NoveLight ™
"Good work, everyone!"
"Oh, thank you all for your hard work. You must've had a tough time because of me."
"No, not at all. If it weren't for you, we would've been wiped out."
One day, as April was coming to an end and May was just beginning, four players climbed onto the back of an old truck at the entrance of the high-value research facility. The truck let out a loud exhaust noise as it prepared to depart, puffing gas into the air. They threw their large, overstuffed backpacks into the cargo hold, then slumped onto the uncomfortable seats, letting out a collective sigh.
The wheels spun powerfully, grinding against the cracked asphalt, kicking up concrete dust. The truck made its way back to the base camp. After hauling their heavy backpacks back onto their shoulders, the group exchanged friendly goodbyes before parting ways.
Afterward, the player headed to the gear box and set down their pack. They entered a nearby cure container, where a set amount of credits was deducted, and their various statuses and HP were restored.
After taking a sip of ice-cold soda, they finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
"Ugh, that was tough. But hey, we wiped the session clean. This might go bad for me if I keep this up."
Just as he said, just moments ago, his squad had raided the high-value research facility, fighting fierce battles against live targets and gathering high-quality loot. The huge bag, stuffed with everything from fully-modded weapons to rare items, had been hauled back with the loot, including sleek and hexagrid body armor that was hard to come by in normal maps, as well as expensive decorative items like vases and chicken statues.
He entered the gear box once more, unstrapped the bag, and began sorting the items with an oddly delighted expression.
"Ugh, so sweet. Just selling off the junk items will be enough to go on five raids fully geared. I should stash all the usable stuff in my inventory."
After a moment of sudden pause, he resumed his meticulous sorting of items. He picked out a few guns, checked their parts, and carefully hung them on the shelves. Among them was a weapon with a grenade launcher mounted beneath the barrel.
"So, if I prepare four times as much as this, I should be able to take on Mecha-Biyam, right?"
His remark struck a chord with the audience. It was clear. He was fully prepared, and the others were beginning to understand the gravity of taking on Mecha-Yujin.
"Is there something with higher firepower? EMP grenades, thermite, those kinds of things?"
It was clear that defeating Mecha-Yujin would require immense firepower, especially considering its armor and the unique challenges that the event posed. The thought of facing it with the limited gear available made the task seem even more daunting.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind, triggering a series of rapid actions. The last time they had met Yujin was before a major competition, almost six months ago. He had kept up with some of the news, remembering that Yujin had been involved in a significant victory during the West Coast Restoration War. It was said that he had done quite a number of impressive things in PvP as well.
As he remembered this, a thought crossed his mind: What if Mecha-Yujin's origin had something to do with Yujin himself?
Without much hesitation, he quickly navigated to his friend list. It was easy to spot the six-letter username that appeared in the chat: "Yujin" — playing the Escape from Unknown mode (EU).
"Eh..."
The chat exploded with excitement. It seemed like he had found Yujin again in the game, and all the doubts about his decision melted away. He’d be joining the Mecha-Yujin event with renewed focus.
After a brief pause, Kato grabbed his gear and prepared for the next challenge. As the truck arrived at the mall, his mind was set on what he would do next. The excitement of the event ahead had taken full hold of him.
That’s when the second quest appeared before him.
“Hmm. I guess it’s going to be a headache.”
The screen flashed with new information, outlining his next task: entering a shopping mall filled with enemies. It would not be easy, but it was just the kind of challenge Kato was ready for.
"Seems like quite the headache."
"You're not wrong. It's even worse than you think."
A shopping mall.
Just three simple words and a large structure taking up a whole lot of space. The moment he heard that it was a place with four different kinds of items, he was immediately taken aback. But the layout of the map wasn’t too difficult to memorize. The building itself had a symmetrical structure, though there were too many things left to figure out. At this point, nothing could be determined until he was inside.
The mission seemed simple enough: infiltrate and scout. As he walked along, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be a chaotic and exhausting task.
"Going into an unfamiliar area is something I shouldn’t be doing, but it works out. Looks like it’s swarming with bugs, though. Why don’t I just go for a walk in the mall? Bring some bug-catching tools, and if you pick up some of the scrap around, it’ll be even better."
"Just give me some more shotgun shells. Slug rounds would be fine."
"That should be easy enough. How many do you need?"
"Enough to take down 15 people for sure."
And with that, he received 100 rounds of standard slug ammo.
Climbing into the truck bound for the shopping mall, he prepared by organizing the shells in his bag. He made sure the rounds were aligned properly since the shotgun used a tube magazine. If he stuffed the rounds in carelessly, it would cause major issues when trying to reload.
As the truck started, he thought of his options. Maybe he could switch to a more convenient setup, but everything had its price.
The truck came to a stop, and he prepared to step out, making sure to check his surroundings. The map of the mall, memorized and stored in his head, provided a good sense of where he needed to go. He wasn’t going to rush. Moving slowly, he began to take in the area.
As he walked, he could feel the vibrations through the air and ground — faint signs of hostile NPCs nearby.
‘Let’s check out this Olive place,’ he thought.
The mall entrance was ahead, its green wallpaper standing out against the large building. The place had been designed with four giant stores combined into one massive structure, something unusual even in the U.S. and rare back home in Korea.
Walking towards the wall, he checked the map and the layout once again. He’d need to be cautious of the underground parking lot and tunnel that led further into the building. He had a plan in his mind and confidently entered.
Meanwhile, the chat kept going wild with messages:
Just as the chat predicted, gunfire began echoing from within. But instead of panicking, Kato took his time and made his way cautiously through the mall. His goal was to avoid direct confrontations and keep moving forward.
"I’ve got this," he muttered under his breath as he maneuvered into position.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. A few bandits were approaching. It was easy to deceive them, though. Before they could get too close, Kato threw a small object, causing them to turn their heads.
As the bandits checked the noise, Kato moved quickly.
Crack.
With a swift move, he knocked one of them out, pushing them into the floor and finishing them off with a quick hit to the head. The other bandit, unaware of the attack, moved closer, but it wasn’t long before Kato disposed of them as well.
"Two down," he said, noting the kill count increase.
But he wasn’t done yet. It seemed like there was no time for leisurely battles anymore. Shots rang out in the distance, and Kato knew things were escalating.
Bang! A shot whizzed through the air and hit nearby surfaces, splintering into pieces. The sound was unmistakable — a suppressed weapon.
The next phase of the fight was about to begin. Kato quickly analyzed the situation and prepared himself. He wasn’t just dealing with NPCs this time. Players were also out there, making the mission all the more dangerous.