As Alex grips the gun, the attendant addresses him. “Are you ready, participant No. 777?”
“Just one second, please,” Alex replies, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the weapon, even switching magazines a few times to get a better feel for it. Reloading isn’t exactly easy, but I think I’ve got the hang of it now. Just needed a minute to adjust to this type of gun and magazine, he thinks confidently. I also have a feel for the waves of approaching balloons. There are some minor differences each time, but the patterns are similar—the slow start and chaotic shifts near the end. Only the exact locations vary slightly.
“Participant No. 777?” the attendant prompts him again.
“Sorry, I’m ready!” Alex responds, lifting his gun and focusing on the target area, prepared to start shooting.
The attendant shouts, “Get ready in 3, 2, 1—START!”
Alex immediately spots the direction of the first balloon, aligns his aim, and shoots it down accurately, pulling his gun back to the center and bracing for the next target. He maintains steady control, hitting each balloon as it enters his line of sight. But as his magazine nears empty, he realizes he hasn’t found a good moment to reload. He keeps shooting, mostly hitting the balloons, until he suddenly hears the dreaded click of an empty chamber. Quickly, he reloads, but he misses several balloons during the process. Desperately, he tries to catch up, but a few balloons slip by again, and the last one disappears from the target area before he can fire.
“Shit!” Alex mutters in frustration.
“Congratulations, participant No. 777! You hit 17 targets. Here’s your prize of 10 golden coins—not bad at all!” the attendant announces, handing Alex his reward.
You received Golden Coin x10
Realizing exactly where he went wrong, Alex feels a renewed determination to try again. He turns to join the line but notices that the stand is completely empty, except for the soldier who’s been spectating.
“Nobody’s here, so let me go again!” Alex demands, slightly disappointed in himself.
“Oh, are you sure, participant No. 777?” the attendant replies with a sugary tone. “If you wish, you’re welcome to try two more times. I always appreciate enthusiasts like yourself!”
Ignoring the attendant’s overly sweet words, Alex hands him another silver coin and receives two magazines in return. This time, he loads the gun with a sharp, practiced motion, feeling more prepared than before.
The attendant raises his voice to announce the start of another round. “Get ready in 3, 2, 1—START!”
Alex launches into action, following the same approach as last time, hitting the first few targets with pinpoint accuracy. After ten successful hits, he decides to reload early, with 10 shots still left in his magazine. Just as he finishes reloading, he spots a new wave of three balloons sweeping in from the right side. With barely a second to react, he regains his focus, quickly aiming and shooting all three balloons before they disappear to the left.
As the pace intensifies, Alex chooses to skip a few balloons, instead focusing on those that appear in clusters, aiming at targets that are closer together. Finally, he nails the last balloon and breaks into a satisfied smile, confident in his adjustments and pleased with the outcome.
“My my, color me surprised! Congratulations, participant No. 777! You hit 21 targets. Here’s your prize of 20 golden coins—aren’t you a quick study?” the attendant remarks, handing Alex his reward, double what he earned before.
“I wanna go again!” Alex replies confidently. The attendant’s smile shifts ever so slightly into one of mild irritation. “Perhaps you’d like to let others try their hand at this game? Don’t be greedy!” he says, his friendly tone slipping just a bit.
“There’s nobody else waiting—here’s my coin!” Alex replies, handing over another silver coin.
The attendant has no choice and, with a hint of reluctance, hands Alex two new magazines, announcing loudly, “Get ready in 3, 2, 1—START!”
Alex executes the same strategy as before, this time managing to hit 22 out of 25 targets.
“Here you go, participant No. 777, 20 more coins. Looks like you’re already halfway to your target for the next phase—50 golden coins in the bag, and seven silver coins left. Not bad at all. Good luck,” the attendant says, handing over the coins with a thinly veiled hint of annoyance. “Now move aside to make room for other guests!” He gestures for Alex to move along, clearly annoyed that Alex cleared the game so efficiently, despite his rough start.
Just then, the soldier from earlier approaches him, seemingly having picked up on Alex’s approach. Tapping him on the shoulder, he says, “Smart play there, nice shooting. I’ll owe you one if we’re in the same round again. Name’s Linus.”
“Alex,” he replies, shaking Linus’s hand. “Let’s see how you do, then,” Alex adds, deciding to stick around for a moment to watch.
The soldier, now familiar with the magazine and having observed Alex’s early reload and his strategy of skipping certain balloons, performs much better. He completes two rounds, scoring 20 out of 25 both times and netting himself a total of 40 more golden coins.
“Not bad—you’re good at this,” Alex compliments him.
“Thanks, but even with me using your strategy, you still came out a bit ahead. I’m impressed—you’ve got some impressive pistol skills, Alex. I’ve been handling my babies every day for almost two decades, and you still managed to outshoot me. See you around.” They shake hands again, and Alex glances one last time at Linus’s custom pistols, admiring their unique, sleek design. Damn, are those custom-made? They look really cool.
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With his confidence high, Alex decides to try his luck with the Hook a Duck game, relying on both his LUK and SNS stats. I’ll put my Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship to use here, he thinks. If I handle the long fishing hook with the magnet as steadily as I would a sword, keeping my movements fluid and controlled, I should be able to hook the duck without slipping. Steiner’s training had emphasized smooth, continuous motions—movements that flow like water without sudden stops. That’s exactly the technique I’ll apply here.
With his plan set, Alex heads toward the stand, passing by a bunch of other booths along the way.
Alex observes many players around him, some shouting in excitement while others express anger and frustration, depending on their game results. If he weren’t carrying the insane risk of dying should he fail, he’d actually enjoy himself. Honestly, I have to give credit to Tsezguerra for organizing such a clever task, he thinks. This is a fantastic exam so far, letting candidates test various abilities. It combines physical strength, skill, and smart decision-making, giving everyone a fair shot to pass. And the setting? Unforgettable.
Alex takes a look around, taking in the sprawling carnival with its roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and various booths, all set within the eerie vastness of the underground bunker.
He finally reaches the Hook a Duck game and, to his surprise, finds that unlike the other attractions with long lines, this booth has no players lined up. A few disappointed examinees hover nearby, looking defeated.
One of them approaches Alex, muttering, “Dude, don’t even bother. You get three tries for one coin, and I tried nine times, only managed to win twice, and what did I get? One measly golden coin each time! It’s a scam, man! This game’s totally rigged—avoid it. The attendants here are evil scammers!”
Hearing this, the attendants at the booth immediately start making a call. Moments later, one of Tsezguerra’s team members arrives—a short, stocky man with dyed blond hair and dark brown skin. He listens to the attendant, who gestures at the player who’d been complaining to Alex, saying, “Hunter Rodriot, thank you for coming so quickly. This man was disrupting my stand!”
Without hesitation, Rodriot grabs the offending participant in a neck hold. “I didn’t do anything! I was just warning him!” the participant protests, his voice strained. But within seconds, Rodriot chokes him out, leaving him unconscious in a nearby corner, a bit away from the crowd.
“Call me again if there’s any more trouble!” Rodriot says to the attendant before wandering off to a nearby booth, snatching up a candied apple and a chocolate-covered banana, and stuffing his mouth, clearly annoyed he had to interrupt his snack.
Haha, this guy knows his priorities—that’s my kind of Hunter, Alex thinks with an inward chuckle, appreciating the man’s laid-back yet efficient style.
The attendant turns back to Alex with a more welcoming tone. “Examinee No. 777, is it? Apologies for the disturbance. Please, come closer and give our game a try!”
As Alex steps forward, he feels a flicker of doubt. Something’s off here. The other games are challenging, sure, but they always have people lined up. Why is this one empty? Is it a complete scam? Should I walk away? He hesitates, then reconsiders. No! Let’s think this through.
He closes his eyes and focuses on the setup of the supposedly simple game. A light breeze stirs behind the small pool. Wind, huh? Even the slightest swing of the string could cause the duck to slip off… I think I see the challenge here. His confidence returns. Let’s try it—the rest is up to luck.
“So, Examinee, are you ready for some fun?” the attendant asks with a smug grin. “This isn’t just a game but a test, so you’d better take it seriously. Many have failed this deceptively simple challenge!”
"Well, your game looks fun enough; I’ll give it a try!” Alex hands him a silver coin.
“You get three tries. Good luck,” the attendant says, handing Alex an extra-long fishing pole with a tiny magnet attached to the end.
Alex adjusts to the feel of the pole, imagining a sword in his grip. He gives it a slow sideways swing, carefully lowering the magnet onto a random duck, targeting a solid spot before hooking it. He raises the rod higher than necessary. This way, I’ll avoid the wind, Alex thinks confidently.
“Heh, smart move, Number 777. Let’s see if you can keep that flimsy rod steady!” The attendant chuckles, clearly doubting Alex.
But Alex closes his eyes, focusing intently, remembering Steiner’s teaching. With surprising ease, he maneuvers the pole and hooks the duck without a hitch, making the attendant gasp in disbelief.
“Well… congratulations. Just turn the duck around to see how many coins you won—it’s on the other side.”
Alex does so and grins, spotting a golden 25 on it. He proudly shows it to the stunned attendant. “You’re quite lucky, Examinee Number 777… you still have two more tries.”
Alex succeeds twice more, each time winning 5 golden coins.
That’s 85 out of 100 already. I like this game.
“Goodbye, Examinee Number 777. You did a fine job! Good luck!”
“Haha, are you joking, dear attendant?” Alex grins. “Why should I stop when I’m ahead?” He hands over not one but two more silver coins.
“I want six more tries!” he declares, leaving the attendant no choice but to comply.
“Alright, examinee… go ahead.”
With a calm smile, Alex repeats his success, smoothly fishing out six more ducks. His Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 3, a Gold rank skill makes this a breeze. He turns each duck over with a smile, announcing his winnings: “Five coins, three coins, three coins, three coins, one coin, and… 100 coins!”
“What?!” The attendant stares at the ducks. “But there’s only one 100-coin duck in the pond, and there are hundreds of others… how can you be this lucky? Well, congratulations on passing the first exam, I suppose.”
Alex grins, now holding 200 golden coins—twice the amount he needs. Turns out my LUK is a huge cheat indeed, he thinks. Guess I worried for nothing. Now I can take it a little easy.
With four more silver coins left, Alex decides to gamble them away. I need 300 more coins to hit the joke target Tsezguerra mentioned. No way I can do that without playing the luck-based games. I have nothing to lose, so let’s try!
Alex smiles, striding confidently toward his next game… the Lucky Wheel!