Chapter 52 — Blue Fire in the Steel

Late morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the border-town inn. Outside, the streets remained subdued, the tension of the closed border hanging over every corner like a low fog.

On the wide bed, two women still slept deeply. Lyra lay on the right side, Silvia on the left, their heads resting where Ren’s arms had been, hands still lightly placed on his chest even in sleep. Their breathing was slow and even, bodies relaxed after the long night.

Ren had woken earlier and carefully slid his arms free without disturbing them. He now sat on the sofa near the window, completely focused on the blue interface of the system. He no longer bothered to hide the glowing panels; they were one step from the border, and the few people who might see anything unusual were either soldiers or citizens too preoccupied with the coming war to care about a quiet traveler in an upstairs room.

He scrolled through the manufacturing options until the familiar blueprint appeared.

**Magical AK-47 (MAK-47)**

Materials required:

- Special Hardwood ×1

- Weapon Fragment ×1

- Rank D Magic Stone ×1

- Rank D Mana Stone ×1

He had everything.

A sharp flicker of genuine excitement moved through him. A modern firearm that ran on mana instead of powder, capable of punching through the defenses of this world — that was a qualitative leap. Once the first MAK-47 was successfully crafted, the entire magical firearms section of the shop would unlock for future purchases.

Ren selected the confirmation option without hesitation.

The required materials vanished from his inventory in a brief pulse of light. A new weight settled into the storage space, and a notification confirmed the creation.

**MAK-47 manufactured successfully.**

Cost of final assembly and system calibration: 125 gold coins

**Remaining Balance: 800,975 gold coins**

He immediately summoned the weapon into his hands.

The MAK-47 was slightly heavier than a standard AK-47. Its body was matte black, almost absorbing the light, but thin lines of vivid blue energy ran along the barrel, the receiver, the curved magazine, and the stock, glowing with a cold, steady light. The design was unmistakably that of an AK, yet the luminous circuits made it look like something pulled from a different era entirely.

Ren opened the detailed description.

**MAK-47 — Magical Assault Rifle**

- Power source: Operator’s mana

- Ammunition: Condensed pure-mana projectiles

- When safety is engaged, the blue glow fades and the weapon becomes inert.

- When switched to any firing mode (semi or automatic), the circuits reignite in blue.

- Rate of fire and effective range equivalent to a standard AK-47.

- Continuous fire beyond the normal sustained limit causes the glowing strips to shift from blue to red, indicating imminent overload / overheat. The weapon must then be allowed to rest until the circuits return to blue.

- Mana projectiles can pierce heavy knight plate and the magic shields of mages up to approximately Level 90 with relative ease. Effectiveness scales with the density and purity of the operator’s mana.

Ren turned the rifle over in his hands, feeling the balanced weight and the faint hum of stored energy. The desire to test it against real armor or a living shield was almost physical. He forced himself to store it again. There would be opportunities soon enough.

He rose and gently woke the two women. Lyra muttered and stretched, ears twitching. Silvia opened her violet eyes more quickly, the usual composure returning even though a faint residual softness remained when she looked at him. They took turns with a quick bath using heated water from the inventory, dressed, and left the inn together.

The weapon shop was already open. The old blacksmith stood behind the counter; the lower-grade pieces had been returned to the shelves, while the higher-quality arms were nowhere in sight — either claimed by the guild or already taken by knights. The old man looked up as they entered and gave a short nod.

“Your coin is ready at the guild. I’ll walk with you and release it.”

He stepped outside, placed a glowing magical lock on the door, and fell into step beside them. As they walked the quiet streets he spoke more freely than the day before.

“If you plan to stay in this town any longer, keep the wolf girl out of sight as much as possible. Feelings are running high because of the war. Most people here won’t treat her kindly.”

Ren inclined his head.

“Thank you for the warning.”

A short distance later he asked about the slave auction scheduled for that evening.

The old man snorted.

“Nothing special. The trader is dumping stock so he can leave town with fewer mouths to feed. He’ll take the better ones to another city where the prices are higher. If you’re still interested, go to the address on this note after sundown and show the letter I gave you. They’ll let you in.”

He handed Ren a small slip of paper with a location scrawled on it.

They reached the Adventurer’s Guild. The old man led them to a side room and told them to wait. Fifteen minutes later he returned carrying a heavy wooden chest. He set it on the table and held out his hand for the collection letter from the previous day. Ren passed it over. The old man placed the letter on the lid of the chest.

The paper dissolved into motes of light, and the lock clicked open with a soft metallic sound.

Ren’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He glanced at Lyra and Silvia, but both women looked completely unsurprised, as if such a method of releasing funds was ordinary in this world. He filed the reaction away and stored the entire chest directly into his inventory. A quick check of the system confirmed the addition.

**Previous balance after MAK-47:** 800,975 gold coins

**Weapon sale:** +100,000 gold coins

**Current Total: 900,975 gold coins**

The old man then gave him a second letter — formal permission to attend the evening auction — along with the exact address. Ren thanked him, and the three of them left the room.

On the way out, Ren paused in front of the large wall map of the border region. He committed every relevant detail to memory: roads, fortifications, unmarked paths, and the position of the final fortress that sealed the way into Fenrisgard. Only then did they exit the guild.

They returned to the same inn and booked the room for one additional night. The innkeeper, still looking ready to abandon the town at any moment, accepted the coin without comment.

Back inside the familiar second-floor room, Ren closed the door and set the new letters on the small table. Outside, the border town continued its uneasy wait for war. Inside, three people now possessed a fortune in gold, a newly forged magical assault rifle that glowed with blue circuits, and the knowledge that **this evening’s auction** might offer one more opportunity before they attempted the closed border.

Ren sat on the sofa again, the image of the MAK-47 still clear in his mind — black steel and living blue light, waiting for the moment it would finally speak in combat.

The day was only beginning.