12 Silver Eagle's First Test

After roughly half of the food was complete, Ysmir asked his disciples, "What're all those things all over the courtyard for? Bad decor? It's a mess."

Luca nervously grinned, "I plan to test my new weapon before breakfast but I lost track of time setting the targets up. I'd like to use the archery range to test its accuracy, but these are just to make sure it works and test a handful of tricks. I plan to tag along with the next caravan run."

The wise mage was flabbergasted, then visibly enraged, "To the Sheridan Estate? Certainly not! It's too dangerous! There's still a bandit gang and who knows how many beasts! Not happening, not at all!"

"Mentor, I guarantee you'll change your mind after you see me test this weapon of mine. You'll be surprised by it, no doubt about it."

The old man scoffed for the second time, and the rest of the breakfast was silent. Upon finishing, Luca brought his plate and silverware, along with the now empty bread-basket, into the kitchen before returning to the courtyard, making sure to thank Andrea for breakfast.

In the courtyard, Luca stood in a standard modern firing position, as one would when being certified for a handgun. His Silver Eagle aimed at the first target using the iron sights he'd built onto it, as he wasn't an expert marksman. Steadying his breath, the lad patiently waited until he felt the timing was right, then he squeezed the trigger.

BANG!!!

In a fraction of a second, a bullet of compressed wind mana shot from the barrel, crossed the short space between the barrel and the target and struck the iron sheet that the target consisted of, punching a hole right through it with seemingly no resistance. Not ten seconds later the house door flung open, Andrea looking startled, as did Ysmir, who had followed as fast as his old bones would let him. What greeted them was Luca aiming at a new target, this one being a block of wood roughly an inch thick. Andrea began to speak, only to be cut off at the sound of a second test fire. She, and Ysmir now that he'd reached the doorway, only saw the block of wood gain a small hole about a half-an-inch deep before being knocked over from the impact.

While the pair were astounded, Luca clicked his tongue, "Wind PMBs aren't good for depth penetration. Switching to Earth PMBs." Where a cartridge would be inserted, on the grip, there were instead 7 indentations that lit up when a bullet was prepared. All seven were empty, signifying the cartridge needing replacement, which Luca did by creating an Earth PMB via mana injection into the Silver Eagle. Aiming again at another block of wood, the boy shot the new bullet. This time, the stunned witnesses saw the block fully punched through by the bullet.

Such experimentation continued until Luca was satisfied with his results. He'd gained enough to understand which PMBs were best for what kind of situations. The boy also learned that, aside from the Five Natural, the Twin Alignments and the Non-Elemental kinds, the remaining elements required more than 1mp to condense. With the exception of Secret, the remaining three of the Five Uniques cost 100mp, a number matched by the Three Overlords. The elements that made up the Natural Balance cost 200 each, while Secret remained a mystery due to how it could be made of any of the other elements since Secret was both a title and an element. Still, all-in-all, Luca was content with his data.

Andrea and Ysmir had been stunned in place for a very long time, mouths partially agape in surprise, by the time Luca walked over. Only when he tapped them both on the shoulder did they zone back to reality. Andrea stammered for a good minute, while Ysmir managed to mutter, "What...." He then stopped, wet his rather dry mouth, and continued, "What was that?"

Luca showed them his holster as he drew his firearm for them to view, "This is my weapon, the Silver Eagle. According to the crafting grading system, it is a C-grade weapon. It shoots compressed... balls of mana faster than the speed of sound and packs a hell of a punch, though each shot costs mana. Unfortunately, only I can use it, making it a Unique weapon. Plus, with these two blades on the sides, I can defend myself in close-combat if necessary."

"A C-grade Weapon!? On your first attempt at magecrafting!?" The old mage was incredulous at this boy's genius. A C-grade Weapon, let alone a Unique one, on his very first attempt, was almost unheard of, not to mention that it was not only a Unique item, but it was also of a weapon that had never been seen before. To think his final disciple would be such a prodigy.

Ysmir was forced back to reality as Luca said, "I'm going to the archery range. I need to test accuracy and distance." He turned to follow, telling the youngster to slow down for the elderly. After a minute, Andrea shook her head with a smile before closing the door.