“Here is the rest of the quest information. Take it as you will, but I would have to insist you pick out a 5.56 rifle. For the gun itself, I already had the tab opened up in Stoner’s shop. He won't say no to you this time.”

Quest information

The path to nowhere

Type: Discovery

Owner: Columbus

There is a hole filled with defunct and malfunctioning security systems. Where does it go?

Requirements: Maximum party member level 20, 2 players, find out what is at the end of the tunnels.

Rewards: ??

“I thought we're going for a dungeon and not PVP."

"We are. The only difference is we're using PVP gear."

"I don’t really know much, but isn’t that a bad thing?"

"There's nothing stopping players from using guns on anything. In fact, using guns against mobs is very effective, only that it is not economical. Energy weapons on the other hand use extremely cheap fusion cells that contain high capacity output."

"Let me guess. They're cheap to use, making them good against mobs but shit on PVP."

Columbus nodded. "Specifically, they are ineffective against shields which players always carry, as they are made to counter them. Energy weapons also burn through objects, instead of piercing through them, so you can easily block their rays with smoke or even a light piece of cover. Even a piece of paper can buy you a second of cover before the shots burn through.”

“So 5.56 because it's a light intermediate cartridge with high fragmentation chance decent amount of penetration, am I right?” Marcus replied. Knowing the real 5.56, he would have to take barrel length into consideration given that it is heavily dependent on velocity.

“Exactly. It’s also the caliber I could source an adequate amount of armor-piercing munitions. There is of course the 7.62 NATO but they are too heavy for the purpose.”

“Curious, how much ammo are we talking about?”

“I’m planning between two thousand rounds split between the two of us.”

“Fucking hell. You're really going out on this huh?” Marcus replied. That’s about fifty pounds in ammunition, he thought. Not to mention the cost, Marcus could chance a look at the current price but he could remember m855 rounds in Stoner’s shop went for about two credits each. Also, the way Columbus said about getting it. He said sourcing, likely meaning that it would not come from the retailers and would cost much more. What they’ll be running in their rifles will be beyond premium ammunition prices.

“It's what credits are for.” Columbus simply replied.

‘Fucking whales.’ Marcus thought to himself. Here he was thinking of how much time money could buy him before he would be forced into the streets and the man next to him was talking about spending money like it was nothing.

Marcus was still theorizing about how much Columbus was dropping on the coming quest when they entered the armory. The buzz of people talking amongst themselves became background noise as Marcus continued his pondering. Suddenly, it turned quiet. Marcus looked up to see the players gathered around the armory were looking over their direction, more specifically, at Columbus.

'Fuck.' “They know you?” Marcus asked.

“Unfortunately." Columbus sighed. "It seems like we’ll be moving separately from now on. Go ahead and get your rifle picked out. And here, use this when you purchase your equipment, it will be charged to me.” Columbus handed over a unique credit chit. “I’ll leave you to it. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.”

Columbus' Personal Credit Chit

Anything purchased with this card with be charged to the owner, but will require approval before completing the transaction. Friend request received from Columbus

ID: 171157663785

Accept? [Y/N]

Marcus pressed accept.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Columbus nodded.

“Right. Take care.” Marcus replied.

Columbus went to leave the Armory while Marcus stayed behind. He watched as the group silently followed Columbus with their gazes filled with bared animosity. Marcus might not know the history between his employer and the group, but it was prudent to take note of their appearances.

Unlike Columbus, who wore mismatched camo patterns, the group wore a uniform attire. They wore brand new looking Dessert Battle Dress uniforms, nicknamed the chocolate-chip camouflage from the pattern’s resemblance to chocolate chip dough. Over it, was a type56 vest, the ones the Vietcong used, which were justified by their choice of firearms of AK pattern rifles of different attachments.

Marcus was spared little notice. He stood by the side, casually watching the group as to not raise suspicion, and waited as they finished their business and left.

“I saw what you did.” Stoner greeted as Marcus approached the counter. “I could understand why that girl didn’t even bother trying to beat you.”

“She was just being considerate.” Marcus replied, “She knew I needed the job more than her.”

“You should tell that when she’s around. Works better into getting in her pants.” Stoner replied.

“Is that how you saw it? Looks like you’re the one who needs a woman more than I do.”

“You can say whatever you want, but I saw more than you did kid,” Stoner replied, wriggling his eyebrows.

“Riiight,” Marcus muttered, unconvinced. “You know, I used to do the same thing to my buddies, send the guy out to a girl telling him that she’s digging him. And like a torpedo, watch as it trailed to the target and wait for the explosions.”

Stoner chuckled. “So, what do you want? I can assemble the rifle you wanted earlier, but it's going to cost extra since it's a custom job.”

“Nah, if it's a personal project, I’ll use my own money for it. Right tool for the right job. So how about you show me the good shit."

Like wool being pulled off his eyes, the list opened up a whole plethora of choices. The gun nut in him rejoiced as he browsed through the long list of weapons. The list ranged from the multitude of AKM variants to AR-15s, to even the experimental models. There was even an HK G11 on the list, the unicorn of unicorns. Each unique rifle from the decades of weapons design beckoned for him to choose them. But the professional in him rose out to stamp Marcus’ notion of picking up a tool he was not used to for a coming job.

First. He needed a rifle chambered for the 5.56x45mm cartridge. That took out a considerable amount on the selection, but still plenty enough for Marcus to rack his brain for the best one for the job.

Second. He needed a rifle with the right barrel length. The longer the better, further cutting down on the list. Like before, he was very partial to the AR-15 carbines, it can be considered to be the perfect rifle for the caliber but add the needed barrel length and a suppressor, would turn out a very long rifle thus making it awkward to move around in tight spaces.

Sighing, Marcus needed a bullpup. Luckily, there was one in stock, which perfectly fit his requirements.

“Okay, I’ll take the MDRX. The one chambered in the 5.56, add a light, a sight, and a suppressor. Six windowed polymer mags, if you could match the color with the rifle, that would be nice. Get me some cheap reloads too, so I could get some range time with the thing.”

Stoner nodded. “You want it ready to go or do you want to piece them together yourself?”

Marcus thought about it, but in the end, he shook his head. “You do it. I got to get my ass outfitted for the upcoming job.”

“Alright. Come back for it later.”

“See you then.”

“See ya.”

Marcus left the armory and turned towards the nearby outfitters. The three-slot vest he had used in the previous match needed either an upgrade or replacement. He needed a backpack too, for carrying their load, and if he could get one, a battle belt, which he could fit other utilities. Which reminded him.

Marcus opened his friends list and found Columbus easily enough. Pressing the message button, he texted.

‘Hey boss, Are you going to be the one to get the radios? Should I get myself a shield, or are you the one to get it for me?’

‘I’ll provide the radio for best connectivity and Shields since I doubt you’ll have access to a quality one. The load-bearing gear, you’ll pick out for yourself. Pick them as you prefer.”

‘Got it, boss.’

Marcus entered the shop and noticed the contrast against Stoner’s armory. There, the walls were bare and drab, showing the bare metal walls of the ship. Add to the sour personality of the owner, it was a dull atmosphere all around.

Here, the walls are furnished with clean paneling and a fresh coat of paint. The room was brightly lit from the multiple sources of light hanging from the ceiling, showcasing the displays and enticing potential customers.

A female NPC greeted from behind the counter watching expectantly as Marcus entered. “Hello. How may I help you today?” She greeted, giving an inviting smile, reminding Marcus of a sales clerk from a chic clothing store.

“Just browsing around.” Marcus simply replied.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" She asked.

"Some load-bearing gear, but as for the exact thing," Marcus shrugged. "I'll know it when I see it."

The shopkeeper nodded, "They're further up the back, past the set items and BDUs" She said pointing.

Marcus nodded and went in the direction. On the way, he browsed around the shop, passing through the racks and mannequins displaying uniforms from multitudes of countries and eras. One display caught Marcus’ eye and he went closer to have a better look.

“Shugart,” Marcus muttered, better remembered as Black hawk down. Marcus looked up at a mannequin wearing a worn-out American Delta force uniform, comprised of DCU under a Faust vest and Pro-Tec helmet, among other doodads.

[Gothic Serpent set]

Level requirement: 50

Set item. Special effects will take effect once requirements are met.

Set effect:

Requirement: Be outnumbered at least 2:1

+5-50% base damage when outnumbered (2 items in the set)

+10-100% total health when outnumbered (3 items in the set)

Cannot be suppressed (4 items in the set)

50% experience penalty upon death (5 items in the set)

-95% chance of dropping upon death (6 items in the set)

Marcus could only shake his head at the price; just under five million credits. Convert that into Martian credits and it's someone's monthly income.

Looking around, Marcus then noticed a pattern. Brand new gear didn't bring with it additional bonuses, unlike the worn-out looking equipment where they bring with them bonus stats of special effects such as the Gothic Serpent set. It explained Columbus' mismatched setup.

There were many other sets sold in the shop too, but with the tag price associated with the premium gear, Marcus didn't even bother, simply choosing a pair of khaki cargo pants a thin gray shirt, and a cap to change into. They didn't bring any bonus stats as Marcus only chose them for the looks.

Picking out a pair of vests and a backpack totaling Marcus' maximum carry weight, he approached the till and handed Columbus' personal card.

This is to remind you that you have spent 8 hours in Virtual reality.

Would you like to log out? [Y/N]

Marcus confirmed the alert and his consciousness was transitioned out of the virtual world and into reality.

He came to as the pod’s doors opened. He climbed out of the pod and dropped into his bed. His head felt foggy, reminding him of the times of walking out after finishing his finals back in college.

“Fuck yeah,” Marcus yelled, pumping his fist up in the air. It had been an eventful first session. Windfalls just continued to fall on his lap; free weapons, an all-expense-paid raid with a higher leveled player, and even a month’s worth of living expenses tied up in in-game money. It was an unprecedented stroke of luck to a run-in with a pair of whales early in the game.

Which reminded him, he needed to find a way to convert it to real cash.

With a huff, Marcus leaped off the bed and reached for his phone. He connected it to the TV mounted on the wall and started surfing the web for information. After a few minutes of searching, it turns out that there is another form of currency in the game, Terminium. An exclusive premium currency that can only be purchased using real-world money. In return, it can also be converted back into real cash for a small fee, resulting in a fraction of what it's worth.

"Fucking moron," Marcus muttered. Although credits can be converted into Terminium through players brokering in-game, the price fluctuates depending on the demand. His bank account may be worth a thousand MRC right now but that could easily change in the future.

Searching further, Marcus managed to track down a local player operating inside the Light of the Stars and planned to meet up with him after the job.

Marcus also looked into the current gun culture. The American in him was appalled by the lack of gun information and the vilification attached to owning a tool. Something has to have happened, and he half expected that searching for it probably put him in some sort of list.

Looking for the more obscure sites, his hope was dashed as everything was wiped. Forums and blogs were not spared, breaking the myth that everything uploaded to the internet can never be fully deleted. Almost as a consolation, the only surviving records of anything firearms-related he could find are museum sites detailing the history of the firearms.

Still, it explained the lack of firearms knowledge players had in the game, giving Marcus a leg up while everyone else still hadn't caught on. It also explained the look of surprise Ylenka and Columbus had when they saw Marcus’ performance in the course. 'They must have thought that he was some prior military or something.' Marcus thought.

Shaking his head, he threw the phone on his bed and went on to prepare himself a cup of coffee. With cup in hand, Marcus went to his bathroom and set the fans to the highest setting. With the fans blasting full volume, he lit up a cigarette, sitting on the toilet as he stared blankly ahead, sipping on his brew after every puff of smoke.

'This is a game-changer,' Marcus thought. He had the advantage of living at a time where modern combat and tactics had been readily available on the web for anyone with enough tech-savvy and determination to see. Taking a final puff, Marcus stubbed the final embers of the cigarette on the rim of his bowl and flushed it. He waited for a few more seconds to let the smoke dissipate into the vents to remove the risk of the fire station having a visit.

Seeing himself clear, Marcus went back to his bedroom to pick up his diary. Writing had been prescribed by his shrink as a form of mental exercise and started jotting down ideas. Better, Marcus reached under his bed to find a small lockbox. It contained his most prized possessions.

Marcus knew it was a pitiful place to hide something important. The problem was that he still hadn't found a good location to hide it as He opened the box and threw the contents over his bed.

It was essentially a time capsule made exactly for him. The box was given to him the moment he woke up. Inside was a rainy day fund of five one-ounce gold bullion, a collection of flash drives, an adapter, and a 21sst century phone with a dead battery and a charger.

Marcus picked up the flash drive labeled family and set it aside. He had to admit, he purposefully avoided looking into the files left behind for him. He knew that part of them would contain videos of his family and he just didn't want to look.

The others contained his personal files. Terrabytes were full of videos and saved for him to watch when he would wake up. Marcus plugged the Charger into the socket, testing before that the voltages were compatible. He would further check the contents of the drives later.

He looked at the clock. It was time for him to get back. His mind started to clear up. Marcus settled back into the pod and booted the game. He closed the door as he felt his consciousness being sucked back into the virtual world.

Marcus spawned back in the middle of the Market, one level above the Armory, where he logged out. It seemed to be the spawn area in the ship and Marcus walked towards the elevator.

Checking his friends list, both Columbus and Ylenka were out. Shrugging he went ahead to the Armory to get his rifle.

Attention

Desert Tech MDRX

A modular, Multi-caliber weapon system with a compact bulpup design. Barrel lengths and calibers can be swapped by the user within minutes using the minimum amount of tools.

Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO

Mods: Supressor, Holographic Sight, Weapon light

Familiarity: 0

Requirement: 4 STR.

“Here you go. The suppressor is Fully concentric with the barrel, and the gas system is balanced for the rounds you’re using. The adjustable gas block would help you with any fouling issues with the suppressor. I installed a pressure pad for the light and put it as far forward as I could to minimize suppressor shine and shadow. As for the sights, you'll have to zero them yourself. Here are the rest of the magazines and some ammo to plink with.”

Marcus picked up the rifle. Despite being made mostly of polymer, the rifle was just as heavy, around the weight of his AK. Fortunately, it didn't affect the handling of the weapon, as the weight was distributed mostly to the buttstock. It allowed easier and quicker target acquisition of the rifle and Marcus could feel that he could keep the rifle aimed at a point for longer, even when using a single arm.

Marcus tested the action and felt it slick. The ambidextrous charging handle was a good feature, along with the bolt release mechanism behind the magazine well. The trigger was fine, despite the inherent mechanical limitations of the bullpup design. The weapon screamed innovation especially with the forward case ejection that could be easily swapped and the quick caliber conversion designed into the weapon.

Sending the charging handle forward with an HK slap, Marcus grinned. “Let's take this baby for a spin.”