The Devil’s Cage

Bullets hit the walls and the broken wood.

Debris flew everywhere from the blast point.

However, before the shooting had even begun, Kieran had already rolled to the side to get out of the way.

He had Colleen to thank for that. If it were not for the [Evade] skill that she had taught him, he would have been crushed under the torn down wall or killed by the gunshots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The guns were still firing.

As he had expected, his gunshot had startled them. They were anxious to kill him, even if that meant that they would have to shoot down the whole wall.

M1905 bullets could not shoot through concrete walls though. Even if they could, Kieran was already long gone.

He backed up against the wall and took deep breaths while holding the M1095 tight, waiting for a chance to strike.

The last shot that he had fired had missed its target.

As a matter of fact, if the thugs had not noticed that something was wrong, Kieran would have kept hiding and backstab them using the dagger skill until he had taken them all out.

However, just as he expected of himself, his gun skills were sh*tty, though.

Even within close range, he had not been able to hit the target and make a lethal shot.

[Shooting: Inflicts 50 Damage to target HP, 45 Damage Reduction by Protective Gear, 5 Damage Inflicted to target HP...]

He looked at the battle log, shaking his head in disappointment.

If only he could hit the targets’ heads and not the protective gear on their bodies, they would all have been dead already.

He hadn’t though, and now there were two more attackers remaining.

However, Kieran and Colleen were two as well.

Bang!

A clear gunshot rang out amidst all the firing. It was unbelievably loud.

“Ahhhh! My leg! My leg….”

Τhe man’s screams got clearer and clearer.

It had to be Colleen!

She had stayed hidden when the battle had started, but now it was time for her to strike.

According to Kieran and Colleen’s plan, Kieran would act as the main shooter. Only if he was surrounded or suppressed by gunfire would Colleen make a move, creating enough space for them to strike back.

The last remaining thug now lay on the ground. Colleen had done her part.

Without further hesitation, Kieran pulled the trigger from the shadows.

Bang! Bang!

Two shots were fired.

However, despite Colleen’s contribution, the outcome was far from satisfying.

The first shot he fired landed on the protective vest once again, and the second one missed the target completely.

“F*ck!” he cursed silently, moving quickly.

The thug had already spotted him and turned his gun on him.

“F*cking rookies! Hahahaha… Goddamn rookies!”

Wurke the Jackal laughed out loud, unable to hold back his contempt for Kieran.

It had scared Wurke at first when his men had started to disappear one by one. He had thought that they had ran into some kind of unbeatable assassin, had even felt fear at the possibility. When he had watched his last man fall to the ground after the gunshots, it had made him even more scared and desperate.

Wurke had been prepared to die if he failed to kill the man.

He had been so scared that he could not move. He had just stood there and waited for his end to come.

However, his thoughts and fear both faded away when he watched Kieran miss two shots at his men.

It was not an unbeatable assassin after all. It was just a rookie. A rookie in possession of a gun.

Someone who could not even hit his target from a 10-meter radius.

He saw his way out of this situation. He just needed to kill Kieran so he wouldn’t have to die.

What about the second person who had fired, though?

Wurke looked at his guy who was holding the wound on his leg. He was smart enough not to mess with the person who had shot his man. He was not that stupid. He would go after the rookie.

Wurke carefully avoided the path within Colleen’s shooting range and yelled at his man, “Go, you assh*le! Go and lure the other one out!”

Wurke pointed his gun at him, threatening him.

“No, boss… Please don’t do this! Please!” the thug begged as he too pointed his gun at Wurke.

Wurke laughed and answered with contempt, ”You still have rounds left in your gun?”

The thug was stunned as he realized that he was out of bullets.

He panicked. He had wasted all his bullets earlier when he’d gotten startled. He had wasted them all without even aiming at his target. He’d just shot away blindly.

Sweat slid down his forehead. He did not want to become live bait.

“You’re out of bullets too, Boss!” he told Wurke boldly.

“You don’t understand. There’s a reason why you’re a low-level lackey and I am the boss’s right-hand man!” said Wurke as he pulled out another fully-loaded magazine. “You see this? Every time I’m out of the base, the boss gives me extra magazines just to deal with sh*tty situations like this one! Now go. Go and lure that bastard out, or I will kill you myself!”

Wurke pointed the gun at him again.

The thug knew that if he did not obey, Wurke would kill him. He was sure of that.

Wurke was known for his hostility and lack of mercy.

He hesitated a little before he obeyed.

He thought that he might have a better chance against Kieran than against Wurke. Kieran was inexperienced at shooting while Wurke was the Vulture’s right-hand man. His shooting skills must have been up to a certain standard or he wouldn’t have gotten that position in the first place.

The thug clenched his teeth and crawled out of cover.

Hiding in the shadows, Kieran had witnessed the whole exchange. He knew what they were planning on doing.

He had even heard them call him a rookie after he had missed that shot.

He could totally see the uninjured guy shooting him if he pointed his gun and took aim again.

So he had two choices.

The first one was to run and hide.

The second one was to face them head on.

If he ran, so would the enemy.

If he faced them though, chances were that he might end up dead before he could even make a move. He could not depend on his lousy gun skills.

Still, Kieran decided to face them head on. If this was real life, he would have never chosen that option, but he was in the game.

Despite the high realism, this was still a game, and there were still settings that remained unchanged.

One of them were the benefits of the newbie dungeon player.

In the newbie dungeon, skills could be acquired with three successful attempts.

That was the hypothesis that he had come up with earlier and now the time had come to put it to the test.

He had already shot his target twice and missed once. He would only need to hit it one more time to acquire a new skill.

If he succeeded, then he might stand a chance to win this battle.

He was confident that he could do it.

Even if the thugs were good with their guns, they would still not exceed the game’s skill level.

Otherwise, Kieran would have already gotten killed during the gunshots earlier.

He took a long breath, readjusted his position and picked up the M1905, aiming at the crawling thug with one eye closed.

Bang!

He fired.

The bullet landed on his protective vest again. It hit it so hard that it sent the guy rolling away.

Wurke, who had witnessed this, came out of his hiding place and aimed his gun at Kieran, who was still in the shadows. Kieran did not move or flinched as he too pointed his gun back at Wurke.

Wurke was so happy, he felt like laughing.

It was easier than he had thought. Kieran was a lot more stupid than he’d imagined.

Wurke had expected Kieran to run or hide when he pointed his gun at him, but he did the exact opposite. He obviously planned to face him head on.

“You dare point that tiny gun of yours at me, you f*cking rookie?”

The Jackal laughed.

His original intention had been to flee, but since Kieran seemed to have a death wish, then far be it from him not to grant it.

He had led six men out of the base and nearly all of them were dead. If he did not come up with a reasonable explanation, the Vulture would be furious with him.

Wurke could not help shivering. He remembered the Vulture’s merciless executions very vividly.

He had already planned to flee the area and hide from the Vulture if he failed to capture Kieran and bring him in.

He thought that he might be able to make it using his guns and wits, even if his days would no longer be as glorious as the ones he’d spent with the Vulture.

That thought fueled his rage. He was not prepared to give up his luxurious life yet.

“DIE!”

Wurke’s finger was already squeezing the trigger.

BANG!

But it was Kieran who fired first.

“He’s just a f*cking rookie!” The Jackal comforted himself.

And that’s when it all went dark.

The very moment that Wurke’s head exploded like a watermelon.