Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Die If You Make Eye Contact
The reason people used the Training Grounds one-on-one was simple. Every gun and part that appeared in Battle Attack was gathered in one place. Not only could you set things up however you liked, but you could also duel under identical conditions, which made it a popular choice.
"Alright, so what should we start with?"
Yu-na hummed to herself as she scanned the floor.
The variety was impressive. From frequently used rifles to handguns that people wouldn't pick up even if they were lying right in front of them. But since she was up against a Newbie, today would be an exception.
"I'll go with this."
—Ugh.
—Why are you picking up trash off the floor?
—Oh god, the smell's reaching me from here
—Hurry up and put it away lol
The Laiki 10—notorious among all the weapons as the most useless one. Low damage, poor accuracy, and on top of that, single-shot. Commonly called a "pea shooter," it was a gun so bad that people would rather fight barehanded.
"But it can't be helped. For there to be any balance at all, I have to go with this since I'm a Master."
—That's fair though.
—Still gonna win with that lol
—You know it's dirty to attach parts, right?
"Hey, I'm not that much of a lowlife. Obviously I'm not putting parts on."
In Battle Attack, parts exist to boost a gun's performance. White—Blue—Purple. Divided into three tiers, with higher grades naturally providing better effects. It doesn't require any specialized military knowledge. The developer categorized them in an easy-to-understand way for mass accessibility.
For example, a magazine lets you load an additional 5, 7, or 10 rounds respectively. A barrel stabilizer attached to the front reduces recoil by 10%, 20%, or 30%. This kind of intuitive design was one of the reasons Battle Attack was so beloved.
With her preparations done, Yu-na turned to look at her opponent—and immediately had to rub her eyes.
"……What is he doing right now?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A man holding a shotgun, slamming it furiously into the ground. The sight of him swinging it like a pickaxe, as if he were going to break the gun, was enough to leave her speechless.
—What's he doing?
—Just checking how sturdy it is, maybe?
—And what's the point of that? It's infinite durability anyway.
—Looks like he wants to use it as a club lol
—A club lol lol lol
It made no sense. A shotgun was rated the strongest weapon at close range—who in the world would try to swing it around? But surely this person wasn't doing it for no reason. There must be some other explanation, so she'd just watch a little longer.
Not long after, he tossed aside what was in his hand and picked up something much larger.
"Now he's picked up a sniper?"
—Probably just picking it up to feel it.
—Who uses that in a 1v1 lol
—Fr lol
But his behavior this time wasn't normal either. He grabbed the barrel and started swinging it around like he was wielding a sword. He was swinging it so hard that a whooshing sound carried all the way to where Yu-na was standing.
—Lolololol
—Lololol
—Is this a bit? lolololol
—Even a complete idiot wouldn't do that lolololol
She was at a loss for words. What kind of person in this world would handle a gun like that? Doubts began to creep in. Was this person a Veteran pretending to be a Newbie? Or were they someone genuinely holding a gun for the first time, fascinated by the novelty?
'But even if it's a bit, doing something like that would be hard to pull off, right?'
At first she'd thought it was just a joke, but now it seemed more like someone who had no idea how a gun worked. Because anyone with common sense wouldn't handle one so recklessly.
'Still, it was funny, so I'll let it slide.'
Yu-na twitched the corner of her mouth and spoke.
"Have you finished picking what you want to use?"
[WillWinTournament] : Just a moment more.
The man replied through chat, apparently unable to use a mic. His username had been exposed in the process.
—That username lololol
—He was the ultimate concept player all along lol
—Says he's gonna win a tournament lol lol
—This isn't the Seoul Server Tournament coming up, right?
—Probably an Iron-tier tournament lol
The self-proclaimed 'Tournament Winner-to-Be' wandered around a few more times. What he ultimately chose was a revolver larger than the palm of his hand.
The moment Yu-na saw it, a hollow laugh escaped her.
"He picks that? Seriously?"
No scope attachment. Brutal recoil. A cylinder that only held 6 rounds. A weapon that even seasoned pros would shake their heads at. But in the right hands, a terrifying revolver capable of deleting enemies from existence.
The Peacemaker.
—Manners Dispenser: activated lolololol
—And after all that deliberation, he picks that lolololol
—I guarantee he won't land a single shot lolololol
—He's actually a comedy character lolololol
50 damage per shot, with a 2x multiplier applied on a headshot. Any non-tank champion goes down after just two hits. But that only mattered if you could actually land them. There was only one reason this troublesome gun remained popular.
Romance.
On a day when your shots are really hitting—you somehow manage to 2-tap an opponent? The rush hits a lethal dose on the spot. Consider that night's sleep already had.
Bang!
Just then, a loud gunshot echoed through the Training Grounds. The opponent flinched, his whole body giving a startled shudder. Then he stared at what was in his hand with a look of pure astonishment. The deafening sound, the overwhelming recoil. That kind of reaction was only natural.
'That's definitely someone firing a gun for the first time.'
Yu-na was certain. Someone who'd already experienced it before wouldn't be that startled.
Before long, the man began walking toward her. Peacemaker held proudly in hand.
—He's actually going through with it?
—He likes it lol
—Everyone's like that at first.
—Once he gets beaten up a bit, he'll swap it out lol
"Ah, if I just demolish him too one-sidedly, it won't look good on stream……. Please bear with me even if it's boring."
—Just mess around with him and get back to Solo Queue
—Don't make the Newbie quit the game lol
—The outcome's a bit too obvious, yeah.
['DamageInflationHack' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—What if you do a points bet? It's boring if it's just a straight match.
"Sure, why not?"
There's something called Points that accumulate at set intervals while watching a stream. It's essentially a cyber score with no real-world use, but streamers sometimes hold events for the viewers who watch their content.
On the small end, they might call out your username; on the larger end, they might buy you chicken or pizza.
The problem was the limits on how you could accumulate them. You get 10 points every 5 minutes, so just watching a stream without doing anything else made it hard to build up much. That was how Points Betting came about. Gambling on a specific outcome.
The winner-takes-all Liquidation System—where one side claims everything from the other—elevated stream entertainment to a whole new level and became content everyone enjoyed.
"So how should we do it? Best of three? Or single round?"
—Who does best of three.
—Single round obviously.
—Single round is more fun.
Following the majority opinion, Yu-na opened the betting.
[Newbie Wins (only needs to deal half HP) vs Yu-na Wins]
Ding! Ding!
Points on the Yu-na Wins side began climbing in tens of thousands. In contrast, not a single person bet—even as a joke—on the Newbie winning. Normally there would have been at least a few, but the Newbie's bizarre behavior combined with the fact that he'd chosen the Peacemaker had led to this result.
Ding!
Then, suddenly, the points on the Newbie's side jumped sharply.
[Newbie Wins (only needs to deal half HP) — 200,000 vs Yu-na Wins — 1,900,000]
—Lolololol
—The underdog bettor is unhinged lolololol
—Their brain is genuinely melted lol
—Who puts 200,000 on that?
—If you want to give it away, give it to me lol
—If that hits, what's the multiplier even? lol
—A charitable soul? lolololol
Everyone sent their praise to the bold bettor. There was no reason to turn down free points, after all.
Seeing the overwhelming result, Yu-na decided to give herself a bit more of a handicap.
"It's too one-sided, so I'll switch my character. This okay?"
Zebra. A tank with a massive frame that was easy to hit and sluggish in movement. In exchange, it had 1.5 times the HP of other characters, earning it the nickname 'Meat Shield.'
—That's not even a handicap lol
—Still don't think he'll land a hit?
—Only the underdog bettor loses out lol
—Free points, thanks for the meal~
About 30 seconds later, the betting closed to great fanfare. The result was staggering.
[Newbie Wins (only needs to deal half HP) — 200,000 vs Yu-na Wins — 2,600,000]
That was the outcome even after making the maximum possible concession. In good spirits now, Yu-na approached her opponent. She led him into the 1v1 exclusive map.
"See that scoreboard up there? When the countdown ends, that's when we start."
After confirming he nodded, Yu-na moved to the opposite side. She finished a quick stretch, and the bell signaling the start of battle rang out.
'Just winning straight would be boring, so maybe I'll take a few hits.'
The Peacemaker's damage was 50. One or two hits was within acceptable range. Yu-na moved leisurely to the right.
Swoosh.
The basics of an FPS game were concealment and cover. She hid behind a boulder the size of her torso and peeked with only her head—but the opponent was nowhere to be seen. Was he on the other side, then? She gripped the Laiki 10 tight and waited a little longer.
But when not even a single strand of hair appeared, she boldly climbed up onto the crate in the center. A position where the entire map was visible, but your own location was equally exposed. A stance only those with confidence in their skills could afford to take.
Just then, the Newbie appeared on the opposite side.
"Oh?"
The moment their eyes met—
Bang!
"Ugh!"
—A hit indicator flashed. The sharp sting made it viscerally real that she'd actually been hit.
'Did he actually hit me? In that split second?'
Beginner's luck? Or coincidence? Yu-na wore a startled expression as she took aim.
Bang! Bang!
But before she could even move her fingers, her vision went red— and before she could check her remaining HP, the strength drained from her body.
Before the world even finished fading to grey, the cold ground rushed up to meet her.
"Huh? Huuuh?"
—?????
—???
—What?
—Why did she die?
—What happened?
'Did I just… die?'
It had all happened so fast that her brain couldn't keep up. Lying flat on the ground, Yu-na rapidly sorted through the situation.
She was Zebra, a tank champion with solid stats. And yet she'd only heard 3 gunshots. There was only one possible explanation for how the current situation was even possible.
'Three headshots in a row?'
How was that even feasible? Even for a character with a big head, still. How do you land three consecutive headshots with the Peacemaker?
She couldn't comprehend it.
—What was that just now? lol
—She just melted in an instant?
—Nearly a 1-second kill lolololol
—Wasn't even a second. I blinked once and she was already dead?
—What. I looked away for a second to drink something and she's already dead lol
Every word was accurate.
'I died before I could even react.'
Sure, she hadn't been serious. She'd gone in with a light heart, more or less the feeling of a casual stroll. But the moment they made eye contact, three consecutive headshots with the Peacemaker? An ability that made no sense.
"W-wait! What is this……!"
Yu-na stumbled over her words as she activated Zebra's exclusive skill.
[Indomitable Will — Concentrate for 5 seconds to recover 30% HP and re-enter the battlefield.]
Blood slowly filled back in, and the grey screen shifted to a red tint. She was just about to get back on her feet when—
Bang!
"Urk!"
—Lololololol
—Immediately cut down! lol
—Not a chance lolololol
—He kills her a second time lolololol
But that wasn't the end.
Bang! Bang!
The opponent emptied his remaining bullets into Yu-na, who was already out. It didn't hurt since she was in a downed state—but instead, a sizable hole was blasted through her pride.
['ChocoBread' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—So being a Master isn't all that lolololol gonna try going for it myself today (Silver 2)
['GhostHunter' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Die-on-eye-contact is insane
Amid the flood of mocking donations, one piece of earth-shattering news arrived.
['ForRealThough.' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Don't worry lol I just looked it up and that person's a current pro.
"Wait, seriously? Which pro?"
Well, of course. There's no way I'd get wrecked like this if they weren't a pro.
Yu-na's expression brightened as she waited for the next donation.
['ForRealThough.' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—I'm lying lol you just got stomped by a Newbie lol
"NOOOOO! You're banned, BANNED!!!"
From that moment on, the chat difficulty spiked through the roof.