Chapter 277 – RCLR
-[Notice: Killzone shrinking. Move to the safe zone.]
-[Number of zones left before the final Killzone: 1]
“It’s really almost over now….”
The first match on Friday was nearing its end.
As the match progressed, the cutting wind felt like the lament of countless people who had perished without achieving anything noteworthy. Although I didn’t need to worry about such things, just as everyone in life has moments of reflection, so did I.
Beneath the smoke drifting from the muzzle of my gun lay a dead body. But within seconds, it vanished like a sandcastle swept away by the waves, leaving behind several items. I selected a few necessary supplies and stored them in the multipurpose pouch on my right thigh.
That was it. By now, the enemy would have realized exactly who killed them, and perhaps they were cursing the name “Yoo Jin.”
But as those thoughts were swept away by the cutting wind outside, I opened the map to identify the next Killzone and the safe zone.
“I guess I have to go here.”
Marking the next target on the map, a route appeared on the ground. Following this mark would undoubtedly lead to the destination, but it did not account for the presence of enemies. So, I marked the location and distance before erasing the mark to avoid detection.
While moving cautiously and maintaining vigilance, my eyes were constantly busy. I paid particular attention to the kill log in the upper right corner, which allowed me to see who was still alive based on their nicknames.
But today, a sound broke my concentration.
───Vroooom!
“…?”
A low, mid-range hum filled the air.
The noise grew louder and then quieter, like an ambulance siren, but unfortunately, it wasn’t here to rescue anyone today – it was a transport plane crossing the map. Someone must have requested a care package. Whatever they called for, I didn’t know.
I wanted to check what was dropping and where it was falling, but the external blizzard was too strong, so I plotted my route inside a building.
Ignoring the care package, I moved to the pre-marked location.
How much time had passed?
“I didn’t expect someone to be here already.”
Ka-kak!
Amid the flying concrete fragments, bullets struck the steel frame, producing a piercing high-pitched noise. Luckily, none of the bullets hit me. If the enemy had been waiting from the beginning, I might have been hit at least three or four times, but the lack of a hit indicated they identified me by chance.
Both the enemy and I identified each other’s positions simultaneously, and the firefight began. As I pulled the trigger, sparks flew, but since the enemy was on an upper balcony, only two shots hit. I estimated the distance to the enemy and considered my available options.
I had two skills. An EMP pulse and a penetrating sticky bomb. Both were tricky to use in the current situation.
Ignoring the enemy was not an option, given the limited time before reaching the final Killzone. I had to deal with this user here and now.
I pursued them.
───Drdrdrdr!
In the not-so-narrow warehouse, bullets made of lead and tungsten crossed paths in the air.
I firmly pressed the gun to my shoulder, keeping the enemy within the red crosshairs. Since the distance was not close, both of us fired single shots, and our steps crisscrossed in between.
In a way, this could also be called a dance. Dressed appropriately for the environment, we moved, gazing at each other, doing our best to each other’s movements. Considering the passionate glances exchanged, perhaps it could be called that.
Anyway, not long after, I had already climbed up to the upper balcony. The engagement was now in uncharted territory.
I was within range to use the EMP pulse, and the ICARUS Gear provided a shield that allowed for such an approach – though it stopped at protecting against instant death from poor decisions.
How would the enemy respond?
As I pondered, the enemy began to retreat.
‘…That’s not good.’
Unfortunately, they retreated into an area that could be used as a future escape route. In other words, if I didn’t catch them now, I would be trapped. I had no choice but to increase my pace to catch up.
I activated the EMP pulse to prevent potential traps, the disruptive waves narrowly enveloping the enemy. As the pulse enveloped the ceiling lights, they flickered eerily before going out completely. I pushed off with my legs and chased the enemy into the corridor.
Since I used the EMP pulse beforehand, any skill-based traps nearby would be nullified. Most grenade traps didn’t work alone and required several delicate adjustments to function correctly.
In other words, there was minimal risk in increasing my speed to pursue.
With a click, the enemy, about 30 meters ahead, quickly closed the door just before I could fire. Judging by the sound of the latch, it seemed they had locked it.
It would take about five seconds to reach the door. The quicker I broke through the door, the better, but it seemed to have considerable durability – though not an unusual door, just one commonly used for emergency exits. The door handle shouldn’t be excessively durable.
I slowed my sprint and aimed.
With a hiss, the tattered door handle wasn’t the end of it.
───Boom!
I burst through the door shoulder-first, the massive noise echoing as the door was torn off and rolled on the floor.
A strange sight unfolded. It felt like time slowed down as I saw the corridor. The long corridor stretched ahead, filled with cover here and there, and between them, a silhouette – but instinct sensed a significant threat, and my gaze turned forward.
The enemy was holding something.
It looked like a giant pipe, but if it was aimed at me, its threat level was far beyond that of a mere pipe.
A rocket launcher. Or a recoilless rifle, perhaps.
And at that moment, the puzzle pieces began to fit together.
‘Could it be that the transport plane…!’
They had received the rocket launcher from the transport plane.
There was no reason they couldn’t carry a rocket launcher in Apex Predator. It could occasionally be seen as a secondary weapon – but it was a weapon half-abandoned in competitions. It was easy to spot from a distance, difficult to fire, and cumbersome to reload.
But what if they didn’t carry it but stashed it somewhere after receiving it?
What if they lured the enemy into a specific area and then fired?
At that point, all the drawbacks would be mitigated, and only the high damage, surpassing grenades, would be maximized.
And now, it was aimed at me.
“…!”
Hiding behind the cover was impossible. It would blow away the cover and me together.
Firing was impossible. My stance was off from crashing into the wall, and even if I fired a snap shot, the timing wouldn’t match.
Running continuously was meaningless. The distance to the enemy was still about 30 meters, and I would be caught in the explosion before reaching 15 meters.
So, I had to dodge.
Without slowing down, I sprinted towards the cover. The enemy’s gaze followed, and the barrel aimed at the cover, and within 0.5 seconds, their finger would release the explosive’s power.
But at that moment, I pushed off the ground with all my strength.
Still at full speed, I leaped, and as soon as I jumped, the cover that reached my chest was naturally beneath my feet. Using it as a springboard, I jumped again – flames streaked below my legs.
And a loud explosion erupted behind me.
───Boom!
The high-explosive warhead spewed fire and thunder simultaneously, accelerating me rapidly as I was caught in the shockwave.
Like being swept away by an invisible current, I was flung far beyond my expected landing point. As I hit the ground, I naturally rolled forward, performing a breakfall. The impact was so great that it didn’t end with just one or two rolls.
With a clattering sound, the enemy quickly discarded the rocket launcher and drew their gun. But I had already taken aim and drawn my pistol from the holster. As I pulled the trigger, the hammer struck the primer.
However, the enemy didn’t remain idle. In the midst of the chaos, they began to retreat while firing their weapons wildly. My shield was also in a precarious state after taking a significant impact from the rocket launcher.
However,
“Where are you rushing off to?”
I managed to recompose myself before the enemy did.
As soon as I hid behind cover, I ripped two grenades from my MOLLE vest and threw them along the enemy’s anticipated escape route. The enemy, busy firing until their magazine was empty, didn’t hear the pins being pulled. When two grenades emerged from my cover, they froze in place.
In that moment, I aimed my Honey Badger and sprang from cover. The enemy, now cornered from both front and back, had no options left.
───Thud!
The suppressor emitted a muffled sound, leaving the enemy in critical condition.
Despite the avatar being vastly different, I knew this player’s style well since we were from the same country.
“Ink.”
“…If only I had five more seconds. No, even three seconds.”
“Creating such opportunities is also part of one’s skill set.”
I chuckled as I added,
“Your tactics were impressive. I’ll make good use of them.”
There was no further response.
With a slight twitch of my finger, Ink, one of the members of the Korean national team, disappeared into the lobby.
My focus shifted elsewhere.
“A recoilless rifle, huh.”
It wasn’t a rocket launcher.
Regardless, it might prove useful.
As I strapped the hefty metal piece onto my back, a new broadcast started.
“The skirmish at Aurora Power Plant is nearing its end. Only three users remain: Logan, Yoo Jin, and Sebastian. The three are keeping their distance, but Logan, with his ballistic shield, is starting to close the gap.”
“Step by step, he advances. His imposing presence is like a moving fortress. Already a formidable player, the addition of the shield makes him unstoppable. Has there been a change in his strategy?”
Friday’s first match. Familiar names came to mind. The two favorites to win this year and an unfortunate player caught between them created a now-familiar scenario.
In almost every match, whether early or late, Yoo Jin and Logan naturally made it into the Top 3. No one questioned this. They consistently performed super plays and turned the tide of many battles miraculously.
A comeback is only possible after falling into a disadvantageous situation.
The engagement between Logan and Sebastian began. Despite it being a prime moment for opportunism, Yoo Jin continued to monitor the kill zone and, once the direction was confirmed, started running with a heavy launcher and a couple of shells.
Amid the nerve-wracking sounds of gunfire, ricochets, and grenade explosions, Yoo Jin swiftly set up. Securing an area, she placed a couple of traps and carefully positioned the launcher between angled steel pipes.
Just from these actions alone, millions of viewers realized that Yoo Jin’s victories weren’t solely due to her physical prowess. She was a diligent strategist who pondered and calculated more than any other player.
Meanwhile, Logan adeptly handled his shield, cornering Sebastian.
“Ah, Logan narrowly avoids his shield breaking multiple times! His use of it is truly remarkable!”
Naturally, the ballistic shield’s balance had been adjusted.
The shield skill wasn’t about blocking bullets while advancing; it helped endure unavoidable damage and preserve energy, giving an advantage in the late stages of combat.
Logan perfectly executed this strategy.
When the shield finally broke, there was a significant gap in shields between Sebastian and Logan. As soon as the polar bear wielded the SMG, his opponent could only shake his head in defeat.
Less than a minute later, the skirmish narrowed down to the two favorites once again.
“The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. Yoo Jin versus Logan, Logan versus Yoo Jin! Who will win the first match of the Final Championship?”
With the commentator’s excited announcement, the kill zone shrunk.
Everyone imagined the same scenario: Logan absorbing Yoo Jin’s attacks while she retaliated with relentless gunfire in an intense close-quarters battle.
But not even 30 seconds had passed when,
“Oh, both players are engaging- Ah! What a fast tempo! Both are displaying dynamic maneuvers without even considering their skills!”
The two players faced each other in a warehouse swept by icy winds, prioritizing speed over everything else.
To millions of viewers, this was expected, but for Logan, it was the obvious choice.
‘…If I pull out my shield prematurely, I’ll have to put it away without much use…’
As anticipated.
Knowing each other’s abilities entirely, the most crucial card was to be played at the most decisive moment.
Of course, the viewers didn’t care. When one player created distance, the other closed in, and vice versa. Their mere presence created two fronts, and their clash showcased the fiercest collision.
Even within just a minute, sighs and cheers erupted repeatedly. The battle was like a scaled-down clash of two typhoons, with no one able to predict the outcome.
However,
“Logan is managing damage control brilliantly, defending against dangerous attacks even with EMP active! The shield gap between the two players is widening!”
Yoo Jin sealed the shield’s self-repair function with an EMP pulse, but Logan only needed to block critical damage to prevent severe shield loss.
Logan, following this principle, skillfully used his shield to carve new paths in the battlefield each time he was cornered, causing Yoo Jin to lose her positional advantage. She smirked as she let out a small laugh.
That laugh was interpreted in countless ways by the viewers, but in reality, it meant:
‘I can’t believe I’m facing the same tactics I used in past operations.’
Just as she thought.
The point man techniques from Task Force Dagger, honed through countless operations, including the adept use of shields—Logan was replicating them, and Yoo Jin knew how ruthless they could be.
Logan wouldn’t concede victory under any circumstances and would remain vigilant until the end.
However, the traps Yoo Jin had set were precisely for someone like Logan.
Several preparations were necessary for them to be effective.
───Thud, thud, thud!
Bullets fired through the suppressor hammered the shield repeatedly, especially the transparent multi-layer plastic visor that protected the face. Though the nanomachines covering the shield would mitigate the effect, the goal was to crack the plastic and obscure his vision.
After emptying a magazine, the shield’s front visor was significantly cracked, prompting Logan to retract the shield. Just as planned.
The next irresistible bait was prepared.
It was none other than Yoo Jin herself.
“Ugh…!”
Rrrrrr!
As soon as Logan confirmed that he had exhausted an entire magazine, he charged with ferocious intensity. Yoo Jin managed to evade in time, but her shield was broken. From this point on, a single headshot could kill her.
My entire body tensed up involuntarily, but Logan would also be aware that her shield was broken. And knowing her, he wouldn’t let his guard down and would persistently press on.
In other words, Logan would take a brief pause before continuing his assault.
“Ah, Logan! He’s waiting for the EMP effect to end and for his ballistic shield to fully recover! He’s not letting his guard down until the very end! Can he break through this situation?”
My prediction was spot on.
However, Yoo Jin couldn’t smile. The tension was too overwhelming. Yet, even in such a situation, her body moved. Just like how a long, arduous time ends in a flash, she would risk her life for a single moment to lure Logan to the final point.
The moment she heard the click of the shield being redeployed, Yoo Jin knew it was time.
───Bang! Bang! Bang!
Logan’s pistol fired multiple times. Each time, the shield shattered and reformed, and Yoo Jin’s HP began to dwindle little by little.
But Yoo Jin never lost her sharp focus. One step, two steps, three steps… She lured the enemy to the designated point like a machine. Although Logan had roamed around everywhere, not a single trap had triggered until now, all for this moment.
When Logan stepped into the final point, Yoo Jin, moving faster than anything, shot at the junk lying around instead of Logan’s shield.
Two bullets flew towards Yoo Jin, reducing her HP to below 40%, but it was worth it.
Two wooden pallets, placed at a certain distance, shook violently when hit by bullets, and after a few seconds,
-BOOM!
An explosion erupted from the junk.
Two grenades, with their safety pins pulled and hidden among the pallets, shook and released their safety handles upon being struck, exploding after four seconds. The blast was too much for an operator’s body to withstand, but the shield only caused Logan to stagger briefly.
But Yoo Jin had been aiming for that very stagger.
A chilling metallic sound echoed.
Even as he instinctively fired suppressive shots, Logan saw Yoo Jin holding a pipe-like structure in the aftermath of the explosion.
And then—
───BOOM!
“Ugh!”
The physical force strong enough to shatter the shield sent Logan flying back several meters.
As he was flung backward, various sounds reached Logan’s ears. The sound of the shield breaking, the clang of metal hitting the ground, the cacophony of rolling across the floor… But the last thing Logan saw as he rolled on the warehouse floor was Yoo Jin loading a second shell into the recoilless launcher.
His entire body was covered in status effects.
Nevertheless, Logan leaned against the debris and laughed.
“Ha, you got me good.”
Of course, the reply was a shell flying at a speed of 225 meters per second.
The first match on Friday ended with Yoo Jin’s victory.