It’s a sudden story, but after moving back to where I originally lived, my schedule changed significantly. It was only natural. All the facilities that made me who I am had disappeared.

The training ground, the shooting range, the kill house, and the hood box that transformed me from an ordinary strong person into an exceptional top-tier killing machine. Along with countless other training facilities.

All of these can now only be found in virtual reality.

But, in truth, if I genuinely missed those things, I wouldn’t have chosen the Dark Zone. To put it concretely, I might have joined a PMC or deployed with a military unit—assuming that was even an option.

Anyway, returning to the main point, the reason my schedule changed is precisely because of this.

Originally, I would have woken up, done a light morning workout, and then headed straight to shoot, but now I can’t do that anymore.

This explanation is getting a bit long.

───Bzzz!

“…Ugh, I’m so sleepy.”

My morning routine is simple if you consider it, well, simple. I usually wake up at 6:55 AM, which is my standard wake-up time. After wandering around the house a bit, I naturally wake up.

By around seven, I have a simple breakfast. Well, it’s simple by my standards, but to regular people, a 2,000 kcal shake with a whole slice of chocolate cake blended into it might be anything but simple.

Anyway, I start my day by downing that shake. Since I burn at least 4,000 calories a day, and it can go up to 7,000 with a bit of exercise, I have to eat like this.

While sipping on that, I check on my computer, which is still working hard to recover my overdue funds.

-There is (1) payment transfer request based on the payment certificate.

-Applicant: Eugene Lee

-Total: $600,000

-Currently accessible amount: $41,495

At this point, I don’t really have to worry about my livelihood anymore.

After browsing the web a bit, contemplating whether to rent more servers or buy additional computing devices, I lower the screen and start studying my specialty.

Today, it’s sniping.

Based on memorized data and shooting specifications, I create a simulation, run it, and verify what went wrong using the Icarus gear.

The gear can break down at any time, so I can’t rely solely on it.

As I delve deep into this, time flies, and before I know it, it’s almost 11 AM. Grabbing my sore body, I do some light stretching.

It’s about time to get ready to go to the fitness club.

───Clack!

“The weather’s nice.”

As I open the door and step outside, the sun is shining brightly.

Unlike the Dark Zone’s blizzards, it’s summer in reality. With the game’s 1:3 time ratio, the in-game season changes every month.

Because it’s midday, there are still quite a few people outside… Well, it’s Seoul, after all. I casually brush off the gazes sticking to me, enter the building, and take the elevator.

As soon as the doors open, I’m greeted by the familiar sight of the counter.

It’s a sight I’m quite used to now.

“Oh, Yujin.”

“Hello. It’s not very crowded today.”

“It’s usually quiet around mealtime. Isn’t that better for you?”

“It is, actually.”

With that, I head into the locker room and change my top. They provide pants here, but they don’t fit me well because of my tail.

As I walk out, the staff are waiting like Avengers to help with my workout. Just two of them today? While I appreciate the help, I feel a bit guilty.

They always tell me it’s fine when I feel this way, though.

Anyway, it’s time to set my muscles on fire.

Starting with simple bodyweight exercises, the intensity rapidly increases, almost vertically, as always. Sweat pours down like rain, and my body fat burns up.

I’m not sure if there’s much fat left to burn, though.

In between exercises, I check my messages. It’s not so much checking as catching up on replies I’ve fallen behind on.

Lately, most of my conversations are with Harmony.

-[Harmony: Teacher~!!! The edited videos 2 and 3 are finally out! I uploaded the 2nd last night and the 3rd will go up around lunchtime today!]

-[Harmony: I’ve also posted the videos in the engram room, so please check them out when you have time!]

-[Harmony: And please, give me your account info, pleaseeeeee!!! T_T]

-[Yujin: Oh right, I’ll send it right away.]

Come to think of it, I still haven’t given her my account information.

I’ve been putting it off out of laziness, but with the 2nd and 3rd videos out, it didn’t feel right to delay any longer, so I quickly started typing.

The little number next to the message disappeared instantly. You’d think a streamer would be busy, but apparently not. Or maybe she’s just very interested in me.

After chatting and working out, two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Covered in sweat, I left the gym and headed home.

There wasn’t much point in showering since I hadn’t brought a change of clothes and would just end up wearing the same sweaty outfit again.

After throwing my sweaty clothes into the washing machine, I took my first shower of the day, thinking about what to eat for lunch. Even at this point, the day already felt productive.

I dried off, changed into fresh clothes, and, since I had enough laundry piled up, I ran the washing machine while putting a pizza in the air fryer—my soulmate—and checked the video.

-[Harmony] Teacher is angry! One, never again! Two, I’ll never drop a magazine again! [Dark Zone Day 1 - Part 2-]

“…She really knows how to title these.”

But there was something more important.

Even the primal smell of melting pizza cheese couldn’t distract me from checking it. The reason was quite simple.

View counts.

Since it was Friday night when the 2nd video was uploaded at 11 PM, it had already surpassed 500,000 views in just twelve hours. This was a remarkable increase compared to other videos, considering her Dark Zone Part 1 video had reached 700,000 views in three days, and her average video view count was around 200,000.

Impressive.

───Ding!

“Oh, it’s ready.”

Lunch today was a whole pizza.

Being at home, even 16K quality loaded quickly, but I found myself starting to read the comments before watching the video.

5,000 comments.

That’s quite a lot.

=15:19 Did you really drop the magazine, sis? I literally sighed when I saw that… ㄴBut how did you manage to grab it with your tail afterward? Was this something the Dark Zone could do? ㄴIt’s probably a supported feature, like third-arm functionality, in this ridiculously realistic game. ㄴIs that some kind of tail device experimental avatar? That’s interesting.

=We didn’t know it at the time… that this teacher would shine so bright. ㄴDidn’t realize she’d be a guardian angel, LOL. ㄴWe should all bow to where Teacher Yujin is once a day. ㄴWhy are you talking about things only you guys know? Tell me too! ㄴWatch the live stream from yesterday, and you’ll get it. ㄴIt blew up. ㄴNo kidding.

=Is this where Teacher Yujin’s legend began? Bookmarking this! ㄴ2222222222222222 ㄴYujin, the Guardian of Harmony… She’s the Goddess of the Tomahawk!!!! ㄴIt’s a shame the replay was deleted, honestly. ㄴI hope they release it once the legal action against the sniper is over.

=Forbes named Yujin as the sexiest woman when decapitating people, heueung. ㄴWhat the hell does that mean, LOL. ㄴSounds ridiculous, right? I thought so too, but it’s true. ㄴConfirmed. ㄴWhen I saw her cut that sniper in half, I was so happy I jumped up and down, then got scolded by my parents, LOL.

=Came here after seeing a clip from another site. Is this the place where they completely wrecked that sniper? ㄴYes, that’s right. ㄴIt’s already spreading everywhere, LOL. ㄴDid you? ㄴIt hasn’t even been a day, and it’s already exported to every corner, LOL.

It’s a big deal.

For me, it was just one of the many things I had to do. She needed my help, and Icarus’s motto is to help those in need.

Anyway, I enjoyed the over 40-minute videos with a nicely browned pizza on the table.

The video was fun.

Except for the fact that I didn’t anticipate the aftershock being so much bigger than expected.

-Hey! What are you… Ugh, Mina, you should have done it in a private room. You would have gotten the same rewards with the right number of people… I mean, really… ugh…

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s over now. I already consulted a lawyer today, so don’t worry too much about every little thing. Besides, Yujin caught them, didn’t she?”

-Sigh… Yeah. That’s a relief.

Too many people have been calling to check on me.

Since last night and through this evening, I’ve had dozens of calls, all starting with “Are you okay?” No matter how much, it was bound to get on my nerves.

Still, it was far better than reliving the events of that time. Reconnecting with friends and colleagues wasn’t bad either.

The fellow streamer Dol I’m talking to now… She’s a bit like a mother hen, but I suppose it’s because she cares.

-Still, I’m glad you’re doing better than I expected. What did the others say? Are they as worried as I am?

“Yeah, pretty much… Some even asked if I needed them to introduce me to a lawyer. I told them it was fine. I want to handle it myself. I plan to take firm action, so don’t worry.”

-You did well, you did well. It seems that person is really dumb. Do they not know how severely virtual reality violence is punished?

“Maybe… Who knows? I’m not going to waste my time on it. Most of the rest will be handled by my legal representative.”

Ahem.

Harmony cleared her throat and coughed briefly to reset her voice, then waited for Dol’s reply.

-Alright. Let’s have a meal together sometime.

“You too? Everyone who’s called to check on me has said we should have a meal together. Was I really that bad about not eating with others?”

-Think about what kind of karma you’ve built up with people around you.

“What did I do?”

At most, I recommended games where you navigate through fields filled with cavemen and annoying kids, or games where you climb mountains with golf balls, pogo sticks, or hammers.

Just simple, cute games. Why?

No one understands the true art of gaming.

“I wonder if Yujin would like it if I recommended the games I play.”

-You really know how to pick the wrong things to do, don’t you?

A brief silence.

Then, Dol continued.

-Anyway… Lately, all I hear about is you. I’m not usually one to check other people’s UOSpace, but did you see the views on parts 2 and 3?

“Huh? No. I haven’t checked yet.”

-That’s just like you. Go check. It’s blowing up. Also, try not to rely too much on Yujin for content. It’ll be better for you.

“I know, I know. I’m thinking about what to do in-game moving forward, so don’t worry.”

-…Well, you usually handle those things well.

Dol’s voice, though a bit relaxed, conveyed concern and care for her.

Anyway, taking her advice, I logged into UOSpace. The interface was familiar. Ignoring the countless notifications that never dropped below +99, I accessed my personal channel.

There was no need to sort by the latest uploads, but I checked the top two videos to see for myself.

…But.

“...Wait a minute.”

-What? What’s wrong?

“No, why are….”

Why do both videos have seven-digit view counts?

Those were the words that circled in Harmony’s mind as her lips trembled slightly, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing.