Duel Against the Domestic Ace
“Trying to take him down solo? That seems risky. Wouldn't it be better to just clash with the main force?”
Kim Yong-taek asked from beside him.
“If the enemy pushes in, our base will crumble and the main group will get pushed back. It's better if I break off, pull their aggro, and pick him off from outside.”
Siwoo answered immediately. Time was running short. Even now, Shin Jin-woo was sweeping through the front lines, closing in on their position.
And at that moment.
Shwaaaak—!
Smoke falls from the sky. The real battle is about to begin!
“Okay, got it. Need support?”
“I'll take him down alone.”
“Alright.”
Lee Soo-hyuk nodded firmly as he chambered a round. With the situation so urgent, he'd made the call without hesitation.
Truth be told, though, everyone else would have talked Siwoo out of it. Going one-on-one against an assassination attacker as a rifle attacker was suicide.
But Kim Yong-taek and Lee Soo-hyuk trusted him. Siwoo always delivered results, just like he always did.
Besides, with smoke already blanketing the field, there was no stopping Shin Jin-woo's charge anyway.
Lee Siwoo breaks away from the battlefield!
He's trying to split Shin Jin-woo's attention?!
Taat—!
Siwoo vaulted over cover and sprinted to the side.
The flank of Eternal Base was packed with buildings—space research labs, manufacturing and repair facilities. Plenty of structures and cover.
If he used the interiors too, even an assassination attacker wouldn't close in easily.
'Come on.'
He glanced back while running. Sure enough, Shin Jin-woo was pursuing with his acceleration buff active.
'For a real one-on-one, I need to get inside a building. That guy's mechanics react to rifle rounds too.'
It was possible because of the distance for now, but given Shin Jin-woo's skill, he might dodge bullets even up close.
He was the top attacker in the country, after all.
Thud!
Siwoo reached the research facility on the flank and kicked the door open. He scanned for escape routes—windows, doors, all of them.
'I can get out anytime.'
These structures would limit the assassination attacker's mobility. Sure, it'd cramp Siwoo's style too, but rifles had the edge in equal footing.
Bang!
Shin Jin-woo burst in right after.
Lee Siwoo and Shin Jin-woo meet inside the research facility!
Lee Siwoo isn't backing off! Is he going all-in here?!
Siwoo shouldered his rifle and pulled the trigger right away.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang—!
Six rounds streaked in a straight line. But in that instant, Shin Jin-woo spun to the side and hurled a chair from the floor.
Siwoo reacted fast, ducking and rolling aside. Bang! The chair smashed against the wall and shattered.
Shwick!
Shurikens flew from Shin Jin-woo's fingertips—three in total. A direct hit would leave him near death. Siwoo pressed his eye to the scope.
'Head, chest.'
Reading their paths, Siwoo fired.
Thudududududu!
The bullets collided with the shurikens without a millimeter's error. The spinning blades veered off, grazing past Siwoo's face.
“What the…!”
Shin Jin-woo's eyes went wide—he clearly hadn't seen that coming. Now was Siwoo's chance. He kicked off the ground, backpedaling, and fired again.
Tat-tat-tat-tang—!
But Shin Jin-woo wasn't standing still. He raised his dagger's blade, planted his foot, and slashed multiple times as he lunged.
Shhgggak!
The five rounds split perfectly in half, clattering harmlessly to the floor.
'Damn, he's good.'
Siwoo was impressed despite himself. Ryu Jin-seok and Choi Woo-jin were skilled attackers, but Shin Jin-woo was a cut above. One whole level higher.
In the top tiers, “one level” wasn't trivial. Tiny gaps amplified into massive differences where every edge mattered.
He acknowledged it.
Shin Jin-woo was the country's best attacker.
'No.'
He was the country's best attacker.
After today, Siwoo would claim that title.
Crash!
Siwoo hurled himself backward through a window, shattering it and tumbling outside. Shin Jin-woo scrambled after him in pursuit. Perfect opening. Siwoo shouldered his buttstock and fired.
Tidididing—!
As expected, Shin Jin-woo didn't leap through the window. He ducked the shots instead.
'Slicing bullets mid-window jump would've been tough.'
The frame blocked his view, jagged glass shards confused trajectories, and the narrow opening was awkward.
Too much hassle to parry.
Pace is blistering! After intense exchanges, Lee Siwoo corners Shin Jin-woo!
Shin Jin-woo has to break out now?! Incredible, Lee Siwoo! He's flipping the matchup!
Siwoo smirked and grabbed a frag grenade.
Rifle attackers had tons of trait options pre-game, but flashbangs and frags were the most popular—versatile for attack and defense alike.
Siwoo usually ran armor-piercing rounds with flashbangs to amp bullet damage, but he'd swapped in frags for this assassination matchup.
Whirr—!
Two frags sailed into the building—one far, one near.
Dodge the frags and eat bullets? Or stay put and eat frags?
That was the question.
Frags inbound! It's a dilemma!
Shin Jin-woo, what's your move?!
Just before the frags detonated, in that split second.
Shin Jin-woo maxed his focus, splintering one second into fractions.
Time was short.
He had to decide fast.
But he stayed calm, thinking it through.
Eating the frags here would leave him crippled, forcing a retreat to his healer's range. All his progress wasted.
But bursting out the window would cost health—yet preserve momentum. He'd close the gap either way.
So—
'Out.'
Thud!
Decision made, Shin Jin-woo kicked off without hesitation. His body rocketed through the shattered window.
Shin Jin-woo breaks out!
Siwoo wasn't letting that slide. He instantly sighted Shin Jin-woo's head and fired, steadying his stance.
Thududududududu!
The Ban-dal's brutal recoil hammered his body. But the bullets flew true.
In that instant.
Shin Jin-woo's eyes flashed mid-air. Force Enhancement empowered his blade, glowing blood-red.
Shhgggak—!
The blade arced through the air. Curved afterimages multiplied, crimson sword light flashing.
Pababak!
But he couldn't parry them all. The distance was razor-close, his mid-air movement limited. Still, he cleaved most.
Shin Jin-woo parries bullets on the way out! Distance closing!
Insane! He would've been dead otherwise!
“Ha.”
Siwoo let out a dry laugh. Honestly, he'd thought that exchange would end it. Shin Jin-woo was a safe, stable attacker type.
But he'd risked it all for the high-reward breakthrough. Why? What flipped his playstyle?
Maybe the first set's impact lingered.
Thud!
In that moment, Shin Jin-woo kicked off again. Siwoo frowned. Situation was turning sour—ammo low, distance closing.
But he had a play.
Siwoo tossed a flashbang and turned to run.
Lee Siwoo flashes and bails?! Creating distance again!
Shin Jin-woo gives chase! His big chance—can't let it slip!
In that instant.
Kuwoong—!
Spiderweb cracks spidered from Shin Jin-woo's feet. Force Enhancement maxed his physical stats.
“Ji-an—!”
As his body lifted off, he shouted his supporter's name. A blue beam lanced in from afar.
Pajijik—!
Shin Jin-woo's body glowed blue. Supporter acceleration buff.
Bang—!
He kicked off. Body enhancement plus accel buff unleashed terrifying speed. His form blurred into a streak of light.
Gale Slash—acceleration buff stacked with body enhancement.
268 km/h. Nearing bullet train speeds, far beyond any compact car's top end.
No human could react to that with senses alone.
But he just needed to straight-line and cleave the target ahead.
No control required.
Shwaak—!
The crimson blade crossed Siwoo's path.
But.
“……?!”
No impact feedback.
Shin Jin-woo whipped around. Siwoo's body, mid-run moments ago, dissolved into light particles.
'No way—'
Teleport Dash!
Lee Siwoo dodges the Gale Slash!
Siwoo's last pre-game trait: Teleport Dash. Short-range space leap with invulnerability frames during use. His go-to.
'How'd he react?'
Split-second doubt hit Shin Jin-woo.
Timing off by a hair either way, and Gale Slash connects.
Running forward blind, how'd he nail the teleport exactly as the slash came?
'Heard it...?'
The ground-shatter sound simultaneous with the kickoff. If he reacted to that, it tracked. Nothing else fit.
'Makes sense?'
Impossible to believe.
Cat reflexes or what?
'Not over yet.'
Shin Jin-woo refocused.
Accel buff and Force Enhancement still up. Chance alive.
Bang—!
He kicked off again, streaking forward. Blue and red lights fused into a flash. Slower than Gale Slash, but still monstrous.
Humanly impossible to react.
But as his blade descended—
Siwoo's Ban-dal snapped vertical, guarding his side.
Kaang—!
'...Again!'
Second strike foiled.
But accel buff lingered.
Bang—!
Cracks webbed from his feet again.
Last shot, practically.
Had to land it.
In a blink, airborne, he slashed once more.
Siwoo eyed the charging blade's path and arched his back. His body bent into an L-shape, the dagger grazing by a hair.
Whoosh—!
“……!!”
Shin Jin-woo's eyes bulged. Three strikes, all dodged. Unbelievable. Reacting repeatedly to near-300 km/h dashes!
Tat!
Siwoo, mid-bend, flipped to regain balance.
And click.
Ban-dal reloaded. Shin Jin-woo turned toward the sound.
Siwoo, buttstock to shoulder, eye to scope.
“Got the enemy attacker.”
With those final words—
Thududududududu—!
“……!!”
Pabababak!
Six Force-enhanced rounds slammed straight into Shin Jin-woo's head.
Lee Siwoo wins the 1v1 against Shin Jin-woo!!
A string of jaw-dropping moments! Dodged Gale Slash, then reacted to every dash laced with buffs and enhancement!