Never slow down or stop to shoot.

 

The engagement must end before crossing the threshold.

 

These two principles had been my target goals ever since I seriously started handling a gun.

 

Even though these words had become less common as enemies with absurdly strong body armor and drones that kept moving even after being hit by 40mm dual-purpose high-explosive grenades became more prevalent,

 

Ultimately, those two principles meant ending the engagement before the enemy even recognized me as a threat.

 

– Standby.

 

– Go!

 

I couldn’t know the situation inside.

 

But from the moment I kicked the threshold, I had to clear the room at the same speed as if I knew it.

 

Holograms rose beyond the wide-open door, aiming their guns at me, but I put a hole in their heads a step faster. Since I had no team members watching my back, I had to be even quicker.

 

Recognize, pull the trigger, turn the muzzle, and repeat the same process.

 

It might seem like a simple process, but if the time given to perform it was just enough for a single breath, it was a different story.

 

Accuracy, speed, spatial dominance.

 

In CQB (Close Quarters Battle), the more you balanced these three incompatible elements, the more advantageous it was.

 

After that, it was all about the details. If you had sufficient ability to conduct CQB, all you needed was to select the equipment according to the engagement environment.

 

Since there were actual enemies firing bullets instead of target-shaped wallpapers, I used expendables without hesitation.

 

I threw flashbangs into hard-to-check corners, entered simultaneously with firing, and prioritized eliminating visible threats. Originally, the order would be the opposite, but it didn’t matter since they were incapacitated.

 

23 seconds to break through four rooms. The structure of the room, furniture, and enemy positions changed with each new session, but the basic outline remained the same.

 

Each attempt took me a step forward.

 

───!

 

“…!”

 

Jam.

 

I mechanically let go of the carbine and drew my pistol. There was no time to deal with a malfunction while clearing a room.

 

The enemy’s protective gear was rated high, and the pistol was a Glock with a high magazine capacity. There was an interesting method for this situation, which I also learned in the past.

 

Two enemies remained in the room. I aimed for their heads.

 

The likelihood of a ricochet was high due to the good performance of their helmets, but this method instead caused an impact on their skulls.

 

While the two shots echoed, I immediately hit one enemy’s knees, one by one. This reduced the need for concern.

 

Meanwhile, I carefully aimed at the other enemy’s philtrum and nailed a shot precisely.

 

After finishing off the groaning enemy on the floor, I removed the cartridge stuck in the carbine’s chamber.

 

Malfunctions occurred more often than one might think.

 

Although the time was slightly delayed more than I thought, I proceeded without concern.

 

The killhouse training was nearing its end. The memories accumulated through countless repetitions of real combat and training were condensed into a mere 55 seconds.

 

Like the spent shells falling to the ground, the enemies in the room also lay down one by one on the cold floor.

 

And upon reaching the final point, I flung open the door leading outside,

 

───Bang!

 

“…?”

 

There were more than seven people standing at the exit.

 

“He’s out!”

 

“Hey, he’s out! He’s really out!”

 

“Sir, please tell us how to complete the training course so quickly!”

 

“Please, let me break the 2 minutes and 30 seconds barrier───!”

 

…No.

 

What the hell. Who are you guys?

 

Meanwhile, as Eugene was suddenly surrounded by the crowd,

 

The one who caused the confusion was not in a good situation either.

 

<haimoonholt donated=”” 1,000=”” won=””/>

 

– today_darkzone_tomorrow_darkzone_the_day_after_tomorrow_darkzone_i_love_darkzone_so_much_i_should_eat_rice_there_lol_so_who_is_the_guide?

 

“Thank you, Haimoonholt, for the 1,000-won donation. As for the guide… I’m not sure yet.”

 

– Take_a_breath_lolololol

 

– Breathe_Breathe

 

– Darkcrete_still_clinging_isn’t_it_utterly_lame?

 

– What’s_up_with_the_bulking_viewers_just_from_one_game?

 

The red dot, next to it, 7,000.

 

Even though it was only a chatting-only state without even starting the game content planned for the day,

 

Unlike the previous chat where you could at least understand what was written, now the messages were pouring in at a speed that could be described as hitting the gas pedal full throttle.

 

Thanks to my long experience in broadcasting, I was able to handle it relatively calmly,

 

But still, the question of how to deal with this never easily disappeared from my mind.

 

It would be good if the broadcast grew because of this, but that’s another story. For those who had established themselves like Harmony, this was more of a variable than an opportunity.

Although handling it was also part of a streamer’s ability….

 

“I’ll think about it after logging in. You need to know the game to some extent to come up with in-game content, so I’ll probably spend some time familiarizing myself with the system.”

 

– We_have_another_year!!!!!!!!!!!

 

– This_game_never_runs_out_of_content_lololol

 

– Now_part_1_darkzone_permanent_feature_lol_awesome

 

– Are_you_serious?_Love_it_lol

 

– Darkzone_coin_surges…is_this_investment?

 

…Of course, with responses like this to every comment, it’s hard to focus, but what can I do.

 

Harmony decided not to worry too much.

 

At least unlike before, when I had to click the mouse a few times to start the game, now all I needed was a few glances and some focus to scroll through.

 

Among a few fantasy VR games adorned with laurel leaves and leaves,

 

A ruined city depicted through contrasting lights and shadows, with a lone agent standing in the middle.

 

Dark Zone.

 

Only a day had passed…but this would be the login screen I had to get used to from now on.

 

As the screen advanced, Harmony’s in-game avatar holding a gun appeared.

 

In contrast to her refreshing green-haired persona, the avatar wore a thick bulletproof vest and held a gun. With a slightly grim expression, it seemed to inspect what was in its hands.

 

The screen flickered as she selected it.

 

Then her vision gradually brightened,

 

“…The weather’s nice today.”

 

Unlike yesterday, when it was snowing and windy, the sky over New York appeared flawlessly clear.

 

The temperature was minus 5 degrees Celsius, cold enough to see your breath. It wasn’t freezing, but it was a fitting day for winter.

 

The place where I logged out yesterday was right in front of me. The bench where I had talked with Eugene was still there. The difference was that it was daytime now and Eugene wasn’t there.

 

‘Perhaps….’

 

I cautiously checked my friend list.

 

As expected, the icon was flashing green. For some reason, it was hard to imagine this person not being logged into the game.

 

Of course, contacting this person for a guide or party play was a completely different matter. Who knew if another crazy incident like yesterday might occur again.

 

Moreover, to be a proper guide, you had to have experienced most of the game’s content and be able to help newbies. This person… fit the latter somewhat, but we started playing the game at the same time.

 

What should I do?

 

She decided to ring the hint bell.

 

“Everyone. If you party with a hardcore player after finishing the tutorial, do extremely difficult enemies appear too?”

 

– No_No_No_No_No

 

– ?????????????????????

 

– Who_are_you_planning_to_party_with?

 

– Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?Eugene?

 

– Let’s_gooooooo

 

– The_fun_you_wanted! I’ll_give_you_all

 

It seemed this ill-fated relationship wasn’t ending after just one encounter.

 

The viewers, anticipating the outcome, filled the chat to the brim, but Harmony ignored them and opened the friend list.

 

There was an option to ask fellow streamers for a joint broadcast, but… for some reason, this user kept crossing my mind.

 

She made her decision.

 

Reaching out to the single user online in her friend list, she spoke.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Ah!?”

 

Of course, she hadn’t expected this.

 

Seeing Eugene suddenly appear behind her before she even called out, Harmony was startled as if she had seen a ghost.

 

It took a while to calm her rapidly pounding heart.

 

“Why are you here!?”

 

“That’s what I want to ask.”

 

– Asking_why_someone_is_here_lololol

 

– What_else_would_he_be_doing_lol

 

– Rude_as_hell_lololol

 

– Is_she_a_God_asking_why_someone_is_here_lol?

 

– What’s_with_the_question_lol

 

People tend to become rude when they are overly flustered.

 

Harmony clearly understood what that meant.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I misspoke. I was just about to contact you, but I didn’t expect you to appear suddenly behind me.”

 

“It’s okay. So, what is it?”

 

…Does this person not care about appearing on a broadcast?

 

No matter how you look at it, I had given him the link to my channel yesterday, yet he reacted like this. It was hard not to find it curious.

 

But maybe that was just my narrow-minded thinking. There could be plenty of people who didn’t care about broadcasts.

 

Harmony quickly pulled herself together and awkwardly spoke.

 

”

 

Ah, it’s nothing special. I just logged in and was about to start a mission. I thought it would be better to do it with more people rather than alone.”

 

“I thought you’d have many people to play with since you’re a streamer.”

 

“If there aren’t any in-game, I planned to recruit some, but you happened to be logged in. Plus, we met yesterday.”

 

How should I finish this?

 

After a brief pause, she added,

 

“So if you have time… I promise not to troll like yesterday! You don’t have to worry.”

 

– Sister, you’re a streamer, get a grip

 

– Isn’t the begging direction reversed? This is so confusing lol

 

– Ordinary_people_don’t_watch_streams_get_a_grip

 

– How_can_we_trust_you_won’t_troll_lololol

 

– Look_at_her_face_doesn’t_care_about_anything_lol

 

– Special_trait) Does_what_she_wants_no_matter_who_it_is

 

The chat was as chaotic as ever.

 

But perhaps because I was waiting for a response, the user in front of me cautiously opened his mouth. Whether he refused or agreed, it would be unsettling either way.

 

However, the words that came out of her mouth were an unexpected combination that Harmony never imagined.

 

“Usually, mistakes come from actions you haven’t experienced.”

 

“…Yes?”

 

“Not making mistakes means becoming familiar with that field. Considering the time situation, there’s no guarantee that yesterday’s incident won’t recur….”

 

“That’s true….”

 

“But conversely, it means it’s okay if we take enough time.”

 

Wait. This atmosphere felt strange.

 

Specifically, it felt like the moment when I almost got caught by pressing the magazine catch while hiding yesterday.

 

But the person in front of me, as always, was calmly speaking to me without raising her voice.

 

“Since you said you have time, let’s warm up a bit… and briefly learn what not to do during engagements.”

 

“…What?”

 

Very naturally, and unconsciously, Harmony dumbly opened her mouth and let out a near-death groan of confusion. This wasn’t what I had hoped for.

 

While she was contemplating whether this activity fit into her schedule, Eugene spoke nonchalantly.

 

“Have you ever been to a shooting range?”

 

Shooting range.

 

That was where I was going to end up sprawled out today.

 

At least, that was how Harmony perceived it.

 

* * *