Fenrir Translations
“…Next, I will briefly explain the total prize pool for KSM. Currently, Icarus International has set the total prize at 200 million won, considering that this competition is a domestic event. However, unlike other tournaments, there are no specific prizes for first or second place. Instead, the prize money will be distributed individually based on rankings and performance, within the 200 million won limit.”
The murmurs in the room grew louder.
As always, the mention of prize money was a sweet sound to the ears of young professionals. I wasn’t immune to it either. Sure, SSM covers my housing, salary, incentives, meals, and even insurance, but can anyone live off just that? Probably not.
There’s more to say about it, but I’ll stop there. It’s certain that everyone else in the room is thinking the same. They’ve got things they want to buy, they want to give back to their parents… There are countless ways to spend money. As long as you have it, you can spend it however you want.
Of course…
“…Yujin, you don’t seem interested?”
Except her. She didn’t seem to care at all.
What does Yujin even do in her spare time? Does she even spend money? If she lived in the U.S., I imagine her place would be full of guns and armor, but unfortunately, this is Korea. Maybe she just lets her money sit in her bank account.
Anyway, a lot had already been discussed by this point. Specifically, the structure of the tournament, the maps for the matches, and details about the special event matches were the first things to be explained. Eight matches on Saturday, eight on Sunday. Two more matches per day compared to last year.
After four matches, there would be an event match with invited spectators, and then four more matches. Considering that spectators could also participate, this felt more like a festival than a tournament. Starting at 5 PM and ending at 10 PM.
Additionally, the increase in matches introduced a new variable—there were eight AP maps in total, and all of them would be played in a single day. In the past, two maps were always excluded due to the number of matches, but not this year.
A small variable could create a butterfly effect, disrupting pre-established strategies.
“…As previously mentioned, scores will be calculated based on your rank and kills. Therefore, in the early stages, elements like kill zones, gimmicks, and spawn points may be adjusted to ensure that factors beyond physical skill do not overly influence gameplay. Please be aware of this.”
This part wasn’t different from last year.
The explanation continued. It was mentioned that skill activation zones and terrain features might differ from their usual locations. Most people didn’t seem to care much about this, judging by their silence compared to the earlier reaction to the prize money.
The method for determining rankings was also unchanged—results would be calculated in real-time and converted into scores. The results from Saturday’s matches wouldn’t affect Sunday’s, and the rankings would be determined by adding up the physical performance points from both days.
It wasn’t much different from before, so the pre-briefing wasn’t too long.
Before long, it was nearing its conclusion.
“…Lastly, the Asia preliminaries will feature teams from the China Federation, Japan Republic, Russia, Korea, and Taiwan. As you all know, 20 representatives from each country will be selected, making a total of 100 participants. According to the rotation, this year Korea will host the Asia preliminaries.”
As I listened quietly, Yujin unexpectedly asked a question.
I felt a tapping sensation on my leg, as if someone were poking me. Realizing it wasn’t fingers, I almost made a strange noise but managed to hold it in. I turned my head and whispered softly.
“…Why are you poking me all of a sudden?”
“…I was just curious about the term ‘China Federation.’”
“What? Why would you be curious about that…?”
Yujin rolled her eyes for a moment, then dismissed it, saying it was nothing, and sat back in her chair. I briefly wondered if I’d done something wrong, but she simply gestured that everything was fine.
Suddenly, it struck me that maybe she was confusing something from the game. After all, Dark Zone was a game based on an alternate history. The appearance of China and Russia as enemies was part of that.
In the game’s lore, China had been unified as the People’s Republic after a communist uprising, and the Soviet Union collapsed, transforming into the Russia Federation. Japan had also fallen during Operation Downfall, and the emperor and nation were flattened, becoming a republic.
That should be right?
That’s what I learned in world history class, anyway.
I figured I’d explain it to her after the briefing ended if she was still curious. After all, we were almost done.
“-Many of you here will likely have to wait until next year for another chance. Even if you advance, the competition continues. One hundred players will be reduced to twenty, and then from twenty, no more than four will remain. These finalists will head to the U.S., where the Final Championship will determine the strongest player.”
Just as they said.
Last year, I climbed all the way to the Final Championship, where I had to face the best players from around the world. The result was harsh: 41st place. It wasn’t bad. In fact, I could say it was good. But if you’re not the one standing at the top, it doesn’t really mean anything.
Could I stand among those players again this year?
“You are both competitors and colleagues. As you all know, competing on the world stage is brutal and unforgiving. There is only one throne for the victor, but plenty of seats for the losers. So, please, don’t conflict with each other. Remember, not only are you competing for your team, but you are also representing Korea.”
And with that, the briefing concluded.
“The pre-briefing ends here. I wish you all the best of luck in this long marathon ahead. Well done, everyone!”
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
The deafening applause marked the end of the session. The lights on the ceiling came on, and people began to file out one by one. As the last person left, this space would collapse entirely. Some would go to rest before tomorrow, others would dive back into training, or seek advice from their coach.
I already knew what I had to do. I hadn’t come in with Yujin, but I’d surely be leaving with her. Training wasn’t over yet…so there really wasn’t much choice. I wondered if Blooming would be coming with us.
Before I knew it, the crowd had dwindled to single digits.
“…Yujin, Yujin!”
“Yes.”
“It’s over. Are you still curious about something?”
“No, I’m fine now. Let’s go. There’s still plenty of training to do.”
“Ugh…”
Both I and Blooming let out similar groans.
The three of us left the auditorium together, and as the last person exited, the space collapsed into a beam of light, and the cold air of New York wrapped around us once again. The only difference now was that we were three, not two. But Yujin didn’t seem to care at all and immediately gave different instructions.
“Dice, just keep repeating the training we did earlier… Blooming, come with me. Endurance in engagements is the result of many interlocking factors. We need to fix the misaligned gears for things to run smoothly.”
“Yes…”
“It’s only 12:20 PM, so let’s train for another hour, then break for lunch.”
Please, someone save me.
She was starting to regret ever bringing Yujin to SSM.
-[In 30 minutes, the Korean Selection Match will begin! While it’s fine to enjoy the festivities, please be sure to take your assigned seats to avoid getting kicked for exceeding traffic limits! If your wristband is glowing white, make sure to wrap up what you’re doing within five minutes!]
The virtual world had begun to permeate reality like a needle, and it had grown immensely since construction companies realized it was thousands of times cheaper to implement buildings and spaces via polygons rather than physical structures. The rise was exponential.
With the right designers, tools, and enough computing power to back it up, anyone could quickly create futuristic buildings in virtual reality. Even after ten years, this fact remained indisputable.
Avatars of all shapes and sizes walked through the virtual city with wristbands glowing white on their left wrists. The artificial city, filled with street vendors and shops, was so crowded there was barely any room to stand—even though the space was expanding by the second.
KSM was almost here.
More than a million people had already logged in. The paid broadcast rooms, which offered access to previously unavailable seats and views—priced around 20,000 won—had already sold over 40,000 tickets.
Huge speakers the size of buildings played the grand theme song composed specifically for KSM, while temporary clubs sprang up everywhere, with lasers and lights flashing brightly.
A strange scene that was only possible in virtual reality. But no one was rejecting it—they were simply enjoying it.
And within a space completely separate from all that, an area shaped like a cozy home, I quietly cleaned my gun.
It wasn’t necessary in the game. But it was part of my routine—a ritual of sorts to calm my mind. Before I came here, I spent a lot of my downtime maintaining my firearms.
I held an Mk.18 Mjölnir, the gun I’d brought with me. Everything about it was the same. I blew the dust off with an airbrush, detached the barrel, connected the pump to aviation fuel, and cleaned the interior. As each process was completed, the distracting thoughts clouding my mind began to clear.
…So much had changed. The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.
From a gaming perspective, I began to wonder—could a game company really get away with depicting China and Russia as the primary enemy forces? But if reality was different, the story changed.
In hindsight, I wondered how I hadn’t noticed sooner. But more than that, I was simply amused by the fact that, just as I was beginning to adjust to this world, more bizarre and ridiculous things continued to unfold.
Still, where there’s misfortune, there’s also good. My mark on the world had not yet disappeared.
-[Harmony: I hope you have a great result today~~~~~~~~~!!!]
I couldn’t help but smile.
She was the one I’d gotten closest to since coming here. Her message was pure encouragement, with no ulterior motives. As my mood lifted, other thoughts began to emerge.
Even in this world, where I didn’t yet know everything, I still had goals. The world remembered my past, no matter how it had changed. So all I had to do was focus on uncovering the truth and move forward. No matter how the world had shifted, that much was certain.
It was time.
The time for many to move forward.
Flash!
A brief sensation of floating, and suddenly, the surroundings changed completely.
The quiet waiting room disappeared, replaced by the roar of cheers and vibrations that seemed to shake me from head to toe. Countless people surrounded the central stage, while a hundred pro gamers, each with their own expressions, stood atop it.
It didn’t take long for the cheers to die down, but as soon as the host called out the top 10 players from the preliminary rankings for a brief introduction, the deafening roar returned.
And, of course, I was number one.
The first interview was mine.
“Apex Predator, the number one in the preliminary ranks! The player you’ve all been waiting for—Yujin has arrived───!”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
“Yujin! Yujin! Yujin! Yujin!”
“Tail Goddess! Axe Goddess! Waaaaaah!”
“Forbes’ Sexiest Axe User—Yujin!!”
…These damn nicknames.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t streaming, so there were no donations. These were just literal spectators.
As soon as I took the microphone, the cheers exploded again, but after testing it, the sound gradually faded. The number "1,272,765" was displayed clearly above my head. Anyone could guess it represented the number of people gathered here.
But, as always, there was no reason to be nervous.
I spoke as I always did.
“Hello, everyone.”
Waaaaaah!
As I pondered what to say next, I exchanged a few light jokes with the host and thanked the audience.
It was a skill I’d picked up naturally from streaming.
“It’s amazing to see so many of you gathered here to watch the matches… but since there are others waiting to speak, I won’t take up too much time.”
“Haha, unfortunately, that’s true. Do you have any aspirations for this KSM, or would you like to say something to the viewers who have gathered here today?”
I’d already decided what to say.
With a small smile, I spoke softly, looking directly at the audience as I added:
“I don’t have any particular aspirations, but for those of you who keep giving me strange nicknames, someday I’ll… No, never mind. Just take care of yourselves.”
These crazy perverts.