The Revolver's Thunder
Yuri-ra pulled the trigger, and the notification sound confirmed the kill.
Another headshot secured the elimination. That made fourteen kills.
She spun the cylinder of the F. Colt Revolver with a satisfying click-click-click.
“Haa…… I’m done for.”
Who was Yuri-ra, anyway?
A woman who, after three years of fandom, had braved typhoons and storms just to meet her oppa, awakening the full force of her affection.
By year five she had conquered the very limits of love—thinking of him whether happy or sad, awake or asleep.
And now, more than ten years in, surrounded by the ultimate faces of Mir Guild, she had reached a state of serene detachment from mere emotion!
‘Then why—why is my heart pounding like this?!’
The sinister muzzle, the seductive grip, the old-fashioned revolving cylinder.
‘That dizzying feeling when I squeeze the trigger……!’
Yes. Yuri-ra had fallen. Hard.
The master of affection, reduced to a prisoner of the “F. Colt Revolver” in just three sets.
‘With you, I feel like I could even blow the Demon King’s head off.’
Representative Oppa had his concept. Grandfather had Vita.
Yuri-ra’s custom mic was you.
“Let’s go, partner.”
The revolver’s barrel flashed in response, and lightning surged beneath Yuri-ra’s feet.
― “Mir Guild still holds the advantage. Even so, Shinseong Guild refuses to give up.”
― “That’s right. As expected of Shinseong. They’ve managed to drag a match that was already falling apart against the mighty Mir Guild all the way to the thirty-minute mark.”
― “If they can hold on like this, does Shinseong still have hope?”
― “Of course. If the damage dealers’ firepower eventually overwhelms the tanks’ defenses in the late game, anything can happen. To reach that point they need build-up…… huh? Wait a second.”
― “The moment I say it—Mir Guild makes the first move!”
― “Four of them?! Mir Guild is committing four to five!”
Launching a war of attrition against Shinseong Guild, which boasted Cross—the world’s top-ranked healer—was pure folly.
But Mir Guild was currently breaking through the side lane with Baek Yeon-woo at the forefront.
So what was the main force supposed to do?
“We hold them here!”
Sanwang shouted, clasping his hands together. The miniature Vita sank beneath the water’s surface and vanished. In the next instant, a tidal wave of vegetation erupted behind him.
A plant tsunami powerful enough to blot out the artificial lights of the canyon.
It was an area-of-effect skill, an offensive skill, and a crowd-control skill all at once. Anyone caught in it would surely die.
So the enemy reacted just as quickly.
“Senior, you’re looking lively today!”
Blaster, one of Shinseong Guild’s top three, activated her signature Bombardment Mode. The hand cannon on her arm disassembled, fragments floating around her as steel frameworks rose behind her back.
What assembled in midair was a massive railgun.
The railgun charged, drinking in light—then fired.
Kaaaaaa―!!
While the beam from the sky clashed with the plant tsunami, a brutal melee erupted below.
At the front, Park Su-bin’s milky-white giant swung its arms to block the enemy.
More precisely, it blocked the man standing shirtless in front of him—the Ranker known as Fist King, whose fighting style most closely resembled the legendary Fist Emperor.
“Boy, let’s have another go.”
“Come at me.”
“Good spirit!! Hahahahaha!!”
Exploding mana light. Ripping air. Cracking space.
Brutal, explosive, relentless.
Fist King refused to retreat even before the giant’s descending fist.
Normally, when Sanwang’s plant tsunami rose, the enemy would fall back. If Park Su-bin’s giant was holding the line like a monster, charging in was suicide.
But the enemy did not retreat.
Blaster summoned drones and missile launchers, turning the area into a sea of fire, while Fist King laughed as though the sky itself would fall, charging forward with the intent to smash both the giant and the heavens.
Even at a disadvantage, they would never accept defeat quietly.
Truly worthy of a third-ranked hunter’s fighting spirit.
As Shinseong Guild displayed such tenacity, the one who grew busy was Hwarang, Kim Yu-shin.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
Deafening metallic impacts.
“It’s been…… a while…… since I’ve been…… this busy……!”
When Shinseong Guild, centered around Fist King and Blaster, broke past the first line and threatened the second where Yuri-ra stood, he desperately held them off—throwing his body forward, using shield charges to push enemies back, and raising walls of silver shields again and again.
Meanwhile, Yuri-ra picked off targets with her sniper rifle, but—
“……Tch!”
It was useless.
The shots landed. The armor-piercing rounds clearly struck their targets. Yet as long as they avoided vital points, that disgusting “cross” healed the wounds.
Healing power that defied common sense, even piercing the canyon’s control.
“Phew…… I’m getting used to this now.”
Cross—one of Shinseong’s top three and the raid leader who had turned Shinseong Guild into “zombies.”
“Don’t dawdle, kids. Finish this fast! Our base is getting raided!”
Don’t forget—Shinseong Guild’s base was already being ravaged by Baek Yeon-woo.
Their only hope was to eliminate all four in front of them and then take down Baek Yeon-woo as well. Cross’s eyes lost their color, and a pure-white halo burst forth behind every Shinseong Guild member’s head.
The highest-grade blessing poured down upon them.
“Puhat!!”
Fist King’s fist shattered the giant’s arm.
Baammm―!!
Blaster’s railgun reduced the plant tsunami to ashes.
Crack-crack-crack―!!
The silver shield wall crumbled along with the retreating Hwarang.
A golden opportunity for Shinseong Guild.
A moment of absolute crisis for Mir Guild.
At the deadlock of the match—
Yuri-ra pulled the trigger.
Beep—
The instant the flashbang exploded, Kim Jong-phil, Park Su-bin, and Kim Yu-shin’s eyes lit up simultaneously.
Sanwang shook the ground with the roots filling the earth below. Park Su-bin gathered every last bit of mana into the giant’s remaining arm and slammed the ground. Hwarang, who had risen again, drove his shield downward.
Then—
The ground surged upward in reverse!
―――――!!
And through that chaos came a chillingly distinct sound.
Click-click-click.
Yuri-ra had already discarded her sniper rifle. A revolver now rested in her hand. In that split second, she recalled Lee Shin’s words.
― “There are two major types of weapon items: ‘ability-type’ that grants powers to the user, and ‘performance-type’ that purely maximizes the weapon’s raw damage output.”
― “The F. Colt Revolver I gave you is the latter.”
500% damage increase on headshots.
Without a headshot it was no different from an epic weapon, but if the headshot condition was met, it could instantly kill any opponent.
All or Nothing.
A weapon of total victory or total defeat.
― “To use this thing at 200% efficiency, you need two things: eyes sharp enough to aim for the head even in the middle of a brawl, and fast feet.”
― “Yeah. This weapon was made for you. That’s why I went all the way to America to get it for you! So show me what you’ve got.”
Time and space froze.
Amid the rising fragments of earth, lightning carved a path—visible only to the one chosen by thunder.
And the moment Yuri-ra’s feet scraped the ground, her body was enveloped in lightning.
― “Who you really are.”
She became a streak of lightning.
Bolts of lightning weaving between the fragments.
Impossible to follow with the eyes. Impossible to sense. Even sound lagged behind.
When she reappeared in the supersonic world—
Time resumed. The fragments fell. Her teammates’ minds cleared and recognized her.
DOUBLE KILL
TRIPLE KILL
QUADRA KILL
PENTA KILL
The battle was already over.
― “Uwaaah!!”
― “Yuri-ra pentakill! It’s a pentakill! What the hell was that?! What did we just witness?!”
― “Uwaaah!!”
― “Zap! Zap! Zap! Only lightning flashed. Speed impossible to track with the naked eye! Speed that can’t even be judged on a live broadcast!!”
― “Yuri-raaa―!!”
The casters had gone insane.
Even her teammates were speechless at the unprecedented destructive power.
Meanwhile, Yuri-ra rubbed her cheek against the gun barrel, hearts practically pouring out of her.
“Haa…… I’m already ruined.”
She was beautiful when she cooked. She was lovely when she fought.
It was simply love. She was now this gun’s prisoner.
Naturally, the worship time that followed. Yuri-ra sent her love to Lee Shin, the one who had gifted her this revolver.
“Thanks, Oppa. I’ll be loyal to you for life. Loyalty, loyalty.”
The guild-obsessed dummy Oppa.
I’ll protect this place. Don’t worry and focus on your work.
But you’re not this nice over there too, right? Don’t be too nice—it makes me jealous.
The moment her lips touched the barrel, a notification appeared.
VICTORY
The match ended just like that.
And then……
“You are trash.”
Lee Shin was only just getting started.
* * *
Mets Guild stadium.
In the place where Mets Guild’s first team, second team, and even the promising second-string prospects had all gathered, emotions swirled violently.
‘Trash?’
‘Us?’
‘And he’s not even a hunter?’
Shock, anger, displeasure, disbelief……
Waves of emotion shot toward Lee Shin standing on the stage. Meanwhile, Selena was crying inside.
‘Uwaaah. Help me!’
Because the person currently standing beside Lee Shin was her.
She didn’t know why, but ever since they started organizing the front office, Lee Shin had been dragging Selena around with him.
At that moment, Lee Shin sat backward on a chair, resting his chin on his hands as he looked down at everyone.
“In case you misunderstand this as shock therapy or an attempt to assert dominance, let me say it again—you are trash. Irredeemable trash.”
“!!”
At the merciless insult, emotions turned into killing intent.
Selena’s legs trembled.
Please stop! she screamed inwardly, but Lee Shin only mocked her silent plea and continued his hellish tirade.
“The type I hate most are those who lack self-awareness. If you’re stupid, you should at least know your place. If you can’t even do that, then shut up. I once said that to some idiot.”
The factory that manufactured sorrow. Amazing Mets. Eternal last place.
What had given birth to this mockery? The front office’s incompetence played a part, but the biggest reason this ridicule existed was right here—these people.
“This happened because your raid team couldn’t produce results—because, to put it bluntly, you got your asses handed to you. If you had any conscience, you should at least look ashamed. But look at you. Those pathetic faces of yours.”
“……”
“Not a shred of shame. You’re staring straight at me with your heads held high.”
Drunk on the glamour and decadence New York offered, they spent every day attending parties with famous stars and spending one-night stands funded by mountains of cash.
The only training they did was the bare minimum—doing it like children completing homework, without any thought or effort.
“Let me ask you one thing. Is there anyone here who gets angry about losing? Because from what I can see, none of you seem the least bit upset about defeat.”
Even just hearing this much, it was clear they had no shame and no self-awareness. On top of that, they neglected their basic duties and lacked any drive to improve.
“That’s why you’re trash. I don’t even consider people like you human.”
Selena was terrified, yet she couldn’t deny that his words were true. Secretly, she felt a thrill.
The arrows of blame were aimed at the front office’s hopeless management, but in truth, the raid team had no excuse whatsoever.
As a big-market team, they received generous support and fat paychecks.
Yet they were dead last. Last place and bottom ranks were entirely different things.
“So from today onward, the rules of the Mets raid team are me. You will do exactly as I say. Do what I tell you to do, and don’t do what I tell you not to.”
At Lee Shin’s gesture, people in black suits handed out papers to the raid team.
What was this?
The moment they checked the papers in their hands, the raid team’s eyes widened in shock.
“This is Mir Guild’s training log. From now on, follow it exactly. For reference, I’ve adjusted the diet to match your level.”
Several pages densely packed with every single movement, formation, and even the smallest details and precautions.
When Selena had first seen it, she thought it was a joke. Was this amount of training even humanly possible? Only after watching the training footage later did she believe it.
‘So this is how the number-one guild trains.’
While Mets finished training in five or six hours, Mir Guild trained at far higher intensity and volume. And they were still ranked first.
“I won’t bother evaluating your lazy mentalities or broken winning mindsets. I have no interest in that.”
“Instead, this will serve as the sole evaluation.”
And this applied to—
“Everyone gathered here.”
First team, second team, even the second string.
All of them.
Lee Shin was saying: he had given them a chance. Whether they seized it or not was up to them.
“Don’t become anything less than trash.”
Lee Shin left, and a chilling wind swept through the raid team.
The time of competition had begun.