Chapter 1097

〈 Chapter 1097 〉 Dark Moon

Lexi, with an eerie expression on her face as she stared at me, soon regained her composure and asked:

“Why did you lower your gun? You still had a chance to shoot, three times in fact.”

Even if you miss the target, we’ll give you three tries.

“It’s meaningless. The target is out of sight and I can’t see it.”

To be honest, hitting the 850M target felt like a miracle. The 850M target looked smaller than a grain of rice. The only reason I could even see it was because the shooting range was flat without obstacles and the weather was good. Hitting a 850M target with the naked eye in real combat would be impossible.

“Hmph, it’s hard to hit something you can’t see. But what if you could?”

“If I can see it, I’ll hit it. Anyone could. Hitting a stationary target is easy.”

“You seem to think shooting is easy now. This… makes things more interesting for me.”

“That was my limit right there.”

Lexi approached me. She stood directly in front of me, blocking my path, and I awkwardly frowned. She was my instructor, and I was both a slave and a test subject. Passing her by disrespectfully would bring consequences.

“Can you hit it if you can see it?”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, I confidently replied. Ever since entering this game world, my shooting skills have felt effortless.

“You may use the Telescope Magic.”

“…I’ve never heard of that magic.”

“Ah, that’s right. You’re still new here. It’s a Grade 2 magic. An enhancement magic that boosts vision.”

Lexi extended her hand toward my head. For a moment, I flinched but quickly realized she wasn’t trying to harm me, so I relaxed slightly.

‘…Judging by the situation, this must be Telescope Magic. I should memorize its formula.’

Grade 2 magic. Feeling the formula, it’s definitely more intricate than Grade 1 magic.

‘If this requires 5 mana nodes… casting might take some time, but I could probably use it.’

The formula gathers around my eyes. It seeps into them. This feels different from Light or Fire magic.

‘So this is physical enhancement magic.’

A sudden thought occurs to me: If I combine the Telescope formula with the Light Scope formula, could my eyes emit light? Of course, this is just speculation.

‘Trying this and going blind would be an irreversible idiotic move.’

Lexi removed her hand from my head. When I focus, my vision sharpens. Lexi’s face appears magnified; I can even see the tiny pores in her skin. When I relax, my vision returns to normal.

“This is Telescope Magic. It will last about an hour. Now, pick up your gun and check the target.”

I followed her instructions.

The 900M target came into view. The steel target stood untouched, as if no one had ever hit it.

“Think you can hit it?”

With Lexi’s voice filled with anticipation, I responded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Then pull the trigger.”

I pulled the trigger as requested.

Bang.

The familiar gunshot rang out as the bullet flew. About a second later, it struck the center of the target, causing it to move backward. I checked the electronic scoreboard next to the shooting range. The number marked “900M” changed to “1,000M.” That’s the distance to the target.

“Can you see it?”

“Yes.”

“Can you do it?”

“Yes.”

“Show me your true limit. If your true potential impresses me…”


“Alright, I’ll give you a reward.”

“…A reward, you say?”

“Hmm. There could be various ones, right?”

Sergeant Lexi’s rank is Corporal. Just how much authority does she have? It’s not like it’s very high. Still, I suppressed my expectations and focused. I was curious about my own limits too.

“You need to know your limits to grow, right.”

I pulled the trigger.

Right on target as always.

From over 2,000M to 3,000M, I hit the mark. From 2,500M onward, I couldn’t quite hit dead center, but I still hit the target.

The target didn’t move back any further. The set limit was 3,000M.

“Don’t lower your weapon. I haven’t seen your limit yet.”

Lexi went to the control booth and pressed some buttons. A new target appeared at 100M. The target moved in a way that seemed to taunt me—somewhat regular but not entirely predictable. The speed of movement was about that of a walking human.

“Start shooting.”

My index finger moved. The gun barrel spat fire. The bullet flew and hit the moving target.

“Feels good. Knew you’d hit it.”

Her exclamation barely registered in my ears. I was intensely focused on the target that had moved further back.

Confirm the target. Pull the trigger. Hit the target. Confirm the target. Pull the trigger. Hit the target.

The mechanical loop started to falter when the target was at 1,500M. The bullet missed and struck the ground.

“You still have two more chances. Take a deep breath and try again.”

As Lexi said, there were chances left. I calmed my mind with a deep breath and refocused.

*Bang.*

The target moved back.

And at 1,800M, I lost all my chances. With regret, I lowered my gun. Lexi approached with a sly smile and hugged me. Though my spirit may be an adult’s, my body is still in its growing phase, so I’m shorter than her. My face buried into her ample bosom.

“Rookie! You’re truly a genius! Who would’ve thought I’d discover such talent here! With proper training… you might become the top sniper of the Frisell Kingdom!”

“…”

I quietly felt Lexi’s chest. Opportunities like this don’t come often. She let go of me after about 5 seconds.

“You can look forward to your reward.”

Lexi grinned as she spoke. Whatever it was, gaining the goodwill of one instructor was a good thing.

Later, Lexi ordered me to do free shooting while she helped the other kids. She corrected their posture and taught them shooting techniques. Except for number 31, they were all just average.

By the end of the class, my record slightly improved to 1,820M.

Lexi handed me a chocolate bar. Since my mouth was craving something, I ate it all immediately. Everyone looked at me enviously. Objectively, it was a pretty normal taste, but subjectively, it was fantastic.

•••

After dinner in the cafeteria, I returned to the dormitory. Personal maintenance time was given. It was a honey-like free time.

Most people spent this free time similarly—studying magic books.

We aren’t soldiers; we’re lab rats. If we can’t prove our worth here, we’ll be disposed of. And disposal means death.

I also took out my magic book and opened the page I stopped reading earlier in the morning. On the page, ice magic incantations were written.

Just as I was about to focus on the book, number 212 sitting next to me spoke to me.

“211. You were amazing today. After going through that mana backlash, you seem like a completely different person. Especially the shooting… you even surpassed that 31’s record. What’s your secret?”

“Secret? …Maybe because of what Instructor Venus mentioned about the mana backlash.”

“So it really was because of that? An unconscious awakening? Ah, if I experience a mana backlash, will I gain some insight too?”

“Perhaps. But I’m not exactly sure what kind of insight it is.”

I vaguely evaded the question. As for shooting or magic, I’m just as clueless. It feels odd to simply attribute it to talent blooming.

‘Could it be some special privilege granted upon entering the game?’

Number 212 interacted with me a bit more naturally than yesterday. She probably thinks she can glean some crumbs of knowledge from me. Unfortunately, I can’t offer her anything. Neither of us has any advantage over the other.

An hour before evening roll call, I showered in the bathroom. There were separate sections for men and women. Even though we’re slaves and test subjects, since we’ll eventually become battle mages, we’re treated relatively well.

‘Even lab rats come in expensive and cheap varieties…’


“Hmph. At least this is the expensive side, so it’s tolerable.”

Other countries conduct human experiments too.

“Among them, there are places where slaves are treated worse than livestock—like bugs. Lucky for us it’s not that kind of place.”

Not that I’m satisfied with this life. I will escape slavery and regain my freedom.

•••

It was combat training time.

The combat instructor was a young man.

Instructor Belha. He had a robust build, and his face, hands, and arms were covered in scars of various sizes. He was openly watching me.

“Figures. Instructor Lexi must have said something about me.”

I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, which made me uncomfortable. Still, it wasn’t necessarily bad.

“I mustn’t forget my situation. I could be discarded at any moment. I need to prove my abilities.”

That said, I didn’t plan to reveal everything I had. I’ll escape from here someday, and keeping something in reserve would surely help.

“Since we’ve already covered the basics last session… let’s do some sparring today. Number 31. Number 211. Step forward.”

Instructor Belha grinned as he spoke.

He picked me as Number 31’s opponent. I don’t know what Instructor Lexi told him, but it seemed like Belha overestimated me.

I couldn’t defy the instructor, so I stepped forward. Number 31 approached from the front. Her purple hair swayed with every step, and her deep red eyes exuded a chilling calm. She was anything but ordinary.

“The format is free sparring. Use of mana is prohibited. Attacks targeting the eyes or groin are forbidden. Biting your opponent is also banned.”

Instructor Belha clenched his fists while explaining the rules.

Though my talent in magic and marksmanship amazed even myself, hand-to-hand combat was different. I was confident in it. Before entering this game-like world, I was an F-ranked Hunter. Even though it was the lowest rank, I wasn’t an ordinary person. I had experience fighting monsters. On the other hand, my opponent seemed inexperienced.

“Begin.”

Instructor Belha gave the order.

Without any probing, Number 31 charged straight in.

“I can see the movements…”

If I could clearly see the movements, all I needed was composure to counter.

Punch!

“……!!”

I stumbled back after being hit in the chest. My breath caught in my throat, and my legs trembled uncontrollably. Mentally, I was utterly baffled.

“I definitely saw the punch. I even raised my arm to counterattack. So why did I get hit?”

Number 31’s fist aimed for my face again. This time, I put up my palm, intending to grab her wrist and flip her over.

Crack.

But once more, she landed a blow on me.

“Damn it…”

I realized the problem.

It was simple: my body wasn’t keeping up with my mind. No matter how hard I tried to block her attacks, my hands and legs were two beats too slow.

Physical conditioning wasn’t the issue. Number 31 and I were almost evenly matched in physical capability, and as a slave and test subject, Number 211 had maintained above-average physical fitness thanks to good food and regular exercise.

“This is the complete opposite of marksmanship. I have no talent for combat.”

Another punch came flying.

Even knowing it was coming, I couldn’t dodge.

Slap! PunchPunch!

While getting pummeled, I thought:

“If only I could use magic… maybe the outcome would’ve been different.”

Magic was out of the question; this was a mana-free sparring match.

“Enough.”

The match was stopped by Instructor Belha. Number 31 immediately ceased her relentless barrage and backed off. I had spent the entire sparring session getting beaten up. My whole body ached.

“You’re not cut out for combat, it seems. Number 211, your fundamentals are lacking. Go practice punching the sandbag.”

“…Yes, Instructor.”

“Number 31, I know you haven’t properly warmed up yet. Spar with Number 37.”

While others honed their skills through sparring, I was relegated to hitting the sandbag. I didn’t feel particularly wronged. In fact, I considered myself lucky.

“At least I’m not being punished. Is this leniency because of my marksmanship?”

I threw a punch at the sandbag. Initially, I attacked it with enthusiasm. But as time passed, I became increasingly aware of my lack of talent in combat. Eventually, I lazily swung my fists while daydreaming about magic instead.