In the world of hunters, daytime was when most gates were available at E rank.
Only D rank or higher hunters operated on a full time basis, which left a lot of E rank slots open during the day.
Some gates that appeared in critical infrastructure such as roads or construction sites came with special commissions for hunters who cleared them. Most people focused on those, which left plenty of roadside gates free for him to take.
'But I only have until 5 before they all flood the streets.'
Rowan checked the time. Still early morning. He had many hours before 5, but in his mind it was already limited.
--
[Status]
Level: 3
Class: Assassin (E) / Soul Reaper (Tier 2, SSS)
[Stats]
Strength: 6+2
Agility: 7
Vitality: 3+3
Dexterity: 6
Magic: 3
--
He stood at the E rank gate entrance and checked his weapons.
With its weight being a concern, Rowan put his free points into Strength and Vitality to compensate.
Now it was much more manageable and easier to hold.
He could not even imagine what the recoil would feel like when he finally got to fire it for the first time, let alone on full auto.
He had also picked up a large backpack on the way, big enough to fit full camping gear and built to a certain level of durability since it was hunter grade.
Which meant he was essentially broke again.
'But not for long!' Rowan stepped inside the gate.
As he appeared inside, the world began to shift from the streets of Ohio into a dense forest.
The monster list narrowed down significantly. Not many monsters lived in forests, much less dense ones.
Monsters, while looking fantastical, had habitats corresponding to their biology.
At only E rank there were not many types that could survive in a dense forest environment.
With thick shade overhead the monsters needed to avoid direct sunlight, but with it being a forest they also needed room to move and grow.
Rowan closed his eyes and heightened his sixth sense, letting it expand outward.
He found a small group of living beings, stronger than even the wolves and goblins, but numbering less than ten.
There was only one thing that meant.
Orcs.
With [Sneak] active from his Assassin class, Rowan concealed himself in the brush and observed the group of green orcs not far ahead.
Green was the weakest variation of orc. Roughly adult human sized but with significantly thicker skin and muscle. Two bloodied tusks jutted outward from their mouths as they wandered and patrolled the forest.
Compared to the highest tier, purple orcs that only appeared in A rank gates or higher, strategic geniuses with raw power to match, these green orcs were essentially just a much stronger version of goblins.
Their weapons reflected that, nothing more than slabs of stone or entire tree logs.
'Time to test your power, AA-20.'
Rowan silently took aim from the tree line, buckshot loaded, and pressed the trigger.
What followed was something he would not have imagined possible at level 3.
The orc that took the full blast from the thunderous barrel, its upper body simply ceased to exist. Reduced to a mist of blood and tissue from a single trigger pull.
The recoil kicked hard enough that Rowan almost took a step back. But the damage lit a smile on his face, and something else stirred in his chest.
Something he had not felt since he first experienced being a [Soul Reaper].
"RAHH!!"
The remaining orcs spotted him and rushed. Fast as wolves, leaping across the terrain. But Rowan just stood his ground, took aim, and pressed again.
Another violent blast from the AA-20 tore the leaping orc apart mid air. The ones running up behind it never slowed down, so Rowan kept pressing the trigger.
Full auto. Blast after blast ripping through the group in rapid succession, without him moving a single step.
"OH BOY."
Seeing his SP count climbing without breaking a single sweat put a smile on his face.
Now THAT was a gun.
He imagined millions of these in the hands of every hunter.
The final war would have gone drastically differently.
[You have suffered damage. Spending 1 Soul Points to recover.]
But the recoil was very real. Holding the trigger down and feeling the thing keep firing, it felt like his own arm was about to get torn apart. The damage to his body was significant enough that his skill activated automatically to heal the damaged tissue.
Still, it was worth every dollar.
"I'm going to buy more of these!" Rowan made a mental note to look into the company that manufactured these weapons. 'I wonder if they accept custom builds. I hope they can make a scythe gun!'
As he pushed deeper into the dungeon his walk almost became a hop. Another group of orcs came rushing toward the sound of the shots and met the same fate.
Rowan blasted through horde after horde with ease, waltzing into the boss area where a single green warlord orc waited. It was dressed in tribal attire and carried a giant sword. It and its remaining minions looked at Rowan and screamed.
Rowan just raised his gun.
And started blasting.
Row after row of orcs dropped as their companions trampled over the bodies rushing forward.
That was the thing about orcs, they never feared death or injury.
All they wanted was to cave your skull in.
"Easier for me!"
[Dash]
Rowan's steps quickened as he weaved around the orcs trying to catch him on his reload timing. He ducked and rolled, took aim, picked them off one by one, and within minutes the entire group was gone, leaving only the warlord standing alone.
Rowan took aim and fired.
"Ugh!!" The warlord did not go down in one shot, but its body was torn apart.
'One shotting a D rank monster might be a bit too much to ask, but good enough.'
All he needed was a double tap.
The giant body that would have required an entire group of hunters to bring down collapsed as its head was blown apart by the thunderous roar of the AA-20.
[SP: 25]
[You leveled up!]