MAX 8

The ruins unfolded before him accompanied by grand music.

There were about 30 seconds left until the game started.

Checking the ticking clock, Han Jiho used the casual chatter of his party members as background radio while he wandered around the waiting room to explore the surroundings.

At the top center of the screen sat a status window showing the scores of both his allies and the enemy team. While he couldn’t see the entire map separately, a small radar-style mini-map was placed in the top right corner. It seemed to be a function that roughly indicated the positions of enemies.

‘I’ll need to be good at sound play.’

Consequently, he would have to play well by listening closely—a technique known as “sound play.” Games with mini-radar maps generally placed a high importance on “sound play.” This was a characteristic he had learned through long years of experience with FPS games.

This time, he pressed the Tab key to check the scoreboard. It was a typical layout seen in FPS games, showing kills, deaths, assists, and ultimate status.

However, one thing was different: there was an individual score for points earned. This seemed to represent the score obtained by gathering Energy Spikes.

[Party] HanJiHo98: So the team with the higher energy score just wins, right?

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: That’s right~~~~

【cogus】 [Yes. Regardless of Kill/Death ratio, the team that collects more energy wins.]

Cogus answered Han Jiho’s question in a low voice. No matter how many times he heard it, it really was a pleasant voice.

So this is why people with good voices are popular. Han Jiho thought vaguely as he tapped on his keyboard.

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [98-nim, since it’s your first time, just think of it as adjusting and focus on picking up energy.]

【1Jiho】 [Chaehyun-hyung is going to carry us, so no worries.]

He wondered who Chaehyun-hyung was for a moment, but Han Jiho soon realized it referred to cogus. This was because if you wrote “cogus” in Korean, it became “Chaehyun.”

It was a naming convention so simple and straightforward that he wondered why he hadn’t realized it sooner. He felt so bad about misreading it as “Kong-guksu” before.

[Party] HanJiHo98: lolol okay

[Party] EchoThief: Ugh, I hate bus riders so much;;

【1Jiho】 [I’m not a bus rider, okay? I’m a bus driver in my own right.]

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: True, true.

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: The problem is there’s no steering wheel, so no one knows where we’re going.

[Party] HanJiHo98: lllllllllll

The sound of 1Jiho’s indignant sigh came through the headset. JunkCollectionMaster was busy laughing his head off.

【1Jiho】 [Ah, right. You have to be good at sound play here, so be careful.]

[Party] EchoThief: Says the guy who is the absolute worst at sound play.

[Party] 1Jiho: Haㅠ that’s meanㅠㅠ

[Party] WrigglingDdorak: lllllllllll

[Party] HanJiHo98: lllllhaha

At any rate, it was exactly as Han Jiho had expected, but it didn’t matter. He was the self-proclaimed and publicly recognized god of sound play.

‘This is why I use a good headset.’

Soon, there were barely 5 seconds left.

While he was repeatedly crouching and standing up along with 1Jiho, the countdown ended. Simultaneously, a grave voice announced the start of the game.

As soon as the closed doors opened, EchoThief and WrigglingDdorak were the first to dash out.

【cogus】 [98-nim. Shall we go together?]

【1Jiho】 [Junk-hyung, let’s go this way.]

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Okey.]

While they were chatting, 1Jiho also dashed out to the left with JunkCollectionMaster. EchoThief and WrigglingDdorak had already entered the center.

Watching the directions they ran in, Han Jiho followed behind cogus and moved to the right. It was toward an alleyway shaped like the letter ‘ㄹ’.

While they were moving, cogus explained the additional rules.

Energy would start respawning 30 seconds after the game began, the respawn locations were random, and the points varied by color. He added that blue (small energy) was worth 5 points, yellow (medium energy) was worth 15 points, and the red energy, called Cataclysm Energy, was worth 30 points.

Furthermore, as the game reached its later stages, higher-scoring energy would respawn, and an event where you could earn double energy points would occur once, so it seemed there would be plenty of chances to aim for a comeback.

Han Jiho listened to cogus’s low, calm voice while scanning his surroundings.

He thought the buildings were generally high, and there were ladders and stairs everywhere so you could climb on top of them. It was a structure well-suited for sniping or stealth play.

Moreover, because there were many narrow and complex alleys below the buildings, it seemed like a good place for ambush plays.

Only then did Han Jiho understand why cogus had said the game depended a lot on weapons. In a map like this, a submachine gun—which is suited for mid-range and open maps—would be slightly less effective.

Tadatadat. The footsteps of his party members could be heard not far away. The enemy team didn’t seem to have approached the vicinity yet.

At that moment, the voices of JunkCollectionMaster and 1Jiho followed along with loud gunfire from somewhere.

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Die, you punk!]

【1Jiho】 [Uwaaaaagh!]

The moment he thought 1Jiho’s scream sounded like a death rattle, the kill log scrolled up in the top right of the monitor.

JunkCollectionMaster ▶ PleaseSaveMe

GirlfriendWanted ▶ 1Jiho

JunkCollectionMaster ▶ GirlfriendWanted

[Server] PleaseSaveMe: Ah

[Server] GirlfriendWanted: Fk

It was JunkCollectionMaster’s first kill and 1Jiho’s first death. For having dashed out so gallantly, it was a rather unsightly death.

[Party] EchoThief: Tsk tsk

[Party] EchoThief: Useless guy

【1Jiho】 [No, wow, seriously, this is so unfair. I was just drinking some water for a second and they killed me in that gap.]

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Oh, wait a sec. It looks like they’re all swarming toward our side.]

【cogus】 [Me and 98-nim will be over here gathering energy.]

Starting with WrigglingDdorak’s chat, gunfire began to echo from all directions. The kill log popping up left and right was a bonus.

EchoThief ▶ FreezeDon’tMoveShootWhileMoving

WrigglingDdorak ▶ Roo-ral-loo

JunkCollectionMaster ▶ HeavyMachineGun

EnergyVampire ▶ JunkCollectionMaster

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [Ah, damn. He killed me there.]

[Party] EchoThief: lllllllllll

[Party] EchoThief: You were low HP but acted out and died, didn’t you?

[Party] 1Jiho: You croaked, didn’t you?

【JunkCollectionMaster】 [The guy with the first death should stay quiet.]

In that short interval, two died and four were killed. The respawn timer was 10 seconds. 1Jiho, who had the first death, had just respawned and was on his way back. JunkCollectionMaster followed after him.

And just then, the 30 seconds passed, and a phrase appeared announcing the real start.

【cogus】 [Yes. I’ll back you up.]

Han Jiho exited the alleyway while listening to cogus’s voice.

Two enemies were still alive, but because four had died right at the start, a huge hole had formed in the enemy team’s offense and defense.

In a situation like this, acting out just to grab energy would be nothing more than begging to be killed.

The enemies were already blocked in from all sides.

EchoThief and Wriggling were in the center, and 1Jiho, who had just returned, was on the left. And on the right, weren’t there Han Jiho himself and cogus?

Even if the enemies respawned and returned, his allies had already seized the geographical advantage. If they poked their heads out, they were very likely to get shot in the head and die again.

However, Han Jiho had no intention of joining the battle yet.

Of course, if they showed up in front of him, he planned to blow their heads off, but since he didn’t know the terrain well yet, he intended to focus on gathering energy.

Cogus would take care of the rest. There was no reason to refuse when the man said he would back him up.

Exiting the alley, an area of ruins appeared this time. It was complex terrain with debris from collapsed buildings scattered everywhere as if they had been hit by a bombing.

‘The map is bigger than I thought.’

Han Jiho thought so as he maneuvered around the debris.

It was more open than the alleyway, but this place also had many obstacles, making it look advantageous for stealth play. It was an area where you were likely to get shot in the head and die if you ran around carelessly.

Just then, at a ping marked by cogus, Han Jiho scurried over to that location. A yellow circular orb was floating behind some debris. It was a 15-pointer.

Quickly acquiring the energy by pressing the F key, Han Jiho checked the score. Starting with the 15 points he had taken, the score began to pile up bit by bit. It seemed his party members were also finding and acquiring energy respawned in various places.

But that leisure was now at an end.

Rough footsteps could be heard from all directions. It was the sound of the enemies—who had temporarily retreated after losing the left and center—swarming in to take over this ruins area.

【cogus】 [Let’s pull back for now.]

Perhaps cogus heard it too, as he said those words. However, Han Jiho’s thoughts were slightly different.

Judging by the footsteps, at least two or more enemies were swarming here. Since the map was wide, it seemed they were moving in a pack to avoid getting picked off while wandering alone.

If that was the case, he was actually grateful.

Because if he drew the enemies’ attention here, his party members would have more opportunities to acquire energy.