A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

***

With thuds that were heavy as well as fleeting, Nyx finally got close enough that Henry could see the Hadron Mansion in the distance and his eyes widened at the sight.

Over half of the entire topmost floor had been demolished and the part that still stood didn't look like it would last long. There were trees and a wall around the Mansion that blocked direct sight of the lower floors but Henry knew it wouldn't be much better.

"Angus, you bastard, what did you do?!"

And then Nyx let out a sudden whinny as she drifted to the side just as a bullet tore through where Henry had been only a second before.

"What the—?!" Henry asked with wide eyes but more shots were fired from all over with a couple managing to strike his body with enough force to cause him to jostle on Nyx's back.

[You have lost 5 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 58/110]

[You have lost 3 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 55/110]

[You have lost 5 Hit Points]

[Hit Points: 50/110]

With the three bullets managing to hit him, Henry was glad he had downed a Healing Potion on the ride over because, with the 3 Hit Points Angus had left him with, he would surely have been dead.

With his hand stretched to the side, Henry reached through the blue-light opening of his Inventory and pulled out his Repeater and his wide-spread Perception picked out his attackers from all over.

He pointed the gun and fired his first shot with a precise aim that sunk the bullet into his target's forehead.

[Kill-Reward: 20 Exp]

[You have gained Skill Exp]

Had Henry not been busy picking out his next target, he would have paid attention to the fact that he just received the most Exp he had ever received for killing someone who didn't have magic. And he was sure his victim didn't have magic despite those dull purple eyes the attackers all had.

'Hold on,' Henry thought and he just had to pause,

'Purple eyes?'

[Grand Quest Updated]

[Main Quest: Exterminate the Hive. (Hunting Quest)

Angus Dionisio has sicced his minions on you. Gun them down and clear yourself a path to confront him.

Quest Reward: For every Hive Member you kill, you receive a bonus of 150 Exp.

Killing the ~Hive King~ (optional) will reward you with 1000 Exp.

*Nyx will receive 50% of all bonus Exp.

Good luck!]

'Optional?' Henry said as he somehow found the time to skim through the Quest details,

'Fuck that, I'm killing him.'

[You killed a Hive Member]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

Henry made a hard lean to the side and, aided by Nyx's speed, he avoided a shot and retaliated with a successful one of his own.

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

Watching those who used to be the newbies of the Dionisio Gang now purple-eyed and mind-controlled to do Angus' bidding did not fill Henry with a feeling of pity. The way he saw it, this was always their fate, Vinculum or not.

He would have just very much preferred it if they were not a current pain in his ass.

Henry had let go of Nyx's reins now which made him less stable on the horse but afforded him the two-handed grip on his gun that bettered his aim.

They were nearing the Hadron Mansion's damaged gate when Nyx let out a pained cry as a bullet struck her in the side.

[Nyx has lost 5 Hit Points]

[Nyx's Hit Points: 60/80]

Whoever shot at her was either a great shot (having caught her even while she had <Shadow Dash> activated) or just very lucky. Either way, the shot knocked Nyx out of her rhythm.

She deactivated <Shadow Dash> almost instinctively and in the moment, Henry sensed someone aim at him. He pointed his Repeater and shot that Subjugated Newbie in the face.

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 250 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 125 Exp]

His Perception picked up another gun barrel aimed at him and with a flick of his Wrist and without bothering to look over, Henry drew his bronze and Gold gold-painted revolver and shot a bullet into the would-be assailant's chest.

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

With two guns now in hand, Henry went on to claim two more lives almost instantaneously.

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

Nyx finally regained her rhythm and crossed the damaged gate into the Hadron Mansion Compound where Henry found that there were more of the Subjugated Newbies waiting for him. The difference was, that they didn't stay far away and shoot at him.

They ran over the moment Nyx was getting close to the Hadron Mansion's front doors and leaped at Henry to pull him off the horse.

Nyx swung her head and smacked some of them away but the vast majority of the crazy jumpers got close enough. Their hands touching and gripping Henry's clothes to pull him to the ground.

With a powerful swing of his leg, Henry kicked a couple of them off of him but they stood up quickly enough and others were very ready to replace them.

The positive though was that, at such close quarters, successful shots by Henry were assured.

Blood spewed all over and brain matter flowed out of headshots as Henry managed to kill three of the Subjugating Newbies clawing at him before one of them collided with him with such force, that he had no choice but to fall off Nyx's saddle.

Meanwhile, without a rider, Nyx reared and bucked powerfully as she angrily struck one of the newbies with her hind hooves before trampling on him until she was sure he was dead.

[Nyx has made a Kill]

[Nyx has received 20 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

She went after another one almost immediately and in minutes, she had crushed three Newbies underneath her hooves and was hungry to crush more.

[Nyx has made a Kill]

[Nyx has received 20 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

[Nyx has made a Kill]

[Nyx has received 20 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

[Nyx has made a Kill]

[Nyx has received 20 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

While the notifications of Nyx's kills sounded in Henry's head, he felt a hand grip his wrist and try to pin him to the ground but he overpowered the hold easily, knocking his attacker to the side before planting a bullet in his skull.

More of them crowded over but despite such close range, they didn't try to shoot at him. They used their guns like clubs instead and grabbed at him to hold him down.

And then, it hit Henry,

'He doesn't want to kill me,' he realized.

The shots so far were to stop him and had aimed at body parts he could survive getting shot at. It was certainly a stupid way to try and stop him and one awry shot could have ended him but Angus was clearly okay taking that risk.

Now that Henry was no longer on his horse though and could be crowded and ganged up on, things were different and the minions were trying for non-lethal strikes.

Unfortunately for them though, Henry had no qualms about killing them. They were in his way and he had to be rid of them.

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

[Kill-Reward: 15 Exp]

[You have received 150 Bonus Exp]

*[Nyx has received 75 Exp]

With two more kills and a powerful kick to knock an enemy many steps away, Henry was ever-ready to turn his guns at his next victims when a particularly interesting notification sounded in his head;

[Skill Level-Up!]

[Marksmanship is now Lv.4]

'Finally!' Henry thought.

Every shot he had made for days now, despite his usual lack of need for extra accuracy, had been made with the {Marksmanship Skill} activated and it was finally about to pay off.

"Alright," Henry said allowing himself a moment to look up the description screen.

"What do I get this time?"