Chapter 23: Wave (5)
I had exactly three grenades.
Which meant I could afford to use one or two for testing.
'Still, if I'm going to fire one, I might as well aim at something useful.'
Unlike the Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle, which had an effective range of over 10 km, the NO-13 Grenade Launcher barely reached 2 km, even when fired at the perfect angle.
'And to even hit that max range, I'd have to fire it like an artillery shell… which would make accuracy drop significantly.'
Of course, even that was long for a grenade launcher, but firing it recklessly here would only put another unnecessary hole in Noah.
'First, I need to get back to the frontlines.'
Even though I had taken a moment to enjoy looting, the Wave wasn't over yet.
The more beasts I took down, the less blood Ark would have to spill.
'As for the rest of the loot… I'll sort it out later.'
There were still countless magazines, equipment, and supplies scattered around the fallen soldiers' bodies.
But there was no rush—
It wasn't like anyone else was going to take them.
I could always come back.
"Let's move."
Even though I had 10 km of mountainous terrain ahead of me, I descended without hesitation.
Scaling rocky volcanic slopes was nothing more than routine for me.
'I need to hurry.'
If the grenade launcher worked the way I hoped, Ark might be able to survive the first Wave with fewer losses than expected.
The terrain turned harsh and barren—
A desolate expanse of basalt rock devoid of even a single blade of grass.
Noah had risen abruptly after the Cataclysm, its secrets only beginning to unfold once players reached the Black Line.
But—
'That's not important right now.'
I kept running.
Descending this kind of brutal terrain at full speed would have been a death wish for anyone else.
But for me, with this hardened body—
It was nothing.
[Kyaoooooo!!!]
[Grrrrrrooooaaarrr!!!]
—THUD!
—KWA-KA-KA-KA-KANG!
The screeches and explosions grew louder.
A sign that I was getting close to the frontlines.
'I should get ready too.'
I mounted the NO-13 Grenade Launcher onto the Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle MK2.
As expected, it fit perfectly.
—Click.
[You have attached the NO-13 Grenade Launcher to the Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle MK.2.]
──────────────
[Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle MK.2] [★★★(+★★)(5-Star)]
—An upgraded version of Ark's standard-issue Auto-Conversion Rifle MK.2.
—Fire rate has been increased by 1 level.
—Can switch between Assault Rifle, Anti-Materiel Sniper, and Shotgun modes.
—Now equipped with the NO-13 Grenade Launcher.
"View Details"
──────────────
──────────────
"Detailed Stats"
[Ark-15 Auto-Conversion Rifle MK.2]
Attack Power: ★★★ (3-Star)
Fire Rate: ★★★(+★) (4-Star)
Bullet Speed: ★★★ (3-Star)
Range: ★★★ (3-Star)
Stopping Power: ★★★ (3-Star)
Recoil Control: (+★) (1-Star)
+
[NO-13 Grenade Launcher]
Attack Power: ★★★★ (4-Star)
Fire Rate: ★ (1-Star)
Bullet Speed: ★ (1-Star)
Range: ★ (1-Star)
Stopping Power: ★★★★ (4-Star)
Blast Radius: ★★★ (3-Star)
──────────────
'Good.'
Everything checked out.
I immediately pulled out a grenade.
──────────────
[N444 High-Explosive Grenade] [★★★ (3-Star)]
[Current Stock: 3]
—A 50mm N444 High-Explosive Grenade.
—Detonates in a wide-area explosion.
"View Details"
──────────────
The grenade launcher could hold up to three rounds at a time.
I had exactly three.
But I only loaded one.
For now, this was just a test.
'Distance to the frontlines: 3 km.'
To use the grenade launcher effectively, I'd have to get closer.
And then—
Once I closed the distance to 1 km—
The Red Line's battlefield finally came into view.
'Hmmm.'
The moat, once a deep trench, was now filled with mountains of corpses—
Both monsters and beasts.
The horde was now climbing over their own dead to breach Ark's defenses.
The trench that was meant to slow them down had become meaningless in the face of sheer numbers.
And that wasn't all.
Ark's great walls—once towering and unshakable—had partially collapsed.
A Grade 3 Named Monster must have been responsible.
It was rare for a Grade 3 Named Monster to reach the Red Line, but with the Wave arriving earlier than expected, Ark clearly hadn't been prepared.
—BOOM!
—KWA-KA-KANG!!!
[Kyaooouuu!]
[Awoo! Awoo!]
Gunfire. Explosions.
Screams. Roars.
The battlefield had become hell itself.
And this was only the first stage.
It should have been simple—
But…
'The bodies.'
Not just monsters' bodies.
The bodies of Ark's soldiers.
Soldiers.
Officers.
Commanders.
At this point, rank didn't matter.
In death, they were all equal.
"..."
It had been a long time since I had seen so many human corpses.
Maybe that was why—
Something unfamiliar stirred inside me.
This wasn't a game.
This wasn't just a battle.
This—
Was reality.
—Click.
I loaded a grenade into the underbarrel launcher and slowly aimed toward the swarming beasts.
Was a grenade considered a bullet?
Did it even matter?
The only thing that mattered was that I now had a weapon capable of blowing them to hell.
—Fweeeeng—!
Unlike gunfire, the sound of the 50mm high-explosive grenade wasn't sharp—it was deep and heavy.
But the explosion that followed was anything but harmless.
—BOOOM—!
A violent eruption sent a dozen or so beasts into the raging flames.
[KIEEEEEK!]
[KYAAK! KYAAK!]
It wasn't enough to kill them outright but it was enough to incapacitate them.
And for me, that was more than enough.
—Click—
I pulled back the charging handle once more.
The launcher only held one grenade at a time but the explosions didn't stop at just one shot.
'Just as I thought.'
Now it was certain.
The grenades I fired weren't limited.
I could fire them infinitely.
—Fweeeeng—!
—Fweeeeeeng!
One shot.
Two shots.
Three shots…
The grenade launcher spat out explosives without end.
—BOOM!
—KWA-KA-KANG!
Detonations echoed across the battlefield.
[Giiigeeeggg...]
The agonized screams of the beasts were a perfect appetizer to accompany the explosions.
[You have slain a Grade 10 Beast-class Hellhound.]
[Damage against Grade 10 Hellhounds increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade 10 Insect-class Diligent Worker Ant.]
[Damage against Grade 10 Diligent Worker Ants increases by 0.05%.]
[You have slain a Grade 9 Beast-class Venom-Clawed Raptor.]
[Damage against Grade 9 Venom-Clawed Raptors increases by 0.05%.]
.
.
.
[You have slain a Grade 8 Beast-class Starving Sabretooth.]
[Damage against Grade 8 Starving Sabretooths increases by 0.05%.]
Despite the chaos I caused, the battlefield was already so chaotic that no one seemed to notice I was spamming grenades like an artillery unit.
And that was fine.
I wasn't doing this for recognition.
—Gyaaaaah!
As I closed the distance to 1 km, some of the monsters finally began charging toward me.
I was close enough for them to sense my presence.
'Doesn't matter.'
I raised my rifle toward the oncoming horde.
It was time to teach them exactly who they were rushing toward.
*
How long had I been fighting?
My trigger finger trembled and my palms felt raw, as if blisters were forming.
My clothes were damp—not with blood but with sweat, from moving far too much.
The beasts had never even gotten close to me.
They had been nothing more than targets.
"Haaah…"
I was exhausted.
I wanted to go back.
To wash up.
To sleep.
'A hot bath would be perfect right now…'
The massive horde that had once filled the battlefield had finally thinned to nothing.
And at last, as the final beast's head exploded, the words I had been waiting for appeared.
[You have cleared Red-01 Stage!]
[Your Contribution Points are being tallied.]
[You have displayed exceptional performance! Additional Contribution Points awarded.]
[Current Contribution Points: 11,421]
But there was something unexpected.
"Huh?"
Contribution Points?
Those were only given to players fighting as Ark soldiers.
They were used to purchase supplies, equipment, and other benefits through Ark's Quartermasters.
I hadn't expected to get any.
But I had gained Contribution Points?
'Can I even use them?'
And if so… how?
I was an outsider.
I wasn't part of Ark.
'And more importantly… 10,000 points?'
From my experience, a typical first-stage player only earned 500 to 1,000 points at most.
But 10,000?
If I could actually spend these points, I might walk away with far more than I ever expected.
'Hmm…'
It seemed I had just found another reason to figure out how to infiltrate Ark.
***
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