Chapter 03…
[You know that thing now? Not a single bullet hit.]
[Newbie, I’m scared. You’re not human, right? You’re an AI, aren’t you?]
[Three laws of robots: One, kill all humans.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ hey, you already got the first law wrong lolol]
A sequence of performances that a human could show—no, performances that surpassed human limits, one after another.
Lee Ji-han’s chat window was literally a frenzy.
Of course, his monstrous dodging maneuvers were astonishing.
But even more incredible was—
Kaaang!
Bpaak! Kkang!
[How many has he killed with that frying pan now?]
[Don’t know, but a lot are dead;;]
Tudadadada!
Whirrrrik!
Kaaang!
[Wait, isn’t the one who died just now “Kim-ppongdda”?]
[Don’t mention Tas, haven’t you heard?]
[No, but seriously it was Kim-ppongdda? lololol]
[Newbie, run! Run before they bite you! Turn off the stream — those ppongdda-favored panic kids are vicious lololol]
Contrary to viewers’ concerns, Lee Ji-han didn’t even glance at the rapidly scrolling chat.
—Survive. Until the last moment. (22/100)
If anything, to become the last one standing, he simply swung his iron frying pan at everyone he saw before him.
Taang!
A bullet flew in. Seeing it, Lee Ji-han twisted his body and evaded.
Hyper-focus syndrome.
Lee Ji-han had suffered this inexplicable syndrome before and had often experienced strange phenomena because of it. When his concentration reached its extreme, everything around him, including himself, sometimes appeared slow.
When competing in tournaments, when practicing… whenever he did the sport he loved—gymnastics—he felt this sensation.
And now, in this virtual-reality game, Lee Ji-han felt something similar.
Taang!
A bullet slowly flew. To Lee Ji-han, every trajectory looked like slow motion. Dodging the slowly flying bullets felt far easier than eating lukewarm porridge.
[Wow, he’s actually streaming?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ watched from Kim-ppongdda’s room.]
[This is live, right? This is the main broadcast?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ wow, the first thing I see when I join is him dodging bullets? Was this room just watching that funny stuff among themselves?]
The viewer count that had been 20 rose to 30, 40, 50… including viewers coming over from Kim-ppongdda’s stream, they surged past 200 in an instant this early morning.
[Newbie! Save us! Our room is getting eaten!]
[This is full of panicked fans—are we in Kim-ppongdda’s room?]
[Wow, ppongdda, you seeing this? I think he’s cheating!]
[Even cheats get hit by ricocheting bullets.]
[Right now he’s dodging ricocheting bullets too lololol how is this possible?]
[Ppongdda! He’s not a cheat! I don’t think he’s cheating?]
[Actually our newbie is an AI. A robot.]
[He’s not human.]
The chat was suddenly filled with chaos.
Kaaang!
—Survive. Until the last moment. (18/100)
But Lee Ji-han didn’t care about such chaos. Rather, diligently and steadily—almost foolishly so—he kept cracking the heads of enemies in front of him with his iron frying pan.
‘Now 18 left… but I don’t see anyone nearby.’
Pazijijik!
For an instant, a sharp stinging sensation and the world reddened.
[Newbie took damage for the first time!]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ how focused was he that he didn’t notice the magnetic field?]
[But is it even believable that the first hit was from the magnetic zone?]
[Hey, newbie. Run, run. You’ll die if you stay there.]
Though Lee Ji-han had never once in his life played a game before, he instinctively recognized something.
A half-circle tightening in. If he stayed here, he would die.
Tadadat!
Lee Ji-han began to sprint.
[The zone’s closing speed is faster now? Can he get out?]
[Panickers, be quiet and watch.]
[Our newbie really is a monster.]
[Huh? Why is he running like that?]
[????]
Acceleration clung to Lee Ji-han’s body. His running speed increased, and when it reached its maximum—
Paat!
He leapt.
A jump that seemed to surpass human limits, as if attempting a long jump.
Kuwoong!
[He really seems like a robot.]
[Wow;;;;; what is the world record for long jump meters?]
[Whatever it is, he just broke it; even if it’s a game;]
[What are you saying; Zerg bases stats on real physical data.]
[So that means that’s pure physical ability? What kind of freak is streaming this;;;]
Confirming that his vision brightened again, Lee Ji-han caught his breath and ran again.
[Newbie, fill your HP first!]
[What’s the point of filling HP? Just don’t touch the magnetic field.]
[Are the bullets on holiday?]
[He’s dodging all of them, might as well leave them be?]
Tudadadada!
—Survive. Until the last moment. (17/100)
—Survive. Until the last moment. (15/100)
—Survive. Until the last moment. (10/100)
The number of survivors began to drop fast. Because of the nature of Zero Ground, as the magnetic zone narrows, the space to fight gets limited. So survivors driven into one spot could do nothing but fight.
But battles in such situations are essentially exposing your weaknesses. If you take even a bit of damage in a fight, hyena-like players swarm and tear you apart until you die.
[Newbie, go to the center and secure it!]
[Why won’t he go into the zone?]
[???? what’s happening???]
‘…Then it’s better to avoid combats now, right?’
Lee Ji-han instinctively understood the game’s ecology. When to go in and when to back off. He grasped it all instinctively and began to run along the rim of the zone to the outer side.
—Survive. Until the last moment. (9/100)
[Now you planning to turtle?]
[Newbie’s a turtle! Do the hit-and-run like earlier!]
—Survive. Until the last moment. (8/100)
Lee Ji-han’s judgment proved correct. Two more survivors died in a moment. Had he gone to the center, he’d likely be swept into a brawl and die.
Kwaaang!
A loud boom. A grenade must have exploded. Blind grenade or aimed—who could tell.
—Survive. Until the last moment. (5/100)
It seemed three survivors had been caught instantly.
[Newbie, now just hold out until the zone shrinks.]
[Holding up inside the zone is also valid.]
[Second place is still good, second place is still good.]
[Why is the chat twice, why is the chat twice?]
—Zero Ground is fun only if you win first place. You haven’t played this, right? If you duo with your bro, it’s so fun. I’ll make you first place.
Why did Kim Su-ho’s words suddenly come to mind? Lee Ji-han—on edge—couldn’t help but smile, as if enjoying himself.
Taang!
—Survive. Until the last moment. (4/100)
—The magnetic zone is shrinking.
[It’s Mok-geum-gu, Mok-geum-gu appeared.]
[Even better, newbie. It’s clustered close to us.]
[Wow, it got placed like this? Looks like they’re pushing you to win.]
Including himself, three remained. Lee Ji-han judged that now was the right time.
Tadadadat!
[? Where are you going, newbie?]
Weeeeee!
This time, the magnetic zone closed in rapidly. Lee Ji-han headed to the precarious space between the safe area and the forbidden area.
[What’s there?]
Empty space. Beyond the horizon, nothing could be seen.
But—
“Footsteps.”
[???? did you hear something?]
[Nope, heard nothing;]
[Anyone hear anything?]
Tadadadadak!
Footsteps from ahead.
[???? map hack or something?]
[Who’s coming from there?]
Lee Ji-han thought. There must be someone outside the zone besides him. The reason was simple: the rate at which survivors were dropping had slowed significantly—meaning internal fights were over.
Yet something was odd. Fights weren’t continuing, so the distances between players must be considerable.
And his prediction was exactly right. A smile crept across Lee Ji-han’s face. Like a kid pleased that his guess was correct, it was a pure smile.
Paat!
A user appeared on the horizon, lugging bags.
“Brothers, how do you win first just by turtling? There must be chaos inside right now… huh?”
The survivor before him was simply prey. Like a predator, Lee Ji-han performed a monstrous leap.
“U-ugh!? Wh-what is that!? What the…!”
Kaaang!
He smashed the head of the user who had been low HP because of the zone with his iron frying pan.
—Survive. Until the last moment. (3/100)
[I just joined—how many did he kill with the frying pan?]
[Believe it or not, eight so far.]
[???? Isn’t that frying pan weak?]
[Yes, usually they beat until death? While dodging everything.]
Now three survivors remained including him. From here on it would be a true contest.
Dding!
[‘Kim-ppongdda’ placed a 50,000 won mission.]
—Newbie, if you survive, take this.
[Oh?]
[Is that for real?]
[Is it them?]
[Newbie, be happy, you succeeded. Claim the mission fast and get rich lololol]
[Sorry boss, but your stream looks like it’s now newbie’s.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Sorry to the host but maybe newbie makes more money?]
[‘Kim-ppongdda’ donated 1,000 won.]
—Also, the user you just killed probably had lots of medkits—loot everything and eat well.
Advice full of worry. But Lee Ji-han casually ignored the guidance like before.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ even ignoring Kim-ppongdda?]
[Newbie, you don’t ignore the host’s guidance lolol]
[Our kid can’t read the chat. New viewers, please understand.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋ this is wild—this is a stream I never saw before?]
Only aiming to be first and truly find fun in this game, he stepped toward the final forbidden zone.
For a newbie who started Zero Ground today, winning is quite difficult. The reason is simple: it’s an old game with leagues—there are tons of veterans and pros. And this early-morning, unlimited channel is literally a hellish battlefield.
[Why am I nervous?]
[Right? What are you nervous for?]
Everyone watched Lee Ji-han quietly.
Tudadadadada!
—Survive. Until the last moment. (2/100)
In the exact center of the final forbidden zone, Lee Ji-han entered an abandoned building. Fortunately, fights were happening outside. He pressed close to the wall and hid his body.
Weeeeee!
The zone closed quickly around the building. Ultimately, this building would be the final battlefield.
Thump, thump, thump.
Like the feeling of standing on an Olympic final stage he’d only dreamt of, Lee Ji-han patted his pounding chest and took a deep breath.
Ttubuk, ttubuk, ttubuk.
Footsteps below. Time again stretched slowly. He had to make a decision.
Tak!
[?????]
[I was concentrating.]
[What is he doing???]
Like a climbing athlete, he hooked his fingers in a narrow door gap and pressed his body flush to the ceiling. With one hand. The other had to keep holding the frying pan.
Ttubuk, ttubuk.
The footsteps stopped.
Kriiik.
The door opened. Because he’d squeezed in, the door swung open smoothly without catching on him.
“Is there someone here? I don’t see anyone…”
Paat!
What followed was literally a scene that would change the genre of the game.
“Waaah!? Wh-what is that!?”
Lee Ji-han let go and fell onto the entering user.
Kaaang!
With a crisp sound, the user’s head snapped forward.
Kudangtang!
They tumbled across the floor together. The user reflexively drew a gun—efficient, clean motions, without hesitation.
Tudadadadada!
He fired.
But Lee Ji-han’s world—already flowing slowly—
Taat!
He immediately located the muzzle’s firing direction, launched his body forward, evaded all the incoming bullets, and—
Kaaang!
Slammed the frying pan into the man’s face.
Kaaang! Kaaang! Kaaang!
One, two, three.
He struck again and again with the frying pan.
Tudadadadada!
Bullets kept firing, but Lee Ji-han avoided them with acrobatic moves he’d never seen in his life.
He kept rhythm with steps, like performing on a stage, stepping out of muzzle lines, and simultaneously doing forward rolls.
Whirirrik!
A clean forward roll and a handspring.
Paat!
With the rebound, Lee Ji-han’s foot landed on the survivor’s jaw.
“Kuh—!”
The survivor’s balance faltered. But Lee Ji-han didn’t stop. Springing upward, he used the wall as a stepping point and rushed the enemy again.
These unbelievable moves—
[Crazy]
[…what is that?]
Were enough to freeze the chat.
Tudadadadada!
The opponent sprayed wildly without aiming, but Lee Ji-han calmly took the safe positions.
Separate from the character, a small cam bottom-left showed Lee Ji-han’s face expressionless—his eyes moving incredibly fast, proving that he was seeing everything and reacting.
[This is insane, isn’t it?]
[Who brought a martial artist here? Huh?]
Despite the jokes, no one replied. Everyone watched the fight intently.
The fight’s end—
Kaaang!
—Survive. Until the last moment. (1/100)
—Today, I survived.
[He’s lost it.]
[…he actually got first?]
[Newbie!!!! You did it lololol]
[Claim the 50,000 won!]
[So will you play another round?]
[ㅋㅋㅋ what next round lolol of course you will lolol]
[Aah, a thousand times! Thousand resurrection blessings lolol this is really a martial artist lol!!!]
The quiet chat erupted again with fire.
What’s the probability that a newbie who started today wins first place in an unlimited channel? 0%. But viewers witnessed the miracle that pierced that 0%.
“…Ah.”
A drip.
[????]
[What?]
[Is that a nosebleed?]
“This game’s harder than I thought. I’ll rest a bit.”
Thud.
The stream abruptly ended, and viewers witnessed an attitude they’d never seen before.
[Aaah what is this!!!!!!]
That day, with the broadcast’s end as the turning point, Kim Su-ho’s chat and various communities ignited with stories about the frying-pan killer.
