A window on the fourth floor of an abandoned building.
Kim Yi-hyeon stuck his head out the broken window. The ruined cityscape came into view.
A huge tree growing on the wall of a commercial building. Vines stretching out tenaciously through the cracks in the broken asphalt. The damp smell of moss tickles your nose.
After looking around, I looked down. There was a familiar figure standing a few dozen meters away.
'West Creek… … .'
Round glasses and dark circles under the eyes that reach down to the bridge of the nose. Thin build but straight back.
Rather than being gloomy, it has a sharp appearance. As described in the game, the first impression is that it looks quite nervous.
The words I heard a little while ago lingered in my ears.
― Be careful. There may be unidentified monsters. Agents periodically clear the area, but… you never know.
Westcreek, who was speaking like that, had a cold smile on his face. It almost sounded like a declaration that said, 'I'll pretend it's the work of a monster and kill you.'
But that was an expression of genuine concern.
― West Creek is said to be the name of a bar run by a benefactor to whom he owed a debt of gratitude.
― Newcomers often misunderstand him as cold, but as the origin of his name suggests, he is actually a very affectionate person.
― If you need his strength, I recommend giving him a whole cake as a gift. He enjoys piling up desserts and eating them, but since he has a small stomach, you will see him eventually sharing them with other agents before they spoil.
This is the personnel record that you can see when you select a character. For low-ranking agents, it is only briefly written, but for 6-star agents, it is quite detailed.
Unlike other collectible games, Polaris has a decent number of male agents. Of course, as a male gamer, Kim Lee-hyun liked female agents… … .
'What about West Creek? I kind of like it.'
There are also past events that modern people can easily relate to, such as living in poverty. The characters that appear later are often intertwined, and the chemistry between them is impressive.
In secondary creations, he is a character who is made fun of. This is because he has a so-called serious concept, but also has a secretly silly side.
However, performance cannot be ignored.
'It might be around Tier 2.'
Although it has a lower high score than Astra, it is easy to use. There are many roles that can be taken care of by one person, so if you pick it when you are a newbie, it will make progress easier.
'And from now on, I have to fight that guy?'
Mock match.
That was the answer Ghost gave. It would take a month to fill in each of the missing parts, so he intended to focus on combat.
'I don't know if we have any chance of winning.'
In terms of equipment level, this side is overwhelming. The weapon West Creek holds is a training sword. Even at first glance, it doesn't seem to be of good quality.
But that doesn't mean you should look down on it.
The situation is different for Asterike, who is in the midst of growing up. Westcreek is still recognized as an elite agent at this point.
'It's also specialized for combat.'
He is not mobilized for espionage activities like Ghost. He is a pure combatant. He may not be as good as Snowfield, but Kim Yi-Hyeon is no match for him.
'I'm a little nervous, but... ... .'
It's more helpful because it's a difficult task.
With my experience so far, I've become more confident in fighting units that are classified as 'trash mobs' in the game. Now it's time to prepare for battles with named units or bosses.
'Even if we can't get to the level of beating them one-on-one, we should be able to endure it.'
If you can hold onto someone's ankle for even 10 seconds on your own, then the range of strategies you can employ will greatly expand.
'Then let's do it.'
The distance to West Creek was about 150m. The opponent did not find this side. This was an advantage given to Kim I-Hyeon.
'Fight as if you were in a surprise attack situation.'
There was also permission to use live ammunition. Kim Yi-hyeon did not refuse. He made a gun with a spell and placed it on the window.
3-star semi-automatic rifle [Galand]. A special weapon that slightly reduces the normal attack speed, but greatly increases the accuracy.
The increase is a whopping 50%. Even if you shoot roughly, you'll hit. With your finger on the trigger, aim for the center of West Creek's upper body.
Taang―!
A heavy gunshot rang out. The bullets flew faster than the sound. And before they could reach their target, West Creek began to gallop.
Directly towards Kim Yi-Hyeon's location.
'That's crazy.'
No matter how good your visual acuity is, you couldn't have seen it with your naked eye. It was shot from a blind spot in the first place.
Westcreek didn't even look. He pinpointed the sniper's location by 'detecting' the bullet's trajectory. The spell he had made it possible.
When the surprise attack failed, Kim Lee-Hyeon openly leaned out the window and aimed his gun. And after less than two seconds, he gave up shooting.
'Fuck, how do I fit that?'
There is a limit to accuracy correction. Kim Yi-Hyeon was not confident in sniping a human who could run faster than a horse.
Bam, bam!
As I was about to put my upper body back in, something crashed through the window and into the ceiling. A small piece of rock. It looked like it had been thrown while running.
"What kind of bullet is that?"
At that level, wouldn't his physical ability be on a level that would overwhelm a trained Pecatum warrior? Kim Yi-Hyeon stuck his tongue out, but didn't stop moving.
I waited for Westcreek on the rooftop landing. It was less than ten seconds. During that time, I could feel the difference between Ghost and Westcreek.
A loud noise was heard that did not sound like human footsteps at all. As expected, West Creek invaded from the front without any planning.
'You're saying that he fights like a crazy person?'
It was as expected.
bang!
The building shook as a booby trap set on the second floor activated. It was a non-lethal grenade with a rubber casing and rubber balls.
In a mock battle, it is impossible to use fragmentation grenades, let alone live ammunition. They are not even among the 3-star equipment.
'That alone isn't that weak… .'
The explosion sent a plume of smoke billowing out. Kim Yi-hyeon held out his pistol and checked under the railing.
Beyond the smoke, West Creek came running. He didn't climb the stairs one by one. He used the railing as a stepping stone and jumped up the floor in one go.
There was no monster. It was funny how I had worried that my reaction had been too harsh. Kim Yi-hyun immediately shot a bullet down the stairs.
Bang, bang!
As we poured out the bullets without sparing any effort, West Creek disappeared into the layer. It was a narrow passage that was difficult to avoid. It seemed burdensome to jump in blindly like before.
The moment I thought that.
Kookookookook!
The ground beneath his feet began to shake. Cracks appeared in the tiles. Before he could grasp the situation, Kim Yi-hyun escaped to the rooftop.
Soon the staircase collapsed. West Creek appeared, jumping up the gaping floor. The iron sword in his hand was in a terrible state of shattered pieces.
'What the heck? Did you cut down the entire building?'
Kim Lee-hyeon turned his back in horror.
bang!
The flash grenade left behind the rooftop door exploded. Now. I ran without looking back.
This place was connected to the building next door. It wasn't designed to be connected from the beginning, but a thick piece of wood was hung like a bridge.
This is also the aftermath of some disaster. It was a great coincidence. However, it was Kim I-hyeon's choice to utilize this building.
Bam!
I plunged the [tactical hook] into the tree trunk and fell down boldly. The rope attached to the hook came out.
He pressed the button from about the second floor. The rope was pulled tightly. Kim Yi-hyeon gritted his teeth and endured the pain and recoil in his hand.
'Okay, it worked out somehow.'
At the point where the acceleration died down, I immediately let go and landed safely on the ground. I was about to go over to the building I had marked in advance.
A shadow fell.
thud!
West Creek fell with a crash. The distance was close. Kim Yi-Hyeon reflexively created a shield to defend the front.
Fight!
"윽…!"
An absurd impact was transmitted from under the shield, as Westcreek struck it with his iron sword, barely a handle remaining.
Kim Hyun-hyun's feet lifted off the ground. As he watched her rise, Wescreek thought to himself.
'I guess this is the end.'
It was better than I thought. He was bold and had great talent. I was about to finish it off with the thought that I had enjoyed it in my own way.
The muzzle of the gun was visible. At some point, Kim Yi-Hyeon had been holding a pistol in his right hand.
'… … Were you holding it so that it was hidden by the shield?'
The trigger was pulled without delay. Westcreek turned his upper body halfway, and the bullet grazed his cheek.
The posture is unstable. Westcreek stretched out his left hand and grabbed the top of the shield. Immediately, the shield turned into a ball of light and disappeared.
The gun he had just fired was the same. A knife appeared in Kim Lee-hyun's hand, which was holding nothing.
'Is it possible to use it this freely?'
It was a ridiculous ability. Westcreek felt inwardly bewildered and straightened his center of gravity.
The gap was less than half a step. There was a huge gap in the physical abilities of both sides. He judged that he could easily subdue them in close combat.
The prediction was slightly off.
Kaang!
The broken iron sword clashed with the dagger. The thrusting fist was blocked by an arm.
Twice was the limit. It was a short period of time, not even a few seconds. The next moment, West Creek kicked Kim Lee Hyun in the leg and knocked him down.
"억!"
Kim Yi-hyeon fell to the ground. He dropped his sword. When he raised his head again, an iron sword was thrust right in front of his nose.
"...Ugh. It's tough."
He raised both hands and meekly admitted defeat. Only then did Westcreek lower his sword.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The 6 stars weren't 6 stars for nothing.
* * *
After the mock match, they had a calm conversation. West Creek gave his evaluation of Kim I-Hyeon in a straightforward tone.
"You don't seem to be in your right mind either."
"why me."
"You used live ammunition without hesitation in a mock battle. And explosives on top of that. Isn't that something a person with normal thinking would do?"
"You said I could use it?"
"But it was our first time meeting each other."
If you think about it, that was right.
Of course, Kim Yi-Hyeon had background knowledge. Not only was he familiar with the fact that West Creek was an elite agent, but he was also familiar with the details of his abilities.
'He was a rather unusual electrical power user.'
It is not possible to incapacitate an opponent by shooting electricity like Leila. It is set to handle extremely weak electricity, but its application is excellent.
Strengthening the body by extremely activating the muscle cells in the body, or spreading an electric current around oneself to detect the approach of an enemy… … .
This is truly a game-like ability.
Kim Eui-Hyeon believed that he could handle West Creek without any problems. However, to those who did not know the situation, he could only look like a crazy person.
"And… hmm. Now I kind of understand why Ghost asked me to take care of you."
"huh?"
"Please don't misunderstand and listen."
Westcreek explained briefly.
"Ghosts are not really agents suited for combat. While their trained bodies are certainly strong, they are no match for the warriors of Pecatum, and they don't have any spells."
"That's true."
In fact, there are records where he was helplessly pushed back by Shadow. The prevailing opinion was that his performance in Episode 0 was only good against mobs.
"Instead, Ghost makes up for his shortcomings with his honed skills. For example… if we were to have a mock battle under the same conditions, he would not attack me for at least two days."
"These two days are a bit harsh."
"Yes, he'll be very aggressive. He'll probably set traps everywhere and attack you when you're tired. That's the kind of person he is."
It requires a lot of knowledge as it requires using the surrounding environment. It is impossible for most agents, not just West Creek.
Kim Yi-Hyun is not included in the 'most'. West Creek was greatly surprised by Kim Yi-Hyun's fighting ability, although he did not show it.
'I heard you were struggling with three speeders until a few months ago.'
That? Where are you looking?
If given time to design it, it could wipe out hundreds of speeders on its own. Even now, it has a higher operational capability than most agents.
"You don't have to act like a ghost. You can easily create advantageous situations with spells. You also have excellent combat intelligence."
"Oh, thank you for the compliment. What's your conclusion?"
"So to speak, it means that you already have the advantages of Ghost. Even if you could learn the more advanced parts, it would take too much effort. And above all else…."
Westcreek recalled the last workshop they had shared.
'I didn't know you could stop it.'
I didn't really do anything special. I thought I'd seen enough, so I planned to finish it off in one blow.
But Kim Lee-hyun seemed to react.
That's because he had experienced battles with Snowfield. Snowfield, West Creek. Kim I-Hyun's fighting ability may be inferior to those of the strong. He was adapting quickly.
"You're better suited to be a combatant than a spy. You have the talent, Hyun."
Westcreek poked my head with his finger.
"Sometimes it's good to fight with your mind blank. There are enemies that can't be defeated by gunfire or traps. In those cases, you have no choice but to rely on your body."
He exhaled, saying, "Whoo!" As he returned his muscle cells to their original state, a feeling of weakness took over his body. His entire body felt heavy as if soaked in water, and he became lethargic.
"Anyway… that's what I mean…."
His back was bent. When seen from the side, he was truly a man of many changes.
At first, he was quiet, as befitting his cynical impression, but he became more talkative towards the end… and now he has become like an office worker after working overtime.
'The setting was that while using a spell, you would become more expressive and talkative. When you turn off the spell, you would become dazed for a few minutes as a reaction.'
Kim Lee-hyun nodded and expressed his agreement.
Anyway, I understood, so there was no problem.