The Juttak Bestows the 'Gun' Technique (1)

There were two ways a changed world could revert. One was if a wandering entity killed the gallery user, resetting the world. The other was if the gallery user killed the entity themselves. Most cases ended with the user dying to the entity and the world resetting. Of course, exceptions existed. SwordmasterTad, JokganSlayer, Cheonma, and WanderingKnight were proof. Including those who'd conquered galleries, there were probably quite a few.

Dolkin turned off the gallery screen and let out a slow, deep breath. The usual lighthearted vibe eased his mind a bit.

"Phew... Get it together. Fuck, we're all gonna die someday anyway, right?"

He thought. No matter what he did, death was his fate. The Juttak had given him this pistol or whatever, but he couldn't expect much from it honestly. What difference did dying a little early make? He was just grateful the Juttak was trying to help him somehow.

Squelch, squelch.

With every step, sticky tentacles clung to his feet and trailed behind. Dim fluorescent lights and a pitch-dark atmosphere. And these grotesque black tentacles.

"Fuuuck... Even demon territory back in the day didn't have shit like this...."

As he recalled old memories and pushed forward, something rustled.

Snap—

"......!!"

His body froze. Far ahead, in the faint darkness at the end of the hall, something unidentified loomed. The flickering light made it hard to see clearly, but one thing was certain.

It was definitely staring right at him, piercing through.

In that split second as he naturally blinked—

"Wh-what the...?"

It was much closer now. The silhouette, faint from afar, was now sharp. Panicking, he blinked several times. The distance changed with every close of his eyes. Like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠movie cutscene, it jerked closer.

It charged at him like it would kill him any second.

Drip—

A chill ran up his spine, cold sweat trickling down his face. He swallowed hard. Looking up at the thing that had stopped right in front of him, he said in a trembling voice,

"F-fuck...."

A bizarre creature. Pitch-black tones, unnaturally long arms, legs, and torso. Neck bent at an abnormal angle. But what creeped him out more was its eyes and mouth, brimming with madness.

"Keeheeheeheeheet!"

Grinning ear-to-ear as it looked down. Dolkin unwittingly stepped back.

Snap—

"You fuck...!! Wh-what's wrong with this...!!"

The sticky tentacle slime made movement impossible. The tentacles were stickier now, creeping up to his ankles.

"Huff, huff, huff...!"

Dolkin couldn't tear his eyes away. He couldn't even close them. His vision narrowed, breaths grew ragged.

Shiver—

Instinct screamed a warning. If he closed his eyes now, the monster would charge. He absolutely couldn't blink. Not if he didn't want to be torn apart.

But a sudden doubt: Could he really keep his eyes on it without blinking even once? No way. Impossible. A day at most, three if he pushed it.

Ding—!

Then it appeared—a message floating in the air.

"...Pull this? And I'll live?"

No point jumping back with this body—he'd be caught instantly. No guarantee he could even shake off the sticky tentacles to run.

In that moment, Dolkin's eyes changed.

"...Yeah. Fine. If it's come to this, you die and I die, you fucker."

Like the Juttak believed in him. He'd believe in this pistol the Juttak gave him once.

"Suck in, whoo...."

After a deep breath, he slowly raised the pistol and aimed at the monster. His hand shook wildly facing the entity right in front.

He had to shoot. Or he'd die.

"Grraaah—!"

He squeezed his eyes shut. Then mercilessly yanked the trigger with his index finger.

Bang—!!

Bang—!

Bang—!

... Gunshots rang out in succession. Flashes lit up the dark multiple times.

"Kieeeek—!!"

The monster's scream pierced his eardrums. Still, he kept pulling the trigger.

How much time passed? Click-click. Click-click-click.

No more bullets no matter how hard he pressed. He'd emptied the magazine.

"F-fuck...."

Dolkin sensed death with eyes closed. With this done, it was really over.

...Or so he thought, but a full minute passed.

"...?"

He was still standing, fine. Even the tentacles gripping his ankles had vanished.

Weird. Why was he alive?

Squint.

Peeking one eye open, the sight made him think he'd seen wrong.

"Y-you fucker, why... why are you lying there...?"

He alternated stares between the pistol and the fallen entity in bewilderment. Then, with sparkling eyes, he raised the pistol high.

"This shit's insane fuuuck...!!!"

Then, the Juttak replied.