NoveLight ™
“…Dead? All six of them?”
“Yes. There’s been no response since two minutes ago, so I checked, and they were all in the lobby.”
“What the hell happened…”
Meanwhile, in the main lobby of the high-value research facility.
Three individuals, looking somewhat displeased, activated a holographic map and began marking various points. However, the most notable detail was in the upper-right corner, where fifteen nicknames were displayed, along with a single question mark. Six of those names, however, had a red slash across them.
Who were they? Nothing special. They were the fifteen who had come to participate in content creation to upload videos on YouSpace, just barely missing the required 16 participants to fill the slot. To be more specific, it was a collection of four streamers, a few hobbyists, and some regular people.
“The first combat location was the basement lounge on the first floor, and the southern classified area, right? So, one of the unknowns should still be somewhere around there…”
“Should we take a loudspeaker and tell them it's part of the content?”
“Should we…? Who would've thought failing to meet the private session open condition would lead to something like this.”
As it turned out, the content creators had failed to meet one of the conditions for opening a private session, which required filling the entrance quota. Coincidentally, one of the streamers, responsible for observing the match, had been injured suddenly, leaving the session to be occupied by the public instead.
The objective for the day was as follows: With four EU streamers observing, the remaining twelve participants were split into four teams of three. These teams were named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, with the combat zones pre-designated for tournament-style matches.
The reason for wanting the private session was evident. Since the content wasn’t focused on farming but rather combat, having outsiders join the session would complicate things for both sides.
Thus, as they occupied the session, they activated the research facility’s broadcasting system and sent out a message, offering credit for an entry keycard in exchange for moving to another session. The message wasn’t just in Korean; it was broadcasted in English, Chinese, and Japanese using a translator as well.
Of course—
“…Didn’t hear the broadcast, did they?”
“I think they went up the medical stairs; it looks like they're at the underground spawn. The broadcast doesn’t reach that far down.”
“Great.”
The timing could not have been worse.
Since an unknown player was still unaccounted for and Alpha and Bravo teams were scattered like fallen leaves, there still remained a chance—this unknown player's skills were far too impressive.
What should the title be? It was supposed to be a session takeover, but now there’s a mysterious pro player!? Almost had a disaster!… That should work, right? As I thought it over, I sent the idea to the other two streamers, and within seconds, they nodded, agreeing.
And so, the next instructions came.
“For now, Charlie and Delta, please come to the front desk. Alpha and Bravo, please wait in the lobby. We’ll continue the tournament content after this round in the next session. For anyone who lost their gear, we’ll provide it before the next round starts.”
“So, do we start the mysterious pro defense now?”
“That phrase sounds great. Hire them!”
And thus began the unexpected pro defense. Although the direction of the content had veered significantly from what was originally planned, that didn’t matter. The content, almost on the brink of collapse, was now smoothly handled, and, more importantly, it provided a new broadcasting angle.
After all, the tournament could be played in the next round even if it wasn’t happening now. In that round, they would randomly select a viewer to complete the 16 participants needed for a private session. So, strictly speaking, this wasn’t too big of a problem.
The cost-benefit analysis was complete. Nine people gathered at the front desk, and, under the skilled direction of the leaders, they immediately began their tasks.
“Charlie’s team will switch to reconnaissance. If you hear any noise, confirm it, and we’ll act as the strike team. Once a position is confirmed, let us know, and we’ll proceed with the encirclement.”
“Ah, if it’s just one, the reconnaissance team will cut them off, right?”
“Hey, that’s a very dangerous statement.”
At the same time, the causes of death and the locations of hits for six people appeared. As viewers had said minutes before, it was clear that only the head and chest were darkened. Considering that the durability of the bulletproof plates was visibly reduced, it was clear that one or two shots had finished off these individuals.
No one was unaware of that fact. At least, those gathered in the lobby knew the system well and could deduce from the bodies that the enemy wasn’t an ordinary player, but a highly skilled one.
It didn’t take long before the discussion began.
“Only a few shots, so this must’ve been an AP round to cause a one-shot kill…”
“If it was an M1A, that wouldn’t be the case. At least 4 to 6 shots would’ve been needed to break the slick and send them out.”
“Considering the sound even with the silencer, I think they brought a Lapua. With semi-automatic fire, the only possible weapon would be a Mjolnir.”
“Why are there so many people with Thunder Hammers these days? This is scary... At this point, even a glancing hit would be lethal. We need to stay sharp and scan everything.”
Various discussions continued, but the conclusion was the same. Whoever this was, they were extremely well-prepared and had turned everything in front of them into blood and dust.
Swallowing hard, Charlie Jo, who had steeled his resolve even further, took his first step. He climbed the central stairs and entered the main hall, splitting up with one heading toward the parking corridor, another to the cat tower, and the last one toward the café, scanning the entire map as they moved.
The central area, which had been confidently occupied, now seemed eerily unsettling. One person had gone up to monitor the main area, while the others continued to scan it thoroughly.
“Anything?”
“No. I found three dead in the central hallway. They didn’t seem to have been looted.”
“They weren’t looted? That makes it harder to track their footsteps…”
As the conversation continued, one of them suddenly spoke.
“Could it be…”
“Did you find something?”
“No, just a quick guess.”
“Got it.”
The person speaking through the intercom began searching the area again, but in the manager’s room, the person observing all the happenings couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t adding up. They had an inkling.
The helmets were mostly Altins, or for frontal combat, there were some using Tachanka helmets. While there were numerous guns that could pierce through a 5-class helmet, the ones that could kill a 6-class helmet wearer in a single shot were limited to only a few types.
Not to mention, considering they didn’t loot the gear, it seemed like the person wasn’t interested in farming. It wasn’t impossible to encounter such a player in EU mode, but when considering the fact that all six were taken down in under a minute…
‘No way. Could it really be Eugene?’
Among the 16 total session slots, 15 had been occupied by a single team. Could it really be Eugene, the last remaining person? The idea was so absurd that it seemed impossible.
Chuckling dryly, the manager tried to comfort himself, but even as he did, the unease in his heart grew.
Several minutes passed. Despite thoroughly searching the central area, nothing was found, so the manager finally decided to join the reconnaissance team in person, taking a deep breath before stepping out.
He was about to leave.
And from a hidden corner where no one noticed, Eugene carefully regulated his breathing.
His finger hooked around the trigger, and the special alloy penetrator shot out of the barrel at a speed several times faster than sound.
— Pew!
The glass shattered, and one head disappeared.
The hunt had begun.
“Damn, what happened? Who died, where?”
“Yoshino’s dead. Weren’t they just checking around the manager’s room earlier?”
“What did they get hit with to die in one shot!?”
There's a saying that to spread confusion among people, only a single bullet and one life is needed.
With the loud, almost deafening sound of gunfire, someone dropped to the ground, lifeless, like a puppet with its strings cut. However, the key fact was that with a single life lost, they could now identify the shooting location or the last standing player.
At least, everyone there thought so.
Until the situation started to take an unexpected turn.
— Thud!
“Footsteps coming from the central hallway! Move up!”
“Circle around the black room and head to the medical area. You go up the ward stairs. I’ll call for backup!”
The reconnaissance team, now down to two, split up in different directions.
One of them, hearing the footsteps, approached the server room but was unfortunate to be on the opposite side of Eugene, who had aimed his gun in the opposite direction. In an instant, Eugene kicked the enemy’s knee from behind, spun them around, and broke their right arm to prevent them from shooting.
She removed their helmet and ensured no distress signal would be sent, tightening her grip on their neck before adding:
“If you had seen the shoes of the corpse in the black room, you’d have suspected the footsteps by now.”
“Ugh, you…!”
“Goodbye.”
With a sickening crunch, the body fell to the ground, neck turned the wrong way.
Eugene’s actions were clear — she had stripped the shoes off the body and hung them somewhere, then shot. This misled the remaining players, who had made incorrect assumptions about the location based on the footsteps they heard.
With one more player dispatched, Eugene quickly moved to hide near an expected path, taking down another player in the process.
But even with that success, she knew the remaining player couldn’t be dealt with easily, especially given the distance. By now, she was aware that the enemy had gathered in the north, based on their movements and the positions of the silhouettes.
And she had something very special prepared for them.
“I’m not sure how many are left, but if they’re sweeping the entire area, chances are, they’ll come in pairs no matter the route. This is going to hurt.”
As they said, many had remembered the claymore placed between the rocks during the last lighthouse run, but few ever imagined it would end up here. That didn’t matter, though. The important thing was that Eugene remembered.
She had already placed the traps in a hidden passage connecting the cat tower corridor and the manager’s corridor. The reason she chose this route, despite the floor below, was simple. At least one person would most likely pass through it while scouting from the second floor.
And just as she predicted, after waiting for about a minute…
With a light grip on the trigger, Eugene shook the entire high-value research facility with the blast.
— Boom!
“Two down—ugh!”
Pop!
At the same time, a bullet whizzed overhead. Eugene immediately ducked behind cover. The enemy, who had circled around the medical stairs, had finally spotted her. She didn’t retaliate immediately but waited patiently, tuning her senses to the sound of the surroundings.
Soon, the distinct sound of a grenade pin being pulled echoed through the corridor. At that moment, Eugene rose with lightning speed and aimed at the point from which the bullet had come. She saw the enemy briefly emerge from the corner, preparing to throw the grenade, and in that moment, she fired, taking them out with a precise shot.
The grenade, which had been halfway through its cooking process, dropped to the floor, and immediately after, a sharp flash of light exploded across the room, followed by a deadly hail of metal pellets.
‘The footsteps I hear around me… must be about three or four in total.’
Having used up most of her usable gear, this was now pure combat—no distractions. The only advantage she had left was that her position had not yet been detected by the remaining four players.
That meant she could turn the 1:4 situation into 1:3 and strike.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled, focusing her aim on the visible enemy targets. Her tail was already prepared to throw another grenade, and with a squeeze of the trigger, she quickly took down another target. She immediately tensed her body, readying herself to retreat if necessary.
Just two seconds later…
— Ping!
“Ack!”
“There! In the medical hallway! Go after them!”
The piercing sound of a shot rang out, and one of the enemies collapsed.
However, Eugene had already started running in the opposite direction, preparing for her next move.
<Foxlight has donated 50,000 KRW.>
Ignoring the sudden large donation, Eugene continued running toward the cargo stairs, gun still smoking in her hand.
The true 1:15 legend was just ten minutes away from spreading.