Beyond the Eternity

After the door clicked shut, Miyuki stood alone in the room, drifting her gaze toward the book she had been handed. A small squirt of frustration escaped her lips, barely audible.

Unlike the rest of the party, it seemed her path would veer in a different direction.

Reading.

The thought alone made her grimace.

Who would want to sit around reading when the world had already ended? Surely, venturing outside to hunt monsters felt far more practical, and infinitely more exciting. But deep down, she knew she lacked the theoretical aspect that was just as important as the physicial aspect.

Miyuki replayed the memory of her battle with Luxuria over and over in her mind.

Without Viola's support or Soo Jinyoung-nim's timely intervention at the critical moment, the outcome was inevitable.

She would have died.

That much was certain. It was a truth she had already accepted. In fact, the fight had occupied her thoughts relentlessly for the past few days.

She didn't want to be weak anymore.

And she certainly didn't want to rely on others forever.

What she needed was strength. And her strength was «Magic.»

If reading a book could grant her that strength, then she would do it, no matter how much she hated the idea.

'Ajusshi said that since I can balance both the practical and theoretical aspects, there's no need to stay confined to one place. Maybe I could test my theories on some monsters and earn coins. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?'

A small smile crept across her face at the thought.

It was an excited smile, but for all the wrong reasons.

Perhaps something within her had shifted after the Sixth Narrative. After all, a normal twelve-year-old wouldn't be thinking like this.

Clutching the book tightly, Miyuki climbed onto the couch and opened the encyclopedia.

† †

Leaving the room, I made my way downstairs.

The building itself was five stories tall. It hadn't always been like this, but Kim Hyunwoo had thoroughly reinforced and modified it to reach this level. It now served as the headquarters of Night Management. The top floor housed the personal quarters for me and the main party, while the bottom floor was designated for the survivors we had taken in.

Survivors could work their way up from the bottom floors to those below the fifth, as long as they accumulated enough contributions.

In the end, we operated much like any other company.

The main group would serve as the faces of Nightmare Management, while the survivors would be the employees. Of course, there was no salary since I hadn't even added the main group as members of the <Stellar Cloud>.

The survivors were doing fairly well.

Some had received help from party members, while others were trained by Soo Jinyoung, who taught them basic martial arts techniques. She had been serious when she said teaching martial arts was part of her duty, though her methods were... well, a bit painful.

...Ugh, let's move past that.

I nodded at a few survivors who greeted me with a "Boss," then continued on my way further down.

At this point, I had reached the ground level, but my goal was beyond this floor.

There was a hidden floor below the ground level, known only to me and Kim Hyunwoo, who had created it. The rest of the party remained unaware of its existence.

I hadn't shared its location with anyone because I didn't want to be disturbed while I was there. After all, that was where I had been conducting my 'experiments.'

But before I could head there, I needed to use that 'item.'

Without hesitation, I crushed the stone in my right hand.

[The item "Silence Stone" has activated.]

[Messages from the Constellations have been blocked for two hours.]

[During this time, you will not receive any messages or be observed by the Constellations.]

«Silence Stone» The only item in [Link] capable of blocking the messages and gaze of the Constellations. Over the past few days, I had used this item repeatedly to escape their watchful eyes.

Of course, once the time ran out, the Constellations would bombard me with messages, but by then, I would have already finished with my business in the underground chamber.

The item was only available to [Golden Tier] or [Phantom Tier] members of the celestial channel.

The only downside was that each [Silence Stone] cost a whopping 50,000 coins.

It was an amount I could easily recover by hunting nightmares and selling their coins, but it was still a tedious process.
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'With this, I now have two hours of freedom. The only thing left is to make sure no one sees me.'

That part was simple enough.

When the coast was clear, I headed left, where the entrance to the Testing Grounds was located.

I quickly unlocked the door with a key and descended.

Tap! Tap! Tap! My footsteps echoed through the dark, narrow corridor, breaking the otherwise profound silence.

The only source of light was the flashlight in my hand.

After walking down the long passageway, I reached the wide testing range.

The space was vast and dimly lit, with walls reinforced with steel to contain stray projectiles or mishaps. The floor was smooth and polished, but worn in some areas.

At the far end of the room, bullseye targets were arranged, scattered at varying distances. Scattered throughout were the remnants of previous experiments such as bullet holes, scorch marks from spirit bullets, and even the occasional body of a nightmare that hadn't survived. The air smelled faintly of gunpowder and the sterile scent of steel.

In the back corner, a cluttered table held a variety of ammunition and tools for modifications—small, seemingly insignificant objects, but essential for the work I did here.

What was there to say? This was my personal space, untouched by the prying eyes of the Constellations.

... Shall I begin?

I retrieved the revolver, Castor, and a box of brass bullets from the Watcher's Dimension Coat's pocket.

The goal here was to improve my aim and shooting skills. To do so, I would deactivate the active skill [Marksmanship], which had reached Level 10, and rely solely on my own abilities to improve my natural shooting accuracy.

What if I wasn't talented enough to learn magic, martial arts, or even skills from others?

Even if I couldn't fight like the rest, I could still survive, so there was no reason to be depressed.

Ultimately, it was the survivors who would see tomorrow.

Not to mention, I had my two trusty pistols with me, so I can never be defeated ever so easily!

Pa!

I flicked open the cylinder and carefully loaded it with fresh brass rounds.

This time, I didn't leave any empty spots in the cylinder, nor did I remove my coat. Today, I intended to practice shooting with it on. I wasn't about to waste time prepping like I was in some old-fashioned Victorian setting.

If an enemy showed up, they wouldn't wait for me to adjust my attire.

Click!

I closed the cylinder, and spinned it with my thumb for good measure.

I settled into a standard firing position, gripping the revolver with my left hand. Normally, I was right-handed, but today, I was focusing on improving my weaker hand's accuracy.

"Firing Sequence Number 47. Begin!"

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The shots rang out, each one hitting the target. Drawing on my previous experience, and with enough strength that recoil barely made a difference, I fired six times in quick succession.

Five out of the six shots hit dead center.

"Hmm. Not bad. This is definitely an improvement."

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Just a few days ago, I couldn't even get one shot on target with my left hand. Now, I was landing five bullseyes.

Lee Suhye would probably be jealous if she saw this.

Click!

I opened the cylinder again, letting the spent casings fall with a soft clink before quickly loading a fresh set of rounds.

Without delay, I aimed at the target once more, still holding the revolver with my left hand.

"Firing Sequence Number 48. Begin!"

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The sharp crack of gunfire echoed as the target shook.

I was intent on shooting the target. Shooting itself was becoming second nature, but the real challenge was reloading the firearm quickly. That was where I still needed improvement.

Over time, I had experimented with countless firearms. When selecting a primary weapon, there were key factors to consider like reload speed, balance while swinging it one-handed, and how manageable the recoil was with repeated shots.

The table in front of me was a testament to that experimentation. It was cluttered with an assortment of weapons: military-grade handguns, compact self-defense pistols, sports models, as well as heavier options like shotguns and rifles.

Beneath my feet, empty cartridges formed a chaotic pile, scattered like fallen leaves after a storm, and the variety of firearms I'd used was evident in the mix of shells.

Lee Suhye was proficient in shooting and reloading automatic rifles quickly while I was different.

Rifles and shotguns were more of a struggle for me, especially when facing certain types of nightmares and opponents. For example, Demonic Nightmarish Terrors were nearly impervious to standard bullets and resistant even to [Spirit Bullets]. However, their defeat would come swiftly if struck by the [Evil Breaking Sword], which was capable of purifying the existence of anything «Evil» and severing their connection to the physical plane.

In such scenarios, adaptability was paramount. I needed to effortlessly transition between weapons, switching from gun to sword, using both simultaneously when necessary, all without wasting a single moment.

After all, the raw destructive power of a single shot was meaningless if it couldn't finish the enemy in one decisive blow.

Therefore, a simple handgun or revolver would suffice.

Click! Click! Click!

Within moments, all the normal brass rounds had been spent. I opened the cylinder once more, and discarded the six empty shells.

Glancing at the time on my smartphone, I saw that only 40 minutes remained before the Silence Stone's effects would wear off.

Had time really passed that quickly? I must have been here longer than I realized.

'I think I still need more practice with my left hand. There's some time left before the Silence Stone's effects wear off. Should I test the rounds I received from the kind High Priestess?'

I reached into the Watcher's Dimension Coat's pocket and pulled out the box containing the new special rounds.

Sanctified Howl Bullets.

These rounds had been crafted by Moon Ji-yeon using the High Priestess Card. From what I gathered, she was a spiritualist with a deep connection to the manipulation of the «White» element. Each bullet, as a result, was imbued with the purifying power of that very element.

But nothing in this world came for free. To acquire these rounds, I'd had to part with a hefty sum of 20,000C.

The real question, though, was how they compared to ordinary spirit bullets. One of the primary reasons I had come here today was to uncover the answer to that mystery.

I carefully loaded the sanctified howl bullets with complicated patterns into the revolver, leaving one spot empty to avoid any risk of misfiring.

With the revolver now ready, I set it aside on the table for a moment.

Reaching into the Watcher's Dimension Star Coat, I pulled out the Silver Demon, Ivory. With a practiced hand, I focused my spiritual energy, channeling it through the silver handgun.

Once the power was flowing smoothly, I steadied the handgun and aimed at the target.

Finally, I pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

In the blink of an eye, the spirit bullet rocketed forward, and struck the bullseye with pinpoint accuracy. The head of the dummy exploded on impact, and shattered the fragments into all directions.

The power was certainly impressive.

Despite my relatively low stats, the strength of the spirit bullet was undeniable. As my proficiency in the [Spirit Bullet] skill grew, the output would increase accordingly.

Currently, the skill [Spirit Bullet] has been raised to level 9.

If my spirit power were higher, the output would be even greater. That was the nature of how skills worked.

Next, I set [Ivory] on the table and grabbed [Castor], the revolver loaded with Sanctified Howl Bullets, in my right hand.

I immediately assumed firing form and pulled the trigger, but I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Bang—!! A tremendous noise echoed!

A powerful jolt of shock rippled through my body, sending me stumbling back from the recoil.

"...!!"

The bullet flew through the target with such speed that it seemed like it passed straight through without resistance. With a time lag of approximately 0.0001 seconds, the target's head exploded with a deafening crack.

But the destruction didn't end there.

The purification bullet continued its path, cutting through the air in the form of a brilliant, white-hot laser. It pierced through the wall, leaving behind a trail of shattered stone and dust, before disappearing into the distance.

The whole world of the building trembled violently.