"Target's up. Wind left, six clicks."
Yuto didn't answer. He adjusted the scope, let out a quiet breath, and kept his heartbeat steady.
Click. Adjust two notches. Exhale.
He'd done this hundreds of times before. Maybe thousands. But this time, it felt… final.
"Command says wait for confirmation," his spotter said through the earpiece.
"Too late," Yuto muttered.
He squeezed the trigger.
CRACK.
The silence that followed was louder than the shot itself.
"Hit confirmed," the voice said. "Clean through the visor. You're still a machine, Kurogane."
But Yuto wasn't listening anymore.
He had already stood, already packed up. One shot, one exit.
As he stepped down from the ridge, rifle slung across his shoulder, something in his chest didn't feel right.
Not guilt. Not fear.
Just… done.
No medals. No thanks. No cheers. Just another body in the dirt, another number cleared off someone's list.
He headed toward the extraction point. Urban ruins, dark skies, humming lights. Standard evac zone.
Two minutes later, he was dead.
A sniper round—clean, efficient. Right through the neck. Fired by someone who knew exactly where he'd be.
He never heard the shot.
---
The next sound was wind. Real wind. Grass. Birds.
And a voice—clear, mechanical, floating in his head like a HUD overlay.
> [ Welcome, Reincarnated Unit #77. ]
[ Initiating Combat Sync Protocol. ]
[ Assigned Class: GUNNER ]
[ System: Active. Interface loading... ]
Yuto blinked.
He was lying in the middle of a field, sky too blue, sun too warm, and not a single building in sight.
He looked at his hands.
Younger. Cleaner. No scars.
A single weapon hovered in the air nearby—sleek, black, glowing faint blue along the grip. Not standard issue. Not Earth-made.
He reached for it without hesitation.
The moment he touched it, the system spoke again.
> [ PRIMARY WEAPON UNLOCKED: ARC PISTOL ]
[ Skill Installed: ARC SHOT ]
[ Welcome to the world of Arveth. Survive. Adapt. Fire. ]
Yuto stood, gun in hand.
He looked at the trees. At the strange blue grass. At the twin suns hovering above the horizon.
Then he smiled.
No rules.
No orders.
Just him and his gun.
"Alright," he said. "Let's start over."