Firing Range (2)

As we entered the shop, we were immediately mesmerized by the futuristic technology on display. Holographic projection systems adorned the walls, creating a virtual shooting range that was both safe and thrilling.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" the receptionist greeted us.

"Hello, we would like to register," Matt eagerly said to the receptionist.

"Just normal shooting, or do you want to do the simulation?" the receptionist asked with a smile.

"Tell us more about the simulation," Matt inquired, knowing that Augustus didn't know anything about it.

"With the simulation, you won't be shooting at traditional targets. Instead, you'll be pitted against other players on a virtual battlefield," the receptionist explained, pointing to a hologram displaying people on a vast field with warzone-like landscapes.

"You'll be on the same team, and your goal will be to eliminate as many opponents as possible. Each kill earns you one point, and if you rack up enough points, you can exchange them for exciting prizes."

The receptionist showed us the prizes available for exchange:

[Spirit Stone] [Cost: 20 Points]

[Mana Stone] [Cost: 30 Points]

[Mana-Recovery Stone] [Cost: 500 Points]

[1-Star Pill] [Cost: 3000 Points]

[Random Grade 1 Equipment] [Cost: 5000 Points]

[Specific Grade 1 Equipment] [Cost: 15000 Points]

The seemingly never-ending list of rewards scrolled down before our eyes, with prices increasing as we went further down. It was evident that these coveted rewards were reserved for the seasoned regulars who had amassed a substantial number of points.

"Then, we choose the simulation," Matt declared confidently, wasting no time in paying the hefty $500 entry fee per person.

As Augustus looked at the exorbitant fee, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. It was undeniably too expensive, and to make matters worse, he would have to eliminate twenty opponents in a single entry to redeem a spirit stone worth around the entry price.

"Twenty kills will be no easy feat," Augustus muttered to himself, feeling the weight of the challenge ahead.

"This is the code," the receptionist said, extending a virtual code towards him. "If you want to enter again, just scan it and pay. You'll be able to re-enter the simulation instantly."

"Right this way to the changing area," another staff member gestured towards a separate room where we were to change into protective suits.

As Augustus changed, we were guided to a room based on our team choice.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Matt offered.

Augustus couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement and anxiety as he caught a glimpse of the array of realistic firearms available for selection.

"If you're uncertain about which type of firearm to choose, you can try them out first. Follow the pathway to the right, and there's a shooting range," Julia advised.

Augustus decided to test a pistol to get a feel for it. However, as he fired the pistol, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. It lacked the realistic recoil and firepower of a real weapon.

In the end, Augustus settled on a sniper rifle and a pistol, his preferred weapons during virtual battles.

"You're into sniper rifles too?" Julia was taken aback by Augustus' choice.

"I enjoy playing a support role and taking out enemies from the backlines," Augustus replied with a confident grin.

"Have you used a sniper rifle before?" Julia inquired, impressed by Augustus' flawless aim at the training dummy.

"I have some knowledge of shooting," Augustus replied casually, knowing that information could be easily found online.

"I'm heading in now. See you guys," Matt said as he chose a rifle and set off. "Good luck and have fun."

"Let's go. I know a perfect spawn spot for sniper rifle users."

We went up a different elevator than Matt, which led to a different spawn point.

While riding the elevator, knowing that he would be sent to the battlefield, Augustus felt weird. "Why am I sending myself to a warzone?" he wondered.

Soon, Augustus arrived at the designated place. They arrived on top of a building's rooftop where they could clearly see some enemies and friends fighting each other.

"Okay, follow me and watch your head. There should be snipers around us," Julia, who seemed like a veteran, decided to guide me to another safe spot with a good angle for taking out enemies.

"At 8 o'clock, there are three enemies. I'll try to get two, and you go for the right one," Julia instructed.

"Got it," I replied, my heart racing with adrenaline.

"Just remember... This is not a real war. This is just a playground for kids," Augustus consoled himself.

'Impressive spot,' Augustus thought, genuinely impressed with Julia's chosen location.

There were also two enemy snipers who had already noticed us, but the spot Julia chose was their blind spot, making it impossible for them to shoot us unless they switched their positions, which would take time, or unless someone entered the building and climbed to the top.

"Well, let's try and take out some targets," I said with determination.

As Julia slowly adjusted her rifle, I took a shot and surprisingly hit the target. [1 Point Gained]

"Nice shot!" Julia complimented as she took down another target. [1 Point Gained]

And then one more. [1 Point Gained]

Augustus was on fire, taking out all three enemies who had let their guard down in the open area.

"Are you actually insane? You might have some talent," Julia asked, impressed.

"The tips from online are working great," Augustus replied, getting ready to change his position and take another shot. [1 Point Gained]

Augustus noticed three people heading towards the building they were currently on.

"Come on, someone is coming. We should move," Augustus said, pulling Julia along.

"Okay," she replied, following his lead.

They ran until they reached a dead end, which was not a problem for Augustus.

"Can you jump that far?" Augustus asked, surprised.

"What? Jump from here to that building? Do I look like a trained martial artist?" Julia asked incredulously.

"I'll carry you then," Augustus said, princess carrying Julia and casually jumping from building to building.

Julia screamed, scared of the fall, as the suit they were wearing didn't protect against fall damage.

"Are you insane?!" she exclaimed.

"Target at twelve o'clock," I said, taking another shot and hitting the mark. [1 Point Gained]

"I knew it, you're at least in the Qi Refinement Realm," Julia said amazed. "Just so you know, this simulation prohibits the use of Qi or any superpowers, as it would be unfair," Julia informed me.

"Huh? I wasn't told about those rules," I said, surprised.

"No one would use Qi in this. It's just a game for fun. Most people here are just gun fanatics," Julia explained. [1 Point Gained]

"But the entry cost $500, so we still need to earn that, right?" Augustus asked.

"... Have fun, Augustus. Don't try to bankrupt the shop," Julia chuckled.

"Ah... okay. Okay, we'll just have fun then," Augustus said with a smile. [1 Point Gained]

"You're a weird guy. Now that we're alone, tell me which family you're from, really," Julia said curiously.

"I'll just show you my ID," Augustus replied, showing her my identification, which had all my details.

"Augustus Gray, born in City Z... Your background just doesn't make sense," Julia said, puzzled.

"I have my ways. What about you guys? Didn't your family ask you to learn magic or start cultivating?" Augustus asked.

"I only started learning to use magic four years ago. I'm just a two-star mage. As for Matt, he probably hasn't even started yet," Julia said, knowing Matt's personality well. He just wanted to have fun and never treated anything too seriously. [1 Point Gained]

"Now that I think about it, I never bothered to check these kids' cultivation, mana rating, etc.," Augustus thought to himself. "I probably shouldn't do it right now, or Julia would notice I'm a mage as well."

"So, you're a gun enthusiast like them too?" I asked, curious about Julia's interest in firearms.

She shook her head. "No, I just like the feeling of releasing stress when I shoot something."

"Ah, I see. A bit of a sadist, huh?" I teased.

Julia smirked. "You know I could shoot you right now, right?"

I chuckled. "Well, I don't find this fun at all. I'm just trying to get twenty kills and earn back the money. Feel free to shoot me."

"Hmph, it was just a joke," Julia replied as she said that she shot her target and earned a point.

After that, the atmosphere grew quiet. I sensed someone approaching us from behind and quickly took them by surprise with a shot from my pistol.

"It's getting boring. I've already got twenty kills. Want me to teach you how to shoot? My knowledge might be useful to you," Augustus offered.

Julia nodded eagerly. "Sure. Did I make any major mistakes, though?"

"Not really. Almost everything is perfect. Just one thing - your breath control," Augustus explained. "You learned to shoot with a sniper rifle by yourself, right?"

Julia nodded confidently.

"Yep. You probably have no issues with aiming, but sometimes you miss your shot due to your breathing control. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly until your lungs are empty. Then there's a natural pause, that's when you shoot."

"Try it," Augustus encouraged.

Julia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Huff*

'I breathe out until there's a natural pause?' Julia was still confused about the breathing control concept while trying to shoot.

The shot missed the target, and It went into hiding to avoid getting shot again.

"Breathe naturally if you feel awkward; it's a matter of preference. Feel the natural pause and shoot," I advised.

"Breathe in... and out... pause..." Julia murmured, following my instructions.

She took another shot.

"I got it!" Julia exclaimed happily, hitting her target this time.

"Try it again, four o'clock. I'll watch your back; there are a lot of people coming," I said, impressed by her quick improvement.

Augustus left Julia and descended downstairs when he heard some footsteps.

'There are five this time. This would be hard...'

Meanwhile, on the other side, Julia was constantly hitting her target.

Julia finally got the hang of the breathing control and started hitting her targets consistently. It turned out that her breathing was the only minor mistake holding her back.

But just as she was celebrating hitting three targets in a row, she was shot from behind.

"My bad. They got me," Augustus apologized, realizing he was outnumbered. Five opponents were determined to get us.

"Finally, we got both of you." A man was relieved that they got two major enemies out of the field.

"Both of you are on the leaderboard for killing streaks. You guys are really good at sniping. I hope you can join our team, especially you." The man was talking about Augustus.

"Your sniping skills are great, but on top of that, your combat skills are impressive. I saw you jumping from building to building earlier," one of our opponents praised.

"Thanks, but don't tell anyone about that. I just knew you shouldn't use any superpowers," Augustus replied with a grin.

"Oh, there's no problem. There are some other guys blatantly cheating but still got killed by us," one of the guys said.

"We're getting tired anyway, and it's about time for dinner," Julia said, taking off her helmet to let her hair out as it was getting stuffy.

"Yeah, good luck to you guys. I'm going to leave with my friend," Augustus said, signaling to Julia.

"Wait, here's my ID. We should hang out sometime," The guy who had complimented me earlier handed me his ID, hoping to exchange it with mine.

"Sure." I exchanged IDs with him and was surprised when I saw his name.

[Marcus Lancaster]