Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Lead Bullets Are a Great Excretion Method
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Etsol Academy, A Workshop.
As I headed underground, Raida, the busty big sis from the forge, greeted me with a welcoming smile.
"Hmm~~ Aren't you Yuuna's handsome boyfriend?"
"That's the gist of it."
She eyed me with a slightly tipsy gaze, the blazing furnace roaring beside her.
Was she actually day-drinking?
"You remember me."
"How could I forget? What girl would see that face and let it slip her mind?"
Praise like that felt refreshingly direct.
"Hmmm, so? Got your monster core already?"
Cutting straight to it, I pulled out the Monster Core - Moonlight. Raida approached with keen interest.
"Now that's a prize. I'll reforge it right away."
"Can it shoot beams from the pistol?"
"No. But... it'll be worth more than thousands of other cores. You can borrow a bit of magic power with this."
"Magic power!"
Something like that was possible?
Did that mean the Glock would evolve into a magic gun?
Feels a bit wasteful embedding it in the Glock...
"Just do the pistol, right?"
"Well..."
Going forward, when facing monsters with insane defense like that shark giant,
I wanted a firearm that could combo with Personality Excretion to take them down reliably.
Why not from the start?
I didn't know it'd fall short even after pistol upgrades.
"Got your eye on another weapon?"
"Yeah. For now, reinforce the Glock with this monster core."
I pulled out the B-rank core I'd gotten from party loot distribution.
"Hmmm. Snagging a high-quality core like this from the academy, huh."
"Got lucky."
"Luck that keeps coming is skill. Let's see if you're the type."
While she worked on the Glock, I headed to the gun shop.
And there, I ran into a familiar face.
"Ah."
"Hm?"
Dale Hardnet.
The handsome S-rank hunter who'd handled last week's dummy measurements.
Running into someone who wasn't even a student here was surprising, but it made sense for a gun shop.
Was he shopping for something here?
"Switching to guns?"
"Ah, yeah."
"What kind?"
"Shotgun."
Dale nodded.
"Better for newbies."
Come to think of it, wasn't this a golden chance to get advice from an S-rank hunter?
Dale used guns himself. He had a black shotgun slung over his shoulder on a suspender strap right now.
"Monsters rank B and up have ridiculous defense. Got anything with one-shot punch?"
"Want a recommendation?"
"I'd appreciate it. Looks like you use them too, sir."
Dale flinched at the "sir."
"Drop the teacher bit. Just Dale."
"Dale. Shotgun's best for one-shot power, right?"
"Has its edges in dungeons. Less jamming, high damage. Doesn't lose out to specialized gear there."
Bet he'd struggled with jams early on too.
Felt a weird camaraderie with fellow stubborn gun users grinding dungeons.
"What're you after?"
"Something big and heavy."
I followed Dale to the shotgun wall.
Unlike pistols, the long barrels gave them real intimidation.
Before fighting those bullet-deflecting freaks, a pistol felt plenty secure.
Now that it fell short, guess I'd gotten used to academy dungeon crawls.
"Want close-range devastation? Shotgun shells—12 gauge?"
"Isn't 20 gauge stronger?"
"Coming to pick a gun without knowing that..."
Higher number means stronger, right?
"12 gauge is stronger?"
"It's how many lead shot balls fit in a pound of lead. Fewer means bigger, heavier shot."
"Oh..."
Dale eyed various shotguns as he spoke.
"Kim Sanghyeok. Why obsess over one-shot power? Need to know your use case to recommend."
Could I say?
I was a model student following the "Interested Student" process to a T...
A hint should be fine.
"Got a skill that seals the win if I can just land the shock."
Dale glanced at me.
Wondering if I was serious.
"Then... slug rounds?"
"Slug rounds?"
"Single lead slug. Can drop an elephant."
"Hate elephants?"
Dale chuckled.
"Buckshot's for shredding pain on hated foes. Slugs aren't ideal—they just kill outright."
"That potent?"
"Bulletproof vest or not, chest hit ruptures the ribcage, gut shot bursts the abdomen. Guts turn to mush. Barely works past A-rank, though."
What kinda world was A-rank?
If even the slug's stopping power failed, what hit them with?
Grenade launcher?
Ah. That wouldn't work either.
I recalled Isabella's Devil Suit.
Even before wearing it, rifle rounds left no scratches. Tank would struggle against our student council president.
"Slugs sound good."
Sure kills were best.
Excretion Slug
Already sounded brutal?
"Downside too. Shotguns smoothbore for spreading shot—slugs need rifling."
"Bad accuracy?"
"Falls off hard past effective range. Just a lead lump—watch it rainbow the trajectory."
"......"
Rainbow trajectory...
Still hooked on slugs.
"I like slugs."
12 gauge was multiple small dicks stabbing,
slug was one massive Big Dick.
Perfect for ultra Personality Excretion?
"At your age, fixating on raw power happens."
We're not that far apart in age.
Mid-20s tops.
"Hunt a rifled slug gun?"
"Nah. Shotgun's best perk is easy ammo swaps. Learn to match loads to situations."
Dale grabbed a black pump-action shotgun and handed it over.
"Benelli M3. Only Benelli model with semi-auto and pump action."
"Elephant needs full auto, right?"
"You hate elephants too?"
"Like 'em, so slugs if I ever hunt one."
Switching from pistol, the shotgun's weight felt different in my hands.
Dale watched me test stances.
"Benelli semi-auto relies on recoil for follow-ups—non-combat loads might lack kick, fail to cycle."
"Manual then?"
"Pump shines for less-lethal."
Easy swaps were the strength.
Lethal vs. non-lethal—clear distinction...
This Benelli M3?
Dale probably saw my "always max power" vibe as risky for a pro hunter.
Good I asked.
Didn't need always-strong shotgun.
Just overpower their defense.
Obsessing giant lead slugs might shred organs before excretion.
Better to deliberate each shot.
"Thanks."
"Slingshot it like mine. When trouble hits..."
Whoosh.
Dale spun the guitar-slung Benelli in a full circle and snapped it ready.
Ooh, cool!
"Switch like that."
"Taking it."
"Pricey for a student."
2,500 coins...
Python wasn't cheap, but this topped it easy.
Hardly a luxury now. No one'd complain after dropping 300k at home.
I bought rubber rounds and assorted shotgun ammo like a collector, stashing in inventory.
Dragon's Breath what...?
"Incendiary shot with magnesium powder. Burns foes. As I said, can jam semi-autos."
"Real world occasional, dungeons guaranteed."
"Good grasp. Pump for those."
Who knew magic fire shot existed.
Advanced tech close to magic?
Bought Dragon's Breath too.
Etched advice to practice ammo swaps...
Grabbed a shell bandolier, loaded fat shells, tested the feel.
"This too."
Total spend: 5,844 coins.
Shotgun full kit acquired.
Having coins is convenient.
"All set?"
"What're you here for, Dale?"
"Choke. Shotgun accessory. Need longer-range shots."
"Shotgun specifically? Other guns work."
Dale sighed.
"Too invested in shotgun upgrades. Gotta twist one weapon to cover everything."
S-rank woes.
Couldn't match his A-to-S shotgun power with other arms.
"Monster core in shotgun? Tough adding range to your style. Brace for it."
"Decided."
To leverage invincible student prez's martial arts, this fit.
"Thanks again, Dale. Dinner on me sometime."
"Sure."
Korean farewell, then out the gun shop.
"Oh, Kim Sanghyeok. Seridwen said she's visiting you tomorrow. Remember."
Evelyn?
Felt like ages since last sight.
She wasn't someone you bumped into casually.
Her making time felt oddly special.
Glock reforging about done?
Detoured to buy clothes first.
Workshop had tons of apparel shops. Made sense—clothes could embed monster cores too.
Bikini shops surprised, though.
"Whatcha like? Kusina."
Kusina peeked from onaben.
"Max exposure."
"Mandatory?"
"Yes."
Fine by me.
Less fabric the better, per Kusina.
Picked a sexy black bikini.
Barely covered essentials—embarrassingly skimpy.
Awkward handing to female clerk.
"Gift for your girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
Couldn't say, "Nah, outfit for my onahole?"
"850 coins."
850 for a bikini? Barely any fabric.
Sensing my bitterness, the clerk hurried.
"I-it's a famous designer... um..."
She kept bowing, avoiding my eyes.
"This'll do."
"Thank you! Come again."
Before inventorying the bikini, Kusina snatched it.
Liked it, huh.
My turn for clothes now.
Time to ditch (ex-)Sanghyeok's stinky rags.
Hardly wearable anyway!
Grabbed clothes and essentials, returned to forge,
took completed Glock from Raida.
[Glock 19 (COMPACT)] [B+ Rank]
[Owner: Kim Sanghyeok]
Glock 19 compact version. Holds 15 rounds of 9mm. Enhanced with monster core: improved accuracy, fire rate, and power.
"Reinforce this now."
"Another gun?"
Handed Raida the suspendered Benelli M3.
"Reforge with Moonlight, please."
"Quick job. Sit and wait."
Was quick.
Grabbed the M3 she brought—felt chillingly different from normal guns.
[Benelli (Moonlight)] [A Rank]
[Owner: Kim Sanghyeok]
Special weapon enhanced with moonlight power. Every 3rd round infused with lunar might.
Simpler effect than expected?
Why A-rank though?
"Raida, A-rank in one go possible?"
"Didn't expect that jump myself. Rare cores like that don't come often."
That good, huh.
Yuuna knew the value but handed it over easy.
Great girlfriend.
'Every 3rd round gets lunar power,' huh...
Wouldn't know till testing.
"Reforge fee: 8,000 coins."
Pricey.
"Thought it free?"
D-ranks usually broke. What made her trust?
Raida licked her lips.
"Don't make that face. Got an 80—no, 90% discount method."
"What's that?"
Tempting offer.
"Fuck me, I'll cut it."
"......"
Radically aggressive discount pitch, beyond imagination.