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 his hand,

"Bloody hell!"

wrist, the one that held

recoil on this

the dwarves for things that

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

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

and keep your feet planted

properly. If every time he shot this happened, there

massaging his wrist, Leopold nodded his head

I need to practice

"...Mhm."

my head and glancing at the barrier that had now enveloped the whole mountain,

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

on how long the dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier, I estimated that we had at

until the

to erect the barrier because of

"…Thought so too."

box in Leopold's

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

converted into U, it would

there was

the cores gained from beasts and monsters could be turned into powder which would in turn function as

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

it to Angelica, but at the mere mention of it, she threw me

even I wouldn't be very excited at the prospect

could only be created by the dwarves as humans were incapable

humans didn't have guns as of

most create bows

advanced engineering skills that understood the core underlying principles of mana,

though. After all, humanity had only been exposed to mana for less

on the shoulder, I

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

suddenly ran through my body and head. My knees buckled, and I almost tripped on

was next to me, caught me

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

for him,

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

voice was

vision blurred slightly

luck, this did not last for long as I

myself, I reassured Leopold that I

"Ren, are you okay?"

but I'm now

head,

that my head suddenly started

gun away and carefully

we have some time, you should probably get some

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

smile and

pain left as fast as

no longer asked about

he looked at the entrance of the tower in

on the

"...got it."

you need anything,

a simple nod, Leopold soon walked

my face disappeared as my

'What was that?'

messed up due to what

it felt as though I had a

what in

about it, the deeper my

Or was this really something due to my

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

—Booom!

explosion suddenly sounded. Following this, the whole

where the sound originated from, I saw a faint

miniature waves appeared

barrier had

direction of where the ripple centered, my brows furrowed

"They've started the siege…"

***