New lifestyle 1

"Haam~"

Leonard woke up and stretched his limbs; he then lifted his body just for his head to hit the ceiling of his abode. 

"ouch…"

He looked above the ceiling of his resting place and stood up beside his bed. He realised that he was taller than before. 

"I don't want to rebuild this place…"

Leonard sighed, he was inside a hut. It's the fruit of Leonard and Jai building it together. He softly smiled at such a thing. 

He walked out of the hut and to the open kitchen. 

6 months have passed since then. Leonard had properly mastered a few circles and even tried to recreate circles with scraps of knowledge and he was most of the time successful. 

He was researching circles to even push his knowledge further, closer to the magic circle that Zhar'kerut has given him. Right now, he has deciphered 90-98% of the magic circle. 

He's almost there. After boiling some water Leonard prepared himself some tea. Leaves that were dried from a certain mint bush that he and Jai found. 

After he made some tea he enjoyed the smell that wafted around his nose, and he then started drinking. After he finished his morning routine he pulled a box that was under the hut and sat down. 

What was inside was a gun, it was a specially made gun. For Leonard who has never studied magical engineering, it was hard. It was hard to learn from scratch. However, hard is different from impossible. 

He already made the first generation of his own handheld magic gun. It shoots a 10cm (length not width) beam of light that has enough force as a 9mm round of a physical bullet. 

The problem is internal integrity, Leonard has been being bugged by this problem ever since. After 9 shots the gun became so hot it was just not usable. 

Even though he was already at his third generation of magic gun he is still plagued by the same problem. No matter how much he tinker with the magical circle, the internal components, and the mechanical setting, heat emission was still a problem. 

While magic exists in this world, it still follows the conservation of energy. Excess energy from magical gathering becomes heat. 

So by this time. Leonard already had a different idea of making the magic gun, he already drew the schematics on a piece of paper so he only needed the materials. 

"Leo!"

Leonard heard a sweet voice calling and he turned around. Pure white skin and ice blue hair, her white eyes that shine like the stars incomparable to pearls. 

"Jai!"

Leonard returned the greetings since she was the only Jakari he had ever met and ever conversed with; his feelings for her were more of a family by now. 

"Oh! The magic gun. Right, you're still making that."

Jai spoke in a sullen tone. Leonard returned his focus to the magic gun inspecting the previous generation. 

"Yeah, with this I could come with you without a burden."

Leonard is aware of his weakness, and that's why he decided to build some strength. And about a couple of months ago the Town Chief Warrior had placed a bounty on whoever defeats a Razor Centipede. A dungeon monster below the dungeon. 

The most monstrous insectoid there is below the dungeon. Its razor claws could dig in the ground because it's too sharp, and the scales are so reflective so fighting it with abilities with light is a suicide wish, and it's tough enough to survive the attack of 5 Head warriors. 

Although its monstrosity could be displayed by its outer layer its innards are to be coveted. Its scales could be used as mirrors as well as armour, its flesh could be used as medicinal properties, every inch of it, its organs could have different alchemical properties and best of all the monster core. 

It's mana conductive that's all Leonard knows, but truly that's not it. It could also be used as a material for staff and the effects of the core are truly amazing. Efficiency mana-wise and its efficacy is something to be desired. 

'If I have that I could make tests, but since a monster core in this dungeon is about a metre in diameter I could conduct a few teleportation experiments if I divided it carefully.'

Monster cores needed to be refined to be used as materials within staves but they could also be used like a mana stone. The higher the tier of the monster the pure and much better the core is.

"Do you really need to make that?"

"Yeah, if I could properly make a gun I could help you in any situation."

"Why not use your Mime skills instead of a gun?"

"Good question, I can't replicate something within mimery if I don't know the actual effect of what I'm using."

Leonard had tried to use a bazooka before, but mimery has its limits. Imagination would be nice but if he doesn't know the result of such a thing then it would be useless as the effect desired would be cut in half. Like doing a spell chantless. 

"And besides, Jai, those monsters could feel my presence…" Leonard spoke in a slightly annoyed tone. 

Leonard had tried using his shadow techniques but all fell in vain because every single monster could feel his presence no matter how much he improved himself. 

"Oh yeah, oh by the way." 

Jai hugged Leonard 

"Hm? What's up?" Leonard hugged back. 

"Are you going to teach me how to handle a wooden staff?"

"Ah right!" 

Leonard once saw Jai's Swordsmanship and gave her proper advice on how to wield it, the Jakari race prefers sabres over straight blades like a claymore. 

Nonetheless, thanks to Leonard who previously was a third-rate villain who also handled swords he had enough knowledge to bestow Jai, when she asked if he had more knowledge other than the sword he started teaching Jai daggers, shortswords, spears and wooden staffs. 

Though, unlike the sword, he learned the others through the system in the first iteration. 

"Well, for me to teach you the staff you have to stop hugging me."

"Eh… wait wait, just one more minute."

"Your fang is poking me."

Jakari culture didn't have this kind of hug, they hug only with family, friends not included. So Leonard is quite surprised when she keeps hugging him like that, though he also felt warm as he thought that Jai considers him family. 

After their hug broke off Leonard taught Jai how to handle a wooden staff, some techniques that she has yet to grasp. 

"No, no like this."

Leonard spun the wooden staff on his hands and arm. 

"H-how!" 

Jai screamed frustrated, but she nonetheless tried to follow Leonard's instruction. 

–Bonk!

Jai got hit by the staff in the head, and Leonard couldn't help but laugh at Jai. Jai just looked at Leonard with her brows furrowed. 

"Stop laughing!" she yelled as she kicked Leonard in the shin. 

"Ow!"

Thanks to the racial difference Leonard suffered a hairline fracture on his chin, nonetheless, it was taken care of quickly with a healing spell. 

Leonard stayed with Jai for hours till the surrounding brightness of the dungeon started to get dim. 

"It's about night time. You should go back to the town, the shamans might start looking for you."

"It's okay…" 

Jai stretched her gentle words which made Leonard suspicious, however, he could only see that Jai was nervous. 

"Hm?"

"Can I have a sleepover? I told the shaman in the district that I'll be camping outside."

Leonard looked at Jai closely, she was fidgeting and her eyes were looking at Leonard with worry and anticipation, it was clear that she had a crush on Leonard. Though what kind of a man would Leonard be if he rejected her? 

"You already told the Shaman… it can't be helped then."

Sending her back would make her a fool as well, saying she would camp outside. 

"Though…" 

Leonard leaned toward Jai's ears and whispered. 

"You brought no camping gear, so better come up with a better excuse next time."

Jai blushed from embarrassment after she was caught, Leonard just laughed at her cute behaviour and started preparing for the night.