Quest

"Hmm. Arg," Shiro groaned. Then, a memory of him dying surfaced, and he suddenly sat up.

"Huh? Heh?" He was under a tree beside the road. Carriages and people were lined up at a large gate, trying to enter what seemed to be a familiar city. Shiro was sure he had seen this landscape before—but that wasn’t the first thing to catch his attention.

Instead, it was the numbers in the upper-left corner of his vision:

{9:23:55:20}(

A.N: That’s Days: Hours: Minutes: Seconds.)

"What the heck?" Shiro was sure he had died. Perhaps this was the afterlife. Of course, the people ahead in the carriages were going to heaven.

"Yeah, right. I don’t think this is heaven," Shiro muttered. But this wasn’t hell either.

*What in the world is happening?*

He was sure he was supposed to be dead. *And what’s with these numbers? Why are they counting down? I feel like I’ve seen them before…*

Shiro thought back to the recent events, and then it hit him.

"Hater101."

He was challenged someone by that name to a game—one where he wanted to prove he was a god.

"Okay, so I’m a good gamer who claimed to be a god. A mysterious person says they are the true god of games. I die and wake up in a place that looks creepily similar to GaMO… Then there’s only one explanation, yeah, right. No way I’ve been isekai’d into Guns and Magic Online. That would be terrible luck," Shiro said, rubbing his face.

"I must be dreaming. Yeah, that’s it."

But of course, anyone who had watched enough anime knew better. Shiro was just in denial, though even he could tell..something extraordinary was happening here.

Not wanting to dwell on it longer, Shiro stood and walked toward the line at the gate. *Maybe I can see what’s inside the city too.*

...

...

"Your identification?" The brown-haired guard asked. Shiro was now at the front of the line.

"Uhh..." Of course, Shiro didn’t have any form of ID. The guard looked him over.

The boy looked no older than twenty, with white hair that reached his ears. He wore a long black jacket lined with light blue, fingerless gloves, and tactical pants. The fabric of his outfit was unusual in this part of the kingdom, so the guard immediately assumed he was a traveler.

"You a traveler? Lost your identification?"It wasn’t uncommon for travelers to lose their IDs, especially considering how many monsters roamed the lands.

"Yes, yes. I did," Shiro quickly replied.

At this point, he was beginning to accept that maybe he had been isekai’d by the mysterious {Hater101} into Guns and Magic Online.

"Oh, alright. You can get a new one at the guild as long as you don’t have a criminal record. It's straight down the road, then take the first right," the guard said, pointing.

Shiro nodded and started walking.

"By the way, avoid making any commotion. I know how magic users are around gunners," the guard called after him.

Shiro smirked. "Of course. You won’t catch me in any trouble."

......

The guild was fairly easy to locate. Its symbol featured a staff crossed with what looked like a long sniper rifle.

Shiro pushed the door open. A bell rang overhead, announcing his arrival. Inside, a few people milled about—some in groups, some alone. Very few paid attention to the newcomer.

He approached the counter. A busty, golden-haired woman stood behind it. Upon seeing Shiro, she straightened her posture and adopted a more businesslike demeanor.

"Uh, hello. I’d like a new identification card, please," Shiro said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hello, good sir. A new card? I’ll set it up immediately," she replied briskly.

Shiro was nervous. He had never been this close to such a beautiful woman before.

The receptionist quickly gathered the required items: a glowing orb and a blank metal card.

"Place your hand here and think of the profession you wish to register. All other information will be filled in automatically," she explained.

*Think about the profession of my choice… Um, okay,* he thought, placing his hand on the orb.

*This should be easy. Gun Mage, Gun Mage, Gun Mage!*

A soft light shone from the orb and transferred into the card. Then, text appeared:

{Name: White Flame
Class: Gun Mage
Level: 1
I.D No.: TYD123620
Status: Registered
Rank: D}


*Damn,* Shiro thought. *This is the part I hate about Time Survival RPG mode. Your stats get temporarily reset to base stats*

The receptionist picked up the card.

"Your name is White? Hmm. Quite a unique name like the color of your hair," she remarked as she handed it to him.

Shiro felt the card’s smooth, cold texture in his hand.

"Quests are posted on the board over there. My name’s Lara, by the way."

White nodded and made his way to the notice board. There were various quest sheets: monster hunts, escort missions, raids, exactly what you'd expect in an RPG.

"This really is GaMO," he muttered.

If this was really Guns and Magic Online, then it was both a dream come true and a nightmare.

Good, because he finally got to live in another world.

Bad, because: first he was stuck in a monster-infested land. Second, someone out there wanted him dead. Third and worst of all—he could see exactly how much time he had left to live.

{9:23:20:02}


"If Hater101 really is some kind of god, then he’s here too. To keep it fair, he probably gave himself a countdown as well… Looks like I have about nine days, twenty-three hours, and nineteen minutes. Is that enough time to level up, find ammo, and hopefully defeat a god?" White monologued.

"Hey, want to party up?" A young man approached White. "We were just about to take on this quest," he said, holding up a parchment.

The man had black hair and wore full armor, save for his helmet. He gave off strong 'hero' vibes. The two people behind him screamed Hero's Party even louder.

One was a female mage with a staff. The other was a brute of a man carrying a massive greatsword.

"Goblin hunting, huh?" Of course. What RPG doesn’t start with goblins? "Sure, why not. Name’s White."

"White? Wonderful name. I’m Hinan, this is Yumei and Hect," he said, gesturing to the girl and the tank. "You look like a gun user. We’ve been looking for one to join our party. Interested?"

"Of course—but would you mind accompanying me to a gun shop first?"

...

..

.

"Amazing!" White exclaimed as his eyes darted across the shop’s interior. Rows of weapons lined the walls—handguns, bolt-action rifles, repeating crossbows, enchanted flintlocks, mana-infused SMGs, and even sniper rifles with crystal scope attachments. For a gun enthusiast like White, this was paradise.

He moved along the rows like a kid in a candy store, but eventually his eyes landed on a compact pistol-like weapon mounted on a velvet cushion.

"This one..." he whispered, picking it up.It was sleek, with a matte-black frame and silver etchings that pulsed faintly with magic. A tag beside it read:

{Model: Hexfire-P7}

Next to it was a matching SMG, slightly longer, with a modular design and a curved mana-feed port. White hefted it in both hands.

"The Hexfire-Velox... An SMG with variable fire rate and high mana throughput," the shopkeeper explained, stepping up.

"You’ve got good eyes, kid. That model eats through low-grade mana crystals like candy, but it’s deadly and accurate. Add a by four scope and you’ve got a forest-clearing machine."

White grinned and grabbed a ×4 scope, attaching it to the rail with a satisfying click.

"I’ll take both," he said confidently, then paused. "...If I can afford them."

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Normally, those together cost eight gold. But... we’re offering a new hunter's discount. I’ll give 'em for five."

White’s stomach dropped. "Uh... about that. I, uh—"

"I’ll pay for him," Hinan cut in, walking over with a warm smile. "He’s with us. Brothers in arms, right?"

White blinked. "Wait, really? That's a lot of money."

"Don't sweat it," Hinan said, handing the gold coins to the shopkeeper.

"You’ll pay me back with your share of the loot. We’re a party now. That means we watch each other’s backs—gear included."

White stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly, genuinely touched. "Thanks... Really. I owe you one."

Hinan clapped him on the back. "You’ll get plenty of chances to repay me. Let’s just survive the goblins first, yeah?"

With their weapons equipped and supplies gathered, the party exited the city gates. The trees thickened as they entered the outer forest, the scent of damp earth and moss surrounding them.

White loaded his Hexfire-Velox, watching as a faint pulse of blue energy flickered through the chamber. The free mana crystal that came with the gun dissolved instantly, converting into glowing rounds.

"Locked and loaded," he muttered, smirking.

The hunt for goblins had officially begun.

(Author: I'll be calling Shiro Yakeshi, White to have less confusion for both of us.)