Rune Sniper Rifle - Hidden Kill Shadow Thunder Prison Technique

Among these dozen or so Rune Guns, four were priced over 5,000 Military Merit Points, and five were between 1,500 and 2,000—none of these were within Qin Tian's consideration.

Thus, he could only choose from four models: Desert Rose, Frost, Flame Burst, and Hidden Kill.

Desert Rose was a flashy gold revolver with built-in Armor-Piercing and Overdrive runes. Its selling points were high firing speed and bullets that naturally pierced armor; each shot conjured a phantom rose at the muzzle.

In the promotional video, a dashing beauty wielded the Desert Rose as she danced between several wolf beasts. Her footwork was nimble, like a fluttering butterfly, effortlessly dodging their lunges.

Her slender fingers pulled the trigger, vivid rose phantoms blooming one after another. Accompanied by the wolves' howls, blood and roses intertwined in a strangely beautiful spectacle.

"Desert Rose is a total showpiece. Reloading is a problem. I bet only some rich young lady would fall for that flashy junk." Xiao Yunlong cut straight to the truth.

"Mm."

Qin Tian nodded and continued scrolling.

Frost was a Rune Laser Gun equipped with Freeze and Overdrive runes, capable of firing freezing rays that reached temperatures as low as minus two hundred degrees Celsius, with impressive penetration.

Flame Burst was a close-combat hand cannon loaded with Flame Burst and Shockwave runes. Its range was shorter, but its power was immense—bullets struck like cannon shells, devastatingly lethal.

Frost and Flame Burst each had their strengths, both priced around 2,000 points.

But Qin Tian's true preference was the last gun.

Hidden Kill.

This was a pure-black sniper rifle with a long, sleek body. Every line seemed meticulously crafted, exuding ultimate craftsmanship and a cold aesthetic.

Hidden Kill cost 2,600 Military Merit Points and housed three runes: Concealment, Armor-Piercing, and Acceleration. Bullets underwent secondary acceleration from the Acceleration rune, greatly boosting kinetic energy and granting natural armor-piercing. Most crucially, the bullet made no sound when fired or in flight.

Moreover, Hidden Kill came equipped with an ultra-long-range scope, infrared scanner, and other devices—a perfect fusion of technology and runes.

However, this gun had one flaw: extremely high control difficulty.

A sniper rifle was already a weapon only mastered by expert marksmen.

As a Rune Sniper Rifle, Hidden Kill's operational difficulty was multiplied tenfold.

Activating the runes required infusing Psionic Power, but the amount and stability of that infusion heavily affected the shot's balance.

This led to one problem.

Only the most skilled snipers were qualified to wield this gun.

Yet, among snipers, Psionic Users were almost nonexistent.

Those who became Psionic Users either pursued the martial path or the mage path—who would bother developing their sniping talent?

This contradiction left Hidden Kill with few takers.

A normal three-rune firearm would require over 4,000 Military Merit Points to exchange, but due to Hidden Kill's peculiarity, its price dropped directly to 2,600.

Even so, this gun had been gathering dust in the warehouse. After all, 2,600 Military Merit Points was no small sum—no one would waste precious points on a Rune Gun they couldn't control.

But for Qin Tian, Hidden Kill was practically tailor-made.

He was both a Psionic User and a Sharpshooter. [Shadow Muscle and Bone] plus [Shadow Leap] ensured his agility and stealth in the dark, while [Ember Critical Strike] could further amplify Hidden Kill's lethality.

If luck triggered a high critical multiplier, even a Fourth Order high-stage Psionic User might not withstand a single headshot from him.

"This one it is. Hidden Kill."

Qin Tian made his decision decisively.

"Hidden Kill, huh. I think it suits you best too."

Xiao Yunlong approved of Qin Tian's choice, then added, "Oh, by the way, 2,600 points only gets you the Rune Gun itself. Special ammunition costs extra Military Merit Points."

Qin Tian opened Hidden Kill's exchange interface, and sure enough, special bullets required separate purchase—1 Military Merit Point per bullet.

Without hesitation, Qin Tian clicked confirm and spent all his Military Merit Points.

One Hidden Kill Rune Sniper Rifle, 125 special bullets.

"The gun and bullets are in the warehouse. It'll take some time to deliver them here."

Xiao Yunlong's eyes lit up. "Quick, check out the techniques and martial skills."

Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao also showed curiosity and anticipation.

"Alright."

Qin Tian had seen on his personal terminal earlier that he could freely choose one Bronze-level cultivation technique and two Black Iron-grade Martial Skills from the Military Online Treasury, without spending Military Merit Points.

He first opened the technique section, filtered for Bronze-level, and entered keywords—Dark Element, Lightning Element.

Soon, seven techniques appeared on the screen.

They read through each technique's description one by one, searched forums for information on them, and based on Qin Tian's needs and traits, finally settled on one.

Shadow Thunder Prison Technique

This technique focused on the concealment of the Dark Element and the destructive nature of the Lightning Element. Once mastered, the user moved like a shadow—silent, swift as thunder, violently unmatched—perfectly aligning with Qin Tian's many abilities.

"Actually, I thought that Thunder Tribulation Dark Devour Method wasn't bad either. It can even devour others' Psionic Power," Xiao Yunlong remarked.

"Things that aren't yours will always carry hidden dangers."

Qin Dadi said seriously, "Qin Tian's choice was right. What suits you is best."

"Fine."

Xiao Yunlong shrugged. "I was just saying. Next, let's look at combat skills. Qin Tian, have you thought about what kind of skills you want to exchange for? Saber techniques? Fist techniques? Or movement techniques? Maybe a spell?"

When it came to choosing combat skills, Qin Tian had given it deep thought.

First, saber techniques were a must—they would become his primary means of attack in the future.

But for the second skill, he was genuinely torn between fist techniques and movement techniques.

After careful consideration, he made his decision.

He would choose a movement technique.

There were two reasons.

First, he had the Space Bag talent, which allowed him to carry several sabers at once, ensuring he would never be unarmed in combat. This made fist techniques a lower priority.

Second, movement techniques of the same tier were far more expensive than fist techniques—often several times the price. So if conditions allowed, it was naturally better to pick the pricier option first.

Fist techniques could come later.

"I'll take a lightning-type saber art and a darkness-type or lightning-type movement technique," Qin Tian said.

"Mm, that makes sense. Movement is more important than fists." Everyone agreed with Qin Tian's choice.

With the direction set, the group helped Qin Tian filter through suitable combat skills.

After detailed discussion and analysis, they finally settled on two skills.

Saber art—Thunderous Charge Saber

Movement technique—Ninefold Thunder Flash (incomplete)