Once a Day - Four Hours in Real-Time, Twelve Hours in-Game

Five years ago, when it was released, it quickly gained explosive popularity, and within just two years, professional teams were formed around all the major PvP categories. After three more years, the methodology of scrims in the Korean Apex Predator category became somewhat established.

This cycle, which is divided into four segments of twelve hours each and implemented about a month before the tournament schedule, resets every day. In a way, it was intense enough to be considered grueling for professional gamers.

The four-part segments, though each with different levels of importance, had one segment that stood out as crucial beyond the initial debriefing: the first segment. It was the time when no feedback or tactics could be received from professionals, making it possibly the most important segment of all.

The key was to see if the feedback received from the professionals the previous day was well incorporated into the first segment's gameplay.

Or if there were improvements based on that feedback, or even new strategies emerging from a combination of the feedback.

If not, then at least it was important to check if there was a player who performed well in that particular round. In some ways, this was not just tournament preparation but also preliminary scouting for free agents.

One might even say that the players themselves were unaware they were in an interview. The assessment criteria extended beyond their actions and skills to include whether they could fully implement the tactics provided by the professionals.

Thus, the focus of the evaluators was not on physical ability but on the perfect execution of routines and tactics.

After all, unless someone had been an athlete or was particularly familiar with firearms, the highest level of physical ability among the average male infantry soldier was somewhat uniform, meaning that there were other factors as important as individual skill when engaging at this level.

These non-physical differences could give an edge in strategic battles.

Considering that battles were fought among a hundred players on a specific battlefield, it was difficult to say that physical ability alone could overcome all variables and secure a complete victory.

However...

───!!!

"…What the hell is that...?"

Even though it was designed for an assault rifle, firing 12.7×54mm rounds while on the move with almost no recoil was an almost absurd level of physical ability.

Someone’s unfiltered words seemed to represent what everyone else was thinking.

Whenever the trigger is pulled, the sound is always different.

Loading rounds into a magazine, inserting it, chambering a round, and striking the primer—it all produced different sounds depending on the type of round.

The recoil and noise varied slightly depending on the amount of gunpowder in the bullet, the caliber, and whether a muzzle brake or suppressor was attached. The surrounding environment and terrain also influenced the sound.

In addition to the ear-piercing noise of gunpowder exploding and spreading in all directions, there was also a sharp metallic sound as the bullet casing hit the ground.

Today, that sound felt particularly heavy.

───tatatatatata!

"Ugh, ugh…!"

Normally, when firing a gun, the sound of casings hitting the ground resembled the sound of coins being dropped.

The casings, still retaining high heat, would spin wildly as they bounced off surfaces, eventually coming to rest as evidence of a kill.

In the case of the ASh-12.7, the sound of the casings hitting the ground shifted to a lower pitch.

Simply put, the sound resembled a doorbell ringing—a more beautiful sound than one might expect, echoing in your ears.

Like a funeral procession, it begins with flames and explosions and ends with the sound of bells.

-[Alert: Current kill count - 9.]

-[Alert: High-value target designated and maintained.]

"…Is this the end?"

There was little to gain from the fallen enemies.

The reason for calling it a scrim seemed justified, as even for me, playing half-heartedly with inertia was becoming increasingly difficult.

Some enemies had decent detection and aiming abilities, and I, too, had taken several hits while moving around. Fortunately, my quick movement speed meant I avoided any fatal injuries.

Anyway, I made sure none of the ones who shot at me remained. I assumed they fired knowing the consequences.

Even if not, there was nothing I could do about it.

-[Warning: Lower level patrols concluded. Minigun and Maniac Juggernaut units entering.]

Minigun Juggernaut.

As the name suggests, it’s a Juggernaut armed with a minigun—a simple yet formidable enemy. It’s a unit equipped with an exoskeleton system that supports the weight of the minigun and the ammunition pack, making it an opponent you definitely don’t want to face.

Maniac Juggernaut.

A cyborg ninja armed with a single dagger, running around at 50 km/h, capturing enemy units. It was such an insane concept that you might curse its creators, but considering my past filled with such madness, all I could do was laugh at the absurdity of it all. I’m still curious how I survived all that.

My current position was between the middle and upper levels.

As fitting for a research complex rather than just a facility, the underground here was a massive artificially excavated space, connected like a spiderweb, with hundreds of millions of tons of soil dug out. Besides simple experiment facilities, there were artificial combat zones.

This place, where various combat terrains were artificially created by overlaying holograms on bulletproof structures, was too vast to simply pass by. Often, more than two enemies hiding in different spots would team up to take down a Juggernaut, only to betray each other afterward.

Conversely, it was the prime zone where Juggernauts would appear, so I didn’t want to waste my firepower here.

So my goal was simple...

───pew!

"Ugh."

Knowing that, I cleaned up the enemies positioned around the nearby terrain to either trap or eliminate the enemies trying to escape the artificial combat zone.

Seeing them firing bullets so confidently, they seemed quite assured of themselves.

Using the PDA, I checked the Juggernaut's location. They were still far from reaching here. That meant I had time to pinpoint the ambushing enemies' positions before they arrived.

So, how do you accurately locate enemies?

-Click!

You simply advance with a bulletproof shield.

Of course, the shield's size and weight typically limit you to carrying only a pistol, but I firmly shouldered the ASh-12.7 and advanced forward.

The pressure of the bullets hitting the shield was significant. As I continued to advance while using suppressive fire to slightly dampen the enemy’s firepower, I simultaneously attracted aggro from nearby users.

Since there were stairways connecting each level everywhere, users in the vicinity had to carefully weigh the pros and cons of engaging in even a single firefight.

Even if there was a perfect opportunity to kill an enemy, it wasn’t uncommon to let it slip, especially when the number of remaining enemies was around thirty.

So, I turned the whole situation upside down.

There would be no more safe places left.

-[Warning: Multiple Juggernauts approaching within 100 meters.]

As the shield was half-destroyed, I reverted it to nanomachines. It would take a few minutes to repair.

I checked the remaining magazines and, using a pulse as soon as it cooled down, precisely located the enemy positions. At least ten users were in the vicinity, all of them moving frantically.

Their planned tactics were falling apart, so it was no wonder.

The only thing left was to tie them down so they couldn’t escape or lure the Juggernauts to this location before they could prepare to retreat.

In this battle, having attracted the Juggernauts' aggro meant I had achieved the main objective. Moving to a new position would trigger another firefight, reducing the number of survivors.

However, the ability to handle unforeseen circumstances and the skill to overcome them were what all participants here needed.

Taking advantage of the moment when I pushed the enemy out of the control room with the shield, I entered the general control room and inserted the high-level facility control keycard I had obtained from a researcher.

-[Alert: Artificial combat zone facility control acquired.]

-[Alert: All containment doors opened simultaneously. Some heavily armed facility control forces now target this location. If proper identification procedures are not completed through adequate preparation, the personnel will be immediately eliminated.]

The game had changed.

It was no longer a battle royale but a desperate fight for survival.

"Even though this is a research facility and there's already a lot of combat, you're throwing gasoline on the fire."

Golden hair flowing down to her waist.

A pair of sapphire-like, delicate eyes peeking out from under a blue headband encircling her forehead. The avatar of a woman so refined it could be said she embodied her very soul.

But she was making remarks entirely unfitting for her appearance as she watched the live stream of the ongoing scrim.

Dice.

A professional gamer from SSM Entertainment who, after unexpectedly encountering Yujin and getting eliminated early on, was now watching the progression of the match with a rather incredulous expression.

And, naturally, her interest remained fixed on Yujin.

It was beyond her expectations.

Normally, and in other games, she wouldn't have any reason to be curious about a player somewhere between Master and Grandmaster, but with all the recent buzz, even she had come to know some things about Yujin.

And in just this one match, she felt all her preconceived notions shatter.

This person… didn't seem like someone she could measure by her own standards.

Though seemingly driven by pure logic, she moved at times like a wild beast. The best way to describe her was unpredictable.

In simple terms, it felt as if she played knowing she would never die. Any further explanation was difficult to put into words.

She glanced around. Contrary to her expectations, everyone else was focused on the overall combat scenario.

In truth, she should have been doing the same, but for some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off this player's gameplay.

The situation had escalated to an extreme.

In just a few minutes, the number of players had been halved from nearly thirty to around thirteen. Those camping in the artificial combat zone had all been wiped out because they didn’t evacuate in time.

The Juggernauts, forming bizarrely distorted circles, were driving players into a single spot. Some were even caught and killed in small-scale encirclements, as if they were being hunted.

Meanwhile, her gaze returned to Yujin.

It seemed that the remaining players, tired of her antics, were trying to lure the Juggernauts toward her direction.

Although one player failed to manage the aggro and was brutally slaughtered by the Maniac Juggernaut, they managed to trap Yujin in a small-scale encirclement.

The other Juggernauts were relatively far away, but those directly in front of her were the two most formidable ones on patrol.

…But then.

-Click!

"What… no way."

The Barrett M107CQ, which she hadn’t used once during the scrim, and… what looked like an EMP grenade.

Despite the grandiose name, the EMP only lasted three seconds, earning it the nickname "trash grenade." Yet, in the next moment, it floated through the air, releasing an electromagnetic pulse in all directions.

And in the following instant,

───!!!!

Kneeling down, as if there were no recoil at all, she emptied the 10-round magazine of the semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle in just two seconds, quickly reloaded, and fired another 10 rounds.

In those four seconds, two Juggernauts were obliterated.

As Yujin discarded the now-empty anti-materiel rifle and crossed over the completely destroyed corpses, Dice could only blink, staring blankly at the scene.

She opened her mouth.

"…Fine, whatever. Do as you please…."

It seemed the world was full of insane people beyond imagination.