Chapter 47: 24 Hours

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: 24 Hours

The gambling had begun. One after another, the colors of the orb and its star changed as the gacha decided when to stop. A few seconds later, the color gray appeared before Victor.

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: Clean Socks.]

[Rarity: C]

[Description: They’re just a pair of socks, and they’re clean!]

Victor sighed wearily. Although he had expected something like this, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

Fortunately, that was only the beginning, as he still had three summons he’d obtained by killing the Penitents earlier, so he used all of them, hoping to get something good.

First, he got a piece of bread with strawberry jam, which he swallowed in one bite while waiting for the second item: a small roll of special bandages that increased physical endurance when wrapped around the body. A common item with great usefulness in combat.

It wasn’t anything special, but it was better than getting more junk.

On the other hand, the second item was something much more specific, also of common rarity.

"A... flare gun..."

[Description: A weapon that fires flares. It has four charges and will break once all four have been used. There is a small chance it may break before then.]

He was surprised that this was a Common-rarity item, but after thinking about it, its rarity might actually make sense. Unlike firearms, which could inflict devastating damage, a flare gun was more closely related to survival, much like the Basic Survival Pack.

In any case, how could he use something like this when the Morning Star would be illuminating the scenario for the next 24 hours?

’It could serve as a replacement for flashbangs, since Brika isn’t here to get them for me, but that makes me think that, somehow, I won’t be seeing her for a long time.’

Power. That was what he needed to obtain. Before encountering the Wendigo in the darkest area of the scenario, Victor needed to become capable of, at the very least, escaping that monster without dying in the process.

’But the farther away I am from her, the more danger we’re both in.’

Lost in his thoughts, Victor looked at the weapons he’d left on the table: the rifle without any bullets, the knife, and the flashlight.

Now that the Morning Star event had begun, he wouldn’t be facing ordinary Penitents of the Mist anymore, and his weapons wouldn’t be enough to kill the new enemies. However, there was also a chance he could obtain useful items from their corpses.

"Damn it. If I want to win, I have to take another risk. I have no other choice, because if I stay here, I’ll just keep wasting time."

[The god "Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail" applauds your reasoning.]

[The god "Fisher of Opportunities" respects your ability to identify potential opportunities.]

Victor frowned at the messages.

[An unnamed god watches you intently, analyzing your monologue.]

[An unnamed god hopes you will make your next decision wisely.]

"Wisdom...? You’re spying on me, and you’re telling me to be wise? What great comedians you gods are! Hilarious."

[The god "Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail" accepts your praise.]

[The god "Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail" recommends that you listen to its five-minute monologue when you have the chance.]

’I meant that sarcastically,’ Victor thought.

[The god "Fisher of Opportunities" puts a hand to its head, embarrassed.]

[An unnamed god hides in the darkness to escape the secondhand embarrassment.]

’At least those two understood me...’

Putting that aside, Victor grabbed the bandages and began wrapping them around his arms and neck.

’Now that I think about it, Brika was wearing bandages too. I wonder if hers are similar to these.’

Perhaps he could ask her the next time they met. For now, he disassembled the rifle and stored its pieces in his backpack before slinging it over his shoulders. Then, he tied the knife to his hand with the bandages and slipped the flashlight and flare gun into the pockets of his military pants.

Ready for action, he approached the door. He stopped for a couple of seconds to steel himself. He checked the System window to make sure the mission was still active, then stepped out of the house with a determined expression on his battered face.

Outside, the light of the Morning Star seemed to grow slightly brighter, and the black dust floating through the air was a major nuisance. Still, aside from that, the scenario was less sinister than it had been at the beginning.

[23:26:07h]

The countdown appeared at the edge of Victor’s field of vision. He took a second to catch his breath. Then, he ran through the scenario in search of those damn magicians who were waiting for participants with open arms.

Soon, explosions, barely audible screams, and faint flashes of light echoed in the distance.

As he ran, Victor wondered:

’How many participants are there in this scenario?’

Judging by the number of signals, there were quite a few. That made Victor’s hair stand on end, because he had no idea whether he might run into another participant face-to-face at some point.

From personal experience, he knew that the most dangerous enemies were always the other participants. Fortunately, however, none of them had ever gotten close enough for him to smell them coming.

Running at full speed, he came across a familiar smell. He stopped in the middle of a street, only to find a body lying on the ground. It was moving, dragging itself through the dust and groaning in agony.

Victor slowly approached and frowned in disgust. It was a person, a young man with half his torso completely destroyed. His entrails and bones protruded from his mutilated flesh, surrounded by blood that stained the dust.

"Ple... ase... I... I... don’t... want..." the man said, but he died a few seconds later.

Beside him lay a double-edged sword with a rounded tip. Victor looked at his knife, then at the sword. He crouched down and began untying the bandages from his knife so he could take the weapon. In a whisper, he said:

"This will be more useful to me than it ever was to you. Thanks for dying."

Soon, a whisper echoed behind him:

[Divine blood, spilled by my hands.]

A Golden Bone Penitent was preparing to unleash its magic.