The Master Gunner's Counterattack
Lee Hyunseung pressed the muzzle of his pistol against his own chest and pulled the trigger.
Self-inflicted wound to the heart
“Wh… what the—!”
The arena instantly erupted into chaos. Yoo Hanbeom, the leader of the Artemis Guild who had been watching the match, along with Vice Guild Leader Bae Kiyoung, Blacksmith Association President Tak Woohyun, and countless others fell into stunned silence.
Yoo Hanbeom thought to himself, What is he doing? Is he forfeiting the match?
Shooting himself in the heart—it was completely incomprehensible. Unless he had decided to give up the match on purpose, there was no reason for such an action. But then he saw the green smoke rising from the area around Lee Hyunseung’s heart and quickly realized what was happening.
Status ailment recovery?
The green healing effect that should only appear from mage-class recovery magic was blooming across Lee Hyunseung’s body.
That bullet…
It was a bullet with a status ailment recovery effect.
The full story was this.
Right after the match began, once his teammates had left him behind and moved toward the occupation point, Lee Hyunseung—who was now alone—checked his crafting slot.
[Grudge of the First Knight] crafting cooldown: 00 hours 59 minutes
Too long.
The Grudge of the First Knight was essentially the device that would let Han Seonggil control his Berserker trait. If he could produce it quickly, it would allow Han Seonggil to play a major role and become the key artifact needed to win this match.
The problem was time.
Can I really hold out for fifty-nine minutes?
A standard pistol magazine held thirty rounds. Guns and magazines were treated as a set, which was why gunners received one complete set as their basic weapon. But relying on ordinary bullets alone didn’t seem like it would be enough to survive a full hour.
I might manage if I fight with everything I have, but there are too many variables.
His role wasn’t to fight head-on—it was to run. And he would only fire when absolutely necessary, so he didn’t actually need that many bullets. That much was obvious. After all, he was one man against many; he had never planned to clash with them directly.
Still, the unease wouldn’t leave him.
Yoo Heeyeon might pull another dirty trick.
Even during the F-class representative selection match, she had bribed people and smuggled external artifacts into the arena to sabotage him. It was perfectly reasonable to assume she would try something again this time. She would do anything to win this match.
The real problem was that her underhanded methods were impossible to predict. That was why he needed to eliminate as many variables as possible.
Cancel crafting for [Grudge of the First Knight]? Canceling will return the crafting orb.
With a wave of his hand, Lee Hyunseung canceled the item crafting.
[Grudge of the First Knight] crafting has been canceled. The crafting orb has been returned.
Destroying the crafting orb will allow you to begin item crafting again at any time.
He immediately began crafting bullets at high speed.
[Magic Attribute Magazine – 5 rounds]
Crafting time: 10 seconds
A standard magazine held thirty-three bullets, but crafting a full one would take far too long. To minimize production time, he reduced the number of bullets loaded in each magazine to the absolute minimum.
As a result, he was able to craft magazines at an astonishing speed. Starting with the magic-attribute magazine, he produced several useful elemental magazines. None of them took very long because every magazine only contained five rounds.
This should be enough to handle any sudden situations.
He wanted to make more, but he held himself back.
If I waste any more time, the A-class bastards will charge straight for the occupation point. We’re at a disadvantage if we fight with equal numbers.
With that thought, he crafted one final magazine.
◈ Bullets grant recovery effects
◈ Recovery scales with class grade and level
◈ Legendary Gunner bonus: Status Ailment Recovery, Stamina Recovery, Wound Recovery
◈ Special Effect [Transformation]: Magazine and bullets morph to fit the equipped firearm
◈ Contains 5 rounds
The bullets inside the Healing Magazine carried powerful restorative energy. Being struck by one didn’t cause injury—it delivered healing instead. Normally, such magazines were difficult to craft and only healed minor cuts or scrapes, so most gunners never bothered using them even if they had one.
But for Lee Hyunseung, it was different. Thanks to his Legendary grade, the additional effects were overwhelming. Not only could it cure status ailments, it could restore stamina and even heal severe wounds. It was on par with potions—perhaps even superior.
This should be enough bullets.
Honestly, it wasn’t. But he believed that with what he had crafted, he could somehow hold out for an hour.
He smashed the crafting orb he had set aside earlier and restarted production on the original item.
Crafting of [Grudge of the First Knight] has begun.
Crafting time: 01 hour 00 minutes
There had been a small waste of time, but this was still the better choice. Thinking that, Lee Hyunseung loaded his basic magazine.
He raised his hand high into the sky and fired.
BANG—!
The gunshot echoed across the heavens, and Yoo Heeyeon’s pack immediately began chasing after him.
BANG—!
Lee Hyunseung used his skills to flee from Yoo Heeyeon and the rest of A-class. However, without the help of an Epic weapon, using skills required mana. The method he chose to replenish it was chewing on magic stones.
By consuming the stones, he could supply himself with mana and use gunner-exclusive skills to move at high speed. But before long, one of the side effects—Paralysis—set in.
No need to panic.
He quickly swapped magazines and fired into his own heart. The magazine he used was, of course, the Healing Magazine.
You have been struck by a Healing Bullet.
Recovery effect applied.
Reduced stamina has been restored.
Status ailment: Paralysis has been removed.
Wounds across your body are healing rapidly.
Labored breathing has returned to normal.
“Holy… shit… that bastard just shot himself in the heart…?”
The A-class members watching from a distance were so stunned by the bizarre sight that they hesitated to approach. The Healing Magazine was considered extremely inefficient for ordinary gunners, so almost no one used it and even fewer knew about it. To them, it looked like nothing more than self-harm.
They were rendered speechless by the geometric and brutal-looking scene. But when they saw the green light flowing around Lee Hyunseung, they finally came to their senses.
“He’s recovering right now—! Snap out of it and attack—!”
The first to realize what was happening was Yoo Heeyeon. The moment she saw the healing energy flowing from his body, she understood. She didn’t know how, but he had clearly done something to those bullets.
But by the time she realized it, she was already a step too late.
Tap tap tap—!
Lee Hyunseung, who had been crouched low, suddenly sprang up and bolted.
“Catch him—! Or at least shoot magic at him right now—!”
Yoo Heeyeon screamed in desperation. At that moment, one of the martial artists charged forward. It was a man wearing knuckle dusters. He had been waiting in a low stance, prepared for any sudden developments. His eyes had the sharp gaze of a predator stalking its prey, never once taking them off Lee Hyunseung’s movements.
That was why, the instant Lee Hyunseung showed any sign of moving, the man was able to dash toward him a split second faster.
Tap tap tap—!
The man sprinted like a madman. Lee Hyunseung had only just gotten to his feet and hadn’t built up any momentum yet. The man was certain he had caught him.
“You little rat. Got y—”
The instant the man grabbed Lee Hyunseung’s collar—
Click—!
In less than half a second, the sound of a magazine being swapped rang out, followed by a chilling aura bursting forth.
◈ Bullets are imbued with demonic energy
◈ Demonic power increases based on class grade
Lee Hyunseung spun around instantly and took precise aim at the man’s shoulder. The knuckle-wearing fighter simply laughed in disbelief.
“Look at you, strutting around with basic gear. You must have a death wish, huh? Wake up, you idiot. You’re a gunner. After taking down a few trash mobs in the F-class selection match, did you lose your sense of reality? What can a bottom-feeding loser who always placed dead last in practical exams possibly do…!”
Lee Hyunseung, exerting extreme concentration, ignored the man’s words and pulled the trigger.
BANG—!
With a tremendous roar, a bullet wrapped in demonic energy was fired.
“Huh…?”
Shuuuuk—!
The man who had believed himself the strongest in close combat, the fighter who had been so proud of his own skill—had a massive hole punched straight through his shoulder.