NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
On a dark night, a man covered in cloth stood atop a ramshackle watchtower, his fragile silhouette seeming as if it might bend with the wind.
He carried a worn rifle on his back and scanned the surroundings with binoculars in both hands.
However, it wasn’t merely to guard the stronghold; he was also there to find and welcome foolish sacrifices lured by the lights of the night.
Fallen.
True to its name, it was the speech of fallen humans roaming the contaminated land, seeking prey to plunder.
In a way, it was merely the result of being born into a broken world and adapting to it, but the distortion of thought had ultimately turned the same humans into enemies.
Clank, thud.
A metallic sound echoed every time he changed direction.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, the man felt a cold breeze seeping in through the tattered cloth and turned his head back.
Whooooosh—
As expected, the wind surged again, with countless grains of sand swirling through the valley. This wind always brought with it a foreboding chill.
“Tch.”
Finding something in the swirling sand with binoculars was impossible, so the man pulled down the goggles he had been wearing on his forehead to his eyes.
Batteries were a precious resource, but there was no choice.
When he pressed the button several times, light filled the previously dark goggles.
Whoosh—
“?!?”
His vision shook violently with a sharp impact.
His gaze, unknowingly directed upwards, blinked once before the man’s consciousness faded into darkness.
….
Click.
Lianah, moving only her right hand, operated the rifle’s trigger. Once she finished reloading, she quickly turned the muzzle to aim at another enemy and fell silent.
Whooooosh—
Bang—
The sound of the rifle firing coincided with the howling wind. Although the gunshot was drowned out by the wind, the fired sniper round pierced through the chaos and accurately struck its target.
– 92 experience points gained.
As the notification rang in her mind, she saw the enemy sniper’s HP over there drop to 0.
Wow, tasty experience.
While grinning at that thought, Lianah aimed her rifle at yet another enemy. With the sand swirling around her, she pulled the trigger.
Confirming the last sniper had fallen, Lianah slowly took off her thermal goggles.
“…Good.”
“Is it all done, sister?”
“Yeah, I took out all the snipers. Let’s move right away.”
“Are, are we really going to that fortress swarming with Fallen?”
Daisik asked with a voice as crumpled as his nerves, comparable to when they first got out of the car.
Of course, Lianah understood Daisik’s reaction, but the die had already been cast.
“Don’t worry, this time it’s our turn to do what they always did, right? Let’s hurry up.”
“Ugh…”
Despite his anxiety, Daisik trudged along behind Lianah, while Chun-sik and Sam-sik also seemed uneasy but quietly followed. Finally, we moved along with the group.
As we took another step closer to the fortress, passed the swirling sand, a sense of pressure from its massive presence washed over us.
Taking a moment to rest from the wreckage of abandoned cars beneath the subdued watchtower.
“Then Sita, Mili, and Edu, wait here. Once safety is secured, I’ll signal by flashing this laser pointer twice.”
With that, Lianah wrapped her hand around the laser pointer attached to her assault rifle to ensure the light didn’t leak outside while turning it on and off twice.
It was a trivial action, but perhaps it was the mark of a skilled explorer who didn’t miss even the smallest detail.
“Yes, be careful.”
After responding, Lianah checked Mili and Sita’s appearances, both of whom seemed to only nod in tension.
Seeing that, she smiled lightly, patted their heads once, and then led the way forward. The Dae-chun-sam brothers also let out small sighs before taking deep breaths and following her with serious expressions.
Once again, the crimson sandstorm whirled through the valley.
And in a manner that seemed to announce the prowess of Lianah and the three brothers, notifications rang one after another in her mind.
– 57 experience points gained.
– 64 experience points gained.
– 48 experience points…
Hmm, indeed, less than snipers. Still, it’s free experience, so complaining would be a glutton’s complaint.
While I was thinking that, a ringtone chimed, accompanied by the AOE level-up sound and yet another notification.
– Level has increased, LV 1 ▷ LV 2.
‘Alright!’
A smile blossomed at the awaited notification, and after a little more waiting, the same notification rang out again.
Yes! This is great, the ride feels good.
‘Should I invest in skills or prepare ahead?’
“ID, show me the stats window?”
With a beep, the ID responded.
[ Code check complete, visualizing stats. ]
After the mechanical response, my stats window appeared before my eyes.
——————————————————–
LV. 3 Edu Nimbosday *(■)
[ HP 13 / 13 ] *(■)
[ MP 472 / 475 ] *(■)
[ ST 15 / 15 ]
ATK 15 *(■) / DEF 30 / RES 40
STR 1 *(■)
DEX 8 *(■)
INT 151 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CHA 54 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
CON 16 *(■)
LUK 19 *(Growth Bonus x2 / Growth Limit 1)
SP 0 / SK 7 / EXP 1036
Appearance Traits *(■)
Character Traits *(■)
——————————————————–
Due to the negative trait of being a late bloomer, there was no significant change in stats immediately, but I noticed that spending skill points to unlock the .22 caliber turret of the Little Drone and the directed grenade launcher brought SK back to 7.
Additionally, my INT surpassed 150, giving me an extra +10 MP, providing a little more leeway in mana.
Anyway, with the extra skill points, I’ll invest right away to unlock another summoning item.
“ID, show me the skill tree.”
[ Code check complete, turning off status display and visualizing the skill tree. ]
The familiar window that I had seen countless times in AOE appeared before me. Filled with the potential of a robot summoner, this skill tree was always exciting to behold, but given the current circumstances, I focused my thoughts.
This time I would unlock the Mini Cart.
Unlike flying drones, it was ground equipment about 30cm in size, with three wheels on each side, a summoning item included in the drone tree.
‘Ah, I really want robots….’
My gaze shifted to the two locked trees beneath the drone tree—namely, the Humanoid Tree and the Mech Tree.
If I could, I would want to immediately unlock the Mech Tree—huge robots that represented the essence of robot summoning, the dreams, and hopes that could rain down fire upon those Fallen. However, since I couldn’t unlock the previous step of the Humanoid Tree due to insufficient level, this was the best option for now.
‘Unlock skill: Mini Cart.’
– Spending 2 skill points to unlock Mini Cart.
Simultaneously, information about the Mini Cart flashed in my mind along with various enhancement and modification methods. The sensations were new, but the content was something I had already encountered countless times in AOE, so it felt nothing out of the ordinary.
Therefore, I proceeded to invest the next skill points immediately.
– Spending 1 skill point to unlock the .22 caliber turret for the Mini Cart.
First, I unlocked the .22 caliber turret. While it might seem strange to invest skill points to unlock the same equipped weapon as the Little Drone, especially with options like 36-gauge and 9mm at hand, there was a reason.
That reason was simply that I would need this .22 caliber turret for what I was about to do.
Among AOE users, the method of operating this Mini Cart, referred to in gameplay styles known as Stealth Cart and Assassin Cart, maximized one of the Mini Cart’s two advantages: stealthy operations.
Quiet and powerful. The stealth cart, which could be summarized in those two words, would be completed by unlocking the .22 caliber turret and a few special modifications.
– Spending 1 skill point to unlock the special modification – Drive System Improvement for the Mini Cart.
This modification improves the Mini Cart’s drive mechanism, greatly reducing engine noise and overall sound.
– Spending 1 skill point to unlock the special modification – Quiet Assassin for the Mini Cart.
This modification, which originally held a quiet .22 caliber turret, equipped a suppressor to all but eliminate sound.
– Spending 1 skill point to unlock the special modification – Recoil Stabilizer for the Mini Cart.
And the modification enhances the turret’s recoil control and increases accuracy using a laser pointer.
‘Good.’
With that, the crucial preparations were complete. I turned my gaze to the stats window for a moment.
SK 1
The solitary skill point remained, and while that alone was enough to prepare, since I wasn’t just playing a game, I prepared for contingencies.
– Spending 1 skill point to unlock the special modification – Large Capacity Magazine for the Mini Cart.
Alright, that’s it.
“Summon, Mini Cart. Equip .22 caliber turret.”
– Consuming MP to summon a creature equipped with the specified weapon.
Mana surged from my body. Moments later, the Mini Cart appeared with a pop atop the mound of dirt beside me.
With its small, rugged appearance and three wheels on each side, it resembled a mini car, however, the heavy vibe emanating from the .22 caliber turret equipped on its body was imposing.
“Wow, wow…”
“Is it a new summon?”
Mili exclaimed in admiration while Sita asked curiously.
“Yeah, it’s called the Mini Cart.”
In response, the Mini Cart spun around and began to trace a circle on the ground. Meanwhile, I realized that the notifications for gaining experience that had been ringing intermittently had stopped.
Coincidentally, a red laser pointer blinked from the sandy dust ahead.
“E, Edu? That, that…”
“Looks like they’re all taken care of.”
“…Then let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Despite the evident tension, Sita bravely took the lead, while Mili hurriedly followed behind her, cautiously making their way towards the signal.
Ah, right, I need to deactivate the Mini Cart’s summon.
Whoooosh— Whooooosh—
The sound of the wind hitting my ears; pushing through the rough breeze, I could see Lianah waving her hand, and the corpses of fallen enemies surrounding her were in my line of sight.
Crimson blood soaked into the sand. The faces of the dead foes reflected their confusion, unable to mount even a counterattack.
Hmm… seeing it like this is rather raw.
“The guards outside the fortress have all been handled, so now it’s time for Edu to show his skills, right?”
Lianah said, playfully poking my cheek. But since I had already made my preparations, I replied confidently.
“Sure. Leave it to me.”
I’ll show the stealth cart play honed by an AOE veteran!