Fenrir Translations
There’s a saying that you have to start on the right foot.
In modern society, this saying is often used as an adage, and it’s not hard to understand even when taken literally.
As everyone knows, when you’re putting on clothes—especially a dress shirt—if you button the first button incorrectly, it can be quite troublesome.
You waste time, and you can’t just leave it as is.
Ultimately, if you button the first button wrong, you have no choice but to undo everything and start over from the beginning.
That’s why getting the first button right is so important.
It’s no wonder people seek out top-notch teachers or take their classes before starting something new. It’s a bit different in context, but the christening of a ship or the groundbreaking ceremony of a building is somewhat similar.
Now, back to the question at hand.
If someone who spends hours a day playing games has an expert in the field personally coaching them, how much will their skills improve?
The answer could be seen in Harmony and Yujin.
Ratatatatata!
"Two enemies flanked left, Teacher."
"There’s a booby trap over there, so it shouldn’t be a problem."
Boom!
A loud explosion, a mix of shrapnel, flames, and screams, erupted from a side passage, and the UI displayed notifications of additional experience points gained.
Even while seeing this, the two of them paid little attention and focused on what was in front of them.
The flashes and sounds bursting from the muzzle echoed through the dead city like a drumbeat.
The scene rewinds a few in-game minutes.
Artemis Technologies was a real company back when I was in the ruined New York.
The story is a bit long, but to summarize it briefly, it was a company based in upstate New York that developed advanced technologies and military robots.
Of course, the New York I’m referring to here isn’t the one people typically think of. It’s what’s called Upstate New York—a significantly declining area in the northern part of the state.
Some background explanation is necessary.
When the Rust Belt emerged as heavy industry declined in the U.S., Upstate New York wasn’t spared from the winds of decline. However, around 2010, New York State implemented the Tech Valley initiative, bringing new life to the region.
To put it simply, it was an effort to revive the area by attracting high-tech companies and investing heavily in semiconductors in a place where land values had plummeted.
This is where Artemis Technologies came into the picture.
This company wasn’t like other companies that developed better semiconductors. It was closer to being a place that used them.
When they needed a specialized control system for complex killing machines, they could request it from a nearby semiconductor company within a 30-minute drive, without the need for flights and meetings.
Naturally, the company grew through collaboration and mutual consultation, and Artemis Technologies eventually extended its reach in all directions—even influencing drone and UAV technology used by the U.S. military.
It was involved in Icarus technology to some extent, so its prominence doesn’t need much explanation.
But then the pandemic apocalypse hit, and naturally, everything fell apart.
The U.S. military saw casualties so high that they had more equipment than personnel, and people either became refugees, rioters, or corpses.
In such a situation, Artemis couldn’t stay intact.
The company’s leadership, busy squabbling and hiring PMCs to grab whatever remained, eventually caused a disaster.
The main network was hit with cracking, counter-cracking, and other attacks, ultimately leading to its complete destruction.
Naturally, the unmanned drones under its control were not spared either. It was like a bird losing its mother… or rather, like a dogfighting arena where all the doors were suddenly opened.
The only thing awaiting the nearby people was tragedy.
The upper management was almost entirely wiped out, and the remaining PMCs, after taking over a mountain of drones, established their own kingdoms in the ruins, turning what was already a lawless area into a truly dangerous zone.
"…That’s the gist of it. Do you get it?"
"Not really…."
"Why not?"
Ah, my old habits are showing. I shouldn’t do this.
Anyway, it was a pre-mission briefing in front of the mission entrance, and I was glad Harmony listened patiently.
I hope she doesn’t think I got fired up over something weird… Still, just knowing the general situation helps.
Besides, this was a process I’d gone through in the past. Back then, I was in Harmony’s position… So, in a way, I’m retracing my steps.
It’s making me think of "back in my day" moments.
I shouldn’t be like that.
"…That was a bit much. Let’s start the mission. I think we’ve delayed long enough."
"Yes, yes!"
The weather wasn’t great.
It was around 9 a.m., but the sky was overcast, making everything gloomy. Unlike in reality, it was the middle of winter in the game, so it felt like it could start snowing at any moment.
It was a fittingly somber atmosphere for the dead city.
The sound of chambering a round echoed off the buildings and shattered into pieces. Ahead, we were greeted by rows of tightly closed research facilities.
Though abandoned, the lights were still on, and there were ominous sounds coming from inside. That meant there were still people—or things—occupying the building.
"It’s supposed to be a reconnaissance mission…."
"Clearing out whatever’s inside and gathering information is the essence of reconnaissance, right?"
My loadout today was similar to before.
My primary weapon was the all-purpose HK337, chambered in .300 AAC Blackout. Since urban combat rarely involves engagement distances over 400 meters, it’s served me well so far.
I’ve been considering trying the MK47 Mutant recently, but if I unlock the machine gun tech tree, I might switch to the MG338. That’s the weapon I brought along when I crossed over.
Given that my body can handle the recoil of a minigun, I probably would’ve used a 12.7mm automatic rifle if it existed.
Just idle thoughts.
The entrance was tightly shut, but there was a clearly broken spot on a nearby high wall, as if pointing us in the right direction.
With a grunt, Harmony climbed up first, and I followed, using only the strength of my arms to lift nearly 260 kg of weight, including my body and gear.
We climbed over the wall and entered.
Enemies were immediately visible.
<IksuHeemhak donated 1,000 won.>
"Using something like that would make people weak…."
"Huh!?"
Even though I said that, I’d obviously turn it on if things got too difficult.
Since I already knew how terrible the combination of Artemis and EMP was—mainly for the drones—I knew how much easier it would make things.
I got into position, aiming at the patrolling enemies as I spoke.
"The UGV you see ahead is a Warhound class. It’s armed with a 5.56mm chaingun and a 40mm grenade launcher. Do you have tracer rounds?"
"Uh… I’ve loaded one every five rounds in all my magazines."
"Shoot at the grenade cartridges or the feed mechanism, and the enemies will love it."
After sharing the weak points, I requested the first shot.
Harmony held her breath carefully. Meanwhile, I targeted the operators and engineers tinkering around the UGV. Artemis PMC squads usually operated in teams of three, including one machine.
After a brief moment of silence, Harmony’s gun muzzle lit up with flames.
The grenade cartridges were sturdy, with a small hit zone, so it didn’t explode on the first shot.
Meanwhile, I had already taken out two enemies.
Harmony continued to fire at the grenade loading mechanism, and through the LPVO scope, I could see the tracers cutting through the dull sky on this gloomy day.
While I planted a bullet in the last enemy’s neck, I saw more enemies pouring out from inside the building.
At that moment—
BOOM!
"It exploded!"
As if announcing the start of the mission, the Warhound-class UGV blew up in a brilliant display of fireworks, scattering steel fragments in all directions and dealing damage to some of the surrounding enemies.
With the motto of erasing all enemies before they could take cover, the exciting shooting time began as I aimed at the enemies through my crosshair and pulled the trigger.
The enemies fell one by one, but they were going down faster than expected.
Could this be because Harmony’s skills had improved?
"Reloading!"
"Okay."
It was a good idea to pace our ammo consumption.
When two people are engaged in combat, you must consider even these small details. If both reload simultaneously, it means no suppressive fire is possible, giving the enemy an advantage.
As Harmony swapped out her magazine, I did the same, and soon the front yard of the facility was completely cleared.
Snow was falling from the sky.
"…It’s snowing."
"You won’t see it for a while once we go inside. Let’s head in."
"Okay."
The mission was just beginning.