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 managed to rebalance himself, staring at the gun in his hand, he couldn't help

"Bloody hell!"

wrist, the one that held onto the artifact, he softly

on this

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

guns, I do think that the way that Leopold held

the way up in the air, and he

next time and

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

wrist, Leopold nodded his head in

I need

"...Mhm."

barrier that had now enveloped the whole mountain,

on using the barrier, you've got some

keeping the barrier, I estimated that

the weather

I'm not wrong, the dwarves have chosen to erect the barrier because of

"…Thought so too."

in Leopold's direction,

you're planning on practicing, please don't carelessly treat the bullets as though they are as

U, it would

was a reason

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

a lot of bullets on me was because I traded them for the core of the Baron ranked demon that

Angelica, but at the

I wouldn't be very excited at the

dwarves as humans were incapable of creating

humans didn't

bows

skilled blacksmith but also advanced engineering skills that understood the core

After all, humanity had only been exposed to mana for

Leopold on the shoulder, I

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

body and head. My knees buckled, and I almost tripped on the

next to me, caught

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

him, I couldn't

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

voice was faint in my

vision blurred

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

rebalance myself, I reassured Leopold that I was

"Ren, are you okay?"

but I'm

onto my head, I

my head suddenly started to hurt. Probably

gun away

time, you should

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

a smile

pain left as fast as it

longer asked

looked at the entrance of

go check on the

"...got it."

you need anything, tell

a simple nod,

the smile on my face disappeared as

'What was that?'

up due to what had happened at the Monolith, or

was somewhat familiar. Though I couldn't explain it, it felt as though I had a

in

thought about it, the deeper my

wrong with me? Or was this really something due to

hoped that it was the latter and

—Booom!

that an explosion suddenly sounded. Following this,

from, I saw a faint ripple appear

the whole barrier, miniature waves appeared on

barrier

the direction of where the

"They've started the siege…"

***