"Once everyone is here, please take a moment to review the operation plan for this match if you haven’t already."

"Understood."

"Got it."

It was the tactical discussion time before the start of the second match.

Even as Kim Manager handed out the operation plan with a calm expression, his mind was racing. The feasibility of this plan was still up in the air—more like a hope than a solid strategy. It could practically be torn apart like paper.

Naturally, the strategy for the second match was not only a challenge for the squad members but also a circus act for him, the squad leader and group leader. One needed Yujin’s level of situational awareness to pull this off smoothly.

The strategy was derived from the analysis of the data gathered in the first match.

'…Harmony's squad has two major weaknesses.'

The first was their dependency on Harmony.

The second was their somewhat disjointed team operations.

However, they had addressed the first weakness in a rather brute-force manner—simply by having Harmony herself carry almost the entire team. It was essentially a "If you lack strength, just get more strength" kind of approach.

The second weakness followed a similar pattern. Harmony's team seemed to have prepared numerous worst-case scenarios, using them as a basis for their squad maneuvers. During the first skirmish in the initial match, Harmony's teammates, who died early on, immediately rushed the enemy base upon respawn.

There was another clue to this. They left one of their key assets, Cartographer, at C to lead the team and break through A. If it wasn’t prearranged, it was a baffling move.

In simpler terms, Harmony's team was aware of their weaknesses and had prepared accordingly.

"Breaking through this is going to be tough."

Even during his time as an analyst for a pro team, he hadn’t faced this level of unfairness.

It was also the first time he’d seen something like this since switching to streaming. Most people only focused on Harmony’s tier, but what truly mattered was how she’d gone from unranked to breaking through the Grandmaster barrier in just ten days. A truly abnormal speed.

He wiped away his wandering thoughts and began the briefing.

"Has everyone finished reading?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I’ll begin the explanation now."

With a professional gesture, he pointed at the screen. A black-coated hand extended a laser pointer to indicate various areas on the popup screen. His black coat rippled subtly with his movements, while a glowing LED expression emerged on his inscrutable black mask.

The explanation wasn’t too far removed from his earlier thoughts. But here, he had to be the true commander for everyone in the group, instilling confidence even in the uncertain.

The strategy he had carefully devised was cautiously unfolded.

"…The main tactic for this match is the simultaneous integration of offense and defense. We will continue moving until our stamina gauge can no longer recover. Resting is only permissible when we control at least two territories."

He continued with a simpler explanation.

"Even if we capture B, we’ll keep disrupting the enemy base to force them to split their resources. Thus, for this match, our team composition will constantly change, whether at the squad, detachment, or operational team level, so always stay alert to the comms."

And now came the critical part.

He took a breath and pulled up the next screen. He heard several sharp intakes of breath. There were no objections—everyone had experienced firsthand the skills of Kim Manager during their combined training over the past month.

A single word made up of four letters at the top of the screen spread across their retinas. But he didn’t need to explain it. His electronic mask's speaker clarified it with a firm voice.

"Baiting strategy at B, with the primary goal of decapitating Harmony's squad. It doesn't have to be Harmony herself. The objective is to eliminate their leader from the first skirmish. Bring as many explosives and EMP-ready detonators as you can. Next, I’ll briefly explain how the baiting squad will operate…."

His explanation continued. Even with specific expertise and a logical flow, Kim Manager’s unique avatar and charisma created an oddly compelling scene.

Soon, the team absorbed the briefing, running through simulations and command practice.

Time was ticking down, and the countdown above their heads inched toward zero.

The sound of rotor blades and the commentator’s voice intertwined.

───Thud thud thud thud thud!

"Now, let the second match begin-!"

The battlefield was the large simulation room at Central Park HQ in New York.

"Well, at least it’s warm in here."

"True… Oh, a reminder: since it’s an indoor engagement, adjust your comm sensitivity. The sounds will bounce around, and you could miss commands."

"Understood. Adjusting comm sensitivity."

He took a deep breath.

It was high summer in the Dark Zone, but in reality, it was late October, chilly enough to make you shiver. For the first time in recent operations, his breath didn’t form mist. Of course, he didn’t linger on it—time to focus on the game again.

How would the initial skirmish go? Probably another fight for B. The start didn’t matter much; there weren’t many choices.

In other words, it didn’t matter how they started, as no one would gain much from it.

The home base was C, as before. The enemy’s would automatically be A.

So, should they go with the same strategy again?

"Like last time, let’s capture C and then head straight to B. Ten players. Kato stayed at C last time, so for this round, HumanBoss, you’ll coordinate from C. I’ll call you in if needed."

"Roger that. Leave it to me."

"Let’s do our best this round."

And soon, the match began.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the large simulation room. After quickly clearing out enemy AI scattered around C, twelve players captured terminals one by one, and C soon glowed blue with control secured.

They spent about a minute at C.

But there was a problem.

"Sir, A shows no activity."

"Ah, looks like they’re fully committed this time."

His mind spun rapidly. The clear thing was that the enemy had likely abandoned A and rushed all twelve to B right from the start. It was a difficult choice, more troublesome than expected.

They could bypass and capture A, but managing forces that way would be tricky… There was still time. Even if they reached B first, the difference wouldn’t be too significant.

Plus, the order to rush to A after respawn was still valid. Ultimately, it seemed like a repeat of the last match.

He reminded them of that and added,

"We’re moving to B. Ten players. No change in the plan."

"Copy that."

And ten players set off for B.

The central zone was engulfed in an eerie silence. Their sensory equipment picked up faint footsteps a hundred meters away—never a good sign.

Running at the front, he anticipated what lay ahead. A full clash of strength was coming, but he’d avoid being caught in a crossfire by staying out of enemy sightlines.

And soon, that’s exactly what happened. After scanning the area with drones and sensors, they began the assault—but this time, the data pouring in showed something different.

"Enemy firepower has increased by at least 20%, with much more aggression than before."

"Glad we brought multiple trophy systems. Hold your positions. Those on standby at C, please head to A."

"Understood."

Yet, even though he said so, the enemy’s aggression was intense. His team’s analysis was accurate, and as their losses mounted faster than before, they adapted.

Thankfully, Kato’s team was holding the line, rapidly thinning out the enemy. Despite the similar pace of losses, the tempo felt faster.

Harmony added through the comms.

"Anyone down, regroup at B instead of A. Now’s a good time to push them out."

They handled it with high flexibility. Harmony’s squad was taking losses, but Kato joined the frontline, so the enemy fell quickly too. Overall, the structure mirrored the previous round, just faster-paced.

He called in Kimstone, Limit, and Hotteok. There was a fierce battle in B’s center, and they aimed to break through the enemy lines. His squad would be the spearhead, and the rest would suppress with smoke, flashbangs, and small EMP grenades.

Orders were given rapidly, and soon, with coordinated suppressive fire, smoke grenades filled the area.

"Advance, advance! Run to the designated point with your smoke-penetrating goggles on!"

"Trophy system deployed. No need to worry about explosives!"

The last check showed nine enemies and seven allies.

Breaking through the first defense line, they deployed a seeker mine to clear traps. With a hiss, it split and exploded around the area. Amid the chain explosions, he saw the flickers of muzzle flashes in the smoke.

He pinpointed the enemy’s location.

With the snap of gunfire, an entire magazine vanished in seconds. Naturally, the enemy’s life ended by the time half the magazine was empty. Nine became eight as they moved into CQB.

Now it was a matter of reaction speed.

"Three ahead! I’ve marked their positions!"

"Copy. Flanking."

Typically, identifying and flanking was the rifleman’s role, but he was both squad leader and the best fighter. Deploying his strength at the right time was part of the job.

Grabbing grenades, he yanked the pins and tossed them into the foggy outlines of enemies. They landed with a bounce before exploding, neutralizing the second defense line.

However, by then, Kimstone and Hotteok were down, with only Limit left, barely holding on. It wasn’t ideal for him to push forward, so he ordered his squad to advance while he infiltrated the enemy line.

And then, their eyes met.

───Ratatatatatata!

Suppressed gunfire muffled in the smoke, and stone fragments shattered around them. He spotted Kim Manager amidst the chaos—his avatar was unique enough to be recognizable.

The UI displayed the skill’s remaining time. Within five seconds, the cooldown for the sticky bomb would be up.

But the enemy leader was retreating under cover.

"Where do you think you’re going…!"

Fwoosh!

The sticky bomb soared across and detonated against the wall, but he was a split second too late. Kim Manager had slipped out, leaving the wall collapsing behind, blocking the path.

The skirmish paused. An ominous silence filled the air. Another enemy remained in the room, fiddling with their comms.

He noticed something.

"Damn."

Focused on the fight, he’d only now noticed the cleverly planted wires on the walls and floor.

Time slowed, or at least it felt like it. The first to detonate was an EMP. An invisible shockwave swept through the room, jamming the comms into static. The top command layer was cut off before he could issue any orders.

Clever move.

"Well, they’ll manage."

With a minor last thought, his vision flashed white.

Accompanied by a stunning blast, he was expelled to the respawn window.

───Boom!

"…Friendly casualty 1, enemy casualty 1. Harmony squad decapitation successful. Remaining forces, regroup at designated points."

The UI displayed two death scores among the towering smoke. Among them was Harmony’s name, who hadn’t died once in the previous match.

He forced his frayed nerves to calm, speaking into the comms. Harmony’s breakthrough speed was faster than expected; a second later, Kim Manager might have been trapped as well.

But now it was just an "if." The enemy had four left, and so did his side. A severe toll for a simple baiting operation.

Yet he set those thoughts aside. This was the critical moment.

"Let’s regroup and reorganize. The enemy took a significant hit, so they likely won’t rush in."

Both sides were now evenly matched at B. Fortunately, he was the group leader. The enemy had lost Harmony, their top commander, potentially shaking their resolve. He needed to provide guidance swiftly, reorganize, and fully retake B.

Despite just escaping the front line, he pulled himself together and started issuing orders. His squad, initially scattered, began moving in unison.

If they maintained this, they had a chance. They just needed to recover quickly. Yes, that’s what should have happened.

But—

"Detecting multiple enemy silhouettes moving from 70 meters ahead! They’re heading this way!"

"…What?"

"Enemy main forces… Cartographer and three squad members! They’ve taken over squad leader duties and are advancing!"

Damn it.

An unanticipated—or at least unacknowledged—reality began to rear its head.

"All units… prepare for battle."

At last, Kim Manager had to admit some of his assumptions were wrong.

Yet, a fact almost forgotten by everyone was that he had been the original leader and had the offensive power to match.

So what happened next was inevitable.

 

• [Alert: Harmony Group has captured B.]

 

And three minutes later.

Cartographer’s provisional squad wiped out the remnants of Kim Manager’s forces and seized control of B.