Firearm Profound Truths

Only on his first day in Old Lindun, Suren did not yet know exactly what the "Inner City" meant.

He had assumed it was something like the segregated wealthy districts from his previous life, but now it seemed that the class divide in this world was even worse.

Watching Squad Leader Kai approach, he offered a polite greeting. "Squad Leader."

"Mm."

Kai nodded as well and let out a soft sigh.

On the arena stage, Golon, the "Red Demon," gradually returned to human form. The overbearing aura that had left everyone struggling to breathe slowly dissipated.

Kai seemed deeply moved by the battle just now. Looking at the burly Golon, he said, "Those people in the Inner City have the best resources—Cursed Materials, a complete Professional Advancement System, endless Alchemy Knowledge. Professionals raised under those conditions simply can't be compared to mud-legged nobodies like us in the Outer City, who have to figure everything out ourselves. Smoker Boss once told me not to underestimate people who grew up in the Inner City. If you ever get the chance to see the Inner City for yourself, your horizons will be completely different."

"..."

Suren felt as though Kai was speaking to him, yet it also seemed like Kai was speaking to himself.

Although they had not known each other for long, Suren could tell that this newly promoted gang Squad Leader had ambitions and ideals.

Unlike most gang members who merely drifted through life in pursuit of pleasure, Kai seemed more interested in Alchemical Transcendence.

Otherwise, he would not have become an Official Professional at such a young age.

After all, while the gang's pay was decent, advancing as a Professional was a true bottomless pit. Not to mention that Job Advancement Materials could easily cost tens of thousands, even a hundred thousand Liso, and Alchemical Implants after Job Advancement were costly as well.

The higher the quality of the materials, the more expensive they became. Becoming stronger required more than hard work—it required money.

Within the gang, relying on salary alone, one would probably have to scrimp and save for many years before possibly becoming a Professional.

That was enough to make most gang members, who wanted nothing more than to drink themselves senseless every day, reject the idea. Had they not joined the gang for a life of immediate pleasures—good liquor and beautiful women?

Suren had heard the old hands chatting about it before. Back when Kai had been an ordinary gang member, he had volunteered for many dangerous operations and wilderness hunts, which was how he had gotten where he was today.

Kai looked at the arena once more. The longing on his face faded, and he said enviously, "B-002—Red Demon. Heh, what an enviable talent. Those rich people in the Inner City really are extravagant, sending such an expert to the Gladiatorial Arena."

Immense strength, rapid recovery, high resilience, petrified skin, hardened bones.

In short, he could fight, take hits, and heal himself.

That was why B-002, Red Demon, was hailed as one of the strongest close-combat talents.

"Mm, he really is strong."

Suren raised his brows slightly as he listened, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

But then again, would such a cold and overwhelmingly powerful bodyguard truly have been driven out over a romantic scandal?

Suren did not dwell on it. At least for a long while to come, he would have no contact with people from the Inner City.

Because he suspected that the original owner of this body had most likely been a descendant of some great Inner City family. Before he figured things out, it would be best to quietly remain a nobody.

The lower his profile, the longer he would live.

Kai stopped looking at the stage and casually asked Suren, "How was your luck today?"

Suren shrugged. "Not bad. I won two or three thousand."

"Small bets are good for the mood."

Despite not being that old himself, Kai put on an old-fashioned tone and continued, "If you want to become a Professional, there'll be plenty of places to spend money in the future. Knowledge, materials, Augment Armor. All of it costs money."

That was what his former Squad Leader, Smoker Boss, had once told him.

"Got it, Squad Leader."

Suren could tell that Kai did not seem entirely comfortable with this lecturing tone either. But perhaps because he had only recently become a Squad Leader, he was trying his best to adapt to the role.

With no more matches to watch, Kai did not stay long. "I'm leaving first. Remember to gather on time tomorrow."

Suren waved. "All right, Squad Leader."

The fighting matches had ended, and the bustle at the Scarlet Bunker gradually approached its end as well.

The gamblers began to leave. Winners happily went to cash in their tickets, while losers cursed and swore, preparing to return tomorrow.

The hall was a complete mess, littered with torn, discarded betting slips.

Suren was in no hurry to leave, because he still had to wait.

There were Cursed Materials inside a Professional's corpse. Even if it had been smashed to pieces, the materials from a Tier 2 Professional were still worth a fortune.

On the stage, the staff began clearing away the corpse of Aberk Turner, the "Shadow Scorpion."

From the corner of his eye, Suren watched the cluster of Gray Mist on the corpse and prayed that they would hurry. The longer they delayed, the more scattered the Memory Fragments would become.

Perhaps his prayer worked. The corpse handlers collected the valuable Cursed Materials but had little interest in the body itself. They gathered the severed limbs onto a piece of burlap and dragged it over.

As they passed Suren, the cluster of Gray Mist was swallowed by him as he had hoped.

"Obtained Memory Fragment ×4 from 'Aberk Turner'"

"You obtained some information: 'Hmph, those idiots from the Umbrella Organization really thought the only places I hid my treasure were those few spots. What a pity that Sealed Item was still at the Moon Hotel and I didn't bring it out, otherwise I wouldn't have been caught.'"

"You have mastered some Advanced Alchemy Knowledge"

"You have comprehended the Firearm Profound Truths skill Gun-Fu. Firearm Experience +19"

"Assassin-type Combat Experience +26"

"Mental Power +0.3"

A flood of information poured into his mind. Suren felt as though digesting the Soul Fragments of a Tier 2 Professional this time had been like suffering through a nightmare.

But once he understood what he had gained, his eyes lit up.

"As expected of a Tier 2 Professional. This haul is huge."

Suren murmured inwardly as he sorted through the gains from Aberk's memories.

First, the man had given him ten times the Combat Experience of an ordinary corpse. As expected of a Tier 2 Professional.

It gave Suren a certain understanding of Assassin Class techniques—tricky, ruthless, and sinister. His mind now held many vicious assassination methods.

Moreover, this time, he had extracted another complete skill!

"Gun-Fu, an ultimate firearm technique? So bullets really can curve in this world."

Suren found it somewhat unbelievable as he looked at the skill.

In that memory scene, Aberk raised his hand and flicked his gun. The bullet flew along an arcing trajectory, curving around to strike an enemy behind cover.

Bullets that could curve—this was practically a godly skill!

A moment ago, Suren had considered himself someone who believed in science.

According to the law of inertia, force was what changed an object's state of motion. Once a bullet left the barrel, regardless of its initial speed, it was affected only by gravity and air resistance. In other words, its trajectory should be a downward-sloping straight line.

Curve midway?

Where would the force come from?

After fully digesting this Gun-Fu technique, he suddenly understood that this ultimate firearm skill required extremely high firearm proficiency.

Not only that, it required a sturdy firearm capable of withstanding the initial shift in trajectory, as well as wind-element Alchemy that could alter the bullet's rotational force as it left the barrel, providing the force needed for that turn.

Furthermore, he had only comprehended the technique itself for now.

To use it as skillfully as in the Memory Fragments, accurately hitting an enemy behind cover with a single shot, he still had a long way to go.

That required extremely complex ballistic analysis and an understanding of shooting.

"No wonder my marksmanship is only at Beginner Mastery. There are so many intricacies to advanced firearm techniques."

Suren suddenly understood.

On his status panel, the experience for Beginner Mastery had already reached 239/300, but he felt that even after advancing to "Intermediate," he would still be far from perfectly mastering Gun-Fu.

Perhaps only when he reached Advanced Firearm Mastery would he truly be able to master this ultimate firearm technique.

Seeing this, Suren's hand unconsciously rested on the firearm at his waist, and he felt eager to try it.

Yet he had a strange feeling. He clearly understood all the techniques and key points, but he could not draw the gun.

At the very least, the motion of flicking the gun required extraordinary strength and skill. It was something his current body simply could not perform.

"My body is too weak."

Frowning, Suren understood the source of that discomfort.

His mind said: You learned it.

His hands said: No, you didn't.

Learning a skill did not mean he could use it. His body needed sufficient strength to support it, along with the muscle memory forged through repeated practice, before he could wield it freely.

Thinking of this, Suren revealed a self-mocking smile.

He knew that although the Reaper allowed him to learn skills quickly, he would still need to intensify his practical physical training in the future.