[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Although the time limit is fixed at 2 minutes, the results of being prepared and not being prepared are quite different.

You open the ammunition pouch, revealing a row of slender, golden bullets. You pick one up and insert it into the pistol's magazine.

This bullet is significantly different from ordinary bullets. It is about the length of an index finger, and the bullet tip is thin and pointed like a sharp arrowhead.

Such bullets can significantly reduce water resistance, thus increasing their range.

After loading the bullets, you swim around in the water, your eyes constantly searching.

finally...

You see a white, rectangular object ahead.

There wouldn't be such a bright object underwater, so you figured that was the shooting target.

However, this shooting target is different from the ones you usually encounter. It has no bullseye or target ring, making it impossible to determine where to shoot.

But you didn't think that far ahead; you just imagined it as a standing person, and it would hit anywhere, but preferably...

It's the head!

You pull out your pistol, aim at the top of the rectangular target, and pull the trigger!

puff!

As the bullet was fired, a silvery-white bubble appeared from the muzzle!

You stare at the target and wait for several seconds, but you don't see any mark indicating a successful shot.

You missed? That's impossible. If your shooting skills were that bad, you wouldn't be ranked third.

Perhaps it was too far away? Or is there some visual error underwater that caused you to aim incorrectly?

I can't worry about that now!

Your time is running out!

As you walk towards the shooting target, you switch to your underwater rifle, raise it, and aim again...

puff!

It hit! This time it finally hit!

Although it only grazed the edge and hit, at least it hit!

You quickly switched to a pistol, intending to finish the shot.

But then, the rope that was attached to your equipment twitched.

Time is up...

You quickly fired another shot, not caring whether it hit or not, and hurriedly swam upstream.

Once you surfaced, you immediately took off your mouthpiece and climbed onto the kayak.

Will got on the kayak long before you.

You moved your goggles up to the top of your head and then looked at Keegan.

"Reporting, instructor, I think I hit the target."

On the other side, Will also spoke up: "I also hit it, but it was really too difficult. I shot several times before I hit it once."

Keegan said calmly, “That’s normal. You didn’t have any experience with this before. It’s already quite good that you hit the target on your first try.”

As he spoke, he raised his left hand and gestured towards the shore. Soon after, the two shooting targets in the water were hoisted up.

Keegan glanced at it and began sketching on the notepad with a pen.

"Will, you've been hit."

On Will's shooting target, there was a bullet hole in the upper left corner, but it was almost a graze.

Then, he turned to look at the shooting target on your side.

“yn…”

Chapter 42: Emergency Mission

"yn, hit twice."

As you follow Keegan's gaze, besides the grazing bullet hole from your rifle, there's also... half a bullet hole at the very bottom of the target?

If Keegan hadn't said it was two shots, you probably wouldn't have noticed the half-bullet hole there.

The bottom of the target is partially embedded in the soil, meaning that your last shot, strictly speaking, was fired into the soil, not into the target.

Thinking about this, you reported it truthfully to Keegan.

Since it's not a tangible result, you always feel uneasy about getting it.

When Keegan heard your statement, his usually calm eyes showed a rare hint of emotion as he looked at you.

“Soldier YN, I am not denying your achievements.”

You laugh magnanimously: "I know, but I don't want to accept a score that wasn't actually hit."

Even if the grades are poor, you won't accept grades that are unclear and vague.

"But that's your achievement."

Keegan suddenly spoke solemnly.

You asked in confusion, "What?"

What do you mean by that?

"The judging criteria for underwater shooting are different; you don't need to hit a specific spot to be considered successful."

Keegan patiently explains it to you. You may not understand some of the technical terms, but in summary, it is like this.

Ground-based fire requires hitting a fixed point to kill or incapacitate the enemy, but underwater, especially in the sea, it's different.

No matter where the enemy is hit, as long as it hits, even if it's just their equipment, it's enough to force them out of the water and reduce their manpower.

Moreover, the low underwater visibility further increases the difficulty of shooting.

Therefore, considering all these factors, your half-shot that grazed the edge is technically considered a hit according to the rules.

"So don't worry too much, I won't judge your grades randomly."

Keegan gave you a final reassurance.

Since that's the case, and the rule states that your grades count, then you can accept it with a clear conscience.

"So according to this logic, I was hit by two shots?"

You asked out of curiosity, or perhaps it wasn't really an inquiry, but simply a confirmation.

Keegan nodded.

Once you receive confirmation, you feel happy and curious at the same time.

"Did anyone up ahead get hit by two shots?"

Keegan shook his head: "So far, you're the only one who's been hit by two shots."

"Oh yeah!"

You clench your fist in a celebratory gesture.

The frustration of being at the bottom was released at this moment, and a bright smile bloomed on your face.

Keegan looked at you for a few seconds, then slowly turned his head away.

But Will, who is opposite you, is looking at you with tenderness in his eyes, and even sighs.

"yn, you have a really beautiful smile."

In the past, when you faced them, you were mostly gentle and distant, stubborn, tired, and sometimes you might have politely shown a slight smile.

You can only laugh freely when you're facing Blizzard and the like.

This was the first time he had ever seen your unrestrained smile so closely.

A sunny, energetic, and beautiful smile is very attractive, especially since he does have feelings for you.

His praise startled you for a moment, and then you responded with a slightly awkward smile.

"Ah... thank you?"

Hey bro, there are still people here, what are you doing?!

You think to yourself: Is it okay for me to jump back into the water now?

The awkward atmosphere made the return journey silent for the rest of the way.

As soon as the kayak reached the shore, you immediately disembarked, moving as quickly as if you were fleeing.

You quickly took off your gear and handed it to the next person, then hurriedly ran to Blizzard's side.

Seeing your expression, she knew what had happened without even thinking.

"Who said they would definitely change their habit of not being able to say no next time? Why did they run away again?"

She crossed her arms and looked at you with disdain.

You laugh awkwardly: "That's because the instructor is there, and I don't want him to lose face."

Blizzard chuckled, his eyes seeming to say: Keep talking nonsense.

You didn't finish training until the sun was setting.

As a result, Rowe ranked first with three shots, while you, Blizzard, and four other teammates were slightly behind with two shots each.

I originally thought that more practice would improve my accuracy, but something happened after we returned to the base that disrupted your training schedule.

As soon as the military trucks you were riding in entered the base gate, Sergeant Soap, who had been waiting at the gate for a long time, asked you to get off the trucks and assemble directly in an open area inside the base.

Soap stood with his hands behind his back, his usual humorous and smiling demeanor replaced by a serious expression.

"Soldiers, your chance has come."

“A mission has been assigned from above. Captain Price has ordered that new recruits be allowed to participate, so I’ve been asked to select one-third of you to go on this mission.”

Soap paced back and forth, saying encouraging words to you.