"Moni! How did you survive?"

"What the heck? You actually made it through? That's insane!"

"Haha, well, it just happened. It's all thanks to you guys holding on till the end."

Well, I did survive. After sending everyone who tried to kill me on an express trip to the afterlife, of course, I was still standing. Though, once that adrenaline rush— or whatever it was—started to wear off, exhaustion hit me hard, but it was nothing major.

We barely managed to take down the vanguard and join up with the reinforcements. Before I knew it, Kimstone, Limit, and Hotteok had revived and joined us too. I’m not sure if this game has a spectator mode, but judging from their chatter, it seems like it doesn’t.

Anyway, it looks like I can finally let out a sigh of relief.

–No spectator mode means we have no idea what happened, lololol –Everyone shut up!!!!! –Of course, I survived just fine, lol –Survived (after wiping everyone out) –Harmony’s skills are absolutely nuts, what the heck?????

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

Unlike her fellow streamers, who had no idea what trials Harmony had endured, or how she had decimated the vanguard chasing her down—thanks to the lack of spectator mode—Harmony's chatroom was blowing up.

It felt like déjà vu. Just like how Yujin had shown off her full skill set during the AP prelims, Harmony’s abilities, long overshadowed by Yujin, were finally being laid bare for all to see—and the reactions were always predictable.

"I knew she couldn’t be too bad, having spent all that time with Yujin, but I never expected her to be this good."

People had long known Harmony spent a lot of time with Yujin, and there had been speculation about something going on between them even before her streams started. But no one could have predicted that whatever it was would turn a casual variety streamer into such a skilled player.

The reason for that? The lessons Harmony received from Yujin were the crystallization of combat wisdom that even modern military forces couldn’t match—each chapter of that brutal manual was written in the blood of countless comrades.

To write a single page, to craft a single paragraph, to complete a single sentence…each line was etched into the book at the cost of someone’s life. And it was this knowledge, at least in part, that had seeped into Harmony's bones.

"We talked things over while we were dead, and it looks like the balance of power has shifted again. I think we can push into point B now, timing seems perfect."

"I'm fine with that."

The conversation continued in the team chat, which was separate from the squad channel.

A soft voice chimed in—someone from the same team but a different squad. Or more accurately, a viewer’s voice. Many of the 30,000 viewers had queued up simultaneously to try and join the same team as Harmony.

The speaker, sounding rather familiar, continued.

–We’ve got 12 allies alive, and three enemies are still waiting to respawn. We've got enough of an advantage. Eight of us should push B, while one squad hits C. I was thinking our squad could go for it.

Hmm.

Harmony's mind, though not entirely accustomed to this kind of role, quickly started piecing together the tactical landscape. After a moment of thought, a conclusion formed. Despite the many variables, one thing was clear: point C was likely undefended.

Since Hotteok had shared squad leader privileges with her, Harmony had enough authority to speak up—and she was confident. She didn't think her squad would lose in a straight-up fight with the eight remaining enemies.

"I'm in. Whatever we do, we've got the upper hand right now."

"Oh, really?"

"Wow, you're already getting the hang of Domination mode? Impressive."

"Let’s see…"

After a brief pause, Hotteok nodded and added, "Alright, so Charlie Squad will flank around to point C. If we lose the straight-up fight at B, we can abandon C and set up a pincer from behind, right?"

–Absolutely, Hotteok.

"Haha, you're reliable."

A female character that looked more like a white tiger than a human spoke in a boisterous tone that didn’t quite match her appearance. She grabbed her gun and set a waypoint. The main road leading to point B was their chosen path.

As they slowly moved out, they coordinated with Bravo Team. Moving as a group of eight down the main road wasn’t ideal, so they naturally split up by squad to stay flexible.

The idea was simple: whenever a weak point showed up, they’d strike.

And so, one squad headed for point C, while two squads moved toward point B.

Time was ticking.

──Tatatatatata!

"Waaah!"

"There’s a turret nest up ahead! Take cover!"

Charging into a well-fortified defense is always rough.

While Harmony’s squad had been loitering around point A, the enemy team’s mechanics had fortified point B with bunkers and turrets. These defenses, especially the high-tech automated turrets, were a major headache. They launched grenades and targeted any of the allied mechanics' devices from afar.

Kimstone’s abilities were effectively neutralized by this setup.

"Damn it, those bastards…!"

"These turrets are too strong. Hotteok, what’s Bravo Squad saying?"

"Ugh…they’re in a similar situation. Do we just hold out here until Charlie Squad can flank them?"

Tracer rounds mixed with turret fire turned the entire exposed area into a death zone. Thick bullets, fired from the turret's chain gun, whipped through the air, making a deafening crack as they created a kill zone.

Kimstone, crouched behind cover, was pulling at his hair in frustration.

"Damn it, we made the wrong choice──!"

At that moment, Harmony’s eyes began to sparkle. What she was looking at wasn’t one of the pulse turrets or other defense mechanisms she'd seen before but a fully-formed M32 grenade launcher. Hotteok and Limit chuckled at the sight.

"Okay, I’m reporting Kimstone as a troll after this game."

"Yep, pack your bags! The collaboration with Kimstone is over, folks! This shop is closed!"

"Hey, you jerks!"

Of course, Harmony wasn’t paying attention to their banter.

Her gaze locked on to the launcher, and Kimstone saw the fierce determination in her green eyes. Naturally, being no Yujin, he didn’t just blindly trust her—he hesitated, questioning her first.

"What? You’re good with that thing?"

"Just give it to me!"

"Wait, wait! I’m not handing this over without some guarantee you know how to use it! Limit, can you…?"

Click.

Harmony’s sticky grenade launcher slowly aimed in Kimstone’s direction. Realizing it wasn’t a joke, he yelped in fear.

"Alright, alright! Here! Why are you so scary all of a sudden?! Take it!"

With a quick toss, the revolver-style grenade launcher arced through the air. Harmony caught it deftly, her feet landing softly on the ground as the six attached grenades clinked beside her.

Hotteok and Limit, meanwhile, promised to disrupt the turrets as a way of opening up the advance.

If that’s the plan, then so be it.

Harmony’s pyromaniac instincts, which had been simmering ever since the earlier mission, were now ablaze.

"When the explosions start, we move! There are two or three more grenade bundles here, so if you need them, help yourselves!"

No further words were necessary.

With a metallic clink, the cylinder revolved. She loaded all six rounds into the chamber and snapped it shut. The weight pressing against her arm was comforting, especially knowing what it would soon accomplish.

Taking aim at the distant turret, Harmony’s cold focus locked in. The others were poised to move. The weight of her responsibility felt heavy on her shoulders.

Yet, despite it all, the smile on her lips wouldn’t fade.

──Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!

And then came the firestorm.

With astonishing accuracy, the grenades arced perfectly into the bunker, slamming into the turret. The automated system shuddered, and for the first time, its firing paused.

"Run, run, run──!!"

But it wasn’t over yet.

The following grenades hammered the reinforced barricades, smashing everything in their path. Despite the cold logic that told her to stay calm, the thunderous blast and the shockwaves reverberating in her ears made her heart race faster.

Spent shells clattered to the ground as she reloaded for a second round. The enemy mechanic scrambling near the now-quiet bunker was the next target.

What happened after was predictable.

"Aaagh!!"

"Heh…"

Boom.

It didn’t take long for the enemy caught in the blast to become a shredded mess.

Harmony strapped the grenade launcher onto her back, stuffed the remaining grenade bundles into her utility pouch, and dashed forward. Now, it was time to put Yujin’s lessons on move-and-shoot tactics into action.

──Tatata!

A hail of bullets shot through the frigid air, forcing an enemy gunner to duck back into cover.

But that wasn’t enough. The enemy was maintaining their lines with coordinated advances and retreats, using cover effectively.

Patience was key. Managing risk was the most critical aspect of modern urban warfare.

Yujin had taught her that too.

With that in mind, Harmony quickly relayed Limit and Hotteok’s movements and adjusted their positions.

"Limit, left side. Can you flush out the guy hiding behind the generator? Grenade or a direct charge, whatever works."

"Ugh, I’ll give it a shot!"

It didn’t take long for Limit to throw a grenade, but the lack of proper timing gave the enemy a chance to toss it back.

Of course, that was my cue.

──Thoom!

"Aaagh!"

And boom.

The enemy’s hand, severed cleanly by the blast, dropped to the ground. There was no need for further explanation—the enemy exploded into polygons, and their team was left with a gaping hole in their defenses.

There was nothing they could do to stop Alpha Squad—my squad—from pushing toward point B.

"Now’s the time! Push forward!!"

–This is too intense, lololol –Why is this so fun? Why is this so fun? Why is this so fun? Why is this so fun? –Yujin’s students seem to all catch the ‘can’t-play-normally’ disease, lololol –The amount of chaos is unreal, lmao

Charging across the snow-covered ground, Harmony darted between cover points, piercing through the crumbling defensive line like a spear. Ahead were Limit, Hotteok, and Kimstone. As they sprinted forward, Harmony called out their positions, and Limit took point with his ballistic shield.

They quickly regrouped, and Harmony stuck close to Limit’s back. This was her moment to control the flow of the fight. She activated her pulse to detect the remaining enemies, spotting four signatures—the reinforcements from earlier.

They had to be dealt with.

Harmony pulled out a freshly supplied grenade and yanked the pin.

"Behind the car on the left! I’ll flush them out!"

"Hey, why are you throwing grenades from behind me!? Aaaah!?"

"Focus on the front!"

Why was he being such a coward? I swear, if Yujin had felt this way while watching me, it all makes sense now.

As soon as the grenade landed, the enemy hiding behind the car fled. Limit, meanwhile, kept absorbing incoming bullets with his shield. The rounds crumpled and fell to the ground.

Harmony leaned out from behind cover and set her rifle to burst mode.

It was time to rain fire on their exposed flanks.

──Drrrrrrr!

"Aaagh!"

Limit flinched as shots rang out from behind him.

Through the transparent nanomesh of the ballistic shield, Harmony saw an enemy collapse after taking an entire clip’s worth of bullets in less than two seconds. They dropped consumable items before vanishing into fragments.

Limit, now visibly baffled, spoke up.

"…Moni, where on earth did you learn to do all this…?"

There was no answer.

They were already opening the way to point B.