Eldritch Horror Theatre

It even had a double-barreled design.

That's right. The weapon Fu Qian had settled on was the only ranged weapon in the room.

Though its overall design was as antique as its surroundings, it gave off a sense of considerable power.

"Are you sure?"

Noticing his action, the receptionist looked a little incredulous.

"Is there a problem?"

Fu Qian asked curiously, stepping forward to pick it up and examine it closely.

It was quite hefty, significantly heavier than his Mercy.

"Maybe a slight one... This thing packs a good punch, but it only holds a maximum of four rounds at a time."

"Then I'll just reload it more often."

Fu Qian didn't see that as much of an issue.

"There are only four bullets in total."

The receptionist added without blinking.

The prestige of this room full of "masterpieces" seemed to be dropping. Had the logistics budget been embezzled?

He indeed hadn't found any extra ammunition in the box, but to hear that there was absolutely no stock anywhere else was a bit much.

"Because no one ever picks it?"

Fu Qian casually guessed the reason.

"Exactly. Everyone prefers something they can hack and slash with indefinitely."

The receptionist confirmed his theory, which honestly sounded quite reasonable.

For a role akin to a cleanup agent, which didn't seem to involve overly thrilling scenarios, sacrificing flexibility for a bit of safe distance wasn't exactly a worthwhile trade.

And since no one ever chose it, manufacturing excess ammunition would be pointless.

"Well, someone has picked it now."

While empathizing with the logic, Fu Qian announced his final decision. He had no intention of putting the gun back down.

...

"Then you'd better save it for a final execution. You won't be able to completely kill a Shadow relying solely on your personal abilities."

Seeming to realize that this time he was dealing with a truly problematic candidate, the receptionist fell silent for a moment. He didn't stop Fu Qian's choice, but offered an additional warning.

"Also, don't forget that you need to be on duty for a week. If you run out of bullets without achieving any results, I won't exchange it for new equipment."

A one-week rotation? It even sounded like a newcomer arrived every time.

What was this, some sort of radioactive material cleanup agent? Only one chance at the job, and with a strict time limit.

The receptionist's warning was certainly earnest, but unfortunately, Fu Qian was focused on a different issue altogether.

Thinking about it, it was quite fitting. The Ash Sea inherently induced mutations, not to mention this was an even more particular area within it—the kind of place where one wrong step could send you spiraling off to god knows where.

Compared to the resident researchers, the grunt-work role he was playing likely had much weaker resistance.

"Understood. I'll do my best to make every bullet count. So, can I patrol anywhere I want now?"

Assessing the working conditions, Fu Qian had no objections to the receptionist's words. He even looked eager to get to work.

"Of course not... Besides locked areas, you must first confirm with the researchers before entering any occupied locations."

The receptionist decisively urged him to stay calm.

"Also, you'd better not be careless. The Shadow has been growing evil lately. It might inflict damage you can't endure."

That certainly seemed to be true.

Fu Qian sighed internally.

In just this short span of time, the notification had already chimed in his ear twice.

Although this tiny loss of SAN Value was bearable, it was undeniably unpleasant—Bang!

A crisp gunshot shattered the silence. Amidst a spit of flame, Fu Qian had already raised his hand and fired a round toward the door.

"...What are you doing!"

He had just learned how precious the ammunition was, yet he had fired off a shot wildly before even leaving the room. The receptionist was noticeably agitated.

With a face full of disbelief, he practically roared, even instinctively reaching out to snatch the weapon back.

"Fulfilling my duties."

Unfortunately, he inevitably grasped at empty air. At the same time, Fu Qian's figure appeared in front of the door.

He didn't fire again. Instead, he simply raised his foot and kicked that solemn door into splinters. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, carrying all the way through the entire building.

But faster than that, Fu Qian had already stepped outside.

The situation had become completely chaotic.

...

'I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it.'

'Since that is the case, this seat shall help you end this little encounter.'

It obviously wasn't a case of the old gun misfiring. The receptionist had been right about one thing: the Shadow was growing "evil" lately.

In a corner beyond his sight, something had been quietly watching.

Three plus two made five times in total. Not returning the favor with Calamity Eyes would be terribly impolite.

That's right. Who said a drop in SAN Value had to be an environmental effect?

Perhaps due to previous experiences, it was a subconscious assumption, but Fu Qian never liked taking things for granted.

If it was also influenced by Starfall Point, why was it different this time, dropping only little by little? He hadn't even assumed his Complete-Form Tyrant Form yet.

If it wasn't the influence of Starfall Point, then what could be the reason? Simple. If it wasn't the environment, then it was a person.

Something had locked onto him, launching this highly targeted attack.

It wasn't too rare of an occurrence.

For an outsider like him, his SAN Value was distinctly another Health Bar, and he had already encountered more than one type of attack that could affect it.

In short, once he zeroed in on this possibility, no matter how well the other party hid or how dull his Transcendent Perception was right now, after they acted up repeatedly, slapping Calamity Eyes onto them in reverse was an entirely feasible tactic.

As it turned out, the other party was incredibly brazen. They had even followed him right through the door, reviewing the armory alongside him, as if they needed him in their line of sight to cast the SAN Value curse.

Furthermore, their reaction upon realizing they had been discovered was extremely fast. They passed right through the wall instantly, and by now were fleeing rapidly into the distance.

Actually, just as he'd mentioned before, if they were merely using this method as a little greeting, Fu Qian was willing to give them a chance to continue their performance given how negligible the loss was.

It was a pity, though. Aside from drawing circles to curse him, the entity seemed sorely lacking in communication skills. He had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and find another way to exploit their value.

Even if their Rank seemed quite formidable, almost giving him the feeling of running into a peer.

Fortunately, he had many ways of greeting his peers.

Locking onto the target from afar, Fu Qian didn't detonate the still-accumulating Calamity Eyes. Instead, his left hand transformed directly into a hideous, ferocious head.

'Cowardly rat, how dare you assume my Rebirth Club has no capable champions!'

Extremely brutal silvery-white arcs of lightning blasted from the head's gaping maw, tearing through every obstacle in sight.

Were those... wings?

Under that frenzied Tier 1 level bombardment, a phenomenon massive enough to blot out the sky suddenly rose from the destruction.

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