Chapter 19: Scary Monsters

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Scary Monsters

Was it a weapon? It was a weapon! The glowing blue sphere warped and transformed into an assault rifle: the classic black M14 he had once seen in action and war movies.

The weapon, heavy to say the least, dropped into his hands with a soft metallic click, and a box full of bullets along with a spare magazine appeared on the ground beside him.

Victor held his breath. This shouldn’t have been possible, but thanks to his gacha system, it was. Even so, he had trouble seeing the weapon in his hands clearly, as if that piece of iron weren’t actually real.

"A rifle..."

Dumbfounded, he sat down in the chair and carefully placed the rifle on the table. He examined it closely in the candlelight and grinned from ear to ear.

"Eureka!" he shouted, raising his fist in the air. Then he remembered that making noise could attract monsters, so he immediately shut his mouth.

He remained silent, making sure nobody had heard him, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

’It’s been a few years since I last handled a weapon like this. My worst years were during my military service...’

His expression darkened as he remembered the past, but he shook his head a couple of times to push those thoughts away.

’I think I still remember how to use one of these.’

He grabbed the weapon with both hands and checked the magazine; it was fully loaded. Then he pulled back the charging handle to make sure the mechanism was working properly.

’Damn. I’ve never handled an M14 this pristine before.’

Excited, he held the weapon in such a way that he was now aiming at the door.

"Now you can come at me, you stupid monsters. I’m gonna fill your faces with lead."

He had been incredibly lucky. A knife and a walking stick weren’t enough to survive crazy monsters like the orc, or Ayax and his weird manipulation powers. However, as he lowered his brand-new assault rifle, he found himself staring at his System window.

’How strange. Even though my Luck Value is very low, I can still get things like this with the help of the System. My sense of smell, the stone, this Action Hero Set. How does this System actually work?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find an answer. Disappointed by how little he knew about the limits of his own power, he let out a long sigh as he picked up the box of bullets and the spare magazine.

"Well, at least now I have something to defend myself with. My aim isn’t really that good, but this is better than nothing."

He was now staring at the door, thinking about how he could light his way through this dark scenario.

He spent the next few minutes thinking it over. If he was going to head outside at some point, he had to be ready for anything. In the first scenario, the most dangerous things he had encountered were that gang of fire monkeys.

If that was the limit of a first scenario’s difficulty, then with this weapon, Victor might be able to fight his way through, as long as he remained cautious enough.

’Something. I need something that will help me see in the dark. My sense of smell might help me distinguish between buildings by their scents, more or less, but if I can’t see, I won’t know where to aim if I run into an enemy.’

That made him wonder how the other participants were surviving in this scenario. Surely, they had their own abilities, strengthened through survival.

’Anyway, before I run out of food or a monster breaks down the door, I’ll find a way out of here myself. If I don’t take risks, I won’t gain anything.’

With this weapon, he finally felt ready enough to face the scenario on his own.

Then, hours later, Victor stood before the door. With his bag slung over his shoulder, the rifle in his hands, and the most serious expression he could manage at that moment, he stepped out of the house.

The moment he set foot outside, a wave of cold hit him hard. His body shuddered, caught between nervousness and determination. He gripped the weapon tightly and sniffed the air. If he concentrated enough, he could distinguish the places where other houses stood.

’I guess this is some kind of medieval city. There are lots of similar houses around here. At least some of them have similar scents.’

That was good because the farther he went, the more places he would have to hide. It gave him more confidence to keep going, so he headed in the direction his sense of smell guided him.

’I shouldn’t light the torch yet. That light I made earlier was probably what attracted that terrifying monster. On the other hand, I’m not detecting any other unusual scents.’

He couldn’t smell blood from potential participants or injured monsters. Besides, the place gave off a mysterious sense of desolation as the cold wind continued to blow through the mist.

Surprisingly, he kept walking for about four hours. Every now and then, he nearly crashed into walls or came across dead ends that forced him to turn back.

By nightfall, Victor stopped to rest in another house.

’I don’t know how many miles I’ve covered, but it was definitely a lot. I’m having way too much luck...’

It was strange, but he preferred things to stay that way. It was better if he didn’t run into any monsters nearby. However, knowing his luck, he knew something like that would happen sooner or later.

A sudden explosion shook the ground. Victor jumped out of the chair he’d been resting in just seconds earlier and raised his rifle, his nerves on edge. Immediately afterward, powerful, harsh roars rang out, painful to the ears of anyone who heard them.

Victor had to cover his ears, and his sense of smell finally detected a familiar scent.

’Blood. There’s blood nearby!’

What should he do in this situation? Go out and fight? Of course not!

’I don’t know if it’s human blood, but it seems like it. It’s probably another participant.’