Chapter Title: The Final Blow
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Orc Wife defeated. +1 point.] [Orc Wife defeated. +1 point.] [Orc Wife defeated. +1 point.] [Orc Wife defeated. +1 point.]
Bang bang bang bang!
The muzzles gripped in both hands spewed fire.
How many orcs had I taken down already?
It felt like I'd turned nearly ten into Swiss cheese all by myself.
As proof,
[Points Held: 50]
The points I had right now totaled around fifty, stacked up through three level-ups.
"Invest all points into Magic Power!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Magic Power stat increased from 1.1 → 5.1.] [Stats above 5 require 50 points per increase.]
"What?!"
There was something like that?
Points came so easily that I'd figured I could pump every stat past ten if I played it right.
That was what I'd thought.
But who knew there was a system like this.
'Fifty points per level-up... that's pricier than a basic skill like Fireball...'
And that wasn't even the end of it.
Bang!
Boom boom boom!
Once my Magic Power went up, the bullets that used to just punch holes in orc skulls now blasted through like cannon fire, piercing the ones behind them too.
Of course, that was a good thing.
It was like my gun had upgraded from pistol to artillery.
The problem was...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Orc Wife defeated. +0.1 point.]
As my level rose, the points per kill dropped too.
'It used to give three per orc at first... now it's down to 0.1...'
My current level was 5.
Being able to solo Orc Wives from the dungeon's eighth layer like this put my skill around the upper end of D-rank Hunters.
Or maybe not. Since I'd dumped everything into Magic Power, that one stat might even hit C-rank territory.
"Even so... there are too damn many."
Magic was a special power born from mana flowing through the 'mana circuits' inside a living body—a separate system from blood in the veins.
In other words, casting spells was like draining blood from your veins.
I'd already butchered over twenty, and each time my body grew exhausted—only restored by those level-ups so far.
But now.
"Grrr..."
"Gruk! Gruk!"
Was it because I'd hit a decent level?
I could sense my magazine running low on bullets, and the next level-up to recover me felt a long way off.
"Instructor Kwon Sora! We can't hold out like this forever!"
"...!"
"Isn't there something we can do?"
"Hyunjun!"
We couldn't keep this up indefinitely.
There were way more of them than the bullets I had left.
With that in mind, I called out to Instructor Kwon Sora, who was single-handedly shredding an orc horde several times our party's size from behind our Beginner Course group.
"I'm hitting my limit soon too!"
"...! Is that so? You really don't have any hidden aces up your sleeve?"
"Hidden techniques?"
"Yes! When facing a massive monster horde like this, in the worst case, some hunters trigger 'area-of-effect magic' to escape!"
Area-of-effect magic, huh.
Come to think of it, I'd read about it in books.
The pinnacle of mage hunters' arts: spells that could reshape entire landscapes recorded on maps with a single cast.
Not even B-ranks—only a tiny fraction of A-ranks could pull it off.
"Ah, sorry. You've been pulling off one miracle after another, Hyunjun, so I got ahead of myself and asked something ridiculous of a guy."
Was she rating me highly?
Instructor Kwon Sora quickly realized what she'd said and shook her head.
Her face showed embarrassment at quizzing a rookie hunter on feats beyond even her reach.
But.
"Area-of-effect skill..."
My current Magic Power stat: 5.1.
A quarter of the way to the 20 cap.
Of course, pulling off AOE magic normally would've been impossible...
'But maybe... just maybe I can do it.'
The technique I was using didn't feel like 'magic' so much as 'technology.'
This suit was covering my weaknesses.
No, more than that—it was amplifying my strengths.
Definitely worth a shot.
"Fire Shot, charge."
Vrrrrm.
I aimed the pistols in both hands forward but didn't fire.
Instead, I focused the red energy flowing from the suit into my hands.
It felt like all the blood in my body rushed to my arms.
The red glow of mana blazing in my heart began scorching the skin around my hands, followed by searing pain like my bones melting.
"Guh... guaaah!"
"Hyunjun!"
Instructor Kwon Sora whipped around, noticing my state from behind.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Mine too, of course—and the orc hordes sandwiching us front and back were starting to dry out from the rising heat.
"It suddenly got hotter around here... Was that you, Hyunjun?"
"Yes! Ngh... but it needs more time... It might fizzle out midway!"
"It's fine. I'll cover everything, so focus on that technique, Hyunjun!"
Could I really pull this off?
Or would it just be slightly hotter bullets?
Doubts raced through my mind for a moment.
But back in my old world, there was a saying: once a man draws his sword, he has to cut grass at least.
This was the moment.
Vrrrrmmm.
"I-I'll help too!"
"...! Haseon!"
Was Yuna's treatment finally done?
Park Haseon placed both hands on my back, channeling her Priest Hunter healing into me.
It felt like dumping a bucket of cold tap water on my overheating engine.
The damage was still overwhelming, but it eased the pain a bit.
That was enough.
Because I was ready now.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ [Skill 'Fire Shot' has reached full charge!]
[New enlightenment obtained!]
[Acquired skill 'Fire Cannon'!]
"...! A new skill..."
Thankfully, my instincts were right—this wasn't some dud.
Proof: the two pistols, glowing red-hot like molten iron, fused together into an entirely new weapon.
A massive, beautiful sniper rifle—like a tank barrel grafted onto it whole.
"Heavy...!"
Even shouldered, the insane weight dragged the sight downward.
No way I could lift and fire it solo.
But then.
"Hyunjun!"
"We'll help! Fire away!"
"Ah, Yuna! Heena!"
The fully recovered Thief Hunter twins.
Yuna and Heena stepped right in front of me and started supporting the sniper rifle's weight.
"Urghhh...!"
"S-So heavy!"
"Hyunjun! Don't shoot behind us—aim toward the portal ahead!"
Instructor Kwon Sora called out, directing our barely-held barrel her way.
"Monsters can't approach within range of the portal anyway!"
"What about you, Instructor?!"
"I'll dash right behind you the moment before you fire!"
As she spoke, she tossed corpses from the ground ahead to widen the gap between us and the orcs.
The front horde recoiled, unwilling to touch the filthy bodies.
Vrrrrrrrm—!
Right now.
"Instructor! Run!"
"...!"
This instant.
This timing.
The moment she vanished from view, per my sharpened senses...
"Pierce them!"
I pulled Fire Cannon's trigger.
An ultra-high-heat laser erupted from the barrel-like muzzle, painting my entire field of vision red as it lanced forward.
A massive hole tore open in the endless orc horde, clear through to the portal's glow.
And then came...
Rumble rumble rumble.
A colossal explosion rocked the earth.
No screams from the front horde—not even a whimper.
They'd been vaporized before they could register their deaths.
"Ngh...!"
"Kyaa?!"
"This is that legendary area-of-effect magic...?"
"An E-rank rookie... a male hunter pulling off a technique like this..."
A few seconds later, the tremors faded.
The sight that emerged left us all speechless, me included.
Nothing remained ahead, all the way to the portal linking to the seventh layer.
Literally nothing.
Not even the side-path walls—wiped clean alongside the orcs, turned bald as a mountain.
The terrain had literally changed.
From one shot by a mere E-rank hunter.
"Hah... hah... Is this... for real...?"
"Ah, Hyunjun!"
"Your mana is draining fast from inside! If it keeps up, your mana circuits will convert life force to mana for self-repair!"
"Wha—?!"
"Life force turning to mana...?"
"Damn it, Hyunjun! Stay with us! At least take off that suit!"
"Hah... hah..."
Everyone around me was saying something...
But I couldn't make it out...
More than that, I'm so sleepy...
The path's clear now, so maybe I can rest...
With that thought, I dropped the sniper rifle to the ground with a thud, and my eyelids closed.
"Hyunjun!"