An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 53

Request of the Goddess – Chapters

Chapter 53   Being a sniper is not easy

The next day, we went to the church and conducted various investigations.

It seems that there are pilgrimage routes to the shrines and temples in this country, and there were maps with the locations marked.

These paths may not be too dangerous.

Using the Magic Bag, we bought camouflage sheets that could cover both me and Saran.

Additionally, we got wide camouflage pattern tapes.

I carefully wrapped my beloved Remington M700 rifle with the tape, concealing all the shiny parts. It’s a stainless steel model, and it was shining too much.

I also covered the scope with paper, fashioned like a hood, and wrapped it with camouflage tape to avoid reflections that could give away my position.

After making these preparations, we headed to Ballistes home to gather the latest information.

“Tomorrow, you know! We don’t need to be there!” Bartil-san grumbles.

“Well, it’s a relief that we don’t have to deal with any trouble,” I replied.

“No, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make some decent income,” Bartil-san continued, clearly disappointed.

“But isn’t the hero chosen every year? It’s like a regular event,” I said.

“But still… It’s irritating to be turned down,” he retorted.

Refusing the local hunters’ accompaniment means he must have something risky planned.

“So, what kind of people are they?” I asked.

“The hero is a handsome guy with blond hair, wearing white armor. He carries a huge sword. The party consists of two beautiful ladies. One is a flirty magician with a seductive bikini armor, holding a giant staff. The other is a priest, probably the healer, wearing a modest white robe with a slender silver rod, but her chest is equally impressive. They are undoubtedly skilled,” Bartil-san described.

“I see. I’d love to see them,” I said.

“If Saran hears about this, she’ll cry, Shin. Maybe they’re in the ‘all-you-can-drink heaven’ or something?” Bartil-san jokingly commented.

…Well, I’ll secretly go and check it out at night.

Wow, they’re quite something.

This ‘all-you-can-drink heaven’ isn’t some cheap izakaya; it’s a fancy restaurant.

There’s a crowd, so it was easy to spot.

“That attire is just too much…” Saran mumbled about the bikini armor.

Her chest is quite competitive with Saran’s.

I wonder if she really is over a hundred years old. She looks like she’s in her twenties.

She’s holding a large staff.

Sure, I understand. That’s enough.

I mean, there’s no way we could mistake someone dressed like that.

That same night, we leave the town.

We told the gatekeeper that we were asked by a farmer to handle nocturnal animal control, so it’s all good.

We continue down the moonlit pilgrimage path, using a lantern to light our way.

We encountered a wolf on the way, but we scared it away with the shotgun and Saran’s arrows.

Using a flashlight, we illuminate the shrine.

It looks similar to the one near our village. Made of stone, well-maintained, and beautiful.

It’s midnight, so no one’s around. It’s just perfect.

We hang a small LED mini lamp from a big rock.

It’s the one we bought from the Magic Bag. It’s like a small keychain light.

We use another lamp to illuminate the rock.

The location is… right there, should be fine.

There’s a small hill with woods surrounding it.

We’ll approach from a slightly hidden angle, but it should be fine.

Saran and I struggle to climb to the top.

We change from commoner’s clothes to camouflage outfits, lay out sheets and mats, and put sleeping bags on top, covering them with blankets and camouflage sheets. We need some insect repellent candles and mosquito coils too. We bought those from the Magic Bag as well.

We place a shooting rest pillow for sniping, then carefully set the Remington M700 with camouflage tape on top of it, and arrange the high-quality full metal jacket bullets. We position the LED mini lamp in the scope’s view.

I hand earplugs to Saran, and using a laser rangefinder, we measure the distance – 184 meters!

With a maximum magnification of 16x, I take careful aim…

BOOM!

Swish, swoosh, swoosh!

The birds fly away.

Checking the impact through the scope, it seems about 6 cm low and 1 cm to the right. These bullets are different from the ones I usually use. As expected, they are the full metal jacket match special for shooting competitions.

I adjust the scope. Since I can adjust it beforehand, let’s align the crosshair to the center.

The scope’s turret indicates 1 click = 100 yds – 1/4 inch.

One click rotation moves the point of impact 6.35 mm at 91 m.

At 200 m, it’s 14 mm.

So, 4 clicks up and 1 click left.

BOOM!

Hm…

The LED lamp went out.

It’s fine.

“I’ll go get the lamp.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Well, then let’s go together.”

When I check the mini lamp, it has been perfectly hit and shattered to pieces.

I guess my shooting skills have improved.

Or rather, it’s thanks to prone shooting (※1). If I missed this shot, it wouldn’t be about my shooting skills but rather my eyesight. I’ll collect the scattered parts, cover the bullet mark on the rock with sand to conceal it.

A true sniper can make a precise shot without test firing, but as for me, I’m a complete novice. I don’t feel confident hitting the target without properly test shooting. When you rest the gun and shoot in a fixed position, anyone can hit the mark. You just need to observe the impact and make adjustments.

However, snipers don’t have that luxury. They must hit their target with the first shot. To achieve that, calculations are essential. A sniper’s skill lies precisely in that area. It’s not just about experience or instinct; it’s about building up a database of shooting data. A sniper would most likely have their ballistic chart for their rifle and refer to it while taking the shot.

The difference between a hunter who can only hit around 300m and a sniper who can hit beyond 500m lies in that precision.

I’m not a military enthusiast, so I’m not well-versed in those details.

The distance is 184m…

With my current skill level and the performance of the M700, the groupings would be around 4-5 cm at best. It’s cutting it really close.

Assuming a muzzle velocity of 800m/s, the time of flight from the shot to impact is 0.23 seconds.

The bullet drop is 26 cm, considering air resistance from the boreline of the rifle.

For downward shooting, the bullet will impact slightly higher than for horizontal shooting. This can be understood by considering what happens when you shoot the gun straight up; the bullet won’t fall back down on the shooter, but rather hit higher than the point of aim. It’s the same for shooting straight down.

So, whether aiming diagonally up or down, the bullet will land higher than the point of aim.

With an angle of around 20 degrees at a distance of 184m, the impact should be about 1 cm higher.

Considering the 26 cm bullet drop and the right-hand twist rifling, the bullet will also drift about 5 mm to the right due to the spin.

These errors may be negligible for hunting, but in precision shooting like this, I can’t afford to ignore them.

I think test shooting and adjusting the scope is the best way to eliminate doubts and uncertainties.

The impact of temperature and atmospheric pressure is not as significant as often exaggerated in manga stories. At 0 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius, the bullet’s impact at 200 meters is within 1 cm difference. Even with a pressure change from typhoon-level 990 mb to clear weather at 1020 mb, there is only about 1 cm variation. I have verified this using ballistic calculation software on my computer when I was in Japan. So, I never really worried about it. Although temperature differences can affect the burning rate of gunpowder, it’s unlikely that one would adjust their rifle in the dead of winter and shoot it in the height of summer, or shoot during a typhoon. Therefore, in practical terms, these factors can be ignored. Regular test shooting and adjustments can easily account for such variations.

Instead, crosswinds have a much more significant impact. With a wind speed of 3 m/s, the bullet can be shifted by as much as 8 cm. Before considering factors like the Earth’s rotation due to the Coriolis effect, it’s crucial to account for wind in shooting. Gravity and wind are the two most influential factors in shooting.

I’ve tried various ballistic calculation software, but if factors like Earth’s rotation and Coriolis effect had a significant impact, then the software should require inputting the “shooting direction,” which would involve using a compass to determine the direction. However, there’s no ballistic calculation software that requires such information, especially for rifle shooting, where it can be safely ignored unless it’s artillery firing.

I hope for a calm wind tomorrow.

The two of us are huddled together in the same sleeping bag, covered in camouflage sheets, quietly waiting for dawn. As we munch on cookies and such, it feels rather miserable.

For a sniper, waiting is the job.

It’s tough.

“…Shin.”

“Yeah?”

“I understand that the heroes are trying to resurrect the Demon Lord. But, in the end, who asked you to do this?”

…

I should probably tell Saran about it.

“…It’s the God.”

“Don’t say such things…”

“Yeah, even if you can’t believe it, it’s fine. It sounds like a lie even when I say it myself.”

“I can’t believe what you’re saying, but I believe in you, Shin.”

She tightly embraces me.

“Shin is so mysterious. and seems like an entirely ordinary man, yet you know so many things that no one else does. you use strange things like a yellow bag, and weapons that don’t seem to belong to this world. I even believe you coming from a different world.”

“Thank you.”

“Bringing someone like Shin to a place like this, only a god could do that, right?”

“Yeah…”

“At first, I wondered if it was a bad thing, you know, getting in the way of the hero.”

“Yeah, I thought the same. Interfering with the hero’s journey.”

“But you know, if it’s what the god wants, then it must be a good thing, right?”

“Probably.”

“And besides…”

She hugged me so tightly, I could hardly breathe!

“If it were a bad thing, Shin, I wouldn’t accept it under any circumstances.”

Instead of replying, I just nodded in agreement.

As a result, I turned into a patting doll.

— Author’s Note —

※1. Prone

Prone position refers to the shooting posture where the shooter lies face down on the ground while supporting the gun with elbows and arms, aiming for the least amount of movement and high accuracy.

It is the most basic shooting stance for soldiers, as it presents a smaller target to the enemy, reducing the risk of getting hit. In straightforward terms, even beginners or less skilled shooters can achieve accurate shots with this posture.

Hunters rarely use this position because it’s impractical in dense vegetation or wooded areas, and it can soil their clothing. Besides, animals like deer won’t shoot back, so it’s not necessary for hunting.