Chapter 537 - 1v1’ing Zafira
Chapter 537: 1v1’ing Zafira
“It’s so big…”
“Yeah. Definitely bigger than it looked from the outside,” Rael replied.
Zafira chuckled and intertwined her arm with his as she walked ahead.
The streets were packed full of people, with the majority being engineers and all sorts of other professions. There were few to no civilians, with the only civilians being children.
Though I’m sure when they grow up, they’ll become just like the rest of these people. It definitely is a utopia that sprouted within just a few months, but I can’t help but feel like this was a little… too fast? Rael thought, pulling Zafira in closer and planting a kiss on the side of her head.
Even if something were to come at them, he was confident in running away with Zafira. But at this point, it was likely he was just feeling too anxious because of what had been happening recently.
So with that in mind, Rael and Zafira walked around the city, making sure to stop by some restaurants. However, despite the city looking like a paradise, the food was absolute shit.
Rael was obviously forced to go ahead and buy some food from the Premium Shop to compensate, and after the two were finished eating, they moved on to whichever place was closest.
And as it so happened, it was a virtual reality shooting range.
“…”
“Do you want to go inside?” Zafira asked. “You seem a little interested in it.”
“Well…” Rael scratched the back of his head. “Maybe a little?”
Zafira rolled her eyes and pulled him inside the building. The reception was quick and easy. Within just a few minutes, they were led to some virtual pods that were right next to each other.
As they got inside, Rael felt his consciousness slipping away slightly. It was a feeling similar to how he logged into Sketa Online in the past. However, he didn’t fully lose consciousness, as he could still feel his body in the pod.
Despite that, Rael got adjusted to that feeling, and shortly after, his vision returned.
He found himself standing in a Wild West-like town, with many villagers surrounding him. The villagers were faceless NPCs, but the person on the other side of the village was anything but faceless.
It was Zafira, wearing a cowgirl outfit. This was something he had only had the pleasure of imagining in the past, but here she was, wearing that same outfit and playfully twirling around a revolver with her finger.
He was about to step forward, but an interface appeared in front of him, stopping him.
<Wild West Arena>
<Turn around, take five steps forward. Then, turn back around and fire your weapon. The first person to hit the other wins.>
<Starting in 3… 2… 1!>
“Huh?” Rael tilted his head. “It already started—”
—BANG!
<You have been killed!>
Before Rael could even process what had just happened, he fell backward, landing in the mud. His expression was slightly conflicted, but not in a bad way.
Rather, he just didn’t expect Zafira to go this hardcore right off the bat. If anything, he expected her to fire off some rounds around him, perhaps to test how the weapon worked.
But clearly, she knew her guns.
He could hear a victorious laugh from up ahead, and after a few seconds, he regained control of his virtual body, then stood back up.
<Round 1 Winner: Zafira Sutekh>
<Round 2 is starting in 3… 2… 1…>
This time around, Rael paid attention and took a few steps back. Then, he swiftly drew his revolver and turned around, aiming it directly at Zafira, who was a couple hundred meters away from him.
That made him even more surprised by how she had managed to hit him from that far. However, when he shot a bullet of his own, he soon realized how that was possible.
Right as Zafira was about to turn around, Rael’s bullet zipped through the air and struck the side of her head, causing particles to explode as she fell backward into the mud just as he had.
There was no recoil on the revolver, and there was definitely some kind of aim assist.
Shitty indie game. Always making everything fair… Tsk tsk. Where’s the skill ceiling, huh? Rael complained, and shortly after, the winner of the round was announced.
<Round 2 Winner: Unnamed>
Zafira stood up with a pout and playfully aimed her gun at him, pulling the trigger. Because the round hadn’t started yet, no bullets went off.
A grin appeared on Rael’s face, and shortly after, the next round started…
<Round 3 is starting in 3… 2… 1…>
.
.
.
“Heh.” Rael puffed out his chest, looking at the results on the wall. They had played a total of 25 rounds, and while it might’ve been close at first, he did kind of step his game up midway through.
<Match #443 Leaderboard>
<1. Unnamed: 14 Wins>
<2. Zafira Sutekh: 11 Wins>
“Hmm… Your name really is gone as you said. But aside from that, you must’ve cheated,” Zafira said, crossing her arms. “There’s no way I would lose in long-range combat… I have like 40 different skills related to long-range fighting… Even if I can’t use them, the muscle memory should still be there…”
“Huh…?” Rael tilted his head. “I have zero.”
Zafira elbowed him. “That doesn’t make me feel any better, you know?”
Rael smirked. “Just blame the game. It was pretty fun though.”
Definitely didn’t win because of that piece of shit aim assist. But oh well, she probably didn’t notice, Rael thought with a smile, and just like that, the two made their way out of the building.
It was a start for whatever virtual space they were working on, but as it stood now, it was leagues behind Sketa Online.
Though… This did only take a few months. I can’t exactly blame them, Rael thought, and then turned to Zafira. “You mentioned you had something to show me. What is it?”
“Hmm? Don’t you think what I wanted to show you was the city?” Zafira asked with a slight smile.
Rael sighed. “As cool as the city is, I know you’re always thinking ahead. But I guess you knew I’d think that, right?”
Zafira giggled. “I wanted you to get a taste of what the city is like normally, but…”
Twirling around on her heel, she faced him with a mischievous smile.
“What I really wanted to show you is a bit special, so don’t be too surprised, okay?”