Chapter 289: Rapid-fire Ranker (1)

In the Tower of Trials, numerous weapons exist.

Swords, knives, spears, bows, blunt weapons and various magical tools, to the holy relics.

There was truly a wide array of armaments.

Among them, there were two weapons that were notorious for being particularly challenging.

The first one was ‘firearms’.

In fact, among the many players, only a handful primarily used ‘firearms’.

The reason was simple.

Ordinary bullets did not affect demonic beasts, thus only magic-infused bullets could be used.

However, these magic bullets were not only very expensive, but also took time to reload—which was another disadvantage.

Of course, thanks to the gamers in Korea who came up with a method to synthesize magic power in their bodies to create magic bullets, this method briefly became popular.

But, due to the incredibly complicated process of magic synthesis, the trend didn’t last long.

And secondly, there was the type of flexible sword known as the ‘snake belly sword’.

Unpredictable trajectories.

Dangerous enough to injure even the user.

Only a few martial artists could properly wield it; it was not a weapon meant for ordinary players.

Most were tempted by its style, only to be more often cut by their own weapon than by demonic beasts.

However, there was a ranker who insisted on using these weapons that others shuddered to choose.

Step by step.

His main weapons were a pair of pistols in both hands, and the supplementary weapon was a snake belly sword at his waist.

Jinhyuk walked towards two demonic beasts.

“Kieeeeee!”

From the spider’s gaping maw, a green liquid spurted out.

The acidic substance spread with a sour stench, scouring the area.

Hisssss!

By the time the green acid had started to dissolve the ground, Jinhyuk was already gone.

“Kie?”

He reappeared under the spider’s thorax.

Bang!

A red flash burst from the pistol.

[The special effect ‘Precision Shooting’ of the blue-graded ‘Kruger (pistol-type)’ has been unlocked.]

[Effect: If an attack is made with the same force on the same spot, a critical hit is guaranteed with a 100% chance. (Margin of error 0.015%)]

A condition that required extreme acrobatics.

Kruger had a reputation as a weapon more for show than actual combat.

Of course, such conditions were negligible for Jinhyuk.

Moreover, Rick had specially enhanced it to a blue grade, so the weapon’s base damage itself exceeded 10,000.

Thud!

The bright red beam that pierced through the tough hide soared out the other side.

“Kieeeeee!”

Even with part of its body gone, the spider immediately swung its forelimb.

Against injuries of this caliber, insect-type monsters can continue attacking unless they’re completely incapacitated.

As the sharp claw flew towards him, its trajectory was redirected by the blades attached to his pistols.

Almost simultaneously.

The muzzle was now pressed directly beneath the spider’s jaw.

Thump!

This time, the flash completely shattered the spider’s head.

‘Huuu.’

Jinhyuk steadied his breath.

Squirming.

The magic power erupted from his heart, traveling through his fingertips into the pistols.

[Ice Bullets (冰潔彈) are complete!]

[Flame Bullets (火焰彈) are complete!]

Internal magic synthesis.

Two types of elemental bullets were created instantly.

Just then.

Vrooooooom!

A sharp tail whizzed past Jinhyuk’s face.

A movement too fast for its bulk.

“Human… melt… consume.”

Sharp teeth reminiscent of blades dripped with a clear fluid.

“Usually with a brain, you’d run away first, but I guess that’s why you’re guarding this place with such aggression.”

One in each hand.

The pistols simultaneously fired.

Fwoooosh!

The combination of fire and ice created a dense cloud of steam.

“How can… such deception… allow escape.”

The cobra, obscured by the mist, instinctively stretched out its tongue to sense body heat.

Although the sudden and bright flashes were powerful, with its characteristic flexible movements, the cobra was sure it could evade.

If it could strike with its fangs and inject venom in between…

It was possible.

‘Just need to avoid ten times…’

Surely, it resembled one of the common weapons humans used called ‘arrows’.

A fatal weakness with a gap existing between attacks.

Exploiting that was not too difficult.

The cobra was determined not to make the same mistake as the foolish spider.

Swish swish swish!

The cobra’s body glided over the ground.

Plop!

Bullets embedding in the earth.

One shot.

Thwack! Thwack! Thw-thw-thwack!

Two shots. Three shots… six shots… twelve shots.

This is the end!

But.

Thwack!

The gunfire didn’t stop.

A brighter, more distinct light than before began to rain down through the steam.

“What is…?”

Countless bullets reflected in the yellow pupil.

“I’ll just tell you one thing since you seem to have some intelligence.”

The reason even a strange and disadvantageous weapon could reach the pinnacle of power.

It wasn’t just because of the ability to create various elemental bullets.

Not even because of the ability to maximize penetration by finding weaknesses.

“There are no delays with me.”

Rapid-fire.

Converting magic into bullets and firing them took less than a second.

That was indeed the same ability that even the legendary Sword Saint, Chun Yuseongjo, struggled against in the past.

Kwakwakwa!

All critical hits.

The beams pierced through the scales, like thorns.

Then.

[Black Cobra uses Lv18 ‘Molting’!]

Right before becoming a pincushion, the cobra shed its skin and attempted to flee.

Intelligent, it knew when to give up quickly.

It may seem cowardly, but it’s smart battlefield evaluation.

However,

Jinhyuk had no intention of letting the retreating creature go.

Zzzt zzzzt zzzt!

He drew a long sword from his waist instead of his pistols.

[The snake belly sword ‘Red Scale’ awakens!]

As magic infused the seemingly ordinary long sword, it rapidly split and elongated.

The blades leaving afterimages as they swept across the ground, reminiscent of a single serpent.

A snake chasing a snake.

Dirt and rock were cleaved, quickly catching up to the cobra.

“Just a sword… think you can catch me with that?!”

The cobra took a sharp turn.

True to the nature of the serpent, the motion was surprisingly fluid.

But at that moment.

Zzt!

The snake belly sword also changed its path.

A living, breathing movement.

Even more serpentine than an actual serpent, a change in direction ensued.

With that, it was finished.

Before it could react or dodge, dozens of blades encircled the entire body of the cobra.

“Now you won’t be able to molt.”

Red blood seeped from the sliced scales.

A single eye movement would signal a swift disassembly.

“What kind of… it’s impossible…”

“Forget that. Answer my question. Among those inside the ruins, is there a winged insect creature?”

“Wha… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“That’s not the answer I’m looking for.”

Shsst! Crunch!

The snake belly sword dug into the flesh.

“Aaaahh!”

The cobra twisted its entire body in anguish.

“A creature like you guarding the entrance suggests a Named monster has hatched from the cocoon. Is that right or not?”

Named monsters were capable of granting a small degree of intelligence to the mindlessly following monsters.

This creature too must’ve had intelligence injected by that bug.

“Yeah, it’s true! True!”

Just as suspected.

The crucial point now was how long it’d been since it hatched…

“How many days since it hatched?”

“Six… it’s been six days!”

Six days meant it already had full flying capabilities.

But since a week had not yet passed, it likely hadn’t developed the ability to hypnotize using dust.

One more reason to hurry now emerged.

“Your information has been very helpful. Thanks.”

“Then undo this… hurry. It hurts…”

“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”

If it ran away now to alert new enemies, that would complicate things.

The creatures inside must believe the Titan Guild to be the only invaders.

With a light swing of his sword, Jinhyuk ended it.

Snap! Crack!

The snake belly sword swiftly dissected the cobra’s body.

‘1 minute 38 seconds for two… Still have a ways to go before I’m back in peak condition.’

Rapid-fire was about 20% off from its peak, and the snake belly sword moved three degrees off its intended trajectory.

To take down the boss by today, he needed to regain a bit more feeling.

But even so,

‘It’s a good feeling.’

Pistols and the flexible sword.

These were his main weapons that he’d become so accustomed to after long use.

He tried to avoid using them for the climb, keeping them hidden, but now that he did, it brought back old feelings and fit in his hands well.

If combined with his existing skills, they were bound to create tremendous synergy.

Anyway,

‘It’s time to get moving.’

If the butterfly-like creature began to stir, there would be a risk of getting delayed.

Especially with players already inside.

‘Wind Domain’ and ‘Sword Demon Sky Command’ were initiated simultaneously.

Zzt.

Jinhyuk vanished from sight.

Immediately afterward, a huge gust of wind raced through the ruins with a terrifying velocity.

＊＊＊

“Huff…”

“Phew. Phew. Phew.”

“That was… almost death.”

From deep within the ruins, panting and wheezing filled the air.

These battered and bruised individuals were from America’s large guild ‘Titan.’

“……”

A large man with a battle axe slung over his shoulder cautiously looked around.

He was the raid leader ranked ‘Aidan’.

‘We haven’t gotten far and yet we’re already struggling like this.’

Through detection spells, the size of the ruins had been measured to be about 15km.

Naturally, as they went deeper, they expected to encounter stronger demonic beasts.

Yet, without even reaching 1km, the assault team was already fighting fiercely.

‘The further in we go, the harder it will become.’

Aidan narrowed his eyes.

He had anticipated a difficult fight at the location of the boss monster, but the combined army of insects, reptiles, and plants proved to be more than a handful.

Information had it that a week ago, the European assault teams did not encounter such difficulty.

A discrepancy had arisen between the information and reality.

Just then.

“Aidan, this… Are you really planning to continue?”

Next to Aidan, a woman holding a long staff approached him.

It was ‘Mei Ling’, an S-rank AoE dealer of Chinese-American descent, with black hair and soft facial features typical of her heritage noticeable.

“You’ve felt it too, I suppose.”

“Yes. The mana consumption rate of the dealers is too high. Same for the healers. If we continue like this, the front-line tanks won’t hold out.”

Worry and concern seeped from her tone.

“That may be. But we can’t back down here. We’ve prepared for over two weeks; retreating now without even trying would tarnish our guild’s reputation.”

Countless new guilds arose daily, many vanished soon, but a few shone brightly rising up.

Currently, Titan might dominate the American continent, but complacency would inevitably lead to their downfall.

“We’ll engage in small scale. I’ll take the leading charge by myself.”

Aidan gripped his battle axe.

At the forefront, he would…

… smash everything.

Kukukuku!

The infusion of mana unleashed a ferocious aura from his entire body.

＊＊＊

How much time had passed?

As the assault team battled on, they paused at a new discovery.

“Aidan!”

Mei Ling gestured and called Aidan’s name.

“What is it?”

“Look at this.”

A 4-meter diameter tunnel appeared in the corridor.

“This is…”

“Yes. It leads to the boss. Judging by the pulses of mana, it’s definitely the shortest route.”

“Turns out there isn’t only bad luck here.”

For the first time since entering the ruins, Aidan smiled widely.

Now they could conserve their strength and confront the boss. A weight had been lifted.

“Are we entering then?”

“Yes. Prepare immediately.”

Aidan nodded his head.

But at that moment.

“If you go in, you’ll regret it.”

A strange voice cut through the ranks of the assault team.