I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 192 – Break Time

“…So, Harmony has been with Yoo Jin for almost two months now?”

“That’s right.”

“Then she’s a senior. Oh, senior! Please, accept me.”

“Oh, stop it.”

8 PM.

Due to the massive crowd that gathered in Yongsan, traffic was still congested even two hours after the match had ended. As this was being broadcasted on TV, Dice, Harmony, and I were gathered in the lounge, chatting under the guise of a Q&A session.

Frankly speaking, it wasn’t very meaningful. It wasn’t an interview being broadcast anywhere, and even though they were streamers, they weren’t streaming live at the moment. Plus, it was half off-the-record, so it was much closer to a simple conversation.

Of course, not everything in life has to be meaningful. If I were to add some significance, it was probably to help pass the time until the crowd thinned out.

Meanwhile, Harmony seemed to have decided to get closer to Dice today, perhaps to vent some frustration accumulated from spending time with me. The main topic was the training she received under me.

As long as they didn’t start comparing who had it harder, I didn’t mind. I turned my attention to the questions being directed at me. Dice and Harmony were busy with their conversation, while I was also receiving several questions.

Harmony’s fellow streamers, Limit and Kim Stone—who requested to be called Hyun-ah—and Hotteok were also present.

They seemed very interested in how I trained Haminah to improve so significantly.

“Have you ever watched an interview that Dice or I did? The main points were consistently mentioned in those interviews.”

“Yes, I remember vaguely… So, did you analyze Harmony’s play in that much detail as well? That’s impressive. Doesn’t it take a long time?”

“If there are a lot of people, it could take longer, but there was only one person back then. That’s why it was tough during the preparation stage for the Asia preliminary round. Analyzing 18 people in detail within 4 weeks was a bit short.”

Although it was said to be 4 weeks, the first 2 weeks were spent resting, dealing with advertisements, and following schedules, making it hard to focus completely. I had to finish analyzing one person each day.

If it weren’t for the analysis engine and the experience I’d built up, it would have taken twice as long. Of course, I didn’t mention this and just kept it to myself.

The topic shifted back to Harmony.

“To put it simply, if you think of a person’s skills as a polygonal status, the goal is to develop evenly in all directions. My role is to help quickly fill in the particularly lacking areas.”

I took a long sip of the chocolate drink on the table.

It was a frappe from a cafe inside the stadium building.

“Harmony lacked in all aspects, to be honest. It’s natural for a civilian… So I focused on practical training to help her develop a sense of tactics and movement. For the parts that couldn’t be filled through practice, I used every method available at the shooting range.”

“Oh, so it was almost like a one-on-one intensive course. And it seems like you tackled the main missions on very hard difficulty with just the two of you…”

“You’re spot on.”

At least 8 hours a day, sometimes up to 12 hours.

With such intense training, it was impossible not to improve. Regardless of gender or personal characteristics, it was only natural. Even if one’s limit was lower than others, with enough effort, it was possible to reach a top-level standard.

So I supported her, and Harmony climbed up the rope. Though she might say, ‘I grabbed the rope and got dragged up,’ the results were what mattered.

“Do you feel your curiosity is satisfied now?”

“Well… my curiosity is satisfied, but knowing the full story, I realize I can’t follow it.”

“Haha.”

In the end, to sum it up, if it doesn’t work, keep at it until it does.

That’s how all seemingly complex principles in the world work.

Of course, they still had many questions.

“Then, what level is Harmony’s skill at now?”

“Hmm. It’s too early to judge.”

To be honest, if I taught her for about 2 more months, she wouldn’t get beaten up anywhere. In other words, she’d be in the top tier in Korea.

This was if we were talking strictly about the game. If we expanded to reality, there was still a long way to go, but those fields would likely never concern Harmony – to be frank, there’s no reason for her to roam mountains, swamps, deserts, or rivers, or learn survival skills and high-altitude diving.

The conversation drifted a bit.

Taking this opportunity, I decided to explain it more familiarly for them.

“Still, I think, in about two or three more months, she won’t hear that she’s lacking in skill anywhere.”

“…You’re not talking about the pro scene, right?”

“Haha.”

Whether or not she enters the pro scene would depend on Harmony’s decision—though this thought stayed in my throat. However, if taught properly, it wasn’t impossible for her to play professionally.

Considering that training and curriculums are designed to turn ordinary people into human weapons, it’s quite possible.

As we continued talking, another topic came up.

“Has Harmony ever mentioned anything about a streamer competition?”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“Oh.”

Harmony and I made eye contact.

However, I avoided her gaze. Specifically, I was the first to look away—if Harmony really needed my help, she would have brought it up earlier. Since she hadn’t mentioned it, it wasn’t my concern.

Unless it came up casually during a conversation between just the two of us later.

Harmony also didn’t say anything. But apart from that, I was quite curious about what kind of competition it was, so I planned to ask her later—since it was something mentioned by a fellow streamer, it was likely related to their field. If so, it might not require as many players as AP.

I searched my memory. What kinds of PVP modes had I played with Harmony? There was survival, Team Six mode, and I wasn’t sure about the unauthorized zone escape… If it was unrestricted small-scale PVP with skills allowed, like the Fallen mode, I might be able to help her a lot.

I wouldn’t need to release the sensitive skill-related data stored in the ICARUS Gear, but the experience I gained from dealing with rogue operators wouldn’t disappear.

This, of course, was based on the assumption that she was willing to accept it.

How much time had passed? Before I knew it, it was nearing midnight.

“…Wow, how is it 9 o’clock already? Time flies.”

“Indeed. By now, the outside might be quite deserted….”

Seizing the opportunity, I checked quickly.

Upon checking the CCTV and news outside, the area was now filled with volunteers and environmental cleaners hired by ICARUS instead of spectators. The amount of trash left by hundreds of thousands of people was astounding.

Of course, it wasn’t illegal dumping. Thousands of trash bins were installed everywhere, but even after several changes of plastic bags, it wasn’t enough.

Though the conversation drifted slightly, it seemed like it was time to move.

“We can start heading back now. Even though the subway stations are still chaotic, the roads might be okay… though I can’t be sure.”

“Wow, it took 3 hours for the crowd to clear. We almost ended up having dinner at 9 PM.”

“Ugh, when will we get home…Teacher, is there any room left here? I want to sleep here too.”

“…Why are so many people asking me to let them stay over these days.”

Simultaneously, I made eye contact with a few others. As I alternately looked at Dice and Harmony, they all smiled. Whether Harmony had told Dice or vice versa, it was clear that something had been shared.

I naturally chuckled.

“Come back tomorrow.”

“Seems like we should.”

Then, looking tired, Hotteok added.

“Today was really enjoyable. I wish you continued success in the future… Wow, I never imagined the avatar wasn’t just an avatar. In my early streaming days, I got that reaction too, but Yoo Jin, are you planning to reveal your identity eventually?”

“Not specifically, but I do plan to do so within this year. I’m the type that gets recognized immediately even with a little exposure, so it’s impossible to keep it hidden forever. Probably after another three months of streaming, everyone will know but pretend not to.”

“That’s true, haha.”

Next up was Limit, who had a tall, handsome appearance in reality.

I tried to start with a casual greeting, wondering if it would be awkward to bring up the avatar, but he told me it was okay to mention it.

So I did.

“Are you going to keep using the avatar?”

“Pff… Haha.”

“…I have to. After all, it was created in agreement with the viewers. And it’s only been about six months since I started gaming, so I haven’t watched official tournaments. I was surprised that many avatars differed in gender from their real selves. So I thought it might be okay to continue using it.”

“Oh, the female-tainted.”

“Don’t… say it like that, you rascals!”

And lastly, there was Kim Stone, whose real name was Kim Hyun-ah.

With black hair with a slight wave, similar in height to Harmony, and a rather confident demeanor, she suddenly added.

“Please continue to take good care of our Harmony!”

“…What?”

“Hey! What are you talking about!?”

Harmony’s shout echoed like a reverberation.

It seemed that she was someone hard to understand.

Anyway, after greeting everyone, I exchanged a few words with Harmony before parting ways. The once bustling lounge was now empty. However, it wasn’t completely silent due to the voices of local and foreign pro gamers filtering in from outside.

It was about time for us to head back to our rooms as well.

“Ugh, I’m tired. I need to shower and lie down. Are you going to shower first?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then, I’ll shamelessly go first….”

Dice, looking exhausted, staggered out of the lounge first. I did a final check to make sure nothing was left behind, then turned off the lights.

As I closed the door, I added,

“There’s a debriefing, so gather in the room with the Korean players by 10:30 PM.”

“Ugh….”

“It won’t be too long.”

The expected reaction.

And I was sure I’d get a similar reaction when sending the group message, but it couldn’t be helped. It was mandatory.

I added to Dice, who was now staggering even more.

“You did well today.”

She turned and gave a small smile.

No more words were needed.

Saturday was coming to an end.

“Ugh.”

My whole body felt drenched in fatigue.

Although my body was conditioned by countless trainings and real battles, after a whole day of hard training on Friday and barely a couple of hours of sleep, the sudden start of a regular test had me on my toes. In simple terms, it was about waking up suddenly, grabbing my gun, and completing the given mission.

Even though I was already exhausted and half-asleep, I had to tackle the long and complex objectives and check the blueprints of the building. Then, I was immediately deployed for live shooting. Naturally, I had to maintain a certain level of shooting accuracy. If not, I had to pack up and leave.

After finishing all the strike team missions within 10 minutes, I showered again. Then, I spent the rest of the dawn watching matches. I finally returned to the dorm around 7 AM and passed out, waking up at 3 PM.

Normally, I could have slept longer, but the aroma of food woke me up.

I had a rough idea of what it was.

“Why the long face, Sergeant Owens?”

“Getting a blue card really makes you come and go as you please, huh.”

A familiar face appeared.

With pristine, elastic skin that seemed ever-ready, her features were strikingly different, typical of an Awakened. Infiltration and HUMINT (Human Intelligence) missions were out of the question for someone with such an appearance—it didn’t need explaining.

Logan, or rather, Laura Blamis, who used to be part of the task force team that worked with Yoo Jin, had shown her face again just yesterday. She stood before me, looking like what you’d get if you shot a polar bear with a tranq gun filled with a substance that turned it into a woman.

Why she was cooking in my private room was beyond me.

“How did you get in here?”

“When I knocked and got no response, I used the old password. And I deposited $100 into your account, so use that to replace the doorknob.”

“What?”

“It got stuck, so I forced it open and broke it.”

Damn Awakened. No sense of control whatsoever.

Anyway, the breakfast on the table looked quite normal on the outside. Sausages and bacon, well-toasted bread, scrambled eggs. All things that would emit a strong smell when cooked, so I opened the window wide to ventilate the room.

Of course, it tasted just as good.

I considered making a marriage joke but decided against it, fearing it might get me killed. Instead, I quietly shoveled food into my mouth.

Laura, who had pulled up a chair and sat across from me, brought up various topics.

“How was the match yesterday?”

“I watch combat footage all the time. Is there something new you want to hear?”

“That’s why you’re still single. You need to learn to accommodate others more.”

“I didn’t know there was something else to match other than bullets. Interesting.”

“Geez, you’re really something else.”

She laughed as if she couldn’t believe it.

Of course, I knew what she really wanted to hear, so I played along.

“If it’s about Yoo Jin, didn’t we talk about that yesterday?”

“Not that. Did you watch the Korean players? Their level was much higher than I expected.”

“He must have trained them himself. I don’t know how much he put them through, but it must have been tough.”

I gulped down the milk filling the cup. Having not eaten or drunk anything for hours, it tasted amazing.

The faint sweetness and the savory taste lingering in my mouth brought me back to my senses—then the conversation shifted to smaller topics.

“The dedicated gunsmith, the lodging, the squad… they’re all assigned from next year, right?”

“Right. This year, I’m playing as a Dark Zone player, so I didn’t apply for it separately.”

“Do you think you can beat Yoo Jin?”

Then followed a silence.

She smiled slightly and added,

“Honestly, I’m not too confident. Who has as much innate talent for combat as him? But I’ll give it a try.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Amidst the alternating silence and noise, the final topic came up.

“I heard Kissinger recently visited the NSA. He discussed Yoo Jin’s military record with Director Solomon… Where will he start rank-wise? Sergeant?”

“…”

No response was the answer.

Clatter.

The only sound was that of utensils clinking.

Such was the quiet of a day in Delta.