The Author's POV

"I thought that it might come in handy to you."

After having witnessed the prowess of the dwarves with their gun-like artifacts, I thought that it would've been a perfect fit for Leopold, who usually always helped out from the back.

This way, he wouldn't need to join the fights when commanding the others directly.

Aiming the gun around, Leopold asked.

"What are the requirements for using this little thing?"

"Just inject some mana, and it'll work. It's a ranked artifact."

The artifact was something that only dwarves could create and essentially worked as a gun.

Upon injecting mana into the device, the artifact would activate, releasing the bullets that were loaded inside.

Well, that's how it should work. Never used it, so I didn't know.

"Take good care of it; it cost me quite a lot."

Aiming the gun towards the distance, Leopold put his finger on the trigger.

"Sounds easy enough."

"Well, I still think you need time to get used to it."

Just like any weapon, it needed time to be mastered, and although Leopold was already good with the sword, at the end of the day, his talent did not lay in swordsmanship but in commanding.

Plus, just because he was now using a gun, it didn't mean that he couldn't use a sword.

He could very well use it during short-range fights and then replace it when he's helping out from the back; after all, the gun would be more useful when he's commanding a lot of people at once.

Looking through the status of the gun, Leopold suddenly asked.

"How's the recoil on this thing?"

"…how about you try?"

I also was curious about this.

Raising his brow and looking around, Leopold picked his ear to ensure he didn't hear wrongly.

"Try? Here?"

"I don't think anyone would mind being honest. Just shoot the air."

We were in the open, and most likely, the sound that would come out from shooting the weapon would get drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Furthermore, I don't think the dwarfs would mind this.

"Guess you're right."

Leopold was a simple person. At my words, he stopped thinking too much and put a bullet inside of the gun-like artifact.

Chi Chak—

Loading the artifact, Leopold aimed towards the distance with one hand.

His semi-long hair was already wet from the rain.

Closing one of his eyes and aiming towards the barrier in the distance, he softly muttered.

"I'm going."

Looking at him and taken aback by the fact that he was only using one hand, I blurted out.

"Wait, why are you using only one hand?"

"...just cause."

As soon as his words faded, a gentle hue shrouded his hand, directly entering the artifact.

Click—!

Leopold then pressed on the trigger.

—Booom!

Accompanied by a thunderous sound, a blue ball of energy shot out from the gun, directly aiming for the barrier in the distance. Travelling at incredible speeds, the blue energy travelled through the air, splitting the rain apart.

Before long, it appeared right before the barrier.

However, right as the energy was about to hit the barrier, something miraculous happened; the blue ball stopped mid-air before suddenly disappearing out of thin hair.

On the other hand, while the energy ball shot out from the gun, Leopold, the one responsible for the shot, was sent a couple of steps back.

"Uukkk..."

he was pushed back, he let out a groan. Once he managed to rebalance himself, staring at the gun in his hand,

"Bloody hell!"

one that held onto the artifact,

on

we can go ask the dwarves for

an expert with guns, I do think that the way that Leopold held onto

shot, his hand flung all the way up in

both hands next time and keep your feet planted on the

properly. If every time he shot this happened, there was no use in him keeping the

his wrist, Leopold nodded

right; I need to

"...Mhm."

the barrier that had now enveloped the whole

are planning on using the barrier, you've got some time

long the dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier, I estimated that we had at least a day to

until the

the dwarves have chosen to erect the barrier because of

"…Thought so too."

box in Leopold's

the bullets as though they are as easy to get as water. They are actually

converted into U, it

expensive, but there was

beasts and monsters could be turned into powder which would in turn function as gunpowder. In fact, demon cores could also do

because I traded them for the core of the Baron ranked

but at the mere mention of

all, even I wouldn't be very excited at the prospect of eating

be created by the dwarves as

also why humans didn't have guns as

at most create bows or other

advanced engineering skills that understood the core underlying principles of mana, which

had only been exposed

on the shoulder,

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

me off, an electric current suddenly ran through my body and head. My knees

Leopold, who was next to me, caught

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

for him, I couldn't

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

teeth, Leopold's voice was faint

blurred slightly as

my luck, this did not last for long as I soon got

I reassured

"Ren, are you okay?"

I'm now

onto my head, I painfully

suddenly started to

away and

time, you should probably get

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

a smile and stood up

as

Leopold no longer asked

the bullets away, he looked at the

on the others

"...got it."

you need anything,

simple nod, Leopold soon walked

on my face disappeared as my brows

'What was that?'

up due to what had happened at the Monolith, or was

it felt as though I had a

what in

it,

Or was this really something

now, I wasn't sure, but I sure hoped that it was the latter and that this was just

—Booom!

was then that an explosion suddenly sounded. Following this, the

of where the sound originated from, I saw a faint ripple appear on the enormous barrier enveloping the

waves appeared on the

that the barrier had absorbed the attack from

the ripple centered, my brows

"They've started the siege…"

***