Chapter 14
Chapter 14 – Loot Time!
Adam expected Mei to immediately say yes to the streaming contract.
Instead, she paused, visibly thinking deeply.
“Can I see the contract terms first?”
Adam nodded slowly, a hint of approval in his expression.
Good. She isn’t completely helpless.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.
Even if she didn’t always show it, she was taking things seriously. At least… as seriously as she was capable of.
A long contract filled with dense legal jargon appeared in front of them. Lines upon lines of text scrolled down the screen, packed with terms neither of them fully understood.
Still, they got the general idea.
The platform would take a cut, but in exchange, they would receive a percentage of ad revenue and fifty-five percent of donations and subscription income. They would also gain control over ad frequency and access to various streamer tools like custom emotes and channel features.
Subscriptions weren’t paid in real money.
They were paid in Game Coins.
Coins that everyone in the world could earn, whether they were Players or not, and spend just like normal currency.
The only restriction was the Coin Shop, which was exclusive to Players.
That meant most people used their coins to support their favorite streamers instead.
It was exactly how Mei and Adam had spent theirs before all of this. Subscribing. Donating. Watching strong Players fight their way through the Game.
Now they were on the other side of it.
“Hmm…” Mei tapped her chin lightly. “Alright. I think we should sign it. Right, Adam?”
He shrugged.
“Up to you. We can only stream during boss fights anyway. This is probably the most reliable way for us to earn coins. Relying on donations alone might be rough.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
She nodded once, decision made.
“Okay. We’ll sign the contract.”
Contract signed!
Congratulations on becoming a contracted streamer.
All streamer tools unlocked.
“Good.” Mei clapped her hands together, eyes lighting up. “Now… time for the most important part.”
She turned toward the battlefield.
“Loot time!”
She practically dove into the two piles of loot left behind by the bosses.
Both piles shimmered with light, packed with items that gleamed and sparkled in the firelight. Even at a glance, it was obvious they weren’t anything ordinary.
Loot in the tutorial, and in the Game beyond it, wasn’t random in the traditional sense.
It was tailored to the classes of each Player.
Boss drops were influenced by the party that defeated the enemy, meaning there were rarely useless items. Especially this early, that kind of system was incredibly generous.
Adam could already spot a few things meant for him. A staff. A hooded cloak. Something else that looked… interesting.
He stayed where he was, watching as Mei dug through everything with unrestrained excitement.
He wasn’t any less interested in the loot than she was.
He just didn’t feel the need to show it.
After a few minutes of sorting, Mei sat back with a satisfied grin. Two neat piles of loot sat in front of her, almost perfectly equal in size.
Probably adjusted for a party of two.
“This one’s mine,” she said, pointing to the pile on her right. “And this one’s yours.”
Adam crouched beside his pile.
He didn’t need to guess. The items practically labeled themselves.
He picked up the coin pouch first.
Bag of Coins
Contains 216 coins
He didn’t even bother reading it fully before tossing it into his inventory.
Next, he picked up a hooded cloak.
Mage’s Hood – Rare
A hooded cloak once worn by a famous mage. Time has worn it down, and most of its original power has faded.
Effect: Slightly reduces magic power consumption of spells.
“Not bad…”
It wasn’t flashy, but for someone like him, efficiency mattered.
Less cost meant more casts.
His eyes moved to the staff next.
At a glance, it looked… familiar.
Very familiar.
For a brief moment, his thoughts ran ahead of him. A wolf-bone staff? Something that could grant a skill like [Ultra Wild Instincts]? That would be insane. Easily legendary tier.
He picked it up.
Then paused.
Bone Staff Imbued with the Strength of a Bear – Rare
A mage staff crafted from the spine of a rare cave bear, imbued with a powerful berserk effect.
Effect: Allows the user to cast [Berserk] on an ally without consuming magic power.
Adam stared at it.
Then sighed.
“…Right.”
It was his staff.
He had completely forgotten it was still trapped under the Dire Wolf’s corpse. When the body vanished, it must have gotten mixed in with the dropped loot.
With a quiet, embarrassed chuckle, he slipped it back into his inventory.
At least the stream was over.
“I saw that,” Mei said immediately, grinning.
He ignored her.
The next item was a book. Its leather cover was smooth and well-crafted, etched with strange, glowing symbols that pulsed faintly in various dim colors. It kind of reminded him of an RGB keyboard.
Spell Book – Rare
A blank book infused with recording magic.
Effect: Records learned spells. Spells can be activated instantly at the cost of increased mana usage. (0/10 slots filled)
Adam’s eyebrows rose.
“That’s… completely useless. Isn't it?”
He reread the description to see if he had somehow missed something, and even flipped through the pages of the book; all blank.
“I don't get it…”
“Look at the last one,” Mei urged.
Adam set the book aside and reached for the final item.
A simple leather belt.
At first glance, it looked unimpressive, but a small metal attachment hung from its side, hinting at some other use.
The first thing he thought of was a construction worker's utility belt.
Mage’s Utility Belt – Super Rare
The most essential item to a mage is their staff. The second most important is themselves. However, there exists an item that nearly all mages overlook. This is that item.
Effects:
Mage equipment-specific inventory (0/10 spaces filled)
Emergency magic – automatically casts a spell when attacked (spell must be installed by wearer)
Book Holster – allows casting of recorded spells without holding the Spell Book
Reserve Magic Storage – stores additional mana based on the wearer’s magic rank minus one (must be manually charged)
Adam went quiet as he read through it.
Then read it again.
“…Okay.”
He nodded slowly.
“That’s broken.”
“Just wait until you see what I got,” Mei said, grinning from ear to ear.
Adam could already physically see her loot pile, and the items definitely looked impressive. The problem was that he couldn’t tell what any of them actually did.
Mei motioned for him to come closer.
Curious, he crouched beside her pile and picked up the simplest-looking item first.
A bulletproof vest.
“…Why is there a bulletproof vest here?”
The confusion on his face was so genuine that he wouldn’t have been surprised if actual question marks appeared over his head.
Mei shrugged casually. “Magic?”
Adam opened his mouth to argue, then stopped.
Honestly… What other explanation was there?
Still unconvinced, he turned the vest over in his hands.
“What’s this even supposed to protect you from? There aren’t any guns in the tutorial—”
His voice trailed off as his eyes drifted toward Mei’s custom Desert Eagle.
“…Okay, bad example. But still, what use is this here?”
“Just read the description,” Mei urged eagerly.
Adam did.
Tactical Vest (Gunslinger Exclusive) – Super Rare
As the era of the gunslingers of old came to an end, they faced a choice: adapt to the changing tides or be swept away and forgotten by both man and history.
They chose to adapt.
This Tactical Vest stands as proof of their success, perfectly combining the abilities of a Gunslinger with the advancements of civilization.
Effects:
Armor Plates – Gain 20% damage reduction
(Sub-effect): Negates 75% damage from physical projectiles (skills and spells excluded)
Ammo Pouches – Reduces the mana cost of bullet-related skills
Chest Holster (no, not a bra…) – Reduces sidearm draw time
Adam stared at the description for a moment.
“Holy…”
He looked back up at her.
“You’re going to become an archer’s worst nightmare.”
“That isn’t even the best item,” Mei said proudly.
She took the vest from him and slipped it on over her cropped boat-neck sweater.
Adam’s eyes instinctively followed the motion.
Mei tightened the straps firmly, cinching the sturdy tactical vest snugly against her body. The compression pushed her chest together slightly, creating a very noticeable valley.
Adam swallowed.
Then licked his suddenly dry lips.
It wasn’t even the first time he’d seen her in tactical gear. Mei wore stuff like this all the time during airsoft mil-sim events or while cosplaying shooter characters she liked.
But somehow…
Every single time, it still hit him just as hard.
The tactical aesthetic combined with her already absurd looks was honestly unfair.
Adam genuinely had no idea how he’d managed to date someone like her.
All he knew was that he was probably the luckiest man alive.
Mei glanced up at him and immediately caught his expression.
A smug smile spread across her face.
“Don’t get distracted now.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Adam muttered. “You aren’t the one dating the most stunning girl in the world.”
Mei tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Hmm? Should I get a girlfriend so I can understand the feeling?”
Adam opened his mouth to jokingly tell her to go ahead.
Then he stopped himself.
Knowing Mei, she might actually do it.
“…Never mind.”
Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus back on the loot.
The next item immediately caught his attention.
It was a weapon.
A very recognizable one.
“…No way.”
A Benelli M1014.
A tactical shotgun.
The kind used by military and law enforcement around the world.
Seeing something so modern sitting in the middle of a fantasy-style tutorial felt bizarre.
At least Mei's pistol was decked out in purple and blue with star motifs that glowed with magical light each time she fired it.
But this was just a straight up shotgun you'd see a SWAT team breaching with.
Mei picked it up carefully, admiring it like a child opening the greatest Christmas present imaginable.
Meanwhile, Adam checked the description.
Tactical Shotgun (Model Adjustable) – Super Secret Rare
Aside from a blade, the tactical shotgun is a Gunslinger’s greatest companion in close-quarters combat.
Effects:
Pellet Mode – Reduces the damage of bullet-related skills by 70% in exchange for firing 9 additional projectiles simultaneously
Slug Mode – Greatly increases penetration and stopping power of bullet-related skills at the cost of double mana expenditure
[Dragon’s Breath] (Exclusive Skill):
Fire a special dragonfire-infused shotgun shell that ignites targets, dealing massive burn damage for 10 seconds.
Adam slowly lowered the description window.
“…That thing is disgusting.”
Mei hugged the shotgun protectively against her chest.
“I know,” she said proudly. “I love it already.”
The third and final item was… strange.
Compared to the rest of Mei’s loot, it actually looked like something Adam would expect to find in a fantasy world.
By this point, he had already gotten used to the bizarrely modern equipment tied to Mei’s class. Tactical armor. Pistols. Shotguns.
So seeing a simple scroll felt oddly out of place.
It was slightly worn around the edges and tied neatly with a red ribbon. At first glance, it looked exactly like a traditional magic scroll.
Adam honestly expected it to unleash a fireball the moment it was opened.
Instead, the description completely blindsided him.
Ammunition Production Blueprint – Unranked
A blueprint containing the exclusive production methods for a Gunslinger’s special ammunition.
Adam frowned.
“Unranked?”
That alone was weird, but it also reminded him of something he’d been wondering about for a while now.
“Mei.”
“Yes?”
“You know your gun doesn’t actually fire normal bullets, right?”
She blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s basically magic.” Adam gestured toward her oversized handgun. “Your shots don’t use gunpowder. They’re more like magical projectiles.”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“So aren’t you basically just a mage with a gun-shaped wand?”
Mei froze.
Then she placed a finger against her chin and fell into deep thought.
Adam waited patiently while she stared into the distance with surprising seriousness.
Several long seconds passed.
Finally, she shook her head confidently.
“My gun does fire bullets.”
“Oh?”
“9mm.”
Adam slowly turned to stare at the absurd Desert Eagle-shaped hand cannon in her hand.
He knew it wasn’t actually a Desert Eagle. Real ones fired .50 AE rounds.
But there was absolutely no way that monstrosity fired 9mm either.
“…9mm? Really?”
“Yeah,” Mei nodded with complete seriousness. “9mm magic missiles!”
She immediately struck a pose and mimicked firing the gun.
“Bang!”
“Boom!”
“Ka-pow!”
Then, with all the dramatic energy of a child showing off a cool toy, she shouted:
“9mm magic missile!”
A bright purple bullet blasted into the sky.
The shot lit up the forest canopy for a brief moment before vanishing into the darkness above.
Mei looked at him triumphantly.
“See?”
Adam blinked slowly.
“What exactly was I supposed to see?”
“My magic missile!”
“Right. I saw it.” He nodded patiently. “But first, doesn’t that just reinforce my point that you’re secretly a mage?”
Mei opened her mouth.
He raised a finger before she could interrupt.
“And second, what was the point of the fake gunshot noises if you were going to actually shoot anyway?”
She shrugged casually. “I dunno. It was funny.”
Adam stared at her for a moment before laughing under his breath.
“I don’t know if it was funny…” His gaze drifted toward her smiling face. “…but it was cute.”
Mei grinned immediately. “That works too!”
Adam shook his head helplessly. “So what even are you?”
“What’s what?”
“You. Are you a mage or not?”
“Oh.” Mei thought about it for a second. “I dunno. Ask the system.”
Adam’s expression immediately flattened.
He seriously considered it.
Then he remembered every previous interaction he’d had with the system.
“…Yeah, no.”
For some inexplicable reason, the system seemed to have a personal grudge against him.
He still had no idea why.
“Whatever,” he sighed. “Let’s just head back. I’m exhausted.”
“O-kay!”
Mei practically skipped ahead of him down the forest path.
She was clearly in an amazing mood, marching through the dark woods wearing her brand-new tactical vest while carrying the tactical shotgun like she’d just unlocked her favorite weapon in a game.
Then she suddenly stopped.
“Oh right!”
Adam nearly walked into her back.
“I got a loot box!”
She spun around excitedly, remembering the achievement reward she’d earned during the boss fight.
Her eyes sparkled.
“I wonder what’s inside?”
Judging by the way her hands twitched, she was barely restraining herself from opening it immediately in the middle of the forest trail.