The second safe zone's damage was equivalent to the final zone in a normal game, so there was no time to hesitate—I had to move. I sprinted straight for the center of the apartment complex. The zone shrank fast, footsteps echoed everywhere, and gunfire erupted.
I ignored it and moved to a position I could survive in. By the time I arrived, two people were already gone—only three remained. I immediately loaded my gun and aimed at the person approaching. The moment they saw me aiming, they ducked behind cover, and gunfire sounded simultaneously.
Bang!
I rolled aside just in time. Thankfully, the bullets hit the spot I had been standing on. Footsteps ran past on both sides—the survivors were now sprinting toward the safe zone while someone tried to suppress me with a sniper rifle. The zone was right in front of me. I could only take one of them out, so I focused on the initial suppressor.
Tat-tat-tat!
I sprayed bullets where they were running. I didn't need to hit them—my shooting alone would make them hesitate, and the zone damage would finish the job.
['SJDMLDLFMADMS' has died from the zone.]
―That's brutal.
―Why stop there?
―Clearly a bad angle, yet they stopped.
―Can't play for crap.
The viewers cursed the person who died because of my suppressing fire. Considering some had placed missions, such strong reactions were expected.
"The only one left is the sniper."
I ran to the place where I had heard footsteps. I couldn't see them yet, but if they were already inside the safe zone, they were likely waiting to snipe me.
'I need to get close so they can't shoot.'
Other guns get more accurate at close range, but sniper rifles are different—they're meant for distant targets. Close range makes it extremely hard to hit. Using that to my advantage, I quickly closed in on the sniper and drew my revolver.
Assault rifles are better at close range than snipers, but revolvers are more accurate. Each shot mattered, so I boldly chose the revolver over the assault rifle.
Bang! Bang!
As soon as I saw their silhouette, I fired—but I didn't even graze them.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue and kept advancing, firing to prevent them from gaining time. They continued dodging and even drew their pistol, firing a few shots at me. Luckily, I wasn't hit, but time was slipping away. The zone would keep shrinking, and then the outcome would be unpredictable. I didn't want to gamble blindly—I had to end this fight before the zone did.
―He's getting tense.
―Hands shaking.
―Thought he'd get first, heart racing.
―Yep, 100% loss.
―LOL, 150,000 won disappearing right before our eyes.
The viewers' chatter made things more hectic—but at least it wasn't through donation TTS. That would have given me a stroke. I kept pulling the trigger, reloading, and dodging in the narrow space. At this point, something felt unnatural.
'How is he not hitting me?'
Or rather, how can he dodge so well?
I wasn't normal, but neither was he. About three minutes into this close-range duel, the system announced:
[The zone is shrinking. This is the final safe zone.]
The final shrink. It meant one thing—kill the opponent. The last zone would be so small that no one could stand safely. It was now either kill or die to the zone.
The final zone shrank slowly, and we continued our fight inside the ever-tightening area. Shots didn't always land, but glancing bullets started to hit. No time for healing—we both knew using a medkit would get us killed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets flew in every direction.
Click!
Then I ran out of ammo. The opponent noticed and immediately aimed at me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I kept moving, dodging the shots as best as I could. One hit could kill me, and I couldn't think of a better way to survive.
'Just survive first.'
The zone kept closing, and we were about five steps apart. At this distance, running to dodge was no longer an option. I had only one choice.
"This is it."
I muttered, rushing straight at the opponent. Luckily, they were reloading, so I wasn't hit. I pushed them with all my force, sending them flying out of the safe zone. They cursed in surprise—their reload was interrupted, so they couldn't shoot me. Zone damage was deadly; even at full HP, they wouldn't survive outside.
―Insane.
―No way.
―How does the timing work out perfectly?
―No! My money!
―Hey! They survive, right?
Viewers held a sliver of hope. The opponent picked up a spatula—the only melee weapon in Kill Ground with decent damage. They hurled it at me, aiming for my head. But they didn't expect one thing: I was falling forward while pushing them.
Thunk!
I hit the ground, and the spatula flew past me. Seconds later, the system displayed:
['Fyodor' has died from the zone.]
Zone death. Survivors dropped to one. A victory message appeared in my view:
[All enemies eliminated.]
[YOUR WINNER!]
Clean win. Despite some shaky moments, it was a solid victory. And victory brings rewards.
[Placement in progress.]
[4 placement matches remaining.]
Speed Mode had rankings and points, even if not competitive. Every match earned points toward rank. I had reached first place before. Placement matches were perfect content.
'I thought Speed Mode alone was lacking, but now there's perfect content.'
I had planned to play one match and either switch games or check chat, but viewers loved this. More content meant more opportunities.
―If this MMR is that high without placement, how high was his PC MMR?
―That sniper was top-tier Orichalcum, apparently?
―LOL how does such a monster appear on the first match?
―MMR inflated from yesterday's co-stream?
―This is correct.
―No way this guy has high MMR; his GG coaching role is just networking.
Cutting the chaotic chat, I understood—the last opponent being Orichalcum made sense. Kill Ground had seven tiers: Iron, Platinum, Diamond, Mithril, Adamantium, Orichalcum, Vibranium. Vibranium was for the top 300 worldwide. Seeing the highest tier as Orichalcum confirmed skill.
'If this were normal mode, I wouldn't have survived.'
Speed Mode's short rounds saved me. I still needed to focus for placement—facing someone of similar MMR could be tough. As a temporary GG coach, I had to secure Diamond in placement.
"I'll play Kill Ground only until placements are done today."
―So after placements, no more?
―What will he get?
―Platinum, maybe?
―Really curious.
―Obviously Iron, how can someone like this get Platinum?
I ignored some disruptive chat. Today, there were more trolls than usual, likely due to new viewers from yesterday. I focused on pending donations instead.
"Thanks to everyone who placed a first-win mission."
I pressed the mission success button, and donations poured in:
['Beastman' 10,000 KRW donation!]
[My hard-earned money…]
Starting with Beastman, donations kept coming:
['Glassheart' 10,000 KRW!]
[Next time, kill mission for sure.]
['General Ppyuk' 20,000 KRW!]
[Still seems easy for you.]
['cccc' 5,000 KRW!]
[5k.]
Altogether, about 150,000 KRW in donations—my grin wouldn't fade.
"Thanks to everyone who placed missions."
Yesterday was generous too, and now another 150,000 KRW—how could I not be happy? Money doesn't just grow on the ground.
"Alright, let's queue immediately."
I launched Speed Mode again. While warming up in the lobby, a donation popped up:
['Beastman' 1,000 KRW!]
[Mission: 50,000 KRW if 15 kills before placements]
"Wow."
I was surprised. I had just completed a mission for 10,000 KRW, and now someone offered five times that. They even added another 1,000 KRW:
['Beastman' 1,000 KRW!]
[This time, I win.]
They were probably bitter I succeeded earlier.
"Don't worry—I don't refuse missions."
With additional missions, the total reached 200,000 KRW. I had intended to play seriously anyway, but now that money was on the line, I had to be even more serious.
"Alright… I'll take your money seriously, everyone."