Chapter 14
1.
『Crystal Mining Zone』
The Dog Hammer team had chosen none other than Crystal Mining Zone.
It was an escort map with a simple objective: move a large drill to each mining area, mine crystals, and return to base.
You had to mine as many crystals as possible within the time limit. The round ended immediately once your cargo reached 100%.
If both teams reached 100%, the team with more time remaining won.
“Which mining area are you going to choose?”
Aura asked from beside me after picking her hero. As always, she chose Phantom. She was a total Phantom simp.
‘Calling someone a Phantom simp sounds kind of dirty….’
I tapped the mining-coordinate selector in front of me. Three mining areas appeared before my eyes.
『A: Outer Mining Zone - 20% reserves』
The lowest-difficulty area.
It was farthest from the enemy base, and the return route was short. With fewer reserves, the mining time was short, too.
『B: Central Mining Zone - 40% reserves』
The middle-difficulty area.
The distance from both teams’ spawn points and the return route were both moderate and roughly equal.
『C: Deep Mining Zone - 100% reserves』
The most difficult area.
It was close to the enemy base, and the return route was long. Since it was underground, visibility was poor, and the narrow passageways made it vulnerable to ambushes.
-It's gotta be Deep Mining, yeah
-I think Deep Mining is the right choice if you're a man…
-Right;; You're not gonna pick Outer like some fucking faggot, are you?
-Let's see what she's made of?
“O-of course I'm going to…!”
I moved my finger and selected Area A.
“The Outer Mining Zone….”
This was our first scrim since switching roles. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
‘We don't need to reach 100%.’
The key to Crystal Mining Zone wasn't reaching 100%, but mining more than the opposing team. If we could secure just 20% and then completely shut them out, that would still be a victory.
-Boring;
-You're washed…
-Cold-hearted bitch…
-Bullet is cold…
[Area A? That's unexpected. I thought you'd pick C after provoking the other team like that.]
Heukrangi had come up beside me at some point. She spoke with a puzzled expression.
“W-what we need right now is a win….”
I answered, then changed my hero.
Momoru, our other support, picked Jamar. Jamar was a hero who healed and supported allies with music.
‘An easy hero to play.’
The hero I picked, on the other hand, was Grace.
A support who used a sniper rifle, she had a unique mechanic: hitting an enemy dealt damage, while hitting an ally healed them.
She was by far the most difficult support hero to play, but in the right hands, she could turn a battle around all by herself.
‘The quintessential anti-carry.’
-Drop the act;;
-What is this try-hard posturing…
-A Grace player from Plat, seriously;;
-Emergency!!!!!! (Meaning we're seriously fucked)
[Grace? Are you serious about playing her?]
“Yes. She's versatile, and she lets me watch the battlefield from the very back….”
[That's true, but you know that if you can't hit anything with that sniper rifle, your healing is zero, right?]
“D-do you think I picked her without knowing that…? I thought it over and decided she gave us the best chance of winning…!”
[Well, fine. I'm sure you know what you're doing.]
“…You already pointed out everything there was to point out.”
I grumbled and stood in front of the base exit. Through the translucent glass, I could just make out the glittering crystals.
“Phew….”
I drew a deep breath, filling every corner of my lungs with air. A dull ache tightened around my ribs, and my hazy mind gradually cleared.
『5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Round start』
***
Nothing happened when we first left the base. That was only natural; the enemy team had just set out, too. But when we reached the fork leading to Areas A, B, and C, the enemies began appearing one by one beyond the cave.
[Enemy spotted!]
Heukrangi shouted.
“Copy.”
I answered in a low voice, then said briefly in my mind:
‘Activate.’
[Aim Assist Lv.1 - Active]
A ding rang out in my head.
The hand gripping my mouse moved upward. My crosshair glided smoothly along the enemy’s body.
Bang—
The bullet from my Bio Rifle struck an enemy in the torso, signaling the start of the fight.
“Harumong, stay by my side and keep firing at their energy barrier. Keep the pressure on their health and barrier up.”
After confirming every enemy's position, I started giving orders without delay.
[O-okay!]
Harumong answered in a trembling voice.
“Aura and Momoru, pressure them from the front and back to break their formation. Do what you can until I mark someone. Once I do, focus only on them.”
I couldn't give them detailed instructions. I wasn't skilled enough to do that, and I didn't think it was necessary.
[Got it.]
Aura answered.
[What about me?]
Heukrangi asked.
“Keep your eyes on the tank in front. Don't ever lose sight of them. Assume you're going to take every attack that comes your way, and play aggressively. That'll make things easier for the rest of us.”
[Okay.]
“I'll focus my healing on you. If you think you're about to die, retreat behind a wall. Just don't die.”
Bang—!
Just as expected, the Dog Hammer team focused all their attacks on Heukrangi. She put on her scrap armor and tried to hold out, but there was no way she could withstand the firepower of all five enemies.
[Roadgrim - HP: 34%]
[■■■□□□□□□□]
As her health dropped dangerously low, I immediately pulled out a Bio Grenade and threw it.
Boom—!
[Roadgrim - HP: 82%]
[■■■■■■■■□□]
The grenade hit Heukrangi and exploded, restoring her health in an instant. At the same time, it applied a healing-amplification buff.
Bang—!
I immediately turned my gun toward her and focused my healing on her.
Heukrangi dodged the enemy's attacks with wild movements in every direction. That made it harder for me to heal her, but not a single one of my bullets missed.
[Roadgrim - HP: 34%]
[■■■□□□□□□□]
Her health repeatedly teetered on the brink of empty, then climbed back up.
‘Aura and Momoru….’
I shifted my gaze slightly upward and saw the two of them pushing into the enemy team's backline.
An enemy support appeared at the edge of my vision. They were tucked behind the tank, healing them, and were so busy saving the ally in front of them that they weren't paying any attention to their rear.
Chik—!
I immediately drew my Tranq Pistol and pulled the trigger. The tranquilizer dart slipped between the energy barrier and the enemies, striking the enemy support dead-on.
『‘Kurkuru (Dog Hammer)’ has been paralyzed!』
“Kurkuru—!!!”
[Copy—!]
The moment I marked them, Aura and Momoru attacked at the same time. The enemy turned around too late. It was already over.
Bang—!
Darkness burst from the shotgun and pierced Kurkuru's head.
『‘Phantom (Aura)’ eliminated ‘Kurkuru (Dog Hammer)’.』
One support. Three people who needed healing. There was no way one person could handle that alone.
Bang—!
“Push! Make them into a sandwich!”
I pressed into the enemy lines. The surrounded enemies floundered, and one by one, they fell.
『Team Wipe!』
[Waaaaah—!]
[W-we won!]
[That tranq shot was insane!]
The excited voices of my teammates came through my headset. I suppressed the smile tugging at my lips and spoke calmly.
“We haven't won yet, so stay focused. We can celebrate after we win.”
[Ooh~]
[That was cool~]
I felt my face turn bright red.
-Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!Bullet!
-Mom, when I grow up, I wanna be Bullet!Mom, when I grow up, I wanna be Bullet!Mom, when I grow up, I wanna be Bullet!Mom, when I grow up, I wanna be Bullet!
-Whoa, holy shit;; How the hell did she hit that tranq shot?
-Wait, her heals are fucking cracked lol
-Is this actually happening??? That's fucking insane;;
-Why is she so good at shot-calling? Seriously, why???
-Huh!?!?!?
The fork in Crystal Mining Zone.
We'd picked Area A at the base, but we could change mining areas again here.
‘Considering the moves my teammates just showed….’
I grabbed the switch lever, which was set to keep us on the track to Area A, and pulled hard.
Screeek, clack—!
The tracks changed direction, and the drill slid onto a different route. It was headed for Area B.
[Are you trying to change the mining area?]
“Yes. After sizing things up, B looked manageable, too. And if we can get more coordinated here and improve our skills….”
[Improve them?]
“Maybe even the Deep Mining Zone…?”
[I hope that day comes. Truly.]
Aura murmured softly, her voice tinged with anticipation.
“It will.”
I said with a smile.
“I'll take this team all the way there.”
Everyone was impressed by my calls and skill, but there was one thing they still didn't know.
[ABILITY READ - Lv.1]
That I still had one more card I hadn't played.
‘Activate.’
A ding rang through my mind. And then, things I hadn't been able to see began to come into view.
It was time to become a true commander.