NOVEL WEB Ch. 35
Chapter 35
"Konpeito"... an army of 108 player-killers who make their living preying on beginners. They lurk on the Gold Planet, ambush newbies who have built up chips, and efficiently harvest money.
They once controlled this vast planet, but now they are trapped in a nightmare—
a nightmare in which the hunters become the hunted.
"Wh-what's going on!?"
One Golden-Bandanna soldier fled in panic. She had come to the usual hunting ground with two allies, but the instant they arrived one was felled by a head-shot. The second was deleted by a bullet that struck the back of the head—from the exact opposite direction of the first shot.
The last survivor fled, but it was already too late. A sniper round caromed off the golden-crystal forest and closed in. She dodged, only for the bullet to ricochet off a crystal behind her and pierce the back of her skull.
"...Why... like this...!?"
—Deleted.
Over the last few days Konpeito members had been gunned down one after another.
Sniping was still understandable—using ricochets was a known trick.
What terrified them happened when the "mysterious shooter" closed to within 200 m. A storm of laser bullets bounced in every direction and attacked from all sides.
Judging by color and power, the shots were from an assault rifle. If the shooter was alone, he had to be wielding two at once—dual-wielding assault rifles designed for two-handed use—while executing perfect ricochet calculations. Amid brutal recoil and lowered accuracy, using ricochets was sheer madness. Only the Konpeito, who knew every inch of these golden-crystal hunting grounds, could truly grasp how abnormal it was.
After half the Konpeito had been wiped out, the "mysterious shooter" was reclassified as a raid boss.
Konpeito gathered in force to bring the shooter down. Numbers meant nothing. She had fully awakened.
Countless laser strands, like spider silk, blocked every path, pinned their feet, and bullets from blind angles shattered them.
"What is this bullet storm!? —Gyaa!?"
"Run! Get out of here!!"
"Run where—Waah!?"
"Somebody suppress this shooter!!"
"Impossible, impossible!!"
"Why... why...!? We're hunters—why are we being hunted!!?"
"Knock it off! I only joined because they said we could make money!!"
"I'm done! I'm quitting this army!"
Some Konpeito registered the "mysterious shooter" on radar, but none ever had her in sight.
Where laser bullets ricocheted, the battlefield was hers alone. Master the terrain and no enemy existed.
Konpeito's nightmare lasted from July 31 to August 4—five full days.
The result: mass desertions. Their numbers fell to less than half.
—"Ricochet-Type Washing Machine."
She was so nicknamed because she "washed" the golden-cloth PK players clean.
August 4, night.
I was at the station shop.
"I've saved plenty of money and my level is high enough. All that's left is to gear up for Rank Match."
Player-hunting doesn't affect level, but I'd hunted Machine World Beasts between PK runs, so I'd reached the required line.
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Player Name: Shiki
Level: 20 → 32
Role: Sniper
TIP: 864,600
Armor: 20 × 1.5 (30)
Thruster Output: 40
Thruster Capacity: 80 × 2 (160)
Precision: 80 × 2 (160)
Radar: 100 × 2.5 (130 → 250)
Stealth: 60
EN Capacity: 60 × 1.65 (63 → 96)
Weapons
Slot 1: RS-11 (sniper rifle)
Slot 2: M1911 G-AGE (handgun)
Slot 3: Dust Mirage (special cloak)
Slot 4: SCH-100+ FullCustom (saber)
Slot 5: PT-8 (Shield Piece)
Slot 6: PT-8 (Shield Piece)
Slot 7: ARR-2 (assault rifle)
Slot 8: ARR-2 (assault rifle)
Expansion Parts
Slots 1 & 2: Radar Enhancement Core Mark 2
Slot 3: Precision Enhancement Core
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This was my Konpeito-hunt loadout. Since every Konpeito wore Jamming Armor I used Radar Enhancement Cores instead of Enhanced Radar. For the more varied equipment seen in Rank Matches, Enhanced Radar is better, so I'll swap them. I'll also change one Shield Piece to a Bullet Part and replace one assault rifle later. The Precision Core is temporary; I'll use different expansion parts for Rank Match.
Slot 1: RS-11 (sniper rifle)
Slot 2: M1911 G-AGE (handgun)
Slot 3: Dust Mirage (special cloak)
Slot 4: SCH-100+ FullCustom (saber)
Slot 5: PT-8 (Shield Piece)
Slot 6: PBE-1 (Bullet Part)
Slot 7: ARR-2 (assault rifle)
Slot 8: null
Expansion Parts
Slots 1 & 2: Enhanced Radar
Slot 3: null
Finally, I'll break in the Bullet Part in the training room. It's already 9 p.m. real time—too late to explore planets.
In the end, not a single Konpeito ever managed to face me directly. Figures, for people who hole up in an early-stage area. Left me a bit unsatisfied.
"Hm?"
A new message blinked in my inbox—not the Infinity Space mailbox, but the message box for this full-dive rig, tied to my personal account. I opened it.
"Your sister's friend is here. She's relaxing in the living room."
From Azuha.
"A friend...?"
There shouldn't be any on Earth.
"Her name is—"
"Eh!?"
The visitor's name was—Seika Tsukigami.
――――――――――
Afterword
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