Chapter 149 Come to an End
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[General] Breaking News) Dice is now pre-registered wwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Dice looks so happy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[All Comments] [By Registration]
– Wow, two people on the first day? Insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴOne of them went up right in the 1st phase.
ㄴWe shouldn’t count Yoo Jin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴBringing a human armored vehicle and not making it past phase 1 would be a problem on its own, wouldn’t it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Last year, he made it to phase 4, but this year he’s just destroying everything ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴIs this guy playing with something like a stimpack or what ㄹㅇ?
ㄴThe stimpack isn’t much, Yoo Jin is the stimpack ㅋㅋ
ㄴLearned so well.
ㄴIt’s scary at this level ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho! Yoo Jin-ho!
ㄴYeah, even if you teach them, only 4 can go up~~
ㄴㅅㅂ Can’t we just get rid of the player quota system in each country? If there are at least more people, there will be fewer people crapping themselves in the finals.
ㄴThen start by removing the quota system for South America and the Third World ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴNorth America, Europe, and Asia are the only valid powers anyway, but yeah, it’s tempting to steal the entry rights.
– Really reliable ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Was it three people who made it to the finals last year?
ㄴDice, Summit, and Ink went out.
ㄴThis year, except for one, they’re disappointing ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴWhat kind of performance do you expect after being run over by an armored vehicle ㅅㅂㅋㅋ
ㄴBut now that two people have gone, more should come up.
ㄴWhat’s KSM starting from the second day ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Ah, whatever, just give us the player interviews.
ㄴHold on, it’s the first day of KSM, man.
– Wow, how did they score over 70 points in the 6th game ㅋㅋ
– Honestly, those who are supposed to go up should go up quickly.
[General] The first day of KSM was so fulfillingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
But why is Saturday already over? Stop lyingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋDon’t tell me lies, tell me it’s not true that there’s only one day left of the weekend! Why is something this fun only lasting two days? This is nonsense, tell me it’s a lie!!!!!!!!
[All Comments] [By Registration]
– Yeah, I’m an unemployed bum so it doesn’t affect me~~~~
– Anyway, look at these poor working stiffs ㅉㅉㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴWorking stiff ㅇㅈㄹ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Fact) The unemployed will also be depressed the day after tomorrow.
ㄴOh…why are my eyes tearing up…?
ㄴNo one is not depressed after KSM ends ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴAfter the solo preliminary rank ends, you can still watch the duo or squad preliminary ranks, but after KSM ends, there’s a one-week break ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴShit, I’m getting pissed, I’ll strike on Monday, bye
ㄴBy strike, do you mean continuing your life as an unemployed bum? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– It was fun while it lasted, right? Now just go to sleep ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Leftover chicken…lukewarm beer…a night that’s too deep…after everything ends, the empty room alone….
ㄴAAAAAH
ㄴYou bastard, I’ll find you!!!!!!
ㄴWhy do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain? Why do you dig into my pain?
ㄴYou bastard!!!!!!!
– The comment above hits so hard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– There are so many devils here ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Now all you have left is a bloated belly, right? Now you’ll lie in bed, chat on the gallery, and fall asleep peacefully, right?
ㄴPhew, reading this comment makes me feel better again ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴTh ank yo u ! ! ! ! !
ㄴThis is really healing ㅋㅋ
ㄴWhat’s so healing about chicken and beer? Healing is touching Yoo Jin’s tail, you healing ignoramuses.
ㄴAgreed
ㄴBullshit ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Yeah, go ahead and be depressed~ I touched Yoo Jin’s tail in the event match~ I’ll have a hearty meal tonight and sleep in till 10 tomorrow~
ㄴWow, so jealous ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴDid you win the lottery ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴWhy do you get to touch Yoo Jin’s soft, moist, supple tail!!!!
ㄴHow did you beat 200:1 odds, you lucky bastard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Shit, I want to try the event match once too ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴYou can’t, sorryㅎ
ㄴWith five rooms, to play with Yoo Jin, you have to beat 1000:1 odds ㅋㅋ
ㄴ1000:1, not even Google has such oddsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴEven if you win, there’s no guarantee you can touch it ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴBut you play about five games, so the odds aren’t bad.
ㄴTalk about odds after you win, you bastards ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I’ll pray for the next three chances, please let me meet Yoo Jin once ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴJoining the queue…praying…
– Living point) If you make weird donations in Yoo Jin’s room, you might get hit by her hand.
ㄴThe guy who pays to accumulate hate points ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴThat’s a bit much;;
ㄴToo much ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– [That concludes KSM Saturday! There will be a brief interview and closing remarks shortly, so all players, please prepare!]
“Let’s go, Yoo Jin.”
“Ugh.”
Late on a Saturday night.
The first night of KSM was coming to an end.
“It’s getting late, everyone. But the support from everyone here is really intense, isn’t it?”
At that moment, a roar of hundreds of thousands of voices responded. The deafening sound was brief, and the host, looking familiar, glanced down at the audience.
The enormous stadium, which looked like a soccer field magnified several times, had all its space filled with seats for spectators except for a small stage in the center. In other words, everywhere you looked was filled with spectators.
Even hosts who had confidently spoken before numerous people for years were overwhelmed by the pressure.
“I’ve been hosting events related to Dark Zone for many years now, but every time I host, I am truly amazed. The number of people who love this game increases exponentially every year.”
The audience shifted their attention to the stage.
The 100 KSM participants each had different looks and reactions. Some waved at the audience, some seemed completely spaced out, and some were deep in thought, seemingly indifferent.
Whatever the case, after the audience’s gaze moved, the topic had to shift as well.
“Additionally, the level of the AP soloing tournament seems to be the same. Every year, incredibly skilled users participate in KSM, and I’m always surprised when I watch the matches. At the same time, I feel relieved. It shows that Korea’s talent pool is still vast and the future is bright.”
But!
As he shouted, the atmosphere instantly quieted down. Through a combination of an artificial mute and other measures, the host created the desired flow, and even after the mute was lifted, the audience stayed silent, eagerly waiting for his next words.
After a brief pause, he continued.
“Sadly, and regrettably. Out of these, 60 participants will have to wait until next year, and those from 21st to 40th place will remain as reserves in case of any unforeseen events. Only twenty will be selected as national representatives and given the chance to elevate the nation’s honor and aim for higher competitions.”
The atmosphere fell silent.
But with a single gesture from the host, a grand and stirring BGM began to play, gradually raising the volume and changing the mood. It was a moment where excitement and anticipation sprouted in the hearts of millions of viewers.
“However, this year I am convinced. Something will change. We will take another leap. I am certain that we are waiting for results we’ve never seen before! Today, we finally have a pre-selected player for the first phase, something we haven’t seen in any competition for the past three years, including AP, Team Six, Fallen, and Survival!”
The atmosphere reversed.
As soon as the term
‘pre-selected player’ was mentioned, countless people instinctively thought of one figure—who, ironically, looked rather awkward and puzzled as to why everyone was so thrilled—but at the same time, everyone chanted one name.
Not only the figure in the stadium but also the attention of hundreds of thousands in other sessions was focused on one person. Although there was another pre-selected player for phase 2, there was no need to look for them.
They were sitting right next to each other.
Meanwhile, as the host continued to build up to bring Yoo Jin and Dice onto the stage, the two of them were casually chatting as if no one else was around.
“Why are they so excited?”
“…Yoo Jin, you don’t seem to enjoy being the center of attention. But despite that, you’re still active as a streamer… Make up your mind.”
“Streaming seems like two-way communication, but it’s essentially one-way. Unless you hold a fan meeting, it’s the same. And in this case… it’s the latter.”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
It wasn’t that it was incomprehensible, but continuously spewing out stories that made the listener embarrassed… It might have been that she was simply shy, as usual.
Anyway, the atmosphere reached its peak. As Dice tapped the armrest, signaling to get ready, the booming voice pierced through the air.
“Then, let’s welcome the pre-selected players for today, representing South Korea! Independent player Yoo Jin and Dice from SSM, to the stage!”
Whoosh.
Just as a storm of cheers was about to sweep over us, my vision suddenly brightened, and the noise faded away. In the next moment, as if waking up from a dream, I found myself on the stage, next to Dice and the host.
The host continued with various introductory remarks—mercifully avoiding any nicknames. Instead, he introduced us with the title of South Korea’s AP soloing national representatives.
Feeling the grip of the microphone in my hand, I waited for the host to finish his speech and pass the baton to me. However, the timing kept getting pushed back as cheers, applause, and chants of my name filled the air.
How much time had passed,
“Haha, so many people are chanting Yoo Jin’s name, it’s hard to start the interview. Anyway, Yoo Jin, congratulations on being selected as a national representative. Can you share a few words on how you feel?”
I nodded slightly.
I hadn’t prepared anything in particular, but people often liked raw, impromptu comments… probably because I was too lazy to prepare, so I was planning to say whatever came to mind.
It began.
“Well, I only played four actual matches, but through this KSM, I had so many unexpected and diverse experiences. Personally, it was a very beneficial time.”
“Aha, I see. But surely, such diverse experiences….”
“I think you have an idea, Mr. Host. Running across crumbling rock mountains, a container ship explosion, the whole area being engulfed in flames… I’ll stop here.”
Some of it was my doing, but most of it was about Dice.
Ignoring her awkward scratching of her head, I continued.
“Haha! Your wit is as impressive as your skills. Moving on to the next question—Yoo Jin, you consistently overpower your opponents with incredible skill. With so many variables in each engagement, could you share a bit of your secret to victory?”
“You have to think every moment of the engagement. Force situations unfavorable to the opponent, block tactical and strategic advantages. One common way to gain an edge is to cause auditory and visual confusion.”
“Ah, I see! So it’s not just about pointing the gun at the opponent but gaining an advantage through much more systematic means. Very insightful!”
Of course, I said this, but I didn’t expect anyone to actually follow it.
Dice’s rapid growth was due to rearranging a portion of the countless engagement records stored in the Icarus Device and applying them to training at the shooting range.
The Icarus CQB-Urban Combat Manual, written in the blood of countless people. In other words, it was a collection of combat experiences that far surpassed any existing manual, including those from the U.S.
It sounded plausible, but actually achieving it required extensive real-world experience.
“Due to time constraints, this will be the last question. If possible, how far do you aim to go?”
“Hmm.”
Without much thought, I opened my mouth.
“I heard the air at the top of the United States is exceptionally clear.”
“…Ah! Aha, what a funny expression! If things go as Yoo Jin wishes, South Korea might be in for a big surprise! Thank you, it was a very enjoyable interview!”
After saying that, we shook hands, and the host moved toward Dice.
I didn’t know what others thought, but to me, it was a task rather than a goal. Of course, finding out the truth about this world and the Dark Zone might only require going to the U.S. and Icarus headquarters, but if I’m going, winning wouldn’t be bad either.
As countless people clapped for me, my gaze was set on a more distant place.
The night was deepening.
It felt like finishing one of the tasks I had put off.
───Ding!
-[Yoo Jin: Although I haven’t seen everything, I analyzed the strengths and weaknesses from this match.]
-[Yoo Jin: There will be a debriefing from 12 to 2 AM in reality, see you then.]
-[Yoo Jin: Dice will also attend♡]
-[Attachment: Debriefing File.pdf (50 pages)]
“Ugh….”
Still on stage, as the final remarks were being made.
Blooming, who had been watching Yoo Jin and Dice’s interview, fainted on the spot.
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