I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 165 – Tale of Stardrop Night

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[General] Interview Schedule Kitanwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

But why on Monday??????? Yoo Jin nuna is crazy??????

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­Today, those heading to work are going to perish like dogs keokwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

­Ah shit lol I guess I’ll have to sneakily watch the interview during lunch break tomorrow without handing over my phone

ㄴHigh schooler gay lol

ㄴThis is… the future of South Korea?

ㄴOur lord… fellow high school peer… nowadays during lunch break… everyone talks about the black area… you bastards~!!

ㄴ­Boomer­

­All 2 million high school students in the country won’t be handing over their phones on Monday lol

ㄴShit, when did Dark Zone drop the age limit to under 19 lol

ㄴThese days, even high school kids can play up to 4 hours a day, but these boomers don’t know lolololololololol

ㄴWho do you think can last on 4 hours lol

ㄴIf I were a high schooler, I’d get so frustrated I’d get sick lolololololololol

­I’m on duty on Monday, so I’ll have to rewatch this at dawn

ㄴHospital?

ㄴAre you a field army sergeant? lolololololololol

ㄴNationalkkkkkkolllaughokkkkkklololol

ㄴI heard you can’t even use other countries’ guns in the military VR system lololololol

ㄴShit, it hurts, stop poking, you bastards!!!!!!!

­Dice always appears together lololololol

­Even if you put Dice aside, Michael and Gambit? Isn’t this a gathering of perpetrators and victims?

ㄴIt’s not an interview, it’s a hearing, right?

ㄴS**t lololololololololol

­Oh, Stardrop Night is coming out? They’ve really gone world-class

ㄴIt’s the national team, so of course, it’s world-class lololololol

ㄴYou accidentally said something accurate?

­Starting with a climax lol

When the weekend ends, the week begins.

During the first week of rest, the Korea Team Match took place, and the AP duo and squad national representatives selected through this gained a true sense of relaxation. They were to showcase their skills in the Asia Preliminary–Duo and Squad, which starts a week later than the Asia Preliminary–Solo.

At the same time, players who were selected as national representatives through KSM a week earlier woke up from a long sleep of about a week and stretched.

In other words, it was time to sharpen dulled senses again.

There were two main tasks that the AP solo national representatives had to do in the second week. The first was to receive and adapt to the curriculum. This was to get used to the extremely busy schedule that would continue from the third week onwards.

While the players rested, the clubs, ICARUS, and the advertisers were busier than anyone. Especially the task force organized by the ten clubs had to manage the twenty players individually and come up with strategies and tactics that would work even in the Asia Preliminary.

The training courses squeezed out through this laborious process were delivered to the players and actually carried out, followed by endless feedback and modifications. What parts were realistically too much, what needed to be supplemented, and so on….

In short, it was a constant discussion and communication between the players and the club’s coaching staff over a month. This tended to become even more intense in the third and fourth weeks when the full-fledged scrims began, and this year was expected to be no different.

And back to the second task that players had to do.

That was external activities.

“Ah, I really don’t know what kind of crazy idea it is to conduct an interview with a scrim concept. I still can’t get used to it.”

“Didn’t you explain last time that it was natural?”

“It’s always annoying when it actually comes to you.”

To make it feel as realistic as coming back from the battlefield.

But not to look too disorganized. Not too thick and uncomfortable, but wearing the important parts securely with a hexagrid plate carrier and chest rig.

It’s a form that isn’t very familiar to players who usually prefer the so-called armored league, where pouches are attached to the bulletproof vest for reasons of time and efficiency.

I, for one, have always hated getting shot and dying horribly, so I always carried two titanium plates in my bulletproof vest, so honestly, it didn’t really matter to me. The weight wasn’t a significant concern for me.

Anyway, four people are participating in this interview.

Dice and I are always together, so of course, we are, but the remaining two are surprisingly familiar faces – although one might think being associated with me usually isn’t a good thing, this time is different.

Anyway, the list includes Gambit from Clear Sky and Michael from Reaper Infected.

…Why. This time, it’s different.

At least with Gambit… well, I did drop him in lava once, but after the public feedback, we developed a bit of rapport and occasionally exchanged greetings regarding the curriculum.

Of course, with Michael… there’s no excuse. I didn’t expect him to get beaten up by Dice as well.

I knew that shield play was more suitable for team matches than solo play, and that there were clear limits when playing the latter, but I didn’t expect to get utterly destroyed in a fair firepower contest.

Anyway,

“How are you both doing?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Oh, you startled me.”

Why are they always surprised when I call them?

Anyway, it was Gambit who answered promptly, and Michael who was startled. Both characters had cat ears on their heads, so their ears twitching up was quite cute. I didn’t know why they used bishoujo avatars in virtual reality, but it must be their preference. Still, it was cute.

“We’re doing well. We had a bit of a struggle, though.”

“Good.”

“Yoo Jin, don’t look elsewhere, come here. We need to check the script together. It’s good that you care about others, but we still have a ton of things to do.”

“Yes, yes.”

Dice had a strangely domestic vibe.

Anyway, as you can see, the interview was conducted in virtual reality. If it were in reality, there would be issues with studio setup, schedule coordination, and various other problems – the biggest problem would probably be me.

Furthermore, like I heard at the reptile café on Saturday, the national team title doesn’t last long. At most, a month. In a way, it was a process to forcibly engrain the image of a ‘trustworthy national representative’ in the viewers’ minds.

I started reading the script.

Of course, it began with greetings. After that, there was a process of introducing each player through various media, and then I would be the first to receive questions. The script for this part wasn’t clear, probably because they wanted to hear raw answers rather than pre-arranged responses.

The interview order was me, followed by Dice, then Gambit and Michael. However, the focus would shift whenever a player was being discussed. It was a somewhat standardized pattern.

Next was the mock battle.

The gallery and MCs participated as spectators. The 2:2 match consisted of three rounds. I’d team up with Dice, Gambit, and Michael in turn to fight against the opponents, and the number of raffle tickets for prizes would increase based on the results.

Additionally, as a side event, some streamers and skilled individuals from the gallery would be included to have handicap matches with us.

Fortunately or unfortunately, not all interviews included these skirmishes. The program scheduled for tomorrow was expected to proceed normally.

Anyway, how much time had passed?

“Five seconds until the broadcast starts! All players, please stand by!”

The surroundings were slowly turning white.

The transmission began.

In the meantime, Dice spoke.

“Just don’t say anything weird. Got it?”

“You make it sound like I always say weird things.”

“Ah, anyway. Let’s do our best!”

I smiled faintly as my vision blurred.

“Okay.”

It was the beginning.

“IBS’s proud esports special talk show, Tale of Stardrop Night! IBS’s representative esports-loving celebrities and announcers have deep conversations with elite gamers representing the nation!”

“Hello. I’m Kim Kang-hyuk, the celebrity representative and esports enthusiast. It’s an honor to be invited here today!”

“I’m Oh Yeon-jin, IBS’s announcer representative and esports lover. I’d like to greet everyone gathered here warmly.”

The sound of applause poured out loudly.

Even as the gallery filled the audience seats with as much praise as they could give, the words continued.

“Hello, everyone. We’re back again for you. I’m Phoenix, the caster who covered this year’s preliminary rank and KSM!”

“I’m Flame, commentator and host who always accompanies Phoenix. It’s great to meet you.”

Celebrities, announcers, casters, and commentators.

As the four introduced themselves, the stage widened, doubling the number of chairs from four to eight. The two seats on the left were for the celebrity and announcer, and the opposite side was for the caster and commentator.

The four seats in the center were, of course, for the players who would appear soon.

Various conversations continued.

Of course, the introduction of the players couldn’t be established without sufficient buildup.

“…Therefore, the roles of caster and commentator are two pillars supporting the development of esports along with the players.”

“Haha, thank you for saying that. Actually, in some ways, Dark Zone has only been around for five years, right? So, there’s plenty of room for development. We want to continue to be a driving force in this progress.”

“That’s a great point. Since it’s still enjoying its peak, the positions of casters and commentators who can experience the real-time development of the players and the esports scene are incredibly valuable and meaningful.”

Swoosh.

As he gestured, the atmosphere changed.

A video and grand BGM started playing from the large screen attached to the wall.

“Now, we need to invite the main characters of this stage. I’m sure many of you in the audience are looking forward to it, and soon, the supernova of this era will appear!”

The atmosphere shifted.

The selected personal colors for the players were black and blue. These colors intertwined in multiple patterns, soon forming a surreal yet graceful snake emblem.

The moment this recognizable silhouette and pictogram pierced the retinas of the audience, cheers erupted from all directions.

As the excitement reached its peak, the snake emblem disintegrated into four different pictograms.

Black, blue, yellow, white, and a light brown.

These were the personal symbols of the four participants appearing in today’s interview.

“Please welcome Yoo Jin, an independent player, Dice from SSM Entertainment, Gambit from Clear Sky, and Michael from Reaper Infected! Let’s give a warm round of applause to these national representatives!”

Waaaah!

At that moment, the doors swung open with an extravagant display of effects, and the four of them walked out with imposing confidence.

They exuded an overwhelming atmosphere with their heavy gear.

The guns they carried, producing metallic sounds, were the ones they usually favored.

Their shoulders and pants were stained with blood and white concrete dust, creating a decadent yet heavy mood as if they had just returned from a life-and-death battle.

They stood in line, gazing at the entire audience.

As the microphone appeared in their hands, the introductions began.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Jin.”

Cheers erupted at that moment.

The weight carried by that short greeting was incomparable to anyone else. Dice glanced sideways and chuckled.

It was the next person’s turn.

“Thank you very much for gathering here. I am Dice from SSM Entertainment!”

Cheers, cheers, and more cheers.

As Dice finished and before Gambit from Clear Sky and Michael from Reaper Infected could complete their introductions, the applause only subsided once the MCs took hold of the microphone again. Only then did the fervor magically settle.

Once all eight were seated.

It was time to officially start the talk show.

“Wow, just having you all here feels… indescribable. Especially Yoo Jin, your gaze is so piercing… I’m okay since I’m sitting a seat away, but Kang Hyuk, how about you?”

“Oh. After the broadcast ends, there might be frost on my left shoulder. I hate to say this, but Yoo Jin’s avatar is an anaconda… it feels like I’m a prey standing in front of a predator.”

While everyone laughed heartily, a small smile appeared on Yoo Jin’s face.

It was time for the main questions.

“I’ve seen Dice with Yoo Jin often, but is it the first time for Yoo Jin, Gambit, and Michael to meet?”

“No, we’re the victim and the perpetrator.”

“They came here to shake a carrot.”

“Save me!”

A chuckle close to a laugh burst out from all sides.

The question, which was more like a jab in boxing, was directed at Yoo Jin but was answered by Michael, with Dice adding a bit of a chemical reaction, and Gambit’s scream decorating the finish.

The audience, who understood the carrot joke a beat late, erupted into laughter again, while Yoo Jin, with a still shameless expression, added briefly.

“Enemies of yesterday can become today’s teammates. If you survive, that’s what happens.”

“Conversely, if you die, that’s the end.”

“That’s true.”

“Wow, these people are so intense! They’re starting with very unsettling stories!”

“Oh, come to think of it, that’s right. I’m sorry.”

There was clearly a script, but it was meaningless.

The chemical reactions created by each person’s circumstances, pride, relationships, and other various factors were twisting the flow of the pre-arranged talk show guidelines in an instant.

However, this was not a bad thing. It could be said that the back-and-forth was working well. The MCs’ reactions were naturally blending into the conversation, creating new stories.

An unintended, sophisticated chaos was just beginning.

It had only been three minutes since the talk show started.

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