My Sniper System

Chapter 13 - Reward

[Congratulations for killing the Level 100 Grim Reaper!]

[Congratulations! You have levelled up!]

[You are now level 35]

[New Skill has been unlocked!]

[Extended Magazine {Passive Ability}- You can now hold 15 shells at once for magical bullets and physical bullets]

[Smoke Bomb (s) {Active Ability}- You can now cast Smoke Bomb (s) to an area. Once Smoke Bomb is cast, it would eventually fill the site with a smog cloud that lessens everyone’s visibility and accuracy, excluding yours. Duration of Smoke Bomb (s): 10 seconds. Enemies can not destroy or steal Smoke Bomb (s). You cannot also pass the Smoke Bomb (s) to any of your allies. Smoke Bombs can stack indefinitely. Cooldown of Smoke Bomb (s): 1 hour. The Smoke Bomb’s capacity will increase as the player’s level increases or the player’s ability allows him to. This item cannot be created through normal means.]

[Piercing armour from Physical Bullets increased!]

[Magic Penetration from Magical Bullets increased!]

[Since you defeated a Class-A portal, you have unlocked a mystery gift from the system! Please open the gift box once you’re outside the portal!]

[Stat points earned from levelling up shall be automatically added to your stats.]

Dozens of notifications popped up as soon as I defeated the Grim Reaper. I skimmed through the updates and found out my system rewarded me. But this wasn’t the time for me to use it. After leveling up, I had better things to do than just idle around and read whatever power-ups I earned. Hina and I also needed to escape this place before it could bury us alive.

“Did we win?” Hina asked, as she gazed at my figure with a dumbfounding look.

I gave her a nod and answered, “I guess we did.”

As the two of us had our exchange, the panel in front of me congratulated us for our triumph. There weren’t any tricks left inside the portal. We already defeated it.

Since we conquered, the dimension slowly cracked and became distorted. The horizons, which should’ve been a sight to see, turned into pixie dust as if it wasn’t even there. Sounds of something shattering also reverberated through our ears. And the panels that notified me about the portal’s destruction instructed that we should leave the place before a black hole could consume us all.

“So this would happen if a portal is defeated. A black hole that came from the portal would consume it if someone conquered it.”

It was what I had described. If an adventurer successfully achieved the goals and defeated the portals, the portal and its dimension would collapse into nothingness. It was as if a star died, created a supernova, and would be reborn into another one - another portal.

But before leaving the portal, the system granted me my prize. When someone defeats a portal, that person would be gifted with a treasure. If a party managed to succeed in that conquest, the leader would be the one who would store the prize. In this circumstance, I was the one who dealt the most damage to the ghoul. So I was the one given the reward.

The treasure appeared as a ball of light that materialised in mid-air. Within a millisecond, the blade popped up in front of me and rested on my waiting hands. It was what the portal had described.

The weapon had a name, and it was called the Ruined Sword. It was a rare one, which could fetch me around a hundred thousand yen - an amount that I needed to pay off the hospital bills of Hina’s parents. I couldn’t use this weapon even if I tried. My system never allowed me to. I was a sniper that could kill monsters from afar, not a warrior who fought in close combat. My playstyle should be camping behind and waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike. I was like an assassin. But if someone tried closing the distance between my enemies and me, I would lose that battle.

Fortunately, the adventurer’s guild and the United Nations made everything possible. If those officers limited the number of people to enter these portals, I might not be able to retrieve this treasure in exchange for money.

“Brother Aoi, we need to go now.”

Hina’s voice disrupted my train of thoughts as she held my hand into hers. I immediately snapped out of my shrouded mind and left the portal for good, with the monster’s corpse inside that dimension. But apparently, my system also refused to leave the dead Grim Reaper. Even though our opponent was a ghoul, the spirit was still a monster.

My eyes saw the ghoul as a dead entity, but my system and inventory had original plans. When I quickly returned to the scene, my storage feature inside my system sucked the Grim Reaper’s corpse inside and kept it for the time being. It even notified me that the Grim Reaper could become materials for making various weapons. I didn’t know why, but my system claimed that this dead spirit could be something else rather than being dead. Since the world had become a fantasy, game-like scenario, the existence of blacksmiths might be a possibility. And those people wouldn’t let a boss slide from their hands and craft tools out of their expertise.

After storing the dead spirit inside my inventory, Hina and I finally fled from the portal and returned to the park. It was the same place as usual, but the streets were now filled with lamps illuminating the way. No children loitered around, considering what had happened in the city. The only company we had was each other, besides the rustling wind and the dancing trees on the side. It was quiet. Even more noiseless than the graveyard we fought earlier.

“Let’s just go home, Hina. This place is creeping me out,” I suggested, and led the way.

Hina, who was still frightened by our previous event, held tight to the ends of my clothing. She never let me go. I also noticed that my appearance changed once again. I wasn’t fighting anything, so my gun had also disappeared from my hand. My system reverted me from my vulnerable self as I blended into the crowd. ‘This was for the best,’ I thought, considering that I didn’t want to grab any unnecessary attention from anyone.

But instead of going to the hospital first, I told Hina that I would exchange the treasure I received from the adventurer’s Guild or even an official from the government. However, when I advised her to leave, Hina refused and said she would stick around whatever deals I needed to take. I didn’t mind and went along with her request. After a while, I followed my GPS. The directions eventually led me to an abandoned area, where multiple people equipped with fantasy armour and weapons greeted my eyes.

The Crimson Guild wasn’t far from the city. We didn’t have to take the train, thanks to the availability of the Crimson Guild’s branch. It didn’t have any flashy features from what I had expected from a fantasy adventurer guild. Crimson Guild only had two floors, one for the adventurers and the branch leader and its secretaries. This place was occupied by another branch leader, not the man behind the name of Crimson Guild. And the main Guild was somewhere in Tokyo… Rumoured to be in Tokyo, Japan.

However, truth be told, the internet claimed that the whereabouts of the main branch still remained a mystery. Not even the government knew where exactly was the Crimson Guild or the leader of it that governed these powerful parties. The social media just recognised that a monstrous adventurer who could wield multiple gifts at once sat on the throne. And that person had already conquered most portals and retrieved hundreds of treasures with his powers alone. He was, what the people called, a one-man army. That man was known by many names, and a “Conqueror” was one of them.

The adventurers from the Crimson Guild gawked at our figures as we entered their building. But after a few while, those people averted their eyes and focused on their next missions. Why would they even bother themselves to interact with mere civilians like us? We weren’t worth the adventurer’s time, and I thought it was a win-win situation, even for us.

When we entered the place, the first thing that caught my eyes was the wall covered with mana. My system immediately sent me a message telling me that everything surrounding us was filled with someone’s arcane. Because of the environment, my system made some protective measures and guarded my identity. I didn’t know what happened, but it sounded important.

The air inside was also different. It was as if Hina and I were inside a portal and transported to a different dimension. But once we got a good look inside, the scent was all thanks to the plants and animals purifying the air and turning it into a haven for adventurers. As I glanced at my side, there was an animal that released a clear smoke that rejuvenated everyone’s health points. When I glimpsed at my flank, an odd-looking flower gave off an aroma akin to a fresh garden near the A****n Rainforest.

These people had uncommon abilities, and one of them was summoning plants and animals that changed the atmosphere. It opened up vast opportunities - I thought. The adventurers’ skills could prove useful in fights, especially against bosses.

It wasn’t just the people who could call out monsters at their will. There were a lot of adventurers who had distinct abilities that were out of this world. Some adventurers wielded a Katana, while others carried a shield with ease that was five times my size. It was crazy!

However, there was one thing that set us apart. And that was my system. Albeit everyone in this room had different powers, none of them could level up or tap their potential. They were strong. But these adventurers would soon hit a bottleneck once they reached their maximum capacity. And from my observations, the portals were becoming stronger. I had no idea if these people could handle such a terrifying threat if the time came.

But I reserved that thought for another day. It was not my intention to gauge their strength or even help whatever mission these adventurers had. I was also on a quest. And that was exchanging this Ruined Sword for money, which I would use to pay off the hospital bills for Hina’s parents.

As we trundled towards the entrance, a girl wearing a leather tunic greeted us from miles away. She waved her hands and urged us to come in her way. From the looks of it, the girl was the Guild’s receptionist. It didn’t take me long to guess that with all tables placed around her, paired with the notes resting on her desk. A circle of men and boys cheered every time the girl moved. Of course, those idiots would, considering that the girl had two melons jiggling on her chest.

A feral leer sent shivers down my spine when I thought about it. It belonged to someone I knew, and that someone was beside me. Hina even growled to herself as my mind thought about those lewd thoughts about the receptionist. But I wasn’t. I was just thinking about the men surrounding the girl, not me.

“Hello! We are the Crimson Guild Branch. Are you an adventurer? Or do you plan on becoming one? There will be awesome news for tomorrow, especially to those who have received a gift from the portals!” the receptionist said, with such enthusiasm.

The girl was a ball of sunshine, which was why the men loved her around the Guild. But there was something off about this woman. She was hiding her power.

[Congratulations on levelling up!]

[Since you have reached level 35, your appraisal ability will also level up! You can now peek through the status of other players. But beware! You can only see the stats of other adventurers as long as you’re ten levels below or above them! Any more of that, you would be denied by the appraisal ability! And please note that some strong adventurers could be notified if you’re checking their strength. It means that they may hack your appraisal ability. And that would enable other adventurers or opponents to look through your stats as well!]

[Level 43 Reception Girl]

[Class: Alchemist]

— [Health] --- {300/300 [+50.0 Hp regeneration per minute (enhanced by potions)]

— [Arcana] --- {500/500 [+80.0 Arc regeneration per minute} (enhanced by potions)]

Little did I know that everyone in this room was around level 25. It was the average number. But this receptionist girl, who had a cheerful attitude, was the strongest person in this room. Every cell inside my body warned me that the woman was bad news. And to make matters worse, the girl saw through my eyes and knew I was assessing her strength as an adventurer.