K-2 rifle and M16.
These were the firearms most commonly used by civilians.
Perhaps because they had personally trained with them during their military service, those in their 20s and early 30s tended to prefer the K-2, while those in their late 30s and older leaned toward the M16.
These were also the standard rental weapons provided for instant dungeon raids, and over ti, they had beco the default choices for most survivors.
Personally, I preferred the K-2.
It was the rifle I had used during my active-duty service, and its performance was nearly identical to the M16, but at a price of 650,000 won, it was half the cost of an M16.
Purchase.
That was why the first test subject for enhancent was the K-2.
Bzzzt—
After inspecting the rifle’s condition, I imdiately started the enhancent process.
A new enhancent slot had appeared in the Absolute Dweller’s Shop, and all I had to do was place the weapon inside and press the Enhance button.
As soon as I selected the K-2 for enhancent, the rifle vanished from my hands, and its image appeared inside the enhancent slot.
Beneath it, the cost and success rate were displayed.
The enhancent cost was exactly 650,000 won—the sa price as the K-2 rifle itself.
So discounts don’t apply here?
Normally, thanks to my Absolute Shop skill upgrades, all store prices were automatically discounted by 30%, aning I could usually buy the K-2 for 455,000 won.
But when it ca to enhancents, the system used the full base price.
So the more expensive the item, the higher the enhancent cost?
I usually avoided wasting money unnecessarily, but 650,000 won was nothing to now, so I pressed the Enhance button without hesitation.
[K-2 Rifle Enhancent: Proceed?]
[Yes / No]
The first enhancent had a 100% success rate.
I nodded slightly, and the enhancent imdiately began.
Thud— Thud— Thud—!
The enhancent slot was engulfed in light, followed by a dazzling effect, and a notification popped up.
[Enhancent Successful.]
The first enhancent effect was simple and straightforward.
[K-2 Rifle] 1
▶ Effective range increased by 100m
“Hmm.”
Honestly, the added effect wasn’t that impressive.
It wasn’t like the K-2’s effective range was ever a problem to begin with.
The K-2 rifle had an effective range of 400-600m, with a maximum range exceeding 3km. However, in actual combat, it was rarely used beyond 100-200m.
So even with an extra 100m, it was practically aningless.
Kinda underwhelming.
But I could still continue enhancing it.
The second enhancent cost had doubled to 1.3 million won, and the success rate had dropped to 90%.
Let’s try one more ti.
I proceeded with the second enhancent.
Thud— Thud— Thud—!
[Enhancent Successful.]
As expected, with a 90% success rate, I succeeded without failure.
[K-2 Rifle] 2
▶ Effective range increased by 100m
▶ Accuracy increased by 10%
“Oh.”
This was far more practical than just increasing the range.
More importantly, the system wasn’t simply stacking range increases infinitely—it seed to diversify the enhancent effects.
Let’s keep going.
Just as I predicted, each subsequent enhancent tripled, then quadrupled the cost, while the success rate dropped by 10% per level.
Even so, the initial success rates were high, so I was able to reach 4 enhancent without a single failure.
[K-2 Rifle] 4
▶ Effective range increased by 100m
▶ Accuracy increased by 20%
▶ Vision 1
…Vision?
Up until now, the enhancents had only improved the gun’s performance.
But this new effect actually enhanced the user’s abilities.
Curious, I stopped enhancing and materialized the rifle to test it.
Bzzzt—
As soon as I picked up the rifle, I noticed a clear difference in my vision.
It actually works.
The 1 Vision boost was more noticeable than I expected.
I could imdiately perceive the improvent just by holding the rifle.
This is amazing.
At this point, I had already spent over 7 million won on this rifle.
But not once did I feel like I had wasted money.
Even if a K-2 rifle cost 7 million won, no manufacturer would ever offer a model that actually improved the user’s eyesight.
Accuracy was great, but this alone makes enhancent worth the cost.
And I was just getting started.
The 5th enhancent had a 60% success rate.
If the success rate dropped by 10% per level, then at least reaching 10 enhancent should be possible.
I imdiately placed the 4 K-2 back into the enhancent slot and continued.
[K-2 Rifle ( 4): Proceed with Enhancent?]
[Yes / No]
Now, each attempt cost 3 million won—but if I could increase my vision even further, it would be more than worth it.
However.
[Enhancent Failed.]
With the success rate dropping to 60%, I finally failed for the first ti.
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
But then.
[Enhancent Failed.]
[Enhancent Failed.]
[Enhancent Failed.]
“…???”
Four consecutive failures.
With a 40% failure rate, the odds of failing four tis in a row were only 2.5%.
It was like winning 5th place in the lottery—but in reverse.
Is this a bug?
Each attempt cost 3.25 million won, aning I had just burned through 33 million won—for nothing.
Still… if I get one more Vision enhancent, it’ll be worth it.
At this rate, if I tried one more ti, the total investnt in this rifle would reach 25 million won.
…Thank god I didn’t experint with a tank.
If I had tested this on a tank, I would have lost over 120 billion won by now.
At the sa ti, though, I kind of regretted not trying it.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
I should’ve tested the enhancent system with sothing like a kitchen knife first and pushed it to the limit.
But I quickly dismissed the thought.
No, that would’ve been pointless. What would I even use a kitchen knife for?
Even civilians who fought goblins didn’t use kitchen knives.
Even if I spent millions of won enhancing one, the best I could do was gift it to a skilled chef.
In contrast, a rifle was a practical weapon—sothing that could actually be used.
Yeah. When it’s necessary, I should invest properly.
And so, I started the fifth enhancent.
The mont I pressed the Enhance button—
Vwoooooong!
A different effect than before flared up.
Flash!
[Enhancent Successful.]
“…?”
Sothing about the effect felt distinctly different.
And then—
“!!!”
The newly added option was shocking.
[K-2 Rifle] 5
▶ Effective range increased by 100m
▶ Accuracy increased by 20%
▶ Vision 1
▶ Skill Acquired: [Explosive Rounds]
A skill had been imbued into the rifle.
[Explosive Rounds]
When a shot hits a target, a small explosion occurs.
Cooldown: 300 seconds
This was a ga-changer.
For all firearm users, especially those in sniper professions, this was an undeniable upgrade.
***
Realizing that skills erged at 5, I went all in.
As expected, the enhancent cap was 10, and special skills were granted at both 5 and 10.
The first-ever 10 K-2 rifle ended up with the following final stats:
[K-2 Rifle] 10
▶ Effective range increased by 100m
▶ Accuracy increased by 20%
▶ Vision 1
▶ Skill Acquired: [Explosive Rounds]
▶ Penetration increased by 30%
▶ Dynamic Vision 1
▶ Skill Acquired: [High-Caliber Rounds]
I had spent nearly 200 million won just making this one rifle, but I didn’t regret a single won.
Because the stats were absolutely insane.
Even just the two skills at 5 and 10 made this more than worth it.
Ignoring all the other buffs, just these two newly acquired skills already made the investnt completely justifiable.
Of course, I had planned to register it in the shop, but unfortunately, enhanced weapons couldn’t be registered.
Damn. That’s a sha.
Through multiple experints, I had learned that the added options upon enhancent were completely random.
From 1 to 4, bonuses like effective range, accuracy, and vision appeared at random, but range increase was by far the most common.
Additionally, the skills granted at 5 were also varied.
So enhancents granted:
[Extended Magazine] → Increased ammo capacity
[Steady Aim] → Temporarily maximized accuracy
And then, at 6, the types of enhancents changed again.
From 6 onward, the possible buffs included:
Durability Increase
Penetration Increase
Dynamic Vision Boost
Durability Increase was the most frequent bonus, just like Effective Range Increase had been for the early levels.
It looks like 10 has multiple potential skill outcos too…
Among them, the best one I had seen so far was:
[High-Caliber Rounds]
[High-Caliber Rounds]
Fires specialized large-caliber rounds that deal devastating damage.
Cooldown: 600 seconds
With all this in mind—
The most efficient choice is to give this to Kim Myeong-hwan.
I had already been funneling extra experience into him, and among all snipers, he was the best of them.
If anyone could maximize the potential of a 10 rifle with both [Explosive Rounds] and [High-Caliber Rounds], it was him.
Mass Production? Impossible.
It was a sha that these weapons couldn’t be mass-produced.
I had hoped to at least register the best out of the five 10 K-2s I had enhanced, but no such exploit was possible.
I was expecting to at least be able to register enchanted weapons, but…
For example, spears with durability buffs were registerable in the shop.
Though they took up a separate slot, once I obtained one with good stats, I could mass-produce them indefinitely.
However, enhanced weapons had to be crafted manually every single ti.
But—
This system is still completely worth it.
Unlike enchantnt, where the results were random, enhancent guaranteed overpowered options as long as you were willing to spend the money.
I really want to try enhancing an enchanted weapon next.
Since enchanted weapons sold for higher prices, enhancing them would likely cost more, but the results would definitely be more efficient than upgrading basic weapons.
Unfortunately, not many enchanted items were available in the shop.
This should do.
I decided to test it on a durability-enhanced spear.
It was Ha Dong-geon’s primary weapon, and compared to normal spears, it had significantly higher durability.
If this thing gets a special skill, it’ll completely change his combat effectiveness.
And so, I spent the entire day enhancing various weapons.
***
anwhile, at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
The Korean Demilitarized Zone—a scar that split the Korean Peninsula in half.
A minefield, untouched since the Korean War, it had turned into a pristine ecosystem.
Vast forests had flourished, ho to a diverse range of flora and fauna, undisturbed by human activity.
Unlike the chaotic, monster-infested cities, the creatures that had erged here naturally integrated into the ecosystem, forming a new, altered food chain.
But then, about a month ago, sothing changed.
Groooaaaarrr—!
Rotting corpses—walking husks reeked of death as they marched through the forest.
And then, one day—
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The southernmost advance of these massive death swarms finally collided with South Korea’s forward defensive fences.
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