Ricochet Island

Chapter 5: Training

I stopped camping and set foot into the chaotic battlefield. Of course, it didn't mean I just ran around like a headless chicken. I used rocks and trees as covers as much as possible while moving and shooting.

BAM

"Damn..." I crashed into the ground yet again. Not even five minutes had passed since the round began. This was already the 7th cycle since I joined the battlefield and my results were... well, beyond terrible.

Absolute chaos. That's the only way I could describe this "game". Enemies running all over the place and bullets flying from every side. By the time I finished processing the situation - I was already lying on the ground.

The game was simply too random. There were way too many variables to deal with all at once. Many players abandoned strategy altogether and ran around like madmen. Couldn't blame them.

The random spawning didn't help either. There were times I began a round dangerously close to another enemy. They happened to react a little faster and I found myself eliminated within two seconds. "Unfair" didn't even begin to describe it.

On top of it all, the number one strategy around was especially scummy. I dubbed it "Shoot somebody in the back while they're busy shooting somebody else in the back". No matter how skilled a gunman was, their back was defenseless while they were shooting. How anybody was supposed to win this game was beyond me.

"This is pointless." I lowered my gun. No matter how many times I joined these battles, I didn't see any glimmer of hope. Was it even possible to win...?

Of course, in my head I knew that somebody won each round. Despite all the chaos, one player should be able to survive until the end. Sadly, becoming that one survivor felt like a pipe dream.

Rushing into battle, just to get killed in five minutes, was pointless. It didn't teach me anything and there was no chance of winning like this. I gave up after another ten cycles. As it stood right now, I lacked the power to win.

For starters, I discovered my aim was crap. That's to be expected from someone who had just recently picked up a gun, but it still surprised me. After all, I shot down many people while camping. That fooled me into believing I had mastered the gun, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

The difference between shooting from close range and long range was enormous. Even when I sneaked up to somebody, I sometimes missed them because of the distance. It was both embarrassing and frustrating.

And so, I decided to undergo training. I ignored the battles and practiced my shooting. The trees and rocks around here must had hated my guts, as I first used them as covers and now as training dummies.

Aiming from a long range. Aiming while moving. Aiming while turning around. There were many things to practice, but there was no rush. At this point, I was convinced I'll keep repeating this game indefinitely. I had all the time in the world.

Little by little, I felt my skills improve. In a way, practice was more fun than the real deal. I set myself clear goals and patted myself on the shoulder when I did well. Yeah, shooting trees was so rewarding. I had so much fun... so much... fun. Sigh.

Still, it was undeniable that this monotonous training did wonders. The next time I participated in real combat - I was on a roll. I actually hit all the players I aimed at. It sounded trivial when put this way, but it was a huge step forward for me.

I also managed to partially counter the "Shoot somebody in the back while they're busy shooting somebody else in the back" strategy. I made it into a habit to suddenly move and turn around after firing. This way, I sometimes took out sneaking enemies before they got to shoot me.

All in all, I was in a much better position than before. I survived much longer and some players I defeated even started avoiding me. Muhahaha! Flee in terror, peasants! ... I really wanted to believe I was still sane.

As it stood, I was probably somewhere in the top 20% right now. Truly, a professional assassin in the making. But, was that enough?

BAM

Of course not.

"Ugh..." I found myself on the ground for the gazillion time. The ground almost felt like an extension of my body at this point.

I trained and became much better at this stupid game. Yet, one question still remained...

HOW DO I ACTUALLY GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!?

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