I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 430

"Shield of Courage" donated 10,000 won!

• By the way, aren't you going to have some kind of afterparty after completing this mission?

"Hmm... that's a good question. Well, I guess there must be a reason for it. Maybe it's because Ujin's been pushing everyone so hard that they all ended up becoming so successful, and now there’s no time for them to meet up... I guess that could be part of it..."

Two days had passed since the conclusion of Operation Ouroboros.

The countless communities dealing with the Dark Zone were still a blazing inferno. It was all due to the Mecha Ujin raid. Strictly speaking, however, it wasn’t entirely Ujin's fault that the situation had unfolded this way. After all, raids were originally multiplayer content, and just that alone could keep the game alive for several months.

Every day, hundreds of new players were pouring in, and seasoned refugees from other PVP games were flocking to the community to try out the Mecha Ujin raid. Meanwhile, the storylines surrounding Operation Ouroboros were still making up half of the key posts in the gallery. This was encouraging, to say the least.

However, unrelated to this fact, the question that had come through the donation just now was surprisingly something many people were wondering about.

‘There were a few precedents for this...’

The Final Championship victory, followed by consecutive parties before returning to Korea.
The post-Seattle raid housewarming party.
Though the reasons varied slightly, all the fun times Harmony remembered shared the common theme of an afterparty of sorts. In short, after spending a long time achieving a specific goal, there was always an implicit celebration attached to it.

And from her point of view, the successful completion of Operation Ouroboros this time could have been a reason to gather people as well... but...

"Well, I guess things are a bit busier this time. Dice is busy teaching his mentees for next month’s tournament rank… Still, maybe one day we’ll do something. But it might be later than you think."

• I don’t care, just bring Bi-yam now!!!!!!
• Wow, it’s already been a year since Yujin’s broadcast started ??
• It feels like just yesterday when we were watching her average 5,000 viewers during the tournament rank, and now she’s reached an average of 1.7 million viewers, lolololol
• Living point) It's been about a year since Harmony and Bi-yam first met, in about a month
• Has it really been a year already? Hahahaha

Thinking about it, it really had been almost a year.

As Harmony stared at the rapidly scrolling chat, her mind drifted, and soon, it was pulled into a library full of memories, each one looking like a book just waiting to be grabbed. A vivid memory overlayed on top of reality.

Yeah, when was that again? Right. It was the day I first set foot in Dark Zone, after playing all kinds of games as an all-around streamer. The first time I held a gun and fired at someone...

That memory couldn’t be forgotten. And what’s more, back then, Harmony had almost dropped her magazine. That’s why the keyword ‘!Magazine’ still existed in the chat. It was almost like a black history... not quite, but close enough.

"Since we’re talking about it, let’s do a little story broadcast today… let’s talk about what really happened after meeting Yujin."

Most of the people currently watching Harmony’s stream didn’t know what had happened to the rookie streamer, ‘Noknyang,’ not even a year ago.

Now, the number of people watching Harmony's stream had skyrocketed to 150,000, but the number of viewers when she dropped the magazine... she couldn’t remember the exact number, but it definitely hadn’t exceeded 10,000.

As a result, the viewers were now divided into unseen classes. A very small number of loyal viewers, who had been watching her stream for a long time, started sending numerous donations. These were viewers who had witnessed not just historic moments but also Harmony’s growth in real time.

Of course, to Noknyang, they were just another set of viewers, and she skillfully organized the donations while continuing her story.

But this wasn’t something that could be resolved in a day or two.

"…So, where was I... Ah yes, the Asia qualifiers, right? That was when Stone, Limit, and Hotteok met Yujin for the first time."

• Five hours of nonstop talking and we're still at the Asia qualifiers hahahaha
• Fact) This was already a huge omission
• We haven't even started talking about what happened in America yet, haha
• What, are you guys really going to enjoy this sudden shift to a storytelling broadcast? Very well thought out
• There’s so many of you, seriously hahaha

Yeah, that’s true.

Despite having talked for so long, she still hadn’t covered half of it. That was proof of just how much had happened during that time.

In the midst of that, a specific memory from Harmony’s past flashed through her mind. When was that again? Probably after coming back from New York... Yujin had kept dropping little bits of the story, and the viewers had all barged into her chat, saying they were frustrated with the way Yujin was being so tight-lipped. - Strictly speaking, it might not have been exactly the same, but at the time, Harmony could understand Yujin’s frustration.

After looking around for a moment, Harmony exhaled deeply. It wasn’t intentional, but now, with all these stories piling up, it was time to start the game that had been the content for today.

How should she wrap this up? As she pondered, Harmony added:

"Well, anyway... it seems like everyone’s busy these days, so I’ll talk more about it later. I hear Yujin’s been going around a lot lately... probably because Mecha-Biyam hit it big, so she must be trying to do something with it. So please, don’t go around asking about Yujin’s whereabouts on other channels, just hold tight."

• ??????????????
• Mecha-Biyam??? What?? Is she going to do something with it???
• Don’t tell me they’re officially releasing Mecha-Biyam Operator????
• Guys, stop trolling for a bit, seriously hahahaha
• How are you going to officially release a character based on a real-life person hahahahaha

The concept of one Bi-yam per household was obviously not feasible.

However, even if it wasn’t that, the idea of something slightly resembling it was enough to get the viewers excited. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate either, and Harmony had long since been given the authority to talk about these things with Yujin, so it wasn’t impossible.

Of course, even Harmony had sometimes wondered, if only she had Mecha-Biyam in her gear box... but for some reason, she wasn’t sure if Yujin would continue to play EU mode any further.

But did that really matter? Ultimately, Harmony planned to follow Yujin.

"Anyway, I’ll talk more about the details later-"

That was the end of it.

Before long, she had transformed from a rookie streamer to a war goddess, someone who could wipe out Dice in 30% of battles. Now, she felt the familiar metallic sensation, something she couldn’t easily shake off.

The world of gunpowder and thunder, the Dark Zone, was once again awaiting her.

"Is that what it means to transcend the world...?"
"Ah, Archetype, really, an incomprehensible situation has occurred..."
"When you’re with a large team, you get used to seeing these things."

Meanwhile, in another world.

Bit by bit, slowly but surely, Bi-yam appeared above the recovering New York.

"The air is so refreshing."

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled.
The air was so clear, it hardly seemed like it belonged to Central Park in New York. It was especially clear to me, given my memories from the first summer here. I remember wearing a gas mask for months during that time, just to avoid suffocating in the sulfur and ammonia in the air, so this clarity felt all the more stark.

But it’s only been two years. The reason for two years is simple. While many had perished during the first year of the Dark Winter Virus outbreak, it wasn’t like no one had died in the second year either.

In any case, the horrific smell of rotting corpses that had clawed at my mind no longer lingered after three years, replaced instead by the scent of gunpowder. When I looked around, all that was visible were the white bones. Once the bones remained, the smell was gone.

I had often wondered what the air of New York would smell like once the gunpowder smell was gone. And now, I think I finally understood.

"...So, don’t come any closer to check my ID. It’s me, after all."

"You don’t have an entry record, and yet you're strolling around the base like it’s your own. How can I just sit by and watch? Anyway, your identity check is complete... Should I forward it to the Dagger team in advance?"

"No, I plan to go speak to them directly."

In the meantime, I was caught by a patrol team outside Central Park.

Of course, after a brief exchange of greetings, we parted ways. I had no entry records, and I had literally dropped from the sky, but the Icarus gear on my wrist and my distinctive appearance acted as my pass. Naturally, I was able to enter through the internal gates.

New York at 7 a.m. was clear, and the surroundings were in complete chaos. Amidst the madness, I saw soldiers doing their morning jogs along the walls of Central Park HQ. The line stretched all the way to the end, and it reminded me of my past. I had once been like them.

I locked eyes with the training instructor leading them. Of course, morning runs were important, so we exchanged a brief greeting with hand gestures and facial expressions. I gave him a thumbs-up, and he responded by raising his own thumb with a bright smile from under his cap.

After dozens of squads passed by, I was finally able to move.

"Wow, Dad! There’s a lady with a snake-tail over there!"
"Sindy, what are you saying all of a sudden... Oh, my child is being rude."
"It’s okay."

On my way to the Dagger team’s quarters, there was an amusing incident. A child, with no worries or concerns on their face, was running along the walkway with a soldier who seemed to be their father. When our eyes met, the child approached me with curiosity and warmly greeted me. While playing with the child, I came across another soldier.

Such encounters were common at Central Park HQ.

"...I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve been working hard. Are you heading to the Dagger team?"
"How did you know?"
"Well, I sit in the control room… From just looking at the watch on your wrist, I can tell. There’s always news coming in while I’m there."
"Haha."

We shook hands.

It wasn’t much, but roaming around Central Park, I realized... Icarus Operators in the Task Force were, for all intents and purposes, celebrities. I didn’t really pay attention to what kind of propaganda was being carried out inside the base, but I had a general sense.

I once passed by the school built inside the HQ, and I saw a paper where the kids’ top career aspiration was to become Icarus Operators... The world was strange. Though they treated me well, I was grateful.

After the greeting, I reflected on those memories.

‘...But when Dagger members are involved, people react like they’ve met a Reaper.’

Of course, I understood it, to some extent.

During the Bluefield operation, I annihilated the enemy and sank two aircraft carriers. During the Chariot operation, I hit a total of 50,000 kills. Sure, the countless skirmishes before that could easily be described as... In fact, it might not even be enough to describe all those events with the word "Reaper."

But it didn’t seem right to disrupt the family’s walk anymore, so I said a quick goodbye. In a way, it was fortunate that children like them still existed in this war-torn era. I thought to myself for a moment.

After walking a fair distance, I could see the building where the Dagger team was staying, heavily guarded.

Of course, in front of the Icarus gear, all the security measures were irrelevant. By that, I didn’t mean I was hacking the doors—if I showed my wristwatch to the people guarding the entrance, I could pass through freely.

After greeting the guards at the entrance warmly, I thought about what most of them would likely be doing at this hour. Most of them would be sleeping. After all, the people who slept here didn’t have to follow the regular soldier’s schedule.

That being said, if I asked whether the early risers were making productive use of their time, the answer wouldn’t be as clear-cut...

"...Basketball, at this early hour? You were just in Canada, having fun shooting guns a few days ago, and you’re still this energetic."
"Why are you here, though..."

Logan Blames, codename Aurora, nickname: Polar Bear.

This guy had taken over the basketball court all by himself and was enjoying his strange solo play, throwing the ball from one end to the other and scoring.

After the initial shock, I slowly approached Logan and gave him a big hug. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t been playing for long. He didn’t smell like sweat yet. He had always been obsessed with basketball back in the day.

Of course, Logan wasn’t alone today.

"...So this is what it means to transcend the world?"
"Archetype, seriously, an incomprehensible situation is happening..."
"If you’re part of the Dagger team, you’ll get used to this kind of sight."

At that moment, Jin and Rain, who had no need for sleep, were dragged out by Logan and met up with me.

They hesitated for a moment but soon joined me in a hug, just like Logan had. Their bodies weren’t as soft as a human’s, but it wasn’t a big issue. Surprisingly, their bodies were warm. It seemed like some of the energy generated inside their bodies was being redirected to artificially maintain their body temperature.

Smiling, I patted both of their heads and casually tried to enter the quarters— but then,

Thud.

"Where are you rushing off to?"
"Haha, I just wanted to let the others know that I’ve returned."
"They’re all passed out from drinking yesterday, they won’t even get up."

Thud.

The basketball kept bouncing up and down.

What was that sound, you ask?

"Now that we can do 2 vs 2, let’s play for three hours and then head inside."
"No, seriously!"

I had been caught by the basketball demon.

The hellish basketball marathon had begun.

"Ugh..."
"Logan really got you, huh? You’re in trouble."
"Well, it was just three hours."

10 a.m.

After running around on the court for three hours, I was dripping with sweat. I showered at the Dagger team’s quarters and then sat down to have a late breakfast with my teammates, who were welcoming my return.

It had been a while since all ten of us—no, now twelve of us—had gathered together as the complete Dagger team.

"So, there must be a reason our youngest came back after so long?"
"Of course... but it’s a bit unfortunate that the person doesn’t even remember the reason."
"Me?"
"Yes."

At that moment, a wave of jeering rose toward Lorentina.

But even so, seeing the shark trying so hard to remember what she had said in the past made me want to laugh, so I ended up snickering softly and finally spoke up.

"You said we should go to Florida when everything’s over."
"Ah."

Her round eyes grew even wider.

In 30 minutes, they were about to find a transport plane headed for Florida.