This guy… he's seriously creepy!
The same thought crossed the minds of all the vagrants blocking the way.
The hot-headed ones snapped back to reality, showing an expression Leon was familiar with: losing their cool.
"You said it yourself—we'll play! If you don't die, we'll let you pass!"
"Yep, my words. You can shoot as you like, but each person gets only three shots. I can't stand here as your target all day."
Leon said with a cheerful smile.
But to the vagrants, that smile carried an unsettling, shiver-inducing eeriness.
What a lunatic!
The guns in their hands weren't toys—they were the real deal.
All scavenged from an abandoned machinery factory.
"Since you're asking to die, we'll oblige!"
"Hold on."
"What, backing out?"
"Not at all, just a reminder—"
Leon's lips slowly curled into a slight arc.
"Those who break the rules will face the consequences. Fire a fourth shot after your three, and you might not survive…"
He didn't lower his voice; everyone nearby could hear.
March 7th trusted Leon, no doubt, but letting others shoot at him? That was just…
Impossible not to worry.
"Cowards, if you don't dare shoot, you lose."
"Punk, we'll make you eat those words!"
The first vagrant, unable to resist the taunt, gritted his teeth and aimed at Leon's thigh, pulling the trigger.
Click!
A strange sound rang out.
March 7th let out a sigh of relief.
Beside her, Seele and the other locals did the same.
At first, they'd doubted Leon.
Especially Seele.
She instinctively wanted to step forward to stop it, only to find Bronya moving with her.
What she didn't expect was Stelle stopping them both.
Stelle said only one thing softly.
Trust him. Just watch.
Leon stood calmly, hands casually behind his back, exuding an effortless aura of confidence.
Stelle wasn't surprised by this outcome at all.
She glanced at the locals, recalling what Himeko had told her back at the Herta Space Station.
Himeko said the Stellaron causing energy surges in her body was handled by Leon.
Something that terrifying, and Leon had a way to suppress it.
Primitive, outdated firearms threatening him? Hardly.
Even the high-tech weapons of the Herta Space Station's Defense Department probably couldn't touch him.
The vagrant stared at his gun in shock, unable to fathom why it jammed.
"You've got two shots left."
Click!
"One shot."
The vagrant checked the magazine—bullets were all there.
Was it a malfunction?
He reloaded and fired at Leon again.
Still no shot.
"I'm in a hurry. All of you shoot together. Taking turns is too much hassle."
Leon lazily yawned, showing no trace of tension.
"Dangerous? Sure. But cool? Absolutely!"
[Got some Jerome vibes here.]
[Jerome's got nothing on this. He only dared shoot himself three times—Leon's letting others shoot at him.]
[To clarify, there are five armed vagrants in the scene. That's fifteen shots!]
[Seriously, so cool!]
Leon's words seemed to rile up the vagrants.
They exchanged looks, then raised their guns one by one.
Some aimed at Leon's limbs, others at his shoulders or less vital areas.
Only a few targeted his chest or head—lethal zones.
At this point, the scene shifted to a cutscene.
Each time the vagrants pulled the trigger, Leon's smile widened slightly.
Dull jamming sounds echoed repeatedly, not a single bullet leaving the barrels.
"Game's over. You lose."
Leon waved backward with a faint smile.
"Let's go, everyone. Through here to the main mining area."
With that, he walked straight toward the vagrants.
The terrified vagrants instinctively stepped back, clearing the main path.
Shock and fear swirled in their eyes.
One gun jamming could be a malfunction.
Two? A coincidence.
But three, four, or more?
This man wasn't just creepy—he was insanely creepy!
Yet he hadn't touched their guns, staying at a safe distance the whole time.
That's what made it so bizarre.
How could every single gun fail at once?
Not long ago, they'd fired warning shots to intimidate the miners, and now every gun was silent.
"What do we do…?"
"Are we really letting them through? What if he's been hired to retaliate against our camp…"
As they spoke, Leon passed them by.
"Stop!"
Someone couldn't hold back and jumped out to block him.
Leon didn't even turn his head.
"Don't be a sore loser. It won't do you any good."
"I warned you—don't lose your cool. I said it could cost your life…"
Players stared unblinkingly at the cutscene.
No doubt, someone would try shooting again.
They didn't care who—it was about Leon's promised consequences.
Gacha games rarely had plots like this. Even if a gacha character had blood on their hands, it was usually against villains.
How would Leon handle someone breaking the rules with a fourth shot?
As Leon walked farther, one vagrant finally snapped, raising his gun again.
Bang!
This time, no jam.
The scene slowed down, the camera locking tightly on the fired bullet.
Players watched, eyes widening.
The bullet left the barrel, heading straight for the back of Leon's head.
Just as it seemed about to hit, it inexplicably curved a few centimeters away, returning along its path with undiminished force.
The screen flashed white, figures turning black—
A muffled splat!
A dark trajectory pierced a shadowy figure's head, splattering dark liquid.
The next second, the shadow collapsed.
The next frame lit up, showing a figure with half its head gone falling to the ground, motionless.
Everyone understood—
Someone died.
"Unheeded warnings. Such a pity."
Leon turned, a sunny, warm smile on his face.
But to outsiders, that smile brought only deep chills and fear.
Not just the miners—even Natasha, Seele, and the others weren't spared.
The moment before the vagrant pulled the trigger, Seele had vanished from her spot, ready to intercept the bullet at the last second.
But the bullet grazed past her, returning to pierce the shooter's head.
As if the bullet had a mind of its own.
It defied logic and sent chills down everyone's spine.
Seele realized.
She'd worried for nothing.
"Ghost… ghost… GHOST!!!"
"There's a ghost, a ghost!!"
The vagrants froze for a moment before going mad, dropping their guns in unison.
They scrambled away, crawling and running, terrified they'd be the next to have their heads pierced.
As players came to their senses, their tensed emotions finally released.
[Awesome!]
[Holy—holy crap, Leon's so decisive, keeping his word!]
[What a kill! This plot's got guts, though it's pushing past 12+.]
[That's what you get for asking for it.]
[I wasn't a huge Leon fan before, but now I'm sold. A real man who sticks to his word!]
[Cool in one word!]