"Alright, System," Derek said. "Let's see what we are working with here."
[Affirmative, Commander!]
A translucent tactical overlay projected itself into Derek's mind.
[User: Arthur (Derek)]
[Level: 1]
[Experience Points: 0 / 1,000]
[Command Center, Inventory, Arsenal Shop, Troop Deployment, Mission Logs.]
[Alert: As a newly deployed operator in the Eloria combat zone, you have been issued a Standard Issue Deployment Crate. Do you wish to unpack, Commander?]
"Is that even a question? Rip it open," Derek commanded.
[Deployment Crate Unlocked.]
[Acquired: Glock 17 Gen 5 (x1), Basic Trauma Kit (x1).]
Derek accessed his [Inventory] with a mere thought.
He focused his mind on the weapon icon, and in a flash of digitized light, a perfectly weighted, matte-black handgun materialized directly into his palm.
It was a Glock 17.
The System's gruff voice echoed again, demanding his attention.
[Commander, be advised. You may access the Arsenal Shop to procure additional munitions, high-tier ballistics, and tactical gear. Furthermore, the Troop Deployment tab allows you to requisition modern infantrymen, medics, and mechanized armor. All transactions require Combat Merits, which are earned strictly through the neutralization of hostile targets and the completion of active Mission Logs.]
"Got it..." Derek muttered, seamlessly checking the slide of the Glock 17 to ensure a round was chambered.
Before Derek could explore the grayed-out silhouettes of the Arsenal Shop a sudden shriek shattered.
Derek rushed to the narrow window of his stone room and peered out into the courtyard of the frontier village.
A pack of magical beasts had breached the wooden palisade. They were Dire-Boars... massive, mutated swine the size of small horses, covered in sharp bone plating and exuding a foul magical mist from their snouts.
The village militia, a group of terrified peasants armed with spears and dull farming tools, were trying to hold a defensive line.
Several militiamen had already been tossed into the mud.
[Mission Log Updated!]
[Active Quest: Eliminate 15 Dire-Boars.]
[Reward: 500 Combat Merits, 800 Experience Points.]
"Fifteen targets? Easy money!" Derek grinned.
He lined up the three-dot sights of the Glock 17 with the skull of the nearest magical beast.
Derek squeezed the trigger. The 9mm hollow-point round traveled at over twelve hundred feet per second, striking the Dire-Boar precisely in the eye socket.
The massive beast instantly crumpled to the mud.
"One..." Derek tallied, swiftly acquiring his next target.
The remaining beasts paused, confused by the thunderous noise. Derek capitalized on their hesitation.
Three more shots rang out. Three more Dire-Boars collapsed into the dirt, their mana instantly destroyed.
He dropped beast after beast, tracking their movements.
He fired, adjusted his aim, and fired again...
[Targets: 14 / 15]
Derek aimed at the final Dire-Boar charging toward the manor's door. He pulled the trigger.
The slide of the Glock 17 locked back. He had emptied the magazine.
"Sloppy ammo management, Derek," he chastised himself lightly.
[Purchase: 50 Rounds 9mm Parabellum. Cost: 50 Combat Merits.]
[Transaction Approved.]
A heavy cardboard box of ammunition appeared in his hand. He quickly dropped the empty magazine from his pistol, forcefully loaded several fresh rounds into the spare magazine from his inventory, and slammed it into the magwell.
He leaned out the window, aimed straight down at the beast battering the door, and fired twice into its spine. The monster collapsed instantly.
[Mission Complete!]
[Rewards Deposited: 500 Combat Merits, 800 Experience Points.]
[Level Up! User is now Level 2.]
Derek pulled the gun back inside and let out a long breath.
"Open the Troop Deployment tab..."
He navigated to the summoning interface, fully expecting to drop a pair of modern marines into the medieval mud.
[Negative, Commander. Troop Deployment functions require advanced command authority.]
[Notice: User must achieve Level 10 to authorize the deployment of sentient personnel.]
"Level 10? Are you kidding me? What kind of arbitrary progression gating is that?"
The drill sergeant hologram reappeared, crossing its muscled arms.
[Those are the regulations, Commander! You must prove your tactical competence on the field before high command entrusts you with the lives of modern infantry!]
Derek scoffed. "Fine. If I have to do all the heavy lifting myself, then I need better hardware."
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the foundations of the manor. From the edge of the treeline, stepping over the wooden palisade with terrifying ease, came the pack's Alpha.
It was a Dire-Boar twice the size of the others.
[Mission Log Updated!]
[Active Quest: Terminate the Alpha.]
[Reward: 1,500 Combat Merits, 2,000 Experience Points.]
Derek looked at the Glock in his hand, then down at the fire-breathing tank of a beast.
A 9mm pistol wasn't going to reliably punch through that heavily reinforced magical hide...
"System." Derek said, "Open the Arsenal Shop! Filter by Assault Rifles!"
He browsed the holographic menu.
[Purchase: M4 Carbine. Cost: 400 Combat Merits.]
[Purchase: 5.56x45mm NATO Armor-Piercing Rounds (x60). Cost: 100 Combat Merits.]