"Alright, is there anyone from the national team list that we haven’t been able to contact yet? Report back quickly. After contacting the players, figure out if there are any common free days in their schedules. If it doesn’t work, group them in threes or fours!"

"Which companies have requested PPL (Product Placement)? Separate the ads that can be displayed in virtual reality from those that are limited to real life. I’ll handle the contacts, but if they have any samples, ask them to send pictures as well."

"Here’s the list of broadcast channels requesting interviews… None of them want to interview more than four people at once. We’ll break it down into six teams of three, except for Yujin and Dice, who will have separate slots. Anyone object?"

"There are over a dozen ad proposals just for Yujin... Jincheol! You said Yujin’s an Awakener, right? Send her the list of ad requests for now. I’ll check with the legal team to see if there are any issues. But don’t expect too much."

"Understood. Also, SSM just asked us to hold off on officially listing Yujin as part of their team. Her short-term coaching contract ends in late November, so she’ll continue being marked as unaffiliated."

After the tournament ends, people fall into a few different categories.

First, there are the ones who relax.

Second, the ones who are busy.

Lastly, there are the ones who are so busy, they might as well be dying from overwork.

When KSM ends, the players get a break.

When KSM ends, the viewers either go back to work or chill.

And when KSM ends, Icarus, the teams, and the countless brands eager to secure PPL deals with the AP Soloing National Representatives become busier than they could possibly handle.

AP Soloing National Representative.

Considering that the viewership for the third KSM peaked at five million, these representatives were not just national champions shining a light on Korea—they were walking billboards. In other words, they were money magnets.

That’s where Icarus’s PR team comes in—not only the legal team but also the planning and business departments, along with anyone involved in external publicity.

In short, there was no time to breathe. The national team roster wasn’t finalized until Monday, which meant that, starting early that morning, inquiries flooded in at an overwhelming rate.

The result? This frantic scene.

"The Icarus Japan branch has released the JSM roster."

"Okay. Distribute it to the teams. Listen, just do what we did last year. Focus on the basics, and if anything gets complicated, connect them directly with the teams. We don’t need to handle everything ourselves. Got it? Just focus on things like shoes and gloves—anything that can apply to all players."

"Got it."

The work never stopped coming.

It wasn’t just about processing it either. We had to constantly adjust our tasks and deliverables according to the situation, which could change by the minute. Only the best talent could keep up with all of this while maintaining the reputation of a major corporation like Icarus.

And that wasn’t all. Amidst all this chaos, you also needed to identify key trends, process them, and turn them into presentations and reports for endless meetings and briefings.

This structure practically guaranteed overtime for at least a week. But with the kind of money flowing into your account, how could you not work with a smile? What others earned in a month, we made in three days.

In the middle of this pandemonium sat Assistant Manager Kim Jincheol, typing furiously at his keyboard, moving his mouse and other devices with speed, drafting multiple documents. After a quick restroom break, he grabbed a cold can of coffee from the break room fridge.

As he opened the can, his mind wandered to someone he couldn’t forget.

"…It hasn’t been that long since then, and she’s already risen this high."

Yujin.

The more data he compiled, the more that name came up, endlessly. Though he was part of the PR team, Jincheol was also the bridge between Yujin and Icarus. It was impossible for him to be unaware—he had heard her name enough times for it to be drilled into his skull.

It was just a couple of months ago when she showed up, oddly stiff, and broke every record in Icarus’s physical ability tests, quickly establishing herself in hardcore mode as a rising star.

Her delicate features and toned figure… No, more than that, it was her snake-like tail that came to mind from time to time. Jincheol wasn’t even fond of reptiles, but his YourSpace algorithm had started suggesting snake-keeping videos after her appearance.

Just then, the door to the break room opened, and another familiar face walked in.

"What? You’re on break too?"

"Oh, hey, senior. I’m dying here… Was it this bad last year?"

"Last year? It was rough, but not as bad as this. But what can you do? Next year’s going to be even worse. You do know Dark Zone’s only been out for five years, right?"

"Geez, they really grind you down here."

"If I’m getting ground down, what chance do you have?"

They exchanged about 20 seconds of banter.

Then, with a sigh, they left the break room. They couldn’t afford to take a longer break with the mountain of work piling up.

Outside, it was still a madhouse. Someone, tablet in hand, sprinted down the hallway, though it was unclear if they were from a different department or the same one. The holographic displays floating overhead flickered and glowed, illuminating the chaotic scene.

It almost felt surreal—like a company from a near-future dystopia.

Before sitting down, the two exchanged one last bit of conversation.

"Yujin’s name keeps coming up everywhere. How far do you think she’ll go?"

"Hard to say."

But one thing was certain.

"You’ll still be hearing her name in a month, and in three months, too."

"Wow, you think she’ll make it to the finals? For real? I mean, she’s insanely good. I’m still learning how to handle PVE raids…"

"Haha. Just get back to work."

Jincheol wondered what Yujin might be doing right now.

Cracking open his can of coffee, the cold, bitter liquid slid down his throat, clearing his head. But seeing the thousands of characters and images filling his screen quickly killed any motivation he might have had.

Sigh.

"I wish I could just go shoot some guns in-game."

Condensation formed on the can of coffee as the heat slowly faded.

Autumn was coming.

"…Are you all paying attention to what I’m saying?"

-Of course! We’re all focused on how beautiful your tail is. ;) -I can’t concentrate! Your tail’s too distracting~~~ -Yujin, I’m not associated with these idiots. Please remember that. -You fools, LOL. -Every mission is set to extreme difficulty, haha.

They weren’t paying attention at all.

Back in the day, I would have picked a well-timed donation like a drill sergeant, cracked some heads, and turned them into model viewers. But now that I had a national team title to my name, I felt a little more pressure.

Was this what they meant when they said a position makes the person? Realizing that now, it felt like a headache. But at the same time, it was kind of nice to be back in my element after so long.

Pop!

"Time to do some scouting."

"Uh, is that how scouting is usually done…?"

Harmony’s confused voice came from behind me, but scouting from a high vantage point is standard procedure.

The popping sound was the anchor bolt fastening itself to the top of the Washington Monument, about 170 meters up. Given that drones could be shot down, this was a handy alternative.

A steel rope about 500 meters long uncoiled and dropped. I told Harmony to wait below for safety reasons. Pressing the ▲ button, I was swiftly pulled upwards. But given the height, it took a while.

The wind was cold, but the sky was clear. The frozen snow on the roof was slippery, so I had to be careful. After securely attaching myself to the line, I added a comment over comms.

"Better stay away from the tower."

"Ah, okay."

Crack! Craaack!

I opened the pouch attached to my tail and pulled out a tactical spike hammer, smashing the eternal ice on the Washington Monument’s peak. Huge chunks of ice broke off and plummeted over 150 meters to the ground, shattering into thousands of pieces.

Harmony’s startled voice and the bewildered chat messages came in simultaneously.

<Kakarot's Snacker has donated 5,000 won.> -I knew it, LOL. This crazy stuff as soon as you arrive, classic!

"Thank you, Kakarot’s Snacker, for the donation. This isn’t just craziness; it’s a tactical decision. If I used a drone for recon, it would’ve alerted the enemy…"

There was a reason behind this.

Drones are vital in modern warfare, but counter-drone measures have advanced just as much. Simply put, attempting reconnaissance with a drone could alert the enemy, and in the worst case, expose your entire position.

In CQB (Close Quarters Battle) within urban warfare, where buildings create vertical combat zones, this could be deadly. Enemies could be mere hundreds of meters away.

Many operators ended up in coffins early on for underestimating this reality.

Anyway, I opened my multi-tool pouch on my thigh, pulled out binoculars, and scanned the area. Equipped with thermal imaging, it could detect heat emissions from engine exhausts on military vehicles and armored tanks.

To the right was the White House, reduced to rubble. Directly ahead was the Lincoln Memorial. And down below, I spotted West Potomac Park and Tidal Basin, with anti-aircraft guns and SAMs (Surface-to-Air Missiles) positioned along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Potomac River, cutting through Washington D.C., lined with Aegis systems. A real headache. We had air support, but if we didn’t disable those, our support would get annihilated.

Hmm.

"Why are there so many!?"

"Looks like the enemy’s well-prepared."

Sharing my vision with Harmony revealed a sea of missiles. A formidable sight.

But I had experience with this, and my task force had dealt with it beautifully and efficiently. In fact, that operation was nicknamed "Operation Firecracker" because of the way we handled it.

Before applying the same method, I needed to gather more precise intel.

Click!

I ejected the .338 cartridge from my rifle, removed the magazine, and placed it in my pouch. Then, I pulled out a small recon drone about the size of a whiteboard marker and attached it to the rifle barrel. Loading a propulsion cartridge into the chamber, I fired it in a high arc.

With a soft whoosh, the drone shot 500 meters into the sky. As its hidden wings unfolded, it glided like a flying squirrel, silently scanning the surroundings. No propellers, no noise.

The drone gently descended into the semi-frozen Potomac River, transmitting all its data to my Icarus gear before it sank.

"Seems like the enemy forces are similar to the West Point mission, maybe even smaller…"

"Yeah, looks that way."

By the way, Harmony and I had run through the West Point mission off-stream. We were too pressed for time back then, but once we started syncing our pace with the main mission, we cleared it together.

The enemy force size was similar. The difference was that back then, it was two Russian Airborne regiments, while now it was a mix of defectors, gangs, and enemy special forces all looking to stake their claim in this ruined world.

Today’s mission would likely focus on dealing with defectors.

I began plotting our infiltration route in my head.

This mission’s objective was straightforward.

We would seize control of the Aegis system installed under the Lincoln Memorial, take the SAM targeting systems, set them to "kill each other," and if anything survived, bring in an MQ-20 Avenger equipped with four cluster bombs to finish the job. It wasn’t a regular approach.

But with our small team, the infiltration would be manageable.

After outlining the route, I relayed it to Harmony, who responded.

"Wow, that’s just what I’d expect from the ever-tactical Yujin."

"Why the sudden sarcasm?"

"Oh, sorry."

Of course, she didn’t sound sorry at all.

I generously let it slide and began explaining the plan to the viewers for clarity. As always, I couldn’t help but feel I was being quite considerate.

Then came the feedback.

<Alrulklang has donated 1,000 won.> -Harmony didn’t say anything wrong, so why the head flick? Come on, give me one too, haha.

"…Don’t pretend to be joking when you’re clearly just trying to satisfy your own desires."

-Oh no, I’ve been caught, hehe. -Why does he want a head flick? LOL, what a weirdo. -These people are out of control, haha. -Every day, we deal with more and more crazy people. Business as usual.

Sigh.

The weather was clear, not a cloud in the sky, but the day was already proving to be quite eventful from the start.