I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 181 ­ Call Her Light

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‘I never thought I’d be so envious of the Taiwanese.’

Where there were people scrimming, there were also those watching.

Over 100 people entrusted their bodies to transparent cameras floating above a high-value research facility. Occasionally, a sigh echoed through the air. Whether it was a sigh of concern or admiration was something only they knew.

Nevertheless, the first-team players from Russia, China, and Japan, along with their coaching staff, were all thinking the same thing – they had never been so envious of Taiwan’s right to directly analyze scrim data as they were this year.

While they could only half-guess Yoo Jin’s skills from above, Taiwan was dissecting the gameplay through various means, including first-person viewing. They knew it was necessary to give them such an advantage, but today, it was unbearably painful.

Meanwhile, there were many other concerns.

Meeting Yoo Jin turned out to be more challenging than they had expected.

“They’re faring twice as poorly as we thought. What’s the problem? It doesn’t seem much different from the expected play. Anyone would think they were under a debuff.”

“Exactly. We need to ask them later….”

Each had their own answers, but none were certain. The solutions derived from intuition and prediction could not function correctly.

Conversely, among them was someone who, even while exchanging opinions, was thinking deeply. Kato, known as the best AP player in Japan and the eldest, thus called “Big Brother.”

He was the one who frustrated Dice until the end last year and the only Asian player to make it into the top 10 in the finals. He was staring intently at Yoo Jin’s play without even taking a breath.

Even then, his hands kept moving.

Although his notes were invaluable to both foreign and domestic users, it would take a long time before anyone dared to speak to him in such a state.

And as he said, his mind was constantly spinning.

‘…She has advanced since the last time I saw her. Or perhaps she wasn’t even giving it her all back then? Does this player have no fear?’

Only he could know.

No, it was impossible not to know.

Jumping into the midst of gunfire and getting used to it. Facing the cause of fear directly. To prevent the body from freezing in any situation…this fundamental rule of behavior was emphasized from start to finish back when his identity was still classified, and he belonged to special operations forces.

If the principle, originated from Delta and frequently mentioned even now, were to manifest, it would take such a form. The emphasis on this was not just about overcoming fear, but because all engagement protocols began from this point.

“The timing of relocating during an engagement should be prioritized when it’s impossible for the enemy to discern such action, ideally after forcing the enemy into such a situation….”

The content once ingrained in his mind naturally flowed from his mouth.

A seemingly obvious fact.

However, it was an obvious fact that was difficult to uphold. Hence, the highest doctrine in the manual… The player’s actions reflected precisely that principle, even more ideally than he imagined.

Movements that were impossible without crossing countless lines of fire in real combat.

At this point, he vaguely guessed that if he faced Yoo Jin, it would be something more than just a match.

“I knew it would come to this…but this is too soon.”

“What? Big Brother, what do you mean….”

“Just talking to myself. Don’t mind me.”

The very sensation he felt in the finals.

No matter how much the competition was disguised, the scent of blood, sweat, and death flowed in the gap. The higher they climbed, the more they couldn’t help but feel it. Newcomers to the finals were bewildered by the starkness derived from that gap.

The moment they encountered that, the cheers and support of the people became a secondary issue. The users who reached the finals, and among them, those who stayed at the top… this might sound strange, but there were cases where they had the experience of placing an enemy in front of their gun muzzle and pulling the trigger.

And she, and the Korean first team…engraved all the tips and methodologies obtained from such ‘real’ experiences into their bones.

It had already surpassed the level of simply not being easy.

According to the investigation, Dice was Yoo Jin’s disciple. Even last year, Dice couldn’t fully exhibit her skills due to the real gap mentioned above….

“It’s like they’re training actual operators.”

If they engage with them, this year’s results would certainly be different.

In other words, unlike last year, when they approached this engagement as a match…in the upcoming Asian preliminaries, they would probably treat it as if they were actual military members.

The reason he could achieve excellent results last year was quite similar.

“…Is there anything you’re worried about?”

“No. Let’s keep watching.”

Anyway, for now, they had no choice but to keep watching.

Meanwhile, his gaze naturally shifted from Yoo Jin to Dice. While everyone focused on one person, Kato confirmed the ripples created by that single focal point ­ the blonde user, who had been repeatedly blocked by him last year, was now on the opposite side from Yoo Jin.

Dice, who excelled in tricky plays, couldn’t advance beyond that last year. To put it metaphorically, she was like a clown with a dagger. Although sharp enough to reach the finals, she couldn’t go further.

However, this time, he could see through her play. Maintaining her previous strengths while becoming even sharper, the clown now held a small shield in her left hand. This alone increased the stability in engagements several times.

Of course, that was not all.

He concentrated and listened to the surrounding opinions.

“Korean first team users are performing much better than expected….”

“Isn’t this player not just good individually but more like leading the whole team?”

Exactly.

It wasn’t just a matter of individual matches; Yoo Jin’s influence was strongly felt in all users’ plays. From their movements, it was clear her training had a significant effect.

The individual skills of each player noticeably improved beyond prior predictions. Whether they died or survived, the number of Korean first-team players never dropped below ten, even as the match progressed from the middle to the end. Eventually, a few minutes later, Korean users lined up in the top ten as the first round ended.

Even though first-team users were good, the skills of foreign users were also not to be underestimated. Yet, when faced with a lineup of Korean flags from 1st to 12th place, they had no choice but to acknowledge it.

The first round ended.

Eighty users poured out into four groups.

The first-team users, who had been waiting and watching the match, rushed towards the second-team users who had just finished the first round. There were a myriad of things to do in the short five-minute break.

As the analysis program started, the priorities of the players were sorted. Those who had the most contact with the first-team users had the highest say. In particular, Russia’s Tochka player was treated like a VIP among his teammates. This was because he was the first to meet and be defeated by Yoo Jin.

Of course, Tochka found it absurd.

“They’re here, they’re here!”

“Tie him up! Make him talk! Quickly, spill everything you know!”

“You crazy lunatics─!”

More than 40 people, including the first-team and coaching staff, waited for him to speak without any exaggeration.

As the frenzy subsided, numerous questions were listed before him. Whether Yoo Jin was better than expected, or if she was as anticipated. Why did he lose despite this? What were his decisive mistakes… The list of questions was endless.

As the fragmented memories began to assemble into a blueprint in response to numerous questions, he prepared answers in advance for the anticipated questions…he didn’t particularly want to talk, but he had to.

It was going to be painful. Admitting that his skills were inferior was always excruciatingly painful.

When asked why he lost, he confessed.

“…From the moment I couldn’t handle it all at once and allowed her to approach, I sensed defeat. I didn’t see any possibility of winning.”

That statement.

The weight of that one sentence was substantial. It was quite a bleak remark for someone who endured a short yet long engagement of 1 minute and 31 seconds, or 2 minutes in total, to make as his first words.

It didn’t take long for the half-festive atmosphere to harden into solemn expressions.

“Was it that serious?”

“She pressed on without giving time to devise alternative plans. It was like being forced into two unilateral choices.”

Escape or victory through engagement.

An overwhelming offensive that immediately nullified all options if one hesitated in engagement, thinking ‘I should retreat before it gets worse.’ The distance closed rapidly, leaving no chance to escape.

As soon as he finished speaking, discussions ensued.

“…So she’s much more aggressive than we thought?”

“Should we try to avoid engagement as much as possible? Is there any user among us who has faced Yoo Jin directly apart from Tochka?”

“Paybel, Paybel! Why aren’t you saying anything!”

“Paybel?”

Called by his real name, Paybel, the second victim, was brought forward.

Tochka’s head snapped towards him. Realizing he had also faced Yoo Jin, a sense of surprise, followed by a sense of camaraderie, emerged. As expected, his expression wasn’t bright. However, as the conversation progressed, Tochka’s expression gradually changed.

In summary, Paybel had barely escaped.

Even so, his story wasn’t much different from the previous one. Only slightly different details emerged.

“I thought she was only interested in closing the distance, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Approaching closely seems to be for ensuring a confirmed kill. In sufficiently favorable situations, she often

chooses gunfights as well.”

“The engagement principle is quite simple. But the simpler it is, the harder it is to counter… all the tricky plays shown so far are applications of basic skills.”

It was a troublesome situation.

Naturally, unlike actual special forces who train their entire bodies and all aspects of CQB, Dark Zone had turned into a kind of strategic rock-paper-scissors battle due to the balancing function. This was mentioned repeatedly.

Simply put, since all stats for AP play started at basic B, they didn’t develop all parts evenly but only raised the necessary stats. Thus, their status resembled an orange with several sharp thorns.

In contrast, Yoo Jin’s status was… just a melon. Unlike the orange, which converged to zero killing power without thorns, the melon could cause serious injury just by throwing it hard at someone.

It was roughly such a feeling.

‘I didn’t expect to worry about this at this point….’

Yoo Jin’s secrets began to reveal one by one.

Many believed that accumulating enough data would make it possible to counter her, but that wasn’t the case in reality.

Perhaps, at this point, she was the one who best hid her secrets.

Numerous discussions continued.

“…Stability of skills, huh. She accurately targeted the parts that are difficult to improve in a short period. The biggest problem is that we can’t guarantee a victory in a direct confrontation with first-team users.”

“Let’s keep observing for now. Realizing that rock-paper-scissors strategies don’t work is a significant gain, so from now on, we should find ways to operate differently. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid engagement and divert the aggro to nearby users?”

“Avoid engagement? It’s easier said than done. We might be accused of match-fixing.”

“We should leave it to the judgment and skills of individual players. Since it’s the first match, let’s judge if the Korean first team can consistently produce this physical performance.”

“Hmm.”

Let’s judge after seeing the future results.

The conclusions of all countries, except Korea and Taiwan, converged in a similar direction – it sounded plausible at a glance, but it essentially meant ‘there’s no suitable strategy for now.’ Hence, their expressions weren’t bright.

With less than 30 seconds left before the next match, they couldn’t give any advice to the second-team members who were about to engage.

The importance of basic skills, which had been disregarded, was rising.

Silence and contemplation enveloped them.

Meanwhile, the Korean team.

“Long live Yoo Jin! Long live!”

“From now on, we’ll call the light Yoo Jin!”

“Ah, Yoo Jin from the heavens! So dazzling…!”

“Please lower your volume, for the love of god….”

There stood Yoo Jin, whose face had turned beet red, and the Korean first-team national representative users, who were in a joyous frenzy.

This was their daily life.

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