I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 30 - PVP Mode



Chapter 30 – PVP Mode

* * *

“Hello, hello, everyone. Long time no see… well, it’s not really been that long, but I just thought it felt like it, so I said it.”

­Starting with nonsense as soon as we begin, lol.

­Stone, you shouldn’t stream after drinking in the morning.

­Why are you streaming at this time?

­Hello, Stone-nuna.

­The avatar looks like you’ve been drinking again today. I love it.

The interior was beautifully decorated with soft lighting. However, in the middle of it, a woman with an unusual appearance, one that couldn’t exist in reality, was lying on a chair staring into space.

Her hair wasn’t exactly neat but rather a bit tousled. Yet, her softly glowing blonde hair seemed more like a natural physical trait rather than a mess.

Next to a red dot indicating “on-air,” the number of viewers gradually increased, quickly surpassing a thousand and reaching 1,702 before starting to decline.

And next to it, two characters appeared:

­[Virtual Live]

As devices for gamers advanced, and people gained the power to create new realities in virtual spaces, it reduced most of the effort required to broadcast in the real world.

In other words, it meant the labor involved in purchasing separate gaming and streaming computers, going through complex settings, optionally installing chroma keys, and soundproof booths was entirely virtualized.

Including the new advantage of virtual avatars, which simultaneously solved the difficult gap between the streamer’s privacy and communication with viewers.

Today, on the TreeWiki platform, acquired by ICARUS International, many streamers communicated with their viewers using diverse and impossible avatars.

Returning to the streamer “Dol”—a name with no effort put into it—she was now interacting with her audience, which had successfully reached 2,000 viewers.

Her white skin showed a rosy blush, her incoherent and playful chatter, combined with her gentle voice, had become a trademark of her broadcasts.

“Anyway… thanks for joining the stream today. The content for today is displayed at the top right of the screen, so take a look. If there’s still time after we go through it all… well, we’ll think about that then.”

­Are you going to play that levitating crappy game recommended by your neighbor a few days ago???

­LOL

­Come on… if Stone-nuna plays that, she’ll get so stressed she won’t grow taller…

­How can a friend recommend such a ridiculous game lol

­The donation even smells like crap;

­Feels like issuing MOPP level 4 lol

Ah, there was that.

She briefly recalled a game recommended by her fellow streamer Harmony through Engram, a social media platform.

The game cost 3,600 won, discounted to 1,800 won. The controls were terribly difficult, and the bizarre level design clearly marked it as a crappy game.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to freely share the other streamer’s remark just this once.

“Oh, that… ha. You know, guys, when we send messages through Engram, we don’t ask deep questions, right? Like what other jobs we do besides streaming.”

Her avatar, looking like a blend of a NEET and a fallen Russian princess, waved her hand dismissively.

“But she… it seems like she has a hobby of digging up crappy games when she’s not streaming. She recommends these weird games from who knows where all the time. Seriously, what a…”

­LOL

­Hobby (Sewage Explorer)

­Oh, it smells like crap here.

­Specialist in crappy games lol

­There are so many people suffering because of her game recommendations lol

Seeing the comments that filled the chat, most of which clearly agreed with her, she smiled slightly.

Since it had come to this, Kim Stone decided to make the first topic of today’s IRL segment about her.

The sub-topic would be… right. Link it to the Dark Zone, which she recently started playing.

“…Actually, Harmony started playing Dark Zone recently, right? I recommended it to her, hoping that if she tasted a good game, it might neutralize some of her strange vibes.

As far as I remember… it’s been about three days since she started streaming Dark Zone? I did peek in a bit, but I was busy after catching a glimpse on the first day, so I don’t know much.”

Then, the real reason she was mentioning this slowly began to emerge.

“But, you know. I don’t understand what she’s doing in the game… she’s just shooting all day. The more she plays, the crazier she looks! I checked on her before starting my stream today, and she looked dead tired!”

­LOL

­This is… all… because of Yoo Jin…

­For real, it’s like the Dark Zone era now lol

­Trying to relieve the pain from crappy games with a good game only to suffer there too lol

­Is this the creation of pain? The legend of NockDanto lives on

­She looks like she’ll be hospitalized at this rate lol

“So I’ll try to contact her soon, but she’s so obsessed with one thing once she starts that I don’t know if it’ll work…”

Whether it was her misfortune or broadcasting that awakened such weird game preferences in her friend, Kim Stone couldn’t help but lament her unpredictable streamer relationships, and once again, she had to throw away her motto of wanting to relax.

Even if she wanted to live comfortably, her surroundings wouldn’t allow it.

Thus, the absolute mandate of her room was being upheld.

“…But this game really has a lot to do. It’s good that once you clear an area, you don’t have to go back there again….”

­That’s how this game is lol. If you unlock all the essential stuff, it easily takes over 300 hours.

Creating a strategy department through the occupation of West Point and securing a dedicated gunsmith.

Procurement of helicopters/cars for agent mobility, clearing and controlling monsters in the field to establish a stable fuel supply line.

Occupation of arsenals for various types of ammunition and ammo production lines. Rescuing detained virologists and securing hospital facilities for treating infected patients. Reconstructing the Manhattan power grid by searching for personnel and taking over facilities….

All these tasks required about 100 hours to complete to shed the newbie label after finishing the tutorial.

Of course, with a 1:3 time acceleration rate applied, it realistically meant that even if you played just over three hours a day, it could easily be finished within ten days at the latest.

The problem was being wrongly tangled up with someone who had the immense drive to bulldoze through it in just a few days and the corresponding skill.

Harmony, slumped on a bench, took a deep breath. The breath she exhaled met the cold air outside and cooled, while the heat seeped through her bulletproof vest.

Her third day in the Dark Zone started at the shooting range.

“Doing this made me realize I’ve never wanted to beat my body to death this much. I didn’t know such an uncooperative body existed in this world. Why does someone who forgets everything in three seconds exist…?”

­LOL

­That’s normal; you’re fine.

­Isn’t she progressing pretty fast?

­Nuna is adapting very quickly lol

­There are plenty of people who can’t do anything in raids or PVP and don’t even reflect on it. You’re good.

Despite the unusually good advice from Harmony’s viewers, who typically enjoyed her suffering, it didn’t comfort her much today.

It was inevitable. This game was fundamentally different in its design from the crappy games she’d played before—ones where you could eventually clear them by putting in tons of time.

Detaching the magazine and inserting it into the ammo box quickly completed the reloading. Harmony stretched her arms skyward as if loosening up.

Someone approached her cautiously.

“How are you feeling?”

“Oh, teacher.”

It had become a familiar term.

Although it had only been three days, for streamers, playing games was work, and it wasn’t uncommon to spend over twelve hours a day gaming in real life.

While it wasn’t a streamer’s job to stick with a viewer all the time, Yoo Jin was a different breed from the usual viewers with ulterior motives.

If Yoo Jin hadn’t been as sharp in ending things as she was in starting them, Harmony would have already rejected her.

“I still struggle to switch to my pistol when my main gun jams while running the shooting range alone. I get flustered and end up getting shredded…”

“There’s no helping that. You have to solve it yourself.”

After a brief pause, she continued.

“I’ve observed you for a few days. Even with 100% correction, it’s difficult to replicate all human actions. It’s better to lower the correction percentage and practice until your body remembers the actions.”

“Won’t it take a long time if I lower the correction?”

“At most, it’ll take about a week. Think of it like piano practice.”

“Ah.”

Yoo Jin, fiddling with a scenario, added.

“There are many scenarios in the shooting range, including ones for practicing dealing with jams and weapon switching. Review them later and focus on what you need.”

“What should I start with?”

“First, aim to get used to the firearms and shooting itself, and practice hitting moving targets alongside that. That alone will make a huge difference.”

“Ah.”

Strangely, when it came to firearms and shooting… this person was flawless.

She offered precise solutions without any doubt or uncertainty, thoroughly analyzing and providing accurate guidance. She was more like a doctor than a gamer.

Even more explanations followed: prioritizing accuracy over speed, establishing priorities in engagements,

improving single-shot speed, tactical maneuvers, reloading, and many other aspects….

It seemed over the top for just playing a game, but fortunately, or unfortunately, Yoo Jin merely listed them without elaborating too much.

During this, a donation came in.

­Could you ask if she prefers PVE or PVP????

“Thank you, WolframAlphaGo for the 1,000 won donation… but does this game have PVP?”

­??????

­Wouldn’t it have? lol

­After all that shooting in the range, it seems like a screw is loose lol

­If it didn’t have PVP, the player count would’ve halved lol

­Too stunned to react lol

­Nuna, wake up! Nuna, wake up! Nuna, wake up! Nuna, wake up! Nuna, wake up! Nuna, wake up!

It didn’t take long for Harmony to realize how silly her statement was.

Feeling exasperated and laughing almost maniacally, she sighed deeply and asked Yoo Jin, who was checking her firearm beside her.

“Do you prefer PVE or PVP?”

“…Does this game have PVP too? Besides the Unauthorized Zone?”

Of course, the chat went wild.

For over a minute, countless donations, summarizing the intense ridicule of their ignorance, flooded in, assaulting the two.

Naturally, numerous PVP mission requests followed. Staring at the flashing cash, Harmony hesitantly spoke.

“But… PVE is one thing, but PVP is a competitive mode, right? Even if it’s not ranked, you need some skill to avoid dragging down your team.”

­Just play any PVP mode.

“No, no. I told you. This is a competitive mode, and I’m not skilled enough. How can I play with someone else?”

­Play PVP.

“No, really… um…”

­Play PVP.

“…”

Her eyes widened as time passed, and finally, like a cat caught in the rain, Harmony glanced pitifully at Yoo Jin, having faced the world’s troubles head-on.

“…Um, Yoo Jin?”

“Yes.”

“Could you play any PVP mode with me just once?”

Later, Yoo Jin testified that the most pathetic part was her saying, ‘I’ll split the mission reward with you…’

 


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