Manuke FPS

“A Spring of Purity on the 1st floor?! Is it true?!”

When we got back to the headquarter, Keith greeted us while he was doing paperwork. Varold seemed to be eating in the dining tent, but came back when he was notified of our return.

“We have no doubt about it. It’s about a 5-hour walk from the entrance.”

“5 hours? With other labyrinths, you’d reach the 2nd level in that time…”

“Exactly, nya. We believe that this labyrinth is a big maze with only 1 level.”

“Schwarz, please hurry with the mapping of the Spring’s location. Our attack plan will be based on that map. Mitche and Frau, please arrange for a full 6-person party, including Schwarz.”

“I’ll start drawing the map immediately. But about including me in the party, you mean I’ll also take part in the attack?”

“Yes. In normal labyrinths, the closer to the spring you get, the higher ranked the monsters become. We also need you to search for the route to the Gatekeeper, which will increase the danger of your trip. Not to mention the confrontation with the Gatekeeper… Are you scared?”

“No, I’m fine.”

It really was alright. The reason I fell into this world… The purpose and meaning of my existence that I had vaguely yearned for while sitting in the Spring of Wolf Fang Labyrinth… It was to conquer labyrinths. This was a good opportunity. I could confirm how my power, the VMB system, fared against the monsters in this labyrinth. Such knowledge would surely be useful when I confronted the Gatekeepers and Dungeon Masters by myself later.

(T/N: Plurals since I think he was talking about the future, when he would conquer labyrinths by himself.)

“Keith, we’ll go to Barga tomorrow to get some Sasanqua members. We’ll be back the day after.”

“Understood. Ah, Frau, while you’re there, please bring our report to the General Guild. I’ll write it after dinner.”

“I understand. Mitche, let’s go have dinner. Schwarz, there’ll be no exploration tomorrow, so see you the day after.”

“Okay. Please excuse me, I’ll go draw the map now.”

Exiting the headquarters, I went to the tent especially prepared for me to map. I drew the area we explored today on a new piece of paper, then I made a simplified version that only focused on the route from the entrance of the labyrinth to the spring. When I was done, the sun had already set and the fires had been lit.

Keith and Varold were waiting for the map in the headquarter. I gave it to them, and went to the dining tent to take care of my hunger.

◆◆◇◆◆◇◆◆

Mitche and Frau rode to Barga on horseback the next morning. As for me, I went back to the mapping tent. Not to map, but to check and organize my equipment for the attack tomorrow. The tent was the only place where I could stay out of the public eye. I didn’t change my main or secondary weapons. Instead, I packed more powerful small-arms in case we met enemies that the 5.7×28 rounds couldn’t deal with.

VMB’s small-arms didn’t have power settings themselves. What could be adjusted were the initial velocity of the bullet at the time of firing and the RPM (Round Per Minute). If the numerical values like RPM were set close to that of a real gun, then the offensive power of a firearm would depend on the bullet size.

Offensive power tended to increase with bullet size and cartridge length increased. With real guns, you could also choose from different types of rounds with different characteristics, from full metal jacketed rounds to hollow-point bullets. However, this was not possible with VMB.

(E/N: See notes below on my explanation of above.)

For example, to increase the piercing strength, bullets used with the P90 and 5.7 were small caliber rounds, 5.7x28mm. However, most other guns used full metal jacketed bullets. (E/N: Every caliber has FMJ son, chill.) The 5.7×28 was specifically produced only for the P90 and 5.7 pistols.

I needed something more powerful than the 5.7×28 round, either the 7.62×39 or 7.62×51 NATO would be appropriate…

(E/N: If we’re going this route, why not.224 Valkyrie,.30-30, or.338 Lapua? I hate this dude. –.)

I opened the small-arms tab in the TSS Inventory and began choosing. Among all the firearms I collected during the 3 years I played VMB and the ones I purchased from the SHOP – I had quite a lot of choices. So I summoned my favorite rifle.

The FN SCAR-H, black model, an ARF battle-rifle from FN, the same company that developed the P90 and 5.7. This rifle was specially developed for the US Special Forces. The H in its name stood for Heavy and was chambered in 7.62×51 NATO. Its magazine factory standard magazine could only hold 20 cartridges, but it boasted high offensive power. I decided to choose this gun to use in case the 5.7×28 were not enough.

There was also the L-type, but I passed on it this time since I chose to use the 5.56×46 NATO rounds. Also, I really liked the black color model.  You could only get it in VMB.

(E/N: I’ll just stop commenting...) (PF: brain.exe has stopped working)

If this SCAR-H wasn’t sufficient, I wouldn’t have a choice but to take some expensive laser rifle or an RPG launcher (Rocket Propelled Grenade). VMB didn’t only have fights simulated from famous battles in history, but also ones from futuristic and PvE settings where you could fight with alien monsters.

There were all kinds of equipment for those battles, even things that didn’t exist in real life like Laser Rifles. But FPS players tended to prefer real-life firearms more. I was one of them. There were more realistic firearms to choose from and the laser rifles’ energy packs consumed too much CP due to their stronger power.  They weren’t something to use in every single battle. The RPG-7, an anti-tank weapon, not only consumed a lot of CP, but were also inconvenient to carry around so they weren’t to be used lightly either. This might be the right time to use them though.

I also took out the SCAR-H’s magazine from the supply box and inserted it into my magazine belt. I put my P90 into the now-empty box and shut the lid. It then became light particles and faded away. With preparations completed, I exited the mapping tent and headed outside the camp. The SCAR-H had stronger recoil than the submachine gun so to avoid being surprised by the amount, some practice was necessary.

◆◆◇◆◆◇◆◆

I left the camp and walked for about 15 minutes, avoiding the direction of the Labyrinth. Then I came upon a field that offered a nice open view with some hills here and there. Even if I made a mistake, I wouldn’t accidentally shoot someone here. I then looked for a spot where I could shoot at the hill’s slope. While thinking it would’ve been nice to bring a target along, I picked a slope that felt good and drew a humanoid shape about the height of a goblin with a small rock. I also drew more rough outlines of goblin fighter and goblin mage.

“Now, let’s see how the SCAR-H feels in this world, shall we?”

I crouched down and switched the safety to semi-auto. I was going to fire one shot then change positions. I aimed down the sight, the crosshair displaying on my goggles overlapped with the gun’s iron sights. Since the target was a slope, the long-distance function didn’t activate. I aimed at the goblin’s outline head regardless.

A sound similar to that in VMB boomed, accompanied by a mechanical clank of the spent casing being discharged. The familiar noise lifted my mood and I continuously fired at the slope after changing targets. The recoil was strong as expected, but you wouldn’t have the qualification to use the SCAR-H if you couldn’t control it.

(E/N: 7.62 doesn’t have strong recoil...) (PF: looks at above editor note O.o)

I changed the magazine, switched to full-auto and began firing. The sounds of the shots echoed in the area. Even in full-auto, the shots were close to the slope. The accuracy wasn’t bad. The magazine could only carry 20 rounds might be a worrisome point in a group battle, but I planned to take both the P90 and SCAR into the labyrinth.

You could only equip 1 main weapon in VMB, but that limit didn’t exist in this world. I had confirmed this when I carried 2 at the same time. Having to carry more magazines might be a struggle, especially in a situation that required high maneuverability, but you could make do by slinging them over your shoulder.

I spent about two hours practicing handling the rifle while changing attachments and position before returning to camp.