The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 60

“Too bad. I got carried away with the excitement and overdid it.”

The bullets I used weren’t ordinary. Though not as pure as mithril armor, each bullet contained mithril powder mixed in and coated, boasting a price and quality that made them almost too valuable to be considered expendable.

Of course, they weren’t entirely expendable. They didn’t have casings or propellant. The incredible penetration and destructive power they displayed came solely from the power of the enchantment based on magic.

If the bullet’s strength couldn’t withstand it, it wouldn’t have shown its power. And if I hadn’t mixed mithril [a rare, strong metal often used in fantasy settings] to increase the amount of magic that could be stored in each bullet, I wouldn’t have been able to unleash such power. Even considering that, it was still an unbelievable force. And that power didn’t come from nothing.

It was possible because I could instantly oxidize the magic inherent in the bullet—including the magic for forming the enchantment and the magic that mithril inherently contained—and convert it into power.

Even if I went down the barrier to scavenge the monster’s corpses and recycle the bullets, they would be riddled with holes and have a strength worse than scrap iron.

But it’s okay. I just need to be more careful in the future. In any case, there were plenty of bullets in my subspace that, while not as good as the ones I just used, could still instantly kill most high-level monsters, so I wouldn’t run out of ammunition at a crucial moment.

‘Winter, just let winter pass.’

Even I didn’t want to head to the monster territory in the dead of winter. No matter how diligently I prepared, the difference in power between me and that thing was too vast to bridge. If the surrounding environment was also unfavorable to me in that situation, the result would be obvious. To add even the slightest chance of success, I needed to avoid winter at least.

#

The Terra Barrier was a place where you couldn’t find any interaction with the outside world, no matter how hard you looked. It was more isolated than anywhere else in the Empire. Therefore, the moment even a small topic of conversation arose, it was like a spark igniting a wildfire on a dry mountain, spreading rapidly.

I was the center of attention.

It couldn’t be helped. Yesterday’s events were the result of years of my time and money that even wealthy nobles would hesitate to invest. As such, for me, yesterday’s outcome was, in a way, expected, or even slightly disappointing.

But how would it look to others who didn’t know the inside story? Admiration, shock, awe, and so on. And by the time those emotions subsided, they would be curious about how such a thing was possible. Their interest would inevitably focus on the unfamiliar object they had never seen before.

Of course, even though time had passed, no one asked me about [Fangs]. No one even vaguely inquired, which was the result of my established position and the unwritten rule that one shouldn’t ask about a mage’s personal research.

“You never cease to amaze me. Is that the blade you’ve prepared to cut off its breath?”

“I don’t know if it’s a famous sword that can cut even steel or a rusty sword that can’t even cut a thread, but at least it will be enough to inflict pain on it.”

The testing continued after that. As expected, even mass-produced steel bullets, not just the special bullets made to fight it, were sufficient to kill high-level monsters. And perhaps thanks to the mithril I poured in without sparing any expense, the barrel showed solid durability and high reliability without even a slight distortion, despite the continuous injection and discharge of magic.

After thoroughly honing [Fangs] through two Blue Alerts and one Yellow Alert over the course of a week, the process of sharpening [Claws] was even more spectacular and impressive, but also more dangerous than ever.

Unlike [Fangs], which had a long range and high penetration but lacked destructive power unless aiming for vital points—though it depended on the enchantment engraved on the bullet, the destructive power was inevitably lacking compared to the penetration power due to its purpose—[Claws] had a short range, normal penetration, and high destructive power.

What does this mean? Unlike before, when I had enough distance, a safe situation, and time to recover from a mistake, holding [Claws] meant I had to engage in close combat like the knights who were facing monsters and wielding brightly colored swords even at this moment.

Kuaaaa-

How long has it been since I faced monsters rushing to kill people up close, unrestrained? In my past life, there was a saying: [Die, you demon, with lead bullets or whatever.]

Not exactly the same, but I created [Claws] based on a firearm that the person who said those words admired. The power was definitely not lacking either. It had a structure where, once the bullet penetrated, small bullets dormant inside would cause a secondary explosion.

“Die, you demon, with lead bullets or whatever.”

The bullets I was firing weren’t lead bullets, and the target wasn’t a demon, but what was a demon anyway? To the people here, monsters were already demons, or even more than that, so it wasn’t wrong.

Thud-

Long ago, the best I could do with my strongest attack was to momentarily stop it. A magical beast with impressive crackling electricity from its two horns, a Behemoth.

Back then, even when a bullet hit the space between its horns, the time I could affect the Behemoth was very short. If Duke Zeke hadn’t appeared at the right time to cut off its head, it would have tried to break down the barrier as if nothing had happened.

But it’s different now. Not the head, but the knee. Taking advantage of the fact that there were two barrels, I poured firepower in an instant, and the huge body that seemed like it would never bend knelt down. The area was the area, so it didn’t lead to death, but I could see it.

The secondary bullets that popped out from the primary bullet were accumulating various status effects on its body, such as fire, electricity, ice, and decay.

Perhaps the monster had lost its mind from the pain, as only the residual tremors of its muscles could be felt, and it didn’t move. However, the white breath coming out of its mouth told me that it was still alive, and in response, I fed it another bullet to its head, shattering its skull and causing brain fluid to flow out.

“Hoo.”

A foul smell stings my nose. It was the same above the barrier, but now that I’ve come down below the barrier, I can’t let my guard down for even a moment. If I lose focus even for a moment, monsters will rush at me from all directions. That’s why I wanted to lie down, close my eyes, but I moved my feet again. There were still guys waiting in line for bullets to be lodged in their bodies.

#

“That was quite a dangerous act.”

“The battle with it will be a long one. At least in the scenario where I win, there’s no one to protect me, so if I don’t want to be torn apart by its claws, it’s the obvious thing to do.”

“But it’s not a bad decision.”

After I returned to the Terra Barrier, Duke Zeke and I often had quite a few conversations. Whether there was any information about that thing during that time, whether there would be any repercussions on the Terra Barrier if I failed, and so on. It was the same now.

“Come find me every morning from now on. If that’s your judgment, I’ll train you myself.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m getting help from others, and I can’t take up your time with my personal matters…”

“No, no. Others won’t move sincerely because of your reputation. Besides, it’s embarrassing to really use force on a mage. How can you train like that? And personal matters? Whether you succeed or fail in your revenge, it will inevitably have some impact on this place. So there’s no need to refuse.”

“…Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

It’s not a bad offer. I was in a situation where it was ambiguous to ask for help because I didn’t know anyone. Besides, mediocre people might not be of much help. If someone like Duke Zeke is willing to help, wouldn’t it be something to be grateful for?

I finished the conversation and returned to my room, but my day wasn’t over. Because there was someone pacing anxiously in front of my room with tense steps.

“Great Disciple! You’ve arrived!”

“Who is it?”

“Ah, my name is Armin. If it’s not too much trouble, could you spare some time?”

A face I’ve never seen before, a name I’ve never heard before. The estimated age is similar to mine or a little younger? It’s been over a week since I arrived at the Terra Barrier, but no one has come to me for personal matters. If it was a public matter, Guillaume would have come as he has done so far, or the leaders of other squads. I let the young mage named Armin into the room.

“Drink.”

“Th, thank you!”

“So, what’s the reason you wanted to see me?”

I was curious. Frankly speaking, the presence I felt from the mage in front of me wasn’t that great. Rather, no matter which of the mages at the Terra Barrier you put next to Armin, it would be difficult for Armin to get ahead.

But he came to me. I knew very well how great my reputation was. That it made it difficult for others to treat me easily. Nevertheless, Armin came to me. A mage located at the very end of the Terra Barrier, which is even called the final destination because he has nothing.

“Please take a look at this.”

A fairly thick stack of documents is placed on the table. But before reading the documents, I sent out magic power to check them first. When I was in the capital, there were guys who envied and envied me and tried to cast curses in this way. But judging from the fact that I didn’t feel any magic power, it didn’t seem like reading it would harm me.

Flap- Flap-

I slowly read through the documents. Armin watched me with an anxious face, wondering what my reaction would be. The research materials boasted considerable solidity, as if he had been researching for quite a long time.

“What circle are you?”

“I’m a 3rd circle mage.”

“Hmm.”

I expected it. Even if the people who come to the Terra Barrier are so-called ‘dropouts,’ they don’t just send anyone. At least 3rd circle. That’s about the minimum to be able to do one person’s job.

‘Looking at the research content alone, it’s not at the 3rd circle level?’

If you only look at the theory, it wouldn’t be enough to give it more than that. Of course, there were many shortcomings because it was only built up with theory, and it means it’s okay at Armin’s level. As for me now, I could find dozens of loopholes in an instant. But the direction of the research itself was worthy of applause.

“…Is this your own result?”

“Ye, mostly. I’ve received help from other seniors since I came here, but I’ve done almost all of it myself.”

As I continued to read the documents, Armin began to speak in an excited state, thinking that I was interested.

“I was only doing research, and I wasn’t even thinking about actually creating it, but after seeing the Great Disciple’s battle, I thought you would recognize my achievements. Isn’t it groundbreaking? If we can stably supply it, monsters will no longer be enemies of humanity.”

“What’s the name?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean the name of this research. You must have set a tentative name, right?”

“…I’m temporarily calling it Titan, the Titan Project.”