"Wow, the weather keeps getting colder, but the New Yorkers' outfits remain the same."

"People are getting more numerous, too. I guess the title of the busiest city in the world isn’t just for show."

The next day dawned, and the day after that.

The fame of the two characters known as New York, more famous than the capital of any other country, was created by the countless people bustling through the streets of Manhattan, and this was no different even in this winter, notorious for its extreme cold.

However, this year was showing a slightly different appearance than last year.

Regardless of the weather outside, thousands to tens of thousands of people passed through Times Square every hour, where advertisements poured in like a flood—specifically, in front of the billboards that were a frenzy for the Final Championship.

While the ads for the Dark Zone and the players, as well as luxury brand accessories worn by the players, crashed down like a tsunami, public service announcements urging order related to the Final Championship were also shown about every ten minutes.

The ad funds poured out by Camp Henry, which was surprisingly non-political and backed by the super PAC Icarus International, were beyond astronomical for a place like New York, which had the highest land prices in the world.

However, at this point, there was perhaps only one person who found this situation unpleasant.

"Goodness, Yujin! So nice to see you!"

"I started cheering for the Korean team recently. Did all the strategies used by the players come from your own mind?"

"…Oh dear."

The logic of politicians that the more exposure, the better was the worst match for Yujin, who preferred the mundane and quiet.

This was manifested in the fact that whenever she went out for a walk outside the hotel, countless people recognized her, making Yujin's chosen path not particularly complicated.

Henry received a text message asking if he wanted to become the second President Roosevelt that day, and by Tuesday evening, Yujin's advertisement exposure had literally plummeted.

And thus Wednesday arrived.

The fire of competition had fallen on all teams except for Korea, and it began to blaze.

However, it was difficult to say that this was necessarily a hopeful matter.

"I don't think the Korean team will be able to maintain the momentum from Monday," was my thought.

"Why do you think that?"

"The countermeasures for the skill operations that Yujin has spread haven't really been put into effect, and even if they have, they're quite insufficient. The fact that their momentum has been broken suggests that the enemy's skills are not easily countered, even with this asymmetrical power."

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Yujin.

Normally, Yujin would be in a position to seek solutions at this point, but no sharp answers came to her mind—her thoughts were directed in a completely different direction.

Considering the immense versatility of skills designed to potentially replace the firepower of firearms, it was normal not to fall behind, but the fact that they were falling behind meant something simple.

'…Korean combat skills are still lacking.'

Whether in terms of skills or conventional combat.

Among those gathered here, a few had received considerable training from Yujin long before this.

However, the conclusion reached by such scholars was not particularly optimistic.

"Maintaining the status quo might be the most realistic option..."

"I think so too."

What Yujin had said was not very encouraging.

However, while good feedback at this point could lead to good results, the actual possibility of that was low. The matches had already begun, and the engine was running. Excessive advice while everyone was fully engaged could lead to loss of power or major accidents.

In fact, Yujin's ability to enable steering through delicate feedback in that situation was rather strange.

But amidst all this,

"By any chance, is this about the Final Championship…?"

"You've seen it well. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, I hate to say this, but I recognized you at first glance. Am I interrupting you?"

"It's fine."

"Then, if you don't mind…"

Another fan, bowing slightly, handed over a small piece of paper and a pen. Yujin gracefully signed it, and he took it and hurriedly left with a polite greeting.

Fortunately, there were countless people nearby, allowing the incident to be naturally buried in the crowd—if it hadn't led to a larger fan meeting, it would have been a stroke of luck.

Was this what they meant by hiding a tree in the forest? Yujin chuckled with a subtle expression, and Das, not missing this, added,

"Yujin, your popularity has already reached this level. Is this the fate of a celebrity?"

"…I hope next week comes quickly so that you all can feel this way too."

"Hey, how could people like us come all the way to the U.S. and feel like that?"

For some reason, Das's words were truly annoying.

In any case, they were currently walking through Central Park. Even though they were staying in a hotel not even a few hundred meters away from the most famous place in New York Manhattan, it had been nearly ten days since the team had walked through Central Park even once, which was the first reason for their complaints.

The second reason—this was also related to the earlier discussion—was that to hide a tree, you had to hide it in the forest.

No one was paying close attention to the conversations of those walking in the park.

"…In any case, the skill or trap composition between squad, duo, and solo play is distinctly different. The former emphasizes TTK (Time to Kill) to decisively disrupt enemy squads or inflict equivalent damage. So, what’s important for solo play?"

"Uh, I think it's the individual skill. Compared to squad matches, there's less mobility restriction, so depending on personal judgment, one can quickly escape from traps that have been set in advance."

"That's roughly correct."

After taking a short breath, I continued.

"I'm not saying that individual skill is the only important thing. I'm warning against becoming too immersed in the flow of squad matches. It's easy to get confused if it's not frequently mentioned."

"Anyway, once we go back, we're going to get beaten up anyway. There's no worry since someone will smash everything before we even get too immersed."

…Am I the immersion prevention bump?

But before Yujin could think like that, her sensitive perception as an awakened one cautiously began to catch something. Unsettling movements stirring over the vast Central Park were captured by her sharp gaze.

If this continued, it would be difficult to walk leisurely from here on; wasn't that a bit too much? Unfortunately, the thought was a luxury, and the decision had to be swift.

From a distance, quite a few people were searching for Yujin. Fortunately, none of them were the ones she had signed for earlier.

"What’s the next schedule?"

"Uh… it's a personal interview, but isn't it still a bit early?"

"I think I’ll need to go a bit early and wait."

And as if they were professional gamers, all of Yujin’s teammates were remarkably perceptive.

Yujin quietly activated the optical camouflage function of the Icarus Gear, and those with her, including Das, made full use of the tactical maneuvers they had learned in VR to hastily exit the scene.

How long had it been after that?

"What the? Where did she go?"

"Wow, she disappeared in that time? That's impressive."

This was New York.

In a land of confusion, those who were slow-witted could not survive.

"Ha ha, nice to see you. Everyone seems to be in great spirits, so I think today's interview will go quite well. Did you enjoy the food in New York?"

"Ah, not really. Actually, I’ve been going to Koreatown a lot lately."

"Oh, I shouldn't have asked. It's natural to miss hometown food when eating foreign food."

The broadcast begins.

Four professional gamers sit on the right side of the screen, while the MC sits on the left, facing each other and exchanging simple greetings. The preliminary interview was quietly commencing in preparation for the upcoming Final Championship solo international match starting next week.

However, there was a unique point: there were only four users sitting on the sofa, looking at the camera.

Das, Mikael, Gambit, and Ink.

Only the four of them were the core of the interview, excluding Yujin.

"Anyway, I think there will definitely be a lot of questions. For example, why is that very popular person not doing the interview with you? Something like that."

"She might be too busy for that."

"Of course, that’s also true. Yujin is currently managing a schedule busier than anyone else by herself. I don’t mean to imply that the other players are relaxing, ha ha."

And then came the main event.

At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if the next question followed.

"Anyway, the reason we have the precious players here today is simple. If the person involved is present, we cannot hear the honest stories."

"If it’s about honest stories… it’s about how we view Yujin, or something like that?"

"That's right. As expected, you players are quick to pick up on things."

Flap.

As the MC turned over the paper he was holding, the real interview began.

"Many people tend to wonder how Yujin's curriculum will come across to you… That is, they’re curious about your evaluation of Yujin as a coach. But as an MC before being a Dark Zone user, I think this question will already have a predetermined answer, wouldn’t you agree?"

"That's right. If we didn’t like her or if she lacked skills, she wouldn’t be teaching us… Moreover, she wouldn’t be a global issue as she is now. She's just extraordinary."

"Ha ha, that’s quite a daunting expression. In any case, that’s exactly what I meant. Therefore, the question I have is a bit different."

How is Yujin in private?

It was a question that could only naturally arise, but the contemplation did not take long.

Mikael was the one to answer.

"If you’ve watched the streams, you know she’s a really fun person. And definitely 4D… maybe even more than that."

"She’s much cuter than you’d think."

"Ha ha! I didn’t expect this kind of answer. I really want to ask how you came to say that, but regrettably, as an esports MC, I’d better keep my words brief."

"With that comment, you might have already made Yujin your target."

"Yikes, that could be a big problem."

With a final joke about whether she might already be watching, various stories unfolded.

There were behind-the-scenes stories beyond imagination, but plenty of others that were rather mundane. In particular, curiosity about Logan, who was known to have a close relationship with Yujin, remained unsatisfied.

As the conversation continued smoothly, perhaps an ordinary remark tickled the hearts of the four standing there.

"Hmm, the next question is also simple. Many have asked what your goals are for this year or next year."

"…."

"Hmm, was that a more difficult question than you thought?"

But at that moment, the thoughts of these players were spinning at full speed.

A kind of simulation unfolded. This year was not significantly important. It was next year that mattered. They weren’t concerned about what rank they would achieve next year, but rather, what Yujin would be doing in the following year.

And the moment they realized that, everyone’s expression turned not particularly good.

The reason was simple.

'…Should we really be happy about having a guideline like Yujin?'

A comment that Das had made at some point.

When Yujin had asked before facing Case, she had answered indifferently—Japan is a Case one-trick.

There was no guarantee that this wouldn’t apply to them.

Now, because of Yujin’s overwhelming presence, most people didn't even bother to think about it—but Yujin would cause various ripples just by existing.

Whether she stayed or left.

Even if she wrote legends in just one year and then retired.

Yujin was not a torch lighting the way; she was the sun drawing everyone in.

Because she was so bright, there was a high possibility that if she continued to exist, everyone would become dependent on her, and if she were to disappear… perhaps Korea might fall again, yearning for glories that might never return.

As such thoughts flashed through everyone’s minds, Das’s mouth opened first and unconsciously.

"…When this year ends, we must prepare for next year. To create valuable and precious results with our own hands, we must become an unquenchable lamp."

"A lamp, that’s a very nice sentiment!"

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a statement made to sound impressive.

Das, Ink, Mikael, Gambit… and if this video were to be broadcast to Korea, there would likely be quite a few people who would need to change their mindset.

Even if Yujin were to disappear someday, all the curriculums she left behind must become a legacy and continue to develop—and the people standing here to do this interview had to take on that role at the forefront.

Considering that, it could be inferred…

'…Teaching us wasn’t just an act of goodwill from Yujin.'

But there was one undeniable fact.

There was still so much they had to learn, and the Yujin they knew would never give up until everything was completed—or until they decided to quit.

Thinking this way, perhaps time wasn’t so abundant after all. It didn’t take long for the four professional gamers, who had fallen into silence, to reach the same conclusion.

As the interview was coming to a close, the following words followed.

"Thank you very much for your precious time, you four."

"No, we should really…."

"Ha ha. Then I’ll ask a personal question. After the interview, what’s your schedule like? Is it about managing your condition?"

There was no hesitation.

In a surprisingly unified tone, they added,

"…Originally, we were going to do that, but I suddenly remembered something urgent. I’ll probably run straight to Yujin."

"Wow, your enthusiasm is incredible."

"…Ha ha."

Of course, those who understood that it was not enthusiasm, but a frantic rescue operation for the fire that had fallen on their feet long ago, were none other than the parties involved.

It had only been three minutes since Das, Mikael, Ink, and Gambit barged into Yujin’s room.