"Is it snowing again?"

The morning in the penthouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at The Kent, was slow yet clear.

Despite the preface that the house was designed to maximize natural light, the sunlight streaming in felt utterly nonexistent, and sure enough, outside, snow was falling. As soon as she woke up, the various weather reports automatically displayed in front of her indicated that this year's winter was experiencing the heaviest snowfall in fifty years.

And today, one person had to make a brief trip to Brooklyn despite such weather.

"It's the perfect weather for a break..."

Of course, it was a self-deprecating remark. In other words, it meant she wouldn’t be able to rest today. At least, it was fortunate that she had a body that didn’t feel the cold at all.

She had a familiar morning routine. Although her temporary residence had changed, it was quite similar — heading to a kitchen that was cold since no one else was awake. She opened the refrigerator and took out various ingredients.

Her goal was to make what anyone would think of as an American breakfast: eggs, sausages, bread, bacon... Unless something special happened, breakfast always started in this way.

Except for the fact that the portion was a bit too much, it was an ordinary affair.

However, it wasn’t as if she intended to eat all of this—

"Why the grim face this early in the morning? You look like you have something you really don’t want to deal with."

"...I guess so."

While making breakfast, an uninvited guest arrived.

Now, this process had become part of her routine, so it was almost a given that Lorentina would naturally join the morning routine. The conversation began as scrambled eggs were placed in a bowl meant for the guest.

"I heard some rumors floating around. It seems like formal offers to sign contracts as a pro gamer are coming from all directions. Aren't you interested in that at all?"

"Next year, I have to move my residence to Fort Bragg. I don’t have no desire to stay in New York longer, but a person can't change their nature."

"Hmm."

It was a reasonable statement.

Lorentina herself had been serving as the youngest member of the Gold Squadron for several years now, and she hadn’t seen any inclination to quit after regaining her memories. Moreover, it felt almost like having her pride of being part of Delta Force was suddenly snatched away...

This guy often joked about whether she would consider joining the Navy SEALs, but as always, he probably didn’t mean it seriously.

Probably.

"I see you’ll be tackling those trivial matters today."

"That and it’s my first visit to the team today... I should at least familiarize myself with the faces of those who will be in the finals with me this year. There might be a few familiar faces."

"If you were with JTF in the past, that could be the case."

"...Well, it's not like I’m going to see them for that reason; the tournament starts soon, so it’s just a coincidence."

The sensors in the ceiling activated, and the aroma of food wafted out, escaping to the outside.

The brief meal continued amid the clattering sounds and soon came to an end.

"I’ll handle the dishes, so have a good trip... Looking at your outfit, you’ll be going out in short sleeves and shorts again today, huh?"

"At minus 12 degrees, it’s like summer."

"Yeah, right."

So, she planned to quickly brush her teeth and head out, but unfortunately, the nagging shark wouldn’t let her go easily. It wasn’t until a sweet-scented perfume was lightly sprayed on various parts of her body that she could finally head outside.

As she got into the driver’s seat of the car parked underground, the engine automatically started and began to move.

Crossing through the heart of the Upper East Side, she went over the Queensboro Bridge and entered Long Island City. As expected of Manhattan, traffic was quite heavy, but it was only about a 20 to 30-minute delay. It didn’t take long to arrive.

How much time had passed since then? As she opened the door and got out, the car door automatically closed, and it began driving itself to the pre-inputted parking location.

"It looks different from what I expected."

A seven-story office building.

A large panel with "Orvital Gaming" was shining brightly on the front of the building, with the logo beneath it clearly visible. The first floor, easily visible through the large glass windows, was finished in an antique brown, hinting that it was a cafeteria.

There was still plenty of time until the deadline, and her access card was already saved on her phone. As she opened the glass door and scanned her access card at the gate, all eyes turned toward her.

"Welcome. What brings you here?"

"Logan Blamis, short-term contract player for Orbital Gaming. I’m here to attend the Final Championship OT and discuss contracts, as well as for a personal interview."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

As she stood still for a while, the smell of coffee wafted through the hallway. Only then could she take in the view of the office building at her leisure.

To meet the junior member, she had casually grabbed the ticket to the finals, without much thought, and in that process, she chose Orbital Gaming as a partner, which typically had minimal interference with the players. So, this was her first time actually coming to a place like this.

As soon as she cast a glance around, she heard a voice.

"If you continue straight in that direction, there’s a café and cafeteria for guests and players. Since OT hasn’t started yet, I recommend grabbing a quick drink."

"I'm not too fond of drinks. I’m fine."

Of course, while it might seem believable that she could spend the whole day going on a dessert café tour, that was hardly the case.

When she glanced at the mirror, she saw her own unfamiliar appearance. It was hard to believe she would be going into the unit in a few months with the innocent expression on her face.

She glanced again. Her eyes met those of a staff member sitting in the reception hall. Though she tried not to show it, people's eyes often conveyed much. The pupils were trembling back and forth. Even though they had already made eye contact when she first entered, they scanned her from head to toe once more.

The confusion caused by the friction with the image she had built in her mind brought her embarrassment.

"...Understood. The OT location is in the 7th-floor auditorium. You can handle contract and interview-related matters in the office on the 5th floor."

"Thank you."

Two hours until the OT.

As she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor, she waited for a moment until the door opened, revealing a lobby where the entrance personnel could attend to visitors. After presenting her access card, she waited for a moment.

"Logan! It’s been a while!"

"It’s been at least a month. How have you been?"

She met MC again, the person she had contacted last time to let Yujin know they were alive — and to subtly hint at her military career. Though the interview location and time were completely different this time, that wasn’t too important.

The location shifted to the interview room, where snacks were piled high. Before officially starting, various conversations, including preliminary explanations, were exchanged.

"How have things been lately? You seem to be having quite a good time."

"I saw a familiar face after such a long time. Since we conducted the previous interview together, I think you can guess who it is."

"...Ah, it’s that person! The one Logan mentioned! Should I say congratulations on your reunion?"

"That’s more than enough."

And the conversation continued.

"If you’ve seen the list of questions in advance, you probably understand that the domestic public is quite interested in your activities... However, your answers will be the same as before, right?"

"Of course. I hope many people understand that this is quite an exceptional case, but I have no reason to make them understand, and they won’t be inclined to understand me either."

The first topic.

As Lorentina mentioned before leaving the penthouse, they were asking whether she intended to continue as a professional gamer. Of course, her answer to this would remain unchanged, as it did before.

In other words, it meant she had no plans for next year. To those who desperately wished for her contract to be renewed today, it would be like a bolt from the blue.

However, this MC didn’t belong to that category; he spoke calmly, as if watching a fire across the river.

"That’s what I figured. Then, I’ll ask a personal question. I heard you have a personal relationship with Yujin. What do you predict the outcome will be when you face off in this Final Championship?"

A brief silence. No doubt it was a sensitive question, laden with implications about who would win or whether they would show any mercy if they met later.

After finishing her thoughts, she cautiously opened her mouth.

"If I don’t fight with all my might, that guy will snap my spine, and if the opposite is true, I’ll snap Yujin’s neck."

An entirely unembellished statement.

The MC looked as if he had been struck by a blow, then smiled faintly and added,

"Hahaha, that’s quite fierce. However, since it’s also my role to satisfy the viewers' curiosity... I’ll try to smooth over Logan’s statement during the interview a few minutes from now."

Of course, that didn’t go well.

It was six hours before Logan’s second statement, barely suppressed to a minimal level, spread across the internet.

And—

"Geez, seriously. This is driving me crazy."

"Popularity is nice, our Yujin."

"Oh, isn’t this the person you mentioned having a previous acquaintance with during the last interview?"

At seven in the evening.

As the outside turned pitch black, and the chilly air filled the dimly lit space, Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn was suddenly filled with lively laughter. It was due to an interview video that was unexpectedly sent through the Engram group chat.

At least today, I wanted to let things slide quietly, but this guy dropped a big bomb on me less than a day after we parted ways and then calmly disappeared.

Until the ordered food arrived, I projected the video in the air and checked again. Naturally, it was Logan’s interview video — though it wasn’t entirely unexpected. These issues often come up in player interviews, either commonly or as a formality.

If one were to categorize it, this was a kind of psychological warfare. For instance, such interviews could shake the opponent's mindset before a match against a rival... Of course, this guy had no reason to harbor such thoughts against me.

He simply mentioned it because he wanted to.

"...Why are you just sitting there smiling? This is something you should take seriously. This guy has the insane ability to wipe out every opponent he encounters before coming to meet me."

"Ugh..."

It was truly absurd how he spoke as if it had nothing to do with him.

Of course, based on the results from the scrims before heading to America, I knew these players could engage smoothly among the top 20 of the Final Championship, who were indeed true competitors.

But aside from that, there were natural disasters occurring one after another that couldn’t be stopped. Especially, even excluding Logan, the ten below him were all formidable competitors I couldn’t dismiss either.

...Well, anyway. The only one in trouble so far was me.

And—

"The steak is here. Please be careful, as the plate is very hot."

"Wow, this is insane...!"

"Yujin, can I just say I’m going to eat well now?"

"I’m leaving Ink behind in Brooklyn today, so make sure you get back safely. It should take about an hour on foot."

"Hey, I didn’t say anything."

Of course, it was a joke.

Although I had been here just a few days ago, the rich scent of meat was so strong it almost felt like it was digging directly into my sinuses, making it hard to resist.

In any case, I didn’t mind eating whatever was served, but I wondered how they felt about it.

"How’s the food for everyone?"

"We’ve all been wandering around Korea Town for days. After about five days of buffet-style meals, my stomach is a bit queasy..."

"Fortunately, it seems we’re the only ones using the shared kitchen. I thought I’d just eat delicious food and return home, but it looks like I’m going to become an expert in living alone in Korea. The prices of Korean ingredients are pretty high, anyway."

With a brief laugh.

But as soon as they each put a piece of meat in their mouths, their eyes widened in astonishment. It was worth bringing them all together. I also started my meal, and fortunately, this place didn’t lose its charm just because I had visited once before.

Anyway, even though we were in the middle of our meal, I had a few things to address.

"Next week, it won’t be easy to spend time like this, so everyone should brace themselves. We’ll be making frequent trips in and out of Madison Square Garden, and we need to see what we can learn from the Final Championship duo and squad matches."

"Of course. The key point will be the skill usage, right?"

"That’s right. The matches will start at 7 PM on Monday, so the analysis will begin on Tuesday."

Naturally, the encounters between teams differ significantly from solo matches. Specifically, in the former, victory or defeat can hinge on leadership and the squad leader’s judgment in the heat of the moment, whereas the latter relies solely on individual skill and judgment.

However, despite that, there are still plenty of things to learn — not about what decisions to make in what situations but about how to utilize skills.

"I hope you can learn a little about what skills are good to use in those situations. I’ll be sharing the much more advanced and tricky application methods."

"Wow, that’s seriously cool."

"And all of this schedule will be done together with Harmony."

"Huh!?"

Suddenly, the sparks of surprise shot toward Harmony. The expressions of shock mixed with confusion were directed at me.

But I had no intention of letting this excellent resource, Harmony, sit idly during this Final Championship. The more people in small scrims and practice matches, the better; and if nothing was done, Harmony wouldn’t have much to do on this trip anyway.

Besides, if the skills of the Dark Zone partner streamer improve, that would only be beneficial, not harmful — more than anything, with me, Dice, Ink, Mikael, Gambit, and Mina included, that makes a total of six. We could create three pairs for 3v3 or 1v1 practice.

In any case, that was the external reason, and depending on the situation, it could always be canceled.

"You didn’t think I would come all the way to New York and do nothing, did you?"

"...Yeah, I guess that’s what I thought."

"Still, it’ll be more fun to move around together than to be left at the accommodation or wandering separately."

As I said that and gently patted her back with my tail, her expression quickly brightened again.

After that, there wasn’t much to say.

I merely offered a brief encouraging remark to reassure them.

"Since we’ve come all the way to America, let’s do our best. I can assure you that I won’t disappoint you."

Fortunately, they nodded in agreement, wearing determined expressions.

The night deepens.

A future that can’t be predicted even one step ahead was just beginning to unfold.