I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 161­ Similar Routine

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“The first thing to discuss is the users from each country who have currently passed the preliminaries with excellent results. We’ve prepared a presentation for you to review at your leisure.”

Whirr.

From the floor of the convention hall’s stage, a holographic projector shone a light, eventually forming a giant screen. It was much clearer and more vivid than the so-called projectors.

The introduction continued without much preamble. First up was Japan. Among the twenty names listed, those worth noting were highlighted in bold.

At the very top was the name Dice had mentioned earlier, Keith, followed by Momona, Hakuchi… Each country indeed had its own unique nicknames.

I considered listening directly, but since more detailed information would likely be released later, I decided to hear it from Dice instead.

“Keith, huh? Must be a skilled player.”

“Indeed. He served in the special operations forces for 14 years. Last year, we lost to him several times. They often conduct joint operations with the U.S. Moreover, he received Delta Force training… He’s essentially our biggest threat.”

“Delta.”

A familiar name.

None of those who had been in charge of my past training lacked the Delta badge. However, as the combat locations shifted entirely to urban settings, even the Delta tactics manuals were almost completely overhauled. In short, I didn’t know the current configuration of the Delta manual.

The manuals were updated as needed to correct any defects, so depending on the version, there were always vulnerabilities to exploit.

In any case, I might have been quite careless. All the names were unfamiliar. Had I been too lax in gathering information? I felt the need to reflect on this lapse.

“What about the users listed below him?”

“Well, last year’s finalists from Japan were Keith, Suzuran, Charmant, and Clarity. The rest were eliminated… But all the names I just mentioned are listed here.”

“Four, huh. Seems Japan did quite well last time. Korea had three finalists, right?”

“They didn’t do well; they just rode on Keith’s coattails. Honestly, besides him, there’s no one worth worrying about.”

Her expression was harsh.

Dice’s fingers fidgeted, seemingly restless. I placed my tail back on her lap, and she brightened up. She was such an easy person to read.

Meanwhile, Blooming beside her looked quite… well, uneasy. She seemed envious but unable to express it. I had a rough idea of how she felt. But unfortunately, I couldn’t extend my tail that far.

Next up was the strategy of the notable opponents.

“The users from the Republic of Japan excel at employing trendy tactics. This is likely due to several coaching staff members in Japanese esports being former SFGp, special operations forces.”

As I mentioned earlier, Japan’s special operations forces are closely tied with Delta. Since their inception, they received Delta’s assistance, and it’s impossible to completely prevent some of their tactics and strategies from leaking into the civilian sector.

What followed was an explanation of what employing trendy tactics specifically meant – in short, a more systematic approach to combat, which I emphasized repeatedly.

In essence, combat boiled down to knowing the enemy’s location, forcing them into disadvantageous situations, and minimizing losses while securing a kill.

That’s all there was to it.

Following this was a video analyzing and summarizing the notable aspects of the gameplay of foreign players. The video lasted about ten minutes. I focused on what Dice had mentioned as I watched.

Keith. Despite the light-sounding name, his avatar was a serious-looking man. He had a vertical scar crossing his sharp eyebrows and eyes. His short black hair, loosely tied, and light white beard gave him an unkempt look.

The avatar had a prominent brow ridge, making him seem more like a Japanese-Brazilian mix rather than purely Japanese. He certainly looked formidable – but that’s enough about his appearance.

Next was his tactics.

───Ratatatatata!

His movements were fluid and natural.

Even so, his constant scanning of the surroundings to check the terrain showed his considerable skill. Keeping track of the local topography was crucial in combat.

It required a high level of habitualization. One needed a wide field of view to focus on everything around them. Overall, his ability to adapt to the changing surroundings instantly was impressive.

Flames shot out from the muzzle brake. He maintained control and continued the engagement skillfully. His shooting accuracy was inherently high, so unless his opponent had a significant advantage, they were slowly pushed back.

Then, at the right moment, he switched to offense. He quickly pressured the enemy, securing a kill. Overall, there was no sign of impatience when facing combat.

He was good.

“He handles combat very well. I get the gist of it. It would be difficult for anyone but the top users to deal with him. Though, top players are all somewhat similar… Why are you so silent?”

“Uh…”

Seo Ye-rin, who had been staring intently at the screen, added.

“…That’s strange. Last year, he was overwhelmingly beaten, but now I kind of get it…”

“The higher you go, the more similar the principles of engagement become.”

“That’s true, but… the speed at which offense and defense switch is slower than I expected. It’s not as quick as flipping a palm like you, Yoo Jin, but more like flipping a tire.”

“Who knows? You might say that now and get thoroughly beaten in the Asian preliminaries later. Prepare well.”

“…That’s true.”

She mentioned being beaten by him last year and yet was confident. I lightly tapped her head with my tail and refocused on the screen.

Next was the Chinese Federation. However, there was no need for further explanation. The process was similar for all. Russia and Taiwan followed the same pattern. There was no need to stress about it here since there would be plenty of opportunities to analyze them later.

But conversely, for newcomers, this was an important chance. They could get a rough understanding of the enemy forces they would face in the Asian preliminaries through videos and presentations.

Thus, the introduction of notable opponents and users to watch out for from each country ended.

According to the newly distributed schedule, the next part was the introduction of each team’s policies and joint tactical plans. I was quite curious about this.

However, the curiosity was quickly satisfied. In summary, a task force consisting of coaches and directors from teams with outstanding results would oversee the curriculum and training.

While I was thinking, “So that’s how it is,” the man who seemed to be the task force leader received a microphone from the host and began speaking.

“…Additionally, this task force plans to significantly revise the existing strategies to keep up with the times. The new approach will focus on supplementing individual weaknesses and maximizing strengths instead of the previous ‘situation-adaptation’ curriculum.”

And then he added something.

This was the reason.

“In short, we have great interest in the methodology of Yoo Jin, who dramatically improved Dice’s skills.”

I didn’t expect him to say that openly.

Fortunately, he didn’t stand there and say, ‘Please contact us later.’ If he had, I might have thought he was crazy. He would probably reach out after the briefing.

Anyway, since my name was mentioned, everyone was quite curious about how I trained Dice – but I was sure that if they found out, they might regret their curiosity.

Ironically, the reason Dice always complained wasn’t anything special.

And she added her two cents.

“What makes them so curious? They’d be shocked if they tried it.”

“People are curious about what they don’t know.”

“…True. There’s a saying that ignorance is bliss. Not that they are ignorant, but if having no information counts as ignorance, then it’s not wrong.”

“Haha. By the way, Dice, isn’t it about time you take on a teaching role? After training for a week or two, how about I draft the curriculum with those folks, and you pass it on? It sounds like a reasonable role division.”

“…That doesn’t sound bad.”

Indeed.

There’s a saying that the best way to divert complaints is to give someone power. Now that she was told she could teach others, she pretended not to be happy, but the corners of her mouth lifted.

Anyway, a month isn’t that long. Considering the first week was nearly over, we practically had about three weeks. It would be quite challenging to raise the skills of all 20 people during this time while managing the backlog of ads.

Hence, the need for role division arose. Dice would be quite busy in the coming weeks.

But that was for the future; right now, there was something important.

“───Thank you for listening. This concludes the preliminary briefing. A large bus is waiting outside to take you to a nearby hotel buffet. Enjoy your late lunch there and then return to your accommodations or homes. The later briefings will be delivered through each team’s coaches!”

I smiled.

We made eye contact.

I spoke up.

So, what was the important matter?

“Let’s go eat.”

“…Eat?”

“I haven’t had lunch yet.”

Today’s buffet was thoroughly explored.

“The last time I had a meal at a hotel buffet was with Mina. Now it’s a similar situation with you, Ye-rin.”

“…Hearing my name directly from you, Yoo Jin, feels so strange. Not bad, just very surreal. Anyway, Mina is… Harmony, right?”

“Yes. That was quite fun too. Though it’s not something to discuss here… Do you have something to say?”

“Oh, uh…”

That wasn’t the point.

Now that I think about it, isn’t this person a heavy eater? Dice was already lost in her own world, oblivious to anything else.

I glanced over. Her blue eyes were fixed on the table. On the plate in front of Yoo Jin was a bit of everything the hotel buffet offered, filling the plate completely.

Pump

kin, broccoli, scallops, mushrooms, crab meat, potatoes, smoked salmon, olives, hummus, nuts, cheese, ham, sausages, chiabatta, croissants, finger food… Eating just a couple of plates like that would be filling, wouldn’t it?

And this time, Dice couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

“…Aren’t you full eating like that?”

“I think ten more plates should be fine.”

“Ugh…”

No matter how you look at it, this person isn’t human.

But watching the mountain of salad disappear into her mouth, I felt my appetite growing. Was this what a mukbang was like? Come to think of it, her mukbang videos would probably get a lot of views.

She ate incredibly neatly. Nothing could be seen entering her mouth, and nothing could be seen being chewed. It seemed like she was slightly chewing and swallowing, but listening to her, that didn’t seem to be the case.

She just ate as cleanly and quickly as possible. Considering she didn’t spill anything, it seemed like a natural talent.

“It’s delicious. Next, I’m heading to the grill section. Want to join me?”

“Ugh, I can’t keep up with your pace, Yoo Jin. Even if I starved for three days, I couldn’t.”

“You just eat as much as you can. That’s what buffets are for, right?”

“…Pig.”

“Haha, if anything, I’d be the one swallowing the pig…”

…True enough.

As an anaconda, she could probably swallow a pig. Just like the boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant in the old tale, it seemed Yoo Jin could eat a whole pig too.

Not literally, of course. I just meant she could eat a lot.

Anyway, it felt like my sense of reality was evaporating in real-time. The overwhelming data churned in my head. I thought Yoo Jin was just a gym freak, but she turned out to be someone who needed to consume at least 5,000, averaging 8,000 calories a day.

I was dizzy, honestly.

Moreover, the bizarre antics continued.

“If you need an extra hand, feel free to place your plate here.”

“Wow, what…”

She curled her tail into a round support and placed a plate on it.

Thus, Yoo Jin managed to carry three plates filled with food, smiling slyly. It seemed like a talent to perform such odd acts so confidently.

“You really can do all sorts of things.”

“Honestly, I discovered this by chance while dining with Harmony.”

“Of course, you did.”

But surprisingly, lunch hadn’t even started yet.

And Dice had more to worry about.

‘…I hope today’s dinner doesn’t cost 500,000 won…’

She would regret many things today.

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