Fenrir Translations
"Good work today. See you again tomorrow!"
"Oh, you worked hard! Thanks for always teaching us."
"Haha, no problem. It's a new experience, after all."
Bowing respectfully, the four team members exchanged greetings and then, with a sparkle effect, they began disappearing one by one. Some were logging off for good, while others stayed behind.
The Cartographer was among the latter.
It seemed the other three were not.
'Wonder how this streamer competition is going to go....'
Sitting on a chair in the now-empty shooting range, he glanced at a bundle of papers that had somehow appeared in his hands. Each word and sentence reflected the numerous trial-and-error moments and the efforts he had put into overcoming them.
The new rule for this streamer competition was clear: the top-ranked player would team up with the bottom three to foster personal skill improvement. Of course, contacting pro gamers was still an option.
But training, huh. Teaching... Playing however you want is one thing, but teaching someone else is a whole different story. Even though he'd once had connections with Russ, a second-string pro coach, catching up to the tracks laid by a friend in just a few weeks was no easy task.
The meetings between those who had never taught others and those who had never improved by learning from someone were bound to be fraught with difficulties.
"Wonder how Kim Manager's team is doing. Ah, maybe I shouldn’t ask that."
Eight days, huh.
His gaze paused on a particular comment as the chat scrolled by. Well, maybe. Eight days seemed like enough time to do anything, yet also not enough to accomplish anything.
Honestly, he had something else he wanted to say. But as mentioned, this streamer competition was, in essence, just a friendly match among streamers. While there was prize money based on ranks, it felt more like a festival than a serious tournament.
But then again, could anything in this world truly be ruled by logic and reason alone? Quite the opposite, actually. Though it was a festival, the desire to win was naturally there. Especially since he was taking on the roles of both squad leader and instructor for the first time, he wanted to achieve at least a decent result for his team.
It was just past eight o'clock in the real world.
Since he'd had an early, light dinner about three hours ago, he was feeling a bit peckish. Though he could block his senses in the virtual reality, doing so could lead to binge eating after the stream due to hunger.
In any case, it was time to take a break. The Cartographer exited the shooting range and returned to his VR personal booth, settling into his chair as he spoke.
"Domination mode requires more attention than I thought. Maybe it's because it's a totally different system than Escape from the Unknown Zone."
Indeed, Dark Zone could be considered a multi-genre FPS.
The game was known for acquiring the rights to numerous FPS titles from the past, operating various PvP modes such as tactical FPS, battle royale, area domination, and survival. There were even pro teams for each mode.
Of course, they all differed significantly from one another. It was almost like playing entirely different games. The Cartographer himself had dabbled in the survival mode Escape from the Unknown Zone and returned to AP before delving into Domination mode.
The first two modes were just things he wanted to try.
Anyway, to sum up, he needed to get more accustomed to this mode.
"Should I try a ranked match in Domination mode? There are still eight days left, so it’s not too late… Today, I’ll just finish the placement tests. Once they announce the map list tomorrow, I can focus on practicing for those."
A mission, huh. But now wasn't the time.
He smoothly disabled the mission function and set aside the clamor of the viewers. After taking a sip of water, he checked the ranking system and reviewed the roster for this streamer competition. There were both familiar and unfamiliar names. Some he’d definitely heard of before.
Then, a specific name caught his eye.
At the same time, a donation notification appeared.
<Pickimchi Soup Broth donated 5,000 KRW! Thank you so much for the support!>
"Thank you, Pickimchi Soup Broth, for the donation. Is this a video—"
A video filled his view.
The same name he'd just checked on the list. The camera zoomed in on a patch on one shoulder of an avatar that didn’t fit a battlefield at all, with the word "Harmony" emblazoned below. Next, the seasoned player removed a SOF rank patch from their shoulder.
In that moment, the Icarus Gear activated, attaching a new rank patch to the shoulder. It glowed tactically as a synthetic voice echoed in the air.
Cartographer’s mind started racing.
The top 0.1%—the best of the best. Heavenly level. The true elite, where you keep encountering the same players. Just to consider joining a pro team requires a minimum set of skills. To pursue gaming as a career, these are basic requirements...
Yet the name patch on the shoulder clearly indicated that the donor who had just supported him was not only competing in the streamer tournament but was also a member of Cartographer’s squad in Domination mode.
First reaction: a dry laugh.
Second reaction: a trigger for his memory.
'Harmony, this person is definitely….'
They're in my team.
Without even considering if this was possible, the question burst out of his mouth.
"When did this happen?"
Apparently, it had happened quite a while ago.
Six hours ago in-game time, which would be about two hours in real life.
With a response somewhere between a smirk and laughter, he just laughed. The shadow that was Yujin gradually swallowed the tournament arena, but he just laughed. The shadow wasn’t cast in his direction.
"Haha."
Regardless of what the chat said, he didn’t care. The more sharp blades there were, the better. Unlike him, who still hadn’t fully adapted to Domination mode, Harmony would become the battering ram breaking through all obstacles in this streamer tournament.
Even the thought of it made him feel a strange sense of sweetness, like eating popcorn despite not actually having anything in his mouth.
"...So, what do you think?"
"Hmm..."
A quiet pause.
It was late at night on a Sunday, around 10 p.m., and Harmony’s stream had ended. While she was climbing ranks in the game, I was reviewing the battle outcomes, with sheets of feedback-filled paper in my hand.
Harmony’s tail and ears perked up and twitched with her emotions. It was amusing to watch, but I couldn’t let her wait any longer. If I were to give a small spoiler—it wasn’t anything serious. That was the conclusion.
Now, it was time to assess her on more than just the basics—time to evaluate her finesse.
"Take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt. It’s not something you need to act on right away."
"Alright."
"Why do you think a squad needs to be managed, Mina?"
"Uh... to achieve tactical objectives?"
"Exactly."
I set the papers down.
Personally, I didn’t find much to criticize. If it had been Owens instead of me, he probably would have talked for three hours straight without running out of things to improve on. But I wasn’t him.
The reason was simple. Over the past few days, Harmony had developed quite decent squad leadership skills by my standards. As I’d mentioned earlier, there wasn’t much left to teach her about basic operations.
Think of it as sculpting a statue.
The rough shape was already there. But just like how a sculptor needs a delicate touch to bring out the distinctive features of a statue, she was now at the stage where she needed to refine her skills further.
So, my feedback would be limited to just that level.
"A squad can become either a sturdy shield or a sharp spear, depending on how it's managed. It’s up to the squad leader’s abilities to make that happen. To achieve that, you have to read the battlefield as it changes and adjust the squad accordingly. That’s where you’re still lacking."
"Ah..."
Her ears drooped slightly, as if saddened. I hadn’t even finished talking yet, but she already looked a bit down.
I continued, trying to lighten the mood.
"On the other hand, that’s pretty much the only thing I can point out. If there were issues with your basic squad operations, I wouldn’t even be bringing this up."
"Huh?"
"To put it simply, what I just mentioned are improvements at a more advanced level. In terms of basics, there isn’t really anything to criticize."
"Really?!"
I gave a slight nod.
Of course, what I had taught Harmony was a very limited scope of squad management. Not all wars are like Domination mode, and back when I was navigating the streets of New York, being a squad leader was just like being a captain of a ship.
We had to navigate treacherous waters with no information about currents, winds, or waves, with only a handful of crew.
Compared to that, Domination mode was simple. That’s why Harmony could improve so much in such a short time.
If you consider that I’m only really specialized in a limited area, then she and I weren’t all that different.
"Good thing... If you’d given me a lot of things to fix, I was planning to stay up practicing until dawn."
"You don’t have to push yourself that hard."
"Hehe, I don’t know, maybe it's because I’ve been glued to you for days as your evaluation target. I just feel like I can’t sit still."
"..."
Maybe I had pushed Harmony too hard. Perhaps this went beyond “good enough.”
But as long as she was satisfied, wasn’t that enough? Or maybe it wasn’t.
In any case, the feedback continued, though, as mentioned earlier, the points I brought up were limited to minor details. The conversation naturally shifted to other topics.
This led to discussing what the curriculum would look like for the next week.
"I watched your stream today. Since your tier increased significantly over the last three days, I think you should cut back on ranked games. It’d be more effective to set up private games again and focus on squad operations practice."
"Oh. Is everyone able to keep up now?"
"Unfortunately, not yet. Over the next week, if you combine individual practice with strengthening your squad role, you should be able to perform well in the tournament."
"Darn... I should have contacted you earlier. I thought I’d try doing it on my own."
And so, we continued chatting.
The conversation smoothly transitioned to real-life topics.
"By the way, do you have any days off coming up? We should have a celebration party or something. I know a nice hotel with great party services. I’ve got a discount code. What do you think?"
"Hmm."
She checked her schedule.
But instead of looking at a planner, she checked her wristwatch.
It vibrated, glowing softly.
"I have a few things to take care of, so maybe we can celebrate after the tournament."
"Oh, is something up?"
"Yeah."
Ding-dong.
The sound of an incoming message through the Icarus Network. The polite chime rang out from her wristwatch.
"I’m expecting some visitors soon."
Leaving a curious Harmony behind, I reset the schedule for tomorrow morning.
It looked like tomorrow, I might finally get a break from exercise.