Chapter 302

Rudra pitched a small canvas tent on the edge of the village. He tied the flap shut to block out the noise of the Orcs packing.

He pulled out his portable alchemy kit. Glass vials, a heavy iron crucible, brass calipers, and a set of precise carving tools clinked against the wood.

He emptied Iris's pouch next to the tools. Several chunks of Mythril. Bars of black iron. A handful of highly refined mana stones.

Rudra cracked his knuckles. He possessed the [Advanced Alchemy Mastery (Lv. 5)] skill and could nearly use the full potential of it through making potions and elixirs or even using it as a crutch for mixing various elements, but he had never worked with metals before. So he was quite concerned whether he would be able to keep his word.

He activated his [Legendary Sage’s Eyes] so as not to mess up. His red pupils started glowing as Rudra decided to go all out, which included utilizing even the [Arcane Arts] of the Witches.

"[Mystic Transmutation]," Rudra said, using the arcane skill he had copied from his High Witch.

[The skill 'Mystic Transmutation (Lv. 1)' has been activated.] 

[Your passive skill 'Intermediate Arcane Mastery (Lv. 3)' has resonated with the Witches' art.] 

[The potency of the Arcane technique will scale directly with your physical stats.] 

[Mystic Transmutation (Lv. 1)]

[Active ]

[An arcane processing skill that forces a material to absorb dense mana, altering its internal structure.

- Can improve the mana conductivity of the material based on the Mana condensed at a rate of 1000 Mana for 1% improvement

- Can improve the durability of the material based on the Mana condensed at a rate of 1000 Mana for 1% improvement

- At the current level only normal-tier and rare-tier materials can be transmuted.

Resource Consumption: 1,000 Mana to activate.

Skill Cooldown: 1hr.]

He flooded the black iron with his overwhelming mana pool as the metal hissed and forcibly upgraded its mana conductivity and durability by 200%. 

Next, he dropped the transmuted ores into his iron crucible. He poured a vial of alchemical solvent over them. 

"[Alchemy Fusion (Lv. 1)]," Rudra said.

[The skill [Alchemy Fusion (Lv. 1)] has been activated.]

[Warning: You are not in an Alchemy facility. Mana cost is multiplied by 10.] 

[Alchemy Fusion (Lv. 1)]

[Active]

[A foundational alchemical metallurgy technique used to combine raw minerals into a new compound. 

- At the current level, it allows the amalgamation of up to 2 distinct materials into a single alloy. 

- The fused metal retains 50% of the original materials' positive magical properties. 

- If the skill is used without proper alchemy facility, the Mana cost is increased by 10 times.

Resources Consumption: 2000 Mana.

Skill Cooldown: 1 hour]

A bright green transmutation circle appeared beneath the iron crucible. It glowed with dense, heavy mana. 

Rudra placed a chunk of Mythril and a bar of enhanced black iron into the crucible. 

He uncorked a vial of specialized alchemical solvent provided by the witches in the [Tower of Miracles] and poured it over the ores. The metals began to bubble. They lost their solid shape, melting down into a swirling pool of silver and black liquid inside the crucible. 

Rudra leaned over the table and activated his [Legendary Sage’s Eyes] so that he wouldn’t make any mistakes. He used a set of heat-resistant alchemical tongs to carefully pour the semi-liquid metal into a temporary clay mold he had shaped based on the blueprint. 

The liquid metal crawled upward. It hardened instantly. A clean, perfectly smooth pistol barrel formed on the table.

Because he wasn’t able to use blacksmithing techniques, the full extent of the metal wasn’t extracted. Thus he used another [Arcane Arts] skill to improve the metal.

"[Arcane Tempering]," Rudra said.

[The skill 'Arcane Tempering (Lv. 1)' has been activated.]

[Arcane Tempering (Lv.1)]

[Active] 

[A high-tier arcane technique that cools the metal with pure liquid mana during the quenching process. 

- Increases the maximum durability by 10%.

- Increases the mana conductivity by 5%.

Resource Consumed: 1,500 Mana

Skill Cooldown: 4 hours]

He flooded the hot metal with pure, freezing liquid mana. The alloy hissed violently. The extreme arcane cold cooled the metal instantly, locking the physical shape in place and granting it the structural integrity of a forged weapon. 

A clean, perfectly smooth pistol barrel sat on the table.

Rudra exhaled. He wiped sweat from his forehead.

Next came the delicate part. He grabbed a mana stone and locked it into a small brass grinding vice. He shaved it down into a fine, glowing blue powder.

He picked up a thin alchemical etching needle. He activated another copied skill , this time from the Tower Master herself

"[Mana Etching (Lv. 1)]," Rudra said.

[The skill 'Mana Etching' has been activated.]

[Mana Etching (Lv. 1)]

[Active] 

[A precise inscription technique used to carve functional mana pathways into solid objects, allowing them to channel magical energy without exploding.

- Allows the carving of basic to intermediate mana circuits.

- Can add specific characteristics to the item based on the item’s durability and mana conductivity

- If the skill is used without proper alchemy facility, the Mana cost is increased by 10 times.

Resource Consumed: 100 Mana to initiate and 10 Mana per second.

Skill Cooldown: 6 hours]

He carved the glowing blue dust over the metal barrel. With his 4000+ agility and dexterity he carved the circuit with terrifying precision. As the blue dust melted into the iron, the previous [Arcane Arts] skills that he used finally started to take effect. 

He formed springs. He formed triggers. He created the intricate, shifting mechanisms required for the weapon to change forms.

Following the blueprint to the letter, he assembled the first gun.

Click.

The parts locked together without a single gap. And he started on the second.

By the time the sun started rising, Rudra finally set his tools down. His hands were trembling, burdened by a mental exhaustion that far outweighed any physical fatigue. But he was done 

Morning arrived. Day two of the preparation phase.

Iris stood outside the canvas tent. She hadn't slept, instead stood there, waiting.

The tent flap pushed open.

Rudra walked out.

He held two heavy, blocky firearms.

He tossed them to her.

Iris caught them . Her hands dipped slightly. They were heavier than her old guns. The silver and black finish was completely smooth. Deep violet mana lines pulsed faintly along the barrels. 

"Try them," Rudra said.

Iris gripped the right gun. She channeled a tiny bit of mana into the handle.

Snick.

The barrel shifted. The metal rearranged itself seamlessly. The grip lengthened. In one second, the pistol transformed into a sleek rifle.

Iris stopped breathing.

She channeled more mana.

Clack. Shhhk.

The rifle barrel locked down. A heavy bipod deployed from the front. A glass scope formed from crystallized mana on top. It was a heavy sniper configuration.

Iris lowered the weapon. Her icy, professional mask finally cracked. Her gray eyes widened. Her mouth parted slightly. She ran her thumb over the smooth receiver.

She shifted it back to a pistol.

Click.

She holstered both guns on her thighs. They fit exactly right.

She looked at Rudra. Her expression tightened back into her usual stoic mask, but her gray eyes were bright. She gave a single, sharp nod.

"Thank you, Guildmaster," Iris said.

Rudra watched her. He opened his system log to look at the crafting result again.

[An unique-rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.]

[An unique-rated item was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +12 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +300.]

He had been fully expecting to create a Epic-rated item at most considering he had never made a gun before. But he hypothesized that his titles such as [Foremost Alchemist], [Creator of Miracles] and [Alchemist Who Transcends Matter] combined with his [Advanced Alchemy Mastery] and [Althea’s Blessing] had allowed him to somehow create Unique-rated items.

[Wick’s Arcane Gun] 

[Unique] 

Durability: 750/750

[Pistol Mode] 

- Attack Power: 580 

- Firing Speed: +15% 

- The Arcane Characteristic [Armor Penetration] is added. 

- Mana consumption while using the weapon is decreased by 25%

- Mode conversion is only possible once every 5 seconds. 

[Rifle Mode] 

- Attack Power: 1,050 

- Firing Speed: -15% 

- The Arcane Characteristic [Armor Penetration] is added. 

- Mana consumption while using the weapon is decreased by 25%

- Mode conversion is only possible once every 5 seconds. 

[Sniper Mode] 

- Attack Power: 3,500 

- Aiming Time: 5 to 30 seconds (depending on distance). 

- Critical Hit Damage is increased by 100%

- Critical Hit Rate +50%

- The Arcane Characteristic [Armor Penetration] is added. 

- Mana consumption while using the weapon is decreased by 25%

- Mode conversion is only possible once every 5 seconds. 

- Cooldown Time: 10 minutes. 

Crafted by the Duke of Stormbreak using Alchemy and Arcane techniques to bring out the extreme potential of the weapon’s Design.

Conditions of Use: Advanced Gun Mastery Level 2 or more and Level 250 or more.]

[Armor Penetration]

[Passive]

[The magic bullets fired from this weapon will deal an additional 70% physical damage. 50% of the target's physical Defense and Armor is completely ignored upon impact.]