Vista del Rey

  November 5th

  2069

  Sophie lay prone on a rooftop, her body pressed against the rough, wet concrete as she peered through the scope of her rifle. The night air in Heywood was thick with humidity from the rain that only ended a few hours prior.

  Massive, neon signs flickered in the distance, reflecting off the glass and metal that made up Night City’s towering skyline. From her position, she had a perfect line of sight to her target’s location, slightly over one hundred meters away. However, it was still slightly too early for them to appear.

  A flick of her eye activated the digital file Padre had sent her. A red interface bloomed in her vision, displaying the profile of her prey:

  Name: Victor "Vic" álvarez

  Affiliation: Independent, formerly Valentino

  Known Residence: Apartment complex on Rivera Avenue, third floor

  Reason for Elimination: Repeated human trafficking offenses with no regard for who the victim is. Responsible for multiple disappearances in Heywood. Known for his sadistic tendencies; evidence suggests he personally ‘tests’ new acquisitions before shipping them to black-market buyers.

  Sophie exhaled slowly, trying to prevent the vicious grin that had begun to form beneath her menpo. She didn’t need to read the rest of his crimes. That was more than enough justification to tell her he was beyond redemption. That he was the type of person Sophie found great, disturbing joy in killing.

  She mentally swiped the file away, turning her attention to the Nekomata pressed against her shoulder. This gig was the first opportunity she’d found that warranted the use of the sniper and she was excited.

  Well, it’s probably a bit overkill actually. I don’t really need to shoot a metal spike through some tough, chrome gorilla. Still, it’ll be fun to watch him pop.

  She adjusted the bipod, ensuring stability before peering through the scope. She examined the target’s apartment building, a squat, aging structure with flickering lights and peeling paint. Padre’s intel made it clear álvarez followed a predictable routine: he stepped out onto his balcony for a smoke break between 2:30 and 3:00 AM, a habit he hadn’t deviated from since coming under scrutiny for his actions.

  It was 2:19 AM now. All that was left to do was wait.

  Sophie’s breathing gradually slowed, her body relaxing though her senses remained on high alert. She let her thoughts drift, listening to the city’s distant sounds: the occasional siren wailing through the streets, the noise of passing vehicles and a distant gunshot from somewhere deeper in Heywood. Just another night in Night City.

  At exactly 2:31 AM, the sliding glass door of apartment 306 opened.

  Through the scope, Sophie watched as Victor álvarez stepped onto the narrow balcony, stretching with a lazy roll of his shoulders. He was a thick-set man, his body softened by years of excess, but there was nothing soft about his face. Even from this distance, she could see the cruel smirk playing at the edge of his lips as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

  He leaned against the rusted railing, flicking his lighter open and bringing the flame to the tip of his cigarette. For a moment, the orange glow illuminated his face and the deep lines carved from years of sneering, cold eyes that had no remorse, no guilt.

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  Sophie’s finger curled around the trigger.

  She exhaled.

  The moment stretched, still and quiet. She squeezed the trigger and the railgun charged. A second passed.

  The Nekomata fired, discharging with a muffled thrum. The sky seemed to crack as the electromagnetic force propelled the metal spike forward at ridiculous speeds. The shot covered the hundred-meter distance in an instant, a line of blue that ended as the spike punched through the target’s torso, instantly tearing his body apart before he could realise what was happening.

  álvarez crumpled forward, his body slumping over the railing. The cigarette slipped from his fingers, tumbling down to the alley below, its ember still burning as it spun through the air. Blood splattered against the balcony’s cracked concrete wall, dark and glistening under the glowing lights of the city.

  Sophie didn’t move immediately. She tracked the body through the scope, ensuring there was no movement, no sudden twitch that suggested he was still alive. When it was clear he wasn’t getting up, she smiled and pulled back from the scope. At the same time, she heard two system notifications. Her heart skipped a beat when she realised what one of them might be but she suppressed her curiosity, aware it could wait until she was back home.

  She moved efficiently, dumping the rifle straight into her inventory. A final glance at the balcony with her optics zoomed in confirmed what she already knew; álvarez was gone. Another predator wiped from the city’s underbelly.

  Without another thought, Sophie slipped away from the rooftop, disappearing into the shadows as if she had never been there at all. Her job was done and dealing with any aftermath was Padre’s responsibility.

  -----------------------

  Sophie returned home within an hour of the assassination, buzzing with excitement. She didn’t bother changing out of her mission equipment, instead choosing to collapse into her chair.

  “Come on, please be what I hope it is…” She murmured.

  Mission Complete

  Assassinate Victor álvarez

  Difficulty: Easy

  Rewards: 500 L-Coins

  She ignored the completed system mission, moving onto the second notification. Her eyes immediately lit up.

  Basic Gun Combat Proficiency +1

  Basic Gun Combat [50/100]

  She felt the familiar feeling of knowledge flowing into her mind, filling the last few remaining gaps in her basic skills. Once it finished though, she received another message.

  Skill - Basic Gun Combat has reached [50/100] proficiency.

  Basic Gun Combat will no longer provide knowledge. Proficiency will now be gained by mastering the knowledge provided by the skill during the first 50 levels.

  Note: Significant mastery of Basic Gun Combat detected…Providing proficiency points…

  Basic Gun Combat Proficiency +25

  Basic Gun Combat [75/100]

  As the last message finished generating, Sophie felt her body begin to change. It started at her feet, traveling up her legs, across her torso and over her arms before ending at her fingertips. It came in waves, each one moving her muscles into specific positions and imbedding instincts into them.

  It wasn’t painful, though it certainly felt strange. In the end, she had to sit there for nearly half an hour, spasming slightly as her body experienced what could only be described as a ‘download’ of muscle memory.

  Once it ended however, Sophie marveled at the changes she’d gone through. She stood up, immediately noticing how her body moved. Her resting stance was far more reactive when reaching for a gun, whether it was the pistols at her hip or a rifle over her back. It was like years of experience and training of fundamental gun skills had been drilled into every part of her existence.

  She drew one of her pistols, noting that the movement was slightly smoother than it had been previously. Intent on fully testing the changes in her body, Sophie performed a series of basic tests.

  Her aim was steadier and more accurate and she could handle her weapons better. However, she noticed a significant difference in the mastery she had over some of her guns compared to others.

  Pistols and rifles seemed to have received the most related muscle memory. All the other guns she tried, whether it was shotguns or SMG’s, had only received a small amount of relevant muscle memory. At the very least, her skills with those weapons weren’t as good as those she had with the guns she typically used.

  Well, that makes sense I guess. I use my rifle and pistols for the most part. And my service weapon back in the military was a rifle. Comparatively, I don’t have as much experience with other types of guns, especially the variants found in Night City.

  With her tests concluded, Sophie turned her attention to the system.

  “So, to continue leveling my gun combat skill, I have to master all the knowledge it provided?”

  Almost. You don’t need to master all of it. Just most of it. Specifically, using a broader range of weaponry will assist in this endeavor.

  “I see…So it’s really just a time thing now. I’m not gonna be able to fully master all that knowledge any time soon. I just have to keep chipping away at it, huh.”

  It was annoying, but Sophie thought it was in line with how the system functioned in general. Everything it gave her had to be earned and it just assisted with the process, streamlining things to make them more ‘perfect’.

  Considering I’ll be able to improve Basic Gun Combat as long as I keep using guns, I probably need to find a different direction for my training. Her thoughts drifted back to her recent encounter with the Tyger claws, where that guy put her in an armbar and she found it impossible to fight back against his grappling skills.

  Unarmed combat would be a good path to follow…And my blade skills are getting close to half proficiency. Same with Flexibility…I wonder if I can find a dojo or something? Would I seem weird if I asked Vik about his gym? I think so…Oh! Wasn’t there a gym over in Santo Domingo? I think there was. I wonder if that place is around now?