A Ranger With a Melee Master's Knowledge
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A four-man party of players wandered through the city streets, chatting casually through their voice chat as they neared the player-blocked zone, a restricted area for the Lost Cargo Recovery quest.
[Voice Chat]
Aegis+Vanguard: "Yo! Looks like some newbies accepted the Lost Cargo Recovery beginner quest. We should watch 'em!"
StrayEcho: "Sure, how much you wanna bet it's a party of melee fanatics?"
Vornex: "I say it's a group of magic lovers."
Hollow Vale: "Nah, pretty sure it's a standard setup: melee class, tank, healer, and a mage."
StrayEcho: "Aren't you being a bit too specific?"
Hollow Vale: "Hey, it's a possibility!"
Aegis+Vanguard: "Wait—looks like they've arrived!"
Vornex: "Huh? Where?"
Aegis+Vanguard: "Up there!—WAIT, WHAT?!"
Hollow Vale: "HE'S GOING SOLO?! DOES HE HAVE A DEATH WISH?!"
StrayEcho: "This guy doesn't know that Lost Cargo Recovery is basically a death sentence if not planned properly!"
Vornex: "Otherwise known as the hardest beginner quest—the False Starter Quest!"
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Hoshigari sprinted across rooftops, his silhouette darting between neon lights and old brick buildings. He came to a stop near the edge of a roof, crouching down as he assessed the situation below.
"Alright... so base rounds for all guns are infinite. Pretty useful... Time to get to business."
He scanned the enemies below:
Thug 1: Dagger-wielder – likely a rogue class.
Thug 2: Mace-wielder – probably a tank.
Thug 3: Greatshield user – definitely a tank.
Thug 4: Greataxe warrior – definitely a berserker.
Thug 5: Mecha Rider – mounted in a mechanized battle frame.
"Alrighty, let's see what I can do…"
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[Voice Chat]
StrayEcho: "If he's crazy enough to go in solo, I wonder what class he picked..."
As Hoshigari then unholstered his StrikerM10 Handgun and took off in a sprint.
Aegis+Vanguard: "HE'S A RANGER CLASS?!"
StrayEcho: "HE'S A RANGER CLASS?!"
Vornex: "HE'S A RANGER CLASS?!"
Hollow Vale: "HE'S A RANGER CLASS?!"
StrayEcho: "THIS GUY IS OFF HIS ROCKER IF HE'S GOING SOLO AND USING A RANGER CLASS!"
Aegis+Vanguard: "AND HE INTENTIONALLY CHOSE A PISTOL AS HIS SPECIALIZED GUN?!"
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The Battle Begins...
Hoshigari leapt from the rooftop, crashed down onto the rogue thug's shoulders. In a swift, fluid motion, he twisted his body, delivering a spinning kick to the back of the thug's head, sending him sprawling across the ground.
The rogue staggered to his feet, eyes flashing with aggression—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three shots tore through his chest, the last one piercing cleanly between his eyes. His body disintegrated into shimmering fragments.
[+10 XP] (XP = Experience Points)
[+2 SP] (SP = Status Points)
[+20 Creds] (Creds = Credits)
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Hoshigari smirked. "So you gain 10 XP, 2 SP, and 20 Creds each and every kill... huh, got it... also, the gunplay in EAO is insanely good."
"YOU BASTARD!" The greataxe thug roared, lifting his weapon high for a devastating overhead swing.
Hoshigari's eyes flicked up—
"Too slow."
With a seamless sidestep, he dodged the crushing blow, the greataxe slamming into the ground with a violent CRASH. Without hesitation, Hoshigari raised his handgun and put a bullet straight into the thug's head.
[+10 XP]
[+2 SP]
[+20 Creds]
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A split-second later, both the mace thug and greatshield thug charged from opposite sides in a pincer attack.
The mace thug swung first—
CLANG!
Hoshigari simpley ducked down to dodge the mac thug's mace swing, as the greatshield thug's charge crashed into the fierce mace thug's mace instead, sending the greatshield thug bouncing on the ground, greatshield facing up, back facing the ground. Hoshigari used the confusion to fire four quick shots into the mace thug's gut, reducing him to shimmering light.
[+10 XP]
[+2 SP]
[+20 Creds]
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Hoshigari relaoded his handgun and he then jumped onto the greatshield thug's massive shield, positioning himself on top before unloading an entire magazine straight down. The greatshield thug raised his arms to resist, but Hoshigari was relentless.
Hoshigari then tried to reload his handgun, but then-
"DROP DEAD, YA FREAK!"
A warning shout snapped Hoshigari's attention.
The Mecha Rider thug swung a massive arm-mounted blaster toward him.
This made Hoshigari jump back, and then continue with reloading his handgun,
A blinding red glow gathered at the mecha's blaster arm.
"I'M GONNA BLAST A GAPING HOLE IN YA!"
The air hummed with energy as a huge orange beam shot out from the mecha's blaster arm
Hoshigari twisted his body, dodging just as a scorching beam of energy almost blasteda hole through him if he didn't weave to the side
[EMP Arcnade - Equipped]
With a sharp motion, he equipped his EMP Arcnade with his free hand and launched it like a low-pitched baseball throw toward the mecha-rider.
ZZZRRTBOOM!
[EMP Arcnade - Used]
The explosion erupted in an electric-blue shockwave, disabling the mech entirely. Sparks flew as its servos locked up.
Hoshigari sprinted forward, pistol aimed at the mech's exposed joints.
BANG! BANG! (Left knee joint.)
BANG! BANG! (Right knee joint.)
BANG! BANG! (Right Arm & Elbow servos.)
BANG! BANG! (Left Elbow servos.)
The mech staggered, immobilized.
"DAMN YOU!" The Mecha Rider screamed as Hoshigari shot twice, reloaded and then emptied his remaining bullets straight into his chest, finishing him off.
[+20 XP]
[+4 SP]
[+40 Creds]
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With the fight over, Hoshigari reloaded his StrikerM10 again as he muttered under his breath "So killing a stronger opponent than the scrubs doubles the base XP, SP, and Creds gained... interesting", recovered the stolen cargo from the Mecha Rider's loot drop, and turned to walk away. Nonchalantly.
"HEY! YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME!" The greatshield thug shouted from the ground, struggling to rise. "I'M STILL ALIVE, Y'KNOW!"
Hoshigari didn't even turn around.
[Explosive Arcnade - Equipped]
As he simply let an Explosive Arcnade slip from his inventory and chucked it into the air and landed beside the greatshield thug.
The greatshield thug's eyes widened.
"Oh, crap..."
BOOM!
[Explosive Arcnade - Used]
[+10 XP]
[+2 SP]
[+20 Creds]
As flames erupted behind him, Hoshigari walked away without looking back—
Like a total badass.
As he passed the four spectating players, still frozen in comedic dumbfounded silence, he casually opened his status menu for notifications.
StrayEcho: THAT WAS HELLA CRAZY!
Vornex: YO, WHO RECORDED IT?
Hollow Vale: OH I MANAGED TO! HERE LOOK-
Aegis+Vanguard: Player Hoshigari... who the hell are you...?
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Hoshigari finally arrived back at the Grand Hall, his steps confident as he carried the stolen cargo over his shoulder. The hall bustled with players and NPCs, each engaged in their own quests, but all that mattered to him was handing over the goods.
Marya, the quest administrator, smiled as she saw him approach. With a graceful wave of her hand, a series of notifications materialized before him, bathing his face in a soft glow.
"Congrats on completing your very first starter quest, Fateforger Hoshigari! Here are your rewards!" she announced cheerfully.
-[Beginner Quest: Lost Cargo Recovery - Quest Completed]-
[Quest Rewards]
[Gained - 1000 Creds]
[Gained - +10 SP]
[Gained - PiercingAqua Handgun (Rarity - Uncommon)]
[Congratulations, Player Hoshigari, for setting the new world record for completing Beginner Quest: Lost Cargo Recovery (4 minutes, 57 seconds)]
"Noice! Not bad for a first quest! And a new world record, huh?" Hoshigari grinned as he admired his accomplishments. "Alright... Now... let's see what we got!"
He strolled over to a nearby bench in the Grand Hall, plopped himself down, and stretched his arms before commanding, "Status Menu, Equipment Menu, Inventory Menu—open!"
In an instant, holographic screens hovered before him, shimmering with information. His gaze shifted to his available stat points.
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"Let's start with distributing these stat points!" he mused.
[Available SP: 22]
"Let's go with this! If I'm ever going to get better quality and rarity gear and weapons I gotta up my luck!"
[+10 SP Added to Luck]
"If I'm ever gonna need to kill my enemies faster, gotta do this"
[+5 SP Added to Strength]
"As a Ranger, gotsa dodge and move quicker!"
[+5 SP Added to Agility]
"Aaaaand... might as well use these 2 stat points on Defense, don't wanna be a glass cannon!"
[+2 SP Added to Defense]
"Alright! Confirm!"
[SP Distributed]
-[Status Attributes (Updated)]-
Vitality: 10
Defense: 7
Strength: 15
Arcana: 5
Perception: 20
Dexterity: 20
Agility: 20
Stamina: 15
Luck: 20
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"Not bad! Not bad at all! Now, let's check out my new gear!"
-[Inventory Menu (!)]-
[PiercingAqua Handgun (New)]
"PiercingAqua?" He tapped on the item, and a detailed description popped up before him.
Then a detailed description of the weapon popped up...
[PiercingAqua Handgun]
Rarity: Uncommon
Base Rounds: Piercing Water Bullets (Effective against Fire Arcana Types & Rock Arcana Types)
Body Damage: 5-7 hitpoint damage (8 critical hitpoint damage)
Head Shot Damage: 10-12 hitpoint damage (15 critical hitpoint damage)
Firing Type: Semi-Auto
Ammo Capacity: 16
Effective Range: Short & Medium
Bullet Drop: Low
Recoil: Low to Medium
"Honestly better than my StrikerM10 Handgun. Neato!" Hoshigari commented
-[Equipment Menu]-
-[Equipment Updated]-
[Right Handed Weapon (Swapped) - PiercingAqua Handgun]
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"Alright, equipment's done... now, what should I do with my 1120 Creds..." He rubbed his chin as he exited the Grand Hall. "There has to be a gunsmith around here..."
Pulling up his Digi-Map, he searched for nearby locations. "Ah! There is one! 'Techxcaliber' in the Bazaar Market."
With that, he closed his map and began his trek through Astravyr's lively streets. The city was alive with NPC merchants, quest-givers, and players, all bustling through the marketplace. As he crossed a grand stone arching bridge, the sight of the Bazaar Market unfolded before him—a vibrant hub of vendors, restaurants, blacksmiths, and weaponsmiths.
Finally, he arrived at Techxcaliber. The shop was grand, its metallic signage glowing with a soft blue hue. Stepping inside, he was met with the scent of gun oil and metal, and behind the counter stood a striking woman.
Tanned, muscular, with long wavy red hair, dog ears, and a tail, she greeted him with an expressive smirk and a deep, womanly voice laced with a subtle Irish accent.
"Heya there, Fateforger! Welcome to Techxcaliber, yer main place for gun forging, enhancing, and tech-integrating yer beloved blasters!" She leaned forward, twirling a gold-tinted pistol around her index finger. "Name's Maeve Redpaw, the Bullet Biter, at yer service!"
She gave him a once-over. "So, Fateforger, what brings ya here?"
"I'm looking for a Hand-Held Cannon that I can afford."
Maeve's sharp eyes scanned him, analyzing his gear. "Judgin' by what ya got, yer fresh off yer first quest, aye? So, ya got creds to burn but ain't made o' gold. Probably lookin' at common to uncommon cannons, yeah? How much ya packin'? Creds I mean"
"Currently, 1120 Creds."
"Dandy! Here's a list of what's available!" She swiped her hand, projecting a list of Hand-Held Cannons before him.
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Hoshigari scrolled through the options, examining stats, prices, and rarities—until one caught his eye.
[Black Barrel Hand-Held Cannon]
Rarity: Uncommon
Base Rounds: Explosive Rounds
Body Damage: 10 hitpoint damage (15 critical hitpoint damage)
Head Shot Damage: 20 hitpoint damage (30 critical hitpoint damage)
Firing Type: Semi-Auto
Ammo Capacity: 5
Effective Range: Short, Medium, & Long
Bullet Drop: High to Medium
Recoil: Medium to High
Price: 740 Creds
Maeve chuckled. "Ah! Good eye! The Black Barrel—one of me uncommon classics. Yer lucky, most Rangers don't pick Hand-Held Cannons anymore."
"Why's that?" Hoshigari asked.
"They can't handle 'em. Too much kick. They stick to rifles and SMGs." She leaned against the counter. "So... will ya be buyin' that beaut?"
"Yeah! She'll help me out nicely."
With a tap, he purchased it, watching as his credits transferred to Maeve.
[Credits: 380]
The Black Barrel materialized mid-air and dropped—but he caught it just before it hit the floor.
Maeve let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Aye, she won't disappoint ya!"
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Hoshigari secured the Black Barrel inside his inventory, watching as the weapon shimmered before dematerializing into the inventory menu. The digital interface flickered briefly before confirming the transaction. With his new acquisition safely stored, he turned his attention back to Maeve.
"Oh! One more thing, Maeve," he called out.
Maeve, who had been wiping down the barrel of her gold-tinted pistol, glanced up with a smirk. "Aye? What else ya need, lad?"
Hoshigari crossed his arms. "What kinds of Hand-Held Cannon rounds do you have in stock?"
At his question, Maeve's smirk widened. With a flick of her wrist, a holographic display burst to life between them, showcasing an array of ammunition types, each with its own unique properties.
"Here ya go! Feast yer eyes on these beauties," she said, nodding towards the list.
Hoshigari scanned through the options, swiping left and right as a variety of explosive, incendiary, and armor-piercing rounds scrolled past. Then, something caught his attention—a particular type of round that piqued his interest.
[Bouncer Rounds]
Quantity: 5
Price: 5 Creds
"Bouncer Rounds, huh?" he mused aloud.
Maeve folded her arms, eyeing him with intrigue. "Ah, now that's a tricky pick! Great for tactical plays, but they don't deal damage. Instead, ya shoot a round at the floor as then from the explosion, it bounces ya, makin' 'em perfect for maneuverability and positionin'. Good choice if ya know how to use 'em."
Hoshigari nodded, already imagining the potential for creative combat applications. "Yeah, these'll do nicely. I'll take ten!"
He pressed the purchase button, and instantly, his credits were deducted, the numerical value visibly streaming from his balance to Maeve's palm in an elegant visual effect.
[Credits: 330]
Maeve gave an approving nod, placing her hands on her hips. "Good pick. Not many Fateforgers think outside the box when it comes to ammunition."
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As she turned to finalize the transaction, she hesitated for a brief moment, before scratching the back of her head. "Oh, right. Almost forgot. Who am I thankin' for this fine bit of business?"
Hoshigari chuckled and extended a hand. "Name's Hoshigari."
Maeve clasped his hand with a firm shake, her grip strong yet friendly. "Hoshigari, eh? Aye, I like it. Well, ya ever need more firepower, or just wanna chat about blasters, ya know where to find me."
He gave her a grin as he stepped back towards the door. "Thanks a bunch, Maeve!"
Maeve leaned against the counter, watching as Hoshigari made his way out of Techxcaliber. As the door swung shut behind him, she let out a small chuckle to herself.
"Hmph... what a kind lad. Somethin' tells me he'll be causin' quite the stir 'round these parts soon enough, I just have a hunch"
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Hoshigari stretched his arms high above his head, releasing a satisfied sigh as he exited the bustling Bazaar Market. His footsteps echoed against the stone pavement as he made his way back across the wide, arching bridge. The lanterns lining the bridge flickered against the encroaching night, casting shimmering reflections over the rippling water below.
"Alrighty! That was a solid way to spend my creds," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. But as he glanced up at the darkening sky, his eyes widened. "Oh, damn! It's already late?!" He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Ugh… classes tomorrow are gonna be such a pain."
He opened his Digi-Map with a flick of his wrist, scrolling through potential locations. "Alright, if I'm gonna log out properly and save my respawn point, I need to find a stationed bed… which means—" He tapped a glowing icon on the map. "Next stop—the inn!"
With renewed energy, he broke into a light jog, weaving through the lively nighttime streets of Astravyr, the city still teeming with players, NPCs, and quest-givers. The neon signs of taverns and shops buzzed overhead, and the distant clanking of blacksmiths working late echoed through the alleyways.
His adventure was just starting...
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(Bonus)
A Digi-Screen flickered to life, casting a faint blue glow across the towering cityscape. The recording displayed Hollow Vale, a prominent player and streamer, showcasing exclusive footage. The clip rapidly gained traction across the digital world, drawing in thousands—then millions—of viewers.
The footage revealed a solo run—one lone figure against overwhelming odds. Hoshigari.
The video captured his every motion as he swiftly dispatched the thugs from the Lost Cargo Recovery Starter Quest with effortless finesse. He had intentionally chosen a Pistol as one of his specialized weapons—a bold but unconventional choice. His movements were smooth, controlled, like a hunter toying with its prey, and Hoshigari managed to break the world record time of completing the starter quest, which was 4 minutes & 57 seconds
The broadcast spread like wildfire, the chat exploding with reactions:
[USERNAME: Who is this guy?!][USERNAME: A pistol specialist soloing like that?! Insane.][USERNAME: He's making it look too easy…]
Among the sea of viewers, one stood out. Nozomi Nozuki.
The camera panned to her as she sat in front of her own Digi-Screen, her eyes locked onto the footage. A smirk played on her lips as she leaned back in her chair.
"Hoshigari, huh?" she muttered, intrigued.
The scene lingered for a moment before fading to black.
The world had just witnessed a new player rise. And Akito's schoolmate, Nozomi Nozuki, had taken notice.
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