Ezra was quite happy with his purchase although the price seemed a bit steep. However, his thoughts were still drifting toward the enchanted weapons the merchant was so unwilling to sell. “You said the enchanted firearms you have are a gift for someone. Mind telling me who they’re for?” Ezra enquired, expecting the merchant to loosen his tongue now that he had become a paying customer. Kung Lee however frowned at this question. “That is none of your business, young one. If you’re done shopping, you may leave.” “Your arrogance will come back to bite you someday. I am Lord Ezra Romanov, and you are a foreigner in Aranor,” Ezra stated, staring daggers at the merchant. “I have the protection of the merchants’ guild, and you are not the only noble who is interested in my wares,” Kung Lee replied with an air of condescension. “I only decided to entertain you because you were a guest of Mr. Yarpin, but I really detest your company. Now leave before I get sick of staring at your deformed f

As Ezra peeked around the corner and fixed his eyes on the monster, his system panel flickered into life, highlighting a new objective. [New shooting objective acquired: Kill the Heragore without taking any damage.] Ezra watched as the Heragore pinned the straw dummy to the ground and started ripping out its innards using its razor-sharp claws. The monster voraciously devoured the raw sausages stuffed inside the dummy, paying no heed to its surroundings. “It’s distracted. Now’s our chance!” Aurelia vaulted over the mining cart and fired her weapon. The magic bullet struck the Heragore in the head, putting out one of its eyes. As blood trickled down its wounded face, the Heragore shrieked in pain and backed away from the dummy. Ezra quickly sprung out of cover and fired at the monster before it could make a move. However, all the magic bullets fired from his Larkin and Hops five-shot revolver missed the target as his hand swayed from side to side. Ezra’s trembling fingers made it

Ramel had already returned home in the evening with a positive reply from the adventurers’ guild. And seeing that his siblings hadn’t come back yet, he had even insisted on going out to look for them, but Lord Sebastian had denied his request. This little victory had pleased Ramel immensely. He was now thoroughly under the impression that he was the best when it came to political negotiations and forging alliances. Lord Sebastian however, knew that nothing could be further from the truth. Having thanked his son, he had sent him off to his room so that he could spend the rest of the night freely. When Ezra and Aurelia finally returned it was already past nine. Lord Sebastian was pacing the hallway when he saw Aurelia entering with something hanging from her hand. “What took you so long? And what is that thing you’re—” Lord Sebastian stopped midway as Aurelia placed the Heragore’s severed head on the wooden table. “This one was hiding in the Kasari mine, so we decided to help the mi

Ezra was thrilled to level up so quickly. Not only had he advanced to a level E Gunsmith, but also acquired a new Gunsmithing skill. The enchanted six-shooter now looked a lot different from the one the Rodels had brought for him. The customized grip added a smoky white coloration to it and made it stand out from an ordinary revolver. Although the glyphs remained engraved on the revolver, they glowed much brighter than before. Even the mid-section of the gun looked different due to the addition of a new cylinder. “The notched ebony grip will make it easier for you to hold the weapon with trembling hands, and it will help you handle the recoil much better as well,” Marlin explained, while Ezra continued gazing at the modified revolver. “What about the cylinder?” he asked. “The swing-out cylinder will allow you to reload six bullets simultaneously into your revolver instead of restocking them one by one. This will cut down your reloading time in half,” Marlin replied. “These might

Aurelia welcomed Yarpin with kind words and took him to the table where the maids and attendants had already laid the silverware and were waiting with towels and kerchiefs. The guild master of the adventurers’ guild walked up the stairs with a resolute air and greeted Lord Sebastian with a half-bow. “Welcome to our humble home, Black Viper,” Lord Sebastian said, greeting the adventurer with a firm handshake before pulling him into an embrace. “It’s good to see you haven’t let the years catch up to you, Lord Sebastian. And please, you may call me by my real name. Only the commoners and rookies call me Black Viper,” the man replied. “Very well, Lester,” Lord Sebastian replied with a polite smile. As Lester let go of Lord Sebastian’s hand, he immediately turned his gaze to Ezra. “I was there at the training arena. You tried well, boy. There’s no shame in failing.” Ezra did not understand whether Lester was trying to genuinely sympathize with him or further rub salt into his wounds.