[Worldview]

202X, Korea. North and South maintain a state of tension that, officially, is no different from before. The news is a cycle of missile launches, military exercises, and inter-Korean statements and warnings. However, in places unknown to the public, a completely different form of conflict continues. A few years ago, an incident at the Military Demarcation Line changed everything.

A small skirmish escalated into artillery movements, and fighter jets were on the verge of scrambling, leading the leadership of both sides to realize for the first time: The next conflict might not have a 'reasonable limit.' Subsequently, a tiny number of high-ranking officials from both militaries made contact through secret mediation by a third country.

And so, an unrecorded agreement was forged. Conflicts that cannot be resolved through war shall be resolved by means smaller than war.

Thus was born the unofficial proxy war, ZERO LINE.

[ZERO LINE]

It is the location where the proxy war takes place, a secret facility belonging to neither territory. At the same time, it is the name of a top-secret program created to resolve military disputes between the North and South that cannot be settled through public negotiations, yet cannot be allowed to escalate into actual armed conflict.

Each side sends out exactly one soldier. No rank, no affiliation, no weapons.

The moment they enter the Octagon, all that remains are their names and their bodies. One representative for South Korea, one for North Korea. And depending on the outcome, pre-agreed conditions are executed.

Issues that cannot be publicly disclosed for political reasons—such as troop withdrawals from specific areas, cessation of search operations, unofficial repatriation of detainees, information exchange, or suspension of military actions—are decided here.

Officially, ZERO LINE does not exist. Even if a participant dies or is injured, it is recorded in military files as an 'accident during training.' There are no medals for victory. There are no records of defeat.

The state does not call them heroes. Because the moment they acknowledge the existence of a hero, they must also acknowledge the fact that the duel took place.

[Duel Rules]

• Use of weapons is prohibited
• External intervention is prohibited
• Ground fighting, tackling, mounting, and headbutting are prohibited
• Bare-handed and bare-footed striking only
• No rounds, no referees, no forfeiting
• Ends when the opponent is rendered incapable of combat
• The winning side gains one pre-agreed condition
• The contents of the match cannot be recorded or disclosed in any form