*Huff huff*
"It finally ended," one of the newcomers leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. While they weren't in danger directly, the stress of everything was more than enough to tire them out. Just imagine it. If the defense lost, everyone inside would have been killed.
"I'm heading back to the armory," Genji announced and took off.
There are two reasons for it. One is to restock his supplies, and the second is to return the sniper. Over the last few hours, he had been shooting nonstop, causing it to overheat and experience a drastic decrease in durability. Right now, there are 3 points left. If possible, Genji would rather not have to pay the 300,000 fee for destroying this fragile weapon.
"It's you," the attendant glared at him. It seemed like he was still upset about the stolen energy cell.
"Yes. The guy that killed all those Ravengers." Genji knew what he was talking about but pretended not to.
"What do you want?"
"A replacement. This one's been through quite the beating."
"You can leave it here. This time, I'll get your things."
"Whatever makes you happy."
Genji didn't mind the difference in treatment. He doubted he would get another chance to nab a purple energy cell, so he wasn't going to try. As for the attendant doing the job himself, that's his prejudice.
Minutes later, Genji got a brand-new sniper and some energy cells. The attendant couldn't afford to give him much since they were running low.
"The commander wants to talk to you. Head over after informing your squad," he told him as Genji was walking out.
"Will do."
----------------------------------------
After asking around, Genji found himself knocking on a large metal door.
"Who's there?" A voice came from the speaker on the side.
"The sniper. I heard the commander wants to meet me." Genji didn't bother introducing himself and led with his achievements instead. That's what he's known for. The voice instantly understood who he is. There's only one sniper that was known throughout the battle.
"Come in."
The doors slid open and revealed a long hallway for Genji to walk down. At the end of it, Genji came across a room full of Celestials. Each person in this room had a dignified feeling to them and at the front of the group, was a person in a martial artist's robes.
"You're the unknown sniper?"
"Enigma of EverRealm."
"I see. Still, your skills surpass many of your peers."
"So what do you want with me?"
Genji was speaking informally with the commander and no one was bothered by it. After countless cycles of interacting with members of EverRealm, they've gotten used to their peculiarities. If they have to throw their weight around every time they meet one, then they will quickly go insane from repeating themselves so much.
"I want to transfer you to the main defense tower. It's a waste of your abilities to have you shoot from that cramped spot."
"Sure. When do I start?"
Genji wasn't surprised by this. With the abilities he revealed in that battle, it would be more surprising if he wasn't put somewhere more useful. Because of the nature of the Celestial faction, stats don't have as much impact as the other Factions.
This faction relies heavily on energy weapons to augment the combat powers of their weaker members. While this might be true, one would still have to be a fool to underestimate them based on this. Every faction has its fair share of powerhouses or they wouldn't be able to stay on this planet. It simply means Genji can fight above his level using the help of equipment.
"Right away. We're in a state of weakness so we could use your help right now."
[You have triggered the mission: Guarding]
Description: Help defend the fortress as they recoup from the battle
Duration: 8 hours
Reward: 10,000 contribution points.
"Who's going to show me the way?"
A celestial standing beside the commander stepped out.
"I'm Hamilton. I'll be your partner for this duration."
Hamilton led Genji up a sniper's tower and set up watch.
"Are you a sniper as well?" Genji made some small talk to get to know this person.
"I'm nowhere near your abilities."
"But you're competent. Otherwise, you wouldn't be paired with me."
Hamilton didn't answer, but Genji accepted his silence as an agreement.
"So what is life like here?"
"Just shooting and hoping we don't encounter something from the main battlefields."
"Sounds rough. What was your life like before this place? I heard this is a meat grinder, but I never heard anything about how people lived outside it."
Hamilton pressed his lips together, considering what to say.
"I was the only son in a poorer family. After I reached adulthood, we ran into a financial crisis because of my mom's sickness. To cover her treatment, I volunteered to enter this place. It's been 20 years since."
"That's quite the backstory. As for me, I was an orphan that entered the killing trade to seek excitement. Eventually, I managed to join EverRealm around 8 months ago."
"Only 8 months?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"From what I heard, it takes years to reach this level of power."
"You must be thinking of the lower ranks. Their results are subpar so they spend that long. As for the stronger ones, who knows? Everyone takes different routes and has different conditions. All that matters is strength."
Hamilton pondered that statement for a few seconds before agreeing.
"Yes. Strength. Sometimes I envy you realm members. With enough time, you can reach unfathomable heights while we have to struggle to barely reach our limits."
"That's only one side of the coin. With our unrestricted growth comes immense dangers. Take this place for example. If we aren't careful, we can easily end up dead."
"I guess you are right."
Seeing Hamilton fall silent again, Genji inwardly sighed. Why is this person so awkward? Can't he see that he's trying to make this shift interesting?
"Do you drink?"
Left with no choice, Genji pulled out one of his limited rare bottles of rum and some food items.
"Drink what?"
'It seems like life on the battlefield is very dull. He doesn't even know about alcohol. On second thought, does his world even have alcohol?'
"Nevermind then. Have a taste of the food. It isn't anything great but it should be a change of pace from whatever you're having."
Genji didn't bother offering the rum. For a first-time drinker, he would rather not be the one to deal with the unpredictable behaviors that might result. Plus he only has so many of these so he's going to treasure them.
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"You have some interesting stuff in your storage."
"You even know about that? Really feels like you know more about us than you should."
"It's hard not to when every one of you shows these abilities without care."
"That's true." Genji let out a small chuckle and continued talking about random stuff.
----------------------------------------
"Hey, we got company," Hamilton said as he looked through a telescope.
"Oh? I thought we'd never have any action," Genji said as he got up and walked over. It had been a few hours since they started, and this was the first major event.
Looking through the large telescope, Genji saw a blurry figure in the distance. He could barely make out some energy lines on the figure, similar to the Celestials.
Yet Genji knew the incoming figure was not a Celestial. It was too metallic for that, and Celestials traveled by ships instead of running.
"What faction is that?"
"Sentinels. Specifically, androids controlled by ManaRealm members."
"Remote control?"
"Yes. The reason the Sentinels are acknowledged to have the highest technology is because of this. While we use technology to support our fights, the Sentinels are made of it. Everything about them is technology. Think of them like supercomputers with intelligence."
"I see. Cover me for a second."
Genji got into position and aimed his sniper rifle.
"You're going to shoot from here? That's at least five kilometers away."
"It's worth a shot since they're heading right for us."
Genji steadied his hands and entered a tranquil state. His heartbeat slowed down as he considered all possible factors. Five kilometers is a huge distance for a sniper, but the plasma bullets go for a long distance before dissipating (normal snipers shoot from around 1 km).
*Pew*
Through the telescope, Hamilton saw the side of the android disappear as the plasma shot blasted a hole through its chest. The android quickly stopped in place and looked around, but found nothing. Genji was just too far away. If it wasn't for the enhanced scope, Genji wouldn't have been able to even see the figure.
Genji took a deep breath and tried again. This time, the android was more alert and managed to dodge the bullet in time.
"I don't think I can do much right now," Genji said and stepped back.
"You'll get plenty of chances later. From what I can tell, it's a whole unit."
"Let me know when they peak their heads. My scope can barely see them right now."
Genji took out some energy cells and started stacking them in an easily accessible place, preparing to unleash a barrage. A few minutes later, Hamilton gave him the heads up.
Genji got into position and quickly found their traces. Three kilometers away and in a group. It seems like they stopped worrying about a sniper after the first shot. Not like this will cost them. Their real bodies are who knows where.
"Do you want me to shoot as well? I only have 50% confidence at this distance."
"No. Leave the shooting to me. Keep an eye on their positions," Genji replied.
Hamilton nodded and prepared to observe the sniper that stabilized the situation.
*Pew pew pew pew*
From the rate of fire, Hamilton would have never thought the shots came from a sniper. The surprising thing? All of the shots were headshots.
'How is he doing that so fast?'
Hamilton peeked at Genji to see him rapidly adjusting the aim while firing the moment the trigger came up. Once the energy bar dimmed, Genji would reach for an energy cell, fire one last shot, and reload instantly, minimizing the time between shots.
'How spectacular. I've never considered reloading like that.'
This was not a surprising fact. Hamilton is a sniper, not a machine gunner. Under normal circumstances, he would never need to fire like this.
Hamilton turned back to the enemies and saw them scurry for cover behind some large rocks.
"They might be opening their thrusters soon. It'll be very hard to lock onto them once that happens."
"They already did."
"What?"
Hamilton finally noticed the blue flames peaking out from behind the cover. As for the fallen androids, some of them have molten metal behind them.
'No way. He managed to hit them at that speed?'
"And we switch," Genji pulled back after a few more minutes of staring at rocks. Since they are determined to hide, he'll let them do so. When they want to move, Hamilton can call him. For now, he needs to let his sniper cool.
"Aren't you going to wait for them to peak?"
"No. I won't get many kills that way. I might as well let them come out first."
"Eh?" This answer went against everything he knew as a sniper. Wasn't a sniper supposed to be someone with patience, waiting for the right moment to shoot? Why is this guy so fidgety?
"Do you know the difference between us?" Genji noticed this confusion and decided to explain.
"Our skill level?" Hamilton didn't know where this is going, but he answered anyways.
"No. It's our style," Genji answered.
"Style?"
"Yes. While you are a sniper that aims to kill in one shot, I shoot to massacre. You take careful shots at your target while I unleash a storm, hoping one of them hits. You prefer to suppress them and wait them out while I willingly give up ground so I can kill more of them. You try to conserve your shots while I don't care for the usage. That's the difference in us."
"But you can shoot like this because your aim is better," Hamilton argued back.
"No. It's because I shoot so much that my aim gets better. Through countless trials and errors, I get a sense of what's possible with the equipment. Now I want you to try what I did when they come out."
Genji sat down by the telescope and switched positions with him. Hamilton gazed at him in confusion but obeyed nevertheless. It's not often he gets pointers from a better sniper.
'Good, I managed to bluff him into it.'
Genji smiled to himself when he saw Hamilton taking aim. While what he said has some truth to it, his main reason was to get Hamilton to take the shooting post. It's not easy to focus so much. All that scary accuracy has to come from somewhere, you know? If he can conserve his stamina, why would he exert himself so much?
"Yes, that's it. Flick your wrist slightly when adjusting your aim. When you are shooting, get into a rhythm of reloading when your energy is half empty."
As for how effective the advice is, only Hamilton knows. Genji is just saying things at this point, taking this chance to slack while he can.
"How is it? Feel the improvement yet?"
Hamilton was so focused on shooting that he didn't have the chance to reply until the targets hid behind another cover.
"No. It feels like I'm missing a whole lot."
"That's fine. Just work at your own pace. It took me thousands of shots to get used to firing this way."
What Genji failed to mention is that is the result of his Grandmaster-level proficiency. With such a strong foundation, it was no surprise he was able to adopt this style, but it is a different story for Hamilton. If converting his proficiency to EverRealm terms, Hamilton would be at Master level so it might take tens of thousands of shots to reach Genji's level.
After a while, Hamilton managed to force the androids to retreat. The entire time, they had no idea where the sniper was located. They knew the location, but it seems like no matter how they ran in that direction, they would only be met with more bullets. By the end of everything, they were about to cough up blood from anger.
What kind of sniper just shoots half-hazardly and hopes it hits? Where is their training? Just who gave the orders to this group of snipers? Yes, they thought it was a group firing at them. How else can they explain the rapid fire? Such a stupid and unrealistic strategy. Who has the resources to shoot like that? How fucking shameless.
"How is it? Does it not feel good to rain hell upon your targets from a distance?"
"I think I understand why you got so skilled now," Hamilton agreed. That was the best time he had in a while. With that enthusiasm, it would be a surprise if he doesn't get better.
"If you're up for it, then feel free to continue. I won't fight with you over kills."
"Thanks. I will."
Both of them ended the conversation in a good mood. Hamilton is happy because he sees a path to improvement, while Genji is happy to continue slacking. It truly is a strange status quo.
----------------------------------------
They were near the end of their shift when another major event happened. Through the telescope, Genji was able to see a brontosaurus stomping toward them. Seeing this towering giant with purple tentacles approaching, he had a bad feeling.
"Is that the beast faction?"
Hamilton peeked through the telescope and drew a sharp breath.
"Damm! Why are we so unlucky today? First the Zergs, then androids, and lastly beasts. Judging by the size, only a photon laser can kill it. What's something like that doing here?"
"The same thing we're running low on?"
Genji had only seen the laser fire once during the entire Zerg siege. After that, it never activated again, so Genji assumed they were running low on energy.
"Yes. That's the whole reason we are guarding here."
"Seems like our period of weakness will be prolonged."
"Sadly. And are those tentacles I see coming out of it?"
"Yes. Is that normal?"
"Oh hell no. That's a characteristic of the parasite faction. Shit! Now we have to deal with the combination of the beast's strong body and the parasite's undying characteristics. Can we get any unluckier?"
When Genji heard about the parasite faction, he had the feeling he was partly responsible. Since he got marked by the faction, his position would be relayed to them constantly. It was no surprise then for the king to send a powerful foe like this to take him out.
"How long do we need to recharge the photon laser?"
"Longer than we have," Hamilton replied, "That beast is covering a lot of ground because of its size. We might have a breach on our hands."
"Not on my watch," Geni said, preparing to do everything he can to delay it.
Taking out his replenished stock of energy cells, Genji prepared to unload everything onto the creature.
*Pew pew*
Multiple shots caused the creature to tilt its head back, but the shots only tickled it. Faint traces of blood could be seen as he unleashed energy cell after energy cell into the wound. Yet all this proved futile when the wound started recovering. By this point, Genji could feel the shaking of the ground as the monstrosity approached them.
"Seems like I have to use that after all," Genji said as he pulled out the level two cell.
Seeing him with this, Hamilton couldn't help but ask how he got his hands on one. A level two cell doesn't just provide more energy. It's a qualitative change in the nature of it. By using a higher energy cell, one can unleash power far greater than the previous one.
"Don't worry about it."
Genji slotted it in and quickly pulled the trigger, instantly causing the sniper to overheat from the volatile energy. This time, the brontosaurus stumbled after receiving the attack. In this one attack, Genji dealt more damage than his other shots combined.
Genji didn't let up and continued to hit the same spot with pinpoint accuracy, forming a large hole in the side of the head. For a normal creature, this wound would be enough, but this isn't a normal creature. It's a beast parasitized by tentacles. The real body is hidden somewhere inside while the outer appearance has become nothing but a shell to exert its former powers. It was a nasty combination.
As if proving how troublesome it is, tentacles squirted out of the body and started patching the wound together. These tentacles pulled the flesh near each other and covered the ones impossible to stretch. Genji tried to unleash another round but realized if he keeps going, the sniper is going to be destroyed.
"Lend me yours," Genji said as he popped out of the half-empty energy cell.
Then, without waiting for permission, Genji grabbed Hamilton's sniper and shoved it in. Another short burst followed in the same spot, but the attack was futile. The brain might be exposed, but the parasite is somewhere else. Unless he can find where it's hiding, he can't stop this moving corpse.
"Dammit! How long do we need?"
"Five minutes."
"How long until it reaches us?"
"Four minutes. Unless we can delay for that time, one minute is more than enough for that beast to break through the fortress and cause mass destruction."
"Just one minute?"
Hamilton had a weird feeling as he heard Genji's question. Why does he sound crazy instead of afraid? And is that excitement he detects in his voice?
"Enigma, what are you planning to do?"
"Delay for one minute."
"Hold on. How-"
But before Hamilton could finish his sentence, Genji threw aside the sniper rifle and broke into a run. When he got to the edge of the tower, he opened his cloak and jumped.