“Has it started?”

“Yes, just now.”

Meanwhile, at that moment...

As the first scrim match of the morning in late August was just beginning, about a hundred or so individuals were scattered across various locations, watching the live match feed displayed in mid-air.

Though their social positions, genders, and various other factors differed, they could all be grouped under the broad category of individuals who generated value through Dark Zone.

In other words, they were professional gamers, coaches, managers, enforcers, and anyone else who could gain something from watching the match.

Several screens were broadcasting different videos and 3D maps as holograms.

Nearly a hundred red dots were scattered over a massive research complex. The distribution wasn’t uniform, with more dots clustering around key landmarks and buildings where better items and infrastructure could be secured.

As soon as the last person landed on the ground, the number that had been stuck at 100 began to slowly decrease, one by one.

Voices murmured from various corners.

“Any familiar names among the ones who just died?”

“No.”

Or,

“Since scrims have been going on for a while, there aren’t any more players trying to fistfight right after landing.”

“There are hardly any left who do that. It’s basic stuff.”

From such relatively ordinary conversations to...

“Since it’s the research complex, the meta is pretty similar. There’s a lot of fighting for key positions until the Juggernauts come out…”

“High-powered firearms and armor-piercing rounds are more common here, so engagements happen faster than on other maps. No matter how much you scrim, it’s hard to slow down the overall death tempo.”

“This map is in every tournament. It’s the toughest one, honestly. After playing one match here, you’re mentally exhausted.”

These were conversations that could come from professional gamers or analysts.

It felt more like they were critiquing the match in real-time, rather than just watching it.

Naturally, this was because most of these people weren’t ordinary gamers but professional players. For them, games weren’t a means of stress relief but work that needed to be analyzed.

At the same time, analysts who were trying to extract meaningful results from watching the match were deeply focused and engaged in lively discussions.

This was because the path to the global finals, the so-called Final Championship, was a process that filtered out the majority of users.

Before the Asia Qualifiers even took place, two main events would be held.

First, there was the Ranked Game, which filtered out the top 100 players based on MMR, including professionals and Tier 2 players.

Unlike the tournament rank, this was known as the Qualifier Rank.

The top 100 players from this would then compete in the Korea Selection Match, where the top 20 performers would qualify for the Asia Qualifiers.

From the Asia Qualifiers, only up to four players would advance to the Final Championship.

In other words, only the best of the best could make it through.

This was why not only those who didn’t participate in the scrim but also countless headhunters and analysts were watching the screen with intense focus.

They were carefully watching for players who stood out or who demonstrated exceptional skill.

Players with great adaptability. Players who had a fast early game pace. Those who could handle high-recoil firearms with stable control, or those who excelled in all areas….

There was much to evaluate and many players to assess.

Meanwhile,

“…Hey, that Yujin, right? What’s up with her?”

“Yujin? You mean that player everyone’s talking about lately? Why, what’s up?”

“The weapon she picked up right after the start is… insane.”

“…Oh, come on.”

M107 CQ.

In other words, a close-quarters version of the Barrett M82, a sniper rifle that uses 12.7mm rounds.

On the screen, Yujin was loading ten rounds into the magazine and smoothly sliding it into place.

The sound of the charging handle being pulled back echoed with a deep, heavy tone.

The guns I had handled up to now made a higher, faster sound when the charging handle was pulled. The reason was simple: the length of the rounds wasn’t that long, so the charging handle’s travel distance was shorter.

Conversely, when loading a gun that used large-caliber, long rounds, the sound was lower and heavier.

The proof of this was the M107 CQ—a variant of the Barrett—that had been quietly resting in the high-powered weapons storage of this research complex map.

Specifically, the version with a significantly shortened barrel.

“…Sigh.”

The magazine, more square than rectangular, was filled with ten rounds, each the size of a thick marker, all with dark-colored tips. Simply put, they were special armor-piercing rounds. Fifty-caliber armor-piercing rounds—definitely not something you’d want to shoot at a person.

But I was going to shoot them. Today, now, and right away.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, to be blunt, I could mostly ignore the operational endurance limitations imposed by human physical characteristics.

As long as I consumed the right amount of calories, I could carry heavier, more recoil-intensive guns and provide adequate fire support while others carried 5.56mm carbines.

In the past, my role was either a point man carrying a ballistic shield or the squad’s fire support.

Of course, that didn’t mean I’d only carry this around; for more typical engagements, I planned to use a relatively standard weapon like the ASh-12.7.

There wasn’t much I could say if you asked why only these kinds of weapons came out, considering that the first place I entered after landing was a high-powered, large-caliber weapons storage.

With the body armor, magazine pouches, ammunition, ballistic plates, and other gear, my total weight was about 51.4 kilograms.

It wasn’t too heavy to run or move around.

-[Alert: 87 players remaining.]

-[Translating warning…: Juggernaut patrols are commencing. All research team personnel must carry proper identification. Failure to do so will result in elimination.]

On the way here, the PDAs scattered around the floor and shelves, left by researchers, displayed the patrol routes and recognition ranges of the Juggernauts, who acted as this map’s storm zone.

Killing a Juggernaut awarded the same points as killing a player, but they weren’t designed for ordinary players to take down. They usually patrolled in pairs, making them a real headache.

Not that I wouldn’t kill them if I encountered them…

Anyway.

—Click.

I opened the door and carefully stepped outside.

Compared to the other maps I had played so far, this research complex was relatively small, and most battles took place inside the buildings rather than outside.

There wasn’t much reason to fight outside, and with the automatic doors randomly opening and closing, you were more likely to get caught and killed by a patrol without proper equipment.

It was time to look around.

With the Barrett slung on my back and the ASh in hand, I moved as quietly as possible, scouting the area.

The map was quite complex with plenty of hiding spots, but with sensors installed everywhere, staying in one place too long would trigger an alert, making you a target for both players and Juggernauts.

Players and Juggernauts were constantly circling the map, using all their skills to survive, which was the key to aiming for the top in this research complex map.

—Rat-tat-tat-tat!

—Drrrrk!

“…”

Supporting this was the sound of gunfire echoing from all directions.

It was a situation that could only be described as a war of all against all. In such a situation, it was best to use not just your senses but also your instincts to find the enemy.

The lower levels were where you could acquire weapons, and that’s where the patrols started.

I had spent some time loading rounds and adjusting the sights, which might have slowed me down a bit, but by now, some players would have already taken key positions on the upper levels.

For now, let’s move around and take out any stragglers.

—Crunch.

At that moment, a sound came from the corridor just around the corner.

I instantly quieted my footsteps. Assuming we both heard each other, the other player would also be narrowing their field of vision and focusing on their hearing.

At this point, it was more important to maintain a relaxed field of view rather than focusing too much.

I decided to use a trick I had often employed in the past.

—Crack.

As if unintentionally making a noise, I nudged a piece of wooden debris with my foot.

There were about ten meters left to the corner where the corridor turned to the left. Normally, one might throw a grenade rather than risk kicking a hornet’s nest, or to use a more modern term, a “pre-aim grenade.”

However, one common misconception is…

The sound of a grenade pin being pulled is almost impossible to avoid.

Using that as a cue, I dashed forward.

Not only did I move without any prior warning, but I was also already prepared to run at the sound of the pin being pulled, so my speed was faster than the other player expected.

—!

“Hahk…!”

As I quickly closed the distance and turned the corner, I aimed and locked eyes with the enemy just as they were about to throw the grenade. My first thought was that their avatar was quite pretty.

The rapid shots I fired hit the high-performance ballistic plate in the enemy’s armor, which could commonly be found around here, causing a loud noise.

I didn’t aim for the head, so I didn’t expect to deal lethal damage.

But one thing was certain…

The impact was enough to knock the enemy holding the grenade off balance and onto their back.

I quickly ducked behind cover as a brief flash of light, smoke, and shrapnel erupted.

—BOOM!

“Rest in peace.”

I’m sure they’ll go to a better place.

“Damn it, what kind of crazy…!”

“Oh, what’s this? It’s Dice! Hey, what brings you here so soon!?”

“Wow! You know SSM! They’re really famous!”

Dice.

One of the first-team players from SSM Entertainment, a professional team, had unexpectedly been eliminated in the mid-80s rank and opened their eyes in the debriefing room.

Her heart was still pounding. She had pulled out a grenade the moment she heard a sound, not even giving the opponent time to react, but they anticipated and rushed her?

She was so shocked that she didn’t even think to throw the grenade she was holding and ended up dying on the spot.

Thinking back, maybe the sound of the wooden plank was also some kind of bluff.

As her excitement began to subside, her mind started working again.

That’s just how Apex Predator was. Matches could be easily won or lost by the slightest margin or a single variable.

And she lost in the mind game.

Slowly getting up and cautiously walking over to sit in one of the comfortable chairs in the debriefing room, she opened her mouth with a dazed expression.

“Aaagh…”

As always, another reaction was added to the collection of those who had fallen victim to Yujin.