I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 451

"Hup—!"

Swish!

A dreadful sound echoed as a silver greatsword cut through the air. The timing was flawless. It wasn’t swung with excessive force. The distance control was impeccable, and the moment of the attack was seamless—yet the perfectly executed strike missed its target by the width of a finger, grazing past the opponent’s head.

Allied forces once again rallied to reclaim Point A. They reasoned that even if they temporarily surrendered Point B, securing a properly placed ballista would make retaking the center far easier than anticipated.

Moreover, unlike Point B, Points A and C were confined spaces where only small skirmishes, at most 2v2 battles, could occur. If they concentrated their forces to drive out the enemy and successfully occupied Point A, then destroyed the makeshift bridge connecting A and C, they had a reasonable chance of achieving their objectives.

Thus, four allies surged toward Point A. The situation reset to square one—

"Three minutes...?"

"This... this is ridiculous."

Loki's team had to accept a devastating result at Point A: three minutes lost and two allies down.

Unfortunately for them, the professor who would grade Loki’s "group project" wasn’t about to hand them an A for effort. The two who impulsively attempted a joint attack in their panic earned themselves a D+ before being ejected to the respawn screen. Meanwhile, the golden blood still dripped steadily from the daggers in Professor Eugene’s hands.

The only ones left were Loki and her Shaman-class ally. Their bodies, enhanced by targeted spells that boosted their stats by more than 20%, launched a flurry of attacks. But their opponent’s sharp gaze refused to allow even a single successful strike. To make matters worse, Eugene's team had already informed him that Loki was using the "Battle Frenzy" perk, putting him on high alert.

"Shaman, can you provide support?"

"I... I'll try my best."

Dodging. Dodging again. And dodging once more.

It wasn’t just ordinary dodging. If that were the case, those at Point A might have thought Eugene was merely stalling for time. But he evaded every attack by mere inches, never once breaking eye contact with his attackers. Rather than feeling like they were missing their strikes, it felt like they were being dissected.

From behind came the metallic sound of a blade unsheathing. The Shaman had drawn a gladius. However, it wasn’t to join the fray. Instead, in this dire situation, he intended to throw the blade—a unique tactic made possible by his special ability to continuously replenish ceremonial swords at fixed intervals.

With that, Loki and the Shaman maintained a safe distance, carefully calculating their timing.

The joint attack began.

"Huff...!"

Eugene was undoubtedly a formidable opponent. That much was certain.

But his two daggers had clear limitations—particularly when the distance was rapidly closed, and he was forced into an offensive position. Weapons like poleaxes or bastard swords could counter such advances with their reach, but daggers, barely 40 centimeters long, couldn’t.

As Loki initiated a heavy horizontal slash from the upper stance, Eugene quickly retreated. But Loki immediately canceled her motion and rushed forward, closing the gap even further, before initiating another horizontal slash. With her body enhanced and the distance suddenly closed, Eugene had no choice but to meet the attack head-on, crossing his daggers to brace for impact.

With a horrifying screech, the crossed daggers barely managed to deflect the claymore. For the first time, a dull groan escaped Eugene’s lips. It was a miracle he wasn’t sent flying sideways.

But it wasn’t over.

As Eugene fended off the attack, the Shaman threw his gladius with all his might. Loki, instead of following up her attack, continued pressing her strength against Eugene’s daggers, as if trying to cleave him in half—buying the Shaman the time he needed.

Yet no one noticed the sudden gleam in Eugene’s eyes.

"Ugh...!"

In a single second, an array of events unfolded simultaneously, compacted into one fluid motion.

Eugene stepped back ever so slightly, loosening his grip just enough to slip free of the claymore’s trajectory as it halted mid-swing. At the same time, the gladius hurtled toward him. However, the gauntlet on Eugene’s hand possessed just enough durability to deflect it.

With a sharp clang, sparks flew as the gladius rebounded off the gauntlet, spinning upward. But it didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, Eugene, with his leg clad in reinforced greaves, kicked the hilt of the gladius like a soccer ball.

The blade, moving at an almost imperceptible speed, didn’t travel far before finding its target.

"Kuh—! Ack...!"

HP dropped to zero in an instant.

Loki wanted to rub her eyes and double-check, but the reality before her was undeniable. Even the viewers, stunned into silence, couldn’t deny what they had witnessed—it was all real.

She resisted the urge to look back at the Shaman’s final moments. All she heard was the thud of a body hitting the ground and a dying groan.

As the sensation of exhilaration and vitality coursing through her body faded, Loki realized that the targeted spell effects had vanished with the Shaman’s death.

All that remained was emptiness.

"Ha... ha. Haha..."

"You’re not thinking of running away now, are you?"

"...Please, go easy on me."

The person who had just ruthlessly beaten SSM Entertainment's Glory and Honor pro gamers to a pulp.

She.

Raised her daggers.

Loki felt her upcoming battles would be a grueling ordeal.

"Completely obliterated in an instant. I feel like I got whacked in the head with a sledgehammer. Let’s take a 10-minute—no, an hour-long break."

Whew… I’ll let this one slide.
That’s some next-level stuff, lol.
At this tier, once you lose momentum, you’re just shredded instantly. Terrifying.
Losing 4v1 is insane, hahaha!
This wasn’t a ranked game; it was an actual war, lol.
As she sank deeply into her chair, it let out a loud creak. But Loki didn’t have the mental energy to care. Staring blankly at the ceiling, she let out a heavy sigh. Normally, she’d review the recent battle, reflecting on what she did well and where she went wrong. But she couldn’t muster the willpower.

A pure, insurmountable gap in skill. It wasn’t unheard of, even at the Grandmaster tier. Every game, every professional scene had its star players. As a former pro gamer herself, she understood this better than most.

Some players exuded an oppressive aura just by standing before you.

Others, even when it seemed certain you’d kill them, would stubbornly survive and counterattack.

And then there were those so unbeatable in direct combat that you resorted to setting traps and exploiting their weaknesses.

‘But this… this is the first time I’ve encountered something so hopeless.’

Every attack was calculated, conserving stamina while exhausting hers. Exploiting reach was futile because Eugene’s control was so precise that the attacker would tire first. He never attacked unnecessarily, making parries and counters impossible.

And yet, what terrified her most was the realization that the daggers, which seemed like self-imposed restraints, were merely a choice. If he had wielded a tomahawk, or an arming sword, or something even more devastating...

There was only one conclusion.

"You have to adapt on the fly. There’s no other way."

A soft click echoed as Loki opened her notepad. Though no longer a pro, traces of her professional habits remained. She swiftly jotted down observations from the match.

It was widely known that Eugene consistently targeted vital areas or vulnerable points, rendering opponents’ actions ineffective. Loki, too, had fallen victim to the textbook execution—mobility restricted, a dagger through her throat.

But that wasn’t what mattered most. What truly stood out was that Eugene didn’t evade every attack. There were moments when he had no choice but to block.

As her fingers moved instinctively, a few lines of text appeared on the screen.

"If he switches to defense the moment he senses an unavoidable attack... then it’s not entirely hopeless."

Her memory sharpened as she reviewed the battle. The Shaman’s thrown gladius had forced Eugene into a precarious position. If Loki had capitalized on that opening instead of freezing, there might have been a chance.

Loki’s notes grew until they filled over ten lines. She organized them neatly, adding every thought before the inspiration faded. In the end, she had what could be called an analysis—a detailed document that felt like it came straight from her days with a pro team. She leaned back in her chair, her fiery determination dimming.

"But that doesn’t mean I want to face him again."

Haha, exactly!
Knowing isn’t the same as doing, lol!
He’s probably reviewing the match too, so next time this won’t work anyway.
True, haha.
Just because you kill him once doesn’t mean he won’t respawn, lol.
Loki sighed deeply. If Eugene stayed where he was, maybe she could succeed with the same method. But he wouldn’t. He was far too intelligent, likely the smartest player she’d ever encountered.

Just as she was lost in thought—

Ding!

A sudden message.

It was from a fellow gamer, someone she had known for a while. Like Loki, they were of similar skill and tier, though unlike her, they remained in the professional scene.

The message contained a link. After confirming it wasn’t a phishing attempt, Loki clicked it. What greeted her was the name of a chat channel:

[A Room for Beating the Dual-Dagger User]

What... was this?

The number of participants—46—hinted that this madness was on a far larger scale than Loki had imagined. Entry required verifying her Glory and Honor profile. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she completed the verification.

At the top of the channel was a pinned message:

<This channel was created with streamer Eugene’s permission.>

"What the—"

LOL, they got his permission?!
These people are nuts!
I think Eugene’s the craziest one here, honestly.
???: Do it if you can, lol.
Scrolling through the participants, Loki saw familiar names—renowned players, pro gamers, trainees, and top-tier regulars ranging from Master to Challenger rank. Not a single participant was below Master tier.

For a moment, she forgot why she had joined. Looking at the lineup, she muttered:

"The world’s gone mad."

Even Loki, deeply immersed in the world of Glory and Honor, struggled to understand this bizarre phenomenon.

And that was how she spent the next three hours adjusting to the channel.

<User YouFkingSuck has donated 3,000 won.>

Is it just me, or does the channel gain a new member after every match?
"Well, I trust that such individuals will lead to significant advancements. More members are always welcome."

???: But I don’t think I’ll lose, lol.
Haha!
Fun fact: Eugene created the channel upon request.
So this is like the Demon King training heroes?
This is why comedy shows never go out of style, lol.
The "Room for Beating the Dual-Dagger User."

Its operator—though not its creator—was Eugene.

The world was indeed a strange place.