───Buuuuuu….

 

“Ah, this is too bumpy….”

 

“Military vehicles are always like this. Just hang in there a little longer.”

 

We were on our way to the UN General Assembly in the UTV.

 

The death of a densely populated metropolis left behind immense remnants and proceeded quietly. Literally, only traces of people who once lived remained intact.

 

And among the most easily found were the numerous car graveyards, just a few blocks from Central Park HQ.

 

With no one left to drive them, and even the fuel siphoned off, they were left abandoned on the roadside, closer to intricate scrap metal combinations than actual cars.

 

In short, they were discarded trash, perhaps still useful.

 

But to us, speeding toward our mission site in a high-mobility vehicle, they were just enormous obstacles scattered everywhere.

 

Thanks to that, our route was a complete mess, resulting in the reaction of the little mint-colored cat beside me.

 

I had moments like that too, once.

 

“We’re almost there.”

 

Gradually reducing speed, we approached a building standing alone by the riverside, surrounded by structures resembling public offices.

 

In the old days, such vehicle support was unimaginable—mainly due to noise issues—but it seemed that in this game, user convenience was prioritized.

 

From the fact that the fast travel function was unlocked once you reached an area, it seemed likely.

 

After braking and suitably concealing the vehicle, I surveyed the surroundings near the building entrance.

 

According to the drones scouting around….

 

“Enemies are all over the place.”

 

“Ah, those guys….”

 

“Do you know something about them?”

 

“They appeared at the start.”

 

No special armor, no good guns, not particularly good fighters—just ordinary escaped prisoners and loosely organized gangs.

 

For some reason, they had occupied the UN General Assembly and made it their stronghold.

 

In other words, to activate the network node in the basement, we had to break through all of them.

 

­[Mission: UN General Assembly // Recommended Party Size: 4]

 

­[Neutralize the gang occupying the center and reactivate the ICARUS network node in the basement.]

 

“But it says the recommended party size is four….”

 

“If it gets too tough, we can recruit two more. You’re a streamer, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find people.”

 

“Are you okay with that?”

 

“There’s no reason not to be.”

 

­Are they really letting us join the stream???

 

­They really don’t care about appearing on the broadcast lol

 

­This is the coolest guy I’ve seen recently lol

 

­Much better than clingy people wanting to join the stream lol this is how it should be

 

<PleaseOnlyBonelessChickenDonated 4,000 won>

 

­Most missions recommend four people for a reason, and she’ll find out why soon

 

The donation made me uneasy.

 

Harmony briefly pondered what to do but quickly made a decision, thinking it wouldn’t hurt.

 

“Thank you for the 4,000 won donation, PleaseOnlyBonelessChicken. We’ll try a few times, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll recruit two more people using the random join function and push through quickly. Not sure if I’ll stream it, but….”

 

Click.

 

I checked the chamber and the magazine. The safety was on, and the dot sight was automatically aligned. It was a good day to kill enemies.

 

As we approached the mission area, a mission-specific voice activated.

 

The support operator at Central Park HQ explained the mission overview and objectives, displaying corresponding holograms on the user interface.

 

Unfortunately for Harmony, she had to leave the grenade launcher behind this time. There was still a long way to go to unlock that ammunition type.

 

The support operator’s voice announcing the start of the mission echoed.

 

­[ISO: Have you arrived near the operation area? From your expression, it seems you’re looking forward to what’s ahead. Do you enjoy challenges?]

 

­[ISO: I’m Henry Note, an ICARUS support operator. From now on, I’ll be referred to as ISO. I’ll be in charge of this operation, so I hope you return safely.]

 

­[ISO: As you probably know, activating the network node will greatly facilitate finding other operators and connecting with other areas. This is no place for gangs to leave their mark.]

 

­[ISO: Clean up the area and complete the objective, and the quality of support from HQ will rise sharply.]

 

“Oh, the objective is up. It says to enter through the south gate, bypass the parking lot, and enter the building. We can pick up the explosives along the way.”

 

“What about navigation?”

 

“Let’s see… okay.”

 

A beam of light appeared before me, leading through a thick bridge passageway to the south gate. Harmony took a deep breath, patting her cheeks to steel herself.

 

Seeing this, Yoo Jin spoke in her usual calm tone.

 

“To avoid mistakes in real combat, you need a lot of real combat experience. Today, I might not be able to help you as much as I did yesterday.”

 

“…What? Wait, didn’t we prepare for real combat at the shooting range earlier!?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Her tone was not one of disbelief or stern reprimand, but a matter-of-fact calmness.

 

Harmony realized that today wouldn’t be easy either.

 

­[Warning: Enemies approaching.]

 

“Should I keep shooting single shots?”

 

“Automatic fire is a luxury.”

 

In the now deserted underground tunnel, death and a heavy chill filled the air, mixed with rough curses, loud shouts, and deafening gunfire.

 

Men in orange prison uniforms and tattered bulletproof vests, armed with semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols commonly found in stores, roamed the tunnel.

 

Amidst the torrent of gunfire and shouting, enemies fell one by one to the cold ground.

 

“I’m out of bullets!”

 

“In such cases, say ‘reloading’ as a habit. That way, I can cover you while you reload.”

 

“Yes… whoa!”

 

Ping!

 

As Yoo Jin raised her gun, a sharp noise, though dampened by the silencer, echoed in the tunnel.

 

One guy approaching with a shotgun had his head split like a watermelon. Another with a rifle was shot in the leg and fell, while one attempting to throw a grenade became a corpse.

 

With a pleasant sound, an explosion occurred right in the middle of the enemy lines.

 

“The bullets aren’t coming out!”

 

“Pull the charging handle. Or load a round in the chamber.”

 

“Oh.”

 

­?

 

­Haha lol

 

­We should enlist her

 

­This is killing me lol

 

­I can’t take it lol

 

­She might not know, idiots (gritting teeth)

 

­Her partner’s calm tone makes it even funnier lol

 

Harmony scratched her head in embarrassment.

 

However, this was a rite of passage for female users. How could someone who had lived their entire life away from firearms know the structure of a piece of metal they first touched?

 

She yanked the charging handle, and as a round was loaded into the chamber, she aimed through the holographic sight again.

 

The tunnel skirmish ended quickly.

 

­[ISO: Your shooting skills are decent. But don’t underestimate them just because they’re amateurs. Bullets are impartial to everyone.]

 

­[ISO: Marked the breakthrough point. Enter the parking lot and, through the exit, quietly enter the main entrance. Of course, there will be enemies, and reinforcements might arrive if you don’t handle them quickly.]

 

“He really makes you want to punch him.”

 

“Haha. Do you want to turn off the voice?”

 

“…I’ll hold off for now.”

 

Though no enemies remained, vigilance was essential.

 

As they quickly scouted the surroundings, a concrete wall came into view. Harmony took out the explosives from her multipurpose pouch and, fascinated, pressed them with her fingers.

 

Seeing this, Yoo Jin smiled and added softly.

 

“As you know, if that explodes here, we’ll both be ejected to the mission start. Handle it carefully.”

 

“Oh, I’ll put it down right away.”

 

“No need for that. Since we’re here, why don’t you attach it to the wall? Did you bring the detonator?”

 

“Let’s see….”

 

Making tiny noises, she approached the wall and stuck a handful of explosives on it.

 

It was more than enough to turn the concrete wall to dust, but the more explosives, the more fun.

 

Inserting a detonator that looked like a cut plastic straw into the explosives, the two moved far away, even leaving the room.

 

Harmony, excited like a child, held the detonator in one hand, her eyes sparkling, while Yoo Jin, cautiously approaching, held her hand and explained step-by-step.

 

“Do I just press this?”

 

“I’ll explain simply. This clip-like thing is the safety. Tilt it back and just press. The sound will be loud, so brace yourself and count down.”

 

“Then… 3, 2, 1. Fire!”

 

───!!!

 

­Explosions are art!!!!

 

­They used all their explosives just to blow up a wall lol

 

­It feels so good ~ Blowing up the wall ~

 

­Brings back memories of when we were noobs lol

 

With an overwhelming explosion, countless shattered concrete fragments and screams mixed, echoing around.

 

As the two newbies broke through the passage filled with white dust, heavy gunfire spread like a fragrance around them. An awkward figure followed closely behind their unhesitant movements.

 

Each pull of the trigger was accompanied by painful screams and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. The continuous gunfire didn’t cease even during their rapid movement.

 

Just as it was at the shooting range, their speed didn’t decrease to aim at the enemies in their sight.

 

It sounded simple, but that’s why among millions of U.S. soldiers, only the elite could master the art of killing.

 

Harmony, following behind, let out a small exclamation.

 

“…Wow.”

 

They say people follow others by using their backs as guides.

 

In that

 

sense… she was definitely worth following.

 

­ Woah

 

­So damn cool lol

 

­My goddess Yoo Jin… kill me please….

 

­No need for words, just shows with actions

 

­This is the first time a waifu looks dependable lol

 

­Tactical Snake, my love… so reliable!

 

<Johnson’sRevenge donated 2,000 won>

 

­That’s why guys stand and applaud when they watch tactical CQB videos. Do you understand the philosophy behind this donation????

 

Though her tastes had diversified through years of streaming and various games, military and FPS were still challenging for Harmony.

 

But in those brief three seconds, she might have understood why men were so passionate about this.

 

However,

 

“…The area is clear, so let’s start again.”

 

“Yes….”

 

Seeing her turn to fight again, Harmony felt the tactical high drop.

 

She readjusted her grip on the gun, exhaling heavily.

 

<WasOrangeDiseaseOrange donated 1,000 won>

 

­No mercy during training

 

“Thank you for the 1,000 won donation, WasOrangeDiseaseOrange… guys, please help me….”

 

It was indeed as the donation said.