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 let out a groan. Once he managed to rebalance himself, staring at the gun in

"Bloody hell!"

his right wrist, the one that

recoil on this

held it wrong? Perhaps we can go ask the dwarves

do think that the way that Leopold held onto the gun

way up in the air, and he was

next time and keep your

before using the gun properly. If every time he shot this happened, there

Leopold nodded

need

"...Mhm."

the barrier that had now enveloped the whole mountain,

on using the barrier, you've got some time

on keeping the barrier, I estimated that we

the

wrong, the dwarves have chosen to erect the barrier because of the

"…Thought so too."

in Leopold's direction,

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

expensive that if converted into U,

but there was a reason

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

lot of bullets on me was because I traded them for the

thought of giving it to Angelica, but at the mere mention

after all, even I wouldn't be very

bullets could only be created by the dwarves

didn't have

most create bows or other relatively simpler

guns didn't only require a skilled blacksmith but also advanced engineering skills

though. After all, humanity had only been exposed

on the

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

me off, an electric current suddenly ran through my body and

who was next to me, caught me by

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

for him, I couldn't

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

teeth, Leopold's voice was

blurred slightly as

not last for long as

I

"Ren, are you okay?"

I'm now

onto my head, I

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

the gun away and carefully

we have some time, you should probably

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

smile

left as fast as it

no longer asked about my

bullets away, he looked at the entrance of the tower

on

"...got it."

you need

nod, Leopold soon

smile on my face disappeared as my

'What was that?'

what had happened at the

it felt as though I had a

in

thought about it, the deeper my

Or was this really

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

—Booom!

an explosion suddenly sounded. Following this,

direction of where the sound originated from, I saw a faint ripple appear on the

appeared on the barrier before disappearing

me that the barrier had absorbed the attack

where the ripple

"They've started the siege…"

***