Chapter 44 - Speedrunning A Problem
writer:
Anit666 update:2022-08-18 16:18
"I'll be going out for a bit." I informed the receptionist as I made my way out of the guild.
"By what time will you be back?" She glanced at the bag hung over my shoulder, but did not say anything, probably because she did not think anything of it.
"Within an hour or so. Ah, do you know what time Azell will be back?"
It's been some time since he left for his date.
Imagine spending quality time with your loved ones, what a loser.
"He should be back sometime soon."
"Alright. Please inform him that Lecia's father had made a commotion today."
As the Guild Master, he'll handle the rest.
"As you wish." With her nod as my farewell, I left the guild.
My destination for today was a certain tower that was not too far away from today's rendezvous point with Lecia's father.
I entered a street and immediately, the smell of grilled meat tickled my nose.
Ahh… that seems delicious- wait, no. The task at hand comes first. I can get the skewers later.
I seriously need to do something about my easily distracted nature.
As I focused my mind and made my way through the street, I saw the bell tower in the distance.
According to the map in my head, that should be a good vantage point.
"Skreeeee!" But suddenly, I heard a hiss from one of the narrow side alleys.
Hmm?
I glanced in that direction, only to chance upon one of the worst crimes in history.
A group of men were harassing a black cat.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
How dare they? Just how could someone do something as cruel as hurting a cat? Can't they see how cute and fluffy they are?
If it was up to me, I'd once again die by drowning myself in cats.
Anyway, time to deviate from the course and save the little feral beast.
And so, I swiftly stepped in through the gap between the three men who had cornered the cat against the wall.
"Oi, who are you!?"
Before he could make sense of the situation, I swooped the cat up and threw a small gift for them.
"Close your eyes." I whispered to the cat, though I doubt it understood my words so I buried its face in my chest.
I also turned around because simply closing my eyes was not going to be enough for what was about to come.
"You little shit-"
BOOM, which was followed by a loud ringing in my ears.
"Argghhhh! My eyes!" The men screamed as they covered their eyes.
Heh, get fucked, motherfuckers.
What I had thrown at them was a simple flashbang, which did its work spectacularly at blinding and deafening them.
The flash of light was in fact so strong that their vision probably wouldn't return to normal for some days.
Hopefully, by some divine intervention, they would suffer from some irrevocable optical nerve damage and lose their eyesight. That way, they won't be able to torture any more cats.
As for me, I had already made my way out of that place to continue towards my destination.
Had it been any other normal day, I would have returned the pain the men had inflicted upon the cat, but today, I was a man with a mission.
"Come with me. I need a spotter." I said to the cat.
It didn't make any effort to escape, which meant the cat had agreed to accompany me on my journey.
Before long, I arrived at the bell tower. There was no one around, so I sneaked in and went to its top.
As I arrived, a pleasant gust of wind hit my face and made my white hair flutter (I had used magic to turn them white).
I searched around and sure enough, there it was. I could barely make out that large building in the distance.
Alright, time to set up my 'apparatus'.
I took off the bag from my shoulder, opened it and took out the parts.
I placed the cat on the ground and handed it a pair of binoculars, making them face the building. Next, I took the main body and attached the scope and bipod to it.
I fixed the bipod beside the cat and looked through the scope. As I expected, I could clearly see the plaza in front of that huge ass building, which also happened to be my meeting spot with Lecia's father.
Aight, time to do this.
"Wind?" I asked the cat.
"Meow." It replied.
"Elevation?"
"Meow."
"Distance?"
"Meow."
Bruh.
"Goddamnit cat, you're the worst fuckin spotter ever."
Looks like I'll have to do everything myself.
"Meow!" It hit the binoculars.
They would have fallen down if not for my timely save.
"Hey! Why are you so salty?"
"Meow!" It swiped at me but missed, so it turned around and went down the stairs, thus leaving me alone.
Good grief, looks I'll have to complete this mission by my lonesome.
Oh well, at least I have my trusty Gauss Sabot MK-II Sniper Rifle with me.
Are you tired of noisy neighbours who play music on high volume, or of the construction workers who simply refuse to work quietly? Do the local kids refuse to leave your garden alone?
Have you tried to resolve it verbally but failed miserably?
Then fear not, for the Gauss Sabot MK-II Sniper Rifle is there for you.
This bad boy can fire custom made Titanium slugs at supersonic speeds, thus obliterating everything that stands in its path.
Weighing only 2.3 kgs, its light weight ensures that even children and the elderly can easily use it.
It comes with a variable scope, a silencer and a bipod to make it easy to handle.
Order one by sending a letter to the New Dawn Guild. First 100 customers will get a 40% discount!
Hmm? Why exactly have I brought a motherfucking sniper rifle to a bell tower instead of going to meet Lecia's father, you ask?
That's simple; to shoot him with my sniper. That man has just outstayed his welcome.
Not only did he physically and mentally abuse Lecia, he also forced her to sell her body for money.
Sure, there might be other means of handling the situation, like reporting him to the authorities, or giving him the money he demands.
But they won't solve the problem at its roots. Backing down and giving in to his demands will just encourage him to return for more. The man will keep coming back in Lecia's life, hoping to leech off of her or take revenge on her.
Even if he didn't, as long as Lecia was aware that her father was still out there somewhere, she would never be able to truly move on.
Sure, the mature thing to do here would be to empower Lecia through love, care and therapy until she becomes strong enough to face her father, but who the fuck has time for that?
I'm all for speedy solutions.
Are my actions ethical? Nope. But are they efficient? Absolutely.
Solving problems is a hell lot easier when you don't have a moral compass.
Anyway, while I was thinking about such useless things to pass my time, the man arrived at the meeting location. He was actually 5 minutes early.
He looked around a bit, then went to a dark corner to wait, probably to avoid drawing attention.
Perfect.
I aimed at his head and put my finger on the trigger.
Then as suddenly as Noelle's change in attitude towards me, a thought emerged in my mind. The next moment, I was faced with one of the most ethical decisions of my life.
I don't understand. How had this not dawned upon me until now?
I'm out here on the verge of assassinating Lecia's father, yet I never even thought about this.
This is a pretty hard decision to make.
Do I go for a 360 no-scope to flex on the noobs, or do I play it safe by quick-scoping for an ez kill?
It's the choice of a lifetime. My reputation is on the line.
Hmmmmmm.
…
……
…
You know what? Fuck it. I'll just hard scope this wanker because that's what he deserves.
So I aimed at the man, who seemed to be suspiciously looking around. He was probably searching for me, waiting for me to appear with a bag full of gold coins.
Well, too bad.
I pulled the trigger. The next moment, his head burst apart with his brains splattered on the wall behind him.
The bullet left the chamber without even making a sound and travelled within the fraction of a second.
A commotion spread around as the people around tried to make sense of what just happened, of how a man's head just exploded like that.
GG, mission complete. Time to go home.
With this, Lecia can live worry free.
Well, she probably won't as the scars from the years of cruelty would still remain, but at very least, she'll have the assurance that her father will no longer come back to harass her.
Because, you know, I just killed him.
[You… what have you done?]
Oh my, if it isn't the system. Long time no see.
"What did I do?"
A system is not allowed to read your thoughts unless you explicitly allow it to do so. Since I hadn't given it the permission, I had to say my words out loud.
After all, you wouldn't want it to read my thoughts, would you?
[You killed the father of that child?]
"And thus, freed her of him. This way, he can no longer ruin her life."
Ez peezy lemon squeezy.
[You just killed a living being!]
"And? Am I supposed to whine like a little bitch about how I had taken the life of a fellow human?"
This isn't the first time I have killed, and this certainly won't be the last.
[Who… who are you?]
"Who am I? Heh, that's a question I often wonder about myself."
Am I Samur? Am I just a delusional soul? Am I the First Being who brought forth existence from the Void?
Or am I….
Hehehehe, what do YOU think, Mr. Peepy McPervert?
??Oh my, have I been discovered already???
?Intruder detected!? The Memory System did what it was supposed to do. ?Someone is spying on your consciousness. Defensive measures initiated.?
??How cute.?? The mysterious voice chuckled. ??Anyway, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Origin.??
Wut?