Chapter 44: 044 Teaching Bureau - Shooting
"Have you encountered these things before?"
"Mm-hmm," Dai Lian nodded.
His thighs were a bit wobbly, and he wanted to run.
In this game, life was precious, and you couldn't tough it out if you couldn't beat the challenge.
But there was still some distance, and it wasn't impossible to wait and see what the NPC would do next.
Maybe he could clear the area by himself?
This was the first advanced NPC he had encountered, and from the move he had just made, he was terrifyingly powerful.
"Can't beat them?"
"Too many of them, and they are hard to hit."
"Take out your weapons."
Bai E commanded in an indifferent tone, having already drawn his own pistol once again.
Perhaps it wasn't as powerful as a rifle, but it was military-grade, reliable quality.
[Desert Fox - Quality: White (Light Firearm)]
[Basic parameters: Fire rate 1 shot/s; Magazine: 10 rounds (pistol ammunition); Range 50 meters; Basic attack power (type: piercing): 11~13; Output level 11; Durability 15/15]
[Usage requirement: Physical strength 9 (can be used).]
[Trait: Only women would use this thing!]
"Find the moving patterns, predict the trajectories, they're just rats, not that hard to hit."
The sound of gunfire accompanied Bai E's words.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
[Successfully hit multiple small targets consecutively, Light Firearms Specialization experience +4.] (Stacked)
[Hit target's vital spot, dealing 23 points of critical damage!]
Level 4 Light Firearms Specialization had made the Desert Fox in Bai E's hands seem like an extension of his body.
The bullet friction through the barrel grooves was like blood surging through veins.
The brain doesn't need to precisely control every single red blood cell; the body naturally knows where to send blood when it's needed.
And if he could hit a 200-meter variable frequency moving target, how could he miss a 20-meter rat?
[Do you decide to impart combat skills to the target?]
[Confirmed!]
…
[You are observing a professional shooting demonstration and gaining some insights...]
[Instruction: Sensing the opponent's professional specialization, you're determined to pay a certain price (combat experience/general experience) to learn corresponding abilities. (Exchange ratio: Every 2 points of combat/general experience can be exchanged for 1 point of specialized experience.)]
What is this?
Kuang Xin and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock.
An instructional session?
Indeed, there were still many secrets in this game, waiting to be unearthed by everyone.
"Are you going to learn?"
Gong Yan was somewhat hesitant.
At a 2-to-1 ratio, it seemed like a loss, especially since after acquiring at least level 1 of specialization, points could be added on a 1-to-1 basis.
"Learn it!"
Dai Lian was determined.
In the early stages of the game, losing some experience to get ahead was definitely worth it.
The experience required to level up was bound to increase, and even if the experience needed for level 1 specialization was doubled, it couldn't compare to the experience gained from casually killing a couple of monsters later on.
What's more, quickly unlocking a level 1 specialization would save time and resources, which were undoubtedly the most valuable.
Just by looking at the accuracy penalty on pistols, even a level 1 specialization could greatly improve their shooting accuracy, which would benefit both the efficiency of gaining experience and saving ammunition.
If they had at least level 1 specialization yesterday when facing the wolves, they wouldn't have wasted so many bullets.
How could one pass up such a rare opportunity? Were their brains blasted by artillery?
"Steady your wrist, and if you're not strong enough, hold the gun with both hands. The required strength to fire a gun is just the minimum; resisting the recoil as much as possible is what you should be most concerned about."
…
"Keep moving, crossfire, don't panic, you have teammates."
[You are trying team combat under the guidance of a master, remember this feeling, and you may acquire the trait - Well-Trained.]
…
"Don't deliberately chase after the same target, chasing limits your observation and wastes your time. Prioritize the targets you can hit most easily."
Amidst the chaotic gunfire, Bai E's voice was always steady.
He stood like a steadfast pillar amidst the tide of rats, calm and composed, and with each strike, a plague rat was inevitably robbed of its vitality.
It was a far cry from the disheveled flight of yesterday.
Of course, the reason for yesterday's disarray was that the blood of the dead wolves had attracted too many plague rats; the scale of today's encounter was clearly not on the same level.
But it was just the right challenge for some practice.
The Teaching Bureau wasn't an immediate success, as there was room for choice in every move.
"You have spent 10 points of battle experience, converting it into 5 points of 'Light Firearms Mastery' experience."
During the fight with the wolves yesterday, everyone's shooting skills had improved. Dai Lian's chosen innate talent was a perfect match, showing the most growth, having already reached 83/100. He now spent just 40 points of battle experience to successfully acquire level 1 Light Firearms Specialization.
But...
"Target skill is exceptional. Continuing to learn might yield unexpected gains."
After much hesitation and looking at his substantial surplus of battle/general experience, Dai Lian decided to take a gamble.
Initially, 110 points of battle experience and 150 points of general experience would have been enough to nearly reach level 2 specialization, but losing half of the experience for a lower-level specialization in exchange for a chance to discover a miracle...
Aren't you still a player if you don't gamble?
The excitement of the unknown is always more thrilling than a safe and sure outcome.
All in!
"You have spent 10 battle experience points, converting it into 5 points of 'Light Firearms Mastery' experience. (A very small chance of awakening a special attribute.)"
Bai E's shooting movements were imprinted in his view, turning into subtle insights that melded into his shooting specialization with the help of the system's mighty power.
Bang!
"You have spent 10 points of general experience, converting it into 5 points of 'Light Firearms Mastery' experience. (A very small chance of awakening a special attribute.)"
Bang!
Killing two birds with one stone.
The bullet followed a curve, piercing through two plague rats and still carrying momentum.
"You have spent 10 points of general experience, converting it into 5 points of 'Light Firearms Mastery' experience. (A small chance of awakening a special attribute.)"
Bang!
"You have spent 10 points of general experience, converting it into 5 points of 'Light Firearms Mastery' experience."
"Your prolonged learning has allowed you to draw enough experience from the master's performance. Your specialization ability—Light Firearms Specialization—has gained a brand new 'special' attribute boost!"
"Light Firearms Specialization (Level 1): Shooting accuracy +3%, critical hit +0.5%, Arc Shot (special) +2%."
Hmm?
Dai Lian, his mind somewhat muddled, suddenly snapped to attention.
Did it really happen?
The sound of gunfire was still in his ears.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bai E unceremoniously took down the last three plague rats.
These were all experience points.
To legitimately steal a player's experience and still have them be grateful—what a rotten NPC I am~
And...
"The 'teaching' is over. Through the feedback from the 'teaching,' you have altogether acquired 340 battle experience points and 120 general experience points."
A total of 460 points?
The amount seemed... not to add up.
Based on the rewards from the task feedback yesterday, the total Light Firearms Mastery experience gained by these three players was at least 176 points combined.
That means, together, they would only need to pay out (300-176)*2... which is 248 points of general/battle experience at most, to acquire level 1 specialization for everyone.
This calculation was simple.
Now...
Clearly, someone learned too much.
It's good if someone learns too much. How else would I profit if the players aren't fools?
Bai E felt a surge of pleasure internally but remained expressionless on the outside, his gaze casually sweeping over the dark objects in their hands, speaking in an even tone.
"Where did you get the guns in your hands from?"
"Bought... bought them."
Kuang Xin replied cheerily, the first to respond.
"The quality seems pretty poor..."
A level 4 shooting skill allowed Bai E to notice much more.
Leaving technical reasons aside, the accuracy of the guns they held was also very low.
So... Can teaching knowledge open a Teaching Bureau too?