Chapter 5

    The Ultimate Cool Move

    "As I said, being a gunslinger requires thinking outside the box. Let me demonstrate the cool shot for you."

    Watson said proudly before leading Möbius and Gumiho to the third room. This room contained even more firearms than those displayed outside, ranging from muskets to massive bazookas.

    In one corner of the room, there was a mannequin dressed in a cowboy outfit similar to Watson's but in black, with a large red bandana covering its mouth. In its hand was a small pistol aimed forward. Watson picked up a standard black pistol from the shelf and fired at the mannequin. The regular bullet from the ordinary gun hit the mannequin precisely, accompanied by a disappointingly ordinary impact score.

    30

    "This is the standard power of a regular pistol."

    "But if we use the cool shot like this,"

    Watson stuck his pinky finger up his nose one knuckle deep, opened his mouth wide, and stared intently at the remaining part of his pinky until his black eyes were glued together, then slowly pulled the trigger aiming at the mannequin.

    "Oo-ot (Cool shot)"

    The bullet moved slowly enough to be seen with the naked eye towards the center of the mannequin's head. Möbius secretly hoped it would cause tremendous damage, but even the impact sound was noticeably weak.

    10

    Only a slightly more than single-digit number popped out from the mannequin. Möbius, who had been secretly hoping, immediately fell backward in mid-air because he didn't expect the ultimate move he received to be this powerful.

    "What?! Why does it get weaker the more I use it? Wasn't it said to be so good that the system had to hide it? If this is an ultimate move, I think I'll die before it does any good."

    Möbius complained in frustration, wondering if this career change might indeed offer nothing better. Watson regained his stern composure and turned back to smile at the young man.

    "Little brother, try shooting in a pose that you think is the coolest. These things, you have to try out for yourself."

    Watson suggested before tossing the same gun back to Möbius, who paused for a moment. Then, crossing his right hand holding the gun behind his back, he shot while simultaneously activating the ability.

    "Cool Shot."

    50

    "Uh... I'm not very impressed with its power."

    Möbius shook his head again at his ultimate move. If using all his magical power for just one shot only increases the power this much, he'd rather shoot randomly.

    "Shh, shh."

    Watson raised his index finger, waving it left and right rhythmically to his own beat.

    "That was the wrong way to use it. Let me show you what a real cool shot is like."

    Once Watson finished speaking, he reached out to take the gun back from Möbius and then pulled a gold coin from his pants pocket. This room was an ability demonstration room, so all abilities could be used without any delay or cooldown.

    "Watch and remember."

    He said, flicking the coin behind him towards an old-fashioned jukebox standing behind him. A western-themed song that fitted the atmosphere started playing.

    Tadaw... Tadow..Tao.Tadow.Teaw.

    "Hmph! You're unlucky to have run into me today, Watson, the handsome young gunslinger and protector of Gateway Town."

    Watson spoke while leaning against the wall, having been there unknowingly. He used his black pistol to push the brim of his hat up slightly before stepping forward in front of the mannequin.

    "Be terrified. The bullet of justice that never misses its target spares no wrongdoer."

    Watson raised his hand to the sky, clenched his fist, then slowly brought it down to his chest.

    "The wind that just passed whispered to me of all the evil you've done."

    His other hand mimicked grabbing the wind that had just passed by.

    "Accept your fate, you villain. Cooooooooooooooooooooooollllllll…."

    As Watson said the word 'cool,' he swung his arm in a circular motion clockwise. Surprisingly, the tip of the gun began to emit a bright white light that intensified with each rotation of his arm. When the rotation completed, Watson aimed and immediately shot the mannequin.

    "Shooooooooooot"

    A bright light burst from the barrel, targeting the mannequin that seemed have additional beads of sweat appear out of nowhere. The bullet, shining bright white, shot out of the barrel towards the target, the sound of impact resembling an explosion, and a massive wind burst from the collision point, blowing off Watson’s hat, which the young cowboy managed to catch.

    3,500

    "Ha?!!!"

    Möbius exclaimed loudly when he saw the number that popped out of the mannequin. He hadn't expected that performing that move would enhance the attack to this extent. Now, the young man's head had a bullet that shone with a white light buried in it.

    "You're so cool, Mr. Watson."

    The fox girl watched Watson sparkling eyes like a child watching a five-colored hero show at an amusement park, imagining what it would be like if Möbius used it.

    "It's as powerful as Miho’s ultimate move, and that gun only had an initial power of 30."

    Möbius gaped, blinking at the power of the ultimate move, before suddenly having a realization.

    "There’s more, watch this."

    Watson said after finishing his shot and turning back.

    "The only penalty for your crimes is death,"

    He smiled at Möbius, his white teeth gleaming so brightly that Möbius had to raise his hand to shield his eyes. At that moment, the colored bullet embedded in the mannequin's head exploded violently, turning into a large fireball that nearly reached the three-story-high ceiling.

    500

    Watson's newly conceived strange ultimate move divides the attack into two phases: the moment the bullet hits the target and the moment the bullet explodes following a pose to finish the move.

    "There’s still more power to unleash. This isn’t the coolest yet. Didn’t I tell you it’s powerful, little brother?"

    Watson proudly told Möbius about the ultimate move he created.

    "But if we were really fighting an enemy, would they just stand there and let you create a cool moment before you shoot?"

    Möbius finally remembered what had been bothering him. When Watson heard this, he fell silent, thinking that must be why the game masters allowed this move to be registered in the system when he showed it to them. He swallowed hard before quickly changing the subject.

    "Don't sweat the small stuff. The final test went better than what came before. Möbius, you did really well. I think I can tell you the hint I was going to give you at the beginning now. Don’t worry, I like you. As for the gifts that the company will give, I will give you plenty of them. And remember, when you use the cool shot, don’t go around saying I invented it, got it, little brother?"

    Watson rubbed up against the truth while simultaneously offering a bribe, losing all pretense of being a cool big brother, even though Möbius had felt it wasn't very cool from the start.

    "What should I do now?"

    Möbius asked, guessing it had something to do with the guns hanging on the room’s wall, and he guessed right.

    "Choose the gun that suits you best, using only your eyes and instincts. Once you’ve selected a gun, try shooting at the mannequin. If the shot fires, you can take the gun. It’s simple, but few pass this test. Even if you don't pass this test, you’re still a gunslinger because you've already passed two out of three tests, understand?"

    Watson explained before sitting back on the sofa by the wall because these tests often took quite some time.

    Möbius slowly assessed himself of what he had; with his low accuracy, he needed a rapid-fire gun. His defense was equally low, and his health point was also low, so he couldn't take a heavy machine guns. He stood in front of an array of light machine guns, considering and searching for the gun that felt right.

    Watson nodded in approval at the young man's sound decision. The right gun for Möbius was right in front of him, but the hard part was yet to come.

    "Remember, just because a gun looks modern doesn’t mean it's better than an old one."

    Watson advised. Möbius looked around until his eyes caught a particular gun. It was a gun with a black barrel and chamber, a stock, grip, and auxiliary grip in the middle towards the front made of dark brown wood. The gun's magazine was a flat round shape between the grip and the auxiliary grip.

    This gun was different from the others as it had scratches all over it as if it had been used a lot and even had a scent—a familiar scent of Gumiho coming from the stock. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he only caught the scent briefly. Finally, he decided to take that gun down.

    "That one, little brother..."

    Watson stood up immediately as Möbius picked up the gun, stunned for a moment before returning to normal, then pointed towards the same half-body mannequin left.

    "Try shooting it now, little brother."

    "Okay." Möbius took the gun, tucking the stock under his armpit, right hand on the gun's handle, left on the auxiliary grip. He felt that the gun should be easy to shoot because the design made it more stable but not much less maneuverable. Möbius aimed at the villainous mannequin before pulling the trigger.

    A burst of gunfire rang out, releasing a number of bullets.

    35×5

    Möbius was so happy that he couldn’t contain his smile, finally having found a weapon that truly suited him. But if he thought about it, it might just be the fairness of the system at work.

    'You have received the Thompson m1927A-1 custom.'

    Möbius immediately checked the details of the gun.

    Item Details Window

    Name

     Thompson m1927A-1 custom ????????????

    Level, Type, Element

     4, Light Machine Gun, None

    Durability

     200/200

    Specifications

     Attack Power (standard bullets): 35 Fire Rate: 90 rounds per minute

    Ammo Capacity: 151 rounds

    Special Ability

     Special Ability: Ignores 50 of enemy's defense

    Notes

     ???????????????????????????

    "Thank you very much, Mr. Watson, I really like it."

    Möbius expressed his gratitude to Watson. The young cowboy just smiled in response and then led the two to the exit. Möbius sucked the gun into his left hand, thinking it would be quicker to use in case of an emergency than pulling it from a bag. When Watson reached the exit, he handed over the company's gift to Möbius, explaining that it had to be given after achieving a profession to ensure it was suitable for the player's career.

    1 standard pistol

    500 standard bullets

    3000 reals

    20 small bottles of health-boosting potion (red)

    20 small bottles of magic power-boosting potion (blue)

    20 small bottles of fatigue-relief potion (yellow)

    3 small tents

    "Good luck, little brother. I recommend that once you're ready, pass through the Cave of Fate to start your new adventure. As for the secret about luck in the brackets, seek out someone named Cosmos," Watson advised Möbius.

    "The Cave of Fate?"

    Möbius repeated what he had just learned, feeling as if a cave relying truly on luck might turn out to be more of a misfortune for him. He hoped it wouldn't end up being a dead-end cave.

    "It's the only way out of the Newbie Valley. Inside the cave is a special dimension with many forks, but whichever path you take, they all lead to an exit. You might end up at the northernmost or southernmost town; no one knows. It’s not hard to find, right in the Red Pine Forest. Alright, little brother, I have to get back to paperwork. Good luck again," Watson said goodbye to Möbius and Gumiho.

    "Thank you for everything, brother, and I'll come to see you again," Möbius bid farewell.

    "Next time I’ll definitely try those weird colored potions in those bottles."

    The fox girl promised herself, while Möbius just laughed at his companion's cuteness before they continued on their journey. After Möbius and Gumiho disappeared with the group of players playing the Newcomers’ Town, Watson stopped in front of a large picture of an old man again.

    "I believe that you chose that kid, Boss." he then walked into his private room.

    Möbius headed straight to the market to buy more gun bullets while simultaneously opening a minimized status window to check.

    Window: Status (Minimized)

     Name

     Möbius

     Level, Profession

     10, Gunslinger

     Health, Magic Power

    450/450,160/160

    Möbius viewed his status with satisfaction; at least his life and magical powers had significantly increased. He felt capable of surviving now, though the path to winning the war was still dauntingly long. For now, he had to take care of the important things nearby first, before looking at Gumiho, who was looking at his face right now. Then, the two walked through the orange sunlight towards the market.

    "Möbius, where are we heading next?"

    The fox girl asked while holding a cotton candy in her hand, as Möbius was busy buying gun bullets.

    "Let's head to the Illusion Forest. Miho, you must be missing your mother a lot, right?"

    Möbius replied, smiling warmly at the fox girl.

    "Alright, Miho, bring out the magic scroll for returning to the Illusion Forest. Then we'd better get going."

    Möbius, remembering that the fox girl had conjured the scroll from one of her hairs, asked Gumiho. However, the beautiful girl sadly shook her head.

    "I miss my mother very much too, but that scroll is all used up. When leaving the Illusion Forest, I only brought one because I thought we would return with Xiao Chuan."

    Gumiho said with a sweet smile, pleased by Möbius's promise to take her back home. Although the journey was quite long, it promised to be an enjoyable one.

    "Can we walk there, Gumiho? Buying something to take back to your mother would be nice."

    Möbius asked while stashing a large amount of bullets into his left hand without anyone seeing.

    "We'll pass through the Cave of Fate, but don't worry, I remember the way."

    Miho replied and began helping choose gifts for her mother and sister as well. Miho scanned the market stalls before focusing on a particular one.

    "Let's take these colorful potions, Möbius. Since the Illusion Forest only has plain water, if we bring these, my mother will be really happy for sure."

    Gumiho replied in a bright voice, her enthusiasm evident, making Möbius smile unknowingly.

    "Sure, that sounds good."

    Möbius thought, considering that the fox girl's mother might have a similar temperament to her daughter. Bringing edible gifts seemed most appropriate, and it appeared that the potions significantly reduced Gumiho's cravings for him, likely working on her mother as well. Thus, he headed towards the store selling potions at wholesale prices.

    Since Möbius had spent a lot on bullets, as they cost 1 real each, which was very expensive considering the firing rate of 90 rounds per minute—he finally reached a shop selling colorful potions at wholesale prices. As soon as Möbius approached the front of the shop, the vendor immediately started her sales pitch.

    "Normally 100 reals per bottle, but if you buy 30 or more, it's only 80 reals per bottle. How many would you like?"

    The potion vendor offered her promotion. Seeing it as a very cheap price, Möbius purchased 30 red potions, 10 blue, and 5 yellow, arranging them in the order he deemed important. After keeping them, he glanced at the neighboring jewelry shop.

    "How much is this?" Möbius picked up an item from the stall.

    "That one is 500 reals. It's made of fine wood. If you buy it now, it comes with a wristband that increases accuracy by 1."

    The vendor replied, immediately promoting the product. Möbius, not one to overthink his purchases, liked it and bought the item right away. Although an accuracy increase of 1 might seem negligible, it actually boosted Möbius's shooting accuracy by 10%. He put on the wristband, which looked like a strap, then gestured for the fox girl, who was holding ice cream, to follow him.

    Though the sun had just set, Möbius and Gumiho checked into the same hotel, as they planned to head to the Cave of Fate early the next morning to visit the fox girl's mother.

    The next morning,

    Möbius realized that the meadow where he had helped Gumiho's sister was only one kilometer from Gateway City. He regretted using the Return to the Newcomer’s Town magic scrolls, knowing just how scarce such Return to Town scrolls were. As he looked toward the city where newer players who were newer than him were hunting rabbits, rats, and wild piglets, he couldn't help but wonder if the system's fairness had let him skip straight to battling bigger wild pigs instead.

    On his way to the Cave of Fate, Möbius encountered a level 9 sharp-horned deer that matched his level. The result was that the first deer required him to fire thirty rounds from a medium distance of about five meters, hitting it only because the deer charged at him, so he was able to shoot it. Considering the cost of the bullets versus the small amount of money the deer dropped, Möbius didn't feel it was worth it, so he looked for bigger targets that might make shooting easier.

    Soon, he encountered a level 11 medium-sized brown bear. This time, Möbius cautiously aimed from a distance with his handgun, then switched to his Thompson to spray bullets before it got closer. This strategy used fewer bullets than his first attempt but consumed a lot of his energy-booster potion.

    Despite the Thompson being a lightweight machine gun, its weight still prevented him from dodging all the bear's attacks, leaving him frustrated about not being able to level up and how he would manage to win the war. However, it was the fox girl who was the light at the end of the tunnel for the despairing Mobius.

    “This… this smell...?”

    Suddenly, Gumiho stopped and sniffed the air before circling around Möbius, causing the young man to sweat profusely, fearing the beautiful girl might be hungry again and he could become her next meal. But he was wrong; she transformed into a fox and quickly darted into the forest.

    Shortly after Gumiho, in her fox form, dashed into the pine woods, loud crashing noises followed by sounds louder than her running emerged. It was definitely the noise of an army of something moving rapidly.

    "Roar...!!!"

    The scene that Möbius saw was Gumiho carrying a baby brown bear with a whole family of seven or eight brown bears chasing her. He quickly shouldered his Thompson, hesitating whether to shoot or not, as there was a high chance of hitting Gumiho as well.

    (Möbius, fight it! I'll be right back.)

    The fox girl cheerfully communicated through her telepathy as she sprinted past the young man at high speed, leaving him to face the large group of bears alone.

    "Ah…Hurry up, please."

    Möbius responded in desperation, unleashing a barrage of gunfire from his machine gun at the group of bears without restraint. He then realized that when there were many bears like this, his chances of hitting them increased significantly, causing damage numbers to burst forth like a fountain from the group of bears. When the gunfire ceased, it meant that all 151 rounds in his Thompson had been spent.

    Only two brown bears were left approaching Möbius closely. The young man swiftly addressed the immediate situation by thrusting his right hand forward.

    “Hand of Möbius, White Hole, Longsword.”

    800

    “That's one down.”

    Möbius successfully thrust a longsword, conjured in close range, through the first bear. But before he could react further, the other surviving bear had already closed in to its attack range.

    “Gritting...”

    Möbius gritted his teeth as the brown bear embraced him like a long-lost relative, but with a critical difference as the one hugging him opened its mouth wide to devour his head in one gulp. A split second before its fangs could clamp down on his head,

    The fox girl, having finished her business, ran back and bit the bear's head from behind, narrowly saving Möbius from a fatal bite, and cheerfully communicated through her telepathy.

    (It's okay, Möbius, that cub was really tasty.)

    The young man, now understanding what her errand had been, turned to thank her with a heartily relieved expression, before thinking he needed to improve his close-combat tactics. He couldn't expect his partner to help him all the time. The way he released his longsword from his hand, if the enemy dodged it, he wouldn't be able to do anything else, and it was extremely exhausting each time he used it. Finding a solution to these urgent problems became Möbius’s next focus.

    The loot from the bear family encounter was substantial: nearly 1,500 reals, four small fire element crystals, and some blue and yellow energy potions. It was a profitable haul, and with the added energy potions, it’s no surprise Gumiho kidnapped another bear cub and attracted another 7-8 groups of brown bears.

    While Gumiho ran around the forest, Möbius had to frantically load his circular magazines because he had to prepare his guns before the fox girl returned. By the time Gumiho was satisfied, Möbius’s ammunition supply had dwindled to less than half of what it had been when they left Gateway Town.

    However, the gains were significant. Möbius had advanced to level 13, amassed a significant amount of money, acquired 30 fire element crystals, and saved some potions for Gumiho’s family they were about to visit.

    The reason for the halt, besides the fox girl being satiated, was Möbius's concern that the bears might run out of the forest. He was concerned about other players nearby who were leveling up and might have to run for their lives from the bears dragged by the fox girl. And ultimately, his bag was nearly full due to the various colored potions obtained from the brown bear group.

    Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Cave of Fate. At the peak of the day's heat, the cave entrance resembled a second market of the Newcomer’s Valley, bustling with merchants selling everything from weapons to dry food, even offering guide services to desired cities along with protection teams for non-combat players.

    This time, Möbius purchased another 10,000 rounds of ammunition, anticipating it might be a while before he could buy more. At this ammunition shop, he also bought a shotgun for close combat.

    Additionally, Möbius stocked up on a significant amount of dried food, given the golden fox girl's large appetite, and basic survival gear like knives, ropes, camping pots, and pans, planning to cook any delicious-looking monsters they might encounter to save on food expenses. After completing his purchases, he turned to Gumiho, still in her large golden fox form, and asked,

    "Is it far to the Ilusion Forest, Miho?"

    Möbius asked so that he could roughly calculate the time. . If it took too long, they might need to camp at the cave entrance and enter in the morning.

    (Umm, it's quite far. When I came, I was running for almost a whole day. If we start now, we should arrive by tomorrow evening.)

    Gumiho wanted to go home as soon as possible because she missed her mother terribly but didn't want to carry Möbius running. Instead, she preferred that he train to become stronger first, hoping that he would grow bigger. Then, the two entered the Cave of Fate.

    Inside, the Cave of Fate was filled with stalactites and stalagmites, with a wide 4-meter path stretching through the middle. Small white crystals embedded in the ceiling illuminated the cave. The entrance area was crowded with new players, as busy as a subway train during rush hour, making the first part of the path quite warm. Everyone cooperated to defeat monsters like large walking red mushrooms, bats, and skeletons that wielded their own arm bones as weapons. Möbius initially intended to cooperate with other players, but soon had to proceed alone as the monsters were killed by others before he could get a shot. Thus, he quickly moved deeper into the cave.

    (Look, Möbius, there's a resting place right there.)

    After walking into the cave for about three hours, the two found a large hall of the cave approximately 20x30 meters in size that seemed to be designated as a resting area, as there were no monsters spawning at all, making it crowded with other players resting and recuperating.

    "Let's have dinner, Miho. I wonder if monsters become more aggressive at night."

    Indeed, What Möbius said was right. In this game, like in other games, night-time monsters were about twice as strong as daytime ones. The black tusked boars that they had encountered were bosses that appear only at night. This might be the system's clever way to prevent players from venturing into dangerous areas at night, as some nights in this world can be pitch dark. Even facing our own hand right in front of us, visibility was so poor that getting lost was quite easy.

    (All done, Möbius.)

    Soon, the fox girl finished grilling the wild boar meat with her golden flames, and the delicious aroma quickly caught the attention of other players who were eating dry food. Möbius thought it would be better to share the grilled boar meat with others rather than waste it because this might be the last meal that the boar meat would still be edible.

    This also helped to make space in his inventory bag, which was currently filled with nearly 80 bottles each of blue and yellow potions. Fortunately, the system had granted Möbius the Hand of Möbius, which made it easy for him to store over ten thousands of bullets he carried, making him realize why other gunlingers often carried multiple bags, likely for ammo.

    "Please, feel free to take some; I have quite a lot."

    Möbius offered the meat that had been grilled for a long time from his bag, completely different from the freshly warmed meat by the fox girl's golden fire. The other players who were waiting to receive meat from Möbius looked back and forth between the warmed and the not-yet-warmed meat. Gumiho, watching, thought of a good idea.

    (Tell them if they want it heated, to bring a red potion bottle; one piece requires one bottle.)

    The cunning fox instructed Möbius before pretending to be parched and dizzy, almost as if unable to spit fire, aiming to evoke sympathy. Möbius simply blinked at the fox girl's craftiness.

    As a result, he had to tell the other players exactly that because the one who was truly tired from spitting fire was Miho. Moreover, new players get various colored potions for free from the company, leading them to eagerly trade their red power potions for Möbius's grilled wild boar meat without any regrets. Now, there were now as many red potions as the other types. Afterward, Möbius and Gumiho sat down and enjoyed the grilled meat thoroughly.

    (Hey, let's keep going, Möbius.)

    The fox girl urged Möbius to move on as soon as she finished eating.

    "Umm, let's continue."

    Möbius, who had just finished eating and rested briefly, got up and walked to the other side of the cave at the urging of his partner. Despite the numerous forks in the path, the fox girl led expertly, thanks to the unique scent she had left behind as a trail marker.

    As Möbius continued on, the number of players in the corridor thinned out as each went separately on their chosen path. Some ventured randomly, guided by fate, while others used maps to head to the cities they desired. By now, Möbius had shown some skills. He felt the shotgun he had was extremely useful, especially in the cave where the monsters were close-range attackers but moved and attacked slowly, especially in the cramped confines of the cave.

    So, he used the Thompson to shoot them continuously, and if any came too close, Möbius would blast them right in the mouth with the shotgun. Meanwhile, Gumiho, now in her human form, helped quickly collect the loot and dump it into Möbius’s bag. However, what bothered Möbius was how slow he was at reloading. Even though the Thompson and the shotgun were designed for quick reloading, it was still slower than the monsters' advance.

    Often, before he finished reloading, he had to swing his guns like clubs at the approaching monsters, which pained him as it significantly decreased the durability of his weapons. The system sending such a large number of monsters, despite only him and the fox girl being in this passage, must be another of its ironic acts of fairness, right?