As time progressed, the platform for running games shifted from computers to VR, and sniping either disappeared or evolved to adapt.

Unlike in the past, when snipers could shut out their surroundings and revel in their own twisted victory regardless of success or failure, they now found it much harder to endure the immediate, direct personal attacks that would follow such actions, thanks to more advanced reporting systems.

Given that the anonymity of sniping was its greatest advantage, this development seemed a natural course.

But conversely, this also meant that there were still some people who could spit in someone’s face—in this case, snipe—and shamelessly carry on.

These people were often called insane by the general public.

"This is really fun. I’ve never disrupted a stream like this before."

That thought suddenly crossed Harmony’s mind.

Even though it was an avatar instead of a real person, could someone who casually said such things to a person who was clearly moving and reacting be considered sane?

Throughout her streaming career, Harmony had encountered a wide variety of people, but she wondered whether these kinds of people were insane from the start or if sniping had twisted them over time.

But that wasn't the important issue.

She needed to buy time, no matter what she had to say.

"You said you’re disrupting the stream? But the stream won’t be broadcast, so how did you even follow…."

"Oh, you heard that. Just think of it as one of those things. Aren’t you a streamer? Haven’t you been sniped before? Can’t you think straight?"

She could barely hold herself together.

A warning about being downed had appeared, and it seemed that her character had been set to be unable to use its strength. She could only crawl slowly. It was too sudden; she hadn’t even managed to pull out the trigger device.

Should she shut down the stream? She could already imagine the chaos in the chat. There was no real need to broadcast this situation….

No, she had to focus on how to get out of this situation.

She needed to pull out the trigger device.

"…If you’re going to kill me anyway, can’t you at least explain why you’re sniping me? Why do you do this?"

"To see that reaction of yours. And to piss off your viewers."

Honestly, she wasn’t even that curious.

She struggled to prop herself up against the wall she was hiding behind. The trigger device was safely clipped in her multi-purpose pouch so it wouldn’t be accidentally triggered during battle.

Fortunately, it was strapped to her right thigh, so she could discreetly reach in and pull it out. She just had to carefully undo the strap.

But to do that, she needed to keep the user in front of her distracted.

Breathing heavily, she kept talking, trying to provoke a reaction from the enemy.

"Isn’t that enough already? I’m already pissed off."

"That’s just your opinion. It ends when I’m satisfied. Can’t you think straight? I don’t care if I die. I just have to kill you and run before your team or the Hunters get here."

"…."

"You’ve got a lot to say, huh? What, are you going to sue me? With what? Suing over something like this would just be a hassle for you. I’ve got money. I’ll drag it out, and if I have to, I’ll just pay a settlement."

The user squatted down and grabbed her cheek.

This was indeed an unbearable humiliation, but Harmony didn’t care about that part. She wasn’t responding because she was focusing all her nerves on her fingertips.

The strap of the multi-purpose pouch slowly loosened. The tight space that allowed nothing to pass through was gradually opening.

It was a strange feeling.

No matter what the enemy was saying, her mind remained calm. All her senses and focus were channeled into her fingertips, moving with the sole purpose of achieving her goal.

As if it was the only path she could take.

Even as the most vile insults she’d ever heard in her life were hurled at her, they simply washed over her and faded away.

"Ha, this is boring. I should’ve seen what the viewers were saying, but I can only watch the stream at normal speed on my computer."

"…?"

"What’s with that look? Didn’t you know you can set up a camera and watch it on your computer? Amazing. No wonder you got sniped like this."

Click.

She carefully slipped her hand into the pouch.

Her health was slowly decreasing. The UI was filled with bright red warnings that she would die from blood loss in less than two minutes.

The noise from outside was gradually diminishing. The Hunters hadn’t caught her yet. So, the fight was still ongoing, but it would’ve been better if they had shown up by now.

The enemy was truly oblivious to the situation.

She felt she was reaching the final stage.

Her movements became more urgent.

"Ah, I’ve talked too much. Time to kill you and get out of here."

"…Ha…."

A sinister smile crossed the enemy’s face as he stomped on Harmony’s arm.

"…Agh!"

"Oh, were you planning something? Is there a grenade in there? Were you planning to blow us both up? You’ve been watching too many movies. It’s obvious. Even an idiot could see it."

A vile grin spread across the man’s face.

At the moment when her last hope was thwarted, the anger she had kept in check flooded her veins. With the surge of rage, the strength she had reserved flowed into her fingers.

She had to release the safety clip and grip the trigger.

But the pressure on her ankle increased.

"Y-you…."

"Oh no, did you really think I’d let you do it? Guess I have to actually kill you now."

Slide.

The gun was raised.

But ironically, at that moment, the emotion that showed on her face was not fear but a smile.

The sniper's expression began to twist in confusion.

"…Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, it’s nothing…."

Her gaze drifted to the tactical rig of the hostile player.

A red laser, seemingly from nowhere, was aimed at him without a hint of wavering.

Whether it was Yujin or a Hunter… Harmony decided it didn’t matter as she carefully spoke.

"…It’s just that I think I did a pretty good job of stalling for time."

Boom!

And then the storm hit.

With the sensation of being crushed, a shockwave from a Hunter’s blast bomb exploded in mid-air, completely obliterating the enemy who had been standing over her.

Harmony was also caught in the blast, but leaning against the wall worked greatly in her favor, keeping her from being thrown backward.

And not only that, the force of the blast caused her hand to slip out of the pouch.

In her hand was the trigger device.

"You son of a… It’s really a Hunter!"

The enemy had been thrown against the wall and was recovering quickly, moving to grab the rifle that had fallen at his feet.

But by now, he must have realized it.

The look on Harmony’s face was not what he had expected.

Their gazes met in a moment that was the exact opposite of the situation from just a few seconds ago.

"Where…where’s my gun…? Wait, you, hold on. That’s not a grenade…."

"Well, it’s not a grenade, but…."

She squeezed the device in her hand, adding mischievously.

"…It’s probably similar."

Click.

A crisp sound echoed.

In the brief silence that followed, countless emotions crossed between them.

And then───

BOOM!

"Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!"

An enormous explosion, accompanied by a barrage of cluster mines, erupted from the bag carried by the sniper user with the Barcode nickname.

[Alert: Cluster Seeker Mine Detonation Inside Hostile Operator’s Bag.]

"…Impressive."

Whether or not she could hear me, I couldn’t say… But Harmony seemed to be a much stronger person than she appeared on the surface.

Even though my trigger had failed to work, and I was worried that Fallen had downed her faster than expected, leaving me without enough time to deal with the Hunter, she had managed to stall for time and fulfill her role admirably.

But on the other hand, this also meant it had been quite a while since Harmony had been downed.

The fight with the second Hunter was nearing its end, but there was still one more left, and the effects of the Seeker Mine wouldn’t last long.

In other words, I had to move.

And I had to move now.

Click!

I discarded all my weapons and gear, keeping only my bulletproof vest, tomahawk, and a pistol as I sprinted in Harmony’s direction.

To prepare for the worst, I had packed not only two Seeker Mines but also a reactive shock grenade in the bag, but it was all just to buy time.

The world stretched out around me as I sprinted across the snow-covered rooftop at a speed of at least 30 km/h.

Ahead of me, within seconds, was a ledge that had to be at least 150 cm high. The Hunter was climbing up, and above, the now-dazed traitor was staggering.

It was too late to slow down.

The choice was simple.

"…!"

I jumped over the ledge, landing on my hands and rolling before immediately pulling out my tomahawk.

Gripping the handle as if I would crush it, I aimed for the Hunter’s thigh and swung. With a forceful strike, the leg was severed entirely.

But even as the Hunter lost control of his body and collapsed, he still tried to fire.

I barely managed to grab the barrel and twist it, avoiding the shot, and soon the enemy fell, with his 

remaining head and neck severed, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Meanwhile, the traitor, who had just realized my arrival, attempted to flee. However, with a simple hand signal, I triggered the shock grenade stored in my bag.

A chilling sound and electric sparks spread out.

Bzzzt!

"Ugh… Aaaagh…!"

Paralyzed and convulsing on the ground like a broken electric toothbrush, the traitor stared helplessly into the sky.

Twisting the tomahawk in my hand, I approached him slowly.

"W-what… the hell… is this?!"

"I recently received messages from five people you killed in hardcore mode. They didn’t say much, but one of them made a particularly memorable comment."

I bent down and used an emergency medical kit on the near-dead Harmony. Her pain-ridden expression softened as the Icarus gear’s self-healing function kicked in.

It would take about a minute before she could walk again.

Turning away from her, I addressed the traitor, who was still writhing on the ground.

"They said that when you die in hardcore mode, you retain the sensation of your death. Normally, I wouldn’t care about that."

"What… are you talking about…?!"

"I thought you might need to know."

Slide.

I firmly pressed my foot against his chest, forcing him to lie flat on the ground. Then I removed my foot and nudged him so that he was lying face-down with his head against the ground.

To simplify: he was now in a prone position.

I loosened my muscles and checked the thin gap between his bulletproof vest and helmet.

"Because you’re about to feel what it’s like to have a tomahawk blade buried in your neck."

"W-what? Don’t mess with me! This has to be a joke!"

But as I shifted my weight onto my left foot and prepared to swing the axe, his disbelief turned into a terrifying reality.

His desperate scream echoed through the heart of Manhattan.

"Don’t do it! Please! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!"

"Let’s make sure we never meet again."

"No! Please, no! Aaaaah—!"

Thud.

A sickening crunch of flesh tearing and bone shattering mingled with his gruesome final scream, spreading into the air.