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..."

managed to rebalance himself, staring at the

"Bloody hell!"

wrist, the one that held

recoil on this

held it wrong? Perhaps we can go ask the

think that the way that Leopold held onto the

as he took a shot, his hand flung all the way up in the air, and he was pushed away

next time and keep your

of it, he still needed a lot of practice before using the gun properly. If every time he shot this happened, there was no use in him keeping the

wrist, Leopold nodded

need

"...Mhm."

head and glancing at the barrier that had now enveloped the whole

dwarfs are planning on using the barrier,

on keeping the barrier, I estimated that we had at least a day

until the weather

to erect the barrier because of the weather. So we've got till it stops raining to get

"…Thought so too."

in Leopold's direction, I

bullets as though they are

converted into U, it would total

there was a reason for

into powder which would in turn function as gunpowder. In fact, demon cores could also

on me was because I traded them

at the mere mention of it, she threw me a

though; after all, even I wouldn't be very excited at the prospect

the dwarves as humans were incapable of creating them. At

was also why humans didn't

at most create bows or other relatively simpler

a skilled blacksmith but also advanced engineering skills that understood the core underlying principles of mana, which

After all, humanity had only been exposed

the

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

current suddenly ran through my body and head. My knees

next to me, caught me by

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

him,

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

my teeth, Leopold's voice

vision blurred

did not last for

I reassured Leopold

"Ren, are you okay?"

I'm now

head, I

that my head suddenly started to hurt. Probably didn't have

put the gun away and carefully looked at

have some time, you

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

a smile

pain left as fast

sceptical, Leopold no longer asked

bullets away, he looked at the entrance of the tower in

check on

"...got it."

you need

me a simple nod, Leopold soon

back, the smile on my face disappeared

'What was that?'

it because my head was still messed up due to what had happened at the Monolith, or was

explain it, it felt as though

what in

about it, the

was this really something due to my

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

—Booom!

that an explosion suddenly sounded. Following this, the

staring in the direction of where the sound originated from, I saw a faint

barrier, miniature waves appeared on the barrier before disappearing not long

barrier had absorbed the

direction of where the ripple centered, my brows furrowed

"They've started the siege…"

***