Chapter 51

The Korean team was summoned to the Battlefield with a flash of light.

They moved quickly toward the Bridge.

What was noteworthy was that the one leading the team from the front wasn’t the Leader, Kim Seunga, but Seo Dami.

“Is that girl Seo Dami?”

“The one Shanghai Cheonhwa made an Offer for?”

“I heard she’s a Second Division Player who reached the Legendary Tier on the Asia Server.”

“She has considerable Talent, doesn’t she?”

While the camera crews from each country whispered, the Korean team entered the straight passageway of the high-speed rail.

From here on, it was a den of demons.

They had to dash through a section over 500 meters long, relying on the rail, all while a Sniper was aiming at them.

What’s more, on other Battlefields, you could at least dodge left and right.

The Enterprise’s passageway wasn’t very wide, making it the perfect place to become a human target.

Kim Seunga gave a hand signal, directing the other players, except for Seo Dami, to the opposite side.

Kim Soyoung, from the third division.

With her, a Defender, in the lead, three of them scurried to the opposite passage and attempted an Attack.

That was the beginning of the battle.

To block the three-person Attack led by Kim Soyoung, Russia’s next-generation Prospect stepped up.

Yekaterina’s Dragunov-III spat fire.

‘Hmph. I’m a Defender!’

A Defender.

A Class that forgoes Attack Power solely to defend.

Kim Soyoung, who had confidently raised her Shield and attempted the Attack, steeled her resolve, determined to show that they could do it too.

However, not even a few seconds after she started, a constant stream of groans escaped her lips.

“My, my Shield feels like it’s going to shatter…!”

As if on cue with her pained cry, the Shield made a cracking sound.

How on earth could a Defender’s Shield be broken?

The camera crews from all over the world were greatly surprised, and only Russia nodded, thinking, as expected of Irbis.

The move Yekaterina had just shown was a feat bordering on the divine, striking the same spot on the opponent’s Shield multiple times to forcibly Release their armament.

And when the fourth shot rang out.

The Shield finally gave out and shattered.

“Kyaaak-!”

A Defender who had lost her Shield and the players who had been advancing by relying on her.

They were excellent prey for the snow leopard.

A massacre.

While the Korean team’s first Attack ended in failure, the group on the opposite side attempted their own Attack.

‘They can never break through.’

The Russian camera crew watching Kim Seunga and Seo Dami’s Attack all came to the same conclusion.

Yekaterina was an excellent player, but Svetlana was a god of sniping.

And this was an Attack from a team of two Attackers, no less.

It was only natural for the camera crew in the Spectator Seats to think that they would never be able to pass through the corridor.

However.

When the first bullet fired from Yekaterina’s Sniper Rifle missed, everyone let out a surprised “Huh?”

Acceleration was activated to its limit.

The moment the bullet flew in, they performed a trick, letting go of the rail’s handhold, jumping to the opposite side of the passage, and then returning.

What was even more amazing was that this was not done by one person, but by two, in perfect sync.

“Did you just see that?”

“They’re incredibly fast…?!”

“Was Korea always this good?”

While everyone was surprised by the Korean team’s unexpected evasive skills.

Svetlana, who had remained calm, reloaded another bullet and imbued it with a Skill.

Double Target.

A Skill that allows for two attacks at once.

With the intention of pressuring both sides if the enemy dodged left and right, Svetlana attempted another attack.

Lightning flashed, and two lines were drawn in the passageway.

An attack even faster than the one before.

It was a shot Svetlana had fired after stacking three Skills, having gauged her opponent’s ability.

‘It’s a success.’

The moment she pulled the Trigger, Svetlana knew instinctively.

This shot would definitely land.

A perfect shot with a clean Chain Attack of stacked skills.

It was an attack that the Attacker’s flimsy defense could never block.

But at that moment, the Korean Duo lowered their stances, stretched their hands forward, and deployed their Shields.

Seeing this, Svetlana’s eyes widened.

‘Sloped Armor Overlay!’

Two Attackers overlapping their Shields at an angle to receive a Sniper’s attack.

The theory itself had been established long ago, so the idea wasn’t surprising, but what mattered was the execution.

The Korean team’s current Attack was undoubtedly at a top-tier speed.

But for the two of them to achieve such perfect synchronization while pulling off that much Acceleration was truly hard to comprehend.

If the opponent wasn’t a team hastily put together for an event, and if this place wasn’t Jeju Island but the World Championship stage, it would have been understandable.

Players who had practiced together for a long time on one team.

And if it was a team good enough to be on the world stage, they would be capable of pulling off such a feat.

But the Duo right now was a clumsy team made by picking one person each from the First and Second Divisions.

Besides, wasn’t one of them a Second Division League player?

For a Duo, not of two First Division Players, but one including a Second Division Player, to display such a Performance.

Svetlana, with a look that said, “What in the world is this?”, muttered.

“Ебать···.”

As the curse escaped her lips, she immediately moved on to her next action.

She had never imagined she would encounter them here, but the opponent’s skill was undoubtedly top Class.

Svetlana’s third shot, with Drive activated, flew forward, leaving the Muzzle’s flame behind it.

Then, she straightened her posture.

The distance had already become too close.

If, by some chance, they dodged this attack as well, she would be within the opponent’s Right of Attack.

At this moment, Svetlana assumed the opponent’s capabilities were on par with her own and adjusted her posture to be able to dodge if necessary.

Kwajik-!

“They blocked it!”

“My god…!”

“Korea blocked Svetlana’s shot three times!”

“It had Drive on it this time, so it was even harder to block!”

The sound of the bullet tearing through the Shield was heard, but the Seo Dami Duo managed to block the attack.

The moment everyone in the Spectator Seats stared with wide eyes, Kim Seunga’s Muzzle was the first to spit fire.

An Enhanced bullet pressed down on Svetlana, restricting her movements.

The Defender was already tied up with Yekaterina, so she had nothing to rely on but her own evasiveness.

Just as Svetlana pulled on her Acceleration to escape the attack, Seo Dami’s Arclight Rifle spewed lightning and simultaneously struck the opponent’s head.

An attack with Drive activated, impossible to dodge.

A flawlessly clean Headshot struck Svetlana.

“Dae-da-miiiii-!!!”

PD Kim Seungha was startled by the roar that erupted next to him.

The moment PD Kim Jingyu spewed out the emotions boiling in his chest, Seo Dami and Kim Seunga finished off Russia’s Supporter.

The left passage was neutralized.

Korea’s lightning-fast Attack had overwhelmed the Russian team.

“What’s going on?”

“They’re saying they won’t play anymore?”

“Russia forfeited?”

End of Round 1.

Defying everyone’s expectations, an upset occurred.

The Korean team had succeeded in gaining the upper hand against Russia.

But then, a problem arose on the Russian side.

The Leader, Svetlana, declared she couldn’t play anymore and announced their forfeiture.

There was no Director or Coach to stop her.

The Russian camera crew, unable to just watch, tried to stop her, but it was no use.

“Calm down. This will cause problems later.”

“It’s fine. The Korean team is the one being cowardly.”

Cowardly?

What about?

Perking up my ears, I listened in on their conversation with a look of fascination.

“What exactly is the problem with Korea?”

“You saw it. What those two players did just now. I’m sure of it. Korea must have been preparing separately long before the event started. They must have been tipped off beforehand.”

Svetlana looked genuinely furious.

Her argument was this.

Korea had been practicing in advance to show off their skills through this event.

The proof was the Attack just now.

To be able to pull off an Attack of that level with a Second Division Player in just one day?

If that’s true, I’ll retire as a player right now.

She declared she didn’t want to practice with a team that would resort to such cowardly tactics and stormed out.

This scene was captured on the cameras of each country’s film crew, and we, who were informed of it, didn’t know how to react and just stared at each other’s faces.

“So, does that mean we won?”

“I think… so?”

“We beat Russia!”

“Khorosho~. Khorosho~.”

Is that even the right time to say that?

As the third-division kids smiled brightly and raised both hands, all the camera crews’ gazes turned to us.

Everyone had a strange look in their eyes.

They seemed to be thinking that Svetlana’s words might be true.

How else could Korea, a UA backwater, beat Russia?

Among them, there was even a member of the Japanese staff spreading a conspiracy theory that Seo Dami was actually a First Division League player disguised as a Second Division League player for the event.

<Jeez, everyone has such a rich imagination.>

Dami grumbled at the situation where we weren’t being congratulated even though we won.

Well, it was a match that warranted it.

The Attack I had shown was just that perfect, after all.

If a real Second Division Player could pull off such a Performance, Korea would have won the World Championship long ago and then some.

Anyway, those people’s reactions weren’t that important.

No matter what they thought, it wasn’t like we had done anything wrong.

But there was someone else who was really bothering me.

It was Kim Seunga, who had been staring at me with a strange gaze since a while ago, even though we had won the match.

“Unni. Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?”

When I asked, Kim Seunga opened and closed her mouth several times as if to speak, then chewed on her lip.

“Hah. It’s not that…”

“What is it? What isn’t it?”

Unable to stand the curiosity, I tilted my head and stared, and Kim Seunga just messed up her hair.

Doesn’t she usually do that when things aren’t going well or when she’s annoyed?

We won the game, so why is she acting like that?

As I was thinking that, Kim Seunga glared at me.

“Follow me.”

The match was over anyway.

Grabbing my hand and ending the game, Kim Seunga dragged me outside.

“What is it? Let go and talk.”

Kim Seunga, who had taken me all the way to the front of the restroom, looked around, and only after confirming there was no one nearby did she open her mouth again.

“Tell me honestly.”

“……?”

“You’re not Seo Dami, are you.”

“Eh?”

“You’re not.”

Why is she suddenly being so bewildering?

“You’re… Youngin Oppa, right?”

The second time she’d suspected, right after the Legendary Challenge ended.

Me, Seo Dami, and Kim Seunga.

A brief silence fell in the hallway where everyone was flustered.

“How did you… end up like that? Is it Possession or something?”

“Unni. Wh-why are you being so scary?”

“Ah! Are you really going to pretend you don’t know until the very end?”

Yes, I’m going to pretend I don’t know until the very end.

“How could you do this to me? I even went to visit you in the hospital when I heard you had an accident. You know that?”

Thanks, Seunga.

But I can’t tell you this, not until the end!

I might be able to if I ever return to my original body or recover, but I couldn’t reveal my identity now.

Secrets are best kept when fewer people know them.

If other people found out that Seo Dami wasn’t some Superstar who appeared out of nowhere, but was actually acting as Han Youngin’s Avatar, it would be impossible to clean up the mess.

“I’m good at keeping secrets-!”

Kim Seunga was now practically throwing a tantrum.

I maintained my ignorance to the end, and deciding this wasn’t working, Seunga crossed her arms and said, “Just you wait! I’ll make you admit it!”

Haa. Where on earth did I get caught?

Was it the Attack at the end, when I used Drive to catch Svetlana?

That Pattern was one I used like a staple in the League.

I should have been more careful against Seunga, who had trained closely with me throughout our time at the Athletes’ Village.

I guess I got too excited at the thought of the two of us joining forces and putting up a good fight against a foreign team after so long.

Thanks to that, we were met with a chilly atmosphere even after winning the match.

PD Kim Seungha, who came over to congratulate us on our victory, even looked back and forth between us, asking, “Why is the mood like this?”

“Everyone must be hungry, right? I came to let you know that they’ve prepared a barbecue outside for lunch today.”

“Wow!”

“Barbecue!”

The youngest members from the third division were just thrilled at the sound of an outdoor lunch.

“If you don’t mind, shall we go eat?”

“Hmph! Fine. We have to eat.”

At the PD’s suggestion, Kim Seunga let out a “Hmph!” and shot me a sideways glance before moving away.

In that uncomfortable atmosphere, we headed to the outdoor banquet area.

It was a place set up with the intention of having players from all countries gather to share a meal and socialize.

The hotel staff were busy preparing the meal.

One might wonder why they were having an outdoor barbecue in the sweltering summer heat, but the weather was so bright that I thought it would look great on camera.

Still, the picnic tables were well-prepared with tents, so I thought it wouldn’t be too unbearable. Just then, I felt a chilling sensation creep over my body.

‘…What is that.’

The source of that sensation was a team of players approaching from the distance.

To be precise, it was the Leader of the opposing team leading the players.

‘Scary…!’

That was my honest impression the first moment I saw her.

The Leader of the Japanese team.

The strongest in Asia, whom the whole world was watching.

A player with straight bangs and straight black hair falling down.

The Attacker of Team Kamui, who conquered Asia at twenty-two and is now challenging the world’s top, Kato Mikane, was coming this way.

<Oppa, what’s wrong?>

‘You can’t see that?’

As I trembled, Seo Dami asked with a worried look.

It seemed Dami couldn’t see anything.

That billowing smoke surrounding Kato Mikane.

I didn’t know what it was, but I could sense instinctively that it was not good for me.

A red aura that felt sinister just by looking at it.

The moment I thought about getting away from this place, Kato Mikane’s gaze flew over and locked onto me.

“Hmm?”

She stopped walking for a moment, like someone who had seen something strange.

And a moment later, she started running toward me.

Sensing an emergency, I stood up to bolt, but the opponent’s movement was faster.

‘What the hell is that now!’

Pulling something out from her clothes with a snap worthy of a pickpocket, Kato Mikane swung it at my forehead and let out a shout of Fighting Spirit.

It was a strange fan that glinted with a golden light.

“Evil Spirit Banishment-!”

Kieeeeeeeek-!!!

A pain like my head was splitting apart.

On that day, an unseasonable gust of wind swept through the barbecue area.