I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 585

"Ugh, this pressure is way worse than I thought!"

The Asia Qualifiers and the Final Championship were completely different.

It was something Dice had told me repeatedly, but as the saying goes, seeing is believing. Harmony felt the full weight of this truth once the first match of the Final Championship began.

There was no issue during the drop from the transport plane or landing, but once she began gearing up, putting on her armor, and preparing her weapons, the difficulty of the combat skyrocketed far beyond that of the Asia Qualifiers. This wasn’t something that had happened once, but repeatedly. This was the reason why Harmony was so taken aback.

The reason the difficulty of the Final Championship increased so drastically was not only because of the tactical analysis from last year’s participants, Eugene and Logan, which had raised the overall level of the competition, but Harmony had no way of knowing that.

'I thought Dice would’ve known this from last year, but playing through the footage… it wasn’t nearly as hard as this. I bet Dice is probably struggling somewhere out there too.'

Of course, that didn’t mean Harmony couldn't deduce things for herself.

Moreover, Harmony’s skills—after being pummeled by countless battles with outsiders—had grown to the point where she could hold her own against pro gamers in this tournament. She was managing to keep the exchanges fairly even, even while dodging a storm of bullets.

Though her skills hadn’t unlocked yet—meaning no worry over skill-based attacks like the Sicko Mine—the grenades flying at her were the biggest threats to avoid.

And Harmony was more than skilled when it came to grenade handling.

Boom!

In the brief moments of calm between gunfights, Harmony swiftly pulled the pin of a grenade and tossed it exactly where she anticipated her enemy would be. In the second of silence between the pin pull and the toss, Harmony knew that her enemy would be too slow to react. As she anticipated, the grenade exploded just seconds after she threw it, scattering shards of shrapnel everywhere.

But Harmony was already one step ahead. She’d already moved to a different cover, and while the explosion happened behind her, she was getting ready for her next strike.

"One... two..."

She started cooking her second grenade. It flew through the air in a perfect arc and exploded at the right time, scattering shards once more.

Unlike the first grenade, however, Harmony had caught her opponent off guard. The explosion was enough to send the opponent reeling, and Harmony took full advantage.

She moved from cover, making her way to her opponent’s hiding spot while pulling another grenade pin with her left hand.

The enemy instinctively crouched, knowing that if they exposed themselves, they would be torn apart by a barrage of bullets. But they didn’t expect another grenade to be coming their way.

Clink!

Harmony threw the grenade right next to their hideout. The enemy’s reaction was fast—part of their backpack shielded them from some of the blast—but they still had to deal with the explosion of smoke grenades and attempt a retreat.

The grenades were only part of Harmony’s strategy. The real victory would come through the gunfight that followed.

And in that fight, the difference was in the HP. Harmony had the upper hand here, as her enemy was left barely clinging to life, ultimately turning into polygons, leaving behind items.

Gasping for breath after a brutal two or three minutes of fighting, Harmony took a moment to catch her breath, the items from her fallen foes scattered around her.

"Ugh, this is so exhausting..."

The complex mind games and the thinking that “If I survive, I can counterattack” came together in ways that created miracles. In the Asia Qualifiers, if anyone had tried the same “second grenade tactic,” they would’ve been sent to the lobby, but here, not only did Harmony survive, but she also seized the opportunity to counterattack.

She understood now what Dice meant when he said that the Final Championship was a battle of mental endurance.

The thought of doing this over and over again...

Bang bang bang!

"Whoa...!"

And then, as expected, out of nowhere, a shadow appeared from the gym corner. As soon as it noticed Harmony, it unleashed a brutal suppressive fire. The speed of the assault was overwhelming. The enemy’s goal was clearly to seize control while Harmony was still reeling from the previous fight. But Harmony was prepared, and she didn’t fall into their trap.

Instead, she held her ground and became a wall, blocking the incoming fire.

With the enemy pinned down, she quickly grabbed a new weapon, an XM250, a machine gun that used 6.8mm Fury rounds. The opponent’s speed worked in Harmony’s favor; she could ensure a few hits at least if she unleashed her firepower.

As she squeezed the trigger, the deafening roar of the machine gun filled the air. The bullets tore through the air at around 700 rounds per minute, cutting through most of the area in front of her and successfully stopping the enemy’s advance.

But there was a catch to using the machine gun.

'...It’s loud and heavy.'

While the machine gun effectively stopped the enemy's advance, Harmony had given away her position with the deafening noise.

If she made a wrong move, it could cost her life. Thinking that, Harmony hastily retreated from the area, just in time to avoid a grenade explosion.

But there was an advantage here: Harmony knew the gym's layout better than the enemy, and she had already predicted two potential approaches the enemy could take.

If she could narrow the field down...

Clink!

The enemy was closing in.

Harmony noticed some old steel crane cables hanging in the gym. As soon as she saw the enemy moving close by, she threw a cooked grenade in that direction, not expecting it to hit, but to set a trap.

As the grenade exploded, the steel cables snapped, and hundreds of kilograms of debris came crashing down, blocking one of the enemy's escape routes. Harmony’s prediction was on point.

She then quickly dashed toward the remaining route, throwing her final grenade as she went.

4 seconds...

3 seconds...

2 seconds...

1 second...

"Found you—"

KABOOM!

As Harmony rounded the corner, she locked eyes with the enemy. Right in front of him, a pinless grenade sat ominously, and as it detonated, his shield shattered completely. The devastation was caused by dozens of shrapnel hitting him head-on.

Harmony, too, was hit by a few pieces of shrapnel, causing her shield to weaken, but the difference was that Harmony had already aimed her submachine gun directly at the enemy.

As the dot sight centered on the target, she immediately pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The enemy was shredded by dozens of bullets.

"Huff...!"

It had only taken two or three minutes.

Having eliminated two enemies in that time, Harmony let out a heavy breath. She checked to make sure no one else was approaching before leaning against her cover.

After a few minutes, looking somewhat worn-out, she muttered to herself:

"Doing this for a week? I must be crazy..."

Of course, once you're in, there's no turning back.

No matter how much admiration, praise, or shock came from the outside, Harmony’s struggles in the Final Championship were just beginning.

"You’re doing well."

"I’m impressed. Every time I see that, I get jealous, kiddo."

"Now that this is happening, Lorentina, don’t just envy, file your discharge papers and start finding one or two promising kids to take under your wing... Ouch!?"

"That’s not happening. First, I’ll have to shut up that mouth of yours, kid."

Meanwhile, I was stuck in the clutches of a cruel shark-villain who had clamped my mouth shut with his chest, unable to move.

Sharks are terrifying, after all.

"You know, without needing to dig too deep, I can spot where the troublemakers are in a glance... I guess that’s one advantage. Congrats, kid. You've got the best new game players in the world."

"I already did my part, so I have no regrets."

"Exactly, kid."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean, you crazy idiots?"

- Logan’s classic jab ? - Shamelessness taken to the next level... making a note of that... - Where even is this? It looks like a private lounge - Polar bear <<< just pure likability ? - The brake is hilariously dramatic ?

As the moral backbone of the team, Logan—no, he wasn't the conscience, really—turned his attention back to the screen, watching as the first day of the tournament wound down. Only about 20 players remained, and the playing area was getting smaller.

Harmony and Dice were obviously holding their own, but Summit, Gambit, and Michael were in the same boat. In such confined spaces, battles had turned into chaotic scrambles, and both Michael and Harmony had shown their expertise—Michael with his shields and Harmony with her traps.

But here was the catch: The two of them had ended up in direct competition with each other.

"By the way, when players from the same country face off, their avatars look different, right? Didn't you mention something about reassigning the avatars of the dead randomly?"

"Right. But those two... With their unique playstyles, they probably figured each other out long ago. That’s probably why their fight is so intense."

"They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so they’ll definitely fight with everything they’ve got."

"Who do you think will win, Logan?"

"Not sure."

Logan gave a nonchalant answer, seemingly uninterested in the outcome.

Honestly, I felt the same way. It didn’t matter to me who won. I wasn’t playing after all. Lorentina seemed more curious, but after my experience last year, I was just here to enjoy the game.

When the match ended, we’d watch the audience leave, or maybe take a ride back to the hotel. But behind the scenes, it was a whole different story. The overwhelming roar from the stadium reached us, sending a tingling sensation down my spine.

Meanwhile, Logan was reclining in what looked like a bed that could adjust to any angle, while I naturally laid across Lorentina’s thighs.

With that soft sensation, Logan’s loud voice cut through the moment.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing!?"

"It just felt the most comfortable... Oh, alright, I’ll get up!"

"Aren’t you being too harsh on the kid, Logan? Cut him some slack."

"Then you do it!"

"Alright, kid, come here."

"Awesome."

- Logan’s understanding ? - Shamelessness becomes likable if it goes too far… making notes... - Where is this? It looks like a personal lounge - Polar bear <<< pure likability ? - The brake is ridiculously dramatic ?

As Logan, the moral compass of the team, made his move, I grabbed Lorentina’s thigh and rested my head on it, feeling the softness beneath me.

With Logan’s expression quickly morphing into something unusual, I quickly checked the remaining players—there were only about 20 left, and everyone was giving their all in the battles, though more were being eliminated as time passed.

Though it was sad, Harmony’s match with Michael had ended in her victory. Harmony had lured him into a building and detonated a kilogram of explosives she’d placed on the wall, blowing him to bits.

It wasn’t really Michael’s fault—if the match had been in an open field, Harmony would have been relentlessly hunted. But at least he finished in the top 10.

And now, only about four players remained. Harmony and Dice were still in the running, but also present were Stormseer, the second Final Championship winner from this year, and Kain, a former Ranger Regiment member who had finished 3rd after defeating Dice last year.

Who would win? It was hard to say. In such a tight corner, anyone could take first place. Without a major wildcard like Logan or myself, the skill difference between the remaining players was minimal.

Well, maybe not minimal. It was more like comparing the height of trees in a forest of metasequoia.

"Logan, stop messing with my tail."

"It’s like petting a puppy. Just accept it."

"Ugh, it’s ticklish."

- ???…. - Is this vicarious satisfaction? Is this vicarious satisfaction? Is this vicarious satisfaction? - Logan’s tail-petting vs. Logan petting the tail - Please, I don’t need options, just make one of them happen!!!! - Please turn me into TS!!!! Please!!!!

The viewers were going wild.

The schedule was simple: Whether Harmony or Dice took first place, I would congratulate them. If they didn’t, I would listen to their complaints.

As I was thinking about that, Olivia, who had quietly approached and started fiddling with my hair, opened a book to show me something. It turned out to be a pamphlet, resembling a small encyclopedia.

The part she had circled with a marker was about the upcoming event match, where Logan and I would be participating…

"Wait a second. What is this?"

"Well, if you want to get up, you should speak, kiddo."

"Check this out, everyone."

After a few moments, everyone, except Olivia, who was chuckling in the back, quickly scanned the pamphlet’s details about the event match:

"...The number of participants is over 100."

"Wait, if only Eugene and I are going, it should be 102, but... 105?"

"It seems like... the three humanoid newbies are going to invade, doesn't it?"

The three Mecha-Biyams are participating? With their weapons on their tails?

While the book didn’t specify further details, considering the events that had taken place so far, it seemed likely.

It felt like it wouldn’t be a battle royale of 105 participants, but rather a 5 vs. 100 match, and a sense of unease swept over me.