The Silent Slaughter
The farm lay dark and still, all the animals fast asleep. A man gripping a double-barrel shotgun in one hand moved toward the barn, breath held so tightly it might as well have been dead.
This might actually be better. A stationary target is a hell of a lot easier to hit.
There were several barns. The night was so pitch-black it was hard to tell which animals slept inside which building. The fence is low… this must be the pigsty.
Part of him wanted to flick on his phone’s flashlight, but he forced himself to stay as stealthy as possible. Just then, the clouds that had been covering the moon drifted away, and the shapes inside became visible. The pigs were huddled together on piles of hay, sound asleep. But one large pig slept alone, separated from the rest.
Convenient as hell. Anyone would agree that’s Napoleon.
In the original story, Napoleon was arrogant and obsessed with privilege. A pig sleeping alone in the best spot was almost certainly him. Silent. Majestic. The man’s footsteps filled the barn without a sound. With the heart of a beast, he aimed for Napoleon’s heart. He wasn’t exactly sure where a pig’s heart was located, but a double-barrel shotgun blast would turn whatever it hit into the heart.
BANG!!!
The roar was less like a gunshot and more like a cannon going off. It shook the entire barn, the farm, and the nearby forest. The pig I’d shot died without making a sound. The dozens of other pigs inside the barn woke in panic and screamed.
Squeeeeeeee!!!
Intrusion Complete
Calculating Results...
Stealth Lv.1
Marksmanship Lv.1
Communication Lv.1
50 Points
Major Character Killed
Reward: Skill Enhancement Ticket
“Stealth, Marksmanship, Communication?”
Looked like the main actions I’d taken during the intrusion had been converted into skills. If I’d known, I would’ve stayed longer and tried more stuff.
Stealth Lv.1
Allows you to act more secretly.
Marksmanship Lv.1
Makes you more skilled with firearms.
Communication Lv.1
Lets you convey your intentions to others more effectively.
It didn’t turn me invisible or let me send telepathy or anything cool like that. Just general bonuses to those actions.
“I was hoping for something more intuitive, like shooting fire from my hands. Shame.”
Only after seeing the Marksmanship skill did I remember—the double-barrel shotgun was still in my inventory.
Origin: George Orwell, Animal Farm
A highly reliable break-action double-barreled shotgun.
Origin: George Orwell, Animal Farm
“Good thing I have an inventory… I don’t have any particular use for it right now, but storing it here is definitely the safest option.”
I spent a moment summoning and dismissing the shotgun with a satisfying clack before my eyes landed on the 50 points.
Points: 50
“The moment I’ve been waiting for. No need to hesitate. Ten pulls, right now!”
Stun Bat — Does not cause injury. A sufficiently powerful blow to be fatal will unconditionally knock the target unconscious.
Cigarettes ×12 — Slightly helps relieve stress.
Sound Sleep Lv.1 — Makes it easy to fall asleep. Recovery speed increases.
Concealment Lv.1 — The lower your heart rate, the harder you are to perceive.
Boots — Sturdy black boots.
Canteen — Wide iron canteen that fits comfortably in one hand.
Shadow Lv.1 — You blend naturally into shadows. Your presence becomes faint while inside them.
Holey Sock — A single plain cotton sock with a hole.
Pencil Stub (HB) — A tiny worn-down pencil.
Bookmark — Plain aluminum bookmark.
I lit one of the cigarettes from the gacha with my lighter and stood there holding the Stun Bat, lost in thought.
“Stealth, Concealment, Shadow…?”
They all felt like assassin or thief-type skills from a game. Personally I preferred the straightforward power of a warrior class, but after actually jumping into a story myself, I could see how useful these were.
I smacked the bat against my thigh a few times. No matter how I looked at it, it was just a normal aluminum bat. The description said it couldn’t cause injury, but apparently pain didn’t count as injury.
Points: 40
“Last three pulls were all trash. This feels bad… Ten more!”
Bloody Bandage
Empty Lunchbox — Fancy-looking lunch tin.
Rotten Rope — Rope that looks like it could snap at any moment.
…
Holey Gold Coin — Western gold coin with a hole drilled through it.
“Aaaaaaargh!!”
All the generous luck from before had vanished. I screamed at the flood of junk items.
“No, calm down. The lunchbox looks decent, and I got a gold coin. I don’t know why someone drilled a hole in it, but it’s still gold so it should be worth something.”
Maybe thanks to the stress-relieving effect of the cigarette, I wasn’t as angry as I expected.
“First three pulls, then the last three of the next ten were trash. So only the middle ten pulls get the boosted rates, and the final three are normal gacha results…”
At this point I was reluctant to spend the remaining 30 points on more pulls. Better to raise my stats or level up a skill. Before the intrusion, raising my stats had let me escape the pigsty quickly and run like hell. My thinking speed had improved too, which helped me talk to that woman. Investing in stats seemed smart, but…
“Come to think of it, I got a Skill Enhancement Ticket. Anyone can see that the Shadow skill looks special…”