Back to Princess Chloe’s Perspective____________________At once, Chloe exited the place and ran as far away as her little legs could, gripping me tightly in her hands. We have no idea about the time. But we know we’ve created a fair distance between the village and our origin, thinking we would be safe away from the town. I am the one who has suggested that, and I know someone or something would come after for us if we idle for more.The next thing we know, nighttime arrives, and the environment becomes pitch black. Multiple stars shine above our heads, and the moon, shaped like a square, hovers around us. It is odd but calming. Back in my world, moons, stars, and other planets are in the form of a sphere and others… figures. And none of them are shaped like a square.We are inside a forest yet again. Thankfully, no monsters reside in the area. Normally, these horrible forests like what we are in right now are the epitome of woe or death. As luck would have it, Chloe is still in one
“BAAH! DAMNED THIS ETERNAL REGRET! I will practise! Come, Kuro! Let’s go and practice! I’ll use those trees as my target dummies and hit them using my bullets!”“Uh…. Chloe? Did you just…?”“DID I WHAT NOW, KURO?” Chloe narrows her eyes and growls at me.“N-Nothing. I’m aboard whatever you have in mind, princess.”And here, I think Chloe will sleep after our conversation ends. But I have thought wrong. Chloe picks herself from the ground, drags me out of my place, and rushes towards the trees. She then gapes at the plants for a few seconds before gazing back at me.“Tell me where to train, Kuro. The pain inside my chest continues to consume me, and I want to do something about it.”“Trust the gun… and respect the gun. And for that, you should-...”“I know!” Chloe says, as she encases her hand around the trigger... Around me. She then stares at the tree as if it is a creature heading toward her... It is as if this situation is a life-or-death situation for her. “I know… It’s just that,
The [Forest Cerberus] finds an opening and slashes Chloe’s left arm. Her non-dominant arm. Chloe recognises that she has messed up, so she darts away. But she couldn’t sprint for more. As soon as the princess glances at her back, the same [Forest Cerberus] catches up and plans to pierce her with its horns. Those four [Forest Cerberus] are also tailing behind, waiting for the perfect opportunity to gang up on her.If Chloe still wishes to improve, now’s the time. She aims the gun again at the creature, but her confidence diminishes. The princess isn’t sure if the bullets will hit her enemies… or if it will repeat the same mistake she did earlier. “I… I don’t know, Kuro… I can’t hit the enemy…” Chloe murmurs, and plans on accepting death as she slowly closes her eyes. Her hand shivers again. She is still trying, and Chloe would pull the trigger somehow or in some way. However, she already knows the conclusion. Some bullets would miss the [Forest Cerberus], or they would only hit their
“Did you just say ‘Game Over?’” I ask, trying to make sure I have heard the correct word. Chloe hardly bobs her head, avoids my gaze, and replies, “Y-Yes, Kuro… Because that is what you always say… And I want to mimic your way of speaking… You are somewhat having fun with it, and I also find it amusing to my ears. Hence, I said the word. I apologise if it does not suit me-...” “No, no, no, no, no, no.” I shake my head and continue. “As a matter of fact, that’s actually pretty dope, princess! You can copy whatever I’m saying, and I don’t mind a bit! It’s just refreshing, which took me by surprise to hear you say something out of the blue. And nice shot, by the way! We finally killed the [Forest Cerberus]!” “There you again, saying words that I do not know. What is a ‘Dope?’... Nevermind. I will learn it sometime soon. The terminologies you say always remind me that you do not come from this world but from another. Which is why I feel at ease when I’m with you…” “Anyhow, thank you fo
I leave the decision to Chloe. I have already made up my mind, but I am not alone in this fight. Chloe is with me, and it would be rude to decide whether to take the mission, although it would benefit the two of us. If there’s a decision to make, it is best to survey Chloe to see if she is willing to do it. And if she isn’t, we’d figure something out.Thankfully, the princess is up for the task. When she first hears my thoughts, Chloe contemplates for a second and agrees. But she looks at me with a worried look in her eyes. After a moment, she voices her concerns. “Are you sure we can win this fight, despite the fact that [Goblin Shaman[ is way above our level, Kuro?”Again, for the umpteenth time, I would’ve already shaken it from left to right if only I had a head. “To be honest, I don’t want to give you false hope, so… I don’t know. The best thing we can do is to try. And besides, your aim is becoming better than usual. That’s a start.”“The [Forest Cerberus] needs four bullets to
The fight finally begins. Shedding no fear, Chloe dashes out from the boulder and reveals herself in front of the goblins. When the [Goblin Shaman] and the small-fries notice her, the leader quickly raises their guard and orders its minions to batter us. But Chloe is faster than them. The moment Chloe lands on the ground, she grips me tighter in her hands, aims me at the goblins, and fires three bullets at each goblin at a time. Although a headshot could easily eliminate those goblins and lessen the usage of our ammunition, Chloe doesn’t want to risk it and plans on defeating this mob in a slow but steady fashion. I, too, prefer it that way for now.When Chloe first fought against monsters, she was terrified and lacked confidence. She always told herself, “What if my bullets wouldn’t hit my enemies?” and watched her hands tremble in fear. But all that changed when I deactivated my [Aimbot] and Chloe defeated five [Forest Cerberus] on her own. It was clutch, but she did the job. And no
I thought we had it. I thought this was the end of the line, and Chloe and I would resume our merry journey like a typical day. But it isn’t. Fighting bosses is never easy. And we’ve learned a valuable lesson that… we need to earn our win if we want to be stronger.[Enraged Form has been activated][Second Phase commences for [Goblin Shaman]]Suddenly, the atmosphere changes. Despite the lack of gusts blowing from the seams, there is also a tingling sensation in the air. The wind comes from the [Goblin Shaman]. Additionally, our opponent becomes taller, and its mass increases.And if my gamer senses are correct, this boss of ours is heading to the second phase, which is more powerful than the first one… of course..The [Goblin Shaman] increases its health, and I assume that the boss also gains more strength, leading to more damage than it could before. Not to mention, there is a forcefield-like glass emitting from the monster’s surroundings. Nothing happens when Chloe aims me at the [
Just like always, Chloe follows my command and waits out the [Goblin Shaman]. I have a feeling that this monster is just buying time for it to cast another spell, so it tries to taunt us into wasting our energy and mana on attacking. But Chloe doesn’t take the bait. The princess and I stare at the [Goblin Shaman], still waiting for it to make a move.And then it happens.The moment the [Goblin Shaman] finally assembles its inner mana, it raises its hand and casts its spell. A magical circle envelope at the creature’s head, showing that it would launch an attack from above. But most importantly, the tentacle-like limb created by the [Goblin Shaman] has emerged at the creature’s back, which is, I guess, the source of the monster’s overall mana.“That’s our target, Chloe. I think you could shoot the eye from here and test your luck, but… the monster could dodge it. Well, let’s give it a try! There’s no harm in trying!”“Mhm!”As soon as I say those words, Chloe doesn’t give any breathing