Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 89: The Challenger's Finale

I don't really remember how I spent the night at the Baekhyun Hotel in Jeju.

My mind was so preoccupied with the carrier strike group that the only lingering impression I had was, 'Wow, Curator Han Ji-woo even owns a hotel in Jeju.'

Early in the morning, right before checking out, a random thought occurred to me.

"Wait, all three of us are minors. How did we even manage to stay here?"

"Yu-jin... you're asking that now?"

"Sis, VIPs don't follow procedures; they step over them. Mom and the company took care of everything."

Waiting for us on the hotel's rooftop helipad was the anti-submarine helicopter we had arrived in yesterday.

As we boarded and the helicopter took off, Jang Ji-hye suddenly asked, "Yu-jin, why are we in this cute little helicopter instead of the one with the folding wings we used last night?"

"That wasn't just a helicopter; it was a CMV-22B Osprey. It’s way too heavy to land here. Besides, by regulation, it’s not allowed near civilian areas."

"You really were a prepared sailor, weren't you...?"

"I've updated my bucket list. Before filming ends, I'm going to ride every single vehicle in this fleet."

We finally arrived back at the familiar Ford-class aircraft carrier.

And there, I received a freaking awesome gift.

"A flight suit? Is this really mine?"

"Yes. It belongs to you."

"Whoa!"

The smell of the brand-new flight suit made me feel like I was walking on air.

"I'm going to go change right now!"

"I will show you to your quarters where you'll be staying starting today."

I was led to a VIP single room.

A bed, a desk, and a small bathroom.

Though small, having a private room to myself on a ship was an incredible privilege.

I quickly changed into the suit and was admiring myself in the mirror when a sudden, unexpected wave of embarrassment hit me, making my face flush.

The name tag on my chest... why did it have to be this?

[ELF]

'Aaaagh! Noooo!'

I sprinted out like a madwoman and grabbed the female lieutenant who was waiting for me.

"I think there's a mistake with this name tag."

"Callsign: Elf. It has been properly issued. Is there a problem?"

"Who... who on earth plotted this wicked conspiracy?"

"A survey was conducted among the entire crew of the strike group, and it passed with an overwhelming majority."

"Ugh..."

My head slumped.

If my fans in the fleet decided on it, there was nothing I could do.

'Callsign Elf... Argh, I'm going crazy.'

Fans don't just give me Envidium. They give me shame as well. With great popularity comes great embarrassment...

'Batman, you were right after all. Wait, was it Batman who said that?'

"It's almost lunchtime. Would you like to head to the mess hall?"

"Let's go right now! I skipped breakfast on purpose!"

Today, the Captain and Lieutenant Colonel Viper didn't tag along.

Yesterday was the first day, so the high-ranking officers provided personal care, but they couldn't do that for the entire stay.

The female lieutenant, a communications officer, told me she would be in charge of looking after me during my time on the ship.

"Just think of me as your US military manager. You can tell me anything you need."

"Thank you."

My brother and Jang Ji-hye joined us, and we headed to the mess hall.

As soon as we entered, the sailors all looked at us at once, but they quickly returned to their meals as if nothing had happened.

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would glance over occasionally and give a bright smile if our eyes met, but they didn't approach.

'This is exactly why I love soldier fans. Oh, I'm not looking down on non-soldier fans, though. It's not a matter of better or worse, just a difference in style.'

Man, Navy food is seriously delicious.

Even on the Panokseon, those rice balls with barely any salt tasted amazing after a mission.

'Not that I particularly miss those days. But did the Turtle Ship really put boiled meat inside the rice balls?'

I was thinking I should definitely ask if I ever met a former Turtle Ship rower who remembered their past life, when I saw Instructor Viper approaching.

"Elf, did you enjoy your meal?"

"...Yes, Sir."

I couldn't exactly whine about a callsign (that I definitely didn't choose for myself)...

"Shall we go for some training, then?"

"Yes, sir."

As I followed him, my curiosity and anticipation grew like a rolling snowball.

'How exactly do they do flight training on a carrier instead of a land base?'

I had naturally assumed most of the flight training would take place at Osan Air Base.

But the Ford carrier strike group had arrived early, months before filming was set to begin.

When looking at it with a 'Challenger mindset,' the conclusion was simple.

'The Ford carrier doesn't just have VR facilities; it has flight training equipment on par with a land base! Though it probably lacks a centrifuge.'

My Challenger mindset was rewarded.

Waiting for me in a secure area of the ship was a Full Flight Simulator.

A training facility that could replicate over 99% of a fighter jet's cockpit.

"Wow, how is this on a carrier? This is equipment that belongs at a land base..."

"It wasn't here originally. We installed it temporarily for this movie."

"Wait, just for me?"

"Yes. For the Queen, for you, for the Elf."

"..."

I didn't think the US Navy would be capable of such fawning attacks. Then again, aren't mischief, wit, and a touch of madness the traditions of the US Navy?

"Then shall we start with some realistic practice? It's not like you'll actually die."

"Let's do it!"

"Elf, get into the simulator."

*

Viper had heard that Lee Yu-jin had been playing DCS World religiously after her casting was confirmed.

He heard this through Jang Ji-hye, of course.

DCS World... it has a very high level of fidelity. It's the most realistic among flight simulation games.

Viper's son was a huge fan of Lee Yu-jin.

He liked her as an actress, but he was absolutely obsessed with the fact that she was Rank 1 on the Korean solo queue.

Thanks to his son, Viper knew that Lee Yu-jin's gaming sense was superhuman.

Still, a game is just a game. Flying a real fighter jet is different.

She wasn't a complete blank slate, though. At the very least, she had a decent grasp of theory and simulation training.

Viper assigned her a fairly difficult scenario right from the start.

"Nose gear damaged. Arresting hook unavailable. Emergency barricade landing situation."

—Copy. Barricade.

Ho, she understands the situation. This makes training easy.

He had expected her to ask, "What's that?" but her reaction was calm, as if she already knew everything.

Viper crossed his arms and checked the simulation monitor.

She's maintaining the glide slope perfectly. You can't be even a little too high or too low for a barricade contact.

He could see her adjusting the thrust, conscious of the touchdown speed. Her alignment with the centerline was perfect.

She's coming in firm, prepared for the deck impact. Excellent.

The moment the aircraft made contact with the net, Lee Yu-jin immediately slammed the throttle into IDLE mode.

The engine thrust vanished instantly, and the aircraft, caught in the net, skidded before coming to a perfect halt.

Viper's jaw dropped.

"What did I just witness?"

*

Brigadier General Theodore, Commander of the Carrier Strike Group.

Stepping off the transport plane that had just landed, the Admiral tried to calm his racing heart.

The Elf is finally here.

Despite his age, he had shamelessly become a fan of Lee Yu-jin after watching Game of Scenes.

He had even secretly cheered for the person who fired the assault rifle at Chris's bulletproof glass.

He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted to welcome Lee Yu-jin personally on her first day yesterday, but his dignity as an Admiral had forced him to arrive a day late.

He had even started playing League of Legends because of her.

It had actually brought him closer to his son.

This was because they were both in Silver, the rank Lee Yu-jin had called the "cutest tier in the world."

If only I could duo with the Elf someday. Just once...

He had assumed she would commute from the Jeju hotel for her flight training and filming.

However, the military geek Lee Yu-jin had declared she would stay on the carrier until filming was finished.

At her declaration, the carrier crew—regardless of rank or gender—had all cheered.

Living on a carrier with the Elf! What incredible luck.

Because of this, the Ford carrier strike group had become public enemy number one for the rest of the Navy and the entire US military, but it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was an achievement to be proud of.

She must be in the middle of flight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠training now, right? It's a shame. Regulations dictate she can't actually take the control stick.

Flight training was meant to help her endure G-forces when riding in the back seat of an actual jet and to help her act like she was really piloting.

Lee Yu-jin would fly in a real jet, but she would never actually handle the controls.

"Where is the Elf?"

"She should be in the flight simulator room right now."

"Lead the way."

"Yes, Sir."

Callsign: Elf.

Thanks to that, calling her "Elf" didn't diminish the Admiral's dignity at all. He was simply using her callsign.

A lot of people came to watch.

The simulator room was packed with airmen who had come to catch a glimpse of Lee Yu-jin.

But the whispering he heard was a bit strange.

"Is that... the Elf's reflexes?"

"No, that's not human level."

"Are all Challenger tiers like that?"

"It's a South Korean racial trait. There's a reason the StarCraft server notice has a warning for the Korean server: 'This is the Land of the Morning Calm where you'll get your ass kicked if you wander in recklessly, so enter with extreme caution.'"

Puzzled, the Admiral checked the simulation combat log and his eyes widened.

What is this?

Lee Yu-jin was breaking records, taking the top spot by an overwhelming margin in every scenario she cleared. Records that even ace pilots hadn't achieved.

Right now, she was in the middle of an engagement that no one had ever beaten, and the time when even the highest-ranked pilots would have been shot down had long since passed.

The scenario was to survive as long as possible against an AI flight of four enemy jets.

It wasn't designed to be won; it was a test of endurance.

With incredible luck and skill, one might down one or two, but eventually, the pilot would be shot down. The ending was inevitable.

The time she had survived without being shot down was already a new record. And there were only two AI bogeys left.

"Get him! Get him!"

"GO! GO! GO!"

"God, bless my Elf!"

The pilots were cheering wildly, watching the large monitor and shouting.

Admiral Theodore, a former pilot himself, found his palms sweating as he watched.

He wanted to cheer along with the other airmen.

Electric thrills ran through his body, just like when he witnessed the Phillies winning ten consecutive World Series titles.

Then, he saw a strange maneuver.

Instead of shaking off the enemy jet on her tail, Lee Yu-jin's aircraft charged toward another enemy jet as if intending a head-on collision.

The AI, seemingly confused by a move that assumed a mid-air collision, hesitated for a split second before performing an evasive maneuver. Lee Yu-jin didn't miss that brief opening and lunged.

Clang!

The wings clipped each other, and debris flew off—debris that happened to slam right into the cockpit of the enemy jet that had been on her tail.

The pilot of the AI jet with the shattered cockpit couldn't even eject.

Meanwhile, the pilot of the AI jet with the torn wing immediately attempted an emergency ejection.

Lee Yu-jin banked her damaged aircraft toward the ejected enemy pilot, and the watching pilots screamed.

"No! Even if it's a simulator, attacking an ejected pilot is—wait?"

"Oh, shit! Holy shit!"

Lee Yu-jin hadn't turned to attack the ejected AI pilot.

Matching the distance and angle perfectly, she triggered her own emergency ejection. The virtual pilot of her aircraft deployed its parachute at a similar altitude as the enemy pilot, drifting down side-by-side.

A perfect finale.

A brilliant Navy ace, right down to the taunting finish!

The Admiral found himself applauding wildly.

Since everyone else was already cheering uproariously, his standing ovation didn't stand out.

Is that the control sense of a Challenger?

The Admiral suddenly had a wild fantasy of letting Lee Yu-jin take the control stick for real.

Even with such perfect training results, he knew it was something that could never happen.