I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 100 – Firestorm

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“Nice to meet you! It is truly an honor to finally interview Yoo Jin, who has recently emerged as the blue chip in the AP soloing games.”

“Thank you. It must have been a long journey for you.”

“Haha, fortunately, it didn’t take that long.”

Before a game begins, all participants in the session are assigned individual waiting spaces.

The room felt like a moderately sized living room. The area, which users could design as they wished, was quite simple in composition, allowing for a brief confirmation of the session.

There was much one could do besides communicating with other users participating in the preliminary rank. For instance, if they checked which map they were assigned, they could plan their route in advance for that specific map.

I intended to do the same, albeit briefly.

However, instead of being in the private space where all players were placed before the game started, I found myself in a booth that was clearly set up for an interview.

To explain this, I need to briefly summarize the situation from five minutes ago… In short, many promising candidates participating in the preliminary rank had already finished their interviews, but the most anticipated one, me, had not agreed to an interview yet.

Because of this, the broadcasting team working with ICARUS International had requested a brief interview about ten minutes before the game started.

Since it wasn’t difficult, I readily agreed.

And so, we return to the present moment.

“Many viewers have sent in questions. The most common one is… How do you handle mind control? Do you have any secrets or methods?”

“Instant responses are instinctual, but more intricately designed challenges can’t be overcome by instinct alone. Therefore, you need a lot of experience to handle any situation that might arise.”

It was quite a fundamental answer, but the commentators, as if they had already anticipated it, added some embellishments.

“Ah, so you’re saying that the basics need to be solid. That’s certainly true. But as you know, Yoo Jin, in this professional world, doesn’t everyone start from a similar starting line? Besides the experience you mentioned, do you think there are any subtle factors that determine the outcome of a match?”

“I don’t think there’s anything specific like that. In my opinion, such small differences don’t determine who lives and who dies.”

“Is that so? That’s quite unexpected. I’m very curious to hear more about this. Could you elaborate?”

At first glance, it sounded somewhat nonsensical. To interpret it, it seemed to mean that the countless variables operating independently and creating a result is a chaos that a human brain cannot quantify.

However, just as the weight of the words differs between a gambling addict saying you can make easy money and a tycoon saying the same, the words of someone who has repeatedly overcome all sorts of hardships and adversities in a single match to claim first place carry a different weight.

Even as a gamer rather than a commentator, it was a very intriguing topic. Yoo Jin slowly began to articulate it.

“Many people say that the outcome of a battle depends on improvisation, shooting skills, and combat proficiency. That’s not wrong. But can one really maintain the same physical expectation value in every battle?”

On average, a user in the preliminary rank encounters hostile opponents more than twenty times. The actual number of engagements is less than that, but still, it’s a hundred. Even though they are scattered over a vast area, they encounter enemies at least ten times.

Where is the guarantee that one can always maintain the same, optimal physical condition in all these situations?

Even if they can maintain it, if they are shot at from a bizarre place where even that level of readiness is insufficient, then improvisation, shooting skills, and combat proficiency must have a foundation to be effective.

Stories that hadn’t been shared much outside of SSM started to flow out one by one. It didn’t really matter. Theories were always vague anyway.

Yoo Jin knew this as well, so instead of listing them at length, she concluded with a brief summary.

“Basically, when I enter a battle, I always assume that I am at a disadvantage. After that, I eliminate options one by one to at least get to an equal footing. For example, blocking the enemy’s retreat and then suppressing sound play… something like that.”

“Ah, that makes sense. In many cases, in Yoo Jin’s combat clips, it looks like the situation flows as if it’s a 1:1 duel. I think I understand now.”

In simple terms, it wasn’t about winning because she was strong.

She could secure first place in many situations because she created situations where she could definitely eliminate the enemy.

At that moment, the commentators and journalists had flashes of clips running through their minds.

“So… the reason you use melee weapons instead of shooting at the end is to ensure the enemy player is completely taken out.”

“Exactly. However, since there are many who might dislike it, I’ve thought a few times about reducing its frequency a bit.”

“Hahaha, some people indeed find it intimidating. If you keep the axe blade and hammerhead mostly for PVE enemies, that would be perfect.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Even after that sudden moment of reflection, the pre-interview continued. As the questions selected by the viewers were gradually exhausted, the prepared but somewhat conventional questions followed.

Questions like how it felt the first time playing Dark Zone, why she chose Apex Predator soloing, what her first PVP mode was like, and her objective evaluation of her Dark Zone skills, among others.

Honest and straightforward stories were exchanged, but as always, questions about her real-life activities were easily dismissed.

While answering other questions candidly, there was a clear line beyond which she gave no room for discussion. Even the questioning commentators and journalists assumed there must be a good reason for her firmness.

Before long, the remaining time dropped below a few minutes, and it was almost time to start the main match.

Considering the possibility that they might be coming straight from a scrim or practice game up until the last second, the commentators felt they had taken quite a bit of their important time, and they wrapped up by mentioning this point.

“We have heard a lot of valuable insights. We look forward to seeing great results in this match. Do you have any words for your fans, the KkoriDan?”

“…KkoriDan… Why did I get such a nickname? Still, thank you so much for liking my tail. It feels strange.”

“Haha. It seems everyone is captivated by your charm, Yoo Jin.”

And then the final question.

“Alright, one last question. Many pro gamers usually practice until the very last second. How do you usually spend your time?”

“Well.”

With a brief pause, she continued,

“I was just pushing through the main mission until a moment ago.”

“Ah, the main mission… wait, what?”

A startled voice.

But just as she had left Harmony and come here, Yoo Jin prepared for her second farewell.

As her avatar scattered in a brilliant burst of light, she added briefly,

“You’ll find out more if you watch the broadcast!”

Swish.

Leaving the two bewildered commentators behind, Yoo Jin waved and disappeared into a handful of glowing fragments.

Today’s map was a gas storage facility near California.

[Alert: The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is rapidly increasing.]

[Alert: A large heat source detected several kilometers away. Presumed to be a wildfire.]

[Notification: Complete incineration of all areas expected in 24 minutes and 27 seconds.]

“Sigh.”

The wind was dry, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder.

Though it was completely night around me, the area beyond the ridge was bright red. That momentum never ceased. At a glance, it looked like the sun was rising beyond the horizon, but a rising sun always accompanied a deep blue night sky.

In short, it was a wildfire.

China had dropped napalm bombs all over California, causing massive wildfires, and the resulting smoke and flames created a kill zone.

Meanwhile, like any other map, this one also had a unique spectacle that could be seen if one continued to endure on the map without escaping.

Specifically, if no one escaped within the designated time, a massive explosion from the kiloliters of gas stored in the gas storage would completely annihilate all the users on the map in a bizarre revolution.

Though the napalm caused the wildfire, it indirectly highlighted that building storage tanks in such places was a bad idea.

In other words, for an AP tagged as a virtual reality simulation setting, it was a fairly realistic map implemented by incorporating part of the Dark Zone’s background.

“Ugh.”

It’s a pretty troublesome place.

I don’t like it much. The surroundings were filled with smoke from burning trees. Getting swept up in it stings your eyes a bit and, moreover, causes status ailments. Dizziness sets in, and you gradually lose control over your body.

Needless to say, the flames are obviously dangerous.

───Clatter!

As always, it’s the preliminaries. This means the tournament rules applied. There was no need to adjust the looting speed. Just opening the boxes scattered around nearby would pour out items.

However, due to the nature of hardcore mode, I had to load the bullets manually. This was one reason I preferred large-caliber guns—at most, they could hold only fifteen rounds per magazine.

[Warning: Carbon dioxide concentration spiking.]

“The spawn location isn’t great.”

To briefly debrief my current position… Simply put, it was the outskirts of the map. Because of this, the lack of people around wasn’t necessarily bad, but thinking inversely, there’s always a reason why people avoid certain areas.

I quickly put on my gas mask. Judging by its design, it seemed to be the advanced version of the U.S. military standard M50, known as the M55. Although the ear parts were open, the breathing process involved passing through the filter, which caused slight inconvenience in terms of sound. It couldn’t be helped, though.

Interestingly enough, the situation of a fire also brought along matching items.

Though I wasn’t sure if calling it an item was appropriate,

-Swish.

“Putting something like this here and then telling us not to engage in close combat…”

A firefighter’s axe.

In the Dark Zone, Apex Predator maps occasionally featured suitable melee weapons. For instance, in a prison-themed area, there were crude, homemade blades that prisoners might have crafted. In an underground research complex, there were strange daggers with heating features.

And in places like the Aurora Power Plant, axes subtly appeared; since the primary concept here was a facility amidst wildfires, they included a firefighter’s axe for clearing obstacles and creating pathways.

I gripped the rubber handle, designed to prevent slipping, and slung it over my back where it automatically fastened.

They said close combat scared people, yet they included such items. Their words and actions were entirely inconsistent.

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