Shooting. A skill that involves handling projectile weapons to accurately hit a target, such as arrows or bullets.
Shooting is hard. I mean, is there anything easy in this world?
On the surface, shooting doesn’t seem that difficult. Setting aside the loud bang when pulling the trigger, both the stance and the movements during shooting are exceptionally static.
The difference between a seasoned pro and a newbie isn’t immediately obvious. But the skills and know-how each individual possesses vary greatly.
Most viewers expected Kayak to be a total disaster at shooting, just like Riri. That wasn’t exactly surprising; it was actually a normal reaction.
Some might say, “How hard can it be to just shoot in VR?” But nowadays, VR games have been praised for their realism that rivals reality itself.
Right now, the game Kayak and Riri are playing, ‘Police SWAT,’ was developed with the advice of an actual special forces member and has received rave reviews.
The fact that Korean users, especially Korean men, show good skills in such games isn’t a huge mystery.
As citizens of a divided nation, they have served in the military. Unlike other users, they’ve had some real experience with firearms.
The experience of having shot a gun, even once, is not something to overlook. There’s a difference right from figuring out how to hit the target.
[But it’s Kayak, she should at least hit 10 shots]
[Can’t even score a hit? A talent-gifted broadcast host?]
[This is more about experience than talent]
[Ha, lol, do you think a non-military could’ve shot a gun?]
[So military service gives a buff? What a crazy game.]
[Besides, the gun types must be different; what does experience even matter, lol? Just a bunch of nonsense.]
[No, no, I’ve tried it, and it’s surprisingly similar to when I practiced shooting.]
[Other streamers all say the same, right?]
However, what the viewers overlooked was that Kayak actually had experience handling guns.
Specifically, she served for about two years in the military, but it was a stretch for the viewers to guess that. After all, Kayak clearly looked and acted like a woman.
So, when Kayak shouldered the rifle she brought, the viewers felt nothing strange at all.
Bang!
Out of 30 bullets fired, she hit 5. Among those, 3 missed, and she later hit 2.
“Three misses, and then I hit two after that.”
“Just that alone was already worthy of praise. A hit rate of 40% would be considered quite decent. In fact, some in the chat were already in a tizzy, claiming something was off.”
“However, the Kayak didn’t stop there. Ignoring the chat, her gaze was solely focused on the front, her eyes fixated on the target like a predator stalking its prey.”
“It was like the gaze of a hunter eyeing its next meal. Just like a hawk gliding through the air waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down, at an unexpected moment, the sound of gunfire echoed again.”
“Bang-!”
“The shooting continued. This time, it didn’t end at five shots.”
“With an expression that barely concealed a smirk, the Kayak kept firing without pausing.”
“She wasn’t rapid-firing. But the time between each shot was so short that it felt like it.”
[Why is she suddenly going wild?]
[Is this rapid-fire?]
[It seems like she shoots one bullet, then shoots the next right after.]
[To get a feel for it, you have to try different things, right?]
[Hmm… That’s not how it’s done….]
[Her aiming stance is good, though?]
There were those who were confused about whether it was single shots or rapid-fire, those who thought the Kayak was just blindly shooting, and others who were already offering her advice.
However, the subsequent scene began to change the dynamics of the chat.
27/30. This was the final score displayed after the shooting concluded.
Except for the initial three misses, it meant she hit all the rest. The viewers, realizing the truth, couldn’t contain their astonishment.
[? Is she hacking?]
[No way, what the heck???]
[Damn, Kayak… Are you telling me you’re the ultimate sharpshooter?]
[They said Kayak couldn’t shoot, and look at these guys, haha!]
[Was the broadcast host a former sniper?]
[First try, 27 hits? 90% accuracy?]
[Those who can’t shoot worse than the host… should probably hit their heads on the wall, right?]
[Isn’t this just luck?]
[What kind of luck is this, lol? This game has a super strict physics engine.]
[Did she just prove herself to be the GOAT….]
[But she really shouldn’t be this good… I mean, she shouldn’t….]
Finally, the Kayak, stepping down from the platform, pushed her special forces goggles up onto her head and slung the rifle over her shoulder.
Then, with a thumbs-up, she declared, “Will you call me… the elite marksman?”
[Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!]
“Yay! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!”
“Ah, LOL, so you went to the military during your break, huh? LOL”
“Kayak went into seclusion after seeing the Abyss shutdown notice.”
“Just returned from deployment to Somalia, whoa!”
And thus, rumors spread about Kayak’s nickname as the top marksman with a history of gun use experiences.
*
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
Just needed to recall my old memories and shoot, and somehow it hit the mark. The hit detection seemed to be generous; as long as the bullets touched the target area, it counted as a hit.
It only took a little while to revive those vague memories; the rest posed no problems at all.
“Let’s go, Commander.”
“Am I the Commander?”
“That’s correct.”
We achieved our original goal of visiting the training ground to find suitable weapons while also warming up. Moreover, although it wasn’t planned, it seemed we had established some sort of hierarchy with the viewers and Riri.
So here I am, the main dealer and order giver. Armed with a rapid-firing rifle, while Riri held the shield and led the charge.
In reality, with just the two of us, there wasn’t much need for role division, but since Riri took the shield first and crowned me the Commander, that’s how the setup ended up.
Anyway, we are currently on a one-star mission. Terrorists have taken over a gas station and are holding hostages inside.
Our concrete objective is to subdue or eliminate the terrorists and rescue the hostages.
“Riri, operative?”
“Yes, Commander!”
Her response is so spirited, it’s refreshing. For some reason, it seems she wants to engage in roleplay, but there was no reason not to play along.
“Riri, do you know why the terrorists chose the gas station as their base?”
“A gas station?”
She looked pretty flustered, perhaps not expecting the question. Uh, um… since she just kept adding in those little remarks, I continued explaining.
“Gas stations are highly accessible and operate 24 hours. They have an open structure that is vulnerable to security measures. And most importantly, having a secured escape route is also a reason why criminals target gas stations.”
“Ooooh…”
[Why is she so professional?]
[I’m ex-UDT, and this adds up, yeah.]
[Kayak, the ace squad leader, heh…]
[Genuinely, what is Kayak doing?]
[Suspiciously good physical abilities… suspiciously knowledgeable…]
[Feels like I’m listening to a commentary, LOL.]
[Did she really go on deployment to Iraq?]
[She just got back from catching Somali pirates, LOL.]
“I just came back from catching Somali pirates, haha!”
“Yeah~ sis, you can do anything!”
“Let’s wrap up the explanation about the gas station and take a look at the sketches of the terrorists before we move in.”
“He’s bald!”
“It’s important to identify the physical features of the terrorists to distinguish between hostages and terrorists. We can’t afford any friendly fire.”
There were three terrorists holding the gas station, and all of them were bald.
They had tattoos covering their heads and arms, and their faces were adorned with piercings on their ears and nose, looking pretty menacing.
Should I call them the typical criminal type? On the other hand, the kidnapped hostages were two employees from the gas station, and while they weren’t exactly saints, they had a pretty normal appearance, making it not too difficult to tell them apart.
“That’s all for the briefing, we’re moving in. Riri, get your shield and lead the way!”
“Moving in, let’s move out!”
Following my order, Riri grabbed her heavy shield and started to advance. I followed closely behind her, keeping a careful lookout for any threats.
“Enemy spotted! Enemy spotted! There’s an enemy ahead!”
That was when I received the report from Riri, who had moved ahead. It felt like, already? But given the difficulty level, it made sense—it was a one-star mission, so I guess enemies would just pop up right away.
“When I give the signal, fall back, Riri. I’ll take them out in one go.”
“Yes, yes!!”
I could probably just subdue them, but I was more curious about how the game would progress if I killed them. Would I get more points for subduing than for killing?
As I waited for the right moment, I called out to Riri who was ahead.
“Now!”
“Yikes!”
Upon hearing my voice, Riri ducked and rolled away from the battlefield, leaving me facing off one-on-one against the terrorist.
Without hesitation, I grabbed my rifle and aimed for the forehead of the guy who had only a few strands of hair left…
Wait, hair?
Bang-!
-You have killed a hostage.
-Mission 1: Gas Station Assault – Failed.
-Calculating total score. Please wait…
“Oh.”
Then it hit me. The “terrorist” Riri had mentioned wasn’t a terrorist at all; it was a hostage.
It was Riri’s primary mistake to confuse the hostage with the terrorists, and my secondary mistake for not checking their faces properly.
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