NoveLight ™
"Woohoo!"
"End of the semester! Never again, end of the semester!"
"It’s been fun, but let’s never see each other again, damn campus!"
Week three of December.
In other words, it was the time when countless college students, who had been suppressed for so long, flooded out into society under the pretext of the end of the semester. It was the moment when their goals, which seemed to revolve solely around assignments, graduation, practical work, exams, and studying, transformed into how to thoroughly laze about.
The name "end of the semester" spread across the nation. Those in need of money looked for part-time jobs, those who had made prior plans embarked on travels both domestic and international, while those whose situations were unfavorable or who simply didn’t want to move found their activities drastically reduced on the first day of break.
Of course, there are always exceptions.
Especially this year.
"Wow, there are so many college students in New York. Where are you from?"
"California!"
"Pennsylvania!"
"I flew in from Miami right after the semester ended."
Every interviewee had a different hometown.
Those who were financially capable or had the means rented a hotel in New York, while those who were slightly less well-off but still action-oriented roamed around New York in campers. The rest were satisfied with just a few days of sightseeing.
However, regardless of the reason, their objective was singular.
To watch the games live.
"Starting now, the final championship duo and squad match week begins!"
"Woooooo—!"
An overwhelming wave of enthusiasm.
Madison Square Garden, built on the expensive real estate of New York, was further magnified by even more impressive financial backing, resulting in the gigantic arena merging with the high-rise buildings next to it — the massive construction that lasted for two long years led to the creation of a super-sized complex in the heart of New York.
Of course, the Dark Zone Final Championship, which gained a fame almost on par with the Super Bowl in less than two years, had swiftly recouped the costs involved in construction within just a few years — this was indirectly proven by the hundreds of thousands of people gathered near Madison Square Garden.
Almost all of the unused spaces in the high-rise buildings connected to Madison Square Garden were opened up as temporary accommodations and campsites, countless traffic officers were deployed to manage the traffic issues, and food trucks squeezed into as much empty space as they could find.
It was a special spectacle unfolding in the world’s richest city.
Meanwhile, as the events officially commenced, numerous broadcasting stations from around the world, or even Icarus's own broadcasting network, began transmitting the situation in all directions — this spread across both TV and streaming sites.
Even just counting those gathered to watch the games, there were 630,000 people, and the number of individuals around the world watching the opening of the Final Championship online reached nearly 200 million.
The combination of the special nature of the semester break, the unprecedented large-scale international competition, and the dazzling attractions fitting for it created an unprecedented scene — even some officials from New York who came to witness this situation urged Icarus, saying, "Make sure to get approval for the host selection from next year onwards."
However, unlike last year, South Korea, located about 13,000 km away from New York, was able to enjoy all of this without a care in the world.
"Wow, it feels like watching the World Cup finals."
"Exactly. Harmony is there, right?"
"This is insane..."
A bizarre yet common scene of broadcasting and commentary.
Tricky-affiliated streamers competed to livestream the area near the stadium, and various companies with pre-approved drone flight permissions filmed the surroundings, further enlivening the situation.
It was a delightful chaos.
And about 400 meters away from that scene, six individuals were walking toward Madison Square Garden.
Of course, their expressions were not particularly pleasant.
"…Oh my god. Were there always this many people?"
"Uh, it seems like there are one or two times more than last year..."
The uproar increased, causing more commotion. Just their mere presence drew attention. And the number of people gathered to watch the Dark Zone Final Championship, which began today, was enough to catch even those who typically have no interest in games to turn their heads, or even take a step toward it.
The result of that was right in front of Yujin and her group. New York, which usually had little space to stand, was bustling more than ever as they got closer to Madison Square Garden.
It was like a dense concentric circle made up of people and machines. Food trucks, broadcasting vehicles, traffic police, and countless crowds all formed part of it. But it wasn’t so crowded that they couldn’t pass; several makeshift pedestrian bridges, seemingly prepared in advance, facilitated the flow of vehicles and people.
Of course, since it was a temporary setup, the holograms floating above the bridges checked the number of users in real-time, and the traffic police occasionally verified this, sometimes temporarily restricting traffic.
"Is this Cyberpunk?"
"At least in terms of how dizzying it feels right from the get-go, they’re quite similar."
It was dizzying to think that this was happening in New York, a city already known for its huge population, especially at Madison Square Garden.
However, contrary to such sentiments, the crowds made up of numerous people were lively just by being there. Perhaps due to the sharp rise in population density, it felt like the temperature was gradually rising too.
Vehicles passed beneath the temporary pedestrian bridges. Despite the surrounding chaos, the fact that not a single related accident had occurred was a testament to the NYPD's capabilities.
"I wonder if we’ll be able to get in later."
"If we hide behind you, Yujin, we might be okay..."
As they exchanged such jokes, they barely made it past West 34th Street. The sounds of car horns, the whistles of the NYPD, and the flashing lights of police vehicles combined to create an atmosphere like that of a club. At least there were no outdoor performances, so that was fortunate.
It was only 10:30 AM, and seeing how congested it was made her dizzy already thinking about what kind of chaos would unfold when the actual games started at 7 PM.
Perhaps because of that, our distinguished state senator from New York, Mr. Brayton, had also been sending texts since this morning.
Of course, from his standpoint — successfully hosting this Final Championship and presiding over the solo game opening ceremony, then concluding it smoothly would be an excellent stepping stone for his political career.
Conversely, if there were any casualties, it would likely bring a sudden halt to his path toward the presidency. The headlines would be pretty easy to imagine — a tragedy caused by a hastily organized mega-event, and the Republicans would surely pummel our Mr. Henry.
Such political reasoning wasn’t particularly appealing to her, but still… she also wanted this trip and visit to America to end with good memories.
After scanning the surroundings, she released a pulse at maximum output.
At the same time, she gained access to all electronic devices, rerouting some of their GPU usage to establish a network hub that would assist the NYPD, fire department, and everyone else struggling to manage the crowd within a 3 km radius.
The insufficient computational support was requested from the Icarus International headquarters located in Two Bridges, specifically from the secret area deep within — simply put, she asked the two individuals who had helped her, believing this would be a significant help.
Filtering out the unnecessary traffic generated by the hundreds of thousands gathered here would relieve the burden on the broadcasting stations while providing crucial information to those in dire need, aiding their situational assessments.
How much time passed?
"It’s a bit quieter around here than before. Just a moment ago, it was chaos everywhere."
A comment from Dice.
That was indeed true. Compared to just before, the traffic congestion and population density had likely improved by at least 17%, and in a few more minutes, it would probably double. If that still wasn’t enough, they would have to resort to different methods.
As they entered the area near Madison Square Garden, a delightful aroma wafted through the air. Of course, the area near the food trucks was literally packed. But they were selling amazing menus. One thing was certain: if they ate there, Dice or Harmony would probably gain about a kilogram the next day.
But at this point, what she overlooked while assisting the NYPD was—
"Yujin."
"Yes?"
"I think we’re in big trouble."
Before she could even open her mouth to agree with that statement—
"Hey, hey! Isn’t that Yujin over there?"
"It’s the Korean soloing representative team!"
"I’m a fan! I flew in from Korea to see you all—!"
"Let’s communicate!"
"Oh man..."
That annoying “let’s communicate.”
She had wondered when they would recognize her, but as expected, the world didn’t seem willing to let them go easily.
The Korean representative team’s first visit to Madison Square Garden began amid a cold wave and a massive crowd.
"…What’s this, Sensei?"
"This is the amount of explosives and chemicals needed to implement the destructible areas on each map and the specific forms of destruction."
Destruction is the art of precision.
To summarize the science of demolition in one phrase, it discusses where, at what angle, and how much explosives should be packed to achieve a specific goal.
Protecting allies, blocking escape routes, and forging new paths. However, as the battleground shifts from desolate land, where it was difficult to find even a single building, to a metropolitan area, the goals of this science have intensified manifold.
Yet, one unchanging tenet of this discipline remains: its fundamental ground task is to create situations advantageous to one’s allies. It’s different from simply throwing grenades and firing rockets or requesting Close Air Support.
And all these discussions had already been drilled into the ears of those in front of her to the point of annoyance before coming to America.
"Skills can create paths by breaking down walls and obstruct the enemy’s view or launch attacks with falling debris from demolished ceilings. Sometimes, by capturing drones and making them fall, we can reduce fall damage. You all need to realize how much these combat auxiliary tools have expanded the horizons of battles."
Everyone seemed to understand what she was saying. They had battled in VR with her many times before setting foot on New York, and they had clearly witnessed all the bizarre skill usages she had performed.
However, merely seeing wasn’t enough. Even if instant reflexes are impossible to imitate, skills can be built up through countless experiences. From that perspective, her goal was to expose them to as many different battle scenarios as possible before the soloing matches of the Final Championship began.
It could be considered a form of muscle memory formation.
"…Ugh."
"Is something wrong?"
"They really gave this to me..."
In the midst of it all, Harmony was joyfully throwing a tantrum.
Of course, she had long since prepared the carrot and stick approach.
"Harmony isn’t someone directly participating in the matches, so just see what you can."
"Ah, really? I knew it!"
For now, this little bit of leniency would probably make her happy.
But as soon as tomorrow, when Dice, Ink, Mikael, and Gambit started hammering her, the desire to see this reference material she had provided would surely bubble up.
She wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t forced anyone to sit down in a chair to make them watch, and if Mina suddenly had an overwhelming desire to study, how could she possibly stop that?
Anyway, that was all she had to say for today.
There were still countless things to do.
For instance—
"Uh, uh? Hey, wake up! Oh my god, the special coach is here!"
"Oh, how did you manage to get here with this much crowd? Did you walk all the way?"
"That’s right. Nice to meet you all. Have you all been practicing well?"
Whether to call it IRL or a Vlog.
Despite being about 13,000 kilometers away, South Korea had a keen interest in the players' lives, and in a way, they even wanted to see their mundane daily lives and preparations before matches, even if it was just simple edited videos.
From that perspective, it was a natural occurrence that, while being a member of the Korean representative team, she would also act as a traveling coach and meet the representatives for the Final Championship, which was officially starting today.
Perhaps because of that, cameras had been installed all over the lounge.
In any case, they didn’t have much time left. In just a few hours, they would need to be deployed for the matches.
As the scattered Dice and the others gathered around her, a conversation began.
"How many operational plans do you have?"
"We categorize them into four based on the quadrant where the safe zones are located. The probability of the boundary of the quadrant coinciding with the safe zone is about 1 in 5000, so we’ve simply made some preparations."
"Sounds good. The red dots marked on each quadrant must be waypoints or hubs, right?"
Eight maps floated above in the hologram.
She selected one and initiated a simulation. It was a kind of mock battle. However, its precision was on a completely different level than a mere virtual scenario that moves around a game board.
"Install the flamethrower turret."
"If installed alone, it can easily be neutralized by foam grenades and the like. Please install one more regular turret if possible."
In reality, a well-thrown foam grenade would quickly form a thick polyurethane wall, temporarily blocking the flamethrower, during which time half of the enemy squad entered the building.
And there was another point not to be overlooked here.
"The polyurethane wall emits hydrogen cyanide gas while burning, so if you don’t have a mask to block this, you need to be cautious when using the flamethrower turret itself. If it’s a wooden building, you could easily burn to death..."
"The risk is considerable."
"But it can have tremendous effects in specific locations."
At the same time, she made several suggestions.
"The entrance and stairs of that building are predictably located. After securing a position in advance, block the emergency exits in other areas, and then place the turret’s fuel along with explosives one floor below, and when the enemies come up..."
Boom.
The escape route is blocked by flames, and the enemy squad is left to burn.
The simulation reconstructed itself. The third floor of a four-story building exploded completely, and flames danced like tongues. The fire had the characteristic of moving upward rather than downward, and in no time, it spread to the fourth floor and incinerated the infiltrating enemy squad.
"Of course, careful placement of explosives and securing a clear escape route are necessary. You’ll need preparations like elevators, ladders, and various other arrangements... but that part will depend on your capabilities."
Just one example. But there was no time to be in awe; they nodded and began their analyses.
Then came a murmured comment.
"I wish you had come a day or two earlier."
"This is a trap on the squad level that you can all easily think of. The important thing is to prioritize securing escape routes in any situation... Now, let’s move on to the next topic."
Thus began countless IF scenarios and their countermeasures.
However, there was one thing she had overlooked—
───.
The cameras set up here weren’t just for recording; they were broadcasting in real-time.
TFNC
thx