37 A Slight Problem

I spend a few minutes moping around, but I quickly focus back on the present. At first, I wanted to resume my journey on that planet populated with beastmen, but it looks like it'll have to wait. The Wolfheart declaring war on the Scalebound meant that I could use the distraction for taking my revenge on those arrogant lizards. The lack of a spell jammer is going to make it more difficult than I first thought, but the Power Stones and Infusion may prove to be a much needed boon to my current arsenal.

Developing a new weapon takes time, and the four days until the attack normally won't be enough.

But a lack of time never stopped me before.

I enter the room where the Altar is residing, check through the pictures of the Blacksmith's handbook until I find the symbol for emptiness and grab a jar that contains a black and sticky liquid as well as a small plastic box that's been lying around.

Infusing the box takes a bit more time than for a Power Stone, but it still finishes properly. I check the once transparent box, only to find that it's now filled with some sort of miniature black hole. I throw a few random items into the box, and testing determines that I can approximately fit twice as much items into the modified box compared to a normal one.

*The blacksmith wasn't kidding when he said that it doesn't serve much purpose… I guess my dream of a storage ring is still a long way away.*

I Rewind and infuse the same plastic box, but this time I use more essence to see if the size of the storage space scales with the amount of essence used.

A few explosions, and Rewinds, later and I can safely say that the amount of essence used doesn't matter. Use too little and the Infusion will fail, but use too much and get ready for a sizeable explosion made of a weird black energy.

The next test on my list is trying to retrieve an item from an Infused box, I take a deep breath and plunge my hand into the dark abyss, and information floods my brain. It's like I can 'feel' every single item contained into the box, and my hand grabs onto the desired item with just a thought.

*This is incredible! I absolutely need to find a way to make spatial bags when I finish my business with the Scalebound.*

The potential of a container with unlimited storage is huge, and it could be a game changer. The possibilities of deploying artillery pieces with a flick of the wrist or dropping a huge bomb in the middle of the battlefield are but the tip of the iceberg.

I shake my head to stop daydreaming and grab the box before heading into an empty area of my immense backyard. I drop the box and walk a good distance away before grabbing my Field Pistol and firing at the box. I need to know how destructive destroying a spatial storage can be, if I'm lucky then the resulting explosion could be stronger than a mana burst.

But the expected explosion never came. Instead, the items just burst out of the box. I Rewind and test it again, but this time I'm way closer to the box to better observe how the items reacts. Interestingly enough, the items seem to retain the orientation they had when they first entered the storage device.

*This could be interesting…*

A grin creeps on my face and I focus on my Interdimensional Phone. My research on the HiddenNet last for a few hours, but I finally found what I'm looking for, a dull red material that has the interesting properties of being a bit like a Faraday cage for mana.

Its resistance to magic is far from being enough to really disturb any spells, and it's a soft material so it can't be used in armors. Not to mention that its properties makes it a terrible material for enchanting.

The only reason it's even sold is because it's a byproduct of refining more interesting materials. It's also quite popular in artistic circles for its interesting color and how easy it is to work with it.

A quick shopping trip to the Bazaar allows me to acquire a few ingots, as well as a small mana-powered furnace to melt the metal down since it has a low melting-point. My next stop is the hardware store where I buy a few feet of steel rebar before teleporting back home. My next, and final, stop is a gun shop, where I buy a Mossberg Shockwave along with a few boxes of 12ga and an ammo sling for the shotgun.

I then teleport into my home and head straight into my workshop area where I drop off my stuff and carefully empty the shot from thirty-one shells, six for the gun and twenty-five for the sling. Then I teleport into the Altar room to infuse each modified shell with all of my remaining essence of emptiness to turn them into spatial containers.

*Now, for the hard part…*

I grab my modified ammunition and go back to my workshop where I review the plan that started to form in my head. This idea seems a bit insane, even for my standards.

It's all based on something I saw in a documentary once, something called a Casaba Howitzer.

To put it simply, it's a nuclear shaped charge.

The Casaba Howitzer was designed to focus the amazing power of a nuclear explosion into a small beam. I currently don't have access to uranium, or uranium refining facilities, but I can still adapt the concept to a mana explosion.

If I somehow manage to focus a mana explosion that was a large as the one that obliterated the Black Claws in a single point, then the Scalebound Patriarch is going to be toast…

…Sarah's PoV…

I gulp and check on the unfamiliar weight in my pocket one last time before heading out of the dark alleyway. My target is in front of me and looks like a normal person.

But what I saw in her mind tells a different story.

The unsuspecting middle-aged woman is actually a Werewolf, and she's working for the Enforcers that I quickly learned to despise. This organization plays with people lives; they alter their memories to maintain their power. And, as if this wasn't enough, they won't hesitate to kill whoever they want as they see fit.

And they also indirectly caused me to lose my only friends because I wanted to protect them from the Enforcer's machinations.

After moping around for a long time, I finally decided to come clean to Alex since he probably knows about the Hidden World by now. My mind reading probably won't shock him too much, and I will explain why I acted that way.

But on my way there I accidentally stumbled upon an undercover Enforcer. This was bad, but what was even worse is the fact that she was ordered to kill whoever was generating mana disturbances in the area.

And I could only think of one person who could do that.

*That idiot, why did he ignore my warning?!*

I know I won't be able to stop an Enforcer, even with the old taser in my pocket. But I could probably stun the Werewolf for a few seconds; and it will allow us to flee… Or at least I hope it does. My chances of success are pretty low, but I need to do something or else I might truly lose the only friends I ever had.

The hidden Enforcer doesn't pay attention to me, so I easily trail her; we finally arrive in front of the apartment complex where Alex resides. She looks around and pulls out a small black card from her pocket before waving it over the scanner at the entrance.

At first, the electronic device refuses access but it soon changes when a small, barely perceptible circle of light appears on top of the used scanner. The door clicks and opens, so I closely follow the woman before pretending to go another way. I glance into the main corridor to make sure that the woman doesn't know I'm tailing her. A quick scan of her mind reveals that she's taking the elevator, so I run to the nearest staircase and head for Alex's door.

*The Enforcer isn't here, so I still have time to warn Alex!*

I bang on his door as hard as I can and-

Eh?!

The person who glances through the slightly opened door isn't who I expected… It's Cynthia!

""What are you doing here?!"" we scream in unison.

"What's this all about... Oh shit!" The sudden screaming alerted Alex, who narrowed his eyes as soon as he recognized me. He throws Cynthia in the back and two magic circles suddenly appear over his opened palms. They soon turn into two fireballs aimed directly at me.

"Why did you come here?!" he shouts while pointing his spells towards me.

Shock stops me from saying anything, and I scan his mind to understand what has happened. I rummage through his head at a lightning pace, only focusing on the most important parts.

*So, he's going out with Cynthia now?! And this idiot brought her into this mess! It also seems like he learned magic, and he thinks… that I'm working for the Fishmen?*

"Listen, I don't have time to explain but I'm not working with the Fishmen!" I say while glancing at the elevator at the other end of the corridor.

"And why would I believe you?!" he replies back, "You threatened me for something you couldn't have known unless you worked for them!"

"T-that's because… I knew that because I can read the mind of anyone I want! And I wanted to protect you from the Hidden World!"

His eyes widen and he opens his mouth to say something, but I interrupt him. "We don't have time to discuss this! Playing with your magical textbook earned you the attention of an Enforcer, and I think I don't have to tell you how serious the situation is!"

His expression hardens, and he lowers his hands, "Tsk… That sounds plausible, especially considering that you somehow knew how we learned our spells. So, what can we do to-"

The shadows beneath our feet suddenly fluctuate, and my ability immediately reveals that the Enforcer is going to emerge from there!

*Shit, I can't do anything in time! If only I could use a spell like Alex or Cynthia, then…*

My two friends' memories replay in my head, and my body moves on its own as I feel an unknown, yet familiar tingle in my spine.

*It's a bit far-fetched, but maybe if I somehow reproduce this sensation then-*

Energy gathers in my hands and two circles of red light appears over them! The energy soon turns into two large bird-shaped fireballs before I can even process what just happened.

*How did I… There's no time to over-think this!*

I clench my fists and slam the fireballs into the shadows as hard as I can.

The spells explode into a column of fire that knocks Alex back, and a pained growl follows the apparition of the scorched Enforcer. I suddenly feel drained, but I can't relax now! I grab my taser and jam it into her abdomen before-

But a thin, almost transparent barrier suddenly appears between the device and the Werewolf and blocks my strike.

The woman grins and transforms into a hulking furry beast. She's about to swipe at me with her clawed hands when two small birds made of flame suddenly zips past me and explode directly into her eyes. The creature howls in pain, and a panting Cynthia soon rushes out of the front door.

"Come on!" she says while grabbing Alex's hand and running as fast as she can, and I closely follow the running couple.

"D-Do you think we lost her?" an out-of-breath Alex asks after we stop in a dark alleyway.

"I don't know…" she says while wearily eyeing her surroundings, particularly paying attention to the shadowy areas.

"We should be safe, at least for now. One of the Enforcers' core principles is to stay hidden at all cost. So, we shouldn't be in too much danger as long as we pay attention and stay in area with a large amount of regular people." I say while scanning the mind of each passerby to make sure that they aren't Enforcers in disguise. "I also think that we should also refrain from using magic, it's how they tracked you down in the first place."

Alex, who calmed his ragged breath, looks at me with a curious expression. "Thank you for saving our lives…And for what it's worth I'm sorry for suspecting you."

"It was my fault really; I over-reacted and threatened you, so…" I reply.

The ensuing silence gets awkward really quickly.

"So… How does your mind reading work? Is it a spell?" Cynthia asks.

"Not really, it's something I was born with. And I'm pretty sure it's not a spell since the feeling is completely different from the spells I used earlier. I don't need any activation or energy, I just need to look at someone and I can freely scan him mind and memories. For example, you're thinking about pancakes right now."

Cynthia whistles, "So it's the real deal then… How amazing! But where did you learn magic? Did you buy a textbook like us?"

I shake my head, "I don't really know myself… If I'm being honest I just read your and Alex's mind and copied how it 'felt' for a lack of a better word."

Alex cups his chin, "Interesting… Maybe you can copy the spells of the Enforcer who attacked us then? It would be helpful if we're going to get attacked again."

"Sure, I can try. Just let me focus for a second…"

I close my eyes and replay the memories of the Werewolf. The first spell I find is something called Shadow Walk, it allows the user to teleport through the shadows. I frown and focus on every sensation created by the spell…

And nothing happens. Something feels wrong, but I can't put my finger on it.

I report my findings to the ex-club leader, who shrugs. "Don't worry about it, it was worth a shot."

"So, what do we do now?" I ask.

"I don't know… maybe we should leave the town?" Alex says, "Although I don't know how effective that would be."

I nod and rack my brains for a solution, but I can't come up with anything. The Enforcer can teleport, so fleeing the area would amount to nothing. We can't contact the police either, since they wouldn't believe us. Not to mention that it's very likely that the Enforcers have agents in the police force.

Fighting briefly enters my head, but I quickly abandon the idea. There's no way we can face the Werewolves, our spells are too weak, and we only escaped because of incredible luck.

"I don't know what we should do, but right now I believe we should keep moving." Alex says.

Cynthia and I nod, staying in one place doesn't sound like a good plan when a group of murderous Werewolves wants us dead.

…John's PoV…

Melting and shaping the aptly named Redmetal took quite a bit of time, but I now have my prototypes. They are a bit misshapen, and their size isn't standardized yet since I still haven't made a mold. But I need to confirm that my idea is actually feasible before investing more into large scale production. So I take one of the shapes, a small hollow cylinder with its top part missing, and use a hammer to forcefully insert a piece of engraved rebar into it.

Engraving the rebar was relatively easy, even if it was time consuming. The surface of the steel piece is covered with as much mana absorption runes as possible, and they are all hooked up to a detect air rune that acts like a timed fuse for the whole thing.

This will activate the runes and they will suck up a lot of mana in a very small timeframe, causing the steel piece to explode. Then the resulting explosion will hopefully be channeled into a singular beam of destruction.

But this is just the prototype, and I believe I could make it even more destructive if I invested in something like a laser cutter or a CnC machine. It would allow me to engrave even more runes, thus boosting the potential power of the shaped charge. Not to mention that it would tremendously boost the production speed, since engraving all those tiny runes by hand is very time consuming.

*But this is just speculation, first I have to confirm that my idea isn't a waste of time.*

I only have three days left before the Wolfheart attack the Scalebound, so I need to develop my new weapon before that deadline. Of course, I can Rewind until I work out the kinks of whatever I end up developing, but I really hope this idea works since it's the most promising one.

*Now, it's the moment of truth…*

I grab the plastic box containing the prototypes and head towards an empty area away from my house, it wouldn't be funny if the containment failed and reduced my home to ashes. That would basically kill me forever since the phones I use for Timed Rewinds would be pulverized.

*I also need to find a way to strengthen my phones and hide some in a safe location. My encounter with that ghost was a close call, and I was lucky to still have an intact phone back then.*

My attention then focuses on the piece of metal in my hand. I take a deep breath before clenching my fist.

*Now let's see how this thing will fare… Please work properly, I haven't been blown to smithereens in quite some time and would like to keep it that way.*

I relax my muscles and throw the thing as hard as I can, the air-detecting runes activate, and the steel piece is flooded with mana in an instant…

The air is distorted as a beam of pure white energy emerges from the cylinder, disintegrating everything in its path as it effortlessly drills holes through trees and rocky surfaces alike in less than a second.

*Holy shit!*

I glance at the box of prototypes and smirk; if this is the power of a single charge… Then what will happen when I stuff a dozen of those into a single shell?

I carefully grab one of the spatial shells and fill it to the brim with the remaining prototypes before loading it into the Shockwave that I strapped to my back. Apprehension stops me for a second, but I push the unpleasant feeling down and pull the trigger.

The powder detonates, thus propelling the plastic wad out of the barrel. The wad is slightly damaged by the sudden acceleration, so it's enough to break the infusion's containment. A square of twelve red cylinders appears in front of me, and they all unleash their fearsome beams that converge into one single point…

I drop the gun in shock; the hole the beams drilled into the floor is so deep that I cannot see the bottom. Not to mention that the hole is large enough to allow a man to jump down without touching the tunnel's walls.

A wild laugh comes out of my mouth, and I can't help but smile since I already know how to push this thing even further…

I'm coming for you, you Scalebound bastards!