Chapter Four: First Battle

Author: Chō Sa Ai

Updated: 2017/9/21 11:39:02

Word Count: 2460

Since the task only required defeating a single enemy, it was obvious to choose the easier targets. Thus, Kiana began searching the map for isolated red dots. Fortunately, there were many such red dots, and Kiana quickly spotted a dozen or so.

Focusing on one of the lightest red dots, Kiana made her way, carefully avoiding the groups of red dots roaming around. After a while, she reached a dense part of the forest. Unfamiliar insects chirped, and the hot weather mixed with a faint sea breeze.

"Is this it?"

Hiding behind a tree, Kiana quietly observed her target: a deer. However, this deer was much larger than the ones on Earth, with antlers resembling two sharp swords standing upright, the tips stained a dark red, contrasting with its white tail.

The creature was about twice the size of an Earth deer, leading Kiana to suspect that the creatures in this pirate world must be grown on hormones.

At this moment, the target was leisurely grazing, completely unaware that it was being watched. Kiana, too, was secretly relieved; since it was a herbivore, it should be less aggressive than a carnivore. Even if she couldn't defeat it, she could probably escape. Poor Kiana was already thinking about her escape route.

"... Okay, here goes!"

Kiana took a deep breath, steeling herself for action. In the past, when playing games, she would never have been afraid—if she died, she could just respawn. But now that she was in a real body, who could guarantee she wouldn't chicken out? Nonetheless, to turn back into a boy, Kiana was determined.

Stepping out from behind the tree, Kiana raised her pistol, her gaze focused, inhaling deeply, aiming, and...

"Eh?"

Click click!!!

Kiana squeezed the trigger with all her might, but the gun made a jamming sound instead.

The loud noise naturally attracted the enemy's attention, and the deer lifted its massive antlers, its cold eyes fixating on the suddenly appearing being.

Thud thud! The deer scraped its hind legs against the ground, letting out a threatening low growl. The situation turned tense, and Kiana was on the verge of tears. Why couldn't she fire the gun?

Seeing the increasingly hostile expression on the deer's face, Kiana raised her hands above her head, forcing a smile.

"Ehehe, it's all a misunderstanding!"

However, the deer wouldn't listen. It charged at Kiana, head lowered and antlers aimed at her.

"Yikes!!!"

Kiana turned and ran, pulling out her phone from her chest, frantically shouting, "Aichan, Aichan, help me!"

In an instant, Aichan's figure appeared on the phone screen, looking at Kiana with a puzzled expression.

"Captain, what's going on? Is there something else you don't understand?"

"Look behind me!"

Kiana held the phone high, aiming it at the threat behind her, and after a moment, she lowered the phone again.

"Do you understand my situation now?"

"... I see it. I just don't understand why you're running away, Captain!"

Aichan still looked puzzled, which made Kiana furious. She drew her pistol and asked, "Why isn't this weapon working?!"

"..."

Aichan fell silent, her gaze increasingly resembling that of someone looking at a fool.

"Captain, you didn't forget, did you? The Bai Lian Armor is a melee armor!"

"..."

Kiana was speechless. She knew the Bai Lian Armor was melee armor, but the problem was, she had clearly fired the gun last night! She distinctly remembered seeing bullets flying toward the sea—hundreds of bullets!

"Last night I could use it! Are you saying the gun I used was fake?"

"Captain, girls shouldn't say things like 'shooting guns'!"

Aichan said regretfully, as if Kiana were a perverted girl.

"I'm a man! And what's with your focus? The real issue is why can't I shoot?!"

Kiana felt utterly exhausted from the back-and-forth. Aichan sighed and repeated herself.

"Captain, last night you just wanted to test the weapon, so Aichan quietly switched you to the long-range Yóuxiā Armor. When the testing was done, Aichan switched you back."

"..."

So it turned out that she had been using the Yóuxiā Armor to fire the gun last night. After finally realizing why she couldn't fire, Kiana felt hopeless. Did she really have to fight hand-to-hand? Just thinking about it made her feel uneasy.

"However, Captain, constantly claiming to be a boy while doing such things doesn't seem very manly!"

Aichan teased, and hearing this, Kiana's steps began to slow.

That's right; if she wanted to become a man, how could she lack the courage to fight? How could she become stronger? Was she really destined to be a woman for the rest of her life?

After a fierce internal struggle, Kiana finally stopped running. Her eyes gradually grew determined, a hint of fighting spirit igniting within her. Seeing Kiana like this, Aichan nodded in approval.

"It seems the captain is finally starting to act like a man, which makes Aichan very happy!"

Kiana smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Aichan. You've opened my eyes."

"No need to thank me; that's Aichan's duty!"

As she spoke, Aichan's figure gradually faded from view. Kiana tucked her phone back into her chest and turned to face the relentless enemy.

"Come on! Today I'll show you what a man can do!"

It must be said that hearing Kiana say this in her sweet, feminine voice was exceedingly mismatched.

Faced with Kiana's provocation, the deer charged even more fiercely, its speed doubling as the murderous intent radiating from its antlers made Kiana's legs tremble. However, with her mindset changed, Kiana fixed her gaze on the enemy, no longer resembling the person who had been running just ten seconds ago.

Kiana continuously estimated the distance to the enemy: closer, ten meters, five meters, one meter—now!

Kiana dropped low and performed a roll to narrowly avoid the deer's sharp antlers, and in that moment, the world around her changed. Everything else dulled into a dark hue, the deer's movements slowed down, as if she were watching it in slow motion, while Kiana felt as though she were unaffected.

She had successfully activated her dodge passive ability, Temporal Disruption, causing all enemies' movements to slow while she remained unharmed.

"Now, while you're down, I'll take you out!"

With her delicate legs, Kiana unleashed a powerful kick to the deer's head. She struck the deer three times in quick succession, and then leaped high into the air, a massive yellow cat paw appearing out of nowhere—this was Kiana's branching attack, which packed a significant punch.

The cat paw slammed down fiercely, creating a small pit in a three-meter radius around the deer, while the deer's body was flattened into a mush of meat and blood.

As Kiana landed, she was panting heavily. The intense running and battle had worn her out, but nothing could dampen her excitement.

"Hahaha, I did it! I did it!"

Beep beep!!

Kiana's chest trembled as she quickly pulled out her phone.

"Congratulations, Captain! Aichan is super happy!"

"Thanks to you, Aichan! Hahaha, as a token of my gratitude, here's a kiss!"

Kiana puckered her lips and leaned toward Aichan.

Zzzz!!

After a jolt of electricity, Kiana collapsed to the ground, instantly feeling loveless.

"Didn't I tell you? No licking the screen!"

(PS: In the game, the Bai Lian Armor and Saint Armor can actually fire guns, but for the sake of convenience, I've set them to be purely melee in this novel. Hope you understand.)