Dawn's First Hunt
Dawn was breaking.
Having activated his skills as well, Taejeong sat down and sank into deep thought. No matter how much he'd awakened, he couldn't just charge ahead recklessly. Coolly assessing the situation, the monsters here weren't all that strong. Depending on the class, sure, but even right after awakening, warrior-type hunters could handle one or two without breaking a sweat.
The problem was the stats on the gun he was holding.
"But what the hell is this speed?"
The question was a natural one. For some reason, the gun's speed was seriously downgraded—pathetically so. Of course, he didn't know much about guns. Just what he'd skimmed over in history class. But he knew they broke the sound barrier. And yet 156 km/h? On top of that, the effective range was a pathetic 10 meters or so, which only complicated his mind further.
Could it really penetrate a monster's ridiculous muscles with that?
"Effective range of just 10 meters... means I have to shoot right in their face."
Doing the math, Taejeong recalled what Sirius had said earlier. Most of his power was sealed. Maybe this performance was tied to that.
"Guess I'll test it out first."
Realizing pondering wouldn't yield answers, Taejeong waited for full daylight. He cautiously left the villa and headed to the parking lot, spotting an old car with all its windows shattered.
'At least the tire needs to rip for this to be viable.'
He'd loaded the gun before leaving the building. Gripping it with both hands, he aimed the barrel squarely at the wheel. Distance was about 9-10 meters by eye. If the tire burst, there was hope; if not, he'd have to rethink everything.
Steadying his breath for a moment, his index finger pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A decently loud noise rang out as a bullet of light shot from the barrel. The tire hit dead-on exploded with a pop, the car jolting as one side slumped to the ground.
A resounding success.
'Whoa. It pierced that easily? Must be the magic bullet.'
The light bullet from the barrel had a very different effect from what he'd seen in war movies. Probably because it used mana—it seemed distinct from regular bullets. That explained why the destructive power was decent despite the shitty specs.
He didn't know exactly how tough monster hide was, but if it could burst a rubber tire, he had a shot.
Confirming the gun's power, Taejeong checked his remaining mana.
'10 per shot, so nineteen left?'
Considering the number of monsters he'd seen coming here, mana was tight, but he had no other choice.
"Alright. Let's fucking do this."
With his resolve set, he started moving. Exiting the parking lot and entering the first alley, he moved stealthily, using surrounding objects for cover as much as possible. With only nineteen shots, he had to conserve mana even crossing more open areas.
Luckily, as he'd hoped, no monsters in the urban area. The problem was the wide-open field ahead. No cover there, so he had to be extra cautious.
'That way, I think.'
There was only one path—the one he'd taken coming and going.
He wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants, gripped the gun firmly, and bolted.
Running at full speed, he didn't forget to scan his surroundings. His senses were sharper than ever, not knowing when or where they might pop out.
Remaining distance: about 3 km. Then the road ended, and he'd have to climb the mountain.
After running for a while, something entered Taejeong's view. Far off, a black four-legged monster.
'A Black.'
One of the main prey for beginner hunters—pretty fast for this level. Most surviving porters had been shredded by them, so it was a frightening, burdensome foe for Taejeong.
'Stay calm, calm.'
Slowing gradually, the distance to the Black shrank to nearly 50 meters. A standoff at that range, but for Taejeong, it was like standing at hell's gate.
Easy for hunters, sure—but until moments ago, he'd been a porter. A terrifying monster. One slip, and it was over, so he gripped his pistol tight, eyes locked on its movements.
The Black moved first. Kicking off the ground with its muscular hind legs, it charged like a grim reaper from hell. The grotesque sight sent chills down his spine just looking at it.
Still, Taejeong steadied his heart inwardly and raised the gun, aiming squarely.
'One miss and I'm done.'
Per the gear info, effective range was 10 meters. He needed it inside that radius for a chance. Plus, conserving mana—no spray and pray. He had to end it in two or three shots max.
Bang!
A shot rang out, the barrel kicking. The first missed disappointingly.
Bang! Bang!
Crang!
Luckily, the third slammed dead-center into its body. Blood sprayed, but it didn't stop.
The Black barreled toward him. In that instant, his finger went mad on the trigger.
"Fuck!"
Bang bang bang! Bang bang!
Kuek!?
This time it worked—the charging form crumpled to the ground with a thud. A fist-sized hole in the back of its skull.
You have defeated the Black.
You have acquired 20 EXP.
"Huff. Huff. Fuck. Thought I was dead."
Staring at the corpse just a meter away, Taejeong clutched his pounding chest. One second later, and he'd be the dead one.
Calming down barely, he examined the body and muttered.
"Head's the weak spot? Shit, that was wasteful. How many shots did I dump into one guy?"
Regret hit late, but no helping it. Having barely saved his neck, he sprinted full-tilt again.
Reaching the mountain's base.
'Just over this...'
Hope flickered at having one hurdle left—but he stayed vigilant, scanning everywhere. Unlike the open field, the woods had hiding spots, but narrow sightlines made it riskier in ways. Especially against monsters, specialized for that.
Soon after starting up, a monster pack appeared. Dozens of writhing tentacles on a black blob—the Mimic that bisected Team Leader Kim Geuntae.
'Uncle.'
Kim Geuntae's kind face flashed in his mind. The man who'd taught and cared for him like family when he started. Emotions surged.
But reality was separate. Unlike the Black, Mimics were ranged. Trickier than Blacks, so he shoved feelings aside and focused.
'Tentacles max 3 meters. Range-wise, I'm superior.'
Accurate shots meant a winnable fight. Scanning around, Taejeong struck first.
An unexpected bold move for a total noob. But he figured it was best. Dragging it out risked more showing up—then real endgame.
Bang!
The first bullet nailed the lead Mimic's head. It seemed to topple—then it wobbled, tentacles flailing as it charged, the two behind too.
Panicking at the horror, a scream escaped.
"Argh!"
Bang bang! Bang bang! Bang! Bang!
Backing away desperately, he emptied the trigger. No thought to remaining shots or next steps—pure terror. He sprayed madly to escape this moment.
Thankfully, his frantic fire dropped all three, spewing black ichor.
You have defeated the Mimic.
You have acquired 40 EXP.
"Huff. Huff. Fuck! You goddamn bastard! Argh! Fuck! Why the hell am I... "
He vented fury with curses. Why suffer this? The situation terrified him. One mistake meant death—every moment panic and dread.
He desperately wished someone would save him. Utterly desperate, his body and mind exhausted by unprecedented trials.
But in the end.
He had to push through himself. No movement, no change.
Sighing deeply to calm, he checked remaining shots.
"Four? That's all?"
Regretted the spray, but unavoidable. Hesitating might've killed him. At least level-up was close—hopeful.
"Just two more, exactly two, and mana refills."
Recalling hunter talk, he moved. Small mountain—soon summited, then straight down the path.
How far had he gone? Finally, the rendezvous where he'd split from the group appeared, strewn with corpses—and two Mimics blocking his way.
'Ah. Not one by one.'
Burdening, but no time to pick easy fights.
'7 meters—no, must get to 5 for sure kill.'
To finish with remaining shots, get ultra-close. Riskier, but best for post-empty clip.
As he calculated, distance shrank rapidly.
'Closer, just a bit more.'
Hands and body shaking like leaves. Itched to fire, but he suppressed fear, waiting for proximity.
One miss ended it. As they closed to truly dangerous range, he pulled the held trigger.
'Now.'
Bang! Bang!
Crisp shots, and the charging Mimics toppled one after another.
You have completed the quest.
A new skill has been unlocked.