January 2026
LLENN, Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Hey, LLENN, do you know about Squad Jam?
Squid Jam?
Squad Jam Coming Soon
Don't make me picture something weird!
But isn't that just salted fermented squid paste?
Well, that's true.
But that's "squid."
"Squad" is a small number of soldiers assigned to a task.
Then what about "jam"?
There's the kind you spread on bread,
but here it means to squish a lot of things together.
Oh, like when bullets get jammed in a gun. So, squads are jammed together?
Right! Squad Jam is a tournament where teams compete in a battle royale.
Fan Letter
Squad Jam, shortened to "SJ."
A battle royale is where everyone fights each other at the same time, right?
Right.
LLENN, do you know about "Bullet of Bullets"? Everyone calls it "BoB."
I know at least that much.
Thirty of the players who made it through a one-on-one preliminary tournament
kill each other until only one remains to decide GGO's strongest player.
Right?
I actually participated in the last tournament, which was the third one.
Really! How did you do?
I was killed during the preliminary. And it was only the second round.
Oh. That's too bad.
Well, I was taken out by a sniper, so I was just unlucky.
But in the finals, something unusual happened.
Two players worked together as a team until just before the end.
It was a blast to watch! I was on the edge of my seat!
So this Japanese guy who was watching BoB live had an idea.
He said, "I want to see a team battle royale like this!"
Hmm.
So he sent a message to ZASKAR, the company that created and operates GGO.
Dear Everybody, I want to see a team battle royale, so please hold one. Best regards
Don't tell me they granted the request of some random guy?
It's true.
He told ZASKAR that he'd be a sponsor for the tournament.
I wonder how much he spent.
His real-life identity has been revealed. I believe he's a novelist in his 50s
who has such a pathological interest in guns that they're in all of his stories.
There really are all kinds of people.
Well, he's a gun freak and also a novelist. This is what you get when they're combined.
If he's walking around town, he should probably be arrested.
Pito, do you have a grudge against the author?
Not especially.
But his enthusiasm paid off, since Zaskar responded,
"Okay, we'll hold a single sponsor mini-tournament on the Japanese server."
That's SJ, Squad Jam.
They're looking for teams to participate now.
It's being held next Sunday, February first.
I wonder if they'll get a lot of people.
It seems a decent number of teams signed up as soon as it was announced.
I'm sure the powerhouses who made it to the BoB finals will all pass.
I don't think they play well together.
You don't say.
You don't seem interested.
Because I'm not suited for a PvP tournament.
That's coming from someone who's a nasty PKer.
Th-That's...
Let me get to the point.
LLENN, enter SJ.
What?
Me? Form a team with you?
No. It's a huge disappointment, but I can't participate.
On the day of the tournament, I have to go to the wedding of my best friend since middle school.
If she ever found out that I blew it off to play in a game tournament,
even if I won without dying...
Yeah. You'd be killed in real life, huh?
I know, right?
But are you free that day, LLENN?
Do you have a friend's wedding, or your own to go to?
I don't think I have anything.
Then you're in! I'll take care of your registration.
Wait a second! What makes you think that?
Anyway, this is a team battle, right? Who would I team up with?
So you are interested!
I'm just asking!
I know this strong player.
He's a man, and well, he's weird,
and to be blunt, he pretty much has the mind of a criminal, but he's not a bad guy.
Not that he's a nice guy, either.
Team up with him, okay?
What? Just two of us?
Yeah, just you two.
Everyone else I had in mind is busy that day.
Pito...
Do you really think I'd respond with, "Yay! I'll do it!"?
Anything new you do is an experience.
Well, but...
Hey, LLENN.
I get the feeling you're really burdened.
Huh?
In real life, you're depressed about something, aren't you?
So, to put it nicely, you came to GGO to blow off steam.
To put it not so nicely, you came to escape.
Your expression says, "How did you know?" but it was easy to tell.
After all, I'm the same way.
There are too many things in real life I resent or I can't do anything about, so I let loose here.
Here I can blast away to my heart's content, murdering monsters and humans.
Pito...
I'm saying whatever we can't do in reality, let's take them to the extreme here!
Let's go wild, LLENN!
If I don't hear from you by Wednesday morning, I'm taking it as a "yes!"
I didn't agree to that!
Whatever, just do it!
I told you...
Mow 'em down!
Squad Jam? A team battle?
What? That sounds awesome!
But...
I'm kind of scared of fighting people face-to-face.
And even if he knows Pito, I'm not really comfortable teaming up with a stranger.
If I get in his way, I'll just be a nuisance.
What do you think I should do, Miyu? As a VR game veteran, I want your frank opinion.
If you think it could be fun, you should do it!
Well, yeah, but...
Huh? Wait a second.
Pelawsom
Squad Jam is on February 1st?
Yeah.
That's the day of Elsa Kanzaki's concert. We talked about trying to get tickets!
I forgot about that! Sorry.
If we can get tickets, of course we'll go. And you can stay over here.
Okay. But what do we do if we can't get tickets?
To be honest, our chances are 50/50.
When will we know for sure?
Tuesday at 16:00.
Tell me as soon as you find out.
If we get tickets, I'll definitely say no to the tournament!
The rules are basically the same as the individual battle royale, BoB.
Outline
The match begins after the participating teams are teleported to the field.
The team that survives to the end is the winner.
Field
These are sample images
The setting is a special field.
The teleportation is random, so any advantage or disadvantage is luck.
The players can use any weapon at their disposal.
They can use any vehicles in the field, too.
Normally, corpses disappear right away, but in SJ, they linger for ten minutes.
Satellite scan.
So these are terminals given to the participants
that periodically display the opponent's positions for a short time, huh?
January 27th
Please let me get a ticket to see Elsa Kanzaki.
Please let me get it.
- Hey, did you see her? - She really stands out.
Yeah. She's so tall.
Kohi, I'm sorry! I couldn't get us tickets for Elsa Kanzaki's concert!
I see. Yeah, that's too bad.
Thanks for letting me know.
Let's go wild, LLENN!
I'll go wild, all right.
LLENN!
Up here!
I knew I could count on you!
Ow! That hurts, Pito!
So, I asked the person you're going to partner with
to do something for me in real life, so we'll have to wait a bit.
So Pito knows him in real life.
Is he her boyfriend? Lover? Husband?
Even her father or son are possibilities.
By the way, did you read the SJ rules?
Knowing you, I bet you read every word!
Y-Yeah.
Then let's go over the important points for SJ.
Teams of two to six people can take part.
An accidental shooting or friendly fire will cause damage to your teammates.
In BoB, you can't communicate with other players, but team members can here.
Naturally, you can't contact other teams.
In SJ, corpses disappear after ten minutes and are returned to the saloon.
At the beginning of the game, all enemies are at least 1 km apart,
but they can close that distance quickly, so stay on guard.
With an unobstructed view, a sniper rifle can shoot you from 800 meters.
Bullets from a machine gun will fly at you from 600 meters.
But the most important SJ rule, and this will be on the test...
The satellite scan only indicates the position of the team leader.
Okay, LLENN.
Even if the the other members are hiding, you can't tell until you see them.
So you can actually use the leader's position to draw the enemy into a trap.
Now that's my LLENN, the antlion pit trapper! You catch on quick!
Forget I said that.
I'm praising you!
For your merciless attacks nobody else would think of!
- It gives me chills! - Sensei!
Yes, LLENN?
What happens if the leader dies? Does the team lose?
That wouldn't be fun for everyone, would it?
In SJ, you enter your members' ranks during registration,
so if the leader dies, the next rank becomes the leader.
That makes sense.
Then, our team doesn't need to worry about that.
That's right. So do your best.
If the two of you win, it'll be so cool.
So it's really just two of us?
The rules also state that only the leader can resign,
and if that happens, the entire team resigns,
but that wouldn't really matter for you.
Hmm.
That's everything, squad leader LLENN!
Squad leader? You mean, I'm the leader?
Why? Is the person I'm partnering with weaker than me?
So you're speaking politely now?
That's not it. Of course he's a strong player.
Then why?
That's a secret! But it's part of the strategy.
Sorry.
I'm late.
Damn right you're late.
My bad, Pito. But I got everything done.
Let me introduce him.
This stupidly big mountain of a man will be fighting by your side this time.
Go on, tell her your name.
Nice to meet you. My name is M. I look forward to working together.
Nice to meet you. I'm LLENN.
I've got things to do, so I'll leave the rest to you youngsters.
Bye!
Um...
Well, please don't be so nervous.
I mean, don't be nervous.
If I'm too polite, Pito will barrage me with punches later.
Yes. I mean, okay! Let's go with that!
Now that I've decided to participate, I'll give it my all,
so, uh, I'm looking forward to it, M.
Likewise. Let's do our best together, LLENN.
Is it okay if I just call you LLENN? Adding "-chan" is... not my style.
Sure.
What were you and Pito talking about before I got here?
We reviewed the rules, and she told me that I'm the leader for some reason.
Did she tell you why we're meeting today?
Nothing at all.
Sheesh.
Let's go.
Go where?
The staging area.
I want to ascertain your skill level.
Aim at the target and shoot while standing.
Slowly fire ten shots on semi-auto.
Now fire ten shots as fast as you can, the rest on full-auto.
Sprint full speed to the truck.
After you touch it, run back, also at full speed.
While sprinting full speed, fire all of your bullets on full-auto.
When you're down to eight shots or less, reload immediately!
Walk with eyes closed.
As normally as possible, with uniform steps.
Turn to whichever angle I tell you.
When I give the signal, stand up and run.
At the next signal, lie facedown again!
Walk backwards as fast as you can!
If you fall, roll with it and lie on your belly!
Get in a ball and roll down the slope!
I have a general idea of your abilities.
That's yours, M? It's big. What is it?
M14-EBR.
EBR stands for Enhanced Battle Rifle.
It's a reinforced version of an old rifle.
The caliber is 7.62 mm.
So your fighting style is intermediate range on semi-auto?
I suppose so.
Basically, I like to keep my distance from the enemy when fighting.
I use EBR for short distances too, but if we're in the same room, I go with this.
HK45.
German, 45 caliber. The magazine capacity is ten shots.
This lever is the safety.
I want you to remember all this, just in case.
Got it. The lever goes up, right?
Any other questions?
Um, why am I the leader?
I have a strategy.
I'll actually be the one in charge of our tactics.
I wonder what's in that big thing.
Dear Ms. Elsa Kanzaki.
This is my first time writing a fan letter.
Pilgrim Elsa Kanzaki
I love your songs, and your voice always soothes me.
So much so that I forget any unpleasantness in daily life.
I've been tall ever since I was a kid and have had a complex about it since then.
I wanted to have a circle of friends,
but when I imagined towering over them and standing out, I couldn't work up the courage.
Even so, I knew things couldn't stay like this, so I started playing VR games.
If I became a different character from my reality, then maybe I could get better at socializing.
And so, I was able to become a short, cute character in that VR game.
A super-cute girl clad in pink.
The game is Gun Gale Online,
and you shoot each other with guns on a devastated Earth.
It's pretty brutal, but by being a short cute girl, and listening to your songs while there,
I'd like to change my real-life self, if only a little bit.
I apologize for this rambling letter.
I want to close it by asking you a favor, Ms. Elsa.
If possible, could you hold your next concert in a larger venue?
I think there were a lot of people like me who couldn't get a ticket.
Please continue to make wonderful songs.
From a huge fan,
Karen Kohiruimaki.
February 1st
All players logged into Gun Gale Online, your attention, please.
Beginning today at 14:00, we're hosting the team battle royale tournament, Squad Jam!
As the sponsor, I'm really looking forward to this.
Everyone, please get your fill of shooting each other in the game.
Guess how many shots will be fired by the end of the tournament!
M, I'm counting on you.
500 credits per guess!
Pito gave me a message.
She said, "You'd better win."
Yeah, Pito would say that.
I told her that I'd do the best I could.
I also told her that if you're killed in action, I might surrender.
Yeah, that's okay with me.
Let's have a good time seeing how far we can get.
Roger!
Everyone participating in Squad Jam, thank you for your patience!
Are all of your team members here?
Yeah!
LLENN, get ready.
Right.
Don't forget the Satellite Scan Terminal.
Right.
And this.
M-M, what am I supposed to do with this?
Hold on to it, in case you run out of bullets.
But I've got a lot of magazines.
In a small room, a knife is often better to have than a gun.
Especially for someone with a high level of agility like you.
Strap it behind you, level with your hips.
When you use it, use your right hand to draw it with a reverse grip.
The enemy will be bigger than you.
Slash at their inner thigh, as if you were passing between their legs.
That's where the femoral artery is, so you can do a lot of damage.
If the enemy points their gun at you,
slash at them with an uppercut to the inner part of their upper arm.
If you can get behind them, kick the side of their Achilles tendon with your boot.
If your opponent goes down, target their neck first.
Make a long cut.
Who is M?
If you're targeting their face, go for the eyes.
If you stab them in the eye, you can damage their brain, too.
For a knife to cause instant death, you should probably go for the throat...
or right here.
Okay. Let's do it.
Roger!
You're really fired up, huh?
I wasn't going to participate if I got a ticket for Elsa Kanzaki's concert, but...
You couldn't score a ticket, huh?
So... let's do this!
Let's do our best, P-chan!
Squad Jam... game, start!
And this is how our battle, the battle of Team LM, began.
Next time: Death Game.