Rick walked along a dusty path, rice fields stretching endlessly on both sides. In the distance, the wooden gates of Cindermoon Town rose like tired sentinels.
GUARD 1:"Hey, I've never seen you before. Who are you?"
RICK:"Just a traveler. Need to re-supply before heading to my next destination."
GUARD 2 (suspicious):"A traveler with no sword? No armor? No protection? You expect me to believe that crap?"
RICK (raises a finger, forms a glowing white mana bullet):"Why would I need a weapon when I can pierce someone's brain with a flick of the hand? Wanna test it?"
The first guard's face goes pale.
GUARD 1:"T-That's magic… Sorry, traveler, we're just doing our job. You may pass."
RICK (thinking):Tch… I was hoping to test this on a sheep, but everyone in this world's a damn coward.
Cindermoon Market bustled with merchants and commoners, but Rick's search for a metal shop proved fruitless. Tired and hungry, he stepped into a tavern.
WAITRESS:A cute brown-haired girl, European features, soft voice."May I take your order, sir?"
RICK (grinning):"Bring me the tastiest thing here… after you."
WAITRESS (smirks):"Smooth talk won't work. I've seen plenty like you."
A few minutes later, she brought over a lamb steak, warm bread, and some juicy cherries.
RICK (mouth full):"Mmmh… medieval meat really hits different."
WAITRESS:"That'll be 40 lins, sir."
RICK (thinking):Gotcha. My first test target…
He forms a mana bullet under the table, hidden.
RICK (coldly):"What did you say it cost?"
WAITRESS (confused):"...40 lins?"
Suddenly, the tavern doors slam open. Everyone turns in alarm.
THUG:"RAAAAAH! Hey you, b*tch! I told you and your father to pay the protection fee! But you keep refusing and even convincing others not to pay!"
WAITRESS (firm):"Protection? You thugs eat for free and steal money! Get lost, or I'll call the guards!"
THUG:"Whaaaat?! YOU'RE DEAD!"
He raises his hand to strike her—but it's caught mid-air.
RICK (calmly):"You ruined my plan, pig."
THUG 2:"Don't play hero, punk. Move before you—"
SHOOM!A hole appears cleanly through his forehead. His body drops. Smoke curls from Rick's fingertip.
Silence. Everyone stares.
THUG 1:"Wh-What the hell did you do?!"
SHOOM. SHOOM. SHOOM.Three more drop before they can react. Magic bullets straight through the skull. Four dead in seconds.
THUG 5 (terrified):"RUN! HE'S AN EXPERT!!"
The remaining thugs flee.
CROWD:"YEAAAAAAAAH!!"
OLD MAN:"What a chivalrous young man! HAHA!"
CITIZEN:"Four men down in an instant… He must be a noble from the capital!"
WAITRESS (grateful):"Thank you for helping. As a reward… your meal's on the house."
RICK:"Is that so? Then I won't complain. By the way… where's the metal shop?"
WAITRESS:"Please, call me Liana. I'll lead you there."
They walked through narrow alleys until they reached a small shop at the corner of a quiet street. A bell jingled as Rick pushed the door open.
SHOP OWNER:"Welcome, customer! How can I help you?"
RICK:"I need… fifteen stocks of polished iron bars."
SHOP OWNER (laughs):"Oh-ho! A serious customer! Please wait!"
He returns with a glowing spatial ring, handing it to Rick.
SHOP OWNER:"All fifteen bars are stored inside. For a bulk order like this, the ring is free! The total comes to 25,000 lins. How would you like to—"
SHOOM.
Rick steps out of the shop casually, the ring on his finger.
LIANA (waiting outside):"So… are you done?"
RICK:"Yeah, I'm—wait, why are you still here?"
LIANA (smiles):"I'm just curious… what plan did that thug ruin that made you so mad?"
RICK (laughs darkly):"Hahaha… You really wanna know?"
LIANA (blushing):"Y-Yeah…"
RICK:"Then close your eyes."
LIANA:"O-Okay…"
She shuts them gently, expecting a kiss.
SHOOM.
She slumps to the ground. A clean bullet hole through her forehead.
RICK (coldly):"Haha… Love. The one thing I never had in my past life—and need one in this one."
He walks away from the town gates, not even looking back.
Rick walked calmly along the path leading out of Cindermoon, the town's gates disappearing behind him. But then...
Several figures appeared in the distance, blocking the road ahead.
THUG 5 (pointing, angry):"Boss! That's him! He's the one who killed Big Bro and the others!"
A thick, broad-shouldered man stepped forward, scarred face grinning cruelly. A golden fang glinted in his mouth.
JANGA:"Kid… Even the guards around here don't mess with the Janga Gang. You've made a big mistake."
RICK (thinking, tense):Shit… Only six bullets left. But there's a dozen of them…
JANGA (snarling):"F*ck him up!"
Six thugs charged in with steel shields, roaring as they closed the gap.
THUG:"DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
RICK (smirks, aims):"Idiots. You think shields can save you?"
SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM! SHOOM!Six shots. Six clean kills. Their bodies dropped, lifeless.
RICK (exhales):Hope that scares the rest off…
But Janga didn't flinch.
JANGA (laughs):"So, you've got skill. Guess I'll show you mine. Let's see if you can dodge this!"
He lunged forward—but then...
WHOOSH!
A sudden gust of wind ripped through the road. Janga froze mid-step… and then his torso slid off his legs. Cleanly cut in half.
Rick blinked.
A DEEP VOICE:"Hi, Commander. Name's Akim Vorlas. Your first squad captain."
A 6'4 Russian, bald and built like a tank, stepped out of the trees holding a blood-soaked battle axe. Behind him came three more figures.
The Four Maniacs
TOKIRA:A Japanese teen with idol-like looks. Pitch-black hair, yellow eyes, and a staff pulsing with mana.He smirked.
HASSA:A jacked Black kid, muscles and veins popping through his sleeveless top. Eyes dead calm.
SANJAY:An Indian boy with brown skin, glasses, and a coat lined with daggers, darts, and an arsenal of throwable death. His fingers twitched eagerly.
RICK (stunned):"No way... I know you guys. You're all legends!"
(points at Akim)"You—Akim—you killed your drill sergeant on the first day of military school!"
(points at Tokira)"Tokira! You led the largest teenage gang in Tokyo to siege Japan's Education Ministry HQ!"
(nods to Hassa)"Hassa… You walked into a UFC locker room on debut day and brutalized everyone. Ended careers like it was nothing."
(looks at Sanjay)"And you, Sanjay… You traveled across India and killed over 700 students better than you in school… just to become rank 1 nationally. That's some next-level Indian sht!*"
TOKIRA (tosses Rick a glowing object):"Here. Mana crystal from the Demon King. Use it to recharge."
RICK (grinning wide):"Ohohoho... 48 bullets now. Let's f*cking go!"
But before they could regroup—
TOWNSFOLK (shouting):"That's him! The psycho! The one who kills with magic bullets!"
GUARD 2 (furious):"I knew he was suspicious from the start!"
All four of Cindermoon's town guard squads came charging in—over fifty armed men, their armor gleaming in the sun.
RICK (smiling coldly):"Looks like the whole town's out for my head."
AKIM (battle stance):"Let's make them regret it."
TOKIRA:"I've been bored anyway."
HASSA (cracks knuckles):"Time to stretch."
SANJAY (draws four darts at once):"Target practice."
The battlefield was set. Rick, now armed and surrounded by killers, cracked his neck and raised his hand.
RICK:"Let's show this world why they should fear the Demon King's first squad."
Then came the crunch of boots.town guards marched in formation—crossbows, spears, longswords. Armor clanked. Birds fled.
At the front, the squad leader pointed.GUARD CAPTAIN:"There! Surround them!"
Rick stood with his back to a tree, flanked by his new allies. No one looked tense. Only amused.
RICK (half-laughing):"You idiots walked into a forest… with crossbows and swords… against us."
THE SLAUGHTER BEGINS
Rick raised his hand.SHOOM — the lead scout's brain burst open. He collapsed like a sack of meat.
The forest exploded into chaos.
TOKIRA darted forward.
His black fighting staff whirled in deadly arcs, cracking skulls and snapping joints. He ducked under a spear thrust, jabbed the butt of his staff into a man's groin, then smashed his jaw with a rising strike.
Crack. Snap. Scream. Silence.
He used the trees like allies—bouncing off trunks, leaping between branches, and striking from above. Every hit was lethal.
TOKIRA (coldly):"This forest doesn't need dead wood like you."
AKIM crashed through the underbrush like a tank.
BAM! His axe split a guard and the tree behind him in one brutal swing.
A sword bounced off his shoulder. He didn't flinch. He grabbed the attacker, crushed his skull barehanded, and flung the corpse at two crossbowmen.
AKIM:"Die tired, or die fast. You choose."
HASSA sprinted straight into the fray, fists glowing with mana.
He punched through armor like it was paper. One guard raised a halberd—Hassa grabbed the shaft, spun the man over his head, and snapped his spine against a rock.
HASSA:"I don't need weapons. Just bones to break."
A spear grazed his cheek. He turned, grinned, and headbutted the offender so hard his skull caved inward.
SANJAY vanished into the trees.
From the shadows came the whistle of needles and poisoned darts. Every step a guard took, something pierced their throat, eye, or ankle. Then he'd appear, finish them with a dagger, and disappear again.
A Guard (screaming):"He's in the trees—NO—!"
Too late. A blade slit his spine from behind.
SANJAY (murmuring):"Rank one, baby. Always."
The Finale: Rick's Bullet Ballet
Rick walked through the forest like it was a goddamn park stroll.
SHOOM. SHOOM. SHOOM.
Each shot was a head exploding.He flicked his fingers like he was casting spells—but instead, he was executing men with sniper-like precision.
A cluster of guards tried to flank him—he calmly crouched, formed a glowing sphere, and fired a triple burst through trees, ricocheting bullets into their skulls.
RICK (chuckling):"You brought swords to a mana gunfight."
Silence Returns
Dead bodies carpeted the forest.Crows circled.The trees dripped with blood.Only five people remained standing.
Rick wiped blood off his boots.
RICK:"Well… that was cardio."
AKIM:"Too easy."
TOKIRA:"Next time, let them bring mages. I'm bored."
HASSA (stretching):"I broke ten ribs. None of them were mine."
SANJAY (counting kills):"Seventeen. Beat you all."