READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 63 - DICE
Chapter 63 DICE
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A game of Apex Predator could be long if long, and short if short, but the developers and ICARUS’s motto stated that it was designed never to exceed a maximum of 30 minutes.
Simultaneously, considering that only one out of a hundred people could grab first place, unless it was for a specific purpose like Yourspace content, where 99 players were invited to end the game as quickly as possible for entertainment, the minimum time was roughly between the late 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
Unless scrims ended after one or two rounds, the actual gameplay and debriefing combined never exceeded 40 minutes.
This was no exception for Yoo Jin’s turn.
“Shoot only that gun as much as possible. Use it in missions, in PVP, in every battlefield you can.”
Of course, whether the interim content was followed by the user’s one-sided explanation or filled with endless questions depended on the individual’s play style.
Anyway, the statement that came out of her mouth was undoubtedly a standard method. Shooting a lot to get used to a gun’s recoil was a given.
…But.
───!!
Emptying two magazines of ten rounds each from an anti-materiel rifle in just five seconds was a bit off as an answer to the question.
Nevertheless, it was a masterpiece scene. It was a sight rarely seen in general games, occurring in a scrim where survival through terrain and positioning was of extreme importance.
It was the very essence of VR FPS fantasy.
Although the monstrous length of the original anti-materiel rifle had disappeared due to its modification into a CQ form, the function of firing board-marker-sized bullets in semi-automatic mode still remained.
Not at a shooting range, but in a scrim, she maximized the physical capabilities of the weapon to literally delete two Juggernauts.
A deafening noise that shattered into small pieces against the wall. The two enemies caught in the storm of those armor-piercing rounds were literally reduced to polygonal debris, and Yoo Jin disappeared across it.
It was a private match, and since the play video would not be released externally, everyone had to keep it in their memory with regret.
After that, it was simple. Because the two Juggernauts were smashed, a slight gap formed in the encirclement in her direction, which meant that only where Yoo Jin was had a hole in the net.
While others were fighting among themselves and with the Juggernauts, reducing their numbers, she leisurely rearmed and prepared for the final battle.
Thus, the result that followed for several minutes from then on was obvious.
She lured the Juggernauts to bury the last remaining enemy, aside from herself, under a storm of lead and steel patrolmen, winning first place.
“…That’s all.”
Applause erupted, marking the end of the scrim.
Scrim.
It was a word with many meanings, but limited to Apex Predator, as described by many pros and participants, it was a forced march.
What PVP mode in the Dark Zone wouldn’t be, but there was a significant difference between facing AI and real people.
Even Hunters, rated as difficult by users often called veterans, couldn’t mimic the diverse and varied movements of users and compensated by relatively enhancing their actual specs compared to users.
Assuming an average game lasted 20 minutes, without considering matchmaking time and running non-stop, just three games would take an hour.
Even with three times the time acceleration applied, making the in-game time different from reality, it didn’t mean mental fatigue was alleviated. Naturally, pros or those aspiring to be required more stamina and concentration than ordinary people.
And naturally, maintaining concentration and staying in the top ranks during such forced marches was a talent, and Yoo Jin consistently and naturally stayed in the top ranks.
Though not very often, except for extremely unreasonable situations, she stayed at first place frequently and made sure to take all nearby people with her to the underworld.
As the scrim progressed, a thought arose in everyone’s mind.
She was a tactical nuke.
Especially in solo games where everyone was an enemy, and there were no allies.
Therefore, her tendency to avoid death at all costs inevitably raised questions, and her frequent first-place finishes quickly provided answers.
To summarize briefly,
– Only by having the mindset that death is the end can you strive to find a way even in a dead-end situation.
Of course, those present couldn’t fully emulate Yoo Jin’s peculiar mindset, but it was indeed seriously discussed.
If an ordinary user 1 staying on the internet had said so, it might have been just another line added to a pile of opinions, but her words, from someone frequently achieving the almost impossible first place that even pros rarely did, carried different weight.
Frankly speaking, most people were curious about how this was possible.
Anyway, as Yoo Jin’s monopolization of the top ranks continued, the professional gamers in charge asked for understanding and began analyzing the debriefings or play of users other than her.
It was an unprecedented situation.
People joked that the flood of highly skilled combatants into the game scene was something they expected only on the US server.
But as always, time passed, the first part ended, and she was recognized as comparable to a pro, moving on to the next section.
Part 2.
Simply put, it was a tactics lecture, and to describe it in detail and without omission – it was more like training conducted on a 3D field that replicated the scrim map.
Among the participants were not only those involved in solo ranks but also those participating in duo and squad play. Mock battles with these groups ranged from one-on-one to 2:2 and 4:4.
Their battles were evaluated by about 90 spectators, including pros, and the same situations were repeatedly tested until the second part ended.
The third part involved ingraining the actual tactics learned in the second part through specially and finely tuned custom match settings, aiming to better handle combat situations previously experienced.
Frankly speaking, it was a slightly adjusted scrim match, which meant it wasn’t much different from before.
The fourth part was no different for Yoo Jin.
“…You might not be able to log in now because the preliminaries are just around the corner, but for someone like Yoo Jin, playing competitive matches on the North American server outside of scrims would be very effective.
During the preliminary period for the Final Championship, scrims with global participants will take place in North America, so practicing for that should help you achieve good results….”
To the point where such comments were made.
It wasn’t a big problem for her.
Anyway, it was 2 PM.
In real-time, it started at 9:30 AM, and the moment marking the end of about thirteen hours of scrims in-game arrived.
With the refreshing applause filling the debriefing room, those who didn’t receive a separate message naturally left, and cursors of different colors appeared over the heads of those who were still seated, glancing around.
Some had multiple cursors, all paired with the colors above the heads of the remaining professional gamers.
Simply put, they were the chosen ones by the pros.
Those who stepped onto the podium began to call names, each creating a microphone.
“Redfield, is Redfield here?”
“Medal of Honor 997LP Skadia, do you have a moment to talk?”
“SamsisekkilamyeonOneTool, if you’re here, please wave your hand!”
And amidst this,
“…Ugh, what’s with this….”
“Yoo Jin, please wave your hand!”
“Wow, they’re pushing through. Do you guys have any conscience?”
With more than ten colored cursors stacked above her head, Yoo Jin, looking somewhat flustered, and the pros pouring out their love calls to her with a visual noticeable from hundreds of meters away if you weren’t blind.
Moreover, about a third of the cursors were wildcards glowing gold, meaning they would try to talk to or recruit her no matter what.
It was a unique culture seen only in VR.
Of course, Yoo Jin knew what it meant.
As if described in an old internet novel dealing with virtual reality, numerous pop-up windows detailed what it meant.
She had somewhat expected it, but there’s always a difference between predicting something in your head and facing it in reality.
After a brief contemplation, a wildcard message appeared before Yoo Jin’s eyes.
But it felt a bit familiar.
[Notification: You have received a personal message from DICE. Would you like to check it?］
…Perhaps.
The excuse that it was okay to take an interest because it was the first pro she had ever killed might not matter much.
Thinking that, Yoo Jin clicked on it.
[Notification: Moving to DICE’s personal booth.］
A light flashed before her eyes.
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