My Sniper System

Chapter 18 - A Criminal

I was running out of options. There was nothing I could do but return to the hospital room where Hina was and wait for any guilds recruiting any fresh adventurers. It was even scarier than job hunting in Tokyo. And at the end of the day, I found nothing.

When I arrived inside the hospital, Hina welcomed me with a confused face saying, “you shouldn’t be here,” or something along those lines. She was right about it. However, the Crimson Guilds had original plans rather than accepting my application form to become an adventurer, despite the treasure I exchanged for them.

My step-sister watched the television when I arrived as she folded the clothes we would wear for the next day. Hina knew everything about me. And if I planned on joining the Crimson Guild, Hina figured out I would leave her for a while and conquer a portal. Exchanging the treasure received from those portals would be more than enough to pay the hospital bills and the expenses for our daily living. Even though it was a risky job, it was still the best source of income for the meantime.

Sadly, none of that happened.

The days went by like a breeze, and the Crimson Guild and other organisations weren’t seeing any adventurers. It was either they already had their hands full with the portals, or the Cybernauts already took the reservations slots. Every time I had inputted my name in the registration form, the site exited itself on its own and told me I was already too late to apply for today’s recruitment session. The same thing happened the day after that, which became a nuisance.

My social media account posted a few photographs of the newly recruited adventurers to conquer the portals. Much to my surprise, most parties returned with triumphing faces, while others hadn’t returned.

Those days of waiting for the guild’s application turned into weeks. And just like what had happened before, Hina and I were stuck for paying the hospital bills within the next week. If we couldn’t, we would need to kiss this place goodbye and find a place for Hina’s parents to stay. Of course, we didn’t want that.

The only thing left for me to do was…

“This is it, Hina. I’ve had enough of their bullshit! I’ll go inside the portal alone and defeat it!” My voice echoed through the room, making the neighbouring patients growl in anger.

“Aoi, language! If my parents heard you, they would’ve already…” A brief pause entered our conversation before Hina could even continue her sentence. “If you really plan on doing that, what do you think would happen? The Crimson Guild and the government wouldn’t be happy to hear that.”

“Why would the people give a fu… crap about their opinions? Shouldn’t the adventurers who have powers conquer those portals before it could even kill the entire city? I mean, what are they waiting for? These portals aren’t going to stop themselves,” I retorted.

“I know where you’re going at. But the thing is, Aoi, nobody’s above the law. If the law states that we should have an identification card to defeat the portals, we have no choice but to comply. At least, that’s what everyone should do.”

“I mean, think about it, brother. If everyone thinks like you and defeats the portal, they will obtain the treasure and use the money for their personal use. And if some idiotic people want to steal the treasures from the adventurers, it would cause an uproar. It wouldn’t just be a problem about politics. It would also hit the Crimson Guild, since they’re the ones in power,” Hina continued."

My step-sister was on point. Even though I disliked what she had said, her claims were reasonable. If everyone acted with their emotions, the world would be more chaotic.

“However, I can’t just sit around and watch these people die. These portals aren’t anything close to the dungeons in games. This is reality…. People are getting killed because of them - because of those portals. My family should’ve died from the monsters if it weren’t for the masked man with a gun who killed them… And Midori. The thing is, we need money. And I have this power to kill monsters better than everyone else. I think. And maybe, just maybe, I can get closer to the masked man who killed my parents. I’m hitting three birds with one stone, Hina. Please…”

Besides the money we had to earn, I also had a quest that I needed to do and finish until the bitter end. My body craved vengeance. It was like an itch I could never scratch, no matter how hard I tried. But now, I found a scratcher. It was a peculiar analogy, but that was what I felt. Even though years had already passed by, I still couldn’t forget the bloke who killed my parents. The masked man was not something I would give up on. Now that I had received this system, there was a possibility I could meet him inside a strong portal. After all, he had a gun similar to mine.

“Maybe you’re right,” Hina said, and continued. “And maybe you’re wrong. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I have an idea of what you’re experiencing right now. It must’ve been painful, brother. If you really think that defeating those portals illegally would make you feel better, then do what you must. You always have my back, Aoi… Since you always had mine when I needed you the most.”

Our conversation left a bitter taste in our mouths. But eventually, Hina leaned toward me and gave me a warm embrace. She wrapped her arms around mine and tapped my back as a mother would do to her child. I afterward returned her warmth. It felt… soothing. It was as if the world surrounding me stopped and paid respect to the calming sounds of Hina’s heartbeat.

I didn’t want this to end. And I was doing this for Hina’s sake. I cared more about Hina and her parents than myself, which was more than enough reason for me to do it.

I had already made up my mind and told Hina about my plan. She told me that if I needed her help, I shouldn’t hesitate to call for her help. Even if I were up against a dragon, Hina would come to my rescue and create walls for me to use as a shelter, just like we did in our previous battle.

And it was just what she had mentioned earlier. If I continued on this path, Japan would label me as a criminal for breaking the law and entering an uncharted portal to defeat. However, my intentions were good. I would protect the city in the shadows, while also earning a bit of cash in my hands. It was a win-win situation. It was a small price to pay to save myself and the people from it.

The next day finally came, which was the start of my operation. But before anything else, I needed to devise a plan. I shouldn’t just waltz my way inside the portal, having nothing in mind, especially when the government and the Crimson Guild would be hot on my tails. If word came out that I breached a portal, the government and the Crimson Guild would chase me around. And the rest of the adventurers who also gained powers would treat me as a wanted criminal. Modern problems would create modern chaos.

“There must be some way I could deal with them…” I told myself, and browsed my social media for news about an isolated portal. The internet still remained a vast place where I could find any information I needed, including the ones that I didn’t need. As it had turned out, luck was still on my side.

There was one right next to Shinjuku City, alongside a shrine not far from the train station. It would be a quick trip there, but I still needed some safety precautions. So I had to use a considerable amount of Yen and bring it with me for emergency purposes. My end would justify the means. And I bet Hina had already come up with a budget for the rest of the remaining weeks.

A sneeze escaped from Hina’s mouth. It was just probably a coincidence.

Within seconds, my brain finally thought of something. A light bulb illuminated my rusty head, which coincidentally gave me an idea.

“Just like the masked man, I should also wear a mask and defeat portals with it. It wouldn’t hurt my appearance, since I’m just wearing an all-white clothing with a cape,” I muttered, and found a store that solved my problems.

Luckily, it was a mask that resembled the sci-fi films stretching all over the city. Even though portals had invaded the place, the entertainment industry still controlled the cinemas. The film was about the war in space where two sides battled for power. Guns and swords were also involved, but I was never a fan of those things.

I bought a white mask to complement my outfit and tested my appearance in the nearby bathroom. Various children were also purchasing the mask from the store, which wouldn’t raise speculations from the government and the Crimson Guild. From the looks of it, everything didn’t turn out bad. My fashion design was off the charts. People wouldn’t recognise my face as long as this white mask wouldn’t fall off once the public noticed me.

And there I was, standing in front of the raging portal, wearing the full gear that came from the system and the one I brought from the nearby store. It was… worth it.