Ning Shan took the metal weapon into his arms, feeling its heft. In a smooth and practiced motion, he raised the rifle to eye level before kneeling down, resting the muzzle onto a nearby raised ledge, just as the man he had just taken out had done, imitating him almost perfectly.

A single eye looked through the long scope, enhancing his vision until he could see the woman's hair follicles. However, coupled with his already enhanced sight, this only gave him a headache. He looked away, deactivating the technique.

He paused momentarily, familiarizing himself with what this rifle was meant to be, all its moving parts and the trigger he felt would discharge the weapon's lethality. Only then did he aim toward the man who seemed to be their leader, hesitating for just a moment as the cross-hair rested on his head before pressing the trigger.

A soft, almost silent click was heard, then nothing. There was no discharge of energy nor mass speeding through the barrel. Ning Shan frowned and tried again, only for the same result to repeat itself. He knew this should have been the proper steps, but the result bewildered him.

His eye left the scope, and he examined the rifle, only to find a notch on its side. He pulled on it to reveal an empty compartment. Something told him there was supposed to be something within—something used as an energy source.

Then, the thought hit him. He looked to the screen of light, only to see that the number had gone up. He could only bury his head in his hand, feeling slightly ashamed that he hadn't noticed it sooner. This rifle was powered by red dust crystals, but it had been shattered and absorbed as soon as Ning Shan held the weapon.

Does that mean I can't use any of this world's weapons and am relegated to only melee ones? If so, this will make it quite inconvenient. Still... Why do those crystals burst apart as soon as I touch them? Does this have to do with this tribulation body?

Just as Ning Shan was about to toss the weapon away for being useless, he was stopped by a system message appearing in his sight.

New Weapon Acquired...

Lightforge Industries Hyperion SR-005 Obtained...

He then felt the large mass of metal shrink, only for it to disappear. Yet he could still feel its existence, slowly orbiting the planet in his core, just like the dust sword he had acquired beforehand.

He couldn't help but frown, feeling something was wrong. After all, the system wouldn't go to such lengths for a weapon that appeared useless. Surely, he could now make good use of it.

He retrieved the sniper rifle, only to feel that it felt different in his hands. Its weight was almost gone, and its unwieldiness had been reduced substantially. Aiming this monstrosity was now nearly effortless. Furthermore, a prompt appeared as he held the beast, quantifying his ammunition. Still, he couldn't help but frown further.

5 shots remaining...

Ning Shan stopped dead in his tracks, his enthusiasm deflating almost immediately. While being able to use the weapon was a pleasant surprise, each shot cost a total of a hundred dust points—much too steep of a price. In fact, it felt almost unreasonable. He nearly caved into the rising urge to throw it away, if only to discard this insult of a needy weapon.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself, his gaze resting on the group below as he weighed his options.

I could probably take them on, but would that be wise? This world has too many unknowns to simply take the risk...

It was then that something flashed in his peripheral vision. He turned to the side, raising the rifle's scope to his eye, only to find it too unwieldy despite the reduced weight. In fact, the muzzle protruded over the wall, giving away his position. In a swift motion, he disconnected the scope from the rifle, only to stash the mass of useless metal back into his core.

While I could enhance my vision, why use precious dust points when I don't need to? At least this weapon can be used for something instead of rotting away.

In his sight appeared a pack of wild coyotes scavenging for sustenance—at least beings that resembled coyotes, except that they were made entirely of metal and moving parts, almost as if they were complete mechanical beings.

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A dark red granular liquid dripped from their mouths, scattering on the ground before being blown away by the breeze in a slight dust cloud, leaving nothing behind. Their noses were stuck to the ground, sniffing away with abandon, an act he had seen countless times before—predators in search of prey. This gave him an idea. He looked down toward the group of five, only to show a slight but malevolent smile.

He jumped from his perch, landing on the roof of a nearby building two stories down, only to continue until he reached the ground. He was only a few meters away from the pack, standing in the midpoint between the two groups. He made no sounds even as he landed, yet the coyotes were fully aware of his presence.

Without waiting to be acknowledged, Ning Shan picked a small rock and threw it toward the beasts, gaining their full attention before sprinting in the opposite direction. Without the slightest lapse, the metallic creatures sprung after him, following closely and gaining on him.

Ning Shan swerved around the nearby rubble mounds, keeping an adequate distance from them, trying to make his escape believable. He didn't have to try hard to make it so, as he was indeed running for his life. The beasts were much more bloodthirsty than he expected and much faster. He ran with all his might, yet a smile never left his lips as he knew perfectly what he was doing.

The creatures gained on him, yet Ning Shan’s route was short, hardly enough for them to catch up, given his headstart. In front was the end of an alley that flew to the main street, where the group was poised to walk. Just as he was about to emerge from it, Ning Shan stomped his feet, breaking the ground as he rose in the air, shifting between both opposing walls before landing through an opened window, out of sight.

Unable to stop their charge, the creatures ran past into the street, coming face to face with the armed group of humans. As Ning Shan had expected, the humans were ready for them. After all, the chase had been all but subtle. The cacophony of barks and hurried footsteps had resonated for miles around, prompting the group to take positions, awaiting their ambush.

This, however, wasn't Ning Shan's goal. He knew those men were professional and wouldn't be taken down by a half-assed plan made on the spur of the moment. Instead, he depended on what was sure to happen next.

Shots were fired, creating beams of light that collided with the creatures. Some caught fire from the high-energy beam, while others were severed in two. While numerous, the coyotes' numbers were cut in half almost immediately. However, Ning Shan could see the men frown as the creature didn't stop in their assault, even as they dropped like flies one after another.

A thick dust cloud hung over the street, almost blocking their sights, yet the shots never stopped, even for a moment, not until all had been slain. When calm finally returned, none of the men had been touched while all the coyotes had been slaughtered to the last, yet none of the men lowered their guards. If anything, they seemed even more nervous than before. Ning Shan could see the woman shake in her boots, almost comically so.

Silence reigned but for a moment before the dust settled, revealing countless vultures perched on the nearby rafters and street lights, looking down on them and eyeing the remaining dust. The group paused; Ning Shan could easily imagine how ugly their expressions were hidden beneath their mask. After all, he had experienced firsthand how perseverant these vultures could be.

He quietly went to ground level, waiting to take advantage of the situation. Whatever they chose—whether to flee or fight—he knew these men would be distracted, allowing him to achieve his objective. Still, he couldn't help but applaud these men for how professional they acted.

Unlike the other group he had slain some time prior—who had fled at the first opportunity—these seemed more like seasoned warriors, ready for a bitter struggle, the possibility of failure never even crossing their minds. He wondered if this was the norm, or they were simply elite.

Quietly, the group started retreating, giving the vultures the space to gorge themselves on the coyotes' remains. This seemed like the wisest of choices, yet Ning Shan couldn't let his plan fall apart that way.

He sought for a small pebble off the ground, holding it in his hand before arcing back and springing like a tensed bow, flinging the rock through a window, directly hitting one of the vultures. They all turned towards the pebble's origin in unison—even the group did so, but only with their eyes, keeping the main threat straight in front of them.

Still, they couldn't stop their eyes from frowning. After all, they weren't dumb, and the signs were much too obvious. Their retreat never stopped, even becoming slightly more hurried. However, this had the opposite effect.

A man stepped onto fractured glass, creating a slight cracking sound that broke the tense atmosphere. The vultures turned back to them, almost ignoring where the pebble had come from. After all, there was a threat in front of their eyes that needed to be dealt with. They could worry about what was hidden from them afterwards.

Countless hiss broke the silence as the birds flapped their wings. The men didn’t even wait for orders from their boss before running backwards and, just as Ning Shan expected, using the woman as bait.

Their leader pushed her to the ground. She fell face-first onto the hard stone, tumbling slightly as they ran away, shooting at the flying creatures that rushed them. Sera rose up, slightly dizzied, and could only cower before the avian onslaught. She remained stunned, hardly able to move a muscle as fear paralyzed her. Just as she was about to say her goodbyes to this short life, a stone fell in front of her, cracking slightly before bursting into a star of light. Surprisingly, she didn't feel the scorch she expected, but only the all-encompassing light.

Of course, Ning Shan had been the one to throw it, using the very same technique he had once used on those same birds, and the result was predictable. The light blinded what remained of their already dimmed vision, while the sound also deafened them. Some even dropped from the sky, unable to control themselves.

With the human group out of reach, Ning Shan jumped into the fray, rushing to the woman's side. He retrieved the dust blade from his core and quickly activated it as he swung. The blade spun like a sharp whip, creating a large circle around them both, cutting into the hard pavement.

Slabs of blacktop were flung into the air as they were severed, even crashing into the nearby vultures, blocking their charge. An explosion of debris and dust followed the receding light, prompting all the remaining birds to stop midair, somewhat bewildered. Others crashed straight into the falling stone before getting crushed under it.

Once peace returned, there were no signs of Ning Shan or the woman; even the street had changed drastically. There was now a large hole where they used to stand, where not even the light of the stars could reach. It was now an abyss so deep that not even the avian scavengers dared to tread—a world beyond the reach of man.