"Wow, what a mess. Total chaos..."

"Again with watching only what you want to, huh?"

"No, I was watching the stream with Dais and Yujin, so what?"

"What?"

When a crowd grows too large, you end up with all kinds of people in it. And when that crowd exceeds a hundred thousand, the frequency and likelihood of variety increase even more. At over 110,000, now approaching 120,000, that massive number held all sorts of people, including AP pro gamers quietly watching the stream without drawing attention to themselves.

While Yujin took on the role of a streamer alongside Harmony, Dais, who had met her during rank scrims for the preliminaries and had built some rapport, occasionally showed his face on streams too.

Of course, those who knew Yujin well enough predicted that Dais probably wouldn’t turn into a full-time streamer, but curiosity is curiosity. And so, what began as temporary interest in streamer broadcasts gradually became a part of their daily routines.

"Practice for a tournament? Are they competing in something?"

"I don’t know. They’re holding some tournament among streamers, but I’m not exactly sure."

Initially, their interest was minor, but it soon shifted more and more toward the streams themselves. Most of them were initially drawn in by curiosity over Yujin’s and Dais's gameplay. But over time, their interest began to wane. This was largely due to the fact that they were pro gamers. They had already spent plenty of time watching Yujin and Dais play—enough to practically memorize their play styles by now. In short, they’d watched so much that they were starting to get tired of it.

This led to a number of outcomes, one of which was—

"...Oh, this one’s pretty good, though. Good judgment, solid shooting skills. Is this what they call a 'skilled streamer'?"

"Don’t ask me. This is my first time watching, too."

"Damn it..."

Thus, people started drifting toward Harmony's stream.

With the Tricky platform’s system of sorting streams by view count, Harmony was displayed right under Yujin. Most viewers tend to follow recommendations and suggestions when venturing into unfamiliar territory, and this crowd was no different. So, without much hesitation, they entered Harmony's stream.

Naturally, what they encountered was a familiar sight. Though still rough around the edges and lacking some foundational skills, the gameplay hinted at a bit of Yujin’s influence. For those already aware of the relationship between Yujin and Harmony, this was unsurprising. However, for those unfamiliar, it piqued their curiosity.

Consequently, the result included moments like this:

<(GEARUP)GDKID donated 10,000 KRW!>

• Is this a skilled streamer? First time watching today.

"Oh, wow, thanks for the donation! Uh, I'll read it later—I'm busy right now!"

-Huh???? Harmony??? Skilled???
-(Fact) This clumsy cat almost dropped her magazine even with an assist two months ago.
-Wow, GearUp donations! Lol!
-Harmony really bribed a pro gamer? Lol!
-Just two months ago, we would've laughed this off.
-She's got pros calling her skilled now. Lol, so proud.

For the die-hard fans who had been watching Harmony’s streams since the early days, this statement was laughable. Half a year ago, comments like these would have been flooded with laughter, skepticism, and cries of “stop bribing people.” But in just two months, Harmony had honed her skills enough to turn these compliments into more than just lip service. Even from a pro gamer’s perspective, her gameplay was no longer bad.

"The minigun’s aimed our way! We need to reposition!"

She categorized threats her squad hadn’t noticed, shared them on the UI, and identified elements obstructing the squad's mission. As a result, her squad moved and shot in line with her commands. Although there were moments where orders were missed and instances she couldn’t personally address, she was handling it well. Despite being new to the role of squad leader, her ability to read the battlefield—which she’d learned from Yujin—was shining through.

Bodies piled up on the stairs toward B, and likewise, the enemies used their own fallen comrades as obstacles to block the path. Although the battle hadn’t yet reached that level, it was close—minutes, not just seconds, of fierce combat.

With minimal forces left at B, Harmony’s team had ten members, while the enemies had nine, with hundreds of bullets flying each second.

However, what none of them anticipated was—

-[Alert: Sector B is entering a neutral state.]

"Stop them! We have to take out the minigun!"

"There’s no time!"

-Wow, lololololol!
-They broke through!
-Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go~~~
-These guys shoot action movies in their spare time, for real.
-Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony!

Harmony’s squad had broken through the siege and stormed into B.

Chaos erupted.

-[Alert: You have been killed.]

-[Respawn in 00:00:56.]

"Damn, I really held on…"

-You still took two with you, though, lol.
-Well done; it was great.
-She was fighting like a woman possessed. Lol!
-What kind of monster did Yujin turn Harmony into?
-Stop doing so well! We want the old, innocent Harmony back!

Whew.

As Harmony lay sprawled out in the respawn waiting area, she exhaled deeply. She was frustrated. Maybe if she’d had Yujin there with her… no, they probably would’ve cleared B with ease. But that wasn’t the point today. This was the streamer showdown. Even if Yujin joined in now, it wouldn’t help her improve. So, she’d asked Yujin and Dais to avoid the main combat zones. By now, they were probably busy causing chaos at A and C.

But it was time to shift focus. B needed to be captured.

"Yeah, we’re definitely running out of steam. And the enemy keeps respawning around B..."

"They’d be desperate to hold onto B, too. It was so close! I think they almost self-destructed the minigun back there."

"Yeah, I thought I saw that, too."

As they spoke, they checked the map.

Seventeen out of the 24 players on both teams had been eliminated. With Yujin and Dais still alive, the rest of their team was in respawn, while seven from the enemy team were also down.

The tide was shifting.

First, the team’s base, A, was under enemy capture. Meanwhile, Yujin and Dais had circled back to capture C. The enemy must have sent their forces to A to prevent getting trapped in B once we secured both A and C.

Still, A wasn’t fully lost yet. Some squad members had respawned nearby and were fighting to hold it. Likewise, C wasn’t fully captured. The likely spawn point for the squad was near A.

She concluded her thoughts and spoke up.

"Let’s clear out A, regroup, and make a push for B. Let’s call in the strike team this time."

"I thought you were working solo?"

"We’ll have to synchronize the timing. Otherwise, those two might just bulldoze B on their own."

-How would you describe Yujin and Dais?
-"Human bulldozers."
-Yeah, they’d have cleared B ages ago if they’d been asked.
-It’s funny hearing her talk so nonchalantly about it, lol.

Harmony expanded the comms to the whole team. This being a private server set up for the streamer showdown, everyone followed her lead without complaints.

She once again felt the crunch of snow beneath her feet. As expected, the respawn point was near A, where three enemies had been identified. However, with her squad joining the fray, the enemy forces were quickly torn apart.

It took a bit of time since they played cautiously to minimize losses, but they’d managed to punch a hole in the enemy defense by removing three men.

Back to ten players, facing nine enemies.

She opened her comms to Yujin.

"We’re planning to retake B. Time your entry accordingly. We’re making this a priority, aiming to get there in about three minutes."

"If that’s your call."

Harmony knew exactly what that meant.

And so, they were off.

Of course, this time the path was even rougher than before.

"The minigun’s position has changed!"

"Great… EMP it! We need to break through!"

"Got it. Setting it off!"

─Boom!

An EMP grenade, one of the squad leader’s tactical items, sent a wave across the battlefield, temporarily shutting down electronics, including the minigun. UI turned fuzzy, comms malfunctioned, and even shields were disabled.

In this moment, they had only their skills to rely on.

With the risk of getting taken out by a stray shot looming, she scanned the battlefield through binoculars. The analog UI briefly displayed enemy positions, helping her assess the situation.

With a steadying breath, she squeezed the trigger. Even if she couldn’t be as precise as a movie sniper, she still managed to take down an enemy every few shots.

The EMP’s duration was winding down. Ideally, she would’ve coordinated with Yujin before setting it off, but... she had full faith that he’d be on his way. There was no need to worry about him.

After some time—

‘Friendly losses: five…’

Half the squad had fallen, but they’d managed to secure two of the three capture points at B. However, the enemy held their "Human bulldozers."

Once again, the crunch of snow filled the air. As expected, the spawn point was near A, where three enemies had been identified. Harmony’s squad charged in, and the enemies were quickly torn apart. They took their time, minimizing losses, and managed to punch a hole in the defense by taking down three men.

They were now back up to ten players, facing nine enemies.

She opened her comms to Yujin.

“We’re going for B. Make your entry accordingly. We’re putting more tactical importance on this now. Estimated time of arrival is three minutes.”

“If that’s your call.”

The meaning behind his words was clear. It was time to move.

Naturally, the path was even tougher than before.

“The minigun position has shifted!”

“Great… EMP it! We need to break through!”

“Got it. Setting it off!”

──Boom!

The EMP grenade, one of the squad leader’s tactical items, unleashed a powerful wave across the battlefield, momentarily shutting down all electronics, including the minigun. UI became fuzzy, comms faltered, and even shields went offline.

In that moment, they had only their skills to rely on.

With the risk of getting taken out by a stray shot looming, Harmony scanned the battlefield through binoculars. The analog UI briefly displayed enemy positions, helping her assess the situation. She squeezed the trigger, managing to take down an enemy every few shots.

The EMP’s duration was winding down. Ideally, she would have coordinated with Yujin before setting it off, but… she trusted he’d arrive on time.

After some time—

‘Friendly losses: five…’

Half the squad had fallen, but they’d managed to secure two of the three capture points at B. However, the enemies were fiercely defending the last point, with their minigun in an elevated position, raining fire down upon them. Three men in distinctive black gear stood out.

These were the so-called Balkan Squad. Though unconventional, they were well-prepared for this private match. They must have practiced this tactic extensively.

The EMP timer hit zero.

-[Warning: Primary threat reactivated.]
-[Warning: Additional enemies detected.]

“The minigun is back online! Get out of the way!”

The enemy reinforcements spawned, and the minigun hummed back to life, filling the air with a terrifying roar. But just as she thought she’d have to retreat, Harmony saw Yujin swoop in, assault rifle at the ready.

Before the minigun could even complete its arc, Yujin was on them, smashing one of the Balkan Squad members with the butt of his gun, causing a grotesque distortion in the player’s head model. Without hesitation, Yujin took on the remaining enemies, scattering their formation with swift, calculated shots.

However, five more enemies were closing in from the north. Harmony opened her comms, trying to warn him.

“Yujin, there are five coming in from the north… Wait…"

There was a harsh scraping noise as Yujin wrenched the minigun out of its mount. He walked forward, dragging the massive gun and its ammo box with him, the device trailing behind with an unsettling noise.

With the minigun in hand, Yujin headed toward the north, disappearing from her sight, and in the next moment—

──Vroooom!

“...Wait, Yujin, I didn’t mean you should go that far…”

-????????????????
-“Yujin, what are you doing??”
-“This is insane!”
-“They said this was supposed to be a feedback stream! A feedback stream!!”

The sound of the minigun filled the air, its relentless thunder punctuated by horrific tearing noises. Harmony couldn’t see the action, but there was no need. The kill log filled with a sequence of names, each one marked by the unmistakable impact of Yujin’s actions.

It seemed that, despite being embarrassed, Yujin wouldn’t rest until he’d done everything he wanted to do.

As the kill log filled with a certain six-letter word, Harmony couldn’t help but smirk.

It was late autumn.