I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 115 ­ Analyzing

* * *

“Nice to meet you, pro gamer Gambit.”

“…It’s the first time we’ve met like this. Meeting in a public setting rather than in a game makes me feel quite reassured. Is it just my imagination?”

“Ahaha.”

Clear Sky’s Gambit.

As I dug through my memories, I was able to recall it faster than I thought.

Should I call it a bad relationship, or destiny? Either way, the first place I met this person in the game was on the Atakaya volcanic island, and now we were meeting as a winner and caster here again.

In a broad sense, it was still a connection.

The chat window was heating up with excitement, contradicting the earlier tension.

­This is the guy from the volcanic grill, wwww

­I wonder how awkward it must be, lmao

­Glory? Glory? Glory? Glory? Glory? Glory? Glory? Glory?

­If you stand before Yoo Jin and don’t die, it’s glory, lol

­It’s not glory; it’s like having the perpetrator and the victim standing side by side, lmao

The public opinion was overwhelmingly negative.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important part. This special broadcast was ­ in name ­ purely for participation purposes, and feedback on the play was, in a way, an implicit request that hadn’t been publicly addressed.

Therefore, this feedback was purely out of my goodwill. And the reason I used the word ‘goodwill’ was because… the recipient might not be too pleased, to put it mildly.

So I asked,

“Anyway, if you just want a simple interview, please let me know now. Myself, Caster Liquid, and Meerkat… we’ll ask the winner a few appropriate questions.”

“No, that’s not possible.”

A firm denial, as expected.

“There must have been a lot of people wanting to stand here. And personally, I really wanted to hear Yoo Jin’s feedback. Not just for me, but for the 1600 people who wanted to stand here.”

“You don’t have to speak so grandly.”

“Oh, really?”

­Why is his tongue so long, lmao

­Summary) I’m a fan of Yoo Jin and ready to lick her boots at her command

­Lol, exactly

­I’d lick without commands, get lost!!!

­This place is full of crazy people, lmao

I turned off the chat window, which was filled with all sorts of vile comments, and received Gambit’s play data that had been collected after the session ended.

What glittered like a jewel was actually a dense collection of information, and in other words, it was data waiting to be analyzed. As soon as I waved my hand, numerous records floated into the air, making an impressive sight.

Movement routes and engagement counts. And all data related to engagements ­ recorded MOA data, initial hit rates. How the movements were at that time. How many bullets missed. How long he stayed at certain points… all of these were summarized.

However, no evaluation had been made. That was for me to decide.

And I was a person seasoned in data analysis.

It began.

“Based on the collected data, the number of kills is either average or slightly above average. It’s five people. Engagements are concentrated in the early and late stages… The strategy seems

to be to secure kill points early and then stick close to the kill zone while avoiding fights as much as possible.”

“It’s the most standard tactic and has been trusted for a long time. Also, I’ve had some bad experiences from overextending. So, I’ve become more thorough.”

“Ahaha.”

A short laugh. Of course, that was undoubtedly my fault.

In the past, while playing on this map, the lava had flowed in a very strange way, deviating from its originally expected path. So, I quickly moved to get out of the newly marked kill zone and got shot.

Of course, the shooter was the person right in front of me.

The result was obvious. To make sure the cornered enemy was dealt with, I rammed into the wall, but the problem was that the building’s structure and strength had become as brittle as a cookie due to the shockwave and earthquake caused by the volcanic eruption.

So, when I caught and rammed Gambit, the wall completely collapsed. Below, lava was surging through the village alley. The rest was obvious. Gambit… to put it nicely, was ejected to the lobby as a black polygonal lump.

After that, I sprinted for about 10 minutes to escape the lava zone.

That’s roughly the story.

After taking a small breath, I spoke.

“In fact, it’s fair to say that the strategy in AP soloing has somewhat solidified. The method of securing kill points early or hiding and surviving until entering the top 10 in the late game still works. So… I’ll focus on a slightly different aspect.”

“…How?”

“Let’s thoroughly analyze Gambit’s engagement data.”

At the same time, numerous pieces of information emerged.

The exclusive weapons Gambit used when playing PVE or other PVPs, and related videos. And all the guns Gambit used in this session.

It was time to pinpoint the very detailed parts that the analysis system couldn’t catch.

“When not picking up weapons and fighting like in AP, the gun mainly used is the HK416. With additional weights on the grip and various accessories on the front. A modified version to increase the firing rate by tweaking the gas regulator… it’s quite distinctive.”

With the increased firing rate, the recoil increased, so he added additional weights and equipped a silencer, flash, laser pointer, and so on near the muzzle. The grip was mainly a C-grip, which is advantageous for recoil control and CQB.

He didn’t carry a second weapon. The resulting additional weight allowance was used for extra magazines and grenades for additional firepower.

The nanomachine defense wall. It was a privilege of ICARUS operators, and Gambit chose his own way to break it most efficiently.

“Compromising accuracy to gain certain suppression isn’t bad, but what about practicing the opposite case?”

“Well, about one-third of the AP soloing I do daily is with single-shot weapons like the M1A or SR-25. And when necessary, I practice single-shot shooting with carbines.”

I nodded and added.

“There’s one easy-to-overlook part.”

“Oh, really?”

“Let’s watch the next clip.”

Simultaneously, videos started playing.

Not just one or two, but several. At least seven, if not more. Some of them weren’t even from this session’s play, but that didn’t matter.

The video quickly broke down, extracting one piece of data: measuring the RPM of single-shot firing. At first, it was uncertain, but after seeing that bullet consumption was surprisingly high during single-shot firing several times, it led to a conviction.

The discrepancy created by regular suppression fire and single-shot practice, and behavior adjustment.

As soon as the videos not from this session disappeared, a crucial clip was magnified on the screen. It showed Gambit getting severely countered because he ran out of bullets at a critical moment.

The spent bullet count and RPM were displayed.

“This must happen quite often.”

“….”

He was silent.

But the expression that seemed to say ‘something’s off’ was more vivid than anything.

I continued speaking.

“One thing I learned while teaching other users is that single-shot firing speed is included in behavior adjustment. And it doesn’t work in isolation; it forms an algorithm that matches the player’s style.”

Not just Harmony, but even SSM users.

While teaching them, I discovered some of the game’s mechanisms by meticulously fixing even the smallest details.

The algorithm formed by Gambit’s usual play style was ironically running in idle without meshing with other cogs – not that the algorithm was formed by suppression fire.

However, a play style created first inevitably blends into other parts or at least influences them.

“Practicing single-shot firing, which is the opposite of your style, is a very good method, but unfortunately, single-shot firing has a significant firepower gap compared to suppression fire.”

So, ‘to fill that gap,’ the single-shot firing speed gradually increased.

More than necessary.

And it became algorithmized and solidified.

After explaining up to this point, I summarized.

“To compensate for the firepower gap, the single-shot firing speed gradually increased, and it solidified due to the algorithm in behavior adjustment. It’s affecting AP slightly. It’s a very trivial factor that’s hard to notice, but if that one factor causes such a situation, it can’t be left alone.”

Because it’s a game.

It was a peculiar situation that could only occur because it was a game, but if necessary, the flaw must be excised. When simply thought of, if such a situation occurred in KSM or the Asia preliminaries, elimination would quickly come into view.

There was no need to go as far as real combat. In real combat, the concept of a single-shot firing speed optimized individually by an algorithm wouldn’t exist in the first place.

Anyway, after briefly organizing such an easily overlooked part and casually looking around…

“…Why is everyone so silent?”

­Teacher, you’re really crazy. No, you must be crazy. What is this, lmao

­Teacher, are you really nuts?

­Fact）Surprisingly, this wasn’t pre-analyzed, almost real-time

­Ah, I’m just lost, lmao

­At this point, just… I give up, GG, lmao

­I knew it, really, lmao

…Why is everyone looking at me like this?

Even the casters, Liquid and Meerkat, and Gambit, who was receiving feedback, were looking at me with expressions mixed with astonishment and awe.

A few

words of reaction followed.

“Yoo Jin, you’re really amazing!”

“…How did you notice all this at a glance?”
“Uh, it’s much… wow, how should I explain this? This is driving me crazy, really…”

Hmm….

I was the one feeling astonished. Did I go too detailed?

Anyway, to change the topic, I opened my mouth discreetly.

“…Then, let’s consider this part concluded and move on to the next.”

“The next!?”

“Oh dear.”

I probably shouldn’t have accepted the special caster invitation.

But the choice was already made. So at least, I shouldn’t be accused of being insincere. Since this was the first and last public feedback for Gambit, I also felt obligated to provide accurate information.

Thus, the feedback disguised as an interview continued.

For example,

“When reloading during engagements, you raise your gun excessively. See, the enemy with the thermal function on noticed the heated muzzle sticking out of the box and identified your position. You need to change your magazine replacement method.”

Or,

“It’s fine to switch from one gun to another, but the grouping is inconsistent each time, probably due to the stock length or the contact point issue. It’s not bad to change weapons according to the situation and engagement area, but if you’re going to do it, you should identify the setup that suits you.”

Or,

“Don’t try to control your breathing too consciously. The type of gun, recoil, and accessory setup are all different, so detailing each is meaningless. Also, most engagement distances aren’t far enough to be affected by breathing, so focus more on grip or sight alignment.”

Basic things, in a way, but unfortunately, Gambit’s play was riddled with mistakes that only those who hadn’t received very precise and exact training could make.
Of course, the various reactions that erupted every time I opened and closed my mouth were a completely separate issue.

Somehow, I felt emotionally exhausted.

‘…I shouldn’t have come out, it seems.’

I was tired.

* * *