In Domination mode, the game could be broadly classified into two categories: strategic play and brute force.

The former involved players constantly moving across the map, aiming to capture points like A or C instead of focusing on the main battle at point B. This approach aimed to keep the enemy on their toes by continuously shifting the battlefield and forcing them into difficult situations.

The latter, however, was all about the battle for point B. It was a literal power struggle. Losing control for even a moment meant losing the central objective permanently, leaving no room for retreat.

And the type of Domination mode Harmony first encountered? It was definitely the latter.

This wasn’t a ranked game but rather a casual one, where players often made choices driven by the thrill of the moment rather than the pressure of winning. The early rush strategy the enemy team had employed was a clear indication of that.

In a high-stakes ranked match, such extreme tactics would likely be considered a rare gambit, something used to catch the opponent off guard, but in a casual match, it wasn’t uncommon. Still, whether the battle was a strategic chess match or a chaotic free-for-all involving more than 15 players, there was always something to watch.

──Drrrrrrrr!

"Aaagh!"

By now, the sound was all too familiar.

As Yujin-sensei had once explained, battles between players don’t unfold like the scenes in movies. Attacks that would have easily killed someone in real life could be shrugged off thanks to the protection of nano-machine barriers.

Among the things Harmony had learned in the past five days—besides how to swap magazines seamlessly and toss grenades where she wanted—was how to shoot. The ability to accurately land shots was the alpha and omega of combat.

Of course, that applied not just when everything was going smoothly but "in any situation." In other words, when the moment presented itself, you had to land every shot.

‘If the target is within 20 meters, you should be able to hit them with a full-auto spray.’

How is that even possible, senseeeeei….

Still, now that she had experienced real combat, it made sense why Yujin had said that. Even if her standards weren’t quite as extreme as Yujin’s, it was clear that anything less than that made it hard to effectively eliminate enemies.

Right now, it was proving particularly difficult to secure a clean kill.

"Take out the debuff device on the makeshift structure near B2’s terminal!"

"We shouldn't have let them set that up. They’ve attached all sorts of crazy stuff."

"Yeah, but for all that gear, their firepower seems weak. Are their numbers low?"

–Of course, Yujin 2.0 is wiping the floor with them, lolol –Did the girls replace their eyes with buttons or something??? –But for real, Harmony’s shooting skills are insane, haha –At this rate, she's like a living turret! –Fact: Noknyang almost dropped a magazine on the floor like a troll just a month ago.

Meanwhile, Harmony's viewers continued to express their amazement.

Her smooth target tracking, controlled breathing, and seamless gun handling—everything contrasted sharply with her past performance. Like the scent of perfume spreading through the air or ink dissolving into water, rumors of her newfound prowess were rapidly spreading.

Naturally, the number of viewers watching the four streamers became skewed, with more and more people flocking to Harmony’s stream to catch a glimpse of her gameplay.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Harmony, and by extension Alpha Squad, was gradually pushing the frontline forward. Like fire consuming paper, she was becoming the center of her squad, and her squad was becoming the center of the battlefield, reclaiming enemy ground. Her precise rifle support was more effective than any mechanic's devices or squad leader’s orders.

In short, she was single-handedly controlling the flow of the battle.

"B3 is breached! There are eight enemies in sector B! The B2 terminal is also in danger!"

"Why are we falling back so easily? Stop wandering around and focus on defending!"

"There's someone on the other team with absurdly good aim!"

"Do they have a high-rank player among the streamers?"

Ironically, and understandably, the ones feeling the brunt of Harmony’s control were the enemy team.

This shouldn’t have been a difficult game for them.

After all, a third of the enemy players were streamers. Mostly casual variety streamers or creators of other types of content. It wasn’t impossible that some of them played in the Dark Zone, but none of them were known for being high-rank players in Domination mode.

Skill-wise, they were likely on par or even below average. But it didn’t take long for that assumption—or rather, bias—to be shattered.

In the Dark Zone, at least, there’s one surefire way to teach someone the truth: deliver it directly to their skull with a lead bullet.

"B3 terminal, upper structure to the left! There’s a rifleman! That guy’s trying to bury our whole squad! Aaaagh!"

"Deploying a scanning round."

Thoom.

A sticky grenade shot across the air and embedded itself nearby. But instead of exploding, it emitted golden rings that revealed Harmony’s location.

At that moment, the enemy team finally got a glimpse of the player who had been harassing—and almost wiping them out. Given that they were lucky enough to match with the streamers, their reaction could only be one thing:

Shock.

"…It’s Harmony! That rifleman on the upper structure, it’s Noknyang!"

"What? No way!"

"Way or no way, if we stay here, we’re gonna get–urk!"

Thud.

A single, precise shot shattered the nano-machine barrier of one of the players desperately hiding near the B2 terminal, and the follow-up round sent them to respawn for 45 seconds.

Poking their heads out to engage the advancing enemies only resulted in brutal suppression fire. Although, could it even be called suppression fire when the bullets were hitting their mark?

Perched atop the upper structure like a sniper on a stove, the green-haired catgirl moved. Long-range shooting wasn’t her only skill—she now began to pierce through the enemy lines like a sharpened spear.

As Limit, holding the ballistic shield, absorbed incoming high-explosive hive shards, Harmony—having replenished her grenades—threw three at once from behind him. They arced gracefully through the air, landing on the metal floor of the structure with a satisfying thud. Meanwhile, she flanked toward the B1 terminal, climbing the opposite set of stairs.

──Boom!

Even from a distance, the explosion was loud enough to be unmistakable. The enemy players might have escaped, but their stationary mechanic devices didn’t stand a chance.

Just as the real firefight was about to begin, Harmony appeared at the perfect moment from an unexpected direction, raising her gun to aim at the enemies. They were barely 10 meters away—too close to miss, even with a burst fire.

The sound of her gun firing was like a chainsaw revving, the barrel glowing red from the heat. The frigid New York air wasn’t enough to cool the fury of death.

Of course, there were still three enemy players near the makeshift structure by B2. Facing them head-on meant Harmony was at a firepower disadvantage. In other words, she could only take down one before the rest focused their fire on her.

But it didn’t matter.

The rattling of metal echoed from the stairs as the reapers who had been trailing behind Harmony—her squadmates—arrived.

The fight was over in a flash.

"…Man, that wasn’t easy."

"If you have any last words, I’ll hear them out."

"M-Mommy, help, the hammer brothers are coming for meee—!"

Bang.

The enemy collapsed with a bullet hole in their head, a smile still on their lips.

–[ISO: Excellent! You’ve banished those who trampled on our soil straight to hell. This is our victory!]

"Whew, that was tough…."

"Harmony, great job! You really killed it! Looks like you’ve learned a lot from your teacher."

"…That’s all you have to say after watching that?"

"What? I didn’t get a good look."

After the match ended, reactions were mixed.

Limit couldn’t help but wonder if the people on their team had buttons for eyes. Had they even seen how well Harmony performed?

No, on second thought, maybe it was because they were on the same team that they hadn’t noticed. After all, since Limit had been with Harmony the most, maybe only he had a clear view of her skills. Questions started piling up in his mind.

One thing was for sure, though: Harmony wasn’t the typical newbie he had assumed.

Not at all.

"…Moni, what exactly did you train on with that Yujin person?"

"What’s this, Limit princess? Is Harmony really that good?"

"Sigh, I don’t even know where to begin. Hotteok, you didn’t notice anything either!?"

"No, I was too busy managing the squad…."

"Ugh…."

Idiots.

But I’ll cut them some slack—Hotteok was in charge of leading the squad, so it made sense that he wasn’t focused solely on Harmony. As squad leader, his role was to manage the battlefield and issue commands as needed.

Doldoli, as a mechanic, was also preoccupied with setting up defenses and maintaining equipment. He didn’t have time to observe other people’s gameplay either.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that their eyes were purely decorative.

I glanced at the chat.

Most of the viewers seemed confused about what had just happened. Naturally, since I had stuck close to Harmony, I had a front-row seat. But Kimstone and Hotteok? Not so much.

Then again, there was no need to rant or redirect their focus. Harmony didn’t seem to mind, and more importantly…

"Wow, that was fun for a first match. Moni, just keep doing what you did. Got it?"

"Oh, you bet."

This was only the first game.

Just like a needle in a pocket that can’t be hidden for long, it wouldn’t take more than another match or two before everyone realized just how skilled Harmony really was.

Of course, there’s always a chance I could be wrong.

If this wasn’t her full potential…that’s a little terrifying. What kind of training had Yujin put her through?

Sigh.

I slumped back into my comfy chair, brushing my green hair out of my eyes, still ruffled from the Domination match we’d just finished. Everything felt a bit chaotic.

As I started tidying myself up, I noticed the others looking at me.

"…What?"

"Wow. You’re better at fixing up your hair than most girls now."

"You’re practically a natural-born woman at this point, seriously."

"Hehe, so pretty."

–Ooh la la –Now this is peak content, hahaha –Hngggh! Hngggh! Hngggh! Hngggh! Hngggh! –Limit princess, just once, show us your armpits…!! –How is this guy even a man?! How is this guy even a man?! How is this guy even a man?!

<LimitHeung has donated 1,000 won! Thank you so much!> –Hell yeah! A face like this on a guy? Unreal!

"LimitHeung donated 1,000 won…you bastards! I’m gonna give you all new implants today, so come here!"

After turning one of the avatars into a prime example, it was finally time to start the second match.

I really hate this avatar.