TGMBS 01

Chapter 01

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New Battlefield (1)

I have a job that’s hard to find in modern society.

Mercenary.

A professional combat operative who performs combat and high-risk missions for money.

Among them, I’m a contractor mercenary who doesn’t belong to a specific PMC (Private Military Company) and operates on a contract basis.

The role I mainly take on in requests is simple.

Infiltrate the enemy lines first, cut off power, silently eliminate guards, and neutralize the surveillance system.

And while relaying real-time information obtained during the infiltration to the main force or the client, I also design a safe return route afterward—

The role commonly called a Covert Saboteur.

Naturally, the pay was extremely high, but it was just as dangerous.

Today was no exception.

“Target point reached. Power cut in 30 seconds. Two lobby guards eliminated. A three-man guard squad is waiting below the west stairwell. The CCTV main line distribution box is in the underground control room. Motion sensors in the east corridor are active, so be careful.”

Hiding my body at a pre-secured concealment point, I relayed the information obtained during infiltration as briefly as possible.

Zzt—

Shortly after, the low voice of the bald French team leader, Leclerc, came through the tactical earpiece.

[Copy. Secure an escape route immediately.]

The time given to us was 10 minutes.

After that, the police who had taken bribes would arrive.

Hiding my body in the darkness, I moved with minimal movement.

The dagger in my hand reflected the moonlight, giving off a blood-red gleam.

It was while I was heading to the pre-designated escape zone like that.

[Alpha, can you hear me? The eastern patrol route is empty. The site is too clean. It seems the information was leaked—]

Leclerc’s words couldn’t be finished.

KWAAAAAAANG!

“……!”

The building shook with an explosion. Immediately after, rough gunfire poured down from the upper floor.

A chill ran down my spine in that instant.

‘They set a trap.’

This was the worst-case scenario.

Before figuring out what had happened, I first needed to secure a hiding place to keep my body safe.

I opened my mouth to call the sniper who would be watching this side from the outer building.

But before my words, a voice flew into the earpiece first.

It was a cold voice I was hearing for the first time, devoid of any emotion.

[Sniper down. Overwatch position clear.]

[D’accord. And the mole?]

[Not found yet.]

Fluent French.

For reference, we had been using English until then.

‘We’ve been properly caught.’

I abandoned the earpiece, burner phone, tactical chest rig, NVG (night vision goggles), and spare magazines on the spot and fled toward the jungle.

* * *

“So you hid in the jungle near Kisangani for 2 weeks? How did you handle drinking water?”

At Chae Geonuk’s question, Go Taemin spoke while chewing on a hamburger.

“I managed somehow. We received CEET training before, remember?”

“Ugh…… sucking on tree root sap? Don’t tell me you did that again?”

“Try going 3 days without water. You’d probably be rolling your eyes back, digging the ground, and high-fiving earthworms too, hyung.”

“Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it. What about food?”

“African lizards are surprisingly filling. If you just close your eyes and swallow the fishy part, they’re way better than chicken. Want me to catch one for you later?”

Go Taemin wandered through the jungle for 2 weeks, evading pursuit.

The gunfire was only for the first few days, but the silence that followed was more dangerous.

A complete isolation situation with even external communication cut off.

Every dawn he found direction by the constellations, moved only at night, and endured day by day.

To leave no traces, he moved by stepping only on roots, and slept crouched in trees.

After moving northeast along the river like that, he was able to hide near the border.

“I met a broker there and got out to Uganda. Then I went down to Mombasa Port and secretly boarded a cargo ship.”

Go Taemin spoke as if it were no big deal, but that journey was a series of desperate, blood-draining struggles day after day.

Even after the cargo ship departing from Mombasa reached Naples, he couldn’t let his guard down.

Since he was in a position where he had to avoid pursuit, formal entry was impossible from the start.

As soon as he got off the cargo ship, Go Taemin hid outside the port area, contacted a local broker, and only after barely obtaining a forged identity could he finally attempt to return home.

The money that drained away in that process was a whopping 20,000 dollars.

“Krrgh, my blood-like money…….”

As Go Taemin clutched his chest bitterly, Chae Geonuk comforted him.

“Still, you came back with all your limbs intact. You went through a lot, so let’s rest for a while.”

“Come on, if I were going to rest, I wouldn’t have come to you, hyung. If I don’t want to suffer later, I need to work diligently while I’m even a year younger.”

Chae Geonuk was a senior who had shared life and death with Go Taemin in the same unit, and was currently active as an information broker.

That was why Go Taemin often received requests through Chae Geonuk.

Chae Geonuk set down the whisky bottle he had been wiping and clicked his tongue.

“You’re going to go out into the field even in this situation? You don’t even know how far those bastards have stuck their straws in, and you’re in your right mind?”

“It’s not like I’m doing business by showing my face and selling my name anyway. How many laundered identities do I have?”

“Still, man, this time they crossed the line. I know your circumstances are difficult. But Taemin, can’t you take it a bit easier? How much more money do you need to get out of that state?”

“I’m still far from changing the way my mom and siblings live.”

“Take it easy, you brat. If you die, do you think your family will take that money and be happy?”

“Come on, I won’t die. A guy like me won’t even be accepted in the afterlife because my pay doesn’t match. So hurry up and find me some work.”

Chae Geonuk shook his head.

The junior in front of him was a human with stubbornness like iron tendons.

Even if it wasn’t him, he would clearly find a way to get a request somehow.

Since he would have been moving around under aliases with his face covered anyway, his identity couldn’t have been exposed, but even so, going out into the field right now was too dangerous.

“How about doing something else for a while instead? There’s things like Nova Arena.”

“Nova Arena? What’s that?”

Go Taemin tilted his head.

He had only been active in remote parts of Africa for several years.

There was no way he knew how the world worked these days.

When Go Taemin showed interest, Chae Geonuk grinned.

* * *

2030.

A company called Nova succeeded in developing a BCI system, that is, Brain-Computer-Interface technology.

It was technology that could read the brain’s sensory and motor signals, even memories, in real time, allowing a body in virtual space to move as if it were reality.

-A new world has arrived, everyone.

With this technology, they created content that had never existed before.

Its name: Nova Arena.

Simply put, it was a modern-day Colosseum.

Inside a virtual arena implemented with BCI technology, participants wielded weapons and shields and engaged in gladiator matches.

Even if you died, you would revive again, but the fear of death and pain were no different from reality in this space.

Yet the real body didn’t get hurt—this contradictory world captivated people all over the globe the moment it was released.

Many people flocked to watch Nova Arena matches, and the more they did, the more capital flowed into Nova Arena.

The match formats were diverse as well.

Sometimes participants fought bloody one-on-one duels with weapons in hand.

Sometimes more than 1,000 participants carried out siege battles.

Sometimes they roamed jungles to complete specific missions.

Sometimes they escaped maze-like prisons—

Heart-pounding matches unfolded in Nova Arena.

“How about it? These are things you could do well enough, aren’t you? You’re an industry specialist.”

Despite Chae Geonuk’s praise, Go Taemin’s interest was only in one thing.

“They pay a lot?”

“Of course you have to climb up to a certain point. But you’ll probably earn way more than in the MMA market?”

After hearing the explanation, Go Taemin rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

‘This looks better than I thought?’

7 years in special forces, and 3 years as a mercenary.

When it came to combat, he had done it so much it was in his bones.

Especially for a covert saboteur whose life depended on stealth, the blade was a tool that had to be honed from time to time in order to erase presence and infiltrate quietly.

Because he had to carry out missions in enemy lines quietly, without being noticed.

‘Is a slightly longer sword any different?’

He hadn’t learned how to handle a sword professionally, but until now there had been no major problem.

Most enemies he faced on the battlefield were people accustomed to modern warfare.

They were threatening when distance opened up, but once he managed to close the distance, the rest was simple.

It was enough to stab a dagger into vital points, or just make it so they couldn’t hold a gun.

But there was one part that bothered him.

“Won’t participating in Nova Arena actually expose my identity?”

At Go Taemin’s question, Chae Geonuk let out a chuckle.

This brat. He acted like it was nothing, but it seemed he was secretly worried.

“Don’t worry. It’s a capsule connection method anyway. If you wear something like a mask and participate from Japan or the US, who’s going to know it’s you? Just change your nickname too.”

He didn’t have to expose his face.

He could act under a nickname, and the country he competed for could be changed as much as he wanted.

After hearing that much, Go Taemin made his decision.

“How do I participate?”

* * *

“Whoa. It’s bigger than I thought?”

The purchased capsule was placed in a small room next to his senior’s workshop.

His senior was glad to have a reliable guard, and he had gained a hideout where he could operate with peace of mind, so it was a win-win for both.

“Which country do you want to start in?”

“Which one is good?”

“There are plenty of decent places.”

After coordinating with his senior, he decided to choose one of three countries: the US, Japan, or China.

First, because he could speak English to some extent, and his appearance was similar to the Northeast Asian region, making identity disguise easier.

“I recommend Japan. It’s easier to get a pro license than in the US or China. There’s no time difference either.”

He obediently nodded.

“Then I’ll go with Japan.”

If he was going to receive the same money, there was no need to choose the difficult path.

While his senior filled out the application for him, he looked around inside the capsule.

A metal capsule designed to fit human body curves.

To think he could connect to virtual reality just by lying inside—it still didn’t feel real.

While he had been wrestling with poisonous insects in the African jungle, the world had gone farther than he thought.

“Done! You can play right away now. What do you want to do? Want to try it right now?”

“Already?”

“These days the system is well made. There are so many people challenging for a pro license too. So the procedure has become simpler than before.”

His senior tapped the capsule.

“Go in once. I’ll help you with the setup.”

He slowly pushed his body into the capsule.

As he settled in and lay down, a cold, heavy metallic sensation pressed against his back.

With practiced hands, his senior arranged the electrodes and sensors and attached them one by one to his head and limbs.

“Fu fu, go have fun. You’ll probably be surprised?”

“……?”

With a meaningful smile, his senior closed the capsule door.

Click— The moment he heard the mechanical sound of the capsule sealing, the nape of his neck went cold.

To a black operative, an enclosed space and darkness meant death.

He forced himself to relax his body and closed his eyes.

‘Is this really…… connected to virtual reality?’

Shortly after, the entire capsule trembled very lightly.

At the same time, an electronic sound like a whisper flowed out from beside him.

[Beginning neural synchronization to connect to Nova Arena.]

[Checking sensory signals…… 13%]

[Connecting motor neuron group…… 27%]

[Syncing electromyography (EMG) patterns…… 41%]

[Checking visual cortex (V1–V4) response…… 58%]

[Matching proprioception…… 72%]

[Stabilizing brain-body interface…… 89%]

[Neural synchronization complete…… 92%]

[Loading avatar appearance…… 96%]

[Streaming environment data…… 100%]

[Nova Arena connection complete.]

[Your battlefield opens.]

And then—

My vision went black.

When I came to my senses again, a new world was spread out before my eyes.

‘Where is this?’

A giant circular structure.

The floor was covered in sand, and the walls were in the form of tiered spectator seats.

‘It really is a Colosseum.’

Sunlight poured down from the blue sky.

A sense of temperature that was hard to believe was virtual.

I picked up a handful of sand.

The texture felt between my fingers was very realistic.

After brushing off the sand, I slowly examined my body.

Muscle movement, the feeling of joints bending, the response when force was applied……

It was all natural.

So much so that it made me forget this was virtual reality.

‘Amazing.’

Even my clothing was exactly as I had worn into the capsule.

The thin leather armor his senior had prepared for him.

A longsword was strapped at his waist, and a dagger was hidden at his chest.

On his face, a demon-shaped mask would be showing its presence.

I let out a hollow laugh as I touched the mask.

‘Just how is this possible?’

It felt as if I hadn’t entered virtual reality, but had teleported to another space.

At that moment, blue text appeared in one corner of my vision.

[Your assigned participant number is 2,749.]

[Searching for a matching opponent……]

[Match complete!]

[Participant 1,701 enters.]

[Record: 3,862 matches, 2,287 wins, 1,575 losses (Win rate: 59.25%)]

The sand on the opposite side of the arena rippled, and a man gradually revealed himself.

Dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.

Two scabbards were strapped at his waist.

He looked exactly like a samurai from a movie had popped out.

I let out a smirk.

‘I heard there are people who adopt a concept to appeal to the audience, and it was true.’

Well, I was wearing an absurd demon mask too, so we were even.

[Match type: 1v1 individual battle]

[Match category: Japan amateur league match]

[Victory condition: Kill the opposing participant]

[Map: Circular arena (small)]

[Match: 2,749 vs 1,701]

[Current viewers: 13]

[Match begins in 3 seconds.]

The man in samurai attire drew his sword and glared.

I slowly gripped the sword hilt as well.

Shorter than a normal sword, a little longer than a dagger—a tactical short sword about 50 cm.

The blade was coated in a matte finish that absorbed light, and instead of fancy decoration, there was only a rough grip that wrapped around each finger joint.

The cold sensation of metal traveled up my palm.

‘It’s been a while since a fight like this.’

[Match begins in 2 seconds.]

The fighting instinct that had followed me like a shadow for the past few years raised its head.

The wind brushing the nape of my neck, the rough texture of sand under my soles……

I crouched low like a predator that had found its prey.

[Match begins in 1 second.]

The position of my hands, my toes, my vision.

All senses narrowed to a single point.

The feeling of my body switching into combat mode.

‘Here it comes.’

The opponent’s center tilted very slightly to the left.

It was a signal that he would charge immediately.

And then—

[Match start!]

The man in samurai attire rushed in like lightning.

The moment his sword drew a half-circle and aimed at me.

‘Left shoulder.’

A single red line appeared in my vision.

His sword, like a train running along a predetermined track, traced that line without even 1 mm of error.

That was it.

The reason I had survived until now as a special forces operative and as a mercenary was thanks to this talent for seeing trajectories.