Chapter 85: Chapter 82: What the Hell Is So Powerful?
The moon was hidden on a windy night.
Allen knelt on one knee, lowering his center of gravity into a stable firing stance.
The cold tal of the cheek rest touched his warm skin, its unique sensation making him even calr.
[Optical Zoom] activated.
In his vision, the distant white spire of the administrative center was instantly brought closer.
What was once a blurry white spot was now so clear it seed to be right in front of him.
He could even make out the crumbling stone fragnts in the cracks between the tower’s bricks.
He gently placed the center of the crosshairs over the spire.
[Magic Detection], activated!
In his view, the ordinary-looking spire was suddenly covered in a dense web of magical lines. It was clearly a Rune Array for warning and counter-attack, constantly emitting powerful fluctuations.
With a single thought and an injection of Magic Power, a violent energy beam would erupt, throwing the entire academy into chaos.
Allen’s index finger hovered over the trigger. He slowed his breathing, his arm as steady as a rock.
After half a minute, he slowly lowered the muzzle and exited his aiming stance.
’Better not. I’ll let those Wizards off the hook this ti.’
He calmly disassembled "The Verdict" into several main modules and stored them one by one in his Space Ring.
...
「The next morning.」
The public practice grounds, first basent level, C-7 Long-Range Weapon/Witchcraft Testing Range.
This place was specifically designed for practicing high-powered Witchcraft and Alchemy Tools. It was a thousand ters long, and its walls and target area were reinforced with high-level Energy Absorption Runes, enough to withstand a full-power blow from a First-level Wizard.
When Allen arrived, there were only a few people in the spacious facility, each practicing Witchcraft in their own long, narrow testing lane.
He walked to an independent testing lane on the far right. Each lane was only two ters wide, with a floating virtual target every 100 ters to indicate direction and distance.
He took out the components of "The Verdict" from his Space Ring and began assembling them at a leisurely pace.
The crisp CLICKING sounds were especially clear in the empty testing range, attracting the attention of an apprentice in the next lane.
He was a tall young man nad Kael, wearing the Advanced Apprentice Robe of the Witchcraft School.
He was a bit puzzled when he saw what Allen took out.
’What is that? A special kind of Magic-guided Rifle? It has a short barrel embedded with several crystals. The Alchemy School really cos up with so weird gadgets.’
He shook his head and stopped paying attention, dismissing it as just so freshman from the Alchemy School ssing with another incomprehensible "invention."
He turned back and stretched his hands forward.
"BOOM!"
A fireball the size of a washbasin shot out with a roar, but it grazed the edge of the first virtual target and slamd into the energy shield on the side of the lane. It exploded into a ball of fla, scattering sparks in its wake, which was actually quite a sight to see.
The tall young man’s expression darkened. He’d missed again.
Just then, an extrely faint "HISS" sound was heard.
The sound was soft, like sothing being scorched, completely lacking the roar of Magic being unleashed.
Kael subconsciously glanced over.
He saw Allen half-crouching, holding that strange weapon.
’A misfire?’
The thought had just crossed his mind when his gaze followed the direction Allen was aiming.
In the next second, the expression on Kael’s face froze.
Down the thousand-ter-long lane, all nine virtual light targets had been pierced clean through the center!
On the energy-absorbing wall at the end of the lane, an orange-red spot of light was slowly fading.
There was no explosion, no flash of fire, not even the slightest extraneous ripple of energy.
Only ultimate, pure penetration!
"Wh-what is this?!"
The Advanced Apprentice’s eyes narrowed.
He hadn’t even seen the attack’s trajectory!
anwhile, Allen was imrsed in the data feedback from DSeek.
[First Shot: Energy output 100%. No trajectory deviation. Effective range has reached 1000 ters.]
He adjusted the output power of the "Stabilizing Flow Array" and raised the gun again.
This ti, he switched to the [Thermal and Low-Light Vision Lens].
In his vision, the wall that had just been hit showed a red spot that was slowly cooling—the mark left by the high temperature.
He shifted the muzzle slightly, continuing to aim at the red spot.
"HISS!"
Another soft sound.
The cooling red spot on the wall instantly flared bright again.
Kael’s breath hitched.
’From a thousand ters away, he can hit whatever he aims at?’
’That freshman didn’t even show any fluctuations from sensory-type Witchcraft! What kind of weapon is this?’
’Is this even possible?!’
Allen didn’t stop.
"HISS!!" "HISS!!" "HISS!!"
He fired every five seconds, each shot precisely hitting the red spot.
[Test complete. Data for different output levels recorded. Weapon performance and accuracy et expectations.]
Allen stood up and, with a blank expression, began to disassemble "The Verdict" as if he had just completed a trivial task.
By the ti the apprentice from the Witchcraft School ca to his senses, all he saw was a sowhat slender figure disappearing at the end of the lane.
That afternoon was his master’s "Fundantals of chanical Bodies" class, and Allen arrived at the classroom early.
During the class, Master rcer’s Teaching Golem brought out an item that all apprentices from humble backgrounds would find incredibly familiar.
A scarecrow made of rough wood and straw.
The only thing that suggested any connection to Alchemy Technology was its head, which was made of cheap tin and inscribed with a basic [Magic Detection] cantrip.
When a fluctuation of Magic Power exceeding a certain threshold ca near, its crystal head would flash with light.
"The [Field Guardian], colloquially known as the ’Magic Energy Scarecrow’."
"It is widely used across various agricultural planes to guard against Low-Tier Demonized Beasts. Manufacturing cost: five Low-Level Magic Stones. It is the chanical Body with the lowest technological content in the Wizarding World, bar none."
A slight commotion rustled through the classroom.
The apprentices didn’t understand the point of discussing such a small gadget in an advanced, specialized course.
"Now, for your assignnt." Master rcer’s voice cut through the chatter.
"The ’Guidance Act for Safe Production on Agricultural Planes,’ recently issued by the Myriad Things Alchemy Association, requires all farmland warning units to possess a basic active deterrent capability."
"Your task is to upgrade this [Field Guardian]. The requirent is to enable it to fire a standard-power [Magic Missile]."
"And the most crucial point," the Teaching Golem said, "the upgrade budget per unit cannot exceed ten Low-Level Magic Stones."
"Begin your discussion."
A budget of ten Magic Stones.
The mont that number was announced, the classroom erupted in an uproar.
"Ten Magic Stones? Master, are you kidding?!"
"A single [Magic Missile] spell model Scroll costs fifteen Magic Stones! How is that even possible?"
"And you still have to account for the Energy Source and the firing chanism... This is basically Hell-level difficulty! It’s unsolvable!"
The apprentices burst into discussion, nearly all of them certain that this was an impossible task.
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