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..."

back, he let out a groan. Once he managed to rebalance

"Bloody hell!"

one that held onto the

on

it wrong? Perhaps we can go ask the dwarves for things that can

that the way that Leopold held

shot, his hand flung all the way up in the air, and he

try using both hands next time and keep your feet

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

massaging his wrist, Leopold nodded

need to practice

"...Mhm."

glancing at the barrier that

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

dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier, I estimated that we

the weather

not wrong, the dwarves have chosen to erect the barrier because of the weather.

"…Thought so too."

a small box in Leopold's direction, I

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

into U, it would total

but there was

to Malvil, the cores gained from beasts and monsters could be turned into powder which would in turn function as gunpowder. In

me was because I traded them for the core of the Baron

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

wouldn't be very excited

created by the dwarves as humans were incapable of creating them.

why humans didn't have guns as of

could at most create bows or other relatively

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

though. After all, humanity had only

on the shoulder,

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

electric current suddenly ran through my body and head. My knees buckled, and

to me, caught me

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

him, I

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

voice

vision blurred slightly as

did not last for long

to rebalance myself, I reassured Leopold that

"Ren, are you okay?"

but I'm

head,

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

put the gun away

you should probably get

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

forced a smile and stood up

as

sceptical, Leopold no longer asked about my

the entrance of the tower in

on

"...got it."

you need

simple nod,

the smile on my face disappeared

'What was that?'

still messed up due to what had happened at the Monolith, or was it something

it, it felt as though I

in

it,

there something wrong with me? Or was this

hoped that it was the latter and

—Booom!

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

originated from, I saw a faint ripple appear on the enormous barrier

whole barrier, miniature waves appeared on the barrier before disappearing

barrier had absorbed the attack

direction of where the ripple

"They've started the siege…"

***