"Yujin, did you know?"

"Hm?"

"You seem much more relaxed than before."

"...Is it that obvious?"

"Hehe."

On November 3, as the final championship scrims draw to a close, it’s been a long road. The twists and turns have been many, and along the way, my once impeccable first-place win streak has taken a nosedive. Or to put it more accurately, while I still manage to claim the top spot occasionally, the frequency has drastically decreased.

I was prepared for it, so the drop in performance wasn’t shocking. However, leaving things unattended isn’t my style. After the first game ended, I began considering the advice from my former Task Force Dagger teammates, incorporating those pointers along with my own post-engagement analysis.

While I was deep in thought, Dice approached and added his two cents.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

‘Guess it’s impossible to hide anything from him.’

Is this that intuitive sense women supposedly have? I didn’t intend to be so transparent, but here I am, apparently showing my emotions for all to see. Then again, maybe not everyone has caught on just yet—other than Dice, that is.

"Others have noticed too. You’ve softened up since the last time. Were you aware?"

"...Ugh."

There was no denying it. He was right. I could tell by now. Like an open book, my emotions were easy to read, especially for someone as perceptive as Dice. Unlike other people, I’m not very good at hiding how I feel, and whenever something exceptionally good or bad happens, I can’t mask it at all. Even my tail gets in on it, revealing my mood more than I’d like. While I don’t wag it like a dog, it does give me away at times.

Wait a second—if everyone’s noticed, then—

"...Did you happen to see my tail during the debrief?"

"Everyone was staring at it. It was wagging around way more than usual."

"Urgh..."

Fantastic. I guess there’s a reason I never got along with fields like HUMINT. Not that I was particularly thinking about it, but losing at poker every time back in New York suddenly made sense. After mulling it over, I felt a bit of relief. I had shared a lot with Dice, so I figured it might be better to just come clean about everything. He probably already had an idea anyway.

I took a deep breath and continued.

"...I met up with some old teammates recently. It was reassuring that they greeted me as warmly as ever, so I guess I’m feeling a bit nostalgic."

"Of course. Honestly, anyone who’s not a complete jerk would be thrilled to meet someone like you again. There wasn’t any bad blood with them, was there?"

"No, there wasn’t."

"Exactly."

Dice seemed genuinely pleased, echoing my mood. It’s strange, but I wondered if this was one of those cases where laughter is contagious. There was still something more to discuss, though—the scrims.

Dice spoke up first.

"We were here last year too, but honestly...it feels like this is where you belong. Thinking about it now, maybe there wasn’t any need for you to bother with KSM or the Asia qualifiers."

"Haha. How about you, Dice? Do you feel you’re ready for this stage now?"

"Thanks to someone sitting right next to me."

She nodded in affirmation. It was as if a chatty baseball player was recounting a past game. I could see Dice’s scrim results from last year floating up in front of us—unsurprisingly, they were far less impressive compared to now, and she admitted as much.

Having grasped the chance to avoid repeating the past, she was finally able to talk about it openly.

"I wasn’t all that great. Plus, last year, the average scores for the Korean team were pretty much like this. It wasn’t a green light by any means. More like between yellow and red, I’d say."

"..."

"We didn’t know much at the time. Only one or two players from Asia even made it out that year, and the rules weren’t solid. Everything was just a mess. I didn’t know how to interpret the results or how to improve."

She squeezed the results sheet, crumpling it before tossing it into the trash, where it disappeared. With a resigned tone, Dice added that it was nothing to worry about anymore.

"That’s all in the past. Last year, we were just trying to survive. This year, we’re aiming higher."

"That’s the right mindset."

"I’m still holding you to that promise of getting us into the top ten. Thanks to you, this place has turned from a burden into a learning ground, so I’ll squeeze every bit out of it."

"Ahaha."

"Before you meet up with the others, make sure to put together a solid curriculum. You have your own schedule, and I can’t expect you to stick around forever."

She gave me a playful tap with her tail, signaling her agreement. But as she looked at me with a sparkle in her eye, I sensed she had something to say. When our eyes met, she grinned and added,

"Oh, by the way, I got a gift recently. Wanna see it?"

"With only thirty seconds left till the last game? Show me later."

"It’ll just take ten seconds, tops."

"...Alright, let’s see it."

Dice moved slightly and started preparing something. Watching her, I wondered what she was up to, but then... her skirt bulged at the back.

"...?"

To my surprise, a tail popped out from behind her, looking quite similar to mine, except it was yellow—a bright yellow, like a ball python rather than an anaconda.

"Ta-da! What do you think?"

It moved naturally, which only added to my bewilderment.

"Well, uh..."

"Nice, right? I didn’t ask for it, but a fan made it for me. I think Harmony got a similar one too—hey! What are you doing?! Don’t chase me! I didn’t mean to steal your identity!"

"Hold still! Who told you to wear that around?!"

"Run away!"

-[Notice: The game will begin shortly.]

But before I could catch her, the final game of the day started, sweeping us away into a new virtual arena. Amid the familiar polygons and loading screens, I silently vowed to finally pin Dice down and put her in a full nelson today.

After a while...

"Go take that tail off!"

"Ow!"

Bang!

With a loud clang, Dice took a hit from a metal pipe and got knocked back to the lobby.

Who told her to wear something so ridiculous anyway?

November, early. The vibrant autumn leaves that had once covered the streets were now disappearing one by one. People began layering cardigans and thin coats over their long sleeves, ushering in the first signs of winter. Most were preparing for the year’s end, but for a few, it was just the beginning of a new journey.

Only five people received their results. Until the championship ended, no one else would see them, as only the participants and a few others were privy to these data. It was information that every AP enthusiast would love to get their hands on.

"So, is no one gonna spill the tea? We’re gonna dry up here…"

"If I woke up a thousand years from now, the first thing I’d ask is about Yujin’s military career and this year’s scrim results."

With these kinds of jokes making the rounds, one particular player with a snake tail had taken the scene by storm, capturing global attention. Her sudden appearance had upended the AP soloing scene within just a few months, dominating without needing to recruit anyone. People flocked to her like ants to a cookie or bees to honey.

Of course, once they came, they demanded answers, which Yujin never gave. Inadvertently, she seemed to embody the phrase, "You made your choice, now stick with it."

The frenzy continued to burn bright.

"So, we’ve brought in some of the busiest people in Korea, but it’s frustrating that we can’t ask the big questions."

"Haha..."

"It’s not that we can’t answer anything. The guidelines from our team allow us to share what we can, so we’ll do our best."

"That’s great to hear."

Appearing on a TV program like this, where the MC openly expressed his curiosity, was a testament to the current frenzy. Dice couldn’t help but think about how absurd it was. Unlike that rogue snake-tailed teammate, everyone else was bound to the influence of their teams.

SSM Entertainment.

If it were SSM Gaming, it’d be different, but Entertainment was another story. They dabbled in everything, from managing talent to recording and producing music. Originally, entertainment was their main thing, but the gaming side had blown up so massively...

As a mere gamer, she knew little of the company’s workings, but appearing on a show was something else entirely.

She reminded herself of the guidelines and considered what she could disclose. After a shared glance, she nodded. She had the floor.

"While I can’t reveal specific numbers, I can confirm that all of us have made significant improvements compared to last year, thanks to someone we can’t name."

"Ah, I think I know who you mean. I’ve heard the name often. It’s a shame they couldn’t join us today. Any particular reason?"

"They’re a bit...unconventional. Not one to join unless they want to. They’re not with any organization, so they’re very much a free spirit."

"Sounds like they really embody the wild nature of their avatar. But I saw on SNS that you recently received a similar avatar gift. You’re not planning to go rogue, are you?"

"Aha."

She activated her avatar, and a yellow snake tail wriggled behind her. Ignoring the confused looks from some, she continued.

"Sadly, Yujin saw it and told me to take it off immediately. She even hit me with a pipe."

"Haha, what a unique identity. I guess you had no choice."

Indeed, identity—it's not just VR that this applies to.

"So, what does Yujin usually do while everyone else is on shows? Practice?"

"Uh..."

A brief pause.

"Right now, she’s probably doing a PVE mission."

Every eye in the room filled with confusion, but what could she say?

Even she didn’t fully understand Yujin.