Fenrir Translations
"Wow, the sun’s setting."
As the first day of the Asian qualifiers drew to a close, the sky shifted from a deep yellow to a light crimson hue. The sun touched the horizon of the Han River, darkening the world, but artificial lights flickered on to take its place—everything from neon signs on buildings to streetlights and skyscrapers.
The Yongsan exhibition hall, the esports arena, and the outdoor seating areas were filled with hundreds of thousands of spectators. Artificial lights and flexible hologram plates illuminated the darkness, pushing it back. But outside, people had no idea what was happening inside the arena, and vice versa.
Harmony, who hadn’t left the arena since arriving at noon, was similarly unaware of the current weather or the color of the sky outside. Well, more like she didn’t care. The six chosen maps out of eight, filled with players from five different nations, led battles across cities, forests, mountains, volcanic islands, and eerie research facilities. The metallic and fiery clashes unfolding inside were far more captivating than anything happening outside.
How could anyone focus on the outside world?
“Ugh, I’m so tired…”
Getting up from her seat, Harmony stretched and started walking towards the lounge. Sitting for hours left her body feeling stiff, and although she’d stepped outside the main arena a few times for various reasons, it hadn’t been enough to shake off the fatigue.
But at least it was almost over. The fifth match had ended, and the sixth was already wrapped up. In other words, after the final game of Saturday was done, there would be a short break, followed by some quick interviews and a recap of the day’s events.
There were about 15 minutes left until it all started. She’d soon be saying goodbye to the esports arena, so as she tossed her snack wrappers and drink containers into the trash, she wondered what snacks she should pick for the last stretch of the evening.
But just as she thought about grabbing something to eat, she heard a familiar voice in her head.
“Eek.”
Almost reflexively, her hand went to her stomach. Luckily, the chubby belly she used to have had slimmed down quite a bit.
She had lost 6 kilograms in just two months.
Of course, this was partly thanks to Eugene, who had been so busy with the Asian qualifiers that she spent almost every waking hour training or working, and partly because Harmony had her own responsibilities. Their contact had lessened recently because of this. They still talked daily, just to check in, but there was a certain excitement that couldn’t be conveyed through mere words.
… And hey, I’ve lost this much weight. Today can be a cheat day.
“Huh?”
As Harmony made her way to the lounge where the café and convenience store were, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and a pop-up message appeared on the screen.
It was from a familiar group chat.
<Group Chat: It’s Fun Just Seeing Your Ugly Faces>
They’ve all gone mad.
Still, Harmony couldn’t help but smile. If only Eugene were here too, she thought, then they could all grab dinner together. With that thought, she checked who was in the group.
Coincidentally—or perhaps not—it was the same four people from their last joint stream. KimStone, Limit, and Hotteok. After scanning the group, she initiated a group call.
Suddenly, chaos erupted.
“Harmony───!!!!!!!”
“Whoa, who started a group call?!”
“This is louder than a military trumpet! Are you nuts?”
Why do they sound like they’re being threatened with a knife to eat dinner together? Harmony thought, laughing to herself. But then she realized it was almost dinnertime, just shy of 6 p.m. By the time the interviews and rankings were tallied, it would be perfect timing to go eat.
And so, the conversation naturally followed.
“Seriously though, we were invited too, but we haven’t seen you all day. Where are you?”
“Me? I… I shared my location. Can you see it?”
“Oh wow, you’re on the complete opposite side. No wonder we couldn’t find you. Anyway, we’re thinking of having dinner together—are you down? Unless you’ve got plans.”
“Nope, no plans.”
───Beep!
In the background, the sound of a barcode being scanned as Harmony purchased a large bottle of chocolate milk. The noise immediately prompted comments from the others.
“What are you eating, Harmony?! Stop eating!”
“Hey, I lost more weight than you, okay?”
“Where are you, anyway? The convenience store? It’s so packed, I was scared to go out, but you made it.”
But I can’t resist something sweet.
Tucking the large chocolate milk into her hoodie’s front pocket, Harmony made her way back. The hallways were crowded, and a few people even recognized her, slowing her return to her seat more than expected.
She sank into her chair. The holographic displays, which had been showing off the interior design corresponding to each match, had vanished. The scene now looked exactly like it had when she first entered the arena.
Before long, the countdown on the ceiling hit zero, and the host walked onto the center stage.
With the microphone in hand, the stage opened up, and all the players who had participated in today’s games came out one by one. Their expressions varied—some looked upset, while others couldn’t hide their excitement. But what was clear was that they couldn’t be divided into just two groups. There were too many emotions to describe.
Once everyone was seated, the host began to speak.
“To everyone who gathered here today, and to the players who gave their all in six incredible matches, we offer our deepest thanks.”
It was Eugene.
Though the crowd cheered and clapped, her figure stood out immediately—glowing, as if lit from within. Despite the intense battles she’d fought, Eugene sat on stage with the same calm expression she always wore.
That confidence—it was what made her truly shine, Harmony thought. A fleeting idea crossed her mind: Should I text her now? But of course, her conscience kicked in, and she immediately dismissed the idea.
As the day’s match data was converted into numbers, the rankings for each country appeared above the stage. South Korea, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Harmony wasn’t sure about the finer details, but the one thing she knew for sure was who had taken first place.
The crowd erupted.
“Waaaah──!”
“Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene!”
“Is she a god?! The Apex Predator god!!”
Harmony felt her body tense up. Even if it wasn’t a special occasion, when your country’s player was doing this well, it was hard not to feel a swell of pride.
Once the cheers subsided, the national cheering sections began to rally their teams. Even though their numbers were small, the voices of the fans from other countries were loud enough, amplified by hologram plates and speakers.
After each country had a round of support, the host added, “Next, we’ll randomly select a player from one of the teams for a short interview. Ah, it looks like MKVS from Russia has raised his hand before we could even make a random selection. This is a first! Any objections?”
Silence.
In the strangely quiet arena, MKVS alone was waving his hand, looking like he had a lot to say. Yet, despite his serious expression, a small smile remained on his face.
He grabbed the microphone, and the host asked him about his thoughts on the first night of the Asian qualifiers.
After taking a deep breath, MKVS spoke.
“It was a rougher, more intense time than I imagined. During the breaks between matches, the entire Russian team, myself included, gave up resting and focused entirely on tactical analysis. The South Korean players stood as a massive wall before us, and tomorrow, we’ll do our best to climb over that wall.”
It was a bold statement.
But the Russian players, the other 100 participants, and the entire arena responded with thunderous applause.
Harmony couldn’t help but think that this must be the motto of the Asian qualifiers. It wasn’t just about one side dominating—it was about everyone growing stronger together, despite the fierce competition. Though she didn’t fully grasp the details, it felt right.
After the bold statement, more casual questions followed, like how they were enjoying their time in Korea and what they thought of the facilities. The responses were unfiltered and honest, as one would expect from gamers.
“What was the first thing you ate in Korea?”
“A crazy spicy instant noodle I found at a convenience store. I almost died. I had to use half a jar of mayo just to eat it. Later, we used it for punishment games.”
Laughter erupted.
Even more jokes flew from the Russian team, with one player chiming in, “He just can’t handle spicy food!” The mood lightened almost immediately. It seemed like a good sign.
The interview continued, moving on to Japan’s player, Case. Well, "player" might not have been the best word—he came off more like a coach. He had a strong, masculine appearance, a deep voice, and a solid build, giving him the look of someone who had been through a lot in life.
“It’s an honor to be here. Though I don’t have much to add compared to the others, through this competition, I’ve come to fully realize the strength of the South Korean players. I was especially looking forward to facing Eugene before the qualifiers, and she exceeded all my expectations. It was truly remarkable.”
As Case spoke, he glanced around the stage.
Who was he looking at? Harmony wondered. But his next words cleared up the mystery.
“And Dice, I don’t know if I should say this, but your progress has been incredible. I look forward to competing with you in the finals.”
“No one doubts that,” Dice replied with a confident smile. “This year’s going to be a lot different from last year, so you’d better be ready.”
So that’s Dice.
Harmony couldn’t help but feel like a spark of rivalry had ignited between them in that moment. With that final burst of applause, the first day of the Asian qualifiers came to a close.
As the 10,000 spectators filed out through the exits and the players left the stage, Harmony noticed three familiar figures approaching—two men and a woman. They were none other than the streamers she had spoken with earlier.
KimStone—Hyun-ah—was the first to reach her, naturally linking her arm with Harmony’s.
“Ugh, I’m starving. You haven’t eaten yet, have you, Min-ah? If you’ve already snacked, that’s going to be a problem.”
“Of course not! Have you all decided what we’re eating?”
“We have, but it’s not anywhere nearby. With nearly 300,000 people crammed into this area, the local restaurants are probably packed. We’ll need to leave Yongsan. I’ve got my car, so let’s head to Gangnam. If we take too long, we might not get dinner until after 8 p.m.”
“Hmph.”
That makes sense.
Despite improvements, Seoul’s traffic was still notoriously bad. Even though the subway system was now fully automated, with trains running every minute on every line, if so many people were trying to leave at once, it would be chaotic.
We really do need to leave Yongsan as fast as possible, Harmony thought. Once they crossed the bridge into Gangnam, things would probably be more manageable.
But just as they were about to head out, Harmony’s phone rang. A familiar melody—it was Eugene’s ringtone.
───~♪
“Oh, Eugene! I saw today’s match, it was amazing!”
“Ugh, not yet. But I’m more worried about how we’re going to get out of Yongsan. It’s packed with people right now.”
And then came the surprising suggestion.
“…What?”
As soon as Harmony blurted out the stupid-sounding response, KimStone, Limit, and Hotteok’s faces turned to expressions of shock. But that didn’t stop Harmony from trying to process what she had just heard.
A few seconds later, the words slipped out reflexively.
“…You’re here?”
“What did she say?”
“Sounded a bit surprised but said it’s fine. Turns out there are more people here than she expected, but since she’s already gotten permission, there’s no problem.”
Swoosh.
The VR session ended, and the clean, minimalist room appeared in front of her. This was the private space reserved for Eugene and Dice, the only two participants whose real identities were still unknown.
Eugene sat carefully on the bed, while Dice, seated behind her, began brushing her hair. As the comb slid through, her hair softly bounced.
Dice muttered something about how even her hair was “unfair,” then added with a chuckle, “Right. Since it’s a buffet anyway. By the way, why is it that whenever Min-ah and I meet up, we always end up at a buffet?”
“I wonder. But this time, we had no choice. With 100 players, coaching staff, and the building’s employees, it would have been impossible for everyone to eat anywhere else.”
Simply put, just because the first day of the Asian qualifiers had ended didn’t mean everyone in the arena was going straight home. In fact, it would have been impossible. The crowd of nearly 300,000 fans was made up almost entirely of the pro gamers’ supporters.
If anyone tried to leave immediately, it would cause absolute chaos.
As for the food situation, the tournament organizers had brought in renowned chefs and turned the arena’s underground dining hall into a buffet to make things easier for everyone.
Interestingly, Eugene had asked if Harmony and her friends could join them for dinner, and permission had been granted—though not just because they were friends. All of them were partnered streamers with Dark Zone, so it made sense.
And there was something more important.
“If you eat there, a lot of people will probably figure out who you are, Eugene. Are you okay with that?”
“I was planning to reveal myself later anyway. Besides, they’ll behave. And if anyone doesn’t… Well, it won’t be me dealing with the backlash.”
“People are going to lose their minds before they even get to the food.”
Eugene simply smiled mysteriously.
Seeing this, Dice added, “Honestly, Eugene, you can be a real menace.”
“Maybe I am.”
After a quick final touch-up, the two stood.
Saturday night was just getting started.