NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 169 - Run and Gun
Chapter 169 – Run and Gun
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[Notification: You have died. Moving to the lobby.]
“Wow.”
This time, I really thought I would win. At least, RaboKun, who suggested the penalty this time, thought so.
In fact, it was less about winning with skill and more about the severity of the penalty, but he still thought that if such a handicap was given, he would at least be on par or even have a slight advantage.
It was a mistake.
No matter how much a battle between a professional and a high-tier user can be decided by a single variable, the ones who could identify and utilize those variables more effectively were the professional gamers.
That’s the gap between national representatives and mere top-tier players. He could only infer that much.
‘…No, there’s more to it than that.’
Even considering all that, Dice’s TTK (Time To Kill) was absurdly short.
The damage log showed that within less than three seconds, a single grenade and a magazine from an ASh-12.7 were dumped onto his body. What should I call this? It was a concentrated burst of damage, so overwhelming that I couldn’t even counterattack and died instantly.
Perfect grenade cooking, flawless stealth, and the skill to control the recoil of a high-caliber assault rifle like a wild horse. Well, if they practiced nothing but that all the time — even skipping meals — they would perform like this.
My eyes wandered around the screen.
“Pros are different, indeed. Wow….”
I had often been praised by viewers for having the skills to debut as a professional gamer, even if it was just a joke. When I played ranked matches, I occasionally matched up with professional players’ secondary accounts, both on the same team and against them.
Maybe that’s why I sometimes uploaded videos with such content on my YourSpace channel — titles like ‘Matched with a Pro in Ranked, Got Praisedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ’ or ‘Easy MoH Tier with This Trick!?’ They were somewhat clickbait, but partially true.
But when it came down to it, I never expected to be beaten so badly.
‘They’ll be here soon.’
The scene beyond the screen.
Four players were racing against time in the cave. Catwalk was trying to sneak up behind Michael and strike him, who was trapped two-thirds of the way into the cave. RamenAndKimbap was staggering from an explosion, and behind him was Dice, not the Grim Reaper.
In simple terms, it was Catwalk – Michael – RamenAndKimbap – Dice. Meanwhile, Michael started running. He was trying to push RamenAndKimbap, who had stepped on a grenade, out of the way.
However, the gap in equipment and armor was too hard to bridge.
───Ratatatatata!
Michael was only armed with a single Glock.
Usually, he would have relied on the performance of the ICARUS Gear’s shield and armor, but the shield’s effectiveness increased with the bulletproof vest’s performance, meaning without it, it was as thin as paper.
Michael curled up like a turtle, screaming in a high-pitched voice behind the shield. His light chestnut hair, with its twitching ears, trembled. His appearance triggered a protective instinct in many ways.
A shield without any additional functions was just an 11kg hunk of metal, and it didn’t take long for Michael’s shield to reach its limit. His last-ditch effort, firing the Glock wildly, was not very effective either.
Michael collapsed. His HP rapidly decreased due to the bullets penetrating his body.
Death was imminent.
However,
“…Ha, they came quickly….”
Bang bang bang!
The sound, heavy and resonant like a bell ringing, couldn’t be mistaken for gunfire. The enemy was literally shredded. The shield shattered before a full magazine could be emptied. A grenade fell to the ground simultaneously.
As Michael, who was lying down, managed to place the already-broken shield over his body one last time,
───Boom!
A deafening explosion, loud enough to rupture eardrums in reality, echoed through the cave.
The shield shattered completely with its final death cry. Michael’s HP was below 10%. He was barely alive. The rustling sound that followed the explosion was, unsurprisingly, Dice.
Michael, barely standing with support, added,
“…Because of you, I might die before my time.”
“As long as you’re alive, it’s fine. This isn’t the end.”
“This isn’t the end!?”
“There’s still one more left.”
Looting bodies was impossible.
All that was left was a Glock and two magazines. Michael, who complained if I thought he was some legendary killer in a movie starring Keanu Reeves, soon gave up.
At least they gave him a bulletproof suit in that movie.
“…If we don’t win, I’ll really complain.”
“Sorry, I can’t promise. I’m not wearing any bulletproof vest either. Just block with your body somehow.”
“With my body? You’re using me till the end. Seriously, who came up with this brutal penalty….”
Sorry. It was me.
Like all those brilliant ideas, it just popped into my head unexpectedly. I suggested it, and now it turned out to be the most challenging event match for professional gamers ever.
One way or another, it seemed like I had gained at least one story to tell.
“Alright, I’m off. I never thought I’d end up fighting someone wielding only a pistol and using skills. This isn’t some kind of penal battalion.”
“Nowhere else will you have such a rare experience. Get down.”
“Whoa!”
───Bang bang bang!
Just a beat later, as Catwalk emerged from the opposite side of the cave, Dice’s firearm blazed.
Two figures began to retreat slowly to the other side. With the time limit approaching, the team with the higher number of players would win, so Catwalk had no choice but to engage.
Two players armed only with pistols, without any bulletproof vests, faced off against fully armored Medal of Honor players. Normally, it would be a David versus Goliath situation, but the problem was that, historically, David won.
As much as I didn’t want to lose, I could only hope Catwalk would make an effort.
“───As we speak, Dice barely takes down Catwalk! Using Michael as a shield and expending the last of her ammo, she secures a hard-fought and brilliant victory!”
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate.
The intense skirmish, which squeezed out every last drop of possibility, ended with Dice’s victory, but even so, Catwalk managed to reduce her HP to below 30%, fighting to the very end.
Amid the roaring cheers, Dice, who had barely managed to walk down, muttered.
“This is ridiculously tough, seriously….”
Even though they were national representatives, they were still in a position where they had to struggle.
“With this, we conclude the event match. A winner’s interview will follow shortly, so we ask everyone to remain seated!”
“Haha, instead of a winner’s interview, it should be called a re-interview.”
“You’re right. Haha, thank you for the good suggestion!”
As the space transformed once again, the familiar shape of the studio from the beginning appeared. The stage, large enough for eight people, surrounded by hundreds of tiered seats, and the gallery sitting in those seats. It was a familiar sight.
In the center, the seating arrangement from just a few tens of minutes ago was replicated. Four players in the middle, with two MCs on either side.
The atmosphere was much more amicable than at the start.
This was partly because they had spent a long time conversing, but mainly because the skills displayed by the pro gamers had captivated everyone. It was an absolute victory. Even the various penalties couldn’t stop their undefeated streak.
Thus, out of six matches, the pro gamers’ team had zero losses. Considering that their win rate was about fifty-fifty last year, it was a remarkable improvement. Of course, this was also due to the lineup.
Before long, the pro gamers’ outfits had changed from their initial heavy gear to much lighter casual wear. There was no longer a need to impress viewers with a strong image.
The questions continued.
“That was an amazing play. A perfect streak by the pro gamers’ team, something we have never seen during Nighttime Tales! Many people, including us, must be astonished. Do you have any secrets to share?”
“There is no particular secret. Operators always assume they are fighting in disadvantageous situations… So this time, we tried to find a breakthrough with that in mind, and it naturally led to victory.”
“That’s a wonderful answer! What did you think of the skills of those who helped with this event match?”
“They were decent.”
Decent.
Depending on the situation, one might wish for a higher evaluation, but if the speaker was Yoo Jin, the story changed.
A thunderous round of applause erupted, so loud it made one’s ears ring. The applause came from none other than the streamers and skilled amateurs who participated in the event match. Their initially bewildered faces brightened up, and they all stood up, bowing deeply to show their gratitude.
As the excitement died down, the host continued.
“Haha, Yoo Jin’s evaluations seem to have a magical effect. Now, let’s move on to the next question. It would be great if each of you could answer this one.”
Four identical questions appeared in front of Yoo Jin, Dice, Gambit, and Michael. As soon as they saw the questions, everyone fell into contemplation. A brief moment of thought ensued, with everyone holding their breath.
Just as boredom was about to set in, the announcer directed the next question to Yoo Jin again.
“What was the most difficult situation you faced when sprinting and running were prohibited, and you could only walk?”
“Oh, that’s quite an unexpected answer. Why is that?”
“Because it was impossible to respond in time to rapidly changing combat situations, and the longer it dragged on, the more we were at a disadvantage. If my firearm handling had been any less proficient, we would have surely lost.”
Of course, despite that, I had managed to make it so the enemies couldn’t even lift their heads with just Mjölnir.
The question moved on to Dice, who, as expected, cited the weight restriction without a moment’s hesitation.
“Haha, the match where Dice and Michael were on the same team looked incredibly difficult, and it seems it truly was.”
“If we hadn’t been able to take out the LaVokun user at that time, we would have lost. Being unable to wear bulletproof vests due to the weight restriction was an absolutely ridiculous penalty.”
“Listening to you, it certainly sounds that way. Congratulations on winning despite such a tremendous handicap!”
Applause followed.
Next, Gambit also cited the same restriction.
“I also think the weight restriction was the hardest penalty in this event match. But personally, I always thought Yoo Jin would never choose this penalty.”
“Oh… Ah, I think I know what you mean.”
Seriously, who gets faster the lower their weight gets?
Gambit began to briefly reminisce about the past. The time when he teamed up with Yoo Jin and had a 10kg weight restriction. It was much tougher than before, and he wanted to refuse, saying it was impossible, but the match was agreed upon when Yoo Jin offered to share half of her weight restriction with Gambit.
Since 15kg was quite manageable, Gambit could participate in the match relatively comfortably, equipped with both a gun and a bulletproof vest….
So what did Yoo Jin do, who could only carry 5kg?
“…In that match, I quickly understood what ‘run and gun’ really means.”
A few attachments on a Kriss Vector and four drum magazines.
Yoo Jin sprinted through the terrain, carrying only those. Naturally, even with Gambit sprinting at full speed, it was tough to keep up with Yoo Jin, who was leisurely moving around with just 5kg.
The damage from the bullets wasn’t that powerful, and since there were plenty of other things to use, she used up all the magazines after taking down two opponents… But then, the tactical hammer she pulled out from her multipurpose pouch was enough to instill the fear of melee weapons in her opponents.
Gambit finished off the last user, but even he was frightened seeing Yoo Jin rushing through the terrain at 25 km/h with just a tonkatsu hammer.
Lastly, there was Michael.
“As a shield user, similarly… the weight restriction was the most vicious handicap in this event match. It was as hard as having my hands and feet completely tied.”
“Wow, it seems many of you picked the weight restriction. It might just be the worst penalty of this event match.”
The real-time chat and the audience’s reactions were similar.
After a few discussions, the announcement continued.
“Although the weight restriction penalty was a very clever handicap that appeared after a long time, unfortunately, it seems the restriction will be relaxed in the future. While the event match is also meant to test skills, it must provide fun for everyone as well.”
Fun…?
It was a thought that passed through everyone’s minds.
But it was a bit early to think that, as there was still one more thing left on their schedule.
“Now that we’ve warmed up, let’s proceed with today’s main event, the scrim. But first, let’s introduce the prizes!”
The lineup was unveiled.
Among them, the top prize caught everyone’s attention.
“All parts of today’s 2 vs. 2 scrim will be converted into scores, and the first place winner will receive a luxury department store gift card worth a whopping 7.5 million won!”
Wowwwww!
Cheers erupted at that moment. However, amidst the commotion, only the four pro gamers remained somewhat indifferent.
While everyone was enthusiastically cheering, the four quickly created a secret chat room and started talking.
[Michael: Should I align myself with Yoo Jin in advance? My washing machine at home is about to give up.]
[Dice: No, don’t expect anything. It’ll all go to food expenses.]
[Gambit: My air conditioner is sick, teacher.]
[Yoo Jin: So you’re saying I can buy 7.5 million won worth of hammers?]
[Gambit//Michael//Dice: Gasp sorry.]
It was a secret only they knew.
Even while the draw board was turning to prepare for the match, the conversation continued.
“Congratulations on being the first place winner of today’s Nighttime Tales scrim. May we ask how you plan to use the 7.5 million won?”
“I think I’ll probably use it to treat everyone who came out today to a fancy meal.”
Of course, the outcome was quite predictable.
And so, the day was coming to an end.
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