First Blood Against the Japanese Pro
The timer ticks down, and the blue barrier blocking the chokepoint vanishes.
"Okay, let's go, friends!"
"Let's go, let's go!!"
The teammates, who had been intimidated by Hinazugaya's reputation just moments ago, ignite their remaining fighting spirit and activate their Force.
No matter how skilled the opponents are, they have to give it their all—points are on the line. They have no intention of losing easily either.
"I'll handle libero. Everyone else, focus on building up the main team's formation."
Siwoo says.
Libero moves separately from the main team, picking up objects scattered across the map.
He's never tried it before, but he's studied and analyzed it on his own in the meantime.
It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot now. Diverse experiences help improve skills, after all.
"Okay, we trust you."
The teammates hand over libero to Siwoo without hesitation. Probably because his Korean server ranking flashed on the loading screen.
Tat-tat-tat-!
Siwoo splits from the main team and slips into the side path.
The outskirts of Mekatera City, where objects cluster.
This is where the liberos will clash.
Libero fights are crucial. The winner seizes the initiative.
'Losing initiative forces you into a reactive game.'
Timing merges, object pickups, and more—initiative proves useful in every aspect. You could say it lets you dictate the game.
That's why liberos must claim a massive advantage in their battles.
Tat-tat-tat...
Siwoo, corner-peeking as he moves, quiets his footsteps to the minimum. He's entering the zone where he might run into the enemy.
'Wonder who their libero is.'
He recalls that aside from Hinazugaya, the rest were regular users. It would've been fun if another pro was there. But given the time, maybe they're not queuing.
Anyway.
Siwoo picks up the object fragments scattered around Mekatera City.
Buffs like movement speed increases, red, or blue require collecting fragments.
Completing one grants the buff to the entire team.
'Red should be straightforward.'
As he's gathering fragments with minimal movement—
Tat-tat...
Faint footsteps echo.
'Enemy libero?'
The sound was so brief he can't pinpoint the location, but they're close. The enemy must be stealthy too.
"......"
Siwoo crouches low and weaves between covers. But it's eerily quiet. Did they catch on?
'Nah.'
No sound leaked from his side. He's minimized his movements.
'Maybe completing an object?'
Siwoo peeks out from cover. At that instant, a green orb arcs through the air, rolling toward him on the ground.
Roll...
"......!!"
Grenade. Siwoo activates Force immediately, kicking off the ground to evade.
Kaboom-!!
The grenade detonates instantly, spraying shrapnel everywhere. Luckily, his quick reaction avoids major damage, but...
'HP's down nearly half.'
Siwoo grits his teeth.
'They even cooked it?'
Grenade cooking.
Pulling the pin early and holding it 1-2 seconds before throwing.
Using that means...
'They knew my exact position.'
Siwoo's brow furrows. How? He silenced his steps completely.
'Maybe spotted me from afar.'
Probably caught him weaving between covers from a distance. Makes sense—he's a pro who reached Masters semifinals in the Asian International.
'For now...'
Siwoo shouldered his rifle and peeked again.
Tat-tat-tat-tang-!
Bullets rain down immediately. Siwoo spins back into cover.
Ting-ting-!
Shots ricochet off the cover. Insane accuracy. Siwoo recalls the nameplate he glimpsed earlier.
'Hinazugaya.'
Ho-jong hyung's mentioned Japanese pro. Skill's top-tier. Perfect recoil control in that split second.
But he doesn't seem unbeatable.
Siwoo yanks the pin from a flashbang on his belt. A trait he brought instead of Grapple Hook.
Flashbangs are essential for run-and-gun rifle attackers.
But their utility goes beyond blinding.
Tat-tat-tat!
He cooks a flash and tosses it skyward, sidestepping simultaneously. First, pinpoint the enemy. Then he pulls another pin and throws.
"......!!"
The enemy looks up at the sound, then ducks frantically at the sight of the flash. Position locked. Now disrupt their vision.
Bang!
The first flashbang pops.
In reality, you'd need to look away fully, but in Overlant, just turning your head cuts 3-second blindness to 1, without disorientation.
Siwoo whips his aim around.
Through the holographic sight, he spots the enemy.
Enemy's aiming back.
Mutual destruction if he fires.
It'd boil down to who controls recoil better.
But...
'That's what I baited.'
In that instant, Siwoo holds fire. Closes his eyes, ducks.
And—the second flashbang arcs down between them.
Pin already pulled.
"This is...!"
Pop-!
The flashbang erupts.
Riiiing-!
Intense tinnitus rattles his head. But no vision loss. His was only 1 second. Enemy's hit full 3.
'Pull.'
Aiming at the head, Siwoo squeezes the trigger.
Tat-tat-tat-tang-!
"......!!"
Splat-splat-splat-!
Six Ban-dal rounds explode from the barrel, slamming into the enemy's neck and head in a flash.
Hinazugaya eliminated.
***
Libero skirmishes continue afterward, but Hinazugaya loses them all.
Sometimes via aim searching, sometimes trait usage, sometimes pure positioning.
And once more, the black-and-white screen descends.
Death shifts the view to third-person and drains the colors.
'What...?'
Hinazugaya Satoru blinks at the enemy attacker's retreating back.
Everything feels absurd. The flashbang sense, the pinpoint six head/neck shots in a blink—
No margin for error. Plays meticulously calculated. This attacker's skill surpasses most pros.
'What the hell was that?'
As a top Japanese pro, he's faced plenty of elite players, even Worlds standouts.
Yet none showed such creative perfection. Humans can't transcend human limits.
But that attacker played like no human. Every move grounded, calculations flawless. Like advanced AI.
Recoil control was robotic—every shot a headshot.
Traits used perfectly, impossible angles mastered.
'Hack?'
The suspicion flickers. Too many unbelievable plays in a row.
But hacks in VR capsules? Impossible. Not like old PC games; the system's impenetrable.
'How is this playstyle even possible?'
Hinazugaya skips team briefing to review death cam. Relive how he died from his POV.
His cooked grenade flies. But another flash follows instantly.
Enemy exposed position while planting the trap. Confident it'd hook him.
Other clashes similar: fell for ruses, lost aim duels or recoil fights.
Recoil and aim impressive, but the core was creative plays built from them.
'Plays like this exist?'
Possible if scripted against known foes. But first meeting today.
Improvised, then...
'Insane.'
Sense defies logic. Just one game, but he felt a wall in that cunning creativity.
'Who is he?'
Hinazugaya checks the name.
'Korean flag... KJ Lee Siwoo?'
A pro, as expected.
'KJ—what team? Korean, looks like.'
But no Korean pro showed this level lately...
'Weird.'
If a pro pulled such sly, precise perfection, he'd know. He never stops studying.
Korea's pro powerhouse days ended post-Laker. No international stars since.
Even more puzzling. How'd a player like this emerge from Korea?
Past glory lingers? E-sports roots run deep?
'Gotta add him after. Maybe scrim later.'
Childlike curiosity bubbles.
Game ends right after.
"Whew."
Siwoo exhales deeply, eyeing his record.
27 kills, 0 deaths, 14 assists.
First Asian server run, but it went smoother than expected. Ping lag noticeable but negligible.
And Hinazugaya.
Hyped Japanese pro, but underwhelming.
'Just a casual rank, so half-assed?'
Too easy—suspiciously so.
Though rank's warmup; scrims with teamplay differ.
'Still, meaningful.'
Validated: he competes domestically and abroad.
"Ho-jong hyung, how was it?"
Siwoo activates Discord mic and headset.
Ho-jong hyung's voice sounds deflated.
Siwoo chuckles dryly.
"If I had, I'd have said so earlier. 'Hey, practiced rifle, let's use it in tourney.' This really is my first time."
Ho-jong hyung lets out a hollow laugh.
Did pretty well, then.
"Scrim with rifle today?"
Ho-jong hyung mutters softly.
"First time, yeah, but I've studied rifles a ton. Watched other pros, copied 'em."
Siwoo smiles awkwardly. Nothing to say—his talent and instincts are exceptional.
But then...
Friend request from the Hinazugaya he just faced.
'Huh?'
Déjà vu hits.
"Got a friend add from Hinazugaya."
"No idea."
"Got it."
Siwoo accepts. A message arrives immediately. Not queuing next game, right?
But the content surprises.
"Nice to meet you, Siwoo! I'd love to get to know you. Your playstyle blew me away!"
What kind of guy is this?