Chapter 34
“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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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