Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Harmony Experience

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If we naively categorized the progress of Domination Mode, it could be divided into either a battle of wits or a battle of strength.

The former involved both the enemy and allies constantly roaming the map, fighting to capture A or C instead of the main battleground, B. It was a constant effort to disrupt the situation, forcing the opponent into a continuous state of annoyance.

On the other hand, the latter centered on the battle at B. It was a literal test of strength. The moment one was pushed back, they permanently lost control over the center, a true fight to the death.

And the scenario Harmony first encountered in Domination Mode was the latter.

It was a casual game, not a ranked game. This meant it was a relaxed game where players were more focused on simple pleasures rather than victory. The initial aggressive rush strategy chosen by the opponent supported this notion.

In a high-stakes ranked match, such extreme strategies would be used to catch the opponent off guard and wouldn’t generally be categorized as commonly used tactics.

However, the clear thing was, whether it was breaking through side paths with clever thinking to exploit weak spots, or chaotic battles involving over fifteen people, there was always plenty to watch.

───Rrrr!

“Aaagh!”

The noise had become familiar by now.

As mentioned before, Yoo Jin said that battles between users didn’t unfold like the scenes in movies. This was because, unlike before, attacks that used to kill instantly could now be withstood multiple times thanks to the presence of nanomachine barriers.

One of the things I learned over these five days was shooting—how to change magazines freely, how to throw grenades to the desired location and make them explode at the right time. The ability to shoot accurately, to place bullets exactly where I wanted, was both the alpha and the omega.

Of course, it’s important to mention that this applies not just when everything is optimal, but in any situation. On the flip side, it meant that when shooting smoothly, I had to hit even more accurately.

“If within 20 meters, you should be able to land all shots on the target in full-auto.”

How is that easy, teacher…?

But actually engaging in combat made me understand why she said that. Even without the bizarre standards of Yoo Jin’s strange influence that occasionally floated through my mind, if one didn’t meet a certain level, it was too difficult to handle the enemy effectively.

Even now, it was extremely hard to take down the enemy properly.

“Disable the debuff device near the improvised building by Terminal B2!”

“We shouldn’t have let them have the initial setup. They’ve set up all sorts of crazy stuff.”

“But for all that equipment, their firepower is weak. The enemy numbers are a bit low, aren’t they?”

– It’s because Yoo Jin 2 is crushing them all, lolololololol

– Are you sure you don’t have buttons instead of eyes?

– Wow, Harmony’s shooting skills are insane, lol

– At this level, it’s like a biological turret

– Fact: Noknyang used to almost drop magazines on the floor a month ago

Meanwhile, viewers in Harmony’s room, gathered closely, couldn’t stop expressing their admiration.

Natural target tracking, smooth breathing control, and seamless gun handling. It was a stark contrast to her past performance. Just as perfume spreads through the air or ink drops into a tank, the rumors quickly spread.

As a result, the viewer count of the four streamers became imbalanced. The number of people peeking to catch a glimpse of Harmony steadily increased.

No one could have known, but around Harmony and her affiliated Alpha Squad, the front line was gradually advancing.

Like a fire spreading across a white sheet of paper, she unknowingly became the pivot of her squad, and the squad became the focal point of the frontline, reclaiming enemy territory. The precise support of a rifleman at crucial moments was more effective than the machinery a mechanic possessed or the orders of a squad leader.

In other words, she was single-handedly controlling the front line.

“B3 has been breached! Eight enemies in Sector B! Terminal B2 is in danger!”

“Why are we getting pushed back so easily? Stop poking around everywhere and focus on defending the sector!”

“No, there’s someone on the enemy team who’s freakishly good at shooting!”

“Is there a high-rank user in the streamer team?”

Ironically, and naturally, it was the enemy team that was experiencing this firsthand.

It was a game they shouldn’t have been losing.

A third of the people they were up against were streamers. They were originally general game streamers or had their own content, not necessarily focused on Dark Zone. Though it was hard to say for sure that none of them had Dark Zone as their main content, there were no high-rank players in Domination Mode.

Skill-wise, they were at best similar or possibly worse. But it didn’t take long for that assumption or prejudice to be shattered.

The fastest way to instill the truth into those who didn’t want to believe it—in Dark Zone, at least—was to plant lead bullets in their heads.

“There’s a rifleman in the upper structure to the left of Terminal B3! That user is trying to bury our entire squad! Aaargh!”

“Firing scan grenade.”

Thunk.

A round grenade fitted with a sticky bomb flew through the air and lodged nearby. But instead of exploding, it produced a golden concentric circle. Harmony’s position was quickly revealed.

At that moment, the enemy team could finally see who had been tormenting them and tearing them apart—it was the streamer Harmony. Considering they had defied low odds to join the stream, the reactions were inevitable.

Shock.

“…It’s Harmony! The rifleman in the upper structure, it’s Noknyangi!”

“What? No way!”

“Whether it makes sense or not, if we stay here, we’ll get holes in our heads—ugh!”

Thud.

A single, precise shot destroyed the nanomachine barrier of one person desperately resisting near Terminal B2’s structure. Without time to escape, the second bullet turned him into a body that could only wait for a respawn in 45 seconds.

When they emerged from cover to deal with the approaching enemies, a fierce suppressive fire followed. No, calling it suppressive fire was an understatement; it was more like targeted shooting as they hit the enemies.

The green-haired, cat-like girl, who had been stationary like a sniper on a stove, began to move. As if long-range shooting wasn’t her only specialty, she plunged into the front line.

While Limit blocked incoming high-explosive Hive shards with a ballistic shield, Harmony quickly refilled her grenades, surveyed the structure, and threw three grenades at once into the air.

While the three metal balls followed a stable arc, landing on the bumpy steel floor, Harmony circled around to Terminal B1 and ascended the opposite stairs.

───Boom!

An immense noise and shockwave, clear even from a distance, resonated through the winter air of New York. It was enough to shatter the stationary mechanical devices even if the users managed to dodge.

Just as the real battle was about to start, Harmony raised her gun to aim at the enemies, unexpectedly emerging at the right moment. The distance was barely within 10 meters. Even in full-auto, it was impossible to miss at that range.

With a noise reminiscent of a chainsaw, Harmony’s gun barrel turned red-hot. The heat of death that even the freezing New York winter wind couldn’t cool.

Of course, there were still about three users near the makeshift structure at Terminal B2, so a frontal assault meant facing superior firepower. In other words, Harmony would only take down one person and then be the focus of the others’ concentrated fire.

However, it didn’t matter.

The rattling sound accompanied by the rapid approach of reapers’ friends up the metal stairs confirmed it.

The suppression was instantaneous.

“…Truly, not easy.”

“If you have any last words, now’s the time to say them.”

“Mommy, the Bonk Hammer Brotherhood is here─!”

Bang.

He fell with a hole in his head, a smile lingering on his lips.

– [ISO: Excellent! You have driven those who trampled the United States into hell. Victory is ours!]

“Whew, that was tough….”

“Harmony, great job! You did really well! You must have learned well from your teacher!”

“…That’s all you can say after watching her?”

“Well, I didn’t watch properly.”

After the match ended, reactions varied.

And Limit thought, perhaps those who were supposedly on the same team…might have buttons instead of eyes? Did they really see how Harmony performed?

Or, flipping the perspective, was it that they couldn’t properly see because they were on the same team? Given that I was the closest to Harmony, was I the only one who saw it correctly? Questions upon questions arose.

What was certain was that Harmony wasn’t the typical newbie I had imagined.

Not at all.

“…Harmony, what exactly did you practice with that Yoo Jin person?”

“What’s up, Princess Limit? Was Harmony that good?”

“Ugh, don’t even ask. By the way, Hotteok, didn’t you watch properly!?”

“Well, I was busy commanding….”

“Oh, come on….”

These dummies.

To give a slight excuse, Hotteok’s role was to command the squad. Naturally, he had to survey the battlefield and give commands as needed rather than just focusing on Harmony alone. That’s what a squad leader does.

And Dol Dol was a mechanic. Similarly, he was more concerned with setting up defensive tools and maintaining them rather than watching others’ gameplay.

But still, they might as well have decorations for eyes.

I glanced at the chat window.

Everyone seemed somewhat confused, unsure of what had happened. It made sense. Given that I stuck closest to Harmony, the chat was

relatively calm, but Kim Stone and Hotteok were a different story.

However, there was no need to explain to others and redirect their attention. Harmony didn’t seem to mind either, and more importantly…

“Wow, the first match was fun. Harmony, just keep doing what you did. Got it?”

“Of course.”

This was only the first match.

Just like you can’t hide a sharp tool in your pocket, within one or two more matches, everyone would quickly grasp how skilled Harmony was.

Of course, there’s a chance I could be mistaken.

If what I saw wasn’t all of her skills…that thought is a bit unsettling. What kind of training did Yoo Jin put Harmony through?

Sigh.

I leaned back in the soft chair, my messy green hair covering my eyes due to the aftermath of the Domination Mode match earlier. I felt disheveled in many ways.

As I tidied up, I felt their gazes on me.

“…Why?”

“Wow, you fix your hair better than most girls.”

“You were born a woman, truly.”

“Hehe, you’re pretty.”

– Woah

– This is truly Yasuji, pya pya lololol

– Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung! Heuheung!

– Princess Limit, please show your armpits just once~~

– How is this a guy! How is this a guy! How is this a guy! How is this a guy!

<LimitHeuheung has donated 1,000 won! Thank you very much!>

– Killing it! A guy with a face like this!

“LimitHeuheung, thank you for the 1,000 won donation…you bastards! I’ll redo your implants today, come here!”

After using an avatar as an example, we could finally start the second match.

I really hate this avatar.

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