Auction Part Four

Kael snaps his fingers, and the atmosphere in the room shifts dramatically. Workers swiftly drag cages onto the stage, each containing something mysterious and foreboding. As they work, Kael strides closer to the audience, his presence commanding and mysterious. "In order to keep this as simplistic as possible, I invited someone you are all familiar with," he announces, his voice tinged with excitement and intrigue.

Behind his mask, Kael smirks, his thoughts racing with anticipation. 'Hmhmhmhahaha, this is going to be fun~' he thinks, relishing the drama unfolding before him. He dramatically extends his arm, lifting his index finger and pointing towards a hooded figure in the crowd.

Up in the VIP section, Lilith leans back in her chair, her mind racing. 'The glass in front of me will break if I use a shred of mana... these people are extremely vigilant of me,' she muses, tapping her chin thoughtfully. 'The future of warfare, huh? Just what exactly are they planning, and why is that old moron Darius supporting them?' Her gaze is fixed on Kael, her mind swirling with questions.

Queen Celeste, seated elsewhere, focuses intently on the masked man on the stage. 'That mask is different than the one I saw, but their clothes have a similar resemblance. I thought it was an artifact, but to think it was a new weapon entirely... The man I met definitely had a similar one to the ones showcased here,' she contemplates, her analytical mind piecing together the puzzle before her. She follows Kael's pointing finger and sees a hooded figure in the crowd, her thoughts deepening. 'I'm not sure what their main objective is, but their goal today is to build a name and a reputation.'

Meanwhile, the person Kael is pointing at is caught off guard, confusion etching their face. 'Huh? What is this man talking about?' they wonder. But before they can process further, Kael flicks his finger, and their seat suddenly moves by itself at a quick speed, stopping right next to him at the center of the stage.

Kael lifts his arm, halting the seated person from rising. With a smirk hidden behind his mask, he thinks, 'Hmhm, it's not your turn yet.' Addressing the crowd, he announces, "I invited a professional in weaponry to analyze our weapons." His finger then points to another figure in the crowd. Internally, Kael muses, 'I don't really need these two, but since some people in the crowd are very bothersome, I'm going to use these two to clear any doubts.' He flicks his finger, and the chair moves to the opposite side of the stage.

Turning to one of the figures, Kael prompts, "Would you mind revealing yourself?" The figure stands, thinking, 'I see, so this is what a 'special' invitation means...' They shed their cloak, revealing a man in a simple Cloudstyle Men's Vest, light brown and white. He sports an elegant light gray beard and white hair pushed back. His blue eyes give him an air of wisdom, and a scar on his forehead adds to his rugged appearance.

Kael addresses the audience, "I'm sure most of you are aware of who this is, a very well-known figure, the head of the mercenaries guild, Loid Vern." Loid looks at Kael with an expressionless face and asks, "Why am I up here?" as he lights a cigar. Kael thinks to himself, 'Hmhmhmhm, the great Loid Vern, he controls the most influential and most respectable mercenary guild. He's well known since he is typically informed when a war starts as under the agreement made he is not allowed to interfere in any large-scale wars.'

Then Kael turns to the other figure, saying, "Before we get into that, let's see who's hiding behind the cloak." The other person sighs in annoyance, thinking, 'I should've known I wouldn't be invited here for anything simple. There's no reason to cause a scene here. I'm glad I was the one invited and not the guild master.' They stand up and remove their cloak, revealing a man in his thirties, dressed in a striking combination of white and black, befitting an adventurer. His green wavy hair and green-blue eyes give him a sharp, vibrant look.

Kael then introduces him to the audience, "For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is the Vice Master of the Adventurers Guild, Bein Alar!"

Queen Celeste, tapping her fingers on her seat, observes intently. 'Both of them seem surprised, they weren't informed they would be called up. I've seen one of those weapons in action. If I'm correct, Bein is up there to demonstrate the weapon's capabilities.'

Zagrax, grinning from his seat, contemplates excitedly, 'I've never seen anything like this. Those weapons up there are completely new. I can't see any resemblance to any current weapon. If it's any good, we'll have to start producing and researching it ourselves.'

Kael, smirking, scans the crowd, noticing the silent attention and the glaring eyes of those from the P.O.B. He walks up to the showcased weapons, with Loid and Bein following slowly, exchanging glances before focusing on Kael. Kael announces, "These weapons all have independent names, but they can all be referred to as 'guns,' a new category of weapons." He picks up one of the guns and explains, "We have ranked them using the popular guild system, from E rank to S rank. I won't state the rank of any of these weapons. Instead," he gestures at Loid, "I would like for you to rank them after a brief description and examination."

Loid, puffing out some smoke, simply responds, "I see."

Zagrax chuckles quietly in his seat, thinking, 'How bold, to have an outsider rank your weapons. He's that confident in his weapons, huh.'

Kael holds up the gun, a holographic screen appearing above to show it closely. "This one is called Crimson Tide Mark One. Classified as a 'revolver,' it has a capacity of six bullets, which means six shots can be fired without reloading. The range is both mid and close, but it generally depends on the skill of the user. Relatively easy to use, no mana or excessive strength necessary." He hands it to Loid, who inspects the weapon closely.

Workers bring out a chained thunder wolf, struggling to break free. Loid, examining the gun, mutters, "Interesting... complex yet simple to use." He aims at the thunder wolf as Kael instructs, "Go ahead and pull the safety back. While it's up, it prevents accidental shootings. The trigger is right under." Loid nods, follows the instructions, and fires. The bullet pierces the wolf's skull with a loud bang. Loid drops his cigar in surprise, and Kael smirks at his reaction.

Kael retrieves the gun and asks, "So then, what would you rank this gun?"

Loid taps his chin, pondering, 'Based on what I know, this gun is light with easy use, six bullets per load... The bullets have traces of magic in them, yet it still easily killed a wolf with resistance to magic...' He then clears his throat and declares, "Based on what I've seen, the weapon should be a C rank."

Kael grins widely, holding up the Crimson Tide Mark One. "That's right, and just for some extra proof," he says and snaps his fingers. Workers swiftly bring up a testing stone, commonly used for determining an individual's rank. Kael turns to Bein and asks, "Could you tell me what rank is needed to break this stone?"

Bein approaches, inspects the stone, and confidently states, "This is a C rank stone."

Without hesitation, Kael shoots the stone, and it shatters instantly. "Exactly, only a C rank can break this stone," he proclaims, placing the gun back. He scans the weapons and selects another. "We have lots of weapons, but for time's sake, we will only examine a couple more," he remarks, thinking, 'I need to keep them from getting bored. Right now, they can clearly see these are useful, but they're all waiting for me to state the prices.'

Kael picks up another weapon. "This is classified as an 'assault rifle', called the Nightshade Pulse Mark One." He hands it directly to Loid. "A total of 35 bullets per round, the recommended range is mid-range. This does require a bit of strength to hold it." Loid nods, examining the weapon as Kael continues, "There are multiple key differences, the first I'd like to point out is that the piercing damage is slightly less than the Crimson Tide. In return, it gets a few advantages. This weapon is meant for dealing with large hoards. No need to hit the trigger for every individual bullet, you only need to hold down the trigger, and the bullets will be constantly shot until you let go."

Kael smirks and snaps his fingers. Workers bring in a cage filled with mutated giant flying rats. He turns to Loid, "Are you ready? Make sure to hold it steady and to let go of the trigger while making sharp turns."

"Go ahead," Loid says, determination etched on his face.

Kael flicks his wrist, and the cage door flies open. The giant rats swarm the stage, running and flying chaotically. A screen displays the scene for the audience to witness. Loid pulls the trigger, his aim initially off, but he quickly adjusts, hitting the rats rushing at him. After a brief but intense demonstration, the stage is cleared of the limp bodies.

Loid finally smiles, thinking, 'This is incredible. If my boys can get a set of these, it will make escorts extremely easy. The amount of unnecessary deaths this can prevent is in the thousands.'

Before Kael can even inquire, Loid announces, "Given the speed, damage, and amount of bullets, I'd say it's a firm B-tier weapon."

A worker brings another testing stone onto the stage. This time, it takes a couple of bullets, but the stone eventually breaks under the firepower. Kael then grabs two different guns, while workers start distributing crystals containing information on all the currently available guns. "Since we've confirmed how useful guns are, feel free to look at all the different guns currently available," Kael announces to the crowd.

He holds up the two weapons in his hands. "This," he says, lifting one, "is the Oblivion's Edge Mark One, classified as a 'semi-automatic pistol,' and this," he shows the other, "is the Revenant's Grasp Mark One, classified as a 'shotgun'. The pistol is for mid-range, but both are primarily meant for close range." After their demonstration, Loid grades them both as Class A weapons.

Kael continues, "In order to use these, you need mana or aura. These weapons have the advantage of increasing damage by infusing one's own energy into them." He then turns to Bein, "Now, would you mind using them in action?"

Bein raises an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his thoughts. 'Huh? What?' he wonders.

Kael grins, sensing Bein's confusion. He snaps his fingers, and six cages are revealed, each containing golems, demonic beasts, and a variety of mutated monsters. "You want me to use the guns to beat them?" Bein asks, incredulously.

Kael removes Bein's strength seal and responds confidently, "You saw the guns in action. With your skills, I'm positive you can kill them all using only these guns."

Kael gestures expansively, "You can use any gun you'd like, all of them if you want." He points at the golems with his cane, spinning it around theatrically before slamming it on the ground. "Can you do it?" he asks, his tone dripping with challenge.

Loid starts to interject, "If he doesn't, I don—" but Bein cuts him off with a cold, determined tone, "No need, Loid." His eyes lock onto the golems. "Those are Lithiann bars, aren't they? So those golems must be S rank. You want me to beat them without using any mana?"

Kael nods, his cane still reverberating on the stage. "Indeed, as expected of you to instantly notice." He points to a gun and picks it up, ensuring everyone can see it. "This is the Valkyrie's Whisper Mark One. Silent, completely silent. Designed for stealth, precision, and it comes with near-perfect accuracy support." He spins it in his hand and adds, "This is classified as a 'sniper'. Snipers are the most powerful guns. However, they are meant for long-distance shots. They can be used however anyone wants, but there is a 2-minute cooldown between shots. The amount of heat a shot contains heats up the weapon significantly. Would you like to use it?"