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,

"Bloody hell!"

one that held onto the artifact,

on this

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

I do think that the way that

way up

using both hands next time and

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

wrist, Leopold

need to practice

"...Mhm."

head and glancing at the barrier that

the barrier, you've got

dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier, I

until the weather cleared

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

"…Thought so too."

box in Leopold's direction,

you're planning on practicing, please don't carelessly treat the bullets as though they are as easy to get as water. They

if converted into U, it would total around 500,000U per

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

quite a lot of bullets on me was because I traded them

it to Angelica, but at

even I wouldn't be very excited at the prospect of

note, the bullets could only be created by the dwarves as humans were incapable of creating them. At

didn't have

at most create bows or other relatively simpler

engineering skills that understood the

was understandable, though. After all, humanity had only

Leopold on the

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

ran through my body and head. My knees buckled,

to me, caught

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

for him, I couldn't

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

my teeth, Leopold's voice

vision blurred slightly as

my luck, this did not last for

moment to rebalance myself, I reassured Leopold that I was

"Ren, are you okay?"

but I'm now

my head, I painfully

suddenly started to hurt. Probably didn't

put the gun away

have some time, you should probably get some

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

a smile and

left as fast as it

no longer asked about my

the entrance of

check on the

"...got it."

you need

nod,

Leopold's back, the smile on my face disappeared

'What was that?'

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

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

in

I thought about it, the

was this really something due to my

but I sure hoped that it

—Booom!

explosion suddenly sounded. Following this, the whole city

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

throughout the whole barrier, miniature waves appeared on the barrier before disappearing not

the barrier

where the ripple

"They've started the siege…"

***