Chapter 3
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Hidden Piece Acquired
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Kellogg's back vanished completely into the haze of the wasteland.
Only then did Jinwoo truly realize he was alone.
'This feels just like the opening.'
All around him stretched endless sand and barren earth—nothing else in sight.
The absolute silence, with even the wind holding its breath, drilled into his mind like tinnitus.
He checked the revolver holstered at his waist.
It was a crude, battered thing he'd scavenged from a shack's cabinet, just as he remembered.
Only three bullets left.
'What else was there?'
A canteen, a knife, ragged clothes, a cloak, a hat.
That was his entire worldly possession.
'No way to survive with this junk.'
To live in this hellish Eldorado Continent—no, to clear this damned game and get home—he needed overwhelming power.
And the answer was set in stone.
[Hidden Scenario: Atlas's Legacy]
"Alright, let's do this."
Jinwoo's eyes hardened with resolve as he took his first step into the wasteland.
His resolve didn't last long.
"So hot..."
The sun blazed like a furnace.
Jinwoo licked his cracked lips, parched with burning thirst.
Days of forced march had left his body heavy as lead.
The canteen had been empty for ages.
The shimmering haze ahead tricked his eyes into seeing a lake, only to vanish again.
Any normal person would have fallen for the mirage by now!
But Jinwoo pressed on.
He had a perfect map of this world etched in his mind.
'This terrain. Definitely the parched coastal region of the Eldorado Continent. So, over that rocky ridge...'
He gritted his teeth and squeezed out his last reserves of strength.
And the sight beyond the ridgeline.
A relieved smile spread across Jinwoo's face.
"Found it."
A modest oasis: a small lake ringed by a few palm trees.
He staggered forward and plunged his face into the water.
"Gah!!"
Refreshing vitality surged through every thirst-ravaged cell!
After gulping his fill, Jinwoo snapped to attention and scanned the surroundings.
Quenching his thirst wasn't the only reason he'd come here.
'According to my memory, the first part is buried under the three-fingered rock.'
His gaze locked on a bizarrely shaped boulder at one edge of the oasis.
He hurried over and started digging through the sand at its base.
Soon, his fingers brushed something hard and cool.
'This is it.'
Emerging from the sand was a palm-sized metal component.
It looked ancient, thousands of years old, yet its surface gleamed without a speck of rust.
Intricate geometric patterns etched into it revealed its nature plainly.
Technology beyond this era's wildest dreams—an ultra-ancient civilization.
Undoubtedly a product of Atlas.
[Hidden Scenario: Acquired the first component of 'Atlas's Legacy.']
[Reward: 500 Gold]
As the system faded, a clinking weight appeared in his pocket.
Money, no doubt.
"Nice."
Jinwoo grinned in satisfaction, tucking the component securely into his bosom.
First step: perfect.
He refilled his canteen to the brim and stood.
"Next up: 'Howling Gorge.'"
The resting place of the second component.
His mental map already pointed to the next destination.
'It'll be a rough path, but!'
'Howling Gorge,' where the second component hid, lived up to its name.
Blade-sharp rocks channeled ghostly winds that clawed at his cheeks with every pass.
Jinwoo pulled his collar tight and moved cautiously.
Then—
Scraaape.
An unnatural claw-scratch from the rocks above.
Jinwoo froze.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
'Damn, a patrol.'
His ingrained [Rising West] monster data flashed a warning.
The gorge's masters: highwolves, pack hunters extraordinaire.
'Slyer than wolves, crueler than hyenas!'
"Come out."
At Jinwoo's low call, crimson eyes blinked open one by one from the rock shadows.
Low growls rose, and the beasts emerged.
Mottled, patchy fur; abnormally torn-long snouts.
And black drool oozing between fangs.
Ten times uglier than the game's graphics.
'Those Providencia bastards really made the beasts grotesque.'
The highwolves circled at a distance, forming a semicircle to slowly enclose him.
Jinwoo knew the reality.
One battered revolver, three bullets left.
Head-on fight? Suicide.
'Can't win a straight fight. But...'
His eyes rapidly scanned the terrain.
His mental map unfolded.
Narrow cliff path, precariously stacked boulders.
And up there: a massive outcrop dangling perilously from the cliff.
'There's a gimmick here!'
Survive the Highwolf Pack's Hunt
🎁 Reward: 1,000 Gold
A blood-red warning filled his vision.
Jinwoo held his breath and gripped the revolver tighter.
"Grrr!"
The largest leader barked the signal, and two highwolves lunged from the flanks.
Bang!
Jinwoo didn't fire at them.
The bullet struck the ground before the leader's paws.
Debris exploded with the roar; the startled leader flinched, opening a split in the encirclement.
Jinwoo seized it, diving toward the cliff with the shaky boulder pile.
"Kyaaak!"
The recovered pack pursued furiously.
He nearly got nipped at the heels in that heart-stopping moment!
Jinwoo squeezed through a narrow rock crevice.
The swiftest one blocked his path.
Bang!
The second bullet pierced its brow dead-center.
It collapsed with a shriek, clearing the way.
Jinwoo scrambled up to his targeted ledge without pause.
Below, dozens of red eyes glared up, growling.
"Mess this up and I'm screwed..."
He caught his breath and chambered his last bullet.
His barrel aimed above the pack.
At the joint of the massive outcrop teetering over their heads, ready to collapse.
"Eat this, you bastards!"
Red Eye
Vrring!
Jinwoo's vision tinted red.
A crosshair locked on the outcrop's joint.
No hesitation—he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The final gunshot echoed.
The baffled wolves howled mockingly.
"Woo-woo!"
They'd spotted he was out of ammo.
That instant—
Rumble-crash!
The cracked joint where the bullet hit began to crumble.
The mountain shook with thunderous roar as tons of rock cascaded like a waterfall.
"Krrrng!"
"Kiiing!"
Their agonized screams buried in the dust cloud.
Jinwoo slid down the opposite side, leaving the gorge-turned-hellscape behind.
Panting raggedly, he headed for the cave that seemed to be the pack's den.
Scattered everywhere: withered bones.
Skulls rolling about made him grimace.
"Can't die to trash mobs like these."
Deepest in the cave.
He rummaged under the rock the leader used as a bed.
Sure enough, just like the game: a half-buried, rusted steel box.
A blue flash erupted as he opened it.
[Hidden Scenario: Acquired the second component of 'Atlas's Legacy.']
Jinwoo pulled the second component from the box and stowed it away.
Ammo spent, but he'd survived somehow.
One last piece left.
Jinwoo rose from the dust cloud left by the highwolf pack, his body covered in wounds.
He wrapped his bleeding arm with a torn cloth strip and gave a wry smile.
"Damn... the slave mine start is hardcore as expected."
If there'd been a character select, he'd never pick this nightmare origin.
A hardcore vet's route: just his body and a head full of strats.
Ignoring the pain, he hurried onward.
How long had he walked when faint hoofbeats echoed from afar?
Jinwoo's senses sharpened.
He ducked behind a boulder swiftly.
Soon, Trade Federation pursuers in familiar-emblazoned armor appeared.
Obviously here for the escaped slave.
"Damn, they tracked me this far?"
Jinwoo grumbled.
He knew the event was coming, but living it was brutal.
"Captain, you sure the tip's good? No sign of a single ant around here."
"Shut it! Orders from above: bring back a body if nothing else. Fan out and search!"
'Definitely after me.'
In his current unarmed state? 100% defeat.
But Jinwoo's face held no anxiety—only eerie certainty.
'Too late. I'm almost at the goal!'
He waited for the pursuers to scatter, then dashed to what looked like a ruined massive statue.
If memory served, a gimmick hid here!
Eyes on the soldiers, he pressed a specific spot on the statue and shoved hard.
Grrruuuum!
With a dull grind, the rock wall blocking him slid inward.
Jinwoo leaped into the dark chamber without hesitation.
"There! The escaped slave!"
"Grab him!"
The belated shouts came, but the stone door slammed shut with a heavy thud.
In the chamber's center, atop a weathered altar, the final component glowed with mystical blue light, awaiting him.
[Hidden Scenario: Discovered the final component of 'Atlas's Legacy.']
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The soldiers pounded the door, shaking the cave.
Ignoring them, Jinwoo drew the two cherished components from his bosom.
With trembling hands, he placed all three pieces on the altar.
An unbelievable sight unfolded.
The components magnetized together, floating into the air.
Vreeeeing...!
As they interlocked, a blinding blue flash flooded the chamber.
The ancient metal melted like liquid, forging itself into a perfect form.
"Finally."
When the light faded, a sleek silver revolver with elegant curves gleamed in Jinwoo's hand.
Its barrel faintly glowed blue with the same ancient patterns from the altar.
[Acquired 'Infinite Ammo Pistol.']
[Grade: Hidden Artifact]
[Effect: Eternal Rounds - Unlimited firing without ammo consumption.]
[Bonus: Physical abilities enhanced!]
[Permanently bound to user! Cannot be stolen.]
Golden messages filled his sight.
The heavy, cool grip sent shivers through him.
Kaboom!
Dynamite's savage roar.
The stone door shattered violently as soldiers poured in.
"You're trapped like a rat now!"
Dozens of barrels trained on him amid the captain's shout.
But Jinwoo smirked coldly instead of panicking.
"Returning that line right back at you."
He dove to the wall, pulling the trigger on his new pistol.
Whoosh!!
No gunshot—only a blue flash slicing air.
One beam pierced the captain's forehead.
Splat!
Result before sound.
The captain's head exploded, body crumpling. Shock rippled across the soldiers' faces.
"Wh-what...?"
"No sound...!"
Jinwoo had no answer for their chaos.
Red Eye Activated! Remaining time: 5 seconds.
His vision reddened again.
He moved his finger.
In slowed time, crosshairs rippled over the enemies' bodies.
Even where he'd normally reload, bullets poured endlessly.
Shk, shk, shk, shk, shk!
No recoil.
No thunderous blasts, no reloads!
"Argh!"
Jinwoo just pulled the trigger.
Blue flashes from his fingertips danced, piercing hearts and heads precisely.
They were helpless.
No resistance—they died without knowing what hit them.
"No... way..."
The last soldier spewed blood and fell. It was over in seconds.
Moments later, the chamber held only Jinwoo with his hot barrel and dozens of corpses.
'Theoretically, nothing can stop me now.'
The legendary gunslinger's marksmanship: Red Eye.
And endless fire in slowed time from the multi-round item.
Infinite Ammo Pistol!
With these two, nothing scared him.
He holstered the completed hidden artifact and strolled out casually.
The endless wasteland stretched before him.
But his heart was calm.
The despair from his first day in the mine? Washed away.
'Good. Survival's done.'
He gazed at the distant horizon.
Next goal: set.
Trade Federation. And the clue to return home.
'I'll smash them all and take it myself.'
Grinning, Jinwoo strode confidently into the vast wasteland.
The real game had begun.