-[Notification: Kill Zone is shrinking. Please move to a safe area.]

-[Remaining players until the final kill zone: 1]

"Is it really almost over now…?"

The first match of Friday is coming to an end.

As the game progresses into the later stages, the howling cold wind sounds like the lament of countless people who have perished without achieving anything worthwhile. Of course, I don’t need to care about such things, but just like no one goes through life without being moved at least once, it’s simply...

Under the smoke wafting from the muzzle of my gun, a person lay dead. Yet, in just a few seconds, they vanished without a trace, like a sandcastle swept away by a wave, leaving only several items behind. I selected a few necessary items and stowed them in the multipurpose pouch on my right thigh.

That was it. The enemy must have realized by now how and by whom they had died, and perhaps they were even cursing at the sight of the six letters that make up the name "Yujin."

However, as that thought was swept away by the wind outside, I unfolded my map to determine the next kill zone's formation location and safe area.

"I need to head this way."

As I marked the next target on the map, a route appeared on the ground. Following that marker would surely get me to my destination, but this disregarded the presence of enemies. So, I marked only the location and distance, turning off the other markers.

Even while maintaining my situational awareness, my eyes were busy scanning the surroundings. Especially closely, I watched the kill log that could be glimpsed at the top right. Just seeing the nicknames allowed me to check who had survived.

But today, a sound broke that concentration.

───Buuuuuuuum!

"…?"

A low rumble echoed through the air.

The noise grew and shrank, stirring the cold wind, reminding me of an ambulance, but sadly, it was not here to rescue anyone today—it was a transport plane crossing the map. They must have called for a care package. I wondered what they were bringing in.

I wanted to see what was dropping and where it landed, but unfortunately, the heavy snowstorm outside made it impossible, so I planned my route through the interior of the buildings rather than outside.

I ignored it and moved to the location I had marked in advance.

And how much time passed?

"I can’t believe someone’s already here."

Kakakang!

As concrete fragments flew, the bullet struck the steel framework, emitting a deafening sound as it deformed pathetically. Thankfully, my body was not on the list of things that got hit. Had I been waiting from the start, I would have likely taken at least three or four shots, but the fact that I didn’t even get hit by the first shot indicated that the other side had probably identified me purely by chance.

Both the enemy and I figured out each other's locations simultaneously, and at that moment, the battle began. As I pulled the trigger, flames erupted, but since the enemy was on the upper balcony, only about two bullets hit their mark. Estimating the distance to the enemy, I considered my available options.

I had two skills: EMP Pulse and Penetrating Sticky Bombs. Both were somewhat ambiguous to use right now.

Then, should I ignore the enemy? It was already a situation where not much time remained until the final kill zone arrived. Ultimately, this meant I had to deal with that user right here, no matter what.

I chased.

───Drrrriiiiing!

Inside the not-so-narrow warehouse, lead and tungsten projectiles crossed in the air.

I pressed the gun tightly against my shoulder and placed the enemy in the red crosshair. Since we weren’t very close, both of us stuck to single shots as our steps crisscrossed in the chaos.

In a way, this could also be seen as a kind of dance. Dressed for the occasion, we looked at each other and stepped forward. Considering that we were doing our best to exchange passionate glances during our movements, one might even call it that.

Before long, I had already reached the upper balcony. Thus, the battle stepped into an uncharted territory.

It was not long until I reached the range of the EMP Pulse, and the Icarus Gear provided the user with the shield technology to approach that distance—though it only served to defend against instant death from poor judgments.

How would this play out?

Just as I thought that, the enemy began to retreat.

'…That’s not good.'

They were running toward a route that could be used for future escapes. In other words, if I didn’t catch them, I would be stuck in place. I definitely had to speed up to catch up.

To prevent any possible traps, I activated the EMP Pulse, sending disruptive waves in all directions that almost enveloped the enemy. The ceiling lights enveloped in the pulse flickered bizarrely before finally shutting off, and I gathered my strength in my legs and sprinted down the corridor after the retreating enemy.

Having used the EMP Pulse in advance, any traps using skills that might have been nearby would likely have been rendered useless, and traps involving grenades usually needed a series of delicate adjustments to activate, not functioning on their own.

In other words, even if I sped up to chase, the risks were minimal.

With a clicking sound, the enemy, about 30 meters ahead, pulled out their gun just before slamming the door shut. I could hear the click, suggesting they even locked it.

It took about five seconds to reach the door. The less time it took to smash the door, the better, but the expected durability of the door was quite high—but it wasn’t some special door, just one commonly used at emergency exits. Therefore, there was no reason for the doorknob to be abnormally tough.

I slowed my sprinting speed and aimed.

With a noise like air escaping, the doorknob was damaged, but that wasn’t the end of it.

───Kuuuung!

As I surged forward and slammed my shoulder into the door, it ripped off its hinges and crashed to the ground.

The strange scene that unfolded at that moment felt like the world was in slow motion, and the corridor scenery entered my view. The long hallway with cover placed here and there, and among them, the silhouette of a person—yet my instincts detected a huge threat, and I quickly turned my gaze forward.

The enemy was holding something.

It looked like a massive pipe, but if it was aimed at me, the danger was exponentially greater than just a long pipe.

A rocket launcher. Or a recoilless rifle, or something like that.

And at that moment, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together one by one.

'Could it be that sound from the transport plane earlier…!'

They must have received a rocket launcher via the transport plane.

Of course, there was no reason not to carry a rocket launcher in Apex Predator. After all, they could occasionally be seen as sidearms—yet in tournaments, it was a weapon that had become somewhat obsolete. It was easy to identify from afar, difficult to shoot, and troublesome to reload.

But what if they didn’t just carry it around? What if they stashed it somewhere after getting it?

If they cornered the enemy in a specific area and shot from there?

At that point, all the disadvantages would be diluted, and they could maximize the damage that exceeded grenades.

And that was aimed at me.

"…!"

Hiding behind the cover in front was impossible. I would be swept away along with it.

Shooting was impossible. Even if I aimed while crashing into the wall, the timing wouldn’t align.

Continuing to run was pointless. The distance to the enemy was still about 30 meters, and I would be caught in the explosion before I even got within 15 meters.

So, the only option was to dodge.

Without reducing my speed, I dashed toward the cover. The enemy’s gaze shifted, and the barrel moved toward the cover, and in less than 0.5 seconds, their finger would twitch, unleashing the explosive devastation upon the world.

But at that moment, I gathered all my strength in my legs and propelled myself off the ground.

Still at speed, I leaped up, and at that moment, the cover that reached my chest was naturally below my feet, and as I stepped on it and leaped again—flames roared beneath my legs.

And a tremendous explosion erupted behind me.

───Kwaaaaang!

The high-explosive projectile, unleashing fire and thunder simultaneously, was expelled at subsonic speeds. When it struck the cover I had just stepped on, my body, now airborne, was swept away by the shockwave, accelerating rapidly.

Like being caught in an invisible current, I flew over four meters past my anticipated landing spot, landing on the ground and naturally rolling forward to break my fall. Of course, with the immense energy of the motion and fall, rolling once or twice wouldn’t be enough to stop.

With a crashing sound, the enemy quickly threw down whatever they were holding, possibly a rocket launcher, and reached for their gun. But I had long since taken my stance and pulled out my pistol from the holster, and the moment my finger pulled the trigger, the hammer moved, striking the primer.

However, the enemy wasn’t idle either. Even amidst this chaos, they drew their firearm and began to fire while retreating. At the point where I had taken the brunt of the rocket’s effects, my shield wasn’t in a good situation either.

But,

"Where do you think you’re rushing off to?"

I was the first to finish reloading.

Taking cover, I tore two grenades from my molle and tossed them into the retreat path the enemy had been predicting. The enemy was firing their gun until the last bullet of a magazine, so they didn’t hear the pin being pulled, and as two grenades sprang from the cover I had been hiding behind, they froze on the spot.

In the meantime, I emerged from cover, aiming at the honey badger in front of me. Naturally, the enemy, completely cornered from the front and back, had no options left.

───Tu-doo-duck!

The silencer let out a muffled sound as I rendered the enemy nearly lifeless.

Though the avatar was quite different since they were also a player from the same country, I knew this user’s playstyle.

"Ink."

"…If only I had five seconds. No, three seconds more, I could have caught you."

"Creating that kind of time is part of individual capability."

But I smiled and added,

"That was quite a tactic. I’ll make good use of it."

There were no more words.

My finger twitched, and Ink, a member of the Korean team, vanished into the lobby.

Of course, my attention was elsewhere.

"A recoilless rifle."

It wasn’t a rocket launcher.

Of course, whatever it was, it might still be useful.

A large chunk of metal was strapped to my back.

"The battle at the Aurora Power Plant is nearing its end. Only three users remain: Logan, Yujin, and Sebastian. The three users are waiting at a certain distance from each other, while Logan, wielding a bulletproof shield, has started to close the gap."

"He’s taking one step forward. It’s truly an overwhelming presence, almost like a wall advancing. Is there some change in his mentality?"

The first match of Friday. Familiar nicknames come to mind. The two contenders for this year’s championship and the unfortunate user caught in between now formed a rather natural scene.

If it were fast, Yujin and Logan had naturally placed their names in the TOP 3 competition every match, while at the slowest, it happened every two matches. However, no one questioned this. They performed super plays in every match, showcasing miraculous comebacks in many skirmishes.

Comebacks only happened when one had fallen into a disadvantageous situation.

The battle between Logan and Sebastian begins. However, although one would normally aim for a freebie at this point, Yujin was watching the dynamics of the kill zone until the very end. As soon as she confirmed the narrowing direction, she began to run with a heavy launch pad and a couple of shells.

Amidst the chilling sounds of gunpowder igniting, ricochet sounds, and grenade explosions, Yujin quickly set up her traps. After securing a certain area, she placed two traps nearby and carefully set down the launch pad between some diagonally placed metal pipes.

Just by doing that, the millions of viewers realized that Yujin was not simply gaining victory through physical prowess. She was the hardest worker of all, someone who thought and pondered intensely more than any player.

Meanwhile, Logan was skillfully wielding his shield, pushing Sebastian into a corner.

"Ah, Logan! Even when the shield has faced the threat of breaking several times, he barely manages to overcome the crises! What an amazing maneuver!"

Naturally, the balance of the bulletproof shield was adjusted to a certain extent.

This skill didn’t function as one might imagine, allowing one to "press forward while heavily absorbing bullets"; rather, it enabled users to overcome unavoidable damage while preserving their own stamina, ultimately allowing them to gain the upper hand in the latter part of the battle.

And Logan delivered gameplay that perfectly aligned with that purpose.

The moment his shield began to crack, the gap between Sebastian and Logan’s shields was at least over 65%, and when the polar bear drew out the SMG, the opponent could only shake their head in despair.

Not even a minute later, the battle scenario narrowed down again to a big match between the two championship contenders.

"Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived! Yujin and Logan, Logan and Yujin! Who will seize victory in the first match of the final championship day?!"

With the host’s exciting words, the kill zone shrinks.

At that moment, a battle scenario unfolded in everyone’s imagination—Logan absorbing Yujin’s attacks heavily while she unloaded bullets fiercely against him in a fierce melee.

But about 30 seconds passed.

"Ah, the two players are officially entering combat—ah! What an incredible tempo! Both players are demonstrating dynamic movements without even considering using their skills!"

The two conjurers faced each other in the warehouse where the cold wind howled, and the major dynamics of the battle became one that prioritized speed above all else.

It wasn’t surprising to the millions of viewers, but it was an obvious choice for Logan.

'…If I pull out the shield carelessly, I’ll have to put it away after only a few uses…'

Just as he said.

Since they completely understood each other’s abilities, the most important cards should only be used at the most critical moments.

Of course, the viewers didn’t care which side it was. If one widened the distance, the other would close in, and vice versa. The existence of the two players themselves represented two frontlines, and the battle illustrated the most intense clash between those two frontlines.

Even though not even a minute had passed, sighs and cheers erupted repeatedly from all around. It was a scene that resembled the collision of two typhoons, shrunk down to human size, where the outcome could not be determined by anyone.

But,

"Logan is stabilizing the dangerous attacks even in the activated state of the EMP through exquisite damage control! The gap in shields between the two players is slowly widening!"

Yujin had sealed the self-repair function of the shield with the EMP pulse, but as such, she only needed to defend against the attacks that could lead to severe shield damage.

Logan operated the shield deftly each time he was cornered, carving out new breakthroughs on the battlefield, and every time, Yujin lost her geographical advantage. At that point, she smirked, letting out a slight chuckle.

That laugh had as many interpretations as there were people, but it was truly this.

'I can’t believe I’m getting back what I used to do during operations.'

Just as she said.

The pointman from Task Force Dagger. Having been deployed in countless operations and mastering the usage of the shield through sheer grit... Logan was reproducing that precisely, and Yujin knew better than anyone how cruel that was.

Logan wouldn’t hand over victory to anyone, and he wouldn’t let his guard down until the end.

But the traps Yujin had set would indeed take effect on Logan.

To achieve that, a few preparations were necessary.

───Tu-doo-doo-doo-doo!

The bullets passing through the silencer struck the shield repeatedly. They focused primarily on the transparent multilayered plastic visor that could defend the face. Although the effects were minimal due to the nanomachines surrounding the shield, the important thing was to create cracks that obstructed vision in the plastic.

And the moment I dumped an entire magazine into it, a large crack appeared on the front visor of the shield, and Logan folded the shield. Just as I expected.

After that, I prepared the bait that couldn’t be missed.

It was Yujin herself.

"Kugh…!"

Drrrriiiiing!

As soon as Logan confirmed that he had spent an entire magazine, he charged forward with tremendous ferocity, and Yujin successfully dodged, but her shield shattered. From then on, she could die from just one headshot.

Tension filled her body, but Logan would also know that his shield had broken. And she would never let her guard down and would continue to press forward stubbornly.

In other words, Logan would take a beat and then charge in.

"Ah, Logan! The EMP effect has ended, and he’s waiting for the bulletproof shield to recover! He’s not letting his guard down until the last moment! Can he overcome this situation?!"

It was an accurate prediction.

But Yujin couldn’t smile. She was too tense to find it funny. Yet her body moved nonetheless. The time of tribulation was ending like a bolt from the blue; she would use her life as a gamble to guide Logan to the final point.

Click. The sound of the shield opening echoed again, and Yujin realized the time had come.

───Tu-wung! Tu-wung! Tu-wung!

Several shots erupted from the pistol in Logan’s hand. Each time, the shield broke and restored helplessly, and her HP began to drop little by little.

However, Yujin never lost her sharpness in her gaze. One step, two steps, three steps… She merely led the enemy to the designated point like a machine. Despite Logan rummaging around, not a single trap had been triggered; it was all for this moment.

And as she stepped into the final point, Yujin fired at the debris scattered near Logan’s shield, not at Logan himself.

In that brief shooting exchange, two bullets struck Yujin’s HP, dropping it below 40%, but it was worth it.

The two wooden pallets placed at regular intervals shook greatly as they were hit by bullets, and after a few seconds...

-Kwaaaang!

An explosion erupted from the debris.

Two grenades, which had been hidden and had their safety pins pulled out in advance, rattled as they were struck by bullets and detonated four seconds later. It was difficult for an operator to endure, but the shield was largely unaffected except for a momentary shake.

But that shaking was exactly what Yujin was aiming for.

A chilling metallic sound echoed.

Even while reflexively suppressing fire, the sight that entered Logan’s eyes, just escaping the explosion’s aftermath, was Yujin holding a structure the size of a pipe.

And—

───Puh-wung!

"Gah!"

The physical force was enough to shatter the shield, sending Logan flying several meters back.

The sounds echoing in Logan’s ears as he literally bounced back included the sound of the shield breaking, the thud of metal hitting the ground, and the various noises from rolling on the floor… But the last thing Logan saw as he tumbled across the warehouse floor was Yujin loading the second shell into the recoilless rifle.

His entire body was in a state of dysfunction.

Yet Logan leaned back against the materials and laughed.

"Ha, I really took a hit there."

Of course, the response was the projectile flying at 225 meters per second.

The first match of Friday returned in victory for Yujin.