Fenrir Translations
"Mm, this is delicious. But, Eugene, you can’t eat this, right? Hehe. I’ll eat your portion too."
"Guess you haven't watched my unboxing video."
"Oh."
She's lost a lot of her fear.
Maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other in a while, but today, Harmony’s playful teasing seems more exaggerated than usual. If I were there in person, I’d have grabbed her cheeks and stretched them out. But for now, I’ll hold off—there’ll be plenty of chances for that in the future.
For the moment, Harmony was sitting at a table, finishing up a late lunch. She’d skipped breakfast due to running various errands and coming to Yongsan early. The tournament wasn’t starting until 1:00 PM, and it was only 12:01 PM, so there was plenty of time left.
Harmony had grabbed some convenience store food and was slurping down noodles, cheeks puffed out. From my perspective, it was as if I were a live camera, showing viewers exactly what I saw. It felt like I had become a living camera myself.
I wonder if this is what it would feel like to ditch a human body and switch to a mechanical one.
"...Anyway, it looks like I’ve been stuck playing the role of a live-streaming camera today. If the angle seems off, just let me know anytime."
Sigh.
My fists are itching for action.
But honestly, it’s impressive how much Harmony’s appetite has grown. I’d nagged her countless times to eat proper meals and work out, rather than just snacking all the time. It seems like my efforts have paid off.
She’s standing straighter, and her face looks slimmer. Though, watching her stuff her face with cup noodles, hot bar, and frozen dumplings is... less than ideal. If I were there in person, I would’ve dragged her to a proper restaurant instead.
Sensing my judgmental gaze, Harmony added a half-hearted excuse.
"Sometimes you just crave junk food, you know? Hehe."
"I didn’t say anything."
She pouted, looking wronged. Maybe she thought I was scolding her with just my eyes. I can't deny that people tend to feel a bit intimidated around me, but honestly, I’d just prefer if she ate something better, like I said before.
Still, I get it. Junk food does have its own appeal. Just not three times a day, every day.
Anyway, we had a slightly bigger problem at the moment.
"Harmony… is that you? Eugene!?"
"Wow, no way! I’m a huge fan! Oh my god!"
"Haha, thank you! But could you keep your voice down just a little?"
Fans.
If you ask whether I wanted this attention or not, I’d have to lean toward the latter. But I wasn’t naïve enough to think it wouldn’t happen. It’s not like I didn’t know what to expect—I was well aware of how packed the venue was. There was no way we wouldn’t run into fans.
From the moment Harmony got temporary control of the hologram projector, I’d been watching her stream. Even I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of spectators outside. It was no surprise that some of them would approach us.
Was it pleasant? Not particularly. But as an influencer, I had to care about every single fan.
In any case, thank goodness for the hologram.
Harmony was busy signing autographs and taking pictures.
"Here you go. Enjoy today’s match!"
"Thank you! Good luck with your game, Eugene!"
"Thanks for the support."
When fans realize they can’t actually shake my hand or get an autograph, they always look disappointed. Since Harmony is here in person, she takes the brunt of it. Fair enough, I guess.
But the most important thing right now was eating, so Harmony reminded everyone to wait until she finished her meal. It worked—the crowd thinned out significantly.
Finally, we could have a proper conversation again.
"How are you feeling today? Think you’ll do well?"
"I’m always on autopilot, you know. My condition’s fine. Plus, in VR, it’s not like I need to worry about stuff like that."
"True. So basically, you’ll do great as usual! I’ll be cheering for you!"
"...Yeah, let’s go with that."
It wasn’t too sensitive of a statement, so I nodded. Even as a streamer and a national representative, I always had to be careful not to say anything that could be seen as disrespectful toward other countries’ players.
By now, it was almost 1:00 PM. Harmony cleaned up the table and threw away the trash, resting her hands on her slightly protruding stomach. It seemed she had slimmed down quite a bit compared to before.
She kept taking deep breaths, and eventually, her eyes met mine. She smiled, probably expecting a compliment. So I obliged.
"You’re looking much lighter than before."
"Right? You have a good eye, Eugene. I lost 5 kg in two months, and my body fat percentage dropped a lot too."
"Great. Let’s aim for 20% body fat as the final goal."
Ah, chat.
Dealing with them is like trying to manage a bunch of unruly kids. Look away for just a second, and they start spamming nonsense or throwing tantrums. The trolls get kicked automatically, but still.
Harmony could handle the little stuff.
It was 12:30 PM, and I had somewhere to be.
"Alright, I’ll be heading out. I think my seat is near the front, so I’ll see you later. I’ll wave at you."
"Oh, are you going? Back to work?"
"Both streaming and competing are my job. You gotta be careful how you say that, or people will get the wrong idea."
"Hehe."
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the main arena.
A massive venue with a capacity of 10,000. Its sleek, futuristic design, the enormous screens hanging from the walls, and the wide central stage built perfectly for player introductions—it all screamed cutting-edge technology. Even the ceiling was covered in screen panels.
The place was designed to make it feel like a virtual reality experience for everyone, even those attending remotely. It was like reality was being overlaid with a VR world.
It was, in a way, a kind of modern-day alchemy.
I patted Harmony on the shoulder, bidding her goodbye. But that was it for now. The arena was already packed with people who arrived before us, munching on snacks.
Our goodbye was brief.
"See you later."
"Catch you soon."
Now, it was time for the real deal—the time for gunpowder and blood.
"Finally, the day has come, the day you’ve all been waiting for! The Asian qualifiers are here at last! Let’s give a big round of applause for everyone in attendance today─!!!"
WOOOOOO!!!
The heat, the sweat, the deafening roar of 10,000 voices—nothing was held back. It was a wild stampede of sound, crashing against the walls and bouncing all around.
Calling it a cheer doesn’t do it justice—it was more like an explosion. Ten thousand people shouting at once was overwhelming. Since the professional players hadn’t even been introduced yet, the sole emcee on stage was absorbing all the energy.
My body buzzed, my breath quickened, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. It was a mix of tension, excitement, and raw professionalism all blending into one.
But, as always, he continued, unfazed.
"It’s been a long wait, and I can feel the electric energy from the crowd. Thank you all for coming! It’s truly an honor to be here. But now, it’s time to introduce the key players for the Asian qualifiers."
With that, flames erupted.
And the first two figures walked out.
"Now, let’s welcome the casters and commentators who will play a vital role in today’s Asian qualifiers!"
It was as if the grandeur of the moment was being orchestrated through music.
Not just through sound, but through the vibrations that made the whole body tremble. Accompanied by this powerful BGM, two people in caster and commentator outfits descended the stairs between the open stages. But they weren’t alone. About ten more followed them, all dressed the same.
In total, fourteen people—the indispensable team that would breathe life into the broadcasts—made their grand entrance on stage.
The cheers and applause rolled in once more. The viewers recognized them all, so their introduction was short. Besides, the main event was still to come.
As if on cue, the host’s voice rose again.
"Now, it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Let’s welcome the players representing Korea in this Asian qualifier!"
And at that moment, the crowd’s roar reached a fever pitch.
Flames and sparks burst from around the central stage's main gate, dazzling lights flickering wildly. As the door slid open with a hiss, the noise hit a crescendo.
Step by step.
With every footfall, the cheers grew louder.
Another step.
All 10,000 spectators watched as the 20-member team confidently walked forward, their eyes following them through the holographic screens floating before them.
Another step.
With each cheer, the national representatives waved to the audience. There were no hardened expressions—only fierce determination as their eyes met the weight of the crowd and the world watching.
And amidst it all, two figures stood out.
One moved heavily, dragging a snake-like tail, while the other waved at the crowd with familiarity.
Though these two had yet to be publicly revealed, they drew far more attention than the other 18 pros behind them. And anyone with eyes on them knew exactly who they were.
Eugene and Dice.
The two pillars leading Korea’s national team.
Next, the host introduced the national teams from Russia, Japan, the Chinese Federation, and Taiwan. One by one, the teams found their places on stage, each following the designated lines and taking their assigned seats.
The rules for the Asian qualifiers were no different from those used in the national selection rounds. After the formalities, the map selection began.
The first map was the Kalaman Nuclear Waste Disposal Site.
And by the second round...
Swoosh!
"...?"
Even this one.
Ratatatat!
"...Tsk."
And that one.
The enemies I encountered seemed to carefully retreat, making sure not to get spotted by her.
Even those who happened to cross paths widened their engagement range, bouncing aggro around like they were playing ping pong—a tactical retreat.
I only killed those who absolutely needed to be eliminated. But still, I had to admit it—I was being avoided. From their perspective, engaging with me carried too much risk, and they weren’t willing to gamble.
This was the stage of the Asian qualifiers, after all.
"Hmm."
But that didn’t mean I liked it.
And I had plenty of tactical options at my disposal, even mid-fight. At this point, I needed to re-gear, but that wasn’t a problem.
Instead of a heavy, full-body bulletproof vest, I opted for a HexaGrid plate that only covered the vital areas. I switched out my slow, high-damage DMR for a faster-firing assault rifle. The caliber didn’t matter much.
I adjusted the sights and loaded the magazine.
Clack!
If the enemy won’t come to me, I’ll go to them.
It was time to shift from pressure tactics to full-on hunting mode.