Titi sings, Goki dies—
Well, he died, but not completely.
"Cough, cough, cough."
A metallic taste rose in his throat, and intense pain, so severe it was almost imperceptible, shot through his body, yet Goki's mind remained clear.
Hunters are mere mortals; if killed, they die. Taking a bullet is no exception.
In Yharnam, Goki had been hit not just by bullets, but by machine guns too. But having died so many times, the pain, though present, had become familiar.
Goki's body had lost the function of painful shock.
Even with a large hole blown through his body, a Hunter could maintain mental clarity, preparing for the next step—a counterattack!
Bang!
Flames erupted from the Hunter pistol's muzzle like a roaring Dragon, and the Quicksilver Bullet, unlike the attacker's bullet just moments ago, didn't flash, but vanished into the thick fog with even greater speed.
Thud.
"Missed, brother, retreat!"
A heavy thud of a body falling sounded, followed by a flurry of footsteps and hushed shouts.
"What do you mean, my aim isn't accurate…?"
Feeling his bullet hit its target, Goki grinned, coughing up large mouthfuls of crimson blood, and softly collapsed onto Skadi's soft, ample chest, wrapped in her red dress, making the dress appear even more vibrant.
"Ah, is this the gentle waves of Mother Ocean?"
He had specifically aimed for—the pistol, really.
Though he had been somewhat careless, it was a last resort. The moment he saw a few figures in the distance, Goki had already sensed trouble and started sprinting.
But he hadn't expected their attack method to be… shooting Skadi.
Although Skadi's power in the game's storyline allowed her to deflect ordinary firearm bullets with just her body, Goki instinctively felt there was something wrong with these bullets.
After all, even Seaborn knew to pick on the weak, bypassing Skadi to attack Goki. Yet, these people's firepower was directed solely at Skadi.
So, Goki had shielded Little Orca, without overthinking it. Protecting citizens was a Hunter's instinct.
And a Hunter's way of dealing with bullets, besides rolling, was the shattered wooden plank Goki now lay on the ground.
"Wooden Shield, a raw wooden shield used by citizens participating in group hunts.
Hunters generally don't use shields, as shields are insufficient to withstand the power of monsters.
The shield itself is not the problem, but the adverse effects it causes are another matter."
Exchange price: 100 blood echoes.
It was practically free, as this equipment was truly useless.
To clarify, the Wooden Shield wasn't Yharnam's best shield, but its second-best.
The other shield, the Lake Shield, which could resist magic, Goki couldn't exchange for yet.
These kind Hunters of Yarnam were not like the Ashen Ones from Lothric next door, who could dual-wield door-sized greatshields and parry everything.
Nor were they like Sekiro from another setting, Ashina Castle, who could deflect endlessly with a small knife.
Facing enormous, monstrous beings, each with strength comparable to Skadi's, rashly engaging in a test of strength would inevitably result in being slapped back to Hunter's Dream.
Before the citizens of Yharnam went mad, they would all participate in hunts with shields, but for Hunters, dodging and rolling were more practical—firearms were their best aid.
Rashly using a shield would not only result in it being shattered by a monster's single blow, but also cause additional damage.
However, against firearms with relatively low power, the Wooden Shield still offered some protection.
But… clearly, the bullets Goki faced were significantly more powerful than the broken muskets of Yharnam's citizens.
With only slight protection, the shield was reduced to splinters.
"Goki, Goki, are you alright, Goki—what in the world is this?"
Seeing Goki collapse limply into her arms, Skadi panicked.
Although she had witnessed the death and sacrifice of comrades before, this time… it felt different.
Quickly embracing the weakened Goki, and seeing the gushing blood, Skadi, who had initially intended to pursue the attackers, immediately abandoned the idea of moving. She held him tightly in her arms, examining his injuries.
She saw that the "bullets" that had hit Goki were actually meticulously crafted syringes.
And those huge syringes, as thick as two fingers, had automatically injected a considerable amount of light yellow, unknown solution into Goki's body.
Skadi had seen such things before. Although Abyssal Hunters didn't use thermal weapons, many Abyssal Hunters liked to catch sharks and keep them as pets at home. The anesthetic syringes they used were roughly this size.
And, quite obviously, these giant syringes were intended for Skadi. For Goki, it was a bit of an overkill; some anesthetic darts even over-penetrated, giving Goki a through-and-through wound.
Watching streams of blood trickle from the wounds and smelling the familiar scent, Skadi suddenly felt a trace of fear.
She suddenly remembered the smell of blood that had wafted from her home when she returned after her seventeenth Abyssal Hunter mission.
"Pull yourself together, are you alright? Oh, right, the blood vials—"
However, after a brief moment of panic, Skadi, as a veteran, quickly calmed down and began to grope all over Goki's body, beneath his trench coat, searching carefully with her small hands.
"Hey hey—how does she know so much! I knew I shouldn't have let her see the blood vials!"
Burying his head between two comfortable and soft waves, feeling one of the few warm sensations in the cold Saltwind City, Goki, who had originally wanted to enjoy the Orca's marine mammal characteristics a bit longer, could only give up pretending to be weak.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, just a fatal wound, I'm very resilient—Alright, alright, stop touching down there."
"It's hard."
"Don't ask, that's the second gun."
This was the second time Goki had suffered such severe trauma since coming to this world.
Well, the last time was not long ago, inflicted by the very Little Orca who was now holding Goki, and the injuries were even more severe than this time.
Although in reality, a Hunter couldn't be as lively as in the game, bouncing around even with only a sliver of health left.
But as long as his head wasn't severed and limbs weren't dismembered, a Hunter's vitality was still very strong.
Reaching out, Goki grabbed Skadi's small hand, which was about to unfasten his belt, and took out the pre-prepared glass bottle filled with blood, handing it to Skadi—also from the wild boar he had recently eaten.
"You scared me to death."
Pouting slightly, and hearing Goki's playful banter, Skadi felt a little relieved.
Little Orca didn't understand medicine, but she knew that if he was so lively, he probably wouldn't die.
"Don't move, don't shift the injured person casually, lay him flat, I will perform emergency treatment—Mon3tr, chase them, ensure the recovery of the attackers' bodies!"
But, the next second, an anxious voice came from beside the two of them.
"Hiss—"
Soon, accompanied by a shriek, a black shadow streaked past the two, chasing in the direction Goki had just counterattacked.
Through his blurry vision, Goki could vaguely discern that it was a black crystalline creature—no need to think, that was Kal'tsit's true form; she herself was merely a selfish Mon3tr launcher.
And just now, Dr. Kal'tsit, who had been acting mysterious and claiming to be omniscient, immediately rushed to Goki's side with a brand new first-aid kit, her tone somewhat urgent.
"Gunshot wound, severe organ damage. You must undergo surgery immediately. I will try my best to ensure your survival, but there might be sequelae."
Looking at the large wound on Goki's body, still gushing blood, Kal'tsit's gaze became anxious.
In her opinion, more than half of this man's body had been shattered, and his vital organs were also half-damaged.
Clearly, this weapon was not meant for terrestrial humans, but was specially designed to attack Abyssal Hunters!
The power of this firearm was no less than the hand cannon carried by an Inquisitor!
To use it to kill this man, who had not undergone Aegirian modification, was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito!
Disregarding the viscous and corrosive Seaborn bodily fluids around her, Kal'tsit directly knelt on the ground, submerging her fair knees in the sewage.
She hadn't practiced medicine for many years, but just now this man had called her "Dr. Kal'tsit," and a doctor's responsibility would not allow her to abandon any patient.
However, as she put on sterile gloves and gently pulled out the already injected syringe, which still contained a little yellow liquid, Kal'tsit's emerald eyes immediately narrowed to a tiny dot.
Moving swiftly, she immediately pulled a gas mask from her first-aid kit and clasped it over her face.
"High-concentration liquid Originium, these madmen—Quick, move him to my lab!"
With an angry shout, Kal'tsit immediately looked at Skadi, giving a direct order regardless of whether the other party was an Abyssal Hunter.
"If you want to save your friend, hurry! This concentration of Originium solution is completely fatal to ordinary people; he could develop acute oripathy at any moment!"
The current condition of the man before her would generally lead a typical doctor to pronounce him dead.
Beyond saving, won't live, just wait to die, go home and eat something good.
No, he wouldn't even have the chance to eat something good. The high-concentration Originium solution had already turned him into a living bomb, liable to explode into crystalline dust at any moment.
However, Kal'tsit believed the man could still be saved, and on the continent of Terra, only she could barely save him.
"Be careful not to cause secondary damage; his internal organs and spine are damaged—what are you doing?!"
And the moment she looked at Skadi, Kal'tsit saw a scene that made her, a medical professional, furious.
The white-haired, red-eyed girl was looking at her somewhat blankly, while crushing a dirty, clearly unsterilized bottle in her palm, letting the dark red, viscous liquid splash onto Goki's body.
"You're insane! What did you just pour on the patient—Aegir, you and your race are as ridiculous as ever!"
Kal'tsit, this Feline woman who had been calm for many years, suddenly felt her blood pressure surge.
And the next second, she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.
"Hey, that's not right, Dr. Kal'tsit, you'd best apologize to Skadi."
The muscles and skin on his penetrating wounds rapidly healed. Goki sat up, pulling out several large syringes still embedded in his body.
Although it felt like some strange substance had been injected into his body, Goki felt perfectly fine. After feeling sufficiently healed, he directly stood up.
But the next second, a cute face with a somewhat terrifying expression instantly leaned in front of Goki.
Kal'tsit's gaze was no longer just curiosity, but… a desire to cut open the man in front of her with a scalpel.
She had to admit, she was indeed not omniscient.