"Looks like we’ll meet again, not on the battlefield, but somewhere else soon."

"Hmm."

"It seems Artemis won't leave that entity alone much longer."

At that, Lorentina chuckled.

"Well, little one, do as you please. We'll adjust as needed. Let's get ready for the next battle."

"Of course, but... wouldn't it be better if we had more people to help us, the more the better?"

A cryptic statement.

As I loaded my soaked body onto the return truck and adjusted the in-game menu, several windows popped up. I entered the group chat linked to the Engram system, typing out a message.

"About four if we’re short on people, maybe six or seven if we’re lucky. We might need to prepare for consecutive battles, so we should bring as many as we can."

The faces of the Dagger Team shifted subtly, but the numbers beside the messages in the chat slowly started to dwindle as more names appeared. Harmony, Dice, Blooming, Kato, Lorentina, and Logan... and if possible, Owens too.

For something big, preparation was key.

"You’re preparing your own version of the Book of Revelation, huh, little one?"

"Haha."

Lorentina's comment summed everything up. It had only been 20 minutes since the truck, which was pushing through the muddy path, dropped us back at base.

"A... huh? What’s going on here?"

"Uh... Coach Dice, Mr. Eugene, you called me too, right?"

"Yes, but... uh..."

Meanwhile, in East Seoul.

Dice was utterly confused.

"Wow... this is amazing. I never thought I'd see Mecha Eugene in action. I’ve heard so much about it from Mina, but it’s so... wow."

"...Is it alright if I’m here too?"

"Mr. Eugene, we have two people here who aren't quite used to this."

A few days later, at Gearbox.

Dice and Blooming, who had never stepped into EU mode before, made their way in safely, followed by Kato and Harmony. It was the first time in a while that the team had reunited. They’d been busy with their own missions, dealing with tasks in other worlds and working alongside Jin.

Even though I had called them all together so suddenly, they showed up without complaint… but—

"The Archetype is staring at me like it’s going to eat me alive. It’s incredibly unnerving."

"Now you’re saying it’s unnerving? Hold on a bit longer. They’re one of the people who’ll be crucial in helping with the upcoming mission, so make sure you get along."

"Nice to meet you. Should I call you Dice?"

LOL, Sharkpolar Bear’s here ww
Can’t move, haha, hilarious!
Got it! Got it! Just bribe with snacks!!!!!!!!!
Editors are shaking the carrots, I can hear it hahaha
It wasn’t a surprise, but it still stung a little.

The first was meeting Dice. I’d explained that earlier, so I’ll skip that part. The second, of course, was the streaming. Not that I hadn’t streamed at all, but I hadn't done it on the Dark Zone before.

Luckily, I had some help from Icarus here. Given the large differences between the progress with other players, I’d put up a spoiler block message explaining why I hadn’t streamed recently.

It was a surface-level excuse. The real reason was that the Dagger Team’s presence on the stream would be a risk for both them and me. If the Dagger Team appeared on the stream, it would expose us to unnecessary risk.

So, for this stream, I planned to minimize their appearances.

"...I really like this one."

"Right? Keep watching. You’ll see that they’ve got more than a few things in common with Mr. Eugene."

"Seriously... Let’s keep getting along from now on. Do you want to be secret friends with me?"

"Recognized."

Before I could deal with them, though.

Anyway, Dice was one thing, but the reason Blooming was here was simple—it was a form of practical training. Same with Kato. There’s this saying that people grow best in extreme conditions.

Half of it was also an excuse to gather people.

And after some time passed...

"Heh, lots of familiar faces."

"Looks like work’s piling up, huh? I’ve got to get paid later for this, you reckless brat."

"Ugh, of course..."

Sharkpolar Bear’s herewwww
Can’t move, haha, hilarious!
Got it! Got it! Just bribe with snacks!!!!!!!!!
Editors are shaking the carrots, I can hear it hahaha
It was painful, but there was a thorough punishment involved.

Just before the briefing began, my face turned as red as a tomato. The others, excluding me, were all smiling like they had witnessed something precious. These people, they liked seeing me struggle.

Of course, the one enjoying it the most was Jin. There was no need to mention that.

The briefing started.

"Dice and Blooming have never played EU, so they'll need to learn the system and map layout as we go. Harmony, you’ll be helping them."

"...Is it possible to teach them that in such a short time?"

"I never taught you two to be incapable of learning that. It’s not hard at all. Try it out for yourselves."

The map appeared.

The main stage would be the bunker. It was a map that crammed in all sorts of elements—train stations, warehouses, buildings on hills, bunkers, multiple layered CQB areas... and of course, a location Artemis had to defend at all costs.

A UAV-sent image flashed on the screen. There were many craters around the map. It looked like we, along with the Dagger Team, had wreaked havoc on the area, though I suspected we’d also carried out a lot of long-range bombings. Probably fired something like Tomahawks relentlessly.

But it seemed the middle of the map wasn’t as effective. The reason was pretty obvious. Some kind of shield was likely blocking the central area. Several notes on the table confirmed this theory.

I continued, speaking based on the information I’d seen.

"Our mission is simple. After climbing the rocks, we infiltrate the radar base to the southeast and destroy all the shield generators and missile defense systems blocking the area. Meanwhile, the Dagger Team will infiltrate from the opposite direction to the northwest and destroy the supply hub at the train station."

"And then?"

"After that, we’ll head down and clean up the south, east, and north sections while Dagger approaches from the opposite side. Ultimately, we’ll meet up in the center."

A brief silence followed. I pointed to a section of the map.

My finger stopped at a spot slightly to the left of the center. It was in the middle of the south, east, and north sections—but interestingly, unlike the usual map, there was no helicopter in the center of the bunker.

I didn’t know why, but it was probably a good thing. Today, it would serve as the helicopter landing site.

As soon as I finished explaining, a question came up.

"We’re using a helicopter?"

"That’s only half the mission I just explained."

I showed a few more photos.

One of them was blurry and impossible to identify—there was interference, and it was hard to even guess what kind of facility it was, but the faint glow and white exterior suggested it was some sort of building. This was likely where the second battlefield would be.

This was the real reason I had gathered so many people.

At that moment, I met Jin’s gaze. She then turned her attention to the wall.

With a clunk, the wall started to open.

"...Wait, what is this?"

"All the gear you can carry is here. Take what you need. It’s going to be a tough fight."

What’s with all these guns, seriously?! Hahaha!
Are you some sort of gun sommelier, damn!
When did you add this function?!
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Guns, guns, and more guns.

The pile of weapons, ammo, explosives, armor, and supplies we had gathered—everything was state-of-the-art, but there was no hiding the smell of war that permeated the air.

I grabbed a long semi-automatic sniper rifle, nearly touching the ceiling with its barrel, and picked up Mjolnir—the weapon I was inseparable from—and spoke.

"Let’s go meet our second member."

Somehow, I had the feeling that this would be important.

Whether they knew it or not.

The battle intensified as a series of explosive exchanges rattled through the base. The night sky, drenched by relentless rain, was split by an eerie explosion—a flash of intense light accompanied by deafening blasts that threatened to tear apart the bunker. Eugene, with her precision and battle readiness, quickly assessed the situation and prepared for the next series of moves.

"Warning, warning! Enemy infiltration in the bunker!"

"Identify their positions! Where did the first explosion originate?"

"Not yet confirmed!"

"Call in Type Epsilon! The area is fully exposed! We need to retreat!"

The sound of sirens echoed throughout the entire operation zone, waking the base from its quiet slumber. The momentary silence shattered as people scrambled to their positions, responding to the immediate threat. The explosions, far too clear in their locations, told of the chaos unfolding.

The radar bases, the northern bunker, and the command center were all bombarded in a pattern that suggested a well-coordinated strike. It almost felt like a misunderstanding—the initial impact, potentially from Tomahawk missiles, sent the enemy scrambling. Within seconds, they realized that the nearby dome was entirely obliterated.

"The radar base is completely silent! Redirect all firepower to that position!"

"Understood!"

A preemptive attack had been launched, but retaliating after such a strike wasn’t easy, especially when their positions had already been thoroughly exposed.

Having expended one of her five boxes of ammo, Eugene rotated the barrel and focused on the western front. As her sights settled on the area near the Hermetic Bunker and K Warehouse, she recognized some of the enemy units preparing to retaliate. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger, and an explosion illuminated the area as missiles and projectiles turned the surrounding enemy forces into ash.

"Here’s Eugene. Has the Dagger team evacuated from the operation zone?"

The response was quick.

[??? : The team is entering from the opposite side, coming through the northern bunker. They plan to re-enter through the main zone.]
"Confirmed. I request Charlie-class grenades for K3 warehouse demolition."

[??? : Acknowledged.]
With that, a blinding flash erupted in the middle of the bunker. The railway lines were severed, and a wave of explosions left tanks and enemy soldiers in ruins. Eugene, after giving instructions to Jin to maintain vigilance on the opposite side, shifted her focus to the four buildings on the other side.

She aimed carefully, mindful of the potential risk of collateral damage to her own side. The explosions were lethal, and the damage radius was enormous, but Eugene's precision ensured that only the enemy would fall within it.

"Did you spot it?" Eugene’s voice was low, tinged with tension.

As the conflict raged on, something unexpected emerged. A red laser appeared from the north—too accurate and fast for them to identify at first.

"...? What is that?"

Before Eugene could make sense of the situation, Jin spoke up, the realization striking her instantly.

"Non-friendly infrared laser detected."

"...This is crazy, confirm the source of the laser! All strike teams, go underground! Now!"

"The source seems to be located approximately 140 meters to the west, likely aimed from a mountain peak—"

However, the conversation was abruptly cut short.

As the red laser converged with a bright blue beam, a blinding light streaked across the air at an unimaginable speed, cutting through the buildings and wreaking havoc. Eugene couldn’t even register the path of the energy before it had already torn through the structure. It obliterated everything in its path, from the east to the south bunker.

The sniper shots were clear, deliberate, and executed with surgical precision. They knew who had pulled the trigger.

It was Rain.

"Is everyone alright?"

"...Ugh, we just felt a massive vibration from above. What the hell was that?"

"Forget that! Stay underground! Do you understand?!"

After the blast subsided, the communication resumed, and thankfully, the team was all accounted for. No casualties on their side. But even with that relief, Eugene was already working through a backup plan in her head. With the Dagger team outside and everyone else underground, it was clear that any exposure would result in immediate danger.

"Jump down, now! To the right!"

No time for explanations. With two team members leaping through the air at full speed, a blue flash erupted from above as the dome shattered completely. Eugene, in that instant, pulled out one final anti-matter round from the chamber. She carefully set the timed fuse before tossing it towards the rear.

The light that erupted was blinding, and in that instant, Eugene’s mind snapped back into focus.

Jin, who had leaped ahead, caught her in mid-air to minimize the impact of the fall.

"Are you alright?"

"I’m fine... but now, I think we’re really in the thick of it."

A massive cloud of dust surged through the area, and as the ground beneath them shifted, a flash of blue eyes sparkled in the chaos.

The voice that emerged, rich with emotion, felt hauntingly familiar.

"I knew you'd come, but it was only a matter of time... Let’s see what you have to say now."

"Seems like you’re more interested in silencing me than having a conversation."

With a metallic clunk, Eugene quickly chambered two anti-matter rounds from the sniper rifle, setting the timers before tossing them towards their target.

As Jin and Eugene executed evasive maneuvers at lightning speed, the rounds flew through the air, gleaming under the moonlight as they split the dark skies.

In that instant, the battlefield became a swirling maelstrom of light and destruction.

This was the beginning of a battle that would soon spiral out of control, where alliances would be tested, and the future of Artemis and its enemies would be sealed. The war was just beginning to unfold, and every move mattered.