Sadly, the good shit like Infernal Strike and Word of Agony are things you can only obtain by Leveling – with the right Class – or being the luckiest motherfucker alive and finding a one-in-a-million Skill gem.
- Delver’s Guild Handbook, Section 3.3 – “Learning Skills”
We were split up into different groups for the evaluations. Wolf offered to let us sit out, since we’d already been placed into the advanced track, but I turned him down – to the surprise of the others.
“If we don’t show that we’re willing to prove ourselves, everyone is going to resent us,” I warned them, and Raylan immediately nodded in understanding.
“Besides, I’d rather get some training in today than sit around and watch,” I added.
That got the orcs on board, and we moved out according to Thompson’s shouted directions. Wolf was one of several instructors responsible for the ranged combat evaluation, so Alyssa, Alex, Zaire, and I all followed him to one of the shooting ranges. I wasn’t sure exactly how many students there were total, but there had to be at least twenty-five of us in the group that assembled at the range.
The range had ten lanes, each separated by a foot-high stone wall extending easily a hundred and fifty yards out to the base of the northern canyon wall. Only a few of the lanes currently had targets. Basic bulls-eyes were set up in three lanes, about ten, twenty, and fifty yards away. In the fourth lane, there was something that looked roughly like a human torso and head, seemingly made out of mud, sitting on what looked like a stone block. The instructors started off with a quick lecture on the rules of the range, then called out a student’s name.
The girl who was up first was an Arbalist, and she had no problems hitting the bulls-eye at ten or twenty yards, and her shots at fifty were tightly grouped around it. When it came time to shoot the dummy, I watched in fascination as her bolt sank into the target three or four inches, then was slowly pushed back out as the target re-formed. Enchanted targets, this is great!
She was asked to hit the target three times as fast as possible – which wasn’t all that fast. I wondered why she hadn’t taken a Skill to help her reload faster yet, then realized she might not even be Level 3.
She probably just has the basic Crossbows Skill and one other from the bonus at the end of the Tutorial… Sure enough, when the instructor asked her to demonstrate any Skills, she fired a shot that sank twice as far into the clay dummy.
The next up was another Arbalist, a boy who had taken a quick-reload Skill. It was fascinating to watch as his hands suddenly blurred, working the goat’s-foot with superhuman speed and slotting a bolt home in just a couple of seconds. Apparently the Skill had a significant cooldown, as he only used it a few times.
Alex’s name was next, followed by another Archer, and I figured out that they were going by alphabetical order of Class names. I zoned out for a while, only stirring when I realized that the next person up was an Earth Mage. The boy, whose name was Eric, struggled to hit the center of the upright targets, apparently not used to making his spikes come out of the ground at the right angle. When it came to the dummy, he gave up in frustration after a few attempts that barely reached its body.
“This is stupid! I can’t hit something vertical like that!” Eric complained. The instructors looked at each other, then waved him off and called up Zaire. As my friend stepped up to the first target, I heard someone behind me muttering.
“Filthy rad-born!”
I inhaled sharply. Zaire had never told me more about his people, and I wondered if they really were called rad-born. Either way, I looked over my shoulder to see that the comment had come from one of the trainees, a girl wearing an elaborate set of robes under leather embossed with silver. Identify.
Name: Clarice Eleson
Class: Fire Mage
Tier: 0
I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Clarice. No one insults my favorite Mage.
Zaire, as I expected, proved much better at hitting the center of the targets with his spikes than Leo had, getting some approving comments from those of us watching. I worried that he would struggle with the dummy too. It was much higher up than the bulls-eyes, but he stepped to the last lane confidently. When the instructor ordered him to begin, he lifted his staff and an Earth Wall erupted right next to the dummy.
I grinned widely as the students around me reacted with confusion. The grey-skinned Mage paused for a moment, then cast Earth Spike on the wall. The spike cleanly impaled the dummy right through the head. I heard at least one person say, “shit, I guess he really is on the advanced track!” and my smile grew.
Wolf waved him off with a grin of his own, and the Fire Mages were up next. My evaluation of Alyssa proved true, as she struggled to make bulls-eyes at twenty yards and was all over the target from fifty. Her Spell proved ineffective against the dummy as well, though I didn’t hold that against her. I certainly didn’t want to get hit by a firebolt, at least not with my barrier down.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Sadly Clarice proved to be much more skilled, easily landing her shots in the center of each target. Moving on to the dummy, she hesitated with her staff raised. A few seconds later, a much larger and brighter Fire Bolt streaked out and smashed into the dummy’s head, leaving scorch marks on it. I winced.
OK, don’t underestimate her just because she’s an asshole. Also, remember to find out what Skill that was, because it looked impressive.
“Azure!” Wolf called, and I realized that I’d drifted off again. First time I’m in the middle of a list, hah.
I strode up to the first lane and summoned my shotgun, drawing some interested stares from the crowd. I heard at least one person ask their neighbor, “what is that?” and I smiled internally. I looked over at Wolf.
“Three shots per target, right?”
“Yes, whenever you’re ready.”
Ten yards was a joke compared to the drills Hassan had put me through. I brought the gun up, put the red dot right over the red center of the bulls-eye, and stroked the trigger gently.
BOOM!click-clickBOOM!click-clickBOOM!click-click
I couldn’t resist showing off just a little, slamming all three shots into the target in a couple of seconds. My standard ammo punched tight groups into the target, completely shredding the bulls-eye ring. I grinned as I heard someone in the crowd shout in surprise, probably at the booming noise of my shots, which echoed off the cliff in front of us.
I decided not to pick up my spent shells, figuring I wasn’t going to come close to using all my mana this afternoon. I calmly stepped to the next lane, then unleashed another three shots. It was obvious how my pellets spread out significantly wider, even with my gun on full choke. There were still plenty of hits inside the bulls-eye, but I realized that at fifty yards that might not be the case.
I paused, ejecting my two remaining standard shells and loading three slugs. On the fifty yard target, I took my time with each shot and put two of them into the bulls-eye, with the third right on the edge. This time I had to stop to collect my precious expended slugs, returning them to my bandolier before moving to stand in front of the dummy.
“Please demonstrate any applicable Skills,” Wolf instructed me in the same bored tone he’d used with everyone else, though I thought I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
Hmm, what should I show them? I guess technically infusion isn’t a Skill, it’s a mod, so that doesn’t count. And Tactical Reposition won’t do anything here, so I’ll have to show Variable Load. I’ve already fired two types of ammo anyway, so it’s not a secret I can do that.
I loaded up a BB round, followed by a 4BK, and finally a slug. “My Skill lets me conjure different kinds of ammunition for different situations,” I announced.
The BB round hit the dummy with a wide spread, all over its torso, and the lighter pellets barely sank into the target at all, popping out almost immediately and leaving it untouched. My 4BK hit much harder, the pellets grouped more tightly and they took noticeably longer to be pushed out. I lifted my aim slightly for the final shot and put my slug into the center of the dummy’s head, blowing right through it. I grinned at the sight of light coming through the new hole and watched in satisfaction as it slowly closed up.
I heard footsteps, and when I turned around someone from the crowd had picked up the white case of my expended slug and was looking it over. He was tall, probably almost 6’, with a lean build and dark blue hair. His armor was black, unadorned but brightly polished, and perfectly matched. I couldn’t tell what it was made out of, it was so shiny. He had to be one of the trainees.
“Give that back.” I extended my hand to him.
He looked at me with slight surprise. “What if I don’t?” he asked.
I started to snap at him but realized at the last moment that his tone had been one of curiosity, not taunting.
“Well, that would be stealing then,” I replied, taking a step closer, my hand still extended.
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “I don’t think you can steal a conjured item, it will disappear shortly after all. Still, if you insist.”
He raised his hand and twirled it in a strange gesture, then bowed at the waist, placing the shell in my hand as he did. I gaped at him in surprise.
What in the Wastes… these rich kids are fucking strange. One of them wants to duel me, one of them hates Zaire, one of them is bowing to me, and another one is… My thoughts trailed off as I realized he was looking at me expectantly. Shit, Identify!
Name: Arlo Hammersmith
Class: Pistoleer
Tier: 0
My eyes widened at his Class, but I managed to blurt out a quick “thanks!” and step off of the firing line as I returned my precious slug to my bandolier, feeling the pull of the four points of mana rushing into it. Arlo followed me as I walked to stand by Zaire. I basked in the respectful nods I got from a few of the recruits on the way.
“Shotguns are a fascinating weapon,” he said. “Even in my family, there are only a few of them.”
“Huh? Your family?” I asked, confused.
He seemed taken aback. “You don’t know who the Hammersmiths are?”
“Um, no, I honestly don’t,” I replied.
“My family is the leading supplier of guns and ammunition in the entire Lost Angels area!” he said proudly, and I suddenly made a mental connection.
“Wait a minute, is your family the one that gives out all those Level 0 pistols? I had one of those back in Sunland.”
Arlo beamed at me. “Yes! That is one of our many charitable endeavors, my family believes that everyone should be able to defend themselves when in need!”
Another trainee standing nearby snickered. “Yeah, and they also believe that the first one is free, get you hooked real good!”
I immediately lost the thread of the argument as Arlo turned to bicker with the other guy. A few more students went through the drill before Arlo’s name was called and my interest returned.
? Featured Web Novel ?
The Dungeon Apocalypse [LitRPG / Apocalyptic / Cultivation / Progression]
LitRPG Progression Cultivation
A seemingly omnipotent System has designated Earth as a Crucible World, where humanity will be reforged into beings of great power - or die horribly at the hands of monstrous entities.
To Roland Webb, Army veteran living a simple, mediocre life, the end begins when strange lights by the side of the road plunge him into a life-or-death struggle. After barely surviving, he is offered a choice of Paths of Ascendancy: the Classer or the Cultivator.
Roland, a long-time-gamer, decides to embrace both.
The Dungeon Apocalypse contains LitRPG and Cultivation elements, two separate tracks of advancement, a progression journey, action, humor and adventure set in a modern world transformed by magic, dungeons, and the System.
What to Expect
Dual Progression LitRPG + Cultivation System Apocalypse Action & Humor
- Dual advancement: Classer (LitRPG) and Cultivator paths combined
- Weak-to-strong progression with stats, skills, realms, and loot
- Modern Earth transformed by dungeons, monsters, and the System
- High-stakes survival, action-packed fights, and boss battles
- Humor, gamer mindset, and veteran grit in an apocalyptic world
- Deep worldbuilding with two separate power systems