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 gun in his hand, he couldn't help but curse

"Bloody hell!"

the one that

on this

Perhaps we can go ask the dwarves for things that can be

guns, I do think that the way that Leopold held onto the gun

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

hands next time and keep your feet planted

it, he still needed a lot of practice before using the gun properly. If every time he shot

wrist, Leopold nodded his

I need to

"...Mhm."

the barrier that had now

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

dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier,

the

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

"…Thought so too."

box in Leopold's direction,

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

U, it

was a

the cores gained from beasts and monsters could be turned into powder which

I had quite a lot of bullets on me was because I traded them for the core of the

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

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

could only be created by the dwarves as humans were

why humans didn't

at most create bows or other relatively simpler

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

humanity had only been exposed to mana for less

on the

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

my body and head.

next to me, caught

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

him, I

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

my teeth, Leopold's voice was

blurred slightly

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

rebalance myself, I reassured

"Ren, are you okay?"

but I'm

head,

my head suddenly started to hurt. Probably

away and carefully looked at

time, you should probably

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

forced a smile and stood

pain left as fast

longer asked about my

looked at the entrance of the tower in the

check on the others

"...got it."

need anything, tell

nod, Leopold

back, the smile on my face disappeared as my brows

'What was that?'

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

Though I couldn't explain it, it

in

I thought about it, the deeper my frown

wrong with me? Or was this

wasn't sure, but I sure hoped that it was

—Booom!

then that an explosion suddenly sounded.

head and staring in the direction of where the sound originated from, I saw a faint ripple appear on the enormous barrier

waves appeared on the barrier before disappearing not

that the barrier had absorbed

where the ripple centered, my

"They've started the siege…"

***