[Tricky - Yujin]

[Notice] I regret to inform you that I will have to take a week-long hiatus.

Due to a sudden important schedule, I’m announcing this out of the blue. I will try to wrap things up as quickly as possible. The expected maximum limit is a week, so there's a good chance I can return to streaming sooner. See you next week.

Then, 20000.

[All Comments] [In order of registration]

=What?????????????????????

=Noooo, it’s my only joy in life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

=You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? You’re lying, right? ㄴAbsolutely not, haha. ㄴDon’t joke around; I’ve been waiting with my eyes wide open to see when the stream would start, and what is this? You’re lying, say it’s a lie!!!!!!!! ㄴSerious Yujin addiction here.

=Oh dear, haha, it’s not even April Fool’s Day yet, and the lies are too much, haha. It’s a lie, right????? Where can I go? I can’t live without you, uh-uh-uh!

Копировать код

ㄴThe gradient madness, haha.

=Guys, give it up, haha. Yujin keeps her word like a steel arrow. ㄴFor real, haha. ㄴShe’s as unyielding as General Choi Yong, haha. ㄴI’m feeling dizzy, really, haha.

=I’m looking for someone who can hit me hard enough to knock me out for seven days. ㄴCan someone hit me too? ㄴ3333333333333333333333333

=Teacher, people are suffering like this, and suddenly a hiatus? Is that even reasonable? Please reconsider!!!!!!!!!

=Let’s evacuate to the Cat Stream~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=In this case, if Lorentina streams, right???? ㄴOh. ㄴAre you from Harvard??????????????????????? ㄴLet’s go, haha. ㄴActually, I prefer the polar bear version more, haha.

=The fact that no one can stop an emergency hiatus really pisses me off, haha. ㄴYeah, a hiatus stream is just a hobby~ No matter how much you donate, it won’t matter~ ㄴThe fact that it’s a hobby stream is really the scariest, haha.

=Sister, please, we were wrong….

=Yeah, try taking a hiatus~ If you go to watch other streams (none), then it’s fine~ ㄴHaha, for real, haha. ㄴ(None), haha. ㄴIs it reasonable to say that there are streams of the Dark Zone everywhere, but there’s no substitute for Yujin, ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

=●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ㄴYeah, just lie down~ Never turn on the stream~ ㄴShit, haha.

"What do you mean she suddenly disappeared?"

Yujin’s notice of the hiatus.

With the streaming start time fast approaching, Harmony muttered with a strange expression. I wonder what grand thing she’s up to this time. It felt like that. It was just the other day that she had been dragged into unimaginable events led by that impossible tension.

In any case, even if I pushed those useless thoughts aside, I was genuinely curious. Of course, it felt a bit inappropriate to ask outright. People tend to have one or two secrets they don’t share, and Yujin definitely had several hidden secrets that she couldn’t disclose to others.

And based on the instincts of a full-time streamer with five years of experience, along with the subtly hinted past actions of Yujin, it was clear that this was something personal that an outsider should not pry into.

The group chat that included Yujin’s acquaintances had also had some conversations about this.

-[Laurentina: The youngest is going to be away for a few days, so it’s better not to pry.]

-[Harmony: Gasp.]

It was a kind yet terrifying warning.

And after a few hours of that message coming up, a notice appeared. Judging by the given information, it was clear that this was something personal that even Yujin’s acquaintances didn’t know about. In other words, it meant I didn’t need to worry about it any further—though it wouldn’t be easy to not worry.

Moreover, the recent news from the Dark Zone was so abundant that I wanted to share it with Yujin.

"It was quite difficult, at least."

The overall difficulty of the incursion mission was significantly reduced.

Since I had cleared it by utilizing all sorts of terrain features and included aerial support, Harmony and Dice, who usually didn’t pay much attention to equipment, didn’t know that the basic genre classification of the Dark Zone was hardcore route-shooting FPS.

There were times when the ability to clear missions depended significantly on the equipment used.

And I would later learn that the incursion mission was a place where new high-end weapons and items would pour out in bulk. Harmony herself was dizzy from organizing her inventory.

In any case, despite being such a wonderful farming area, the mission had been half-idled because the routes had yet to be explored, and now it was finally open.

"There were runs where people would take down a mid-boss to grab loot and abandon the mission…."

Saying that, Harmony flopped down onto the bed.

Now it was time to turn on the stream properly.

As soon as she pressed the button on the choker around her neck, all her biometric signals headed towards the connection device, and she finally plunged into the vast world of VR. Pressing the streaming start button alongside her familiar green cat avatar, the number of viewers began to skyrocket within seconds.

This was a common sight these days. Harmony had become a streamer whose skills and popularity had risen significantly while collaborating with Yujin, and on days when Yujin wasn’t streaming, she instantly took the top spot in Korean broadcasts, becoming the president of Tricky.

Of course, another pillar supporting her popularity was the Dark Zone.

"Ah, hello everyone… It’s Harmony again. Since I’ve just heard about Yujin’s hiatus, I don’t think I need to ask how you all have been."

-Open Yujin’s door quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -Coming to someone else's house and grabbing the doorknob of the Yujin’s house, what a nuisance, haha. -Living Point) If the viewers in the Cat Stream are more than usual, it’s a day off for Yujin. -A new mission came out; shall we take a taste? -Today is Dark Zone, tomorrow is Dark Zone, yay! I have to mix rice with the Dark Zone~~.

Seeing the viewers in a state of chaos, it was clear that Yujin’s charm was indeed powerful.

Of course, aside from those thoughts, Harmony had also just learned how to train her audience by hanging around with the person involved—and those causing a ruckus were naturally ignored. The ones who always felt disappointed were the viewers.

However, conversely, the chats of those who brought proper information naturally stood out. This time was no exception, and Harmony effortlessly caught that. She couldn’t ignore the news that a new mission had come out.

Ultimately, she was going to be dragged by Yujin’s trap, but…

"Let’s see. Operation Sunrise… should I read it as the Sunrise operation?"

The operation to reclaim Los Angeles after the tank operation.

However, the way this operation was conducted was uniquely peculiar. Specifically, instead of the whimsical infiltration and disruption tactics as before, it was composed of straightforward urban combat, fitting the very notion of war.

And supporting this was the 'accumulation system'—in other words, when the mission starts, achieving the minor objectives given would contribute to the operation’s contribution score. Before mission deployment, users could choose from various operational objectives categorized by difficulty, and as this accumulated, once 100% was achieved, the Sunrise operation would be cleared.

Perhaps that’s why this mission no longer carried the word 'incursion' that implied invasion.

"…It feels like a kind of infinite competitive content."

At this point, it might seem like a system that favored only those with lots of time, but the reality was a bit different.

Fallen.

To prevent those who would monopolize the mission by sinking time into it, if one wanted, they could be deployed as a hidden traitor operator to hinder the operations of the leading users. In short, it was a localized war where cooperation and PVP could freely mix.

The moment I read that far, everyone was in an uproar. They might pretend otherwise, but they must be thrilled to hinder Yujin.

'If they can catch her, who knows….'

Having seen that guy’s battles up close, I could only think that way.

Yujin and her acquaintances… no, stop here. I didn’t particularly want to see a Fallen operator being allowed to engage in close combat and having their head taken off. In any case, I’d decide to help when Yujin returned.

Thinking that way, Harmony naturally turned on not the Dark Zone—but another game.

"Okay, everyone. If we jump straight into the Dark Zone, it might give your heart a fright. Just like when swimming, we should wet our bodies before going in, so before starting a great game, let’s warm up a bit with a bad game. You all understand, right?"

-?????????? -What, are you not playing Dark Zone????? -The newcomers look so confused already, haha. -Ah… this is what’s called a 'bad game.' You newcomers are seeing it for the first time. -Are you trying to set an example after a long time? Are you trying to set an example after a long time? Are you trying to set an example after a long time? Are you trying to set an example after a long time? Are you trying to set an example after a long time?

-What the hell are you talking about, haha.

Of course, it was an excuse that didn’t hold any weight, but the uproar of the viewers didn’t reach Harmony.

That day, the Cat Stream played a bizarre game where a farmer who fell into hell was catching demons for about an hour and a half before finally entering the Dark Zone.

It was an ordinary day.

Meanwhile,

"…Isn’t this an interrogation room?"

"Just think of it as borrowing a favor for a moment, our youngest."

Yujin was taken to the top-secret facility in the basement of HQ.

"I feel like a traitor even though I didn’t betray anyone."

"Would you like me to stay with you?"

"Can you stop following me around, geez."

Central Park underground.

It had been a long time since I came here, and this was the first time for something like this. The stern security facility reminded me of ADX Florence prison—I only remembered that this was usually where captured Fallen were interrogated.

The Dagger Team was always busy, so I never had the time to come to a place like this.

In any case, there were quite a few former Fallen agents locked up nearby, and while I was also trapped in a facility like that, obviously, the treatment was on a different level. I wasn’t here because I had betrayed Icarus.

Specifically, it was more about preventing the various facts that shook the foundation of the world from leaking out, discovered beneath the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.

"It’s funny how they hastily drilled a hole for my tail."

"It’s a temporary measure. They said they would bring food that’s as tasty as possible, so just hang in there, Yujin."

"Logan didn’t use to be like this; he suddenly became so amiable."

"If you’d rather I stay quiet, I can do that."

"Oh, that’s not it…."

The image transformation of these two was quite burdensome.

In any case, as I mentioned earlier, the traitorous operators were wearing something similar to restraining suits, or those with lesser offenses had their hands cuffed and were accompanied by armed guards during interrogations, but I wouldn’t have such treatment.

Of course, even if they did put handcuffs on me, I could break them with a little twist of my wrist.

Opposite me sat Logan and Lorentina. The room was equipped with a thorough soundproof system, completely blocking sounds from the outside.

Logan skimmed a paper that seemed to have questions written on it, frowning as he ripped it up and tossed it in the trash.

"They’re trying to use this opportunity to boss you around as an operator again… You’ve had enough time to rest."

"That makes me feel a bit weird to hear."

"That’s the norm."

Perhaps that was true.

Anyway, the reason these two were here was to understand precisely what had happened at the time—but honestly, that was only for show. They had no intention of getting proper answers from me, and I felt the same. Given the circumstances.

It was more likely that we would just pass the time appropriately, keeping our mouths shut. If the higher-ups tried to dig up more information, those two mysterious individuals who had brought me here would likely reassure me, saying not to worry as they 'touched the data center a little.'

So even though they said it was interrogation time, the two of them had genuinely warm expressions as they added.

"Is there any snack you’d like to eat?"

"…."

I felt like a child being overly protected.

In any case, aside from that, it was time to properly discuss the synchronization of world lines—how I came to be here and how I would help this world line in the future… though I didn’t say a word about the Dark Zone.

After all, a game created based on a world where people were dying. In my original world, it was merely an entertainment element, but if the people here heard about it, it wouldn’t be surprising if their anger erupted immediately.

Thus, my explanation became somewhat vague, but after applying what I had said about how I crossed over to this world, I was able to convey what kind of situation awaited them.

In summary—

"I’m saying that I won’t die no matter what happens from now on."

And naturally, they were the happiest to hear that.

When I told them I could come back to hang out again after returning, their smiles were ear to ear—it was literally like seeing two people for the first time. Understanding that a person they thought was dead had come back to life was not something they could fathom.

However, it was still too early for them to be entirely happy.

Before long, the time would come when everyone, including the Dagger Team, would not need to stand on the battlefield.

If the timing was right, perhaps right about now—

───Crackle!

At the same time, a communication connection sound echoed in the air.

It was the voice of the squad leader, Serkins, that I hadn’t heard in a while.

Though urgent, there was somehow a tone that indicated everything was okay, echoing through the room.

"Uh… Logan and Lorentina, I’m relaying this. Currently in Los Angeles… unidentified entities are roaming and engaging in combat with enemy forces. The Icarus West Branch is working to assess the situation as much as possible, but nothing has been revealed, so don’t ask for details. I’ll relay additional information as soon as it’s determined. End of transmission."

Looking at the two of them, who wore expressions that seemed to grasp nothing, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.

I was prepared for this.

"It’s time to put down the guns."

The moment was approaching to put an exclamation point on the kill count of the Dagger Team, which had been running breathlessly.

It was the moment when gray areas spread across the map.