A dull pain shook my shoulder and I felt as if my heart just left my body.

The small spark ignited from the end of my Photon Rifle sent out a dazzling beam of light following the prediction trail that my Terminal indicated. Hitting the target on point with a small burst as the target vanished.

Despite looking similar to my online games thanks to my terminal. Reality really hit hard and the thought of shooting such a weapon multiple times in a tense situation drains me even further.

The targets called The «Depraved» and the one I just shot were one of many wildlife variants of them at lowest levels which are not very dangerous as they do not have the capability to corrupt the lands.

I tried taking a deep breath and held it in trying to stay as calm as possible.

-Beep- My terminal updated and indicated three new threats coming near me.

“Damn it one at a time please…” My hand started to tremble slightly as I steadied my aim towards the nearest target.

With a short pause, I pulled the trigger. The Proton Rifle, pulsed in a blue light, burst out a stream of light and another target disintegrated into ashes with a shriek.

These slightly overgrown mutated Rats called «Brats» really need a new name. I thought to myself as I aimed for the next target. It feels like the one who named them has a grudge against kids.

Another light burst forth from my Proton Rifle once again claiming another victim.

I coughed and gasped for air as the last shot felt heavier than before. If this were my game avatar I wouldn't have been struggling with the recoil. The feeling of my hands slowly soaking in sweat and my rapid heartbeats is something incomparable to even pro gaming tournaments.

Of course.

Even though it seems I’m easily dispatching the enemies, in reality this is a dangerous situation for me. The fact that I'm alone outside the safe borders fighting for my life didn’t change.

Why, you ask? It’s because I hate being looked down on by people who only see my worth as the little brother of the Leading Operator. But now that I'm here, I'm pretty much stuck since the barrier is a one way exit so I need to find the re-entry point.

-Beep-Beep- My terminal gave out a warning, the third enemy came close enough that I could feel a shiver run down my spine from its gaze. It was a «Razor Mane», a class 2 Depraved that resembled a wolf with a sharp steel like coat and should be dealt with caution.

“This must be why there were so many Brats, so you were hunting them right?”

I questioned the wolf but there was no way a monster would have understood the words that I had muttered, but strangely the wolf seemed to eerily smile back, showing its sharp fangs that were dripping with the blood of his prey.

Another sharp pain struck my shoulder as I quickly pulled the trigger hoping to take it down by surprise. A burst of light quickly shot out and accurately struck the target, Followed by a loud painful yelp heard after the blast causing a cloud of ash to obscure the target.

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“Ugh, i should quickly leave before the noise from before attracts more of the «Depraved»”

I could have taken their «Animatter» and sold it off or just show off my kills but I doubt my shoulder can withstand anymore Full charged shots from my Photon Rifle if anymore show up.

-BEEP-WARNING-Highly advised to force release Adrenaline- A danger sign I didn't expect popped up and the target that was set on the wolf was suddenly above me.

“What the-”

Stunned by the sudden development I tripped and fell forward with a roll, narrowly avoiding the large claws that would have struck where my neck was.

“Groowl” The angry wolf pounced back seemingly wary of the rifle i held.

It survived despite having one ear missing and blood was flowing down slowly corroding what’s left of the vegetation on the barren land of dust and rocks.

I quickly approved the adrenaline boost and I felt a small prick near my neck that stimulated the release of adrenaline. It was a risky move knowing that after the adrenaline wears off I could be in an even more dangerous situation if I overdo myself now.

“...Ha!”

With a short shout, I switched to burst fire which was more manageable for my shoulder as I retreated along the barrier while emptying my Photon Rifles charge.

The wolf snarled and whimpered as it got struck by the dense fire rate. At the same time, my terminal analyzed the wolf and showed little to no visible damage dealt aside from the previous shot.

“Damn it!” I cursed as I ran as fast as I could with little to no cover to hide from the wolf.

But there was hope. The distant sound of Particle shots could be heard a few hundred meters away should be where the re-entry point is.

The wolf sensing my plan started to speed up and was planning to cut me off. It howled and started releasing its mist-like ability to cover itself.

“Raarrggh!” I shouted to hype myself as I ran while recharging my Photon Rifle with my spare Animatter cartridge.

“Awooo!”

As soon as I heard the wolf howl again, it suddenly appeared in front of me, and opened its claws and fangs towards me.

With the help of the adrenaline, I swiftly dropped my body to slide forward and counter attacked with a fully charged shot.

The wolf was blown away, splattered and burst into pieces as it disintegrated. A painful screech followed.

However, the relief didn’t come. Rather I felt a searing pain across my face and my right eye suddenly died red and black.

“Aa-Argghhh!!! N-no this can’t be happening!”

I was infected by a level 2 that my brother could easily handle without breaking a sweat.

Thinking back, am I really that worthless without the prestige of my brother?

My hands and legs trembled hard, the effects of the adrenaline were starting to wear off. With shaky hands i took out the «Scarifice» the only working medicine that could counteract the corrosion dealt by the Depraved. The scary thing is, it's also just as painful as its purpose is to burn off the wound with another corrosion that would permanently scar the affected wound in exchange for survival.

“Haha.. without strength, without prestige, and now without a face.. At least no one will ever know it's me.”

Without much thinking I quickly splashed the Scarifice onto my face only covering my unwounded eye.The pain was so unbearable but because of the effect of Adrenaline I had to endure the pain of having half my face melted off. With a tremendous scream, I shouted till my lungs felt they were burning.

-BEEP- My terminal notified me of 5 new hostiles approaching.

“HA-HA-HA come at me you bastards!”

I already felt like I was losing my mind as I got up slowly.

I was done with everything, I felt like nothing about my life paid off. Not my effort, not my achievements, and not even my existence. But I was a coward, and more than anything I was afraid of death.

Am i an idiot that despite my suicidal thoughts and the fact if i just gave up i could have had a quick death without having to endure all the pain right now?

As I started to once more run again on the uneven barren lands, I finally found the re-entry point across a ravine that I had to cross to reach.

Switching to Flare mode, I shot a few bursts to signal help.

“At least until I find the truth of my brother's whereabouts I can't give up…at least not yet!” I mumbled to myself.

More alerts came from my Terminal resulting from my Flare shots for help.

The adrenaline wore off, and my feet trembled to stay standing.

But my will to survive stayed strong.