Well…? I’ll have a look at the menu when we get back.”
“I’m so tired from fighting Logan today that I might just go to sleep….”
“Dice, how about a massage?”
“Oh, I’d love that!”
Such easy-to-read people.
Thinking so, Yoo Jin smiled as she moved to contact the schedule manager via her wristwatch,
—Knock knock knock!
“Yes, who is it?”
“Ah, there’s a meeting request via Congressman Henry Brayton. Could you check if you have time?”
“Via? Is there someone else?”
“Yes. They said to mention ‘Dagger Team Assembly’ and you’d know….”
“I’ll go.”
It seemed like some kind of code, but Yoo Jin’s decisiveness left no room for questions. Everyone thought it wasn’t strange for someone with connections to a senator to have various matters arise.
However, today was a bit different.
“And they wanted to see Dice as well, if she’s available…?”
“…Me?”
Everyone’s expressions twisted strangely.
The world was indeed a mysterious place.