NOVPUB"Boom!" 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Ugh...!"
"How does it feel to shoot a .50 caliber sniper rifle for the first time in real life?"
"My shoulder hurts."
"Well, of course, hahaha."
"Wow, it’s ridiculously huge in real life, haha!"
"Fact: This girl, Viam, fires that with zero recoil."
"The Barrett? Even a solid-built adult can shoot it, haha."
"This is the full Hawaii experience!!!"
After firing about one magazine, I asked Dice, and got this response.
Setting aside the accuracy, since I had told them to add a thin shoulder pad to avoid bruises, even with that, the pain in the shooting shoulder couldn’t be avoided. Especially since Dice and Harmony’s final routine today was shooting the .50 caliber sniper rifle.
Next to Dice, there was a pile of spent casings from all the shots they’d taken, stacked together like a sandcastle. But now, every time the enormous .50 caliber casing dropped, a strange metallic sound echoed.
Half of the ten shots were for zeroing, and then we would move to 800m. It was almost time to aim for the targets at 1500m. The scopes on the Barrett and AX50 were capable of more than 30x magnification, and honestly, you wouldn't be able to see anything without that much zoom.
I started calculating, adding the specs for the target.
"Set the turret to zero... okay. The target is at 1700 yards ahead, which is about 1554 meters. From the human-shaped target at 1200 meters, about 0.4mil wide and 1.2mil tall, move 2mil left and 7mil up, and you'll see a rectangular steel plate hanging from the chain. Do you see it?"
"Hmm, is it the steel plate with a skull drawn in the center?"
"Correct."
It was a relief that they had drawn something like that.
Even though we knew the rough position, identifying a target beyond 1500m was an exhausting task for the spotter. We couldn’t even point it with the burning laser we had brought. Plus, Dice was starting to feel the visual fatigue from prolonged shooting.
Still, hitting a target around 1550m in Hawaii could definitely be something worth bragging about. Thinking that, I added to Dice:
"The AX50 is an excellent rifle. Its accuracy is incredible. If you’ve hit it correctly, there should be an explosion at that skull. Do you know what kind of round we’re using?"
"...High explosive armor-piercing."
"Excellent. Now, set the up and down to 17.1mil and wait."
The clicking sound echoed around us.
Luckily, my wristwatch could read wind direction and speed more accurately than anything else, so Loren Tina could take the precise data and apply it without going through all the calculations.
The wind was coming from the left to the right, with an average speed of 5mph. Thankfully, the wind had calmed down a bit.
The hologram that appeared in front of me – visible only to Icarus Operators – displayed the adjusted aiming data.
"Move left 1.4mil. That’s the adjustment. Each tick on the crosshair corresponds to 1mil, so adjusting accordingly shouldn’t cause problems. You’ve got plenty of time, so take it slow. Let me know when you're ready."
"Ready!"
"Alright, first shot, let's go."
"Boom!"
The AX50 roared with a thunderous sound.
The booming noise echoed across the Hawaiian sky, and the soft case barely helped as the dust from the earth swirled up. But I didn’t pay much attention to that. I tracked the .50 caliber bullet as it arced through the air at a speed that had long surpassed Mach.
And soon after – clang.
The bullet hit the lower-right part of the long rectangular steel plate. If it had been a person, the entire side would’ve probably been torn off.
But it was still a bit disappointing.
"Impact. But it’s a little low. Maybe because the wind picked up suddenly."
"Wow...! That’s so close!"
"What round are they using? Sparks fly the moment it hits, haha!"
"Fact: They just shot a round worth 90,000 won."
"Every shot disappears into thin air. What the heck, hahaha."
"Well, that's a flex, but... yeah, a huge flex."
"Flex? Does that mean bending a target by hitting it with a bullet?"
Sparks flew up from the impact point.
It was fortunate that we used the Raufoss round. Without it, it would have been hard to verify whether we had hit the target accurately. But as soon as the steel plate was hit, sparks shot up, making it easy to see. After about 4-5 seconds, a “clang” was heard faintly.
But stronger winds were picking up, and I spoke to Dice, who was still staring through the scope.
"Wind speed is unchanged. There are deviations in both left and up, so let’s adjust 0.1mil each. Move 0.1mil left and 0.1mil up. Got it?"
"...Ah, at this distance, you need to make adjustments in increments of 0.1mil... ready."
"Alright, take the next shot when you're ready."
A few seconds later, the ground shook again, and the air trembled.
Boom! The bullet was off again.
But this time, unlike before, the spark erupted right in the center of the skull.
"Boom!"
"Let’s try to group those shots. Fire the rest of the rounds."
"Got it!"
"Kyaaaaaah!"
"Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~ Ikigoten~~"
"Bartender!!!!!! One more shot of .50cal!!!"
"Korea's pride dice! Korea's pride dice! Korea's pride dice! Korea's pride dice! Korea's pride dice! Korea's pride dice!"
"Wow, they're shooting so well, hahaha."
Indeed, there were few things more thrilling than seeing a bullet hit its target at long distances.
Dice, now energized by the success, continued shooting calmly, one shot after another. Meanwhile, I checked in with Harmony via the comms. Loren Tina sat quietly like the Virgin Mary, watching a cat shoot.
"How’s it going over there?"
"No major issues. It seems like Dice and I are almost hitting the same spot, probably due to the feedback you gave."
"Good, then. I’ve asked the Firearms International staff to bring the steel plate after we’re done, so we can take a commemorative photo."
"Sounds fun. Please proceed with that."
Even while this was happening, the barrels kept roaring.
Dice and Harmony emptied two magazines, each holding ten rounds of Raufoss ammunition. Two magazines cost around 160,000 won, so in less than five minutes, about 320,000 won vanished into thin air.
It wasn’t a big deal though. We had about 200 rounds on hand, and we were planning to use them all up in tomorrow’s machine gun shoot... either way, the steel plate hanging at 1554m had a lot of holes in it. The skull was practically unrecognizable from the scorch marks.
Five rounds were used for zeroing, three for the 800m target, and the rest were spent on the 1500m target. Out of twelve shots, about seven hit. Some rounds were off because of fluctuating wind speed, but all in all, it was a great result.
Click.
By now, the two of them had finished their rounds, detached the magazines, pulled the charging handles, checked the chambers, and completed the safety inspection. The smell of gunpowder hung in the air around the rifles.
I tapped Dice’s back, who was lying down, and said:
"Great job. You've accomplished something remarkable."
"Ugh, it's tough... Wait, a tail!?"
"You've earned it."
"Wow, I'm so jealous."
"'Privilege of the No.1 disciple.'"
"The worst mistake of my life was not buying Yujin Coin with a full investment..."
"Then, did Kato not even buy it, but was hacked and forced to buy Yujin Coin? Hahaha!"
"Dice now doesn't even get surprised when it’s wrapped around his tail, hahaha!"
I lifted the tail that was wrapped around my waist.
While doing so, I also picked up the still-warm AX50 and stood it upright. I didn’t grab the barrel. It was hot, and if I touched it, the zeroing would be off. So, I wrapped the tail around the receiver and called over Dice.
The drone camera buzzed as it came to my side.
By this time, Harmony and Loren Tina were approaching with M107 LRSRs, so I instinctively knew it was the perfect moment for a group photo.
The timer hologram popped up above the drone camera, and it started counting down as the four of us stood in a line, each holding our respective firearms.
We all raised our fingers and formed a V shape.
Click!
The powder smoke scattered across the sky, which was gradually darkening as the sun set.
"Is this some kind of big Sandy shoot? A Snipex alligator, a KPV, a minigun, and now this, I can’t even tell if it’s a sniper rifle or a cannon..."
"That came from South Africa. It’s the NTW-20, capable of firing 20mm rounds."
"Huh, I’d love to fire a shot. I’ll pay for it, but could you lend it to me for 30 minutes?"
"Of course."
At 6:30 PM, as the sun was beginning to set below the horizon.
New guests had arrived in two vehicles, heading to the same building where we’d been shooting pistols, submachine guns, and rifles just hours earlier. As expected, from the way the vehicles were parked, the outdoor shooting range was still legally ours, and we continued to hold it.
The large truck carrying the minigun, Browning machine guns, KPV, and other gear was locked away in the storage area. The gun cabinets filled with our firearms were also secured with thick chains and locks, though we had left firearms and ammunition inside the indoor shooting range due to the sheer volume of equipment.
The five new people who had rented the building came running toward us, surprised. They were heading straight toward the barbecue pit where we were enjoying our meal.
"Looks like we’ll need to wear earplugs or headsets while eating. I’ll make sure to check if they’re slacking off. I’ll be back to eat later, so leave my share."
"We bought over 20kg of meat, so we won’t finish it all. Even if everyone eats 2kg, we’ll have leftovers."
"Haha."
Saying that, I inspected the firearms—well, I didn’t really dismantle them—and walked over to the others.
The people who had rented firearms were attaching and adjusting various accessories to the NTW-20, which had a Picatinny rail. Some of them even tried lifting it, but with a weight of 26kg, no one could hold it for long.
I watched them and added:
"Bringing that thing to Hawaii cost me about $50,000. We’ve got plenty of 20mm rounds, so how about I give you a few shots?"
"Haha, we’ll accept it graciously. I’ll buy it officially, though. I’ll take 15 rounds. What types of ammo do you have?"
"High-explosive, high-explosive incendiary, high-explosive armor-piercing, separated armor-piercing, armor-piercing, and even HEIT-SD rounds in the 20x110mm caliber... quite a variety. What do you need?"
"I’ll take five rounds of high-explosive, five of armor-piercing, and five of the last kind that you can’t even track."
The transaction was swift, and the 15 rounds were handed over at a price near $1200.
It wasn’t exactly cheap, but the last round was over $150 per shot. These were special rounds, developed from air-defense projectiles, so they were hard to come by. I guessed they bought the 15 rounds so each could try firing a few.
With the rounds handed over, it was time to get to the shooting training. The structure of the sniper rifles was pretty standard, and since they were bolt-action, the training didn’t take long.
"As you know, it’s a prone rifle. The scope is mounted at the center for recoil management, so it might feel a little awkward... but, well, that’s just the nature of the gun. Use our scopes. They’re equipped with night vision, so nighttime shooting will be fine too."
"Got it."
"Can you shoot standing up?"
"It’s not impossible, but I’ve never done it, so I’m not sure. I’ll have to try it once before I can tell you."
Then, applause echoed.
We headed outside, now holding the rifle. It was about twice the weight of the Barrett, which felt a bit unfamiliar. To prevent the barrel from recoiling, I folded the damper attached to the stock and braced it against my shoulder. The stock was so long that it made aiming difficult.
I wasn’t sure what to aim at, but eventually, I removed the tripod and grabbed the newly attached side handle, like a machine gun’s side grip, to aim at the steel plate target 300 meters away.
I was using the high-explosive armor-piercing round. I exhaled and took aim.
A few seconds later...
Boom!
The recoil from the shot was much stronger than the Barrett’s, and I had to keep the barrel from rising due to the sheer force. My legs absorbed the recoil, so fortunately, the rifle didn’t push back. It was nearly twice the shock of the .50 caliber, but holding and shooting it didn’t seem like a huge problem.
With a click, I reloaded, adjusted the aim, and fired again. Another thunderous noise erupted. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that only three rounds could fit in the massive box magazine.
I finished the shot, placed the rifle down, and applause followed.
"God, that’s just amazing."
"If anyone can shoot with that thing, I’ll buy them all the beer they want, damn it."
"I’ll accept that informal contract! Damn world, I’m in!"
"I think the contract they accepted was for suicide support, not beer."
Of course, my standing shooting only fueled the competitive spirit of those five.
There’s always a reason why men die early.
Boom!
"Oh my god."
"Of course, that’s how it is..."
"That looks pretty fun."
"What the heck is that person doing?"
"Shooting a sniper rifle, hahaha."
"I bet they could shoot an 88mm round with ease, but here they are whining over a 20mm, haha."
"What the hell is going on, seriously?"
"??: If you knew what I was doing, what would you do about it, hahaha?"
Meanwhile, the three people there were long used to Yujin’s eccentricities.
