NOVEL WEB Chapter 118 - Harmony Rising
Chapter 118 – Harmony Rising
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“Bbyong-ha, bbyong-ha.”
“Bbyong-haaaaaaa.”
“Wow, a 4-person collab for real? This is truly epic!”
“Sh*t, I’m taking leave tomorrow and watching the whole thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“How can I miss this! How can I miss this! How can I miss this! How can I miss this!!!!”
Four people.
Streamers with an average of 2,000 viewers during “Just Chatting” and a massive fanbase that doubled when they got into game content. These four streamers gathered together to create content, elevating it to an event no one could dismiss as ordinary.
Moreover, it wasn’t just a simple collab among friends. These influencers, who had the charm, talent, and diligence to reach the status of “big shots” on their own, had come together with a single purpose.
Of course, it was going to be popular, and the synergy effect among the individual members made it even more so. For Tricky users who primarily watched the MCN streamers from the Bonk Hammer Brotherhood, this was a long-awaited salvation.
Over 30,000 people were shouting silently in the chat. The excitement was palpable, as if you could hear their cheers through the screen.
Meanwhile.
Harmony, who was arguably the most fitting to be called a guest today, was pondering what to do. The other three, who had set up this collaboration, were skillfully calming the flames in the chat.
“Alright, everyone. As we mentioned before, today we’ll finally be doing a collab with Harmony, a newbie in the Dark Zone. It seems like a lot of you have been waiting for this.”
“Since we’re on the topic, let me quickly introduce today’s content. We have several activities centered around Harmony, most of which you can do even if you’re not max level. Today, we’ll be trying the Domination mode, so if you want to join, try to match the timing.”
“And for those who don’t fight properly… you know what will happen.”
“What? Will there be special punishments?”
“Ohhh, Limit….”
“If a guy said he’d give a seductive punishment, lolol.”
“Limit is so gay, lolol.”
“If you get matched, just dodge, right?”
“Hey, you… you punks! Why do you react like this whenever I talk?”
“Wow, you really put a lot of effort into your avatar….”
“Mony, are you going to do this too?”
Of course, there were those suffering amidst all this.
The four of them moved. Their destination was a helipad from which they could travel to any part of the HQ. As the Dark Zone saying goes, all missions and movements start from the helicopter, making the landing pad the starting point for most content.
As they approached, the intensity of the propeller’s rotation increased, and through the automatically opened door, a large UI appeared.
This was the point where they chose where to go or what content to undertake.
After a few clicks, a familiar voice reached Harmony’s ears.
[Notice: Authenticating Operator Harmony….］
[Notice: Domination mode activated.］
[Notice: Welcome.］
As if using a pulse, a golden, circular barrier gently spread out and melted into the winter of New York.
Familiar applause was heard.
“Welcome to Domination mode, Mony. You’ve taken another step out of the newbie path.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Laughing, Harmony responded to Stone’s words and carefully added,
“So, what exactly is this Domination mode? I watched the video earlier, but all it showed was fighting.”
“Simply put, it’s a kind of capture-the-flag battle.”
It was the same person who answered again.
Not only Hotteok but others were eager to explain, so there was no need to spend a long time listening to the story. Even donations and chats were in chaos. Over 30,000 people were each throwing in their words for one newbie.
Roughly summarizing the scattered information:
Operators deployed to high-value targets encounter an equal number of special forces from hostile nations equipped with ICARUS gear. The story involves urban combat to prevent the enemies from extracting information from each point.
There are detailed classes such as Pointman, Rifleman, Squad Leader, and Mechanic, who support the team using various skills. Four members form a squad, which can be split in half, allowing the Squad Leader to appoint a Sub-Leader.
Points A, B, and C. Each objective has three capturable devices and support turrets. High-value targets spawn at key locations on the map.
“And whether you defeat a user or AI, you earn points. Use these to activate defenses at each point, like turrets.”
“Oh….”
As always, seeing was believing.
In other words, explaining it was difficult to grasp, and Harmony was no exception. She shook her head and muttered softly,
“Let’s just try it.”
“That’s better, right?”
“Okay. Before we start, let’s roughly assign classes. If there’s no objection, I’ll be the Squad Leader as usual. Any objections?”
“Nope. I’ll be the Mechanic. I’m not confident in shooting.”
“Hotteok will be the Squad Leader, Doldol the Supporter. I’ll be the Pointman and carry the shield. Harmony, since it’s your first time, just shoot well.”
For the three of them, it was smooth sailing; for Harmony, it was like frying beans with a lightning bolt.
According to hearsay, they had practiced with Hotteok, Limit, Kim Stone, and a participating member for several days before the collab, so perhaps this speed was expected. Of course, it wasn’t a major concern.
As the matching began, the propeller of the helicopter spun faster. The pilot, speaking urgently, urged them to board quickly. The four, awaited by 30,000 people, boarded with a heavy sense of anticipation.
[ISO: Departing for the operation area. Fasten your seatbelts tightly.］
Bwooong!
The sound of the propeller slicing through the air became almost unbearable for human ears as a Black Hawk helicopter lifted off the ground.
Harmony’s first Domination was beginning.
───Drrrrk!
[ISO: Complete the mission and achieve the objective. Do not let anyone who sets foot on our land with filthy intentions survive.］
“We’ve arrived. The weather’s nice. Sun’s shining, it’s quiet. I like it here.”
“Disembark, disembark! Let’s go!”
As the side door of the helicopter opened, a cold wind rushed in.
With the outside air flowing in, steam poured out like a waterfall from their mouths. Twelve warriors stepped onto the snow-covered ground that no one had yet tread upon.
The structure of the map appeared before them. As the term “capture-the-flag” suggested, the layout centered around point B, where two forces would clash sharply. Not knowing how the game operated yet, Harmony decided to follow Squad Leader Hotteok’s instructions.
A count appeared mid-air, marking the locations of A, B, and C on the UI. The sector in front of Harmony’s team was A. Conversely, the sector in front of the enemy would be C.
While Harmony had never played this mode, her team was already devising their plan. They looked familiar with the process. Ignoring them wouldn’t be wise, so she decided to listen.
But the conversation ended quickly.
Squad Leader Hotteok spoke,
“Alright, listen up. We’ll run to B. The other two squads will capture A and then follow us, so let’s go ahead and ease their burden a bit. Also, delay the enemies while setting up defenses. Stone, make sure to install the defensive equipment as soon as we get there.”
“Got it. I’ll be busy setting up as soon as we arrive.”
“I’ll share Squad Leader privileges with Harmony. Limit, protect Mony from nearby enemies.”
“Okay.”
And the count hit zero.
Twelve people started moving.
“Run!”
Crunch.
The snow compressed under the weight of their footsteps. Unlike the cloudless sky, the biting wind pierced through them as the three squads began their actions.
The paths diverged. Two squads headed for A, while Harmony’s squad moved towards the pre-arranged B sector. The area designated for intense combat, B sector, was quite expansive. In short, they arrived at B quickly.
[Notice: Entering sector B.］
A wide-open space. It resembled a base camp for a large unit. Multiple tents, metal structures to climb, scattered supplies, and several parked vehicles.
Amidst them were AI enemies and three terminal-like structures. Nearby were large boxes marked with the ICARUS emblem.
The A on the UI gradually turned blue, signifying allied control. Since there were three terminals in B, other places would be similar.
“Splitting up might get us killed, so let’s capture one terminal each. The enemies will arrive soon, so Stone, get to a high point and set up the pulse. Harmony and Limit, cover him.”
“Mony, let’s go.”
While Hotteok captured the terminal in the open, Harmony and the other two entered the upper structure housing generators and antennas.
With a series of clicks, Kim Stone put down a box-shaped metal object from his back and started fiddling with it. It split into various components, serving as both a turret and a pulse module.
While busily adjusting the equipment, Kim Stone spoke,
“B seems pretty empty. Usually, they’d be here by now.”
“Uh… Doldol, why aren’t they capturing C?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Does the UI show that?”
“C is still neutral.”
This doesn’t feel right.
Maybe the assumption
that enemies started near sector C was wrong. Even after asking again, the answer was no. The danger sensors honed by Teacher Yoo Jin were blaring high-pitched warnings.
Checking the minimap hastily, the allies were only now finishing capturing sector A. This felt very wrong. Meanwhile, C was slowly being captured. But compared to the swift capture of A by allies….
Oh.
“I think we need to run right now.”
“Why? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“We’re going to get slaughtered.”
“What are you talking about? Explain a bit more. Our allies will arrive in about a minute.”
Ugh, Teacher Yoo Jin would understand immediately.
The answer was clear after a little calculation. Leaving only one or two people at C, the enemies had sent about ten to eleven people directly to B.
And sure enough.
“Uh… guys?”
“Why?”
“We’re screwed.”
Through the two main roads connecting C and B, about ten enemies were approaching.
It was exactly 30 seconds before Harmony’s squad would be wiped out.
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