Inferno Knuckle leaped toward a horde of monsters, delivering a powerful blow that sent them flying. Flames covered his fists, adding intense heat to his already powerful strikes as he fought through the horde, punching his way from monster to monster. With each encounter, he delivered a swift jab followed by a crushing uppercut, dropping each creature with a single blow. Pivoting seamlessly, he launched into the next foe with a devastating hook. His attacks were relentless, ensuring no monster was left standing.
"This is easy," he thought. The mission was simple, this team handling an F-Class Gate is overkill. But it was chosen as the backdrop for an entertainment show, and while sidekicks had signed waivers, real deaths would still be a serious matter. So it had to be easy.
Inferno Knuckle glanced at the other two teams.
Evermoss reclined on her hovering broomstick, her curvy form draped effortlessly over its sleek frame. The gentle curve of her waist was accentuated by the way she lounged, while her flawless, milky, plump thighs crossed gracefully over each other. She let out an alluring yawn as her pitiful sidekick struggled to battle the horde with his blade.
It was only when a green, glowing moss emanated beneath her sidekick's feet, occasionally sprouting green thorns to dispatch him from danger, that it became evident she was still contributing.
Meanwhile, Solstice was making a show with his radiant sword, effortlessly slicing through each group of monsters with finesse. It appeared he enjoyed displaying his prowess to his charming sidekick, while she shot energy balls from her glamorous wand to finish off the leftovers.
Every now and then, the handsome young man and the beautiful young woman exchanged glances and smiles. Inferno Knuckle swore he could see pink hearts and radiant flowers emanating from them, reminiscent of scenes from old dramas.
Speaking of beauty, his sidekick was equally stunning. However, they made such a disastrous team. He wondered if she was okay; perhaps he should have prepared something more substantial than a packet of ramen. Not that he knew how to make anything else, though.
Lost in thought, Inferno Knuckle's fiery fist squarely connected with the head of a snarling monster, sending flames bursting and ash showering into the air. He spun on his heel, ready to strike the next lurking creature.
However, the monster he had punched reared up behind him, still not defeated. Its eyes gleamed malevolently as it lunged at him, claws extended. Inferno Knuckle sensed the danger just in time. With a split-second reaction, he ducked, narrowly avoiding the monster's claws as they grazed the air just inches above his head.
In one smooth motion, he pivoted and delivered a powerful uppercut, infusing even more fiery energy into the blow. His fist erupted in a blaze of flames, striking the monster with a force that left no room for doubt. The creature disintegrated into a smoldering heap.
As he delivered another punch to finish off the other monster, Inferno Knuckle's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. The monsters were tougher than before.
Evermoss, previously lounging lazily on her broomstick, suddenly sat up with a serious expression. Her usual playful demeanor shifted to a steely focus as she began summoning thorny vines and roots with greater precision and intensity. Solstice also fell silent, positioning himself in front of his sidekick, his grip tightening on the hilt of his radiant sword.
Inferno Knuckle's fists burned brighter as he guided the group forward. His eyes scanned the terrain ahead, vigilant for any sign of an escalating threat. Even the two sidekicks sensed the shift in the atmosphere, realizing the stakes had just been raised.
Shadow returned to the tent as she recollected the flavor of the meal she had just had.
Despite its bland appearance, the ramen tasted surprisingly delicious. Shadow considered herself a decent cook, having sampled dozens of different culinary cultures while traversing the continent with the Hero's party. This tasty and convenient ramen still made her lick her lips in recollection. However, she was annoyed that she couldn't find the toppings shown on the package, suspecting she might have missed a step in the preparation process.
Based on her previous conversation with the red-haired man, Shadow roughly deduced that they were on a mission and had to combat something. With a mission at hand, her current body could belong to some organization. Leaving during a mission might lead to unwarranted trouble, so she decided to tag along with the red-haired man and the team for the time being.
She also needed to prepare for any potential battles. Even without mana and spirit force, she still possessed various ways to fight; mortal combat wasn't entirely useless. However, having a handy weapon would always be preferable.
Shadow reached for the bag that lay beside where she had been resting, her fingers tracing over the smooth surface as she pulled it towards her.
It took her a while to figure out how to open the bag. The bag itself was amazing. Especially these smooth metal lines that easily opened and closed the pockets with a simple slide of the toggles. She couldn't resist playing with them, enjoying the satisfying sounds. To Shadow, the interlocking teeth and sliding mechanism were beyond ingenious.
Also, the strange material latch, which could be detached by pressing on the two sides and easily rejoined with a gentle push to click them together, further piqued her interest. She was surprised that a simple bag could have so many mechanics.
Even the neat sewing on the bag's surface seemed like a work of art to her, showcasing the skill of its maker. Yet, she frowned in confusion as she noticed some messy seams at the corners. How could a master tailor overlook such basic flaws?
Setting aside her musings on the bag, Shadow turned her attention to the contents laid out in front of her. She went through them carefully, trying to figure out what they were.
Among them, she could identify two sets of clothes, a pair of boots, and what seemed like armor because it had thick covers made of a strange material to protect important body parts.
There were also bottles of water in see-through containers and small packets labeled "military rations." She didn't know what "military" meant, but she knew the rations were for eating. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she spotted a few packets of ramen, a food she had grown fond of during her short time in this strange place.
As she continued her inventory, she came across a red bag with a white cross on it. There was something that looked like bandages and scissors in it, so she guessed it was a bag for healing tools.
Shadow took out some bottles from the healing bag and tried to read the labels. She couldn't make sense of the words that seemed like names, some of them even beyond her ability to read. However, the instructions on the labels were straightforward and easy to understand. Carefully, she read and memorized them, taking note of each detail.
The last thing she could recognize was a dagger.
Shadow lifted the dagger, her eyes lit with admiration for its finesse and sharpness. In terms of forging alone, she deemed it even better made than Hero's fake holy sword. Excitement sparkled in her eyes as she pressed it against her cheek to feel its coldness. She surmised that the owner of this body must be someone of great stature to possess such a masterwork.
In the broadcast room
[She seems to really like it, huh?]
[Why's she pressing it against her cheek? Weird flex but OK.]
[Isn't it a $25 dagger including ship from Amazon?]
[Yeah, I have the exact same one, LOL.]
[I think she's just enjoying the coldness. Kinda cute tho.]
On the screen, the young girl's skillful fingers handled the dagger with practiced precision, each swing forming a graceful arc through the air. With a pleased smile, she smoothly rotated her wrist, her movements flowing seamlessly, causing the dagger to disappear.
[Whoa, did y'all see that?]
[Nice moves! I guess she's got some skills!]
[That wrist flick tho.]
[Wait, where did the dagger go?]
[Probably just her hand slipped and it flew off-screen LOL.]
[Look at her showing off while the others are out there fighting monsters :)]
[Hey, maybe she can entertain the monsters to death hahahaha.]
[Look, it's the rifle turn now!]
[Uh-oh, guess it's time for "gun magic."]
[Watch out, folks, she's about to make that rifle disappear too!]
[I can already see her trying to turn that rifle into a bouquet of flowers or something.]
Shadow shifted her gaze to the object resembling a gun in the corner of the tent. She had learned how to use such a weapon from Gunslinger, who had fought alongside the expeditionary army against the Demon Lord.
However, Gunslinger had left their ranks early. His abilities were limited by the power of the gun; he couldn't inflict enough damage against strong opponents in the later part of the expedition. But as Shadow looked at the gun before her, it was clear that it had a more complex design and used better materials.
As Shadow lifted the gun, her body instinctively knew how to hold it correctly, as if she had trained with it countless times. It seemed like this body's instinct was triggered again.
It was faint when she struggled with cooking ramen or opening the bag. Shadow thought she should take some time to figure out what triggered this instinct or even the memories of this body. It would make things easier for her than navigating in the current state of confusion.
Although Shadow's body knew how to hold the gun correctly, using it was a different issue altogether. Despite some similarities in appearance, the structure of the gun in her hand was entirely different from the one she had used before.
Shadow stepped out of the tent, took a deep breath, and focused on aiming at a tree ahead. She relaxed her body entirely, letting it move on instinct.
After watching her body go through the motions several times, she was able to understand the steps:
– Check a lever to make sure it's up.
– Insert a box full of bullets.
– Pull and release a handle.
– Aim through a round pipe.
– Flip the lever down.
– Fire 10 times.
– Replace the bullet box.
– Pull the handle again.
– Fire.
– Flip the lever up when finished.
Shadow found that using this gun wasn't too different from the ones she'd used before, but its features and stability were significantly better. She was especially impressed with the cylindrical pipe used for aiming, which could make targets appear much closer than they actually were.
While she had a basic understanding of how to use this gun, she knew that she needed more practice, especially with this unique aiming method, to use it effectively. Aiming and shooting, on the other hand, wouldn't be a problem. Though the firearms she wielded back then were far more archaic, the fundamentals of aiming and shooting remained deeply ingrained within her.
In her previous life, when the Hero first found her starving on the roadside, she was just an utterly defenseless child. He planned to leave her at the church's orphanage, but she didn't want to. If she wished to accompany the Hero on his dangerous journey, she had to become stronger immediately. Thus, her first weapon was a gun, and her first mentor was Gunslinger.
The path of mastering firearms was one fraught with hardship. Trained under the tutelage of Gunslinger, a seasoned veteran of the trade, she was subjected to a relentless regimen designed to forge her into a true marksman.
The days were long and arduous, filled with endless drills and exercises meant to sharpen her reflexes and hone her instincts. From the crack of dawn until the dying embers of twilight, she immersed herself in the world of firearms, absorbing every nugget of knowledge imparted by her mentor.
Under Gunslinger's watchful eye, she learned the intricacies of each firearm, from the weight and balance to the recoil and trajectory. With painstaking precision, she practiced loading and unloading, aiming and firing, until the movements became second nature to her.
But it was not just the physical aspect of training that tested her resolve. Gunslinger demanded perfection, pushing her to the brink of exhaustion in pursuit of excellence. She endured blistered hands and sore muscles, pushing through the pain with a steely determination born of her unwavering commitment to her craft.
Yet, amidst the hardship, there was also camaraderie. Bonds formed in the crucible of training, forged through shared struggles and triumphs. And through it all, Gunslinger stood as a pillar of strength and guidance, instilling in her not just the skills of a marksman, but the mindset of a true warrior.
Gunslinger always knew the limits of this weapon, so he had her prepared. Even though she no longer used firearms later on her journey, the experiences she gained during this process formed an exceptionally solid foundation for her future path.
On the broadcast screen
The young woman ventured along the edge of the woods with the rifle slung over her shoulder. Carefully moving through the dense foliage, she scanned the surroundings for any signs of wildlife.
After trekking through the wilderness for some time, she finally spotted a bird perched on a branch not too far away.
With practiced ease, she raised her rifle, aligning the sights with her target through the scope. Holding her breath steady, she squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot shattered the serene symphony of the forest, sending the bird fluttering away into the treetops.
[Hahahaha]
[She had us in the first half, not gonna lie.]
[That pose was straight out of a magazine LOL.]
[I was holding my breath, waiting for the perfect shot, hahaha.]
[Not her fault, just that bird's got some mad dodging skills! Hahahaha.]
[All style, no substance!]
[That bird's gonna have one heck of a story to tell its friends!]