5.56mm Bullets Show No Mercy
“As expected... Type 1 is beef stir-fry.”
Isia roughly combed her black hair back with her hand and scraped the bottom of the combat ration pouch clean with her spoon. Though her body had changed from a muscular Special Forces captain to a slender high school beauty, her tastes remained stubbornly those of a soldier. No, this cheap gochujang bibimbap tasted even sweeter now than it had back in the hellish days rolling through battlefields.
The slightly underheated, crunchy rice grains, the intense aroma of seasonings that zapped her brain—it was the only proof she had that she was still a soldier.
This body is too fragile.
Isia glanced down at her slender wrist, spoon still in her mouth. Smooth skin without a single callus. She wondered if a body like this could handle hand-to-hand combat, let alone the recoil of a K2 rifle.
But the moment she finished eating, a blue alert window popped up in her vision.
Energy replenished. Physical synchronization rate increasing.
“30 points, huh. What can I do with that? Open shop.”
At Isia's call, a transparent catalog unfolded in midair.
“Expensive. Three wolves for just 30 rounds' worth. No cost-performance, no war.”
Isia clicked her tongue. Back as a captain, one call to logistics got her supplies. Now, they were precious items earned by risking her life hunting monsters.
30 PT was 30 pistol rounds. She'd used four on those three wolves—decent ROI, but nowhere near enough for real war. Against large forces, she needed at least a rifle and a squad.
Rustle—
Then it happened. Beyond the wolf corpses, a faint tremor in the bushes.
Isia instantly set down her ration pouch and aimed her K5 pistol. The high school girl's eyes shifted to those of a predator mid-meal.
“Come out. Or I shoot.”
Her voice was ice-cold. The overwhelming killing intent, utterly mismatched with her beautiful face, shook the bushes violently. A girl crawled out.
#2
“H-Hic! P-Please spare me! Don't eat me!”
The girl wore a fancy but torn dress, blonde hair framing wide, teary eyes like a frightened puppy. About Isia's age, but pure terror.
Isia kept her gun trained. “Who are you. Affiliation and rank... no, what's your name.”
“I-Iris... Iris Reinhardt! From the Reinhardt Barony to the southeast...”
Iris, as she introduced herself, gasped at the wolf corpses at Isia's feet. Not ordinary wolves—these were Gray Wolves, top predators even in the Death Forest. Clean holes right between their eyes.
Her gaze shifted to the K5 in Isia's hand. In her world, weapons were swords, spears, or staffs. She couldn't fathom that sleek metal thing's power.
“Y-You took down these monsters alone...? Are you a mage? Or a saint from the temple?”
“Saint? Me?”
Isia let out a disbelieving chuckle. A Special Forces officer trained for over a decade in killing, called a saint? But to Iris, that's exactly what she looked like: a pristine black-haired beauty who dispatched monsters in seconds with some mysterious metal tool. Even that weird-smelling food (Combat Ration Type 1) seemed holy.
“Nah, just a soldier. You lost? Where are we?”
“This is... the outskirts of the Death Forest. My family was attacked by rebels... sob, I barely escaped, but the wolves surrounded me...”
Iris burst into tears again. Isia frowned. Uncontrollable civilians were the army's biggest headache, but she couldn't just ditch this fragile girl in the woods.
More importantly, that word “rebels” triggered her tactical instincts.
“Stop crying. Noise draws monsters.”
Iris clamped her mouth shut at Isia's command. As Isia checked her magazine with a click, Iris murmured in awe.
“Casting magic without incantation... wielding iron relics... the black-haired woman from the legends. Surely the Saint of Salvation.”
“I'm not.”
Isia sighed. No point explaining. “It's a gun, uses gunpowder explosion to fire bullets”—Iris wouldn't get it. Better to let her think saint; easier to command.
#3
Then, distant clanging metal and rough shouts. Iris paled.
“It's them! The rebel soldiers who destroyed my family...!”
Isia looked up. Dust clouds from dozens of approaching soldiers. Crude leather armor, rusty swords—plenty to kill one civilian girl.
They crashed through the woods, bellowing.
Protect Iris and Annihilate Enemy Forces
📍 Mission: Protect Iris Reinhardt and eliminate the rebel soldiers.
🎁 Rewards: 200 PT, Summon Unit Unlocked
Isia's eyes narrowed. 200 PT. And unit unlock. Her single K5 lacked ammo for dozens. Pistols were backups.
But smart use of her points could change that.
“Iris, behind me. Don't raise your head.”
“Saint... it's dangerous! They're brutal!”
Isia manipulated the system window swiftly.
Consume 50 PT to summon Mana Legion?
“Even loans. Fine, approve.”
Space rippled behind Isia. Iris's eyes widened. No magic circle, no spirits—just white smoke billowing across the field, forming a human shape.
Odd, though. No shiny metal armor, but camo cloth. Face hidden by gas mask and helmet. In his hands, a much larger, threatening iron weapon than Isia's pistol.
“Ack! Private Kim Cheol-su reporting! Awaiting Legion Commander's orders!”
No ego, but the system perfectly replicated basic drills and spirit from Isia's memories. The metallic shout sent chills down Iris's spine.
“The Saint... summoned a knight. Called forth God's army!”
Iris knelt, praying. Isia smirked bitterly and issued orders.
“Private Kim. Open fire on enemy ahead. Conserve nothing.”
“Ack! Fire!”
Private Kim knelt, shouldered his rifle. Medieval soldiers charged into the clearing, pausing at the weirdly dressed man, then sneering, swords raised.
“Die! Witch bitch and mystery clown!”
Bang—!Rat-tat-tat—!
The rifle's roar tore the forest. No chants, no mana trails—just muzzle flashes shredding chests and heads. Acrid smoke, clinking casings filled the silence.
The medieval army advanced not a step. Steel shields, leather armor—paper against 5.56mm penetration.
Soldiers died without understanding why, writhing on the ground.
“H-Hic! What is this?! Magic? No, calamity!”
“The Saint is wrathful! God's lightning!”
In seconds, the front ten were corpses. The forest reeked of blood.
Isia calmly gripped her pistol tighter, looking down at Iris. The blonde noble stared back, terror and awe mixed.
Isia's black hair fluttered in the wind of screams and sighs.
“Iris, watch closely.”
“This is the real firepower that protects you.”
Current PT: 0 (Includes 20 PT loan)
Kills: 12 Rebel Soldiers
Pending PT: 120 PT + Quest Reward 200 PT