Chapter 206
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Grinding Battlegrounds 2
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By securing good spots, methodically taking out nearby enemies, and proceeding step by step, I somehow settled into the top 500 before I knew it.
Farming wasn't the goal anymore; surviving by killing enemies was. And once that became my focus, I really didn't die easily.
'Hmm. The next safe zone isn't far from here. Better move ahead of time.'
As time passed and the shrinking play zone closed in, I moved early to claim prime positions ahead of it.
If someone had already taken that spot, I just killed them.
- Rat-a-tat-tat! -
- Bang! Bang! -
- Tu-tu-tu-tu-tat! -
As time ticked by and my rank climbed with the zone tightening, gunfire started echoing from closer and closer.
Now it was all about outsmarting and outgunning them. Luck helped too.
'Top 300. Made it inside 300th place.'
In Battlegrounds 2, top 300 was like top 30 in the original.
At this rank, the casual fun players started dropping off, replaced by those buzzing with excitement, thinking, 'Maybe I'll snag first this round and grab that chicken dinner?'
- Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! -
- KABOOOM!!! -
- Bang!! Bang!! Bang!! -
- KABOOOM!!! -
- Tu-tu-tat! Tu-tu-tat! -
Once I hit top 200, the zone shrank even more. Now it was a real warzone.
In this narrow terrain, enemies were scattered everywhere.
By my guess, there were at least two or three within 100 meters.
'Hmm. Go full aggro meta? Or just hunker down?'
No way to know which was right for the situation.
A true Battlegrounds master with tactical chops would have their own philosophy. Me? Nah, nothing like that.
'Ugh, guess I'll dip out to reality real quick, flip a coin. Heads: wipe everyone around. Tails: hunker down.'
I popped out to reality and flipped the coin.
Heads.
'Alright. Time to kill 'em all.'
I focused my senses, hunting down nearby enemies and popping heads one by one.
Whenever I heard shots, I'd sneak toward the noise and flank the shooters from behind, taking them out.
- Bang! -
"Headshot."
It must've already been injured, or maybe the Level 3 helmet helped, but it dropped in one shot anyway.
"That means the bastard shooting at me was over there, huh?"
I'd been chasing and killing in a shootout playstyle, but when I glanced at my kill count, it was 37.
Survivors left: 116.
Now only the lucky ones or real pros remained.
"Lucky this game's clean. No hackers?"
Sometimes you got a good, clean match without any.
Or maybe they were hiding it well.
The blatant ones got caught quick, like last time.
I looted the crate that appeared in place of the corpse—human farming for guns, ammo, grenades, meds—then dashed to the next target...
- Bang! -
"Ow."
Headshot.
Thankfully, my Level 3 pot lid and full health kept me alive.
I dove behind a nearby rock, and good thing—my danger sense kicked in just in time, as bullets slammed into where I'd been.
- Rat-a-tat-tat! -
Bullets hitting and gunfire from behind—almost simultaneous.
"Fuck, they got me perfectly pinched."
Stuck, unable to move either way, I hugged the rock cover and checked ranks. Somehow top 95.
Everyone inside top 100 was fighting tooth and nail.
'Gotta break one side first. ...Take out the guy behind me.'
I targeted the flanker behind instead of the initial sniper.
From the casings, 5.56mm rounds—M416 by the sound.
Close range. 100-200 meters.
Maybe even closer now, inside 100.
Ah, found him. Peeking from behind that big tree. You're done.
My loadout: Groza and Mk.14, both 7.62mm.
Both from supply drops... but I hadn't gotten one; killed someone who did.
Or maybe they had too.
- Bang! Bang! Bang! -
I targeted the guy peeking out from the tree with my Mk.14.
Annoying as he was, dipping in and out while firing back, my skills' corrections let me drop him quick.
"Hoo... fuck. Time to suck some meds..."
- Twang! -
- Bang! -
Bullets flew from both left and right simultaneously—head and body hits.
Dead.
Not a pincer—a triangle... no, quadrangle.
Some asshole squad must've been lurking for the fisherman's profit.
"Your mom..."
You have completed the first additional trial on Floor 2: 'Survive until 800 remain out of 1000 competitors.'
As a completion reward for the first additional trial on Floor 2, upgrading 'Skill: Weapon Mastery'.
Weapon Mastery Lv.2: You become slightly familiar with all weapons. (Passive Skill)
Floor 2: 38 Kill Reward - 3800 Points awarded
Floor 2: 3898 Hits Reward - 3898 Points awarded
Floor 2: Additional Survival Reward - 1720 Points awarded
Floor 2's second additional trial: Get 5 kills.
Pay 100 points to retry Floor 2 'Battlegrounds 2'?
You have completed Floor 2's second additional trial: 'Get 5 kills.'
As a completion reward for Floor 2's second additional trial, upgrading 'Skill: Weapon Mastery'.
Weapon Mastery Lv.3: You become slightly familiar with all weapons. (Passive Skill)
Floor 2's third additional trial: Survive longer. Survive until 700 remain out of 1000 competitors.
……
……
……
Floor 2's sixteenth additional trial: Get 40 kills.
Notifications kept popping up that I'd cleared additional trials left and right, thanks to high kills and top ranks.
'So Floor 2 is all about leveling Weapon Mastery. Additional trials based on survival ranks and kills.'
Top 800, top 700, top 600, top 500, top 400, top 300, top 200, top 100.
5 kills, 10 kills, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35.
15 additional trials cleared, Weapon Mastery from Lv.1 to Lv.16.
"...Whoa. Fuck. Good call coming to Floor 2."
Weapon Mastery Lv.16.
That meant gaining the skills of absolute veterans who'd handled each weapon for about 160 years straight, just eating and training.
The insane experience and mastery piled up inside me.
I'd become someone who'd only eaten and wielded swords for 160 years, bows for another 160, M16 rifles the same, AKMs too.
Truly, experience with every weapon in the world.
Didn't matter if I'd never seen or heard of it.
No wonder Weapon Mastery started at a million points—insanely expensive.
Curious, I checked the shop. Upgrade cost now? Untouchably high.
Never planned to buy anyway, and couldn't afford it.
Upgrade Cost:17,000,000 Points
"Can you even buy this with points? It's an amazing skill, sure, but the price is ridiculous. 17 million—who's got that kinda cash? In Tower Floor 1 zombie terms, that's like killing 1.7 million of 'em."
Maybe I should've held off on Floor 2 trials like Floor 3, clearing them slower? Nah.
Too many places to spend points anyway.
Wouldn't have dumped over a million into Weapon Mastery anyway. Felt fine.
Plus, I didn't even know it'd level up like this.
'Next time, for new additional trials on other floors, don't smash through too many at once. Clear just enough to scout the rewards.'
I mulled it over: finish raiding the Floor 1 hideout? Hang in reality a bit? Wrap up Floor 2 Battlegrounds 2 trials while I'm at it? Or challenge new Floor 7?
Final decision: 'Finish Floor 2's additional trials.'
Paid 100 points and started my retry on Tower Floor 2.