My Dungeon Life – Chapter 1788-1790

Chapter 1788

“So, you see, it’s a very simple rune which absorbs mana and then propels a projectile.” The workshop master finished his presentation.

We were outside at the shooting range, and he had demonstrated an assortment of weapons from a table to his side. He did this all while explaining the various methods used to construct him. It was clear he was very knowledgeable and interested in his craft.

“That’s interesting.” Bernice declared. “So, you can just send out magic? You don’t need to use a bullet at all.”

“While bullets can help adhere the magical power, and you can enchant bullets to increase your strength, a properly made gun doesn’t need ammo at all.” He nodded.

“Good, good!” Bernice nodded as she turned her head, freezing as her eyes landed on a sleeping Celeste. “Hey! Are you listening?”

She kicked Celeste, who awoke with a snort. “Huh? What? Oh… we’re still here.”

“I thought fairies didn’t need to sleep.” The workshop master mused.

“They don’t…” I sighed.

“Are you going to be able to help Sapphire make my weapon?” Bernice demanded. “Or should I just buy one here?”

“Please, after showing me an example of your arms, I’m happy to give you these as a gift. They are our top-of-the-line design.” He gestured to a set of two pistols that looked like flintlocks, but that he had demonstrated earlier had the punch of a powerful lightning spell.

They weren’t just powerful by themselves, but you could pair them up with magically enhanced bullets. There were a dozen different types of ammo that could be added to the flintlock for maximum damage. Each ammo led to a different effect, and this became a type of versatility I didn’t even think a gunslinger could have. She could use ice bullets one minute and switch to a hook shot the next. I had to admit that this lecture was even informative to me, and gave me some ideas.

Bernice flushed as she looked at the weapons, her glare at Celest smoothing for the master. “I couldn’t take that.”

“We’ll take them.” I immediately snatched them up.

“We could probably make better ones.” Celeste yawned. “Just tell me what to enchant.”

The gun master’s lips tightened. He had just handed out his best weapon currently on the market, and Celeste who had never made a gun casually said she could do better. It probably hit at his pride a bit.

“I still can’t believe Celeste is our enchanter.” Sapphire frowned.

“I don’t understand why we should bother with such weapons.” Celeste shrugged. “You can just do the same thing with magic.”

“Not everyone has your magical control!” Bernice snapped.

The only reason I didn’t reel Celeste in was that her boasting was probably true. A fairy had a far better affinity for magic than a human, and she also had a strong affinity for wind, one of the primary components of a proper gun. When combine with Tera’s tinkering and Sapphire’s alloys, I had a feeling the three could create an extremely powerful gun.

“Hmph, if you think guns are so useless, how about I show you what we’re coming up with next!” The master declared.

He seemed to have taken her words as a personal challenge. It looked like he was about to show us something interesting.

Chapter 1789

With his back held high, he led us off the shooting range and to an area that was protected by sensors. After getting us past the door, we ended up in a workshop that was a bit reminiscent of the golem workshop, although it looked a bit tidier.

“Don’t tell anyone I’m showing you this. This is top-line research. Lord Vandeer himself has personally funded this research.” He shot Celeste a challenging look, although she barely acknowledged it.

I smiled and nodded, deciding to keep my mouth shut. He seemed to be trying to prove himself now, and I didn’t want him to change his mind before we got to see the good stuff.

“What is it?” Bernice asked excitedly, not reading the mood.

As a noble, I would have thought she would have caught onto the politics of the situation better, but I guessed she was a bit too excited by the guns. Thankfully, the master seemed to be very pleased by her excitement, even if he was annoyed by Celeste’s lack of reaction. He went to an ominous chest that was sitting on a nearby table, and after tinkering with a lock for a minute it clicked open.

“In essence, a gun is simply a machine that propels something forward rapidly. What it propels forward and how it repels it can change. It’s the projectile nature that matters.”

I wasn’t sure if people who made guns in my world would agree with that sentiment, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. I nodded along with everyone else. Satisfied, he pulled what appeared to be a large gun out of the box. I could feel it resonating with some sort of power. Where the runes and symbols were carved into the form and difficult to see on the manufactured guns, this gun was a lot more blatant. That would make it a test model, likely.

“What does this gun project?” I asked.

“Anti-mana.” He responded with a grin.

I blinked. I had never heard of that name before.

“Anti-mana?” Bernice asked. “You mean like miasma?”

“No.” He shook his head. “One way or another, miasma is just another form of mana. It’s a corrupted form of mana that moves against the flow of this world’s Gaia. It certainly disrupts the flow of mana and causes all kinds of chaos, but it is fundamentally still mana. Anti-mana is the inverse of mana. We had theorized for decades that anti-mana existed, and not too long ago, we were finally able to channel it.”

“So… it destroys mana?” I asked.

“It doesn’t destroy mana.” He responded cockily. “It unmakes mana. It undoes a story. It turns lore into nothing. It nullifies magic.”

“Did you discover it in some kind of dungeon?” I asked.

“Such a thing couldn’t exist in an ordinary dungeon.” He scoffed.

“I still don’t see how that’s impressive.” Celeste sniffed.

He grinned. “Then, I’ll show you.”

He took us to a single-lane range. It was smaller than the outdoor one and seemed designed just for test shots. He put the gun down on a stand and then lined it up. He then put goggles over his eyes. We all crowded around. I was curious what it would do.

“I don’t get it,” I spoke up as he prepared. “Anti-mana… would it destroy the soul?”

“No.” He shook his head. “The body completely blocks the anti-mana stream. It’s completely harmless toward any physical being.”

“Then why…”

“Just watch!” He reached over and clicked a button.

A door opened at the end of the range. There was a moment where nothing happened, and then a small head poked out. It was slowly followed by a small body. Little transparent wings flickered as a fairy cautiously flew from her cage, looking around suspiciously.

“Wait, no!” It only clicked at that second, but he had already pulled the trigger.

Chapter 1790

A stream of energy shot out from the gun. It held no form. I could only see it by how it bent light as it went. It was nearly instantaneous, creating a wide beam that shot down the range. When it struck the fair, her body simply broke apart. It was hard to see from that distance, but I swore I could see a look of horror on her face as she broke into white light, and a few seconds later even the white light snuffed out.

“Wh-what did you do?” Bernice seemed stunned.

He put the gun down and turned around, lifting the goggles from his eyes. “It’s extremely effective against anything mana-based. Solid objects can disperse the effect, but ghosts, fairies, and other mana or soul-based creatures are completely vulnerable. If this struck a dungeon core, the dungeon would be no more. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“No, it’s horrible!” Sapphire declared, her eyes tearing up.

In his excitement, it was the first moment the workshop master realized he wasn’t getting the excited reaction he had been expecting. He glanced at me as if hoping I would understand.

“It’s… a fairy killer,” I said what everyone was probably thinking.

He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not about that. It can do so much more. It would be brutal on a battlefield. A field of anti-mana could nullify any mage. It can kill a variety of monsters.”

“Monsters like that fairy?” Sapphire stepped forward, her face turning slightly angry.

“Fairy?” He blinked. “Is that what you’re upset about. Bah, women! That fairy is no more than an insect. It died for the most important of reasons. It died for exploration and demonstration. You wouldn’t have cared if I had shot a bird outside, don’t let their appearance deceive you.”

He shot me another slightly pleading look as if he was asking me to reel in my women. I couldn’t bring myself to do that though. Deep down, I understood his point of view. Most of Aberis held a similar view. I also knew that Jespain had this view, but it wasn’t my place to interrupt. However, there was a difference between knowing there was injustice and seeing it right in front of you.

“You killed her!” A voice shouted out before anyone could say anything.

The voice surprised us all because it came from the least expected source. The wind picked up in the room, and her voice seemed to echo to the point it was a bit nauseating.

“C-celeste?” I choked out.

“She was completely innocent, and you killed her!” Celeste yelled.

“Lord Deekson, get control of your creature.” The man seemed slightly surprised.

“Control? Control?” Celeste lifted her hand. “Let’s see how you like being squashed like a bug!”

I had never seen Celeste like this before. She was usually happy and carefree. No matter what happened, she always had a smile on her face and worked earnestly. Yet, there was fury on her face, the kind that I was only familiar with because I had seen similar looks from her mother. Her eyes were dark, and energy seemed to spark off her tangibly. She was putting enough pressure on the workshop master that his knees were shaking and he was having trouble standing.

“Celeste, stop!” I ordered.

Her expression relaxed slightly, and she turned to me. The look in her eyes was pitiful. The pressure lightened on the workshop master. He grabbed the gun and ripped it off the stand, turning to point it at Celeste.

“No!”

I shouted as he went to pull the trigger, but a bang sounded out first. The gun flew out of his hands. Bernice had drawn her guns on him and shot the anti-mana gun out of his hands.