Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Translator: Penny
Chapter 32: This Isn't a Gun, It's a Staff
Episode 32: This Isn't a Gun, It's a Staff [1]
Wiiiiiiiiing.....!!
From the back of the silver-white armor, gray flames matching Baek Sia's eye color erupted from what appeared to be either air intake or exhaust vents.
With the addition of gray highlights to the massive, two-meter-tall frame, it felt like witnessing the birth of a true masterpiece—one that would send firepower enthusiasts into raptures. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
Something seems different from the original work.
In the original story, Baek Sia's armor... well, it wasn't the knight-like figure sweeping through enemy lines. Instead, it was optimized for a Ranger and second-line Striker, providing long-range artillery support to the protagonist.
Looking at the armor Baek Sia was currently wearing, I couldn't see any cannons for bombardment. It truly felt like just the armor itself.
"I've only made the Base Model for now! Later, I plan to add separate parts to enable three Form Changes: long-range, Defender, and Striker."
Ah, so this armor is... the Base Model.
Clank... Hiss...!!
With a burst of steam, the armor dissolved into a shimmering cloud and vanished. Only then did Baek Sia, clad in her Raon Academy gym uniform, greet me.
"This Mithril is incredibly strong! I can even equip it like this, transforming with my ability... Oh! And I discovered something else..."
"You certainly have a lot to say about machines."
Baek Sia, without pausing for breath, rattled off the advantages of her newly crafted mech like she was writing a report. This reminded me of a crazy friend from my university entrance exam days who had famously declared, "Studying is fun, so why the long face?" before going on to attend KATUIST, South Korea's top engineering university.
Anyway, to summarize Baek Sia's points...
First, she seemed to have created a mech with performance superior to the original, and on her very first attempt.
Second, the process hinted at a very bright future for her. She planned to purchase materials later to create parts tailored to each type of mech.
Finally, even after setting aside the Mithril for Eve, a substantial amount remained.
enough to produce ample additional parts for Baek Sia's mech.
"Excellent. Now that you've received your reward, I believe it's your turn to fulfill my request."
"Ah! If there's anything you want, I'll do everything I can! Except for the mech and my life, of course...?"
No, if you're going to offer your life so readily, I'll start feeling guilty...
As soon as the discussion about the mech ended, I showed Baek Sia, who had immediately reverted to her usual self, a blueprint.
"Is this... a magazine-less pistol?"
"No, it's not a pistol. Could you look into my eyes for a moment?"
I lightly cast a Suggestion on Baek Sia, implanting a hallucination that allowed her to visualize the concept I was about to explain as if it were augmented reality. With a duration of only about a minute, I needed to explain quickly.
"It'll look like a pistol, but the entire thing—from the wick to the outer casing—will be made of ultra-high-purity Mithril. I need it to be incredibly durable, capable of withstanding any magic I cast. That's my top priority. And since we'll be engraving a high-level Spell Formula, the overall Mana efficiency needs to be excellent too. Do you think that's possible?"
Given the detailed design specifications, Baek Sia assured me she'd have an answer in five minutes.
"Oh, and you asked me to save the Mithril for the Chairwoman's Staff, right?"
"Just use the leftover Mithril. Don't worry about that. If the Staff meets my standards, I'll give you all the remaining Mithril to make parts for the Striker."
"R-really?! I'll make it as efficient as possible!"
Hearing about the additional Mithril, Baek Sia practically vibrated with excitement. Still in her suit, she dashed off, her enthusiasm palpable.
Hmm... It would be much easier to operate the furnace with machines. Did she really put on that suit and dive into the furnace just to manually control every tiny detail?
Instead of using machinery to control the furnace, she was moving around inside it herself, wearing the suit. What kind of absurd durability is that?
Information
Name: Baek Sia
Age: 18
Alignment: Inquisitive, Mad
Skills List
Genius Blacksmith (A)
Greatly increases the chance of critical success when crafting and enhancing weapons.
Craft Master (S)
Allows you to materialize a perfect understanding of structures. Grants additional combat effects when using creations you've personally crafted.
Stats
(Currently enhanced by Craft Master (S) due to wearing the Battle Suit MK.1)
Strength: B
Defense: B
Mana: C+
Stamina: B
Agility: B+
Luck: A+
'This is incredible...'
To think these stats were from the bare suit, without any parts equipped...
Most of Baek Sia's stats had been abysmal, among the lowest possible, but the boost from her S-Rank Skill, [ Craft Master (S) ], seemed to have drastically improved her abilities in an instant.
'Should I ask her to make one for me too?'
Well, I can't just summon and dismiss the suit like Baek Sia does, so it probably wouldn't be that useful.
'I should just ask her to make a really good staff for me.'
But it feels like more than five minutes have passed... Why isn't she back yet?
"I... I'm so sorry, Chairman! I only meant to make your staff, but I got carried away and... I kept you waiting for three hours!"
"It's fine. Looks like you went ahead and made all the extra parts yourself?"
Baek Sia approached, carrying enough Mithril to craft Eve's staff.
Judging by the various additional parts attached to the Battle Suit MK.1, she seemed to have crafted components for herself as well.
She must be confident.
I wasn't sure what she'd do if I was dissatisfied, but this was the kind of move only someone with considerable confidence would make.
"You'll be more than satisfied. The design is remarkably simple and well-crafted, making maintenance easy. It's so intuitive that even without fine-tuning, simply channeling Mana will allow you to cast spells with far greater power than usual."
With those words, Baek Sia handed me a pistol.
...Isn't this a Desert Eagle? It looks just like the BB gun I used to play with.
I turned the heavy-looking pistol over in my hands, channeling a thin stream of mana through it to figure out how to use it. Pale violet mana began to swirl around the silver barrel.
As I was crafting this, I finally understood why the Chairman wanted a staff shaped like a pistol. By sacrificing length and making the core thicker, the Mana Amplification rate skyrocketed. Accuracy and other issues can be solved with attachments like the ones I added. Anyway, it's an absolutely brilliant idea! So brilliant, in fact, that I'm even applying it to my gauntlets...
Baek Sia also handed me a small dagger, about the size of a military knife.
["Oh, and... since we had quite a bit of Mithril left over, I made a knife just in case you end up in close combat. I also made some attachments, like a silencer that connects to the core and lets you use it like a sniper rifle... and a few other things..."]
Whoosh!
Swinging the dagger, I found its weight perfectly balanced. Attaching the barrel extension transformed the pistol into a rifle the size of an anti-materiel sniper rifle, accompanied by a mechanical whirring sound. Once again, I marveled at Baek Sia's technical prowess, which pushed the boundaries of engineering.
"This is truly... perfect. Coming to you, Miss Sia, was a stroke of genius."
["Ahahaha... Thank you so much, Chairman."]
Seeing Baek Sia adorably scratching her head while in her armored state, I felt a strange disconnect. Still, I quickly prepared my primary and secondary weapons.
"Engrave the breath of the stars. Paint your form across the heavens, radiant star."
Fwoooosh!
First, I needed to engrave Constellation Magic into this pistol.
I never thought I'd use the Inscription Art Eve taught me like this.
I planned to engrave two constellations onto the pistol's magazine.
To do that...
Crack!
["Chairman?!"]
"The Chairwoman might come running, so be careful."
Since they already knew everything, I casually shattered the earring.
I won't use any of Mephisto's power. I'll channel all my Mana here...!!
I had originally intended to inscribe only one Constellation Magic, but seeing a weapon like this, greed was inevitable.
How could I resist a romantic, lethal weapon that's a pistol but can transform into a sniper rifle in a pinch?
"Sagittarius, Pyxis."
With this, the additional effects I can obtain are...
Item Information
Silver Gun (Name Undecided)
A staff crafted from Ultra-High-Purity Mithril, resembling a pistol. Its stability is compromised by its extreme focus on power, but its destructive potential is immense.
Inscription Information
The effects of Sagittarius and Pyxis have collided, resulting in a new effect being inscribed!
Infallible Hit: All projectiles fired will unerringly strike their intended targets. (Duration: 30 seconds) (Cooldown: 1 hour)
It was a resounding success.
Though I couldn't fully capture the Sagittarius's effects—Infallible Hit and Root Destruction—I'm glad I anticipated that and inscribed the Pyxis's effect alongside it.
The 30-second duration is a bit disappointing, but still, being able to hit the Void with absolute certainty for that long is an immense advantage. I should be content with that.
Now, the name... I need to name it.
Since it's a silver gun...
"Silver. Silver sounds good."
From today on, your name isn't Chunsik anymore. It's Silver.
If I carve this last inscription, I'll probably die from mana exhaustion. I'll save it for tomorrow.
I roughly know what to carve anyway, so tomorrow should be fine...
Goooooo...!!
?!
An immense surge of mana erupted from behind me.
I flinched and turned my head to see...
"S-Sia?"
Eve stood before me, smiling as if she'd teleported, while Baek Sia looked on in bewildered shock.
If I get dragged away like this... I'll never see a good outcome!
"Miss Sia."
"Yes?"
"Don't you need a sparring partner?"
Please save me.