I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 453

<SpringFlowerEffect has donated 1,000 KRW!>
- Hey, what the hell, teacher?! Why are you doing all the fun stuff alone and not telling us about it?!

"...No comment."

- HEY!!!!
- Why do you do fun stuff without us? Why do you do fun stuff without us? Why do you do fun stuff without us? Why do you do fun stuff without us? Why do you do fun stuff without us? Why do you do fun stuff without us?
- When did you even try something like that? LOL
- Didn’t that game ad launch less than a month ago? How is something like this coming out so fast?
- And knowing it would appear on the official broadcast, what kind of nerve did you have to open a private stream for it? LOL

A moment of silence followed.

The viewers, upon hearing the shocking news, reacted in the most universal way possible: an onslaught of question marks filled the chat. As they regained their composure, the realization struck—this person, knowing full well it would be shown on the official broadcast, even gave interviews and still pretended ignorance. Chaos erupted.

Naturally, the streamers feigned ignorance. The viewers didn’t really expect serious answers. To be precise, this was a territory bound by confidentiality agreements between the company and the streamers. Nobody was stubborn enough to forcefully dig into it.

Of course, even if someone had tried, they would’ve been swiftly removed by the ever-vigilant moderator bot.

Separate from this, as the initial fervor subsided, the viewers’ curiosity shifted to another matter.

A month—or less. To be exact, about five fewer days depending on the perspective. When considering the time it takes to create a new class for a game with an average global player base of 1.5 million (plus or minus 200,000), even a month was…

Unreasonably short. Practically impossible.

Even if the work was outsourced everywhere, compiling all the data files and optimizing them alone would take a month. Despite advancements in workflow efficiency, some things simply couldn’t be rushed.

When the game first launched, there were 32 classes. Four years later, Glory and Honor now had exactly 50 classes. Releasing four classes a year—one per quarter—was the standard. Speeding that up significantly was unprecedented.

The streamer, of course, knew this better than anyone and had long since resolved his curiosity about it.

Staring blankly at the flood of questions filling the chat, he recalled that the embargo was partially lifted starting today. Carefully, he began to speak.

"…Before I answer your questions, let me explain as a former game developer. To add a new class to Glory and Honor, the necessary steps are as follows."

First, the concept of the class must be established.

At this stage, an intense discussion determines whether the concept is realistic and fits well into the game’s world. Once it gets the green light, they decide on various details like attack methods, total HP, damage areas, armor types, height, and more.

Second, based on the decided settings, the character is built.

This includes creating simulations and fixing any incompatibilities with the game’s physics engine. Once those issues are resolved, stunt performers and martial artists are hired to capture various motion data for realism and detail.

Naturally, challenges arise during these stages—actions that are unrealistic or physically impossible based on the initial concepts. Resolving these issues is also part of the process.

And then—

"…Third, when the prototype is complete, QA testers and general participants who’ve signed legal agreements test the class in real scenarios. They check for physics engine clashes, bugs, areas for improvement, and shortcomings, and report them back."

The difference here was that typical cinematic trailers were usually produced between the second and third stages. This time, they had already reached the third stage.

With all the details sorted, viewers gradually realized that thanks to Eugene’s involvement, many processes from the first and second stages had been skipped. This had accelerated the project’s progress to an almost impossible level.

Glancing at the chat, he guessed that similar discussions were happening in other streams. Sensing that most of the viewers’ questions had been answered, he decided to address the most pressing issue directly.

"Anyway, to summarize… what you’re probably most curious about is whether the class is fun to play or not, right?"

- Of course, duh! LOL
- If it’s released like this, assassins will take over everywhere! Damn it!
- Hot take: make it so only players above Platinum rank can buy it.
- Difficulty: ‘Extreme’ LOL
- Hey, isn’t this the first time we’ve had ‘Extreme’ difficulty? LOL

Exactly.

Extreme Difficulty.

Normally, difficulties were categorized as Easy, Medium, and Hard, with players further splitting them into subcategories like Lower Medium, Upper Hard, etc. But just minutes earlier, the official broadcast boldly introduced ‘Extreme’—two simple syllables that burned themselves into the minds of the viewers.

Naturally, among the millions of viewers, fewer than 100 might have genuinely thought, "I shouldn’t attempt this." Most were likely thinking, "I can do it!"

Having gauged the viewers’ reactions, the streamer took a deep breath, suppressing a smirk, and added:

"As mentioned earlier… it’s obviously fun. You saw it in the footage—Assassins, being a close-range class, passively gain a roughly 15% bonus to dynamic vision. It’s not overwhelmingly difficult, but once a blade flashes past your face… it’s chilling."

- Oh, sh*t LOL
- Fact: People play this game for that spine-tingling sensation.
- LOL
- Everyone here is a thrill junkie, and now it’s even scarier? Sounds great. LOL
- What is it about this class that everyone keeps raving about?!

Exactly.

Even he wasn’t sure how else to describe it. After much thought, he concluded that thrill-seeking degenerates were the best words to describe the Glory and Honor player base.

While other games might appeal to casual players, Glory and Honor thrived on the adrenaline rush of close-range combat. The imminent release of an ultra-close-range class, where a single mistake could mean disaster, was bound to be… wildly popular.

And that wasn’t the only appealing aspect.

"And as for the second thing you’re curious about—the Assassin system—it’s genuinely innovative. You all love fancy animations, don’t you? When the Assassin system triggers, all the motions change completely. I think you’ll be very pleased with it."

In this case, motion and performance were proportionate.

When the system activates, all ambient sounds fade away. The field of vision narrows. Only the sound of a heartbeat echoes, and the world’s colors dull into a grayish haze—except for the critical spot, which faintly glows.

If the player successfully blocks or dodges an enemy’s attack and counters, the game determines whether the target can defend. If not, all attacks register as critical hits or instant kills.

What happens next is simple.

"Depending on the attack’s form, the target’s position, class, HP, and status effects… the Assassin executes a fatal blow or instant kill with one of dozens of unique animations. I think you’ll love it."

- LOL
- This guy is going all out now that the embargo’s lifted. LOL
- So when is it releasing?! Open the gates!!! My wallet’s ready!!!
- Not for you, though. LOL
- I better finish my ranked games fast before this drops. LOL

While it had taken him quite some time to master this class, that wasn’t his concern anymore. He’d already warned everyone multiple times about the class’s Extreme Difficulty—what happened next was up to them.

After all, he hadn’t lied.

Looking at the chat buzzing with excitement, he smiled faintly and concluded:

"The official release date is in two weeks, so please be patient until then."

That was it. He had fulfilled his role.

‘…Sure, I didn’t share all the details, but class adaptation is always a grind anyway.’

The outcome remained to be seen, but for now, he resolved to grind ranked matches as much as possible and secure a high-tier spot before the Assassin class plunged Glory and Honor into chaos.

It was two weeks before the impending pandemonium.

And as the ranked grind continued:

"It seems like more opponents are getting used to daggers the higher I climb."

- Used to them? LOL
- Hot take: that’s not adapting; it’s their final death throes.
- Teacher, praising them won’t improve their skill level.
- But yeah, some Challengers pre-read and react. LOL
- Memo: some Challengers can respond to Eugene’s attacks… noted.

The weather was clear, and corpses littered the field.

The green patch on his shoulder had become familiar—it had been about two weeks since he’d reached Challenger rank. With nowhere higher to climb, it was an amusing milestone.

For Eugene, who had never ranked among the top players in the Dark Zone, this marked his first official foray into the heights of competitive gameplay. This time, it wasn’t about tournaments but about dominating the ranked ladder. Tournament participation required Tier 2 as a baseline, and tournament MMR was separate from regular ranked play. Back then, Eugene had simply parked himself at an adequate rank and shifted over to the tournament scene.

In short, this was the first time he’d officially entered the upper echelons of the ranked ladder.

And the result was the very words he had just muttered moments ago.

— Clang!

"Oh."

"Ugh...!"

The blade, which should have pierced soft flesh, was abruptly stopped midway.

The enemy had anticipated his trajectory, canceled their attack, and narrowly defended against the incoming dagger. The sensation inside the gauntlet’s grip stung his hand slightly. Judging by the deliberate reaction, it seemed less like reflex and more like his movements had been read.

Rather than frustration, he felt intrigued. The reason was simple: this was exactly the kind of challenge he had been aiming for. Had he been opposed to this, he wouldn’t have created or approved the Dual Dagger Users’ Analysis Room in the first place.

As its moderator, he hadn’t actively monitored what went on in the room for some time, but based on the current situation, the discussions and analyses seemed to be bearing fruit.

In that case, it was time to shake things up a bit.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

"…!"

He shifted his posture and lowered his stance.

This time, he added a layer of unpredictability to his movements. Transitioning from a defensive to an offensive stance, he deliberately made his opponent uncomfortable, intensifying the pressure as he probed for openings within their range.

Feigning attacks two or three times, he waited for the enemy’s stance to falter. Then, in one smooth motion, he threw the dagger in his left hand.

The target? Their face.

Of course, he wasn’t counting on this causing significant HP loss. If it hit, great. If not, it didn’t matter.

While the throw lacked an obvious windup, the enemy managed to narrowly block the dagger with their reflexes—only for their vision to be momentarily obscured, giving Eugene the chance to deliver a solid kick to their abdomen.

"Ugh…!"

The dagger from his left hand landed roughly seven meters away. Retrieving it was out of the question.

But there was no time to worry about that. He launched a continuous series of attacks. His opponent wielded two katanas, meaning Eugene needed to maintain his advantage to secure victory. Even so, part of him was curious about how thoroughly his techniques had been analyzed and wanted to see their responses.

The enemy, surprisingly, chose an unconventional counter.

Deliberately exposing a gap in their arm, they attempted to counterattack his exposed hand.

— Thud!

"…That’s unexpected."

"Hah…!"

With a loud clang, the katana in the enemy’s left hand fell to the ground. Embedded in their forearm was a long dagger—Eugene’s, which he hadn’t managed to retrieve in time.

Here’s what happened: Eugene had gripped his dagger in a reverse hold and stabbed it into the enemy samurai’s left arm, intending to disable it entirely. However, the enemy’s katana swing from their right hand had been slightly faster.

If Eugene had tried to forcibly retrieve the dagger, his right hand would have been severed.

In the end, Eugene remained unharmed but weaponless, while the enemy sacrificed their left arm. They then took Eugene’s dagger, still lodged in their arm, and hurled it far behind them as if to ensure it couldn’t be used again.

The fact that Eugene was now weaponless seemed to spread like wildfire. Two additional opponents approached, brandishing their menacing weapons, and encircled him.

"You’ve thought things through better than I expected."

"I’ve put some effort into this, Teacher."

"That much is clear."

Eugene briefly rolled his eyes, pondering what to say next.

The idea wasn’t bad, but his opponents had overlooked one crucial fact. For that, they would have to pay a hefty price.

Reaching into the concealed cloth that draped like a short skirt around his waist, he began to speak.

"Dual-wielding daggers may be my signature, but assuming I wouldn’t have a plan for losing both weapons is… unreasonable, wouldn’t you agree?"

"…Excuse me?"

"I didn’t want to bring this out, but…"

- What??? WHAT??????
- Oh my God, the tactical tomahawk is here LOL
- ???: Sorry, Dice… I didn’t want to use it…
- Why apologize to Dice?! LOL
- You’re DONE FOR!!!
- What? You lost your daggers? Oh well, here’s an axe!~

With a soft swish, a sleek black tomahawk emerged from the hidden compartment.

Its familiar grip felt perfect in his hand, and the engraved name "EUGENE" glowed faintly on its handle.

Unlike when wielding daggers, the aftermath of his attacks would now leave much messier results.

"Uh, wait. Teacher, I don’t think I signed up for the advanced course—"

"Let’s go."

The dull, brutal sound of the tomahawk filled the air.

If you can’t have bread, eat cake. If you don’t have daggers, use an axe.

The fight was about to take a whole new turn.