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..."

a groan. Once he managed to rebalance himself, staring at the gun in his hand, he

"Bloody hell!"

one that held onto

on this

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

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

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

both hands next time and keep

using the gun properly. If every time he shot this happened, there was no use in him

massaging his wrist, Leopold

right; I need to

"...Mhm."

that had now enveloped

are planning on using the barrier, you've got

keeping the barrier, I estimated that

until the

barrier because of the weather. So we've got till it stops

"…Thought so too."

box in

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

expensive that if converted into U, it would total around

expensive, but there was a

and 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

it to Angelica, but at the mere mention

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

could only be created by the dwarves as humans

also why humans didn't have guns as of

most create bows or other relatively

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

all, humanity had only been exposed to mana for

Leopold on the shoulder,

"Take good care o—Ukkk."

and head. My knees buckled,

to me, caught me by the

"Wow, Ren, you okay?"

He worriedly asked.

for him, I

"Ugh..."

"Ren? Ren?!"

Leopold's voice was faint in my

vision blurred slightly as

last for long as I

moment to rebalance myself, I reassured

"Ren, are you okay?"

I'm now

onto my head, I

just that my head suddenly started to hurt. Probably didn't

put the gun away and carefully

you should probably get

"Yeah..."

"You okay, now?"

"Yeah, no problem."

smile and

as fast as

longer asked about my

the bullets away, he looked at the entrance of the tower in

check on the others

"...got it."

need anything, tell

a simple nod, Leopold

Leopold's back, the smile on my face disappeared

'What was that?'

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

it, it

what in the

more I thought about it, the

there something wrong with me? Or was this really something due to my

sure, but I sure hoped that it was the

—Booom!

suddenly sounded. Following this, the whole

sound originated from, I

the whole barrier, miniature waves appeared on the barrier before

to me that the barrier had absorbed the attack from

direction of where the ripple

"They've started the siege…"

***