I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 33 ­ Instinct

—

“I was all smiles, ready to participate, but then I watched Yoo Jin’s gameplay and gave up… isn’t this too much?”

“Fanglim descends and Hajima, thank you for the 1,000-won donation. That’s really true. If I were on the opposing team… well… I would’ve just asked to be sent off without pain.”

“Absolutely agree”

“Agree ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

“Ugly surrender vs. being beaten to a pulp”

“I’d rather surrender, no matter how ugly, than have my head split by a tomahawk, lol.”

“Teacher, no matter how it is, isn’t decapitation a bit much?”

18 kills, 4 assists, and 0 deaths.

As game controllers transitioned from keyboard and mouse to VR games requiring actual body movement, the gap between casual and ranked games significantly narrowed for all but a few elite players.

Even if one exercised, moving tactically and lifting weights to build muscle were as different as heaven and earth.

Thus, in Team Six, as one moved up the tiers, individual physical abilities became less important than how well team members coordinated and executed their roles.

But exceptions always existed.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing….”

Five rounds, a 5:0 sweep.

Since ban-pick selection, loading, and droning times were separate, the actual physical movement time was exactly 15 minutes. Yet, Yoo Jin swept through the building in such a short time.

Considering the time spent entering the bank, she maintained a consistent kill rate of 1.5 kills per minute.

In hardcore mode, no less.

Harmony wondered if she had perhaps messed with someone she shouldn’t have.

Thinking carefully, she cautiously added.

“…Should we keep matching?”

“I don’t mind. Do as you wish.”

“Please do it.”

“Oh, mission success! Thank you so much for the 300,000 won!! Thanks to you all, I can pay my rent, phone bill, food expenses, installment payments for my equipment, air conditioning bill, and my editor’s salary today! Thank you as always… ah.”

Awkward eye contact.

In the briefing room, two pairs of eyes met. One pair seemed to be saying “what the heck is that,” while the other pair looked embarrassed as if caught doing something shameful.

Harmony, who had been frozen in mid-cheer, turned her head awkwardly like a creaky, unoiled machine.

Then she said,

“…Oh, I’ll give it to you! I really haven’t forgotten to give you half!”

“It’s not about that….”

“What are you doing, lolololololol.”

“Today is just… ‘pathetic.'”

“No matter how much she earns, this girl always looks broke, lol.”

“Oldest daughter of the family….”

“Teacher’s expression, lololololol.”

A truly strange person.

Yoo Jin thought of Harmony as such under her expressionless face. Though, of course, she couldn’t say it out loud.

Despite that, she didn’t feel particularly bad.

It’s a bit of a bias, but some people are likable no matter what they do, while others are irritating no matter what they do.

Harmony was definitely the former.

Maybe such qualities were part of being a good streamer.

‘…Did I do something wrong?’

Of course, for Harmony, Yoo Jin’s gaze made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

But Harmony had her reasons. From her perspective, Dark Zone content couldn’t exist without Yoo Jin.

Even if strictly speaking, Harmony could manage Dark Zone exploration without Yoo Jin. The game was already highly popular, and even just posting videos of herself struggling would attract viewers.

However, the fact was, she was currently riding higher popularity thanks to Yoo Jin, and it was clear Harmony wasn’t rejecting that benefit.

In summary, she was collaborating with Yoo Jin on her streams because it helped her channel.

Considering this, she felt she needed to give something back, but Yoo Jin… showed no such desires.

She seemed to play the game simply for the sake of playing, with little concern for whom she played with.

Therefore, in her discomfort, Harmony quickly added,

“Oh, I’ll transfer the earnings as soon as the stream ends today… so please, send me your bank details soon! I might forget how much to send you!”

“My account is expensive, you know.”

“I thought that was a joke from Engram, but it’s real!?”

“?”

“??????????”

“What is this? What is this really? What is this?”

“When did it get to this point, tell me now!!!!!!”

“Teacher’s account: expensive, lolololol.”

“Our Harmony and Yoo Jin chemistry, what is this, I can’t, break the Earth, break the universe, poppin’ pop.”

What the heck. What’s going on in the chat?

Even just turning her gaze away briefly or revealing a couple of facts made the viewers go wild like fish in water. Though she had never mentioned giving Yoo Jin her contact information.

Seeing the need for clarification, Harmony quickly added,

“What is this? Why are you all reacting like that? Isn’t it natural to handle income matters this way? It’s a money transfer issue; I have to contact her directly.”

“Ah, that’s unavoidable.”

“Do the question mark folks here have no social experience??”

“Don’t get overly immersed.”

“Why bother with social life? Spend that time watching a warm Harmony broadcast, lol.”

“Another defeat for jobless losers spending the night in their single rooms, lol.”

…Was it a critical hit instead of a clarification?

Next time, she would try to adjust her tone towards the viewers. Harmony thought so as she carefully turned off her attention from the chaotic chat.

Meanwhile, she was pondering different thoughts about the content. Specifically, whether it would be entertaining enough for viewers.

Though she hadn’t been playing the game for long, she had played it on a computer in the past, and as far as she remembered… it was quite a challenging game.

In other words, if one didn’t learn the map structures and gadget uses properly, it wouldn’t be very fun.

Could she claim to understand these mechanisms well?

Probably not. The answer was obvious even with a bit of thought, and it wouldn’t be a positive one.

However, silently switching to different content wouldn’t be ideal either, so she decided to ask for understanding.

“…Anyway, everyone. Team Six mode ends here for now. Although we only did one round, today’s goal was to show what PVP is like.”

After assuring them that this wasn’t the end and she would undertake another mission later, the viewers seemed to calm down.

It was an unfortunate conclusion for those who had been eagerly waiting for their turn, but what could they do? Ultimately, Harmony was in charge of the broadcast.

Just then, another donation popped up on the screen.

“I’m suddenly curious, they say snakes are sensitive to cold. Is she the same? Do survival mode ‘for me’.”

“KimBlurJjang, thank you for the 1,000-won donation. Well. An avatar is different from reality. Right, Teacher?”

“…”

“…Teacher?”

What?

If she knew Yoo Jin, she would’ve answered right away. But now, for some reason, her gaze seemed to slightly avoid contact… specifically, Yoo Jin seemed to be subtly avoiding eye contact.

…No way.

“Yoo Jin Teacher?”

“…I am very sensitive to cold.”

“??????????”

“No way, Teacher? lololololololololol.”

“Is this a gap moe attempt? Teacher, are you a genius?”

“My snake girl, something is wrong with me….”

Here it was.

Not just from a content perspective, but simply in human terms… well, who cared. How could she resist this?

Harmony’s brain, which had stopped for a moment, started whirring in another direction. It was more of a happy thought than a calculation, but that was why.

The choice was instant, and instinct overpowered reason without much difficulty.

Moreover, she had party control instead of Yoo Jin. Before she knew it, Harmony was switching from Team Six mode to Survival mode.

With a voice full of both earnestness and apology, she spoke.

“…Teacher. I’m really sorry. Just this once… is it okay?”

“…Hoo.”

Yoo Jin’s expression, as she answered, showed a faint, resigned smile.

—

[Dark Zone ­ Team Six Sub Gallery］

[General］Today… truly crazy woman… gif

Why is she playing executioner in a shooting game?

The people playing with her are so scared they’ll quit the game, lol.

[All Comments][Order by Newest]

“Even though I’ve done many melee kills, decapitation is insane, lol.”

“This girl shows up everywhere on all the galleries recently. Who is she?”

We don’t know either, lol. Someone speculated she’s a former special forces soldier. Check it out.

My head hurts.

“If I were hit by an axe, I’d piss myself and beg for mercy, lol. Like right now.”

When in life would you ever get your head chopped by an axe? It’s a rare experience.

Since when is decapitation a rare experience, lol.

Severe Dark Zone addiction here.

“Is this for real? Is she really in hardcore mode? Is this some scam?”

No, it’s been analyzed on Dark Gallery. It’s real hardcore.

How can you believe that? Did ICARUS officially verify it?

Find that yourself.

Damn streamers, polluting every place they go. So annoying.

Not interested.

Hey, it’s the great YudongKnight. Here to protect the gallery again today, I see.^^

Read the announcement, idiot. Limited streaming mentions are allowed.

Who said they’re spamming it everywhere?

I’m seriously curious who she is.

I know it’s been a while since hacks were gone, but is she really not using one?

It does seem that way, lol.

Would love for her to clear it up once and for all.

Does she care about being on a major corporate stream? Why would she explain anything? She’ll get banned or something eventually.