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, he couldn't help

"Bloody hell!"

his right wrist, the one that held onto the

on this

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

with guns, I do think that the way that Leopold

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

time and keep your feet planted

the gun properly. If every time he shot this happened, there was no

Leopold nodded his

I need to

"...Mhm."

my head and glancing at the barrier that

planning on using the barrier, you've got some

how long the dwarves were planning on keeping the barrier, I

until the

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

"…Thought so too."

in Leopold's direction,

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

converted into U, it would

was

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

of bullets on me was because I traded them for the core

but at the mere mention of it, she threw me

wouldn't be very excited at the prospect of eating another

note, the bullets could only be created by the dwarves

humans didn't have guns

create bows or other relatively

blacksmith but also advanced engineering skills that understood the core

After all, humanity had only been

the shoulder,

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

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

next to me, caught me by the

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

him,

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

voice was faint in my

blurred

did not last for long as

moment to rebalance myself, I reassured Leopold that I was

"Ren, are you okay?"

I'm

onto my head, I painfully

head suddenly started

away and carefully looked

time, you should

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

a smile and stood

left as fast as it

Leopold no longer asked about

the entrance of the tower

on the

"...got it."

need anything, tell

simple nod,

my face disappeared

'What was that?'

because my head was still messed up due to what had

couldn't explain it, it felt as

what in the

thought about it, the deeper my

Or was

sure hoped that it was the latter and

—Booom!

that an explosion suddenly sounded. Following this, the

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

miniature waves appeared on the barrier before disappearing not

appeared to me that the barrier

direction of where the

"They've started the siege…"

***