Survial Alone with Endless Bullets

Chapter 1

On top of a bumpy truck loading dock, people armed with all kinds of weapons were still tense.

"Hold on a little longer! We're almost there!" someone shouted.

Amidst the screaming and shouting, I regained my senses and was greeted with an unfamiliar landscape.

The sky was gloomy and full of clouds, and ruins made of steel and concrete were exposed like remnants of a once glorious civilization.

"What is this...?" I muttered.

Surprisingly, the words that came out of my mouth were completely different from the language I knew.

But somehow, I was able to both speak and understand this language.

I didn't understand what was happening.

"Carl! Take this and don't freeze up!"

What is it?

What is this?

Despite not understanding English, I reflexively accepted the gun the man handed me.

It had a cold and solid texture that was definitely not a toy. Even though I had spent a long time holding a mouse instead of a gun, I couldn't mistake this for anything else.

This was a real gun.

"Why are you giving me this...?"

"Damn it! Are you still hung up on what the old man said? This isn't a joke, so get ready!"

"Ready? What do you mean?"

"Jeez! Do whatever you want!"

Amidst the incomprehensible words, the man with tattoos all over his body became angry and turned away.

"And what about Carl?"

I didn't mishear.

That tattooed man clearly called me "Carl."

"Why...?"

In the midst of the English I couldn't understand, I heard the tattooed man's urgent shout.

"Shit! They're already catching up!"

Along with his shout, terrible screams echoed from all around.

[Kyaoooo!]

...a beast's cry?

No, it wasn't.

This cry was like...

"What the hell is going on?"

"What do you mean? Those damn monsters are chasing us!"

It was only then that I saw the landscape outside the truck.

[Crunch, clang! Clang!]

[Kyaoooo!!]

The sight of three trucks, including the one I was on, being chased by hundreds of monsters.

But for some reason, the appearance of those monsters was eerily similar to the demons I knew.

"Why are they...?"

Grade 10 beast species, Hellhounds.

Monsters that appear in The Defense.

They were chasing us now.

"Damn it! Here they come!"

Along with the tattooed man's rough shout, the Hellhounds roared and rushed towards the truck.

[Clang, clang-clang!]

[Kyau, kyaauuu!]

"Shoot them!"

With the signal, bullets rained down on the rushing Hellhounds.

Tang, tat-tat!

Tat-tat-tat-tang!!

[Kkaegang!]

Some Hellhounds fell, but compared to the number of beasts running towards us, it was only a drop in the bucket.

"Hold on a little longer! We're almost at Ark!" someone shouted.

...Ark?

"Hey."

"Damn it! Why since earlier?!"

"Is Ark where we're going?"

"What the hell are you saying?! Of course it's Ark!"

This makes no sense...

The Ark I know is the last bastion of humanity in The Defense.

And on top of that, the name "Carl" and the appearance of monsters that are unfamiliar to me.

However, if we're heading towards the Ark now...

"Even so, this doesn't make any sense."

But the reality unfolding before my eyes was just as nonsensical.

Common sense and uncommon sense.

They were all coming together to create the current situation.

"But that couldn't possibly be true..."

If my thoughts, even just one in a thousand or one in a million, were really correct...

Taking all of these situations into consideration...

I came to a conclusion.

"The Defense."

It felt like I had entered that world, as a character named Carl Marcus, which I had created myself.

It was hard to believe, but all of these situations pointed to it.

"Furthermore, given the current situation... Carl Marcus is not an Ark native, but rather an outsider."

A penalty that arose from the characteristics I had written.

"Due to their foreign origin, they will face many difficulties and unfavorable glances from others."

In "The Defense," the character the player plays as is determined by the characteristics they have written, and starting outside the Ark is something I had never seen before.

"If that's the case..."

With a feeling of disbelief, I covered my left ear.

This was the motion used to view character information in "The Defense."

──────────────

Name: Carl Marcus

Rank: -

Position: -

Strength: 11

Endurance: 12

Skill: 10

Luck: 7

Aether Sensitivity: 5

Possessed Characteristics: [Strong Endurance], [Agile Movement], [Superhuman Mental Fortitude], [Insomnia], [Combat Disorder], [Nystagmus], [Sudden Deafness], [One-Hit Kill], [Firepower Expert], [Heavy Ammunition], [Close Combat Specialist]...

──────────────

"It was real."

And on top of that, the average strength, endurance, and skill of this character, who had just been created, exceeded 10...

Considering that the average abilities of Ark recruits usually range from 2 to 3, this was an incredible number.

"You usually only see these kinds of stats after the Orange Line."

On top of that, they had a Aether Sensitivity ability that could only be obtained through Aether surgery, which was a staggering 5.

It was understandable why there was a penalty for being from outside the Ark.

"Then, that means..."

I had roughly grasped the situation I was in, so now I needed to figure out what I had to do.

Fortunately, it was quite simple.

"Hold on a little longer! We're almost to the Ark!"

Arrive at the Ark safely.

I shot down the monsters chasing us.

"...The level of the monsters that are gathering is mostly rank 10 beasts at best."

They would be easily blocked at the well-supplied and high-walled outer walls of the Ark, but the problem was that this place was outside the Ark.

If I handled it carelessly, I wouldn't be able to guarantee my life.

"Then..."

I checked my equipment.

──────────────

[Old Makarov Pistol] [★ (1 Star)]

An old and worn Makarov pistol.

Uses 9mm bullets.

There is a risk of malfunction.

《View Details》

──────────────

[9mm Normal Bullet] [★(1 Star)]

[Current Quantity: 15]

9mm normal bullet.

《View Details》

──────────────

"Pathetic."

A single, old gun and only 15 rounds of ammunition, it's unclear from which era it was used. Even with these, one can only hope to catch one or two Level 10 beasts at best.

"Even if I hit all the bullets in the vital spots, I can only catch at most 3."

But will that change the situation if I hunt down only three hellhounds?

I surveyed the situation.

On the truck.

Poor equipment.

Destination: Ark.

"Given the conditions, it's impossible to exterminate the monsters in this situation."

I finished my thoughts and headed straight for the back of the truck.

"Oh, descendant of the Great Soul, Carl Marcus! What brings you here?"

"I came to help."

"Finally, you've decided to do something with your hands! Are you finally going to stop talking nonsense?"

"Something like that."

Ignoring the tattooed man's grumbling, I took hold of my gun.

I felt a cool and solid sensation on my fingertips. It was the first gun I held since leaving the military.

Of course, that was that, but...

"I can't fight them with just this gun."

Naturally, my gaze turned to the rifle the tattooed man was holding.

It still didn't look entirely satisfying, but it looked better than the gun.

"That one."

"Huh?"

"Let's switch."

When I pointed to the rifle, the tattooed man looked at me incredulously.

"Are you joking?"

"I'm not."

"Ugh..."

The tattooed man shook his head and reluctantly handed me the rifle.

"I'm passing it to you because of your skills."

"I know."

That's how I exchanged the tattooed man's rifle and my gun.

Honestly, I didn't expect them to switch so easily... Perhaps Carl Marcus's reputation was higher than I thought among these people.

It was a fortunate turn of events for me.

"Where should I look?"

──────────────

[Old M1 Carbine Rifle] [★(1 Star)]

Old M1 Carbine rifle.

Uses 7.62 x 33mm bullets.

Looks like it needs some cleaning.

《View Details》

──────────────

[7.62 x 33mm Normal Bullet] [★(1 Star)]

[Current Quantity: 30]

7.62 x 33mm normal bullet.

《View Details》

──────────────

"Tsk."

Compared to the equipment distributed in the Ark, these were just pathetic.

It was only useful enough to take down a few Hounds at a time.

"Most importantly...the bullet count is too low."

I could only use up to 30 bullets.

With just this, I couldn't even hunt down all the Hounds rushing at us, let alone survive until we arrived at the Ark.

"Ah!"

As if proving my concerns, some of the people in the back truck were grabbed by the Hounds and fell to the ground.

"Kood!"

Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury to save them.

"You bastards!"

People from another truck fired randomly, but the ferocious Hounds were unaffected by blind bullets.

Clank, clank...

"Darn it..."

The Hounds jumping onto the truck bed caused hell to break loose in an instant, scattering the flesh and blood once belonging to humans everywhere.

"Ah!"

Some of the refugees couldn't bear it and jumped out of the truck. As if waiting for them, the Hounds chasing after the truck ruthlessly tore them apart.

There was no paradise in the place of escape.

"Zegiraal!"

As the Hounds attacked the truck right behind us, I pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

[Crack!]

The Hound's weak spot was in the chest center, just like the eyes that the skull couldn't protect, and the ribs that didn't protect them.

"Aiming is a bit difficult, but...it's not impossible."

I don't know if it's because of fear or my written characteristic of PTSD, but my hands have been shaking since earlier.

Even though I had a lot of practical experience, in these terrible conditions, bullets could still miss, but it wasn't that difficult to hit the Hound's weak spot thanks to Cal Marcus' ability adjustment.

"It's doable."

After thinking, I grabbed the carbine rifle.

The first target was the Hound that rushed towards the truck we were on.

One shot.

[Crack, bang!]

[Yaaargh!]

Two shots.

[Kikikikik!]

Three, four, five shots...

Without wasting a single bullet, all the shots hit the Hound's weak spot.

"This darn thing! I knew it could be done!"

The tattooed guy swung his axe towards the approaching Hounds, whether it was a compliment or a joke.