Howitzer Testfire and Mounting Suspicion
Taejeong first activated the L-type Howitzer. A hologram formed behind his back, and soon a fairly large barrel materialized on his left shoulder.
"Whoa. That looks pretty badass."
He couldn't quite make out the exact shape, but he could tell something massive and metallic had mounted on his shoulder. And yet, he barely felt any weight from it.
Taejeong ran his right hand along the barrel repeatedly, then glanced at the small angle adjustment window in the upper left.
> Min 40° Max 85° (Stepwise Adjustment)
> Command: Elevation [00°]
"Hah. Voice controls now, huh."
Being able to command attacks verbally meant no interference with using other weapons. In other words, simultaneous fire was possible. Plus, the range was impressive.
"Alright then... Elevation 60°?"
The moment Taejeong issued the command, the barrel on his shoulder began rising toward the sky. It stopped at one point, then something shot out with a dull thunk.
He tilted his head at the underwhelming sound, but then a massive explosion roared from ahead.
BOOM!
"Whoa!"
His mouth fell open at the thunderous crash. Thick black smoke billowed visibly—the scale was worlds apart from a grenade launcher.
Cooldown: 59 seconds remaining
"So that's what 'max 1 shot' means."
The message indicated one shot per minute. High-explosive rounds consumed 1,000 mana, same as grenades. The cooldown was the only limiter—cost-performance was killer.
Now he couldn't help but wonder about the direct-fire cannon.
> Min 1° Max 90°
> Command: Azimuth [00°]
Activating the R-type Direct-Fire Cannon skill formed a hologram on his right shoulder as well, generating a long barrel pointed forward.
"Different command phrasing... Azimuth 60°."
The barrel snapped to 60° on command. Nothing different from the howitzer so far.
Thump!
A heavy impact launched the shell skyward. Then the difference emerged.
The projectile flew in a straight line before detonating at the end of its trajectory.
BOOM!
"Oh ho. Straight trajectory makes it a direct-fire gun, huh."
The key difference was the path. The howitzer arced in a parabola, exploding on impact with the ground. The direct-fire cannon went straight, detonating at max range.
Howitzers for targets blocked by obstacles, direct-fire for line-of-sight. Perfect complementarity.
And crucially, he could use both at once.
"Just need to get a feel for range and angles... this'll be insane."
Elated at snagging three unexpected skills, Taejeong wrapped up his hunt and exited the dungeon. As he turned to leave, a group approached from the opposite side.
Armed men—hunters, clearly.
"Hey there?"
Their leader greeted first. Taejeong returned it casually.
"Hey."
"Coming back from a hunt?"
Taejeong hesitated at the question. Truth would expose his class; lying felt off since they'd seen him exit the gate. But he decided quickly.
"Yeah."
The man feigned surprise.
"Solo? You must be high-level."
"Nah, not really. Just passed by, got curious, checked it out... but it creeped me out, so I bailed."
"Ah, gotcha. What's your level?"
"Exactly 70."
"Whoa, wanna team up? We got a spot if you're not a mage."
Taejeong patted his stomach.
"Appreciate it, but I haven't eaten all day. Just swung by for a peek on my way home."
"Fair enough. Take care."
"You too."
As they filed into the gate one by one, Taejeong felt a twinge of guilt, like he'd done something wrong. The dungeon inside was wiped clean by him.
Bad luck, and his class might get exposed.
But the worry faded fast.
"Eh, how would they know? They didn't see it."
Ranger Guild headquarters, small conference room.
Several men stared gravely at the central display. High-ranking executives, hastily assembled over footage from a night-hunting team.
What could demand a predawn meeting?
Vice Guild Master Choi Cheol-woo broke the silence after silently reviewing the video.
"What do you all make of this?"
The training director to his left spoke up.
"Intriguing."
"How so?"
"The corpses show dozens—maybe hundreds—of hits each. Nothing unusual there. But it's over a hundred monsters, all in a group. And they all died simultaneously. Precedents are rare."
"Agreed. I've hunted with countless people, never seen tech like this. Unreal firepower. Who could wield something this absurd? Any guesses?"
"Tough call," the training director replied. "But if I had to force it... an archer."
"Hmm. Archer."
It made sense—archers were nearly unique for small wounds and rapid fire across all classes.
But archer intel was scarce: only two worldwide, from nations with no Korean ties.
As they nodded, the intel chief across the table spoke cautiously.
"Vice Guild Master, I don't think it's an archer."
"Speak."
"I thought archer at first, judging by raw firepower. But that firing rate? Even an archer needs A-rank. No need for them here. And look at the bodies—they form a circle. Not ambushed. Someone was at the center. All kills at close range."
"Cut the circling—your theory."
"Only a martial artist makes those penetrations up close."
"Martial artist? They use swords. How?"
"Finger wind."
"Finger wind? That's support, not mainline. Martial artists are hidden class, sword-focused. Maxing finger wind for that DPS? No martial artist is that stupid."
"Not impossible if newly awakened. Level fits better than archer rapid-fire. Finger wind unlocks at F-rank."
"Hmm. Fresh awakening. Another hidden class born domestically?"
Silence loomed again, but the HR advisor—who'd listened quietly—raised a hand. He held all personnel authority, an original member and elder even the guild master respected.
"Not archer or martial artist, in my view."
"You have another theory?"
"Gunshot wounds."
"Pardon?"
"Those are gunshot wounds."
Murmurs rippled. Guns amid class talk?
But he stood firm.
"One hundred percent firearm wounds."
"How can you be sure?"
"My great-grandfather was military. Advanced mech science special forces. You know the Millennium Regression day—all firearms vanished. Most data destroyed. But I have a handwritten manual he left before dying. Monster experiments, detailed gunshot comparisons."
"So weapons have returned?"
"Can't confirm. Maybe government developed and hid them."
"But that's a gate no civilians enter."
"An awakener could carry one in."
"Why bother? Are guns that great?"
"You skimmed history. Pre-regression, monsters were toys. Experiment fodder, research subjects. Things worsened post-awakener."
"I know missiles were beasts. But a mere gun...?"
Fair doubt. A century post-Regression, when modern firearms vanished amid that bizarre event—humanity's golden age erased.
Some called now the pinnacle, but only those unborn then. Survivors remembered.
Awakener-led for near a century, half in Great Chaos. Lands scorched, buildings gone. Old glories forgotten amid endless invasions on barren earth. Faith in awakeners alone, propaganda deifying them. Ancient weapons felt mythical.
Awakener = humanity's future.
HR advisor tsked at Choi Cheol-woo's doubt.
"Tsk tsk. Forget history at your peril. Know the speed of a relic rifle pre-regression? Average 900m/s. Over 3,000 km/h. How many hunters dodge that? High-speed move? Teleport? Dead before casting. That was baseline human weaponry."
"I... see. So what now...?"
"Any government word?"
"None I know. Oh, someone exited—one who 'just peeked,' E-rank."
Choi Cheol-woo turned to intel chief.
"Yes, but E-rank tourist—no relation."
"His word, right?"
"Yes. Unarmed, they said."
"More suspicious. An E-rank enters unarmed?"
"Shall we track?"
"Immediately. Hanrasan's prowling capital gates is odd too."
"Bring him in if found?"
"First, check guild ties. Top Ten links would complicate things."
"Understood."