Chapter 28 : Farewell, the strongest. You’re merely an ordinary being born in an era without me

It’s a farewell. The strongest. Just a common person born in an era without me.

Bang!!

A bullet grazes my cheek.

Click.

Filling the worn-out health bar is meaningless anyway, since a single shot in a sniper battle would end it. In the narrowing map and limited time, I choose to reload instead of using healing items.

Bang!

The bullet I fired grazes my opponent’s ear.

“…Hoo.”

[Hoo.]

I exhale the breath I had been holding back, as if it were a promise between us.

You’re really good. Killognote.

And then, for a while, there is no further combat.

In a fleeting moment, a head can fly off.

And, in the same span of time, I could blow off my opponent’s head.

We both sensed it after just one bullet encounter.

One battle, and it’s over.

And now, with the distance we’ve just sensed.

In the next encounter, one of us will definitely die.

Wow. My hands are sweating.

It’s been a while. Meeting a worthy rival.

“…Brings back memories.”

[Indeed. You had the Kraber again today, Yukin.]

• Now that I think about it, it’s pretty similar ᄋᄋ…
• Is Kraber noona actually Yu’s mom?!
• If this was written in a novel, it would get roasted ᄏᄏᄏ

-ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ Didn’t imagine this at all.

I glance.

I tried to analyze that building over there, but we are both behind cover, so it’s tough.

They wouldn’t throw grenades or anything, would they? I heard that person has a certain pride.

“Heh. Do you want to be completely defeated by me again?”

[This time, it will be different.]

Killognote, the skilled streamer who feels the need to show something.

Unlike me, who just goes for whatever seems fun, they probably feel a lot more pressure.

That element must have played a big role in that game we played together a long time ago too.

The character Killognote picked, Raise, is – not potato chips. She’s not particularly good for sniper battles.

She’s a close-combat pressure style using skills like Ghost Walk.

When we are keeping our distance and aiming for a single shot, I, who can move fast, have the advantage.

But that’s in usual cases.

I know this sounds completely insane, but…

What if Raise places a portal to the right of the cover, and then peeks her head to the left?

And the moment she spots me, she teleports and snipes my head…?

When playing with others, I never think like this.

I’d usually be cursing at such delusions.

But the opponent is Killognote.

The skilled player with a deadly nickname, “Fill the Killog.”

Last sniper duel? Sure, I did well, but.

That time, my sniper point was an unknown location.

A rooftop only accessible with ultra-fine control and precise jumps.

So Killognote must have been caught off guard.

“Hahaha. Right after we reunite, it’s the same situation again. The last enemy… well, I can’t even team up.”

I try to speak nonchalantly, but honestly, I’m a bit nervous.

[…Right. It’s been two or three years, but it’s the same map and position.]

• It’s the same.
• King’s Canyon, sniper ridge, third-floor ruins building, and the shack roof. Identical.
• Wow, this is really like a movie.
• It’s a revenge match;; This looks dangerous for Yukin.

Eck. Is that so?

She remembers exactly where she died.

To be honest, I didn’t think it was here…

Ahem.

“By the way, how have you been?”

[After that… you know about the broadcast stuff, right?]

“I have a rough idea.”

Either way, when we shoot next, one of us will die. I should just tell everything now.

Basically, it’s like talking to an enemy before dying.

[Every time the broadcast went off, I practiced my aim. I didn’t miss a single day. I hid my nickname and kept duo-ing to track you down.]

“Oooh… really?”

It’s a bit stalker-ish, kind of scary.

It’s been about three years, and they were still doing that…

• Hearing that voice saying this, it feels like I’m watching anime.
• Both their voices are so good, ᄏᄏ
• My back hurts…
• Aren’t they the ones who shoot each other in the head?
• Do they? Wow… [Message blocked by manager.]
• (Manager) You bastard, trying to die.

[There were so many impersonators. Even if I didn’t try hard, there must have been dozens.]

“Eck. That’s creepy, though…?”

And so, we shared all the things we couldn’t say before.

Just one sniper duel, one duo match, but both of those were the best rounds, memorable enough for us.

There were plenty of things to talk about, and we had enough patience, but.

Kuuuuuuuung….

But the time left was not enough.

[Slowly…]

“Yeah. The map is shrinking to its maximum.”

• Noooᅲᅲᅲ
• Killyou couple forever ᅲᅲᅲᅲᅲ
• Stop it, romantic idiots ᅩᅩ
• It’s really turning into a tragedy.

Ding.

Ding.

Click!

We both reload our guns and turn off the chat.

“Whoaaa…”

Heh. Cool.

Such soul-stirring romance. Isn’t it great?!

It’s about time to end this.

We can’t just keep talking forever.

“Everyone. I’ll be going in five seconds.”

• Wow… Why am I trembling?
• ᄅᄋ My hands are so sweaty;;
• There’s no idiot who’s gonna cuckoo this, right?
• Nah, no way.
• Do-young hyung, turned off the chat ᄏᄏᄏ he’s really serious now.

Click.

100% my Craver is slower than the projectile speed.

This isn’t a guess; it’s a fact based on the system. The Craver has the slowest bullet speed among sniper rifles.

The advantage my Craver has over Killognote’s Sentinel is only in overwhelming damage.

A single hit can instantly kill, so it’s irrelevant now.

As far as I know, my reaction time and reflexes are similar to Killognote’s.

But.

Just one thing.

It’s absurd, and difficult, but.

There’s one possible strategy.

It’s something I’ve only thought about, never actually tried.

A “super play.”

Clearly, I’m at a severe disadvantage system-wise right now.

So what can I do?

I just shoot and see the result.

I expect to win, just like usual.

“…Three. Two. One.”

• ᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀᄃᄀ
• Shh.
• Wow, this is really nerve-wracking.
• It seems like today’s strongest at LumiLive Company will be decided…

“One.”

Swoosh!

At the fastest speed possible.

In overdrive mode.

I dash out from cover while zooming in.

I spot a tiny dot.

• What the hell, I can’t even see it.
• You saw it before, didn’t you? Just shut up and watch.
• Why are they doing this in a regular game?

The one dot I have to hit.

And I’m an illustrator.

I’m the person who always connects dots and turns them into lines.

I’ve connected even smaller dots before. There’s no way I can’t connect this one.

Bang!!!

My already sensitive reflexes explode like a burst.

As soon as I come out from cover, I shoot. This is a headshot.

But I can’t kill my opponent with the first shot.

A-class legends have shields.

So then…

Bang!!

• Oh.
• Wow, they each exchanged one shot.
• ᄅᄋ I don’t even feel jealous because it’s on a different level ᄏᄏᄏ Crazy guys.

In an instant, the screen turns bright red.

My health drops to almost nothing, and my shield is shattered in a single shot.

I’ve taken a headshot too.

Now, both of us only need one more shot to die.

Whoosh!

Then, I throw both my body and gun into the air.

• ???
• Is this a suicide meta instead of letting the enemy kill you?
• If that’s the case, this is kind of ugly…
• ᄏᄏᄏ Even if Do-young hyung can’t land a shot, he’s gonna fall to his death.

Seems like the viewers didn’t catch on.

Craver’s reload time is the longest among A-class legends.

Their Sentinel is formidable too, but it’s only a matter of a fraction of a second. That’s how pro play works, right?

Hoo…

I reach for the falling Craver.

My heart is pounding like crazy, but I don’t care.

As long as my fingertips and eyes don’t tremble, I’m fine.

“Everyone. Didn’t I say this before?”

The moment I dropped it and picked it up.

The penalty of reload time disappears.

Click.

The Craver comes into my hand with one shot already used.

There’s no time to reload and no time given to me.

‘One dot. Just one.’

Just shoot.

Even if it hits the body, it will be a near-death.

“Goodbye. The strongest.”

And I immediately zoomed in.

I see the dot again.

This time, it’s moving, and it’s farther away.

The moving dot seems to be charging the Sentinel.

It’s the hardest dot to hit yet.

As expected, it’s the movement of Killognote, someone close to a pro gamer.

But.

I’ve already drawn the line on this dot.

“I was just born in an era without me.”

Bang!!!

The explosive sound of the Craver’s signature shot cuts through the wilderness.

My bullet heads toward the blurry, moving silhouette.

I throw the mouse and turn off the mic.

Definitely.

No matter the result, dopamine is exploding, and I was about to scream.

Whoosh!

The red effect splashes from afar.

Only two words appear on my screen.

[Victory]

This time too, it was my victory.

Whoosh.

With a dull sound, the Raze falls backward.

Do-young’s eyes follow Raze, and he lets out a single scream.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t much of a scream; it was a weak sound.

Do-young didn’t think about anything and didn’t process anything.

All the surrounding sounds were distant.

Everything around me was blurry.

It was like being hit by a flashbang after a knockout.

Ding! Ding!

The constant donation sound brought me back to reality, and focus returned to my eyes.

Then the sentences began to appear in front of my eyes.

[WhitePalette(Lv1) killed you]

#2.

It’s okay. There are days like this.

“Ah…”

I lost again. Even more perfectly than last time.

• Wow ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ
• Crazy play
• Wow, damn ᄏᄏᄏᄏ
• You should play this at a funeral.
• That’s legal even if you brag at someone else’s funeral.

In terms of reload speed and bullet speed, Do-young was in the lead.

He didn’t analyze and dissect the game like pro gamers, but he knew that much.

Do-young had the advantage, and Yuki broke through the disadvantage.

The choice to throw the gun to reset the reload time.

It had been mentioned many times, but no one had used it in practice.

Throwing away a precious Craver .50-caliber sniper rifle only to have it taken was stupid.

But Yuki pulled it off. By using the fact that players and items fall at different speeds.

Do-young silently stared at the screen and then chuckled.

He showed an unexpected move again.

Once again, he revealed a play that he never anticipated.

The world, which always seemed the same, crumbled miserably with her existence…

“Haha. I lost. Again.”

Do-young didn’t seem to dislike it much.