Chapter 149
Bang!
As soon as Sojun pulled the trigger with his index finger, the barrel of the gun discharged a lump of metal along with a flash of heat.
The bullet velocity was about 1 km per second.
It was too fast to trace its trajectory.
Also, the size was too small to capture with the naked eye.
However, the result was visible.
With a faint sound of wind, he saw the small plane catch fire.
The fire started at the front part near the cockpit, exactly where Sojun had aimed.
-Kya!
-Why is his long-range sniping so good?
-I think his gun might be a sword!
-It’s like bayonet fighting; the gun is a sword, and that’s why he shoots well!
-All weapons are swords, is it?
-As the king of all weapons, the sword is supreme!
“It hit its target!”
Sojun stated calmly and handed the rifle over to Alpaca for verification.
But Alpaca hesitated to take the gun, saying, “I think we don’t need to check that….”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. You hit a person, so missing a plane seems unlikely.”
Is that so?
“Hitting the person was luck.”
“That’s too far to hit merely by luck!”
Rumi, who was beside him, spoke with shining eyes.
The farther the destination, the larger the area the bullet could hit becomes.
And the recent distance from the plane was exceedingly far.
To the naked eye, the aircraft looked like a tiny speck, and through the scope, he could see the entire plane, not just the target inside.
How difficult would it be to hit that one single spot in such a vast area?
And if it was by chance, what was the probability of hitting that spot?
“Well, it is a distance where I can’t guarantee 100%!”
Sojun said, and both Rumi and Alpaca understood the significance of his words.
But both of them grinned.
“Alpaca-nim? It seems our ace is quite humble!”
Rumi remarked.
“Indeed. Mastering close combat with a frying pan and long-range sniping, can he not assure us? It’s all for the viewers!”
Alpaca added with a laugh.
Meanwhile, the car was still moving. The storm was closely behind them.
-This is the real team spirit? LOL
-No matter what, excessive humility is unacceptable. Don’t you know how much the Streamer-nim jokes around?
-Alpaca, remember when you were teamed up back in the day? Humble? Humble???
-Honestly, if I were to find a teammate singlehandedly clearing the underground in ranked, I’d suck up to them right away.
-LOL
“Ah… Yes!”
Sojun responded, unable to provide a witty comback, as he grabbed the sniper rifle again.
Before placing his eyes against the scope, he checked the chat box.
-Oh? The streamer is flustered LOL
-He can’t handle these outright compliments and over-praises? LOL
-Have we finally discovered the strategy!
-Is it finally time to raid that boss mob?
-Do we really need to raid a streamer? LOL
-Then how do you expect to capture the one who deflects bullets with a frying pan without a raid?
Sojun, as always, ignored the chat box.
‘Why is raiding the default option?’
Sojun zoomed through the scope and saw the plane.
From the cylindrical body of the plane’s front, black smoke was seeping out. The fire Sojun had set spread.
“A single bullet cripples it instantly.”
“It’s durable, but it has to have some flaws.”
“I see.”
He chatted with a now relaxed Rumi and Alpaca.
It seemed that even they could see the smoke.
As Sojun kept the plummeting plane in his view, he asked, “So what happens next?”
He heard the voice of the Wind Sword, who said, “Once it runs out of durability, it can’t fly and it has to land.”
“And will it explode?”
“Sadly, there is no explosive ending. Even if it loses all durability, it can still manage a safe landing.”
True.
Blowing up with a single hit would also be a problem with balance.
It’s more reasonable that it becomes unusable after a single hit.
“So, despite hitting it, it seems difficult to break through there. What should we do next, Sojun-nim?”
Since their opponents had left sooner and the plane was always a faster means of transportation, and because of the altitude, the distance to the opponents was still far.
Thus, although the plane had been descending since taking Sojun’s bullet, it was still flying high in the sky ahead of them.
“So, what are our options?!”
Sojun inquired about the remaining choices.
He was asking for the typical ways of playing. After all, this was Sojun’s first round in Ground Zero.
“Hmm!”
Wind Sword mused before speaking, “Usually, we don’t approach. If the plane is broken, making a daring escape is the only reason. They only have to land safely and leave quickly, so they can stop us if we approach. So, until the storm narrows down the circle, we have to take positions and pray for the best, hoping the storm doesn’t choose our side.”
Before he even finished speaking,
Thwack!
A bullet zipped and buried itself in the ground nearby.
The person Sojun had initially shot was the same one who hit their vehicle first.
Now, the bullet in question was fired by the streamer beside that person as they took their turn with the sniper rifle.
The notable player Panty Man was driving the car.
Through the scope, Sojun gathered this information.
“Gosh. Why didn’t you mention it! One more shot to our car, and it will blow up!”
“I thought they might miss like now. Don’t just dodge mindlessly. Please tell me about any other options.”
Dodging pointlessly and getting hit while zigzagging would be even worse.
Sojun had a reason for such confidence.
The plane, having acknowledged Sojun’s attacks, weirdly tilted back and forth, descending erratically.
‘How could they possibly hit like that?’
Thwack!
Another bullet flew, but it missed and struck behind them.
“Of course!”
Rumi and Alpaca nodded, agreeing the sniper shot from such a distance was impossible.
Their silent exchanges conveyed mutual understanding, yet they seemed to dismiss the chaotic flying as poor piloting.
-LOL Wave is doing their utmost to not get hit with all their might
-Is it drunk driving? Report them LOL
-It looks like Wave is riding waves? (hahaha)
-Oh dear, director…
“Otherwise, Sojun-nim. There’s always the option to charge directly now. After all, we’ll need to break through if the storm catches up to us.”
When the storm approaches, regardless of the team not chosen by the safe area, the prayer-based squads must advance.
And at that time, they’d face off with the opponent teams who had already established their positions.
It would be great if they were the ones waiting for the enemy, but the odds were merely 50%.
“So, should we charge right now?”
It would be better to make the charge anyway. Take them by surprise while they’re disordered.
“Understood!”
Wind Sword put more force on the accelerator. Though it didn’t speed up; it already reached maximum velocity.
Meanwhile, Sojun’s rifle focused on the falling plane still in a drunken course.
A descent with the awkward balancing gestures like a see-saw meant landing on a large hill nearby.
Sojun keenly watched the side of the plane.
As it balanced back and forth, he alternated between seeing the opponent and being obscured by a wing.
-Is this a ride or what? LOL
-The random rhythm just makes it funnier LOL
-Panty Man, you’re a good driver!
Then.
In the midst of impending descent.
Bang!
He squeezed the trigger again. The distance was more manageable than before.
With that, a tad more confidence peaked.
If earlier the ‘Headshot’ was luck, this time it was skill.
One second later.
『Sword God14 –〉 1898』
Sojun checked the message, and a serene smile crossed his face.
“Wow! But is it okay to play the game like this?”
“There’s nothing bad about it, right? I’m fine with this!”
Alpaca said cheerfully.
“Alpaca-nim, you like an easy ride?”
“Yes!”
“Well, I’m working here!”
Wind Sword added, seemingly about their looting phase bonding.
-LOL Wave almost got toasted like bread LOL
-What’s toasted bread mean?
-18 LOL
-I see.
-Stuttering up to ‘sse’ due to panic LOL
-Well, the plan’s all jumbled because of how well they got hit LOL
Lamentably, the lack of magnification denied them the sight of the opponent’s expressions.
However, they could survey the situation.
Panty Man abandoned the vehicle, opting to climb into the backseat while waiting for it to crash into the ground naturally.
Then Panty Man pulled out a sniper rifle and handed it to the neighboring player.
What was he planning to do?
The plane had seemingly been pacified, the descent completed.
‘Is he telling me to take another shot?’
Bang!
The gunfire echoed.
However, no kill message appeared, and casually, Sojun passed the gun over to Alpaca.
The rolling car momentarily filled with silence. An awkward atmosphere loomed.
Evidence of them quickly turning their heads towards each other, signaling understanding as they opened their mouths.
“Haha! Everybody slips once in a while, even monkeys!!”
Alpaca commented upon receiving the rifle.
“Indeed. Missing a shot isn’t strange at all! Didn’t hit a headshot? Surpassing a 30% headshot ratio signifies insanity!!”
Rumi chimed in.
“Or perhaps the opponent is wearing a level 3 helmet like Sojun-nim had. In that case, a sniper bullet doesn’t harm it!”
Wind Sword contributed from the driver’s seat.
Sojun smirked and drew out the frying pan.
“What am I, like a boss screwing a golf shot? Just target the enemy, please.”
“Haha, will do!”
Alpaca tried to gauge Sojun’s response.
Though he briefly worried Sojun was flustered from experiencing failure, it seemed it wasn’t the case.
Though his eyes appeared afire, perhaps at something entertaining?
Or maybe when he saw something preposterous or amusing?
Alpaca, realizing Sojun might not be experiencing disillusionment over an ordinary failure, resumed scoping, aiming for the plane — at which point—
“What?”
A dark object.
In fact, a bullet streaked straight for his head.
Alpaca, unable to react in time during that fleeting moment, thought, ‘I’m doomed.’
However.
Bang!
Something blocked his view. He immediately pulled away from the scope to see what it was.
It appeared to be a sturdy, reassuring iron plate, the ground’s mightiest weapon: the frying pan. And following that frying pan—
“What are you doing up there? Not going to shoot more?” began Sojun, standing atop the car bonnet.
“Pardon? Oh!”
Even the words, “I trusted you!” faltered as he was momentarily taken aback.
When his eye realigned with the scope, he could discern the situation.
The plane had crashed snugly into the hill. The remaining two team members promptly evacuated, aiming their rifles at them.
Critical to note, Panty Man, wearing only briefs, stood beside them armed with a frying pan instead of a rifle.
Alpaca now unraveled the reason behind Sojun’s amusement.
-LOL
-Is this a fierce rivalry starting? LOL
-What kind of play are they doing LOL
“Give it a shot!”
Sojun urged from up front, with Alpaca aligning their scope on the enemy sniper.
Finger poised and pulling.
Bang!
‘Wow. They blocked it.’
Panty Man, akin to Sojun, guarded their teammate with a frying pan.
Clang!
A sound from up front.
‘He blocked it.’
This time Alpaca referred to Sojun.
A rivalry shaping up!
The distance steadily narrowed.
Alpaca fired several more shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
And yet, they were repeatedly blocked.
However.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As were their attacks.
“Try aiming elsewhere besides the head.”
“Understood.”
Per Sojun’s suggestion, Alpaca aimed for the neck below the crouched opponent.
And then—
“Hey! They couldn’t block it!”
On hearing this, as the enemy went down, a smile spread across Sojun’s face.
-LOL It’s over.
-Wave wasn’t on par with the Streamer-nim, they could only block the head shot with perfect timing.
-It was like playing a betting machine! LOL
-A miss!
Indeed.
‘Since they stopped the bullet with a provocation earlier, there’s no overlooking that.’
Sojun’s streamer pride urged a response. He couldn’t disregard taunts.
Sojun listened to his inner voice, turning to Alpaca.
“Throw away the rifle now.”
“Sorry?”
“Just drop the sniper on the floor next to you. And Wind Sword-nim?”
“Yes?”
* * *
It was over.
Feeling incredulous, Wave peered at the truck approaching the hill.
To be precise, it zoomed up with one budding streamer proudly standing on the hood.
-LOL, just got completely wrecked, didn’t they?
-Got utterly shredded by someone on their first run?
-Ah, playing with a frying pan isn’t easy LOL
-But they fought well. Facing a deity with this much is commendable.
-True LOL
Had things gone sideways when they lost a teammate on the plane?
Or perhaps when their first shot failed?
‘Damn.’
They needed a way to revive their teammate, yet as soon as he moved, the car would arrive.
And that’d be the end. Or rather, it already was.
Resolved not to lose to a sniper, letting the viewers witness precisely blocking and countering the bullets, Wave awaited the next shot.
But Alpaca discarded the sniper rifle outside.
“What’s happening?”
-LOL, are they provoking again?
-Did Goblin incur a similar fate?
-This signals a one-on-one
Ah.
One-on-one?
Now the intent was clear.
Wave promptly descended from the hill.
Though inevitable defeat awaited in the game, salvaging his reputation through this, maybe even achieving a win in this manner if possible, beating the game wouldn’t matter.
One-on-one.
Could he win?
Unclear, yet he’d withstand it without folding.
Step, step, step.
As Wave descended the hill, a jeep-like car approached swiftly.
Vrooom!
“Excellent. Let’s see who truly wields the frying pan better!”
In the moment Wave resolved himself, clutching the frying pan tightly—
Huh?
Why isn’t it stopping?
The car barreled through, hitting him before moving past.
-LOL, a traffic accident gone wild LOL
-Plowed into them like a deer in headlights LOL
-Your one-on-one duel has been replaced with a reincarnation truck delivery^^
-???: Let’s see who wields it better! Squeal, crash!
-For reference, it was at full throttle so no squealing, just crash LOL