Chapter 256 – Busy Day
“Do you think you can follow that?”
“Are you talking about that? The simpler it looks, the more difficult it is. It might seem hastily made, but without a complete understanding of the skill’s operational mechanics, you wouldn’t even be able to attempt it.”
“Skill, huh….”
Asia, Europe, America.
As the Final Championship Squad match commenced, not only countless viewers but also professional gamers and coaches, who traveled hundreds to thousands of kilometers, watched the live game through large holograms.
Information collected in real time during the broadcast was scrutinized and analyzed instantly by coaches who had lived with a strict adherence to manuals and tactics all their lives.
That’s how it should have been.
“This is troublesome.”
Humans prefer the familiar and tend to develop only what they know. It’s a basic human nature. While curiosity about new and unfamiliar realms is also a part of human nature, it wasn’t so in the realm of the military.
Lives are at stake. Therefore, unverified strategies and tactics are ‘tested’ much more than they are ‘used’. This was a common fact for those who had stayed in the military longer than anyone around here.
But today, that fact held them back, and a way to overcome this obstacle was unlikely to appear in this Final Championship.
Players and coaches, some of the most excellent personnel in the world, immediately realized this.
“Skill, huh….”
An unimaginable variable.
They could talk endlessly about the skill, but it could be summarized as an element outside the scope they had been dealing with so far.
At this point, skills were closer to an emerging area of research rather than the mainstream – mainly because North American users and pro-gamers leading the Final Championship hadn’t shown interest in that area.
This attitude was reinforced by the arrogant belief that ‘they could still maintain superiority in engagements with users from other countries without such things’. Therefore, North American users felt no need to change their doctrines.
Of course, the story could change if someone brought a chisel and hammer to break this from the outside.
“Where should we focus our preparation? Should we consider it a part of sabotage?”
“It will be harder to counter than an IED. As I said, it’s closer to an issue of operational mechanics. If you can’t figure out which part moves when and in what form, you’ll be helplessly manipulated.”
“England got a straight hit at the beginning. Moreover, the Korean team must have now grasped how to draw the trajectory of their punches.”
It wasn’t a haphazard swing. The punch, following a precise trajectory indicated in the air, struck the face of England, which could aim for a heavyweight champion, squarely. What followed was simple. England, famous for SAS, had its neck snapped on the spot.
It was true that the U.S. currently possessed the strongest special operations force, but England was the origin of such special operations. There was no reason for them to lag behind North American users.
Everyone here knew what it meant that they crumbled as soon as they allowed a clean hit.
However, almost none of them noticed that Logan’s group had disappeared from the room in that short time.
“When did you come out?”
“Not long ago. Want to take a walk?”
“Sure.”
The two greeted them as they stepped out the door, as if they had prearranged to meet. Logan, Owens, and Laurentina left the lounge and started walking somewhere else. There was no specific destination, and since the building itself was quite large, they cautiously began to talk in a deserted corridor.
“It must be Yoo Jin’s work.”
“Who else could it be? It’s not like anyone else would use such an extraordinary method other than the youngest who tinkered with machines whenever there was a chance.”
“Judging by the adeptness of their actions, it doesn’t seem like a recent thing. Did you see how they set it up, adjusting the operational point and the collapse angle?”
Out of the billions of people watching the match, only a handful accepted the game content without surprise.
Only those who had been with Yoo Jin, those she had taught, or the person involved fully understood the situation, though the reasons varied slightly.
The three gathered here knew better than anyone about the youngest’s extraordinary behavior from the past.
“Have you ever seen something like that?”
“Operation Gilboa. It was also in a warehouse back then. Only it collapsed much worse than what’s coming out of the hologram now….”
“Haha, even thinking about it now, it was absurd. Do you remember I carried the senior officer on my back that time?”
“Thanks to that, I vomited all the combat rations I had for lunch.”
Still, it wasn’t all bad since it prevented possible constipation from eating that crap – murmured the senior officer, causing Laurentina to burst out laughing. This was always how the Dagger team was.
After a round, the topic returned to Yoo Jin. By now, they had arrived at a coffee shop only accessible to relevant personnel and players, and they began their conversation at a spot where they could talk privately.
“By now, everyone must be racking their brains trying to figure out how to counter that.”
“You sound pretty confident.”
“I may not be confident, but I won’t be frozen in place like others. But that’s all. Senior officer, can you predict where something will fly if you go one-on-one with Yoo Jin?”
Of course, no one openly nodded.
Then came the following words.
“Anyway, we’re not rooting for any particular country or team. We just came to see how the seeds planted by the youngest sprout, didn’t we?”
“That’s basically correct.”
“Oh, and don’t worry about Logan not rooting.”
“I’ll mention it during the interview. Do you want to appear on a broadcast? You might need to think about it now.”
A feast of direct hits and counters.
Seeing Logan accept and return Laurentina’s direct hits, Owens chuckled and sipped his coffee.
He spoke nonchalantly.
“Considering the direction things are going, we’ll have fewer chances to see that kid in the future. Don’t you hear the sound of wallets opening everywhere to recruit her?”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s just a simple joke. She’s not interested in that kind of thing.”
Beyond the coffee-scented room, the window showed the darkness settling in.
Another day was passing, and today’s match was ending.
It was almost time to face tomorrow.
“Let’s head in. I don’t even want to imagine how much traffic there will be if we leave after the match ends, especially with the current chaos.”
“Sounds good. What should we have for dinner?”
“I don’t want to cook anything.”
“We’d better have a generous tip ready for the delivery guys.”
After returning their dishes and cups, they disappeared.
A short yet long evening was about to begin.
“…Can’t we just take a taxi?”
“It would be three times slower than walking and cost more than three times as much.”
Meanwhile.
Looking at the thousands of vehicles filling the roads, Yoo Jin and the others were also heading back to their accommodation, about a 30-minute walk away.
Of course, their struggle was incomparable to that of Logan’s group.
“Everyone’s gathered. It’s a bit late, but wake-up time doesn’t mean much to us. How did everyone feel about surviving the first day of the Final Championship matches? For reference, I was freezing.”
At 11:30 PM, six people gathered in the hotel’s basement multipurpose room.
Multiple holograms were displayed on the walls of a room the size of an average school classroom. In the center were six visibly comfortable chairs, and along the walls were structures resembling platforms.
Naturally, they were the soloing Korean representatives.
Rarely, a not-so-funny joke from Yoo Jin lightened the atmosphere. Although cheerful, the mood was not lively. Those gathered here had all experienced an almost grueling march.
Everyone, dressed comfortably, reflecting their personalities, sat in their chairs. The setup included a temporary table and small snacks, allowing them to comfortably manage the schedule.
“You’ve watched four matches today: two squad matches and two duo matches. From tomorrow, the number of both squad and duo matches will increase by one. The Final Championship squad and duo matches will end before the weekend.”
A brief cough.
With the heater on, Yoo Jin sipped the drink provided on the podium to wet her throat occasionally.
“Though there were only four matches, you must have seen many engagements worth noting. These will gradually increase throughout the week. Normally, I would select a dozen or so important engagements and distribute them, but….”
There were no further words.
Instead, Yoo Jin added,
“…I won’t do that. I believe you all understand why.”
Animals that lose their wildness can’t return to nature. While those gathered here hadn’t reached that point, continuous development was essential. If nothing worked without Yoo Jin, it couldn’t be called a Korean team.
“And to add, you might find it hard to decide whether to focus on basics or skill application around this time. Or perhaps you’re unsure which area to prioritize in practice.”
A glance.
There was no big reaction, and Yoo Jin added without much thought.
“Or not.”
“Pff….”
At Yoo Jin’s sudden humor, everyone burst into small laughter, but she continued speaking, unperturbed.
“Let’s ask this question: Does it matter? Must we separate and distinguish between the two?”
“….”
“Skills are tools. But don’t forget that basics are also tools. Both are ultimately tools for engagements and survival.”
“In other words, don’t blindly trust either. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
“That’s what it comes down to. Right. Don’t let your mind wander or stray off.”
After ending her lighthearted preamble with a smile, Yoo Jin added,
“So, any questions or feedback?”
A following silence.
Everyone wore determined expressions, and among them, Michael raised his hand as if volunteering.
Yoo Jin pointed at him, and he spoke.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“You’re speaking very seriously, but I can’t focus at all because you’re wearing snake pajamas.”
“…Huhu, pff…!”
Indeed.
The statement about wearing outfits reflecting their personalities was a hint.
Glancing down at herself, Yoo Jin added with a subtle expression,
“…Unfortunately, the sponsor sent the wrong clothes today, so I had no choice but to wear what was left.”
“You’re adorable!”
“Would it be alright to take a photo?”
Snake pajamas.
Pajamas with a tail, perfectly matching Yoo Jin, made her appear in the cutest outfit in the place where she needed to look the most dignified.
It didn’t take long for a blush to spread across her face.
The first night of the second week ended unpredictably and charmingly.