"Haah..."


    A misty breath poured out like a waterfall from my mouth.


    The weather was so cold that everything was freezing solid. Yet, theke stretching out ahead of us was oddly frozen in a bizarre pattern, as if someone had smashed it with a giant hammer and it had refrozen in that shattered state.


    In the northern part of New York, where even the presence of people had been devoured by the cold, we moved quickly along thekeshore, reaching our destination and activating the detection sensors. Soon, a point emitting infraredsers in all directions became visible.


    "There it is. The infiltration point."


    "Infiltration point...? It just looks like thekeshore to me."


    "Your eyesight seems fine."


    <ul>


    <li>LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Trantion: Deny reality, and I''ll make a shabu-shabu out of you in theke.</li>


    <li>LOL Are you out of your mind??????</li>


    <li>Goosebumps LOL</li>


    <li>How long have you been hanging out with the teacher and still don''t know her????</li>


    </ul>


    Well, of course.


    The objective point was glowing with a square object indicator from hundreds of meters away, but instead of approaching it directly, we had to walk around the opposite side of theke, which seemed suspicious.


    Before long, we reached the drop point. A ratherrge box was waiting for Yujin and me, weing us. The box was twice the size of the supply containers you would find in a base.


    Without hesitation, we opened it, and as expected, what appeared to be diving suits came into view.


    "...So, we just put this on?"


    "You’ve really gotten used to things, knowing what to do without needing instructions."


    "Never thought I''d end up wearing something like this..."


    Well, in other fantasy VR games, people wear full te armor to fight. In some ways, isn’t this the same thing? It’s hard to say which is better; it''s all pretty surreal.


    While we were putting on what was more gear than clothing, a voice came through the inte, and the objective appeared on the front UI.


    But that wasn''t the important part.


    Something far more important caught my eye.


    It was a tail!


    -[ISO: It seems you''ve safely reached the box. Inside, you''ll find two diving suits and an old EMP generator. It’s lighter than it looks, so just drop it in the infiltration path under theke, and you''re done.]


    -[ISO: Hurry up. Artemis'' regr performance check will begin soon.]


    "The weather is terribly cold."


    "Whoa, look at that tail."


    Yujin’s tail, snugly covered in the diving suit, was twitching as if it were ufortable, and, of course, the chat exploded. While her body’s contours were obscured by the gear, the tail was impossible to hide.


    The fact that only I knew that tail was real made me feel—wow.


    I could hardly suppress the smile tugging at my lips.


    <ul>


    <li>LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>New Skin: Diving Suit Yujin! New Skin: Diving Suit Yujin! New Skin: Diving Suit Yujin!</li>


    <li>Excuse me, may I touch that tail just once?</li>


    <li>That tail curve is a work of art LOL</li>


    <li>Don’t enjoy it alone; let us join in, Harmony!</li>


    </ul>


    -Crack!


    With a small tremor, the edge of the frozenke shattered.


    Theke, over a hundred meters wide and several kilometers long, looked as if it could absorb any sound with its vastness.


    But when you look at the dozen or so skyscrapers suddenly standing on the other side of theke, it doesn''t seem quite as quiet.


    Soon, a holerge enough to easily amodate two people and the old EMP generator appeared, revealing the eerie blue interior of theke that no one wanted to enter.


    We checked our gear onest time.


    -[Alert: Maximum heat function activated.]


    "Oh, it’s getting nice and warm."


    "Why don''t you dip your feet in? Can you bear it?"


    "Let’s see… Whoa!"


    <ul>


    <li>LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>What kind of sound is that LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Calm down LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Quick, sprinkle some water on your body to prevent a heart attack.</li>


    <li>Reflexive scream LOL</li>


    </ul>


    "It''s too cold!"


    "Stay in for a bit, and it’ll feel better."


    "Oh, it really does."


    As the icy cold contact point quickly warmed up, Yujin, before even visually appreciating the shape of her tail, hauled the massive EMP generator over and dumped it into the water.


    Though it was described as old, it still felt like a costly piece of machinery. However, Yujin casually tossed it into the water, leaving me momentarily speechless.


    The only relief was that it didn’t make a huge ssh. It was just like the teacher to never forget the basics... Even though we were all temporarily frozen in shock, she continued speaking nonchntly.


    "Don''t worry. It’s not easy to break."


    "Oh, okay..."


    <ul>


    <li>Say something before you throw it LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>This person is sneakily reckless LOL</li>


    <li>Distracting us with the tail while pulling weird stunts—is this some sort of diversion tactic?</li>


    <li>Of course, she knows what she''s doing LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>I give up, I’m done with this.</li>


    </ul>


    Seriously, what should I say?


    It''s not just my imagination that this person seems to pull off these stunts as naturally as breathing.


    But Iposed myself and continued preparing for what would be my first underwater infiltration, albeit in a virtual reality setting. As the UI in front of me began adjusting my breathing timing and even my actions, a voice came from behind.


    "Are you ready?"


    "Even if I say no, you’ll push me in, right?"


    "Haha. You shouldn''t actually do that, though. It’s more dangerous than you think."


    And with that, something was on my shoulder... no, it was the tail. Even though it was covered by the diving suit, the smooth, soft texture was unforgettable.


    As a chilling sensation ran from my waist up to the back of my neck, and I was carefully stroking it with my hand, a slight pressure suddenly gripped my waist and shoulder, followed by the words:


    "Now, instead of stroking my tail, get in the water."


    "Huh? Wait, teacher! I’m floating!"


    "That’s because I lifted you with my tail."


    Just as she said.


    With my waist and part of my shoulder wrapped by the tail, the next moment I naturally began floating into the air and then slowly lowered into the water.


    Of course, not by my own will.


    "Gah!"


    Ssh.


    That was the start of my first dive.


    *[ISO: It seems you''ve safely entered. Now, let me brief you on the real purpose of this mission. As you know, Artemis isn’t just a dangerous PMC. They are extremely dangerous.]


    *[ISO: After the Artemis leadership was wiped out and thepany was abandoned, they’ve been willing to do anything to ensure their survival. Even if it means selling off thepany’s equipment, facilities, and technology to hostile nations.]


    *[ISO: We must prevent these people from wielding and selling such technology on the ruins of a half-destroyed New York. If possible, recover it. If not, destroy everything—be it technology, people, or servers.]


    "Destroying people too—what a terrifying order."


    "It’s quite ruthless."


    The underground water supply system passing through Artemis Technology’s subterraneanb zone.


    They had a system in ce not only to bring in the necessary drinking water through the water supply but also to purify and use theke water, making it an excellent entry point into the headquarters today.


    Last time, we brazenly raided another building, extracted data, and fled, leaving the PMC’s mood at an all-time low.


    At this point, the entrance to this building was guarded by ominous turrets and strike teams, ready to shoot any suspicious figures lurking nearby.


    If we manage to pull off a stealthy exit through the water supply systemter, that would be ideal, but with ISO instructing us to shoot everything that moves, our options were limited.


    Honestly, it seemed like they were telling us to turn everything living into a corpse and walk out the front door.


    We could manage.


    As we infiltrated the base, the enemymunications started to be intercepted.


    *[Echo 2. Anything unusual during patrol?]


    *[None so far.]


    *[Confirmed.]


    ─Ratatatat!


    "Ugh...!"


    Despite the seemingly ordinarymunications, three patrol members fell to the ground with bullet holes in their heads.


    The infiltration wouldn''t take long. The goal was to push as deep inside as possible before the enemy discovered us. In the middle of the loud water sounds, we used a winch to descend further down.


    Of course, the target was the underground server room. Since they usedke water as cooling water for the server, we had significantly shortened the distance.


    The problem was the sheer size of the underground facility, as we had previously assessed.


    *[ISO: Good. You''re almost at the weapons testingb. Stay sharp.]


    "Weapons testingb—it doesn''t sound good."


    "It''s probably exactly what you''re thinking."


    We carefully opened the ceiling hatch of the elevator, descended below, and forcefully opened the closed door, only to be greeted by ominous background noises and flickering sirens.


    A state-of-the-artb, eerily white. Around us were all sorts of drones, prototypes, and an empty reception area—apanied by the sound of metallic nging from the other side.@@novelbin@@


    I signaled to Harmony with a hand gesture.


    A pulse wave radiated forward.


    —Piiiiiing!


    Seeing the dozen or so figures and drones moving toward us beyond the wall, I quietly spoke.


    "We’re trapped, so let’s wipe them all out."


    "Got it."


    With resolute voices, the sound of numerous footsteps and mechanical noises merged into one, and soon, a slow-moving group began to pass by in front of us.


    Given the structure of the underground facility, stealth was impossible by any means, and the heavy, unsettling background music subtly signaled that it was time to engage in full-blownbat.


    Red markers highlighted the enemies'' weak points and vital spots.


    The shooting began.


    -Ratatatatat!


    "Enemy! Aaah!"


    "Disperse! Disperse!"


    The heavy gunfire echoed as it collided with the walls, amplifying the noise.


    Given the straight-line structure of the underground facility, it meant that if we didn''t quickly finish off the engagement, we could be surrounded by reinforcements in no time.


    Methodically, I began taking down enemies one by one, only to realize I had be overly immersed in the task. It might be time to help Harmony sharpen her shooting skills again since it’s been a while.


    I slowed down my shooting pace a bit to give her some room. The n was for me to flush out enemies from cover, and Harmony would take them down.


    As I deliberately reduced my shooting speed, the chat quickly caught on to my intent and began yfully teasing.


    Adding ament or two, I said:


    "Ah, my joints suddenly hurt."


    "Hey, Yujin! What are you talking about all of a sudden!?"


    <ul>


    <li>Suddenly your knees and arms start to ache, right? It’s Harmony’s turn to shine?</li>


    <li>Teacher, it’s so obvious LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Yesterday… I lifted… too much weight… at the gym…</li>


    <li>Waaah, I’m baby Yujin,e ‘save’ me from these enemies</li>


    <li>Harmony going ballistic because she can’t ept reality LOL LOL LOL</li>


    </ul>


    As the previously tense atmosphere quickly lifted, Harmony, now shooting twice as much as before, began to yell while enthusiastically pulling the trigger.


    She seemed increasingly desperate as her eyes rolled around, and she continued firing, her expression grim and determined.


    Watching the enemies drop one by one, it was clear that despite not ying Dark Zone regrly, her skills hadn’t deteriorated much.


    Helping out just a bit should be enough.


    I focused on assisting her, like targeting an enemy about tounch a grenadeuncher so they would miss and hit the floor instead, or shooting at one of the legs of a quadruped turret that had just started warming up its chaingun, causing it to lose bnce.


    Anyone could eliminate enemies by prioritizing targets, but it was the speed that measured the level of skill.


    After swiftly clearing the enemies, themunication resumed.


    *[ISO: There’s some jamming going on. Without the Artemis tech files those two recoveredst time, this mission could’ve been much tougher.]


    *[ISO: Move quickly. Reinforcements will reach your position in three minutes. If you can smash the keypad after passing the security door, that would be ideal.]


    *[ISO: Good luck.]


    And then Harmony''s shout rang out:


    "What do you mean, no warning before doing that───!"


    "Sorryyy aaahhh!"


    <ul>


    <li>LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Serves you right LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Go easy on her, she’s a rookie after all.</li>


    <li>Teasing a returning newbie, that’s just mean LOL LOL LOL</li>


    <li>Suddenly my teammate isn’t shooting!!!</li>


    </ul>


    Shake, shake, shake, shake.


    She grabbed my bulletproof vest with an expression of pure frustration and shook me.


    I deserved it.