I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 478

"Do you know what subject a manifested person ends up studying the most when they join the military, our new juniors?"

"Well... looking at the fact that you're holding a gun, it seems related to sniping, but the reason must be important."

"You’re quick to catch on. It’s simple. Once a bullet leaves the barrel, there’s nothing a manifested person can do about what happens next."

Clack!

The metallic sound lightly echoed through the small room. In Lorentina's hand was a Mk.14 EBR.

As we were finishing up the indoor shooting, we moved to a small auditorium for a quick briefing before we began outdoor shooting. Inside, a gun cabinet, preloaded with designated marksman rifles and sniper rifles, awaited us.

On the tables, numerous pieces of equipment were spread out. It's clear that half of these were likely blurred out by the drone cam, and when Lorentina spoke about them later, her words would be blurred as well. As always, I made sure the security was tight.

After I checked the live stream to make sure the muting and censoring were working, I sent Lorentina a signal, and she began to speak again.

"Medium-range and long-range sniping is a kind of... scientific art. Attaching a scope to a rifle, wearing a rag covered in leaves and grass, lying on your belly anywhere you can find, and looking for a target — that’s an outdated mindset, a stereotype about snipers."

"Then we’ll have to make good use of all the equipment laid out there."

"Of course. But some of the gear will be for me and the junior only. The two of you will just fiddle with the scopes, adjust them based on the values we give you, and pull the trigger. It’s possible that all you’ll need to do is pull the trigger."

Just as she said.

It was obvious, but there was a reason for all the blurring and muting. The various ballistic calculations and device operations that Lorentina and I could easily do... were curriculum items you’d typically find at the U.S. Army Sniper School.

We had no intention of exposing such SOPs or manuals, and many parts of the stream would likely be mosaicked out. Lorentina and I, playing the role of the spotters, would be handling the calculations in places where we couldn’t be seen by the two of them.

Lorentina signaled me, and as I walked over, she whispered.

"You’ve stored the gun calibration data for the Icarus gear, right? Use that. I’ve memorized it, so don’t worry too much about it."
"You memorized it?"
"Well, if I forget, I can always check my phone, so it’s not a big deal."
We returned to our positions as Lorentina began her explanation.

"Mk.14, a 7.62mm NATO rifle… an older designated marksman rifle. It's two or three generations behind the current U.S. military model, but with the LPVO scope, M14ALCS/CV body, CTR stock, and ACB-4 FDE bipod, it performs without any significant issues."

Swish.

Since the rifle hadn’t been zeroed yet, Lorentina gently removed the variable magnification scope from the rail and pointed to it with her finger as she continued.

"I’ve brought a fairly standard scope. If this were an actual operation, I’d consider using a longer hood or a killflash to reduce light reflection, but there’s no need for that now. Next, the LRF… the Laser Rangefinder. It's something only I and the junior need to worry about."

Of course, I could easily substitute that with a wristwatch.

It wasn’t military-grade equipment, and it was just a similar item that could be bought at a gun shop, so there was no need to blindly trust its performance. After showing me other items like spotter scopes for surveillance and a PDA for calculations — some of which had been censored — she looked around.

The breeze outside was gentle, and the targets were set up at distances of 150m, 300m, 500m, 800m, 1200m, and 1500m. Since we didn’t have time to walk all the way to those targets, the steel plates that had already been set up would serve as our targets.

We had to walk about 40m to the shooting position, and inside the building, a cabinet full of designated marksman rifles and sniper rifles awaited us. It was a bit of a hassle to move around, but it was better than exposing our precious firearms to the wind, sunlight, and dust.

"Alright, let's begin. Junior, grab the Mk.14 and follow me. New juniors, take the soft cases and follow us. Harmonie, follow me, and Dice, follow our junior."

"Understood."

"Yes, sir."

And the drone cam started following us.

As expected of Hawaii, there was a slight saltiness to the outside air. The vast land stretched before us. It looked like part of the Great Plains that had been transplanted here. The targets were placed in a scattered fashion beyond a gently sloping hill.

After spacing ourselves about 15 meters apart for shooting, the two of them laid the soft cases on the ground. Without them, they would have had to lie on the ground flat on their bellies, making their clothes dirty and causing dust to fly up during the shooting.

The spotter was on the left, and snipers Harmonie and Dice were on the right. On the left, there was a sturdy chair made to support the weight of a manifested person, and a tripod with a spotting scope attached to it was set up for reconnaissance.

The preparations were nearly complete.

"Alright, let’s go for it. We’ve got plenty of ammo and time, so don’t get caught up in trying to make every shot perfect. Just have fun getting used to the rifle."

"Ugh, it feels nice being out here. I’m a bit nervous, but shooting is actually pretty fun."

"Glad to hear it. Here, take the magazine. Load up."

"Okay."

Click!

Dice inserted the magazine and loaded a round into the chamber. Once ready, we exchanged data on wind direction, speed, and atmospheric pressure through the comms in our headsets.

According to the manual, we would aim for specific targets at specific distances and help develop their tracking abilities, but we weren’t here for training. The method was simple. The spotter would aim the burning laser at the target, and Dice and Harmonie would adjust their sights accordingly.

The rifle’s barrel shroud had an integrated anti-matter scope switch connected to the LPVO, allowing the sniper to adjust the magnification even while maintaining their aim.

"Alright, aim for 150m. We’ve got good zeroing targets, so do your best to hit the black circle. We’ll use this data for the other rifles, and if something doesn’t match up… well, we’ll have to reattach the targets."

"Ugh, I’ll try my best."

"I see they’ve started too. Let’s go ahead and begin."

The command was given, and I stood about a meter to the side, casually observing the target while Dice took several deep breaths before steadying the rifle — Boom! The crisp sound of the shot rang out, and the bullet flew through the air, striking the target at 150 meters.

The black circle’s lower right was hit.

"Impact confirmed. Don’t adjust the sights, just keep shooting. You only have 4 shots left in the magazine, so once they’re gone, your zeroing will be complete."

There was no answer, and there shouldn’t have been. If they spoke, they’d lose focus on their aim.

Four shots rang out in quick succession, and the lower right of the black circle was perforated. Using the spotting scope, I saw the group of impacts form beautifully, and the sight of it was satisfying.

The metallic sound indicating the magazine was empty rang out a few times, and Dice asked:

"...Shooting’s done. What now?"

"I’m analyzing the target, so please wait. Keep your position, but you can close your eyes if you like."

With that, I adjusted the windage and front sight with a few clicks. The familiar clicking sounds echoed in the air. Turning to Dice, who was breathing heavily, I added:

"I’ll give you the proper adjustments later. When you pick up the next rifle, set it up according to these values and start zeroing again."

"Okay. I can shoot again, right?"

"Take the magazine."

Now it was a 15-round magazine.

After switching the magazine, I secured the charging handle, reloaded the chamber, and returned the handle to its original position. Shooting resumed with a Boom, and the bullet hit just below the center of the black circle.

"Wow!"

"With a little more adjustment, it’ll be perfect."

Dice, feeling a sense of achievement, quietly fired again, and every time she pulled the trigger, spent casings flew out to the side. As I casually turned the spotting scope toward Harmonie’s target, I saw that she was having similar success.

The 15-round magazine was emptied in no time.

But there was still plenty left.

Now, it was time to move on to longer distances.

"Let’s move on to 300m and 500m. There are 5 tracer rounds in the 15-round mag, so pay attention to the trajectory of the rounds and how the sea breeze and humidity challenge the snipers. Pay close attention to how the spotter solves this."

"...I’m sure Eugene will do all the work."

"Ha ha. Just remember, if you miss and the tracer rounds hit the ground, you might have to grab a fire extinguisher."

"Ugh..."

And with that, the warning was issued, and we moved on to zeroing at 300m.
The sky over Hawaii became colored with the sounds of gunfire.
"Yujin is... romantic..."
"I swear, I want to buy a ticket to Hawaii, no kidding hahaha."
"Tactical romance that turns skydiving, gliding, scuba diving, and Waikiki Beach into nothing... Yujin, is she a goddess?"
"We're living in a world like Viam!"
"But seriously, why are Dice and Harmony such great shots? Hahaha."
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away on the peninsula – and around the world.

People with the time and interest in military matters gathered en masse to watch Yujin's broadcast. They were stunned by the vast array of firearms and accessories, wondering where they had come from, and shocked by the shooting skills of the cast.

Dozens of ejected casings flew out to the right of Dice and Harmony. By now, the Mk.14 had long been upgraded to the Mk.18 Mjölnir. It was simple. Yujin had prepaid a firearms dealer, who purchased the guns directly from Sword International and had them shipped to Hawaii.

He'd bought two guns that cost over 9 million won each and had spared no expense on expensive accessories. However, that didn't exactly reduce the recoil, and Harmony and Dice felt the enormous force of the recoil slam into their shoulders when Yujin shot the rifle like a carbine.

"Whoa!"

"Wow, it's like an untamed wild horse!"

"The expression is perfect."

"Look at the dust flying up even with the soft case down; it's tough, hahaha."

"Fact: Right now, Harmony and Dice are using up the amount of ammo a single South Korean soldier would use in two years."

"Even soldiers can't shoot like that hahaha."

"What soldier? Even UDT members haven’t fired a Mjölnir."

"Seriously, they follow Yujin around and do all kinds of crazy things, hahaha."

"Are they literally shooting through the targets now?"

The Lapua rounds arced through the air.

The expensive ammunition Yujin had bought with his wallet was paying off, and among those rounds were AP rounds with tungsten cores, assuming you cut them in half. Naturally, John Lac, with his FFL and SOT, could legally get anything with money, including armor-piercing rounds.

When that round crossed the air and struck the steel plate 500 meters away, a "clang" rang out as a hole appeared. It was an astonishing level of power, but Yujin and Loren Tina didn't really care and simply added to the instructions.

"We’re moving to 800m now. Wind direction and speed unchanged. Adjust your zeroing."
"…Ready."
"Shoot whenever you're comfortable."
Boom!

The 20-inch barrel fired the Lapua round through the Hawaiian skies, and it almost seemed to stretch out before it fell just below the target. It was a low shot. Yujin judged that it was a matter of aiming rather than zeroing and quietly waited for Dice.

When Ye-rin, now more focused, pulled the trigger again, there was a loud crack, and with the recoil sending her blonde hair flying, a single shot hit the center of the steel plate. The plate, secured with multiple layers of chain, shook.

But that wasn’t the end of it. What mattered now was the grouping. Dice focused again and carefully pulled the trigger. Boom! Another round flew out and made a hole just 1 cm below the first one.

The shots continued in rapid succession, and after emptying the magazine, Yujin chuckled and added:

"Alright, let’s move to 1200m. This is where the shooter’s adjustments are really needed. I’ll show you where to aim considering wind direction and speed."
At the same time, calculations began.

Yujin checked the ballistic tables and then drew a quick sketch on a sticky note showing the crosshairs of the scope. He marked a point just below the lower-left corner of the crosshairs, instructing to adjust the aim for bullet drop and flight time.

He adjusted the antimatter scope switch back to its original position for 1x magnification and waved the sticky note in front of the scope. Dice, who understood, fiddled with the switch and pulled the trigger after a brief adjustment.

Boom! The round flew toward the target.

"Impact around 7 meters right of the target. Account for it and shoot again."
"Ugh..."
Bang!

After receiving the feedback on the shot placement, Dice adjusted more precisely, and the bullet flew just past the target’s lower-right edge. Dice was starting to get the hang of it. She exhaled, took a slight breath, and slightly adjusted her aim to the upper-left corner, then boom.

The last round from the magazine soared through the air and hit the center of the target at 1200m, piercing it cleanly.

Meanwhile, Harmony also entered a similar phase, and as soon as she saw the target wobble in the distance, about three seconds later, a clear "clang" rang out, and Harmony made her hit.

"Second shot hit, third shot center. Well done."

"If you hadn’t given feedback on the adjustment, I would have probably missed even with three magazines."

"1200m, insane hahaha."

"Wait, did they really get a valid hit on the second shot? That’s crazy, isn’t it?"

"Fact: The round Dice hit would have hit a vital organ."

"It’s terrifying watching both Harmony and Dice compete without giving an inch hahaha."

"But really, this shows how crucial the spotter is, hahaha."

It was a natural observation.

However, Yujin and the other three had long since forgotten about the broadcast, and by then, the shooting with the Mjölnir was over.

Today’s highlight was waiting for Dice and Harmony.

"Wow..."

"It’s started."

"The upgraded version of the M82 Barrett, the M107 LRSR, and the AX50. We’ve got plenty of Raufoss 50cal rounds, each costing 100,000 won, so let’s go ahead and blow up the targets set across this vast field."

"Where on earth did you get Raufoss rounds, you crazy person hahaha."

"Note… there’s nothing money can’t get…"

"Tricky streaming is always ruled by Yujin, the millionaire weirdo with a suspicious amount of money."

Indeed, the viewers weren’t entirely wrong.

A gigantic anti-material sniper rifle gleamed under the Hawaiian sun.

It was fall.