I will be the a war hero -1-

On the same day when Yulia's heart was shattered, Yuriy headed straight to his room without speaking to anyone. He lay down on his bed, feeling a kind of emptiness he couldn't quite grasp the reason for. It was that eerie feeling of having betrayed someone who desperately needed his help. But many of us humans only truly feel the weight of our mistakes after we've fallen into them.

Yet, at the same time, Yuriy was convinced that he had erred greatly in ignoring his father's words from the past. Perhaps this realization was what led him to suggest that Yulia should have follower her father’s path.

The surge of emotions within him prompted Yuriy to make a resolute decision. He said to himself in those moments, "I promise you, Yulia, that I will become the hero of this war. I will achieve peace for this nation, and then you'll be able to make your own decisions."

Yuriy closed his eyes for a moment, perhaps hoping to forget the events of the day. But he quickly opened them again, sleep eluding him. Just as he was about to be overtaken by exhaustion, a forceful knock on his door jolted him awake. Pushing sleep further away, he wondered, "Who could it be?"

Yuriy opened the door quietly, only to find Vasyl and Vladyslav standing there with solemn expressions. "Yo!" they greeted, and Yuriy responded by opening the door wider and turning on the room's light without saying a word. They understood his invitation to enter and stepped into his room, apologizing for intruding.

Yuriy sat on his bed, his expression thoughtful as he contemplated something. Vasyl and Vladyslav settled into the chairs by the room's desk.

The reason for Vasyl and Vladyslav's visit to Yuriy and their awakening him wasn't without a definite purpose, but they seemed hesitant to reveal their intention for the visit, as if finding the right words was a challenge. Vasyl nudged Vladyslav to get him to speak, and Vladyslav sighed before finally breaking the silence.

"Yuriy, we've seen everything that happened in the backyard of the center. We've come to ask for your forgiveness. We want to apologize because we—I and Vasyl—were the ones who reported your disappearance," Vladyslav admitted.

Vasyl bent over in a comical and amusing manner, pleading, "Please don't cut ties with us, Yuriy. After your sudden disappearance, we were really worried about you. We thought something bad might have happened to you. Because of us, your once-in-a-lifetime night got ruined." Yuriy chuckled at Vasyl's antics and replied, "It's okay. The mistake wasn't yours."

Vladyslav continued, "Yuriy, there's something we need to talk to you about." Yuriy stared at Vladyslav and said, "Yes, I felt that there must be more to your sudden visit at a time like this. It wasn't just about an apology, was it?"

Vladyslav maintained a serious expression and said, "We've identified the potential fourth player to join our team."

"Huh? Really? Who is it exactly?" Yuriy inquired. Vladyslav responded, "He's a young man from a neutral country in the war between our nations. He's a complete professional player, just like you." Yuriy's eyes sharpened as he asked, "You mentioned a professional player too? Can I know which game he specializes in?" Vladyslav replied, "Of course. It's the game 'Shoot Strike.' It's quite similar to the game you're an expert in, but it focuses more on shooting than the strategic aspect. However, this person could be our ace if we manage to recruit him."

Yuriy asked in confusion, "What? Does that mean you haven't recruited him for us yet? What's going on?" Vladyslav let out a sigh, the sigh of someone wishing things were that simple, and replied, "The situation is a bit complex, to be honest. This person doesn't align with our cause or the enemy's cause. It's clear that he has received offers from both sides to join them. However, the young man hasn't accepted any invitation yet. His reason is, according to him, that he wants to discover the right team that he can have strong chemistry with. He must not have found the enemy's team suitable for his desires. But he might join them if he doesn't receive better offers."

"What? Does he want to join a military team just for the sake of money? Not to support either side's cause? As if he's a hired player or something?" Yuriy retorted. Vladyslav explained, "No, it's for the thrill." With curiosity, Yuriy asked, "What do you mean?" Vladyslav elaborated, "This guy has dominated the top ranks of the game he's been playing for more than five years. In every season of the game, he's never dropped from the top 1 position. So regular video games have become boring for him. He wants something more exhilarating—a game where he puts his life on the line while playing, a game where the excitement never fades no matter how many times he plays it. Until the day the enemy reached out to him about the Latusha device and showed significant interest."

Yuriy asked, "What are the demands of this player? It seems like he's not easy to please." Vladyslav answered, "In reality, he only set two conditions for joining. The first is that he'll fight against the team that invites him to join until he sees whether the chemistry is good between them or not. The second condition is that the team must defeat him to prove that their union can overcome any enemy, no matter how strong. Simply put, he sees himself as the benchmark of strength. It's clear he's searching for a strong team so that he doesn't end up defeated by enemies too easily."

Yuriy smiled and said, "I understand his perspective, but doesn't he come off as a bit arrogant? Why would a player like that want to join our team? Someone who might not even respect us as teammates." Vladyslav replied, "Actually, if what's intriguing you is the fact that he competes against whole teams by himself, then you're not aware of his fighting style. This person isn't arrogant; he knows exactly what he's doing. Simply put, he can control multiple receivers at the same time. That's why he can take on an entire team single-handedly."

Yuriy's eyes widened in astonishment, then he said, "Impossible. You're saying he can control more than one receiver? I managed to completely control Teddy, but distributing awareness across multiple receivers? That's almost impossible."

Vasyl chimed in with a hushed tone, "That's truly terrifying, Vladyslav. I didn't expect to encounter someone even more brilliant than Yuriy." Vladyslav nudged Vasyl's abdomen with his elbow to quiet him, saying, "Hush."

After a brief silence, Yuriy stood up and walked towards the wall of his room, where his father's small sword, known as the "Legendary Dragon's Neck," was hanging. He gazed at it for a moment, drawing upon the courage left behind by his fallen war hero father. Then, in a decisive moment, he turned back towards his friends with a determined look, saying, "I will fight this player alone, and I'll make sure to recruit him to our side."

Vladyslav's eyes widened, and he responded, "What are you saying, Yuriy? This is a reckless decision. If the three of us join forces, we might have a better chance of defeating him."

Yuriy replied, "The thing is, if we agree to his conditions for winning against him, he'll likely start making more demands from us. It's as if he joined us after his conditions were met. This would make us beholden to his personal requests and standards. For instance, he might demand to take my position as the team's striker. Given his reputation, the committee might even consider his request. I won't allow anyone to take that role from me. So, the best way is to break his pride in a one-on-one fight. I wouldn't mind even if he uses more than one receiver."

Vasyl chimed in again, "But if he defeats you, Yuriy, he'll have every right to claim your role."

Yuriy responded, "I don't mind that at all. Just as I had the right to take your role, others have the right to challenge it as well. But I won't give up that position easily. I will win that duel." Vladyslav and Vasyl exchanged knowing smiles, as if they had anticipated Yuriy's confident response. A brilliant player with high skills and self-assuredness like Yuriy might indeed approach the challenge with such determination.