"Um..."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just..."

inhale

How should this be handled?

That thought flickered through the mind of the employee managing the streamer tournament for Icarus-Dark Zone's service team. It had evolved into a major event with not just any streamers but those partnered with the Dark Zone, which made it possible for Icarus to host it.

But that wasn't the primary issue. The real question was how to handle the situation, with more than just a couple of participants. Two pairs of eyes focused on the email from Harmony, displayed on the screen, but neither seemed able to break the silence.

The rules were simple. Six teams, each with four members, were divided into two groups. Each group would face off in a best-of-seven format. The highest-tiered player would lead a squad of the three lowest-tiered players as the operations team…

That's where a slight problem arose.

"The highest-tiered player in Team Cartographer is Carto, but… this is based on AP. Can this be applied to Domination mode as well? Shouldn’t it go to Harmony?"

"It's just a one-tier difference. Cartographer has an AP-based Medal of Honor, while Harmony is now Tier 1, rank 5. If the former has played enough Domination rank games, there's a chance they rank higher than Harmony."

"True, but isn't Team Cartographer a bit overpowered?"

"Also true, but unless we're talking about someone on Yujin's level, raw physical skill alone won't carry every match… If need be, let's contact Manager Kim's side and suggest some additional advantages. I'll monitor and handle that today."

A few nods followed.

Ultimately, the crux of the issue lay in Harmony's presence, which had suddenly bolstered the team’s strength. With about six days until the tournament, it was neither too much nor too little time to take corrective measures. It was just the right moment to act.

The advantages were sparse—at most, allowing professional gamers to provide more direct support. Alternatively, they could impose a handicap on Team Cartographer.

After all, in South Korea, there were few who hadn't heard of Yujin and Dice. And now Harmony had them both as personal coaches. Surely, that warranted enough of a handicap.

Several minutes later, another employee approached with an update.

"Harmony might need a serious handicap."

"What? That much? What's going on?"

"If the tournament starts, Manager Kim's team is going to get absolutely wrecked. Team Cartographer might need to stop receiving pro feedback ASAP."

"I see. Well… as long as it doesn’t affect Manager Kim's team, we should leave them alone. I’ll need to speak with the squad leaders from Cartographer's team… that's on me. What else needs to be done?"

"Figure out what handicap to give Team A, and for Team B, maybe link them with a pro team for matches. Alternatively, we could just move Cartographer to Team B… but that might be overkill."

"Right."

Meaningful data started to pile up.

As discussions and revisions continued, the team handling the matter grew from two to three, then four, then five members. Within a few hours, the issue raised by Harmony's email had spread to most of the temporary department staff overseeing the tournament.

It was like pieces of a puzzle coming together automatically, as everyone in the department took on their respective tasks.

They gathered people to lead meetings, coordinated with Team B about the new advantages, and others prepared to announce the handicap adjustments. All this because of a single email—what irony.

"Don’t assume one meeting will resolve everything. When you meet with the streamers, feel free to share ideas. Later, compile and summarize it neatly."

"Understood."

The unexpected wave hit just after lunchtime. Though the sun was high in the sky and the glass walls blocked out the chilly autumn wind, the room felt oddly cold.

The arrow had been loosed, and now all that was left was to wait for the results.

Time passed, and then—

-[Notice: From this moment, Team Cartographer will be reassigned as Team Harmony.]

For some, it was as expected.

For others, it was an unthinkable turn of events.

A chemical reaction had ignited.

"This is completely unexpected."

"This is all because Yujin grew too influential. He should’ve stayed as my own little Yujin…."

"Sheesh."

"Ow!"

thump

The gentle tap on my head was surprisingly pleasant. Turning slightly, I noticed a tail swishing back and forth over my head. It’s the first time I’ve felt good after being hit, honestly.

Despite my brief moment of escapism, a lot had changed within just a few hours. First, Team Cartographer became Team Harmony. But since the name doesn't sound great, I decided to call them simply Team A.

Team A was now unable to receive direct tactical feedback from pros. On the other hand, Manager Kim's team—let’s call them Team B—had easier access to professional feedback.

At least they hadn't split up my squad members. But honestly, had much really changed? Probably not, though others might feel differently.

And finally…

"Harmony, soon you'll be a trainer yourself. How do you feel?"

"I don't know… It’s my first time teaching under such strange circumstances, so it’s hard to say."

"You'll do well. It’ll be a valuable experience."

"Carto said the same. Though he didn’t look thrilled about it."

"Ha."

Teaching others must be a daunting task. Reflecting on my experiences, I realized I’d only met with my team a few times. Until now, I just nodded along to explanations, but this was the first time I had a proper conversation with people—though it was a bit overdue.

Nevertheless, the conversation flowed smoothly, thanks to shared experiences—mainly, enduring disasters alongside Dice.

It made me wonder if anyone has met Yujin under positive circumstances. I didn’t have the best experience meeting him either, but compared to others, our first encounter was practically peaceful.

Back to the matter at hand, though.

"Not much has actually changed. Focus on what you can control and discard the rest. There's a reason why you’re the squad leader."

"Oh… right."

"I wonder if even this basic advice is off-limits. Do you have a guideline?"

"Probably not. I’ll check, but I doubt anyone will nitpick this much."

Thirty minutes until broadcast.

The sudden request left a mountain of tasks. Reviewing the request’s validity, determining how to proceed, and preparing an explanation for viewers with questions about the notice.

There was more to consider. I had to introduce myself as the new team leader, and plan how to handle the curriculum.

Yujin told me to focus on what I could control…

As I pondered, the thoughts came naturally.

"By the way, you're amazing. We synced up yesterday, and I’m in awe… how did you manage it?"

"Minah rose to the occasion, as did the other three."

"True. Thanks to them, I feel ready for the tournament."

The fact that we missed Monday's training doesn’t seem to have hurt us. It’s a reminder that there are truly unreachable heights in this world. Perhaps I glimpsed that, however briefly.

In the end, Yujin’s approach worked. We filled in the gaps through accelerated lessons and training, then gradually expanded each member’s capabilities. With such a solid foundation, there was no need for minor tricks.

As the broadcast time approached, we continued to chat.

"Anyway, it’s a shame. I’ll have to make do with what I've learned. I can at least avoid making a fool of myself."

"You’ll do great. Take care."

"Yeah…."

I've learned a lot. As long as I stay focused, I should manage… though, I should still expect the unexpected and train as if it’s life or death.

As the broadcast time approached, Yujin vanished to do his own stream. I would miss seeing him in-game for a few days, but soon enough, I’d be too busy to notice.

I started the broadcast with familiar movements, joining Carto’s session. In the blink of an eye, we were in the shooting range I’d requested as the briefing site.

Three of us were gathered: myself, Carto, and HumanFormBoss, another squad leader. It felt surreal to think I’d risen high enough to command them, but I owed it to Yujin.

We exchanged introductions.

"Nice to meet you all. I’m Harmony, the newly appointed leader. Looking forward to working with you."

"Pleasure's mine. I’m HumanFormBoss. Feel free to speak openly; I’m good friends with Carto."

-TeamHarmony!TeamHarmony!TeamHarmony! -"Knew this grind would bring chaos LOL" -"Quit being so good!" -"Who ranks up to Grandmaster just days before a tournament LOL" -"We need to address the tail scandal!"

The chat was wild.

After quick greetings, I decided to ignore the rest. Streamers rely on viewers, but there was work to do.

However, today, viewers’ curiosity aligned with my peers’.

"Greetings. Congrats on your promotion to group leader."

"I may be in charge, but squad management is on you, Carto. If you don’t do it right, I’ll bring Yujin."

"No, anything but that!"

-LOL Yujin’s fear runs deep! -"A legend, but now he’s a boogeyman for Carto." -"Bring Yujin back!"

With Carto bowing out, I linked Limit, Hotteok, and Kimstone to the stream, expanding the shooting range. We needed space for the twelve of us. New UI features showed up—group command permissions, once Carto’s, were now mine. I summoned everyone here.

Briefing and debriefing were ritualistic now.

People trickled in, most bewildered. My team looked calm and stern. Once everyone was seated, I called my team over to sit behind the podium.

After a deep breath, I began.

"Hello, everyone. We don’t have much time, so I’ll be brief. I’m Harmony, stepping in for Cartographer as the team lead. Please support me until the tournament."

A mix of polite and sincere applause followed as I bowed.

"Let’s not drag this out. Some are here just to participate, while others aim for victory. If you’re in the former, raise your hand."

Silence.

The moment I mentioned the latter, everyone’s hands shot up.

At that moment, I snapped a picture mid-air—

click

They looked around, sensing the gravity of the situation, but I smiled as I spoke.

"With this, you’re all in this together."

-Wait, what??? -"She just played us all LOL" -"She's getting savvier by the day LOL" -"Buckle up for Yujin’s training! Abandon hope!"

This applied to everyone here.

I guided the squad to their positions—like a mirrored intro sequence.

With eight sets of eyes on me, I spoke again.

"From now until the tournament, these three here will be helping you improve."

"Huh?"

"Wait, what! Harmony, we didn’t sign up for this!"

"Putting a lunatic behind the wheel—this is bad news for us."

Voluntary enlistment, bold reshuffling, even outsourcing.

The restructured Team Harmony roared to life. The end would be explosive, no doubt, but whether it would destroy or build depended on our course.

"Hehe."

-The first disciple of Yujin’s madness LOL -"Training the wild card Yujin gave skills to LOL" -"Yujin has some explaining to do."

And so, the Harmony sets sail.