NOVEL WEB Episode 82 - Battlefield
The car driven by Woo Seong-sik smoothly entered the highway, heading towards its destination, Muju.
“Woo Seong-sik, your driving skills have improved quite a bit, haven’t they?”
“I’ve been driving around a lot lately. Hehe.”
Compared to the slightly anxious driving skills during their last trip to the pension, there has been significant progress.
Woo Seong-sik’s tail rose with pride at Yeon-woo’s compliment. Yeon-woo glanced at Jin Yu-han, who was sitting silently next to him, staring out the window. It seemed quite awkward for him to be among people he didn’t know.
“Joo-hyung, have you seen many of Yu-han’s works?”
Kim Joo-hyung and Jin Yu-han turned their heads towards Yeon-woo upon hearing their names.
“Well, since I’m a movie buff, I’ve practically seen all the works he appeared in. So, it feels amazing, like watching a movie in real-time.”
Jin Yu-han’s interest piqued upon hearing Kim Joo-hyung’s words.
“Do you like movies?”
“Yeah, sure! I’ve really seen all the works without lying!”
Kim Joo-hyung answered Jin Yu-han’s question with tension, like a new recruit standing at attention. Yeon-woo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of them.
Despite being amazed every time he saw Yu-han, who had become quite famous as a star by now, Kim Joo-hyung was even more amazed by Jin Yu-han, whom he had been watching on TV since his child actor days.
The guys in their twenties quickly became friendly, chatting without restraint as the conversation flowed smoothly.
‘Why is it so easy for them to become friends like this, but they’re so guarded on set?’
Yeon-woo chuckled, shaking his head.
As they chatted cheerfully, the car unknowingly arrived in Muju.
“By the way, don’t we need to stop by the market or something before heading to our accommodation?”
Yeon-woo asked, prompting laughter from Kim Joo-hyung and Woo Seong-sik in the front seats.
“Let’s go to the place we booked before heading to our lodging.”
“Is it at 2 o’clock?”
“Yeah, we’ll arrive with plenty of time to spare. It’ll be perfect to go shopping after this.”
Taking curious Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han with them, they stopped the car at a rather secluded parking lot on the outskirts of Muju.
“Here we are!”
The car door opened, and they all got out.
“Huh? A survival game park?”
“Haha, it’s going to be so much fun, right? I’ve been looking forward to it since last week.”
As Yeon-woo read the sign erected next to the parking lot, he couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
‘…If it’s a survival game, then it’s simulated combat, right?’
Yeon-woo, who has undergone countless simulations and been deployed to numerous operational areas including desert warfare and urban warfare training, felt that they needed to proceed with caution.
“…I might need to be careful with this.”
Yeon-woo murmured quietly, thinking that he needed to suppress the instincts from his past lives that his body remembered from repetitive training. Woo Seong-sik heard his words and chuckled.
“Wow, Yeon-woo, feeling confident? I should be gentle too. Our opponents will feel sorry for us, you know. Hehe.”
Scratching his head awkwardly, Yeon-woo followed his friends into the lobby of the survival game park.
Arriving about 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled match time, Yeon-woo and his group listened to explanations about safety education and equipment usage.
“So, if you get hit by a BB pellet fired from a gun, the protective gear automatically detects it and broadcasts it, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The eliminated player will be announced, and the elimination notice will be broadcasted. Then, you just raise both hands and exit through the entrance.”
As the guide answered Kim Junsu’s question, the group’s eyes sparkled with interest.
Woo Seong-sik, looking at Jin Yu-han standing behind him wearing a mask and hat.
“Yu-han, have you ever shot a gun?”
“Of course he has. In his previous work, ‘Beyond’, he must has shot hundreds of rounds.”
Kim Joo-hyung immediately answered in his place. Jin Yu-han chuckled slightly upon hearing the response.
“That was just a model gun. It only produces sparks and has almost no recoil, so I haven’t really shot one, should I say?”
At that moment, noisy voices came from outside as several men entered.
“Oh, those must be the team we’re facing today.”
Woo Seong-sik looked at them with interest, and an older man among them approached and greeted them.
“You’re the ones who made reservations with us today, right? Nice to meet you. Let’s have a good time playing fair.”
“Oh, yes. It’s our first time, so please understand if we make any mistakes.”
Whether he heard Woo Seong-sik’s words or not, the opposing team, wearing camouflage clothes and chewing gum, began to speak loudly.
“What’s this? Newbies? They seem clueless. Ah, it’s gonna be boring.”
Although they were speaking among themselves, it couldn’t go unheard in the quiet indoor space.
The representative who came forward glanced back once and then politely apologized.
“…I’m sorry. We didn’t mean any harm.”
“…Oh, yeah.”
As the representative of the opposing team left, there were intermittent sounds of murmuring among them.
“Why did you pick newbies? Should we take it easy on them?”
“It’s all too obvious. Why provoke like that? And it’s tough to find opponents these days. We’re lucky we found them.”
Listening quietly to their conversation, Junsoo finally spoke up.
“But, saying mean things and then claiming no harm done is an interesting way of apologizing, isn’t it?”
Hearing this, Yeon-woo chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, we are newbies and clueless. But still, you only know the true measure after a long time.”
At that moment, an attendant from each team approached.
“I’ll be guiding this team. Please go over there, wear your equipment, and I’ll explain it to you again. Follow me.”
Yeon-woo and his group followed the guide to receive protective gear and game-specific guns.
Then, they used the computers at the entrance to input their nicknames into the slots connected to their gear.
“Your nicknames are hilarious. It’s amusing. Haha.”
“Why? It’s simple and good, isn’t it?”
At that moment, the staff’s small talk caught the attention of the group, and they began to explain.
“Okay, see the monitor up here? If you’ve been eliminated, you can come out and watch the game from here. This team is the Blue Team. Please wear the blue badges on your arms.”
As they put on the blue badges and black protective gear, including helmets, Yeon-woo felt memories from the past surfacing.
“There will be three rounds of the game, with a time limit of 30 minutes. If one team doesn’t eliminate all members within the time limit, the team with the most remaining members wins. If the number of surviving members is the same, the team that had the first member eliminated loses. Do you understand?”
The group nodded in understanding.
“Please come this way. If you get eliminated, your nickname will be called out on the broadcast. Follow the blue arrows on the ground, raise both hands, and come back here. The terrain is symmetrical on both sides of the fountain. Enjoy the game safely and have fun.”
After the guide left, the five of them were left alone, wearing their protective gear.
The spacious field with various environments seemed well-designed.
“Shall we spread out first? I read online before coming that it’s not favorable to clump together and get wiped out in one go.”
Everyone nodded at Junsoo’s suggestion.
‘In a real situation, we’d have to be cautious and move as a group for more advantage. But since it’s a game…’
Following Junsoo’s opinion, Yeon-woo also dispersed.
First, he climbed up a leaning pillar in front to gauge the overall area.
About 30 meters away, he could see ruins and what looked like a factory building beyond.
‘I can’t see the fountain the staff mentioned. That means there must be another open area beyond the factory, and if the terrain is symmetrical, we need to advance quickly to gain a geographical advantage.’
Once the decision was made, Yeon-woo quickly advanced towards the factory.
Inside, he found various structures, windows without glass where they could see outside, and a corridor on the opposite side.
Yeon-woo quickly explored the interior and leaned against the entrance from which the opponents could enter, observing.
On the other hand, the opponents, who had enjoyed their club activities here for years, were familiar with the geography inside.
Although the terrain was periodically changed to some extent, due to budget constraints, it mostly remained the same, and they had roamed the park like their living room for years.
“I’ll go first. You have to eat the good stuff first, right? Hehe.”
The man, chewing gum, excitedly ran out.
Watching him go, his teammates shook their heads.
“Geez, he was talking about newbies and clueless, but now he’s the most excited.”
The man ran at full speed.
Since it’s their first time, they will probably be cautious as he approaches. If he rushes in and takes over the factory first, he could eliminate one or even three if he does well. Newbies need their seniors to teach them.
Hurrying through the house-like terrain, they crossed the central junction, the fountain, and entered the open field where the factory was visible.
If it had been normal, he would have proceeded cautiously, checking for cover, but the man, excited at the thought of quickly arriving and eliminating beginners, just ran straight ahead.
– Thunk… –
– Bang, bang… –
At that moment, three rubber bullets flew, two hitting his torso and one hitting the center of his helmet.
“Ugh!”
Since the bullets hit his protective gear, he only felt the impact but didn’t feel any pain. However, the unexpected shots startled the man, causing him to shout in surprise.
[Red Team Marine Victory Out. Eliminated by Mask Man. Please raise your hands and exit.]
Disheartened, the man, Marine Victory, who rushed out eagerly, was now out.
At first, he was stunned, but soon realized what happened and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
‘…Mozambique Drill? Ah, no way, it’s just some guy who happened to run out and fired three shots randomly.’
The Mozambique Drill is a shooting technique based on the Mozambique Operation. In simple terms, since the target’s head is smaller than the torso, you shoot twice at the torso first and then aim for the head.
The eliminated nickname, Marine Victory, had a hobby of military-related activities, known as a ‘military geek’, and always watched military-related videos. He was startled by the neat shots, two to the torso and one to the head, fired almost simultaneously.
“…Darn it, those newbie kids couldn’t possibly use the Mozambique Drill. It feels like I got hit by a double tap.”
Walking back to his team’s waiting room with his hands raised, Number 3 felt perplexed.
Meanwhile, both the opposing Alpha Team and Yeon-woo’s Bravo Team were surprised by the sudden announcement of the out.
“If it’s the Red Team, it’s our opponents, right? The Mask Man is Yeon-woo, right?”
Guarding cautiously, now near the cover near the factory, Seong-sik and Junsoo grinned.
“Looks like…”
“Yeah, even if we don’t know how it happened, it’s definitely Yeon-woo.”
Nodding in agreement with Junsoo’s interruption, Seong-sik.
On the other hand, the Red Team didn’t so much express surprise as they couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“What? He ran excitedly and got knocked out right away? Huh. He was acting all tough, but he’s just making our club look bad.”
“I’ve always been curious, but why is he named ‘Marine Victory’ when he’s a public servant?”
Already having a rash temperament and charging in style, the team member’s survival rate wasn’t particularly high.
Watching the team member mocking Marine Victory, the team leader put a finger to his lips.
“Shh! No matter how much of a newbie the opponent seems, let’s do it properly. Quiet down, split into two and surround them from both sides.”
With that, the Red Team, perhaps not realizing they were waiting with their mouths wide open, started to advance forward.