Fire test

Since the convoy was parked outside the small town, it was easy to find an open field to do the tests.

Atlas carefully placed the box on the ground while Basgran and the elf followed him just to observe.

'Well... let's see'

Atlas opened the box and looked at the rifle in silence before carefully picking it up with his slightly trembling hands. Before he hadn't had a chance to study it up close, so now was his chance to discover everything he could.

The first muskets were slow to load and were ineffective, but over time they evolved until they could be fired several times in a single minute. But Atlas did not know if gunpowder existed or how to make it, but being a world where magic predominates, he assumed that the musket would not be like a traditional one.

In the same box, there were three light red cylindrical-shaped objects. Atlas put the rifle back in the box and took one of the three small cylinders. Upon touching it, he immediately felt mana flow inside the cylinder.

'A mana core?'

Although its shape was different, it was indisputably a mana core. It had been cut with great care and polished into such a shape.

'This... fits perfectly here'

With every second he spent studying the rifle, Atlas slowly began to understand how it really worked.

There was a compartment in the area where the charger usually used to go, where the cylindrical-shaped mana core fit perfectly.

'So it uses mana cores as ammunition?'

With some nerves, Atlas raised the rifle again, resting its muzzle on the ground to load the mana core inside. Apparently, it was still a prototype since it was somewhat difficult to insert the mana core.

Atlas raised the rifle and looked at it from the side. Nothing had changed on the outside, but the only way to know if it worked correctly was to test it.

Taking a deep breath, Atlas raised the rifle with some feigned difficulty. He was more than used to shooting from when he participated in the war, but he couldn't do it so normally in front of Basgran.

Keeping the stock under his shoulder for comfort and accuracy, he closed his right eye and pointed toward a distant tree.

His trembling finger touched the trigger and he felt its cold surface for a few seconds before with a little force, he plunged it in.

It was almost instantaneous, the mana core inside exploded from the complex mechanism of the rifle and a light red light of the same color as the mana core shot out from inside the rifle.

BOOOOM

An explosion was heard from the muzzle of the rifle, leaving Atlas slightly stunned for a few seconds before he looked at the tree he had aimed at.

There, the bark of the tree was slightly destroyed and there was a circular mark that pierced just a centimeter into the trunk of the tree.

Atlas lowered the rifle without taking his eyes off the wound in the tree.

'It's a damn rifle...'

Unlike today's firearms, the rifle in his hands did not have greater piercing power, but mostly had an explosive impact.

"It was incredible" Basgran approached Atlas applauding. "You really figured out how to use the weapon"

Atlas turned and looked at the dwarf who had a small smile on his face.

"…Yes, although it does not have a very difficult mechanism"

Really anyone could have learned how to use the rifle if they took some time to study it. Only, Atlas wanted to verify that it really was a rifle, and now that he had confirmed it, his head was full of doubts.

"It's like doing magic, but without creating a spell" Basgran approached the box and took one of the mana cores cut into a cylindrical shape. "This would allow non-mages to use something resembling magic"

Atlas opened his eyes in surprise and quickly fell into his own thoughts.

'It's true... with a firearm that uses mana cores to fire, anyone could use something similar to magic'

Atlas still didn't know the inner workings of the rifle, but somehow the mana contained within the mana core was expelled with enough force to cause damage even from tens of meters away.

The only problem was ammunition, and mana cores were difficult to modify, making each shot valuable and expensive.

"Thank you for helping me with this" Basgran said, putting the core back in the box.

"No… I was also a little curious"

Carefully, Atlas put the rifle back in the box and took a few steps away. Then, Basgran indicated something to the elf behind him, who approached, closed the box, and picked it up.

"I'll take a closer look and if I don't understand something I'll ask for your help"

Atlas nodded at Basgran's request and then they both returned to their respective carriages.

A while later, Atlas was lying in his bed, but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't fall asleep. Instead, he took the bag where he kept some cores and climbed onto the roof of the carriage in silence.

The mana cores, by default, had an almost perfect circular shape. All mana cores regardless of rank were the same size and the only thing that changed was their color, which represented the strength and purity of the mana within.

Atlas hadn't worked much with mana cores. There were some potions that needed the mana inside these, but it was enough to destroy them. He had never before thought about cutting up a mana core and giving it a different shape like rifle ammunition.

It was clearly impossible to do it by hand without having the right tools for the job, but Atlas couldn't help but stare at the mana core in his hand.