Now, you may be wondering why [Sa Dae-hyun] is the only named character in [The Fractured Heavens]. 

Simply put, South Korea's reputation as a small country meant that we barely had any prominent figures of [Gaia]; we did not have anyone that could be considered a [Powerhouse], and so, our reputation was of that of a country with low firepower. Japan on the other hand however, is considered one of the most biggest, most successful countries in terms of powerful [Gaia], leading beside other countires such as Russia and America. As such, since this is a light novel produced by a Japanese author, there is heavy bias towards the Japanese.

...Damn that author. I spent countless hours reading translated chapters, and if the translators were not up to date, I would go the extra mile, just to read the raws and translate it myself. What a waste of time, now looking back at it.

We had no more classes today, so most students would normally just go back to their dorms and take a rest, or go to the cafeteria for some dinner, and hang out with their friends. However, I had other plans.

Since I was using [Guns], I had quite the problematic issue: [Ammo]. 

This was another reason why [Firearms] were looked down on. While normal [Gaia] would just rely on their [Mana Pool] to utilise in combat, [Firearms] had to rely on ammunition, which was essentially a one-use "item." Gaias would just replenish the mana pool overnight, whereas I had to physically buy or make the ammunition itself, making it extremely costly when compared to [Mana].

Obviously, I did not know how to make ammunition, so I set out to the city to find a supplier.

-----

Walking through the streets, I looked around to see many familiar places. It was a bit unnerving, in the way that everything seemed unfamiliar, yet my body told me that it was not the case. After navigating through dark alleyways and back routes, I finally found myself in front of a suspicious rundown store. Its windows were boarded up, the sign was falling apart with a single pin that held it up, and the overall atmosphere of the store screamed abandoned. 

However, I knew that it was just for appearances, that it was actually open, and still running, albeit on the verge of bankruptcy.

Grasping the handle, I pushed the door open, and what first entered my vision, was an array of [Firearms] plastered against a wall, ranging from pistols such as the [1911], [M9 Beretta], [HK Mark 23], to rifles such as the [AK-103], [AR-15], [Steyr AUG], and so forth.

Standing in the middle, behind a receptionist desk, was a built, robust man; his muscles were bulging, with a large scar that ran across his right eye vertically, and his dark brown skin blended with his black trimmed moustache and beard. His eyes and hair were muddy brown, his hair in dreads, as he wore a bright yellow jacket that contrasted with his moody dark aura. (A/N: Just imagine a built Juice WRLD, with a scar on his eye essentially.)

Noticing my prescence, he raised his head from the desk, as he locked eye contact with me.

"...A little boy? Kid. This is not where you're supposed to be. Go back when-"

"I'm here to buy 9mm."

"..."

The man made no noise or movement. Opening his mouth again, he started to chuckle.

"...You're here to buy ammunition? What a joke. It's been a whole year since anyone came here as a proper visitor. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy, and now a little kid like you wants to buy some- Are you making fun of me?"

His eyebrows furrowed, as his face put on a melachonic expression. 

"No." I answered calmly. "I'm going to pull out my Glock 17, just to let you know before hand."

"A Glock 17? There's no way a little kid like you wou..."

His voice trailed off as the Glock 17's black polymer frame reflected off the dark warm light of the ceiling bulb above.

Ejecting the magazine, I racked the slide back once, as one 9mm bullet flew out of the chamber, as I caught it with my left hand.

Reracking the slide a few more times, I aimed the gun in a safe direction, and pulled the trigger which ended with a click.

"Clear. So, are you going to sell me that ammunition, or not?"

"...Alright kid. Since you're my first real customer after a long time, I'll give you a discount, how about that?"

"Really? Thanks man, I appreciate it. How much is i- wait... I forgot I don't have money."

I'm a fucking idiot. Normally I would of had my phone and just used contactless payment, but obviously this moron [Sa Dae-hyun] was broke. 

However, the man hummed for a few moments rubbing his chin, before opening his mouth once more.

"...Show me your skills. Here, I have a firing range this way. The ammunition is free of charge, so show me what you got."

"...Aight bet."

My mouth broke out into a huge grin. 

-----

BANG!!! Clink...

BANG!!! Clink...

BANG!!! Clink...

"...Okay. I can't lie. That was pretty fucking impressive."

"Thanks for your compliment."

I removed the ear protection from my head.

"No, I'm being serious. I haven't seen anyone like you in my whole lifetime. Not before the war, and especially not after either."

"...I think you're overestimating me too mu-"

"Stop being humble. I'm not kidding. The fact you can hit those targets 50 metres away with such precision and speed is not something to scoff at. Like are you kidding me? 18 rounds in 3.55 seconds? That is a mega fast trigger finger you got there, and you also hit all the targets precisely in the head. I don't know whether to admire you or think of you as a monster..."

Now thinking about it, I had noticed that it was extremely easy to shoot firearms in this body. The trigger felt more responsive to me, and the recoil did not affect me as much. And more importantly... it feels like my dynamic vision had increased by 20 fold. Things that were normally difficult to aim at had exponentially become easier, and reloading felt like a breeze. Alas, my physical ability was not on par with normal students of [Tirath], and especially if we're talking about my [Mana]...

"...Is that so? I'm honored."

"Alright, I've made up my mind. Screw the discount. If you bring back materials and mana crystals from monsters for me, I'll give you whatever you need free of charge."

"Huh!? No, I don't think I can accept that-"

My words were cut short as I stared into the man's solid resolute eyes. It felt like a flame was burning in between the irises, as if his motivation had been revamped.

"I had lost hope. I thought that nobody understood the beauty of markmanship, that everyone had abandoned the ways of the gun. But, I was wrong. You're here, standing in front of my very eyes. There is no greater honour, than to give my skills, time and effort for the one that will carry on the legacy that our ancestors had left once in history."

"...Um... I really appreciate it, but can you stop saying such cheesy things?"

"..."

A few moments passed, before the man erupted in a large hearty laugh.

"BAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry about that, I was just feeling sentimental, ignore the ramblings of an old man like me will ya?"

"You're not that old are you...?"

"Hmm. Well I'm 35 years old this year. Ah, speaking of which, I didn't catch your name. I'm Jarad Higgins."

"Sa Dae-hyun. Pleasure working with you, Jarad Higgins-shi."

"Oh, you're Korean are you? Love your country's seasoned fried chicken by the way."

"Thanks."

While I was letting out a somewhat awkward smile, Jarad pushed his right rugged hands in front of me. As we shook hands, he firmly grabbed them, as he let out a jovial laugh once again.

"Hehehe... Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Sa Dae-hyun."

-----

Returning to the dorms, I laid the boxes of ammunition on my bed. Jarad said it was free of charge, for the first service, so it looks like I won't have to worry about ammo for a while.

I should probably find some [Missions]. I need to earn money anyways.

[Missions] were tasks given out by the Association, which mainly dealt with sending [Gaia] to deal with monsters within [Gates]. Blue gates indicated [Dungeons], which held monsters and mana stones that could be mined. At the end of the [Gate], there is a boss monster. [Materials] from monsters are used to create equipment, such as armour and weapons. These materials included items such as the horns or pelts of such monsters, as well as materials from the dungeon including platinum, mithril and adamantine, which are all extremely strong metals when comparing it to steel. But of course, one of the most important thing from these dungeons were [Mana Crystals].

These [Mana Crystals] could only be obtained from one source: The monsters. 

Depending on its rank and rarity, they could be sold in for gigantic sums of money, as now the world now operates around these [Mana Crystals.] There was no need for electricity anymore. All the lights you see on the streets? Powered by [Mana Crystals]. Your petrol / diesel powered cars? Powered by [Mana Crystals]. All the phones? Powered by [Mana Crystals.]

Before I go any further and sound like an I'm advertising for [Mana Crystals], let me move on. 

As indicated from before, there is ranks for monsters.

Plain, clean and simple. 

E-rank to SSS-rank, and a rank above that is the EX-rank.

In [Tirath], students are given ranks as well. This was to ensure that people did not lose their lives easily and to prohibit people from entering higher ranked dungeons that did not fit their rank. Basically, if a person was C-rank, he could only enter through C-rank [Gates] or below. The only exception to this rule, is if you registered with other higher ranked people, and entered the dungeon as a party.

But enough about that. I can't do them right now. I've got some theory classes to attend to.

Before leaving my dorm, I double checked that my magazines were all filled up, as I got up to go to the next class.

-----

Walking into the classroom, eyes fell upon me, as they uncomfortablely began to gossip again.

"Psst... It's that guy. You know, the [Worst One]."

"Ahh... that shitty F-ranked person? The one who wielded a gun during his practical assessment?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

...As you could hear, I was F-ranked. Go figure, right? More than anything else, [Tirath] specifically evaluates your [Mana] utilisation. And since I didn't have any of that, it was only expected that I was given F-rank.

Sighing, I sat down in my seat with a plop.

As more students flooded the classroom, the people around me started to follow a particular person, as they gushed with excitement.

"Hey, look, it's Sofia!"

"I must thank god for letting me be her classmate... sniff..."

"She looks gorgeous as usual..."

Just the usual flattery that you would hear from a light novel. I was kind of getting sick of it, like it was leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

"I wonder who she's going to sit....."

"Wait, she's coming this way!"

Resting my head on my palm, I haphazardly yawned, and stared into nothingness. There was an obvious space surrounding me, as nobody wanted to interact or get close to me. It didn't matter to me though. To be honest, I'd rather kill myself than talk to people that shit-talked behind my back. Yet...

A sweet citrus smell wafted under my nose, as my vision was blocked by a silky silver "thing" for a split second, before I heard someone take a seat beside me. A sweat bead fell down the side of my forehead, as I felt something tight churn inside my stomach.

Creaking my head to the right, a beautiful girl with silver hair plopped over her right crystal eyes was staring at me with an expressionless face.

"..."

"..."

Choosing to ignore her, I faced the front once again, with a calm look on my face.

...Why is that crazy woman sitting next to me.

Nothing happened between us. No words were spoken. No actions were done. It was just the two of us, sitting beside each other, as one person was stoicly staring at the front of the classroom, while the other was stealing glances at the first person with an expressionless face.

Obviously, people around me did not like the development.

"Why is Sofia-sama sitting next to such a vulgar trash man?"

"No... That fucker is about to get jumped on the next time I see him..."

"Sofia-sama~~~"

I hoped it was just that one class that she was going to sit down next to me. Like a whimsical action or thought that she had. 

I was wrong.

Each and every class I went to, she would follow me from behind and then sit next to me after, like a lost puppy.

The more she did so, the more stares and glares I got from the students around us, and the more my patience was hitting the limit.

I knew that I didn't exactly ask her to stay away from me, but I think anyone could tell that I was starting to feel a little burdened by her consistent presence. 

Finally losing it, I let out a small growl.

"...Why are you following me."

"...No reason."

"There's definitely a reason."

"No."

"Well if you have no reason, do you mind if you fuck off? You're really starting to get on my nerves."

"No."

"For fuck's sake-" (In Korean)

"What is your fucking problem? Ever since that practical class, you've been eyeing me, and I don't like it."

"Don't most people like it if a beautiful girl looks at them a lot?"

Her head tilted slightly with a confused expression.

"You psy- Sigh... Maybe, but in my case, all you're doing is just pissing me off. So can you stop following me around?"

"..."

"Just leave me alone. You're an A-rank, so you shouldn't be showing interest in a F-rank like me."

Finally making up her descision, she opened her mouth.

"...Why did you switch from your dagger to a gun?"

Her question caught me off guard. Out of all the people to ask that question, it was Sofia, a girl that had no relation to a third-rate villian like me.

"...I have to. My [Mana] will never grow, or at least produce any sort of commendable results. So I gave up. Rather than wasting my time focusing on [Magic] and [Swordsmanship], I'd rather put my time in something where I can still earn money for a living without resorting to risking my life for something I was never destined to do. So I picked up the gun."

"...But what if you did start to see results in your training? You can't just give up-"

"Woman. You better shut the fuck up before I put a round in your fucking skull. Who the fuck do you think you are? You don't know what its like to be me. You've been blessed with magic for the entirety of your life, so who are you to give me advice? Maybe for you, the effort you put in gave you results. But me? No. No, nonono- I have no talent for [Magic]. And I know that it's a fucking fact to a fucking T. So mind your own damn business, and stop loitering around me as if you know everything, cause I honestly couldn't give two shits to whatever you say."

Turning on my heels, I headed towards the male dormitory, leaving Sofia alone speechless in the middle of the hallway.

-----