Chapter:13 Blades or Bullets

The boy, Miyamura, breathed a sigh of relief as he collapsed next to the wall. He was so sure he wasn't going to make it home that time. And to think that just a few seconds ago he'd been caught in the rush for eggs...

He hadn't noticed, however, that he was being followed. So as Hori burst through the front door, her eyes widened in surprise. Renko continued gazing.

"You actually got them, Miyamura!"

A strange feeling overcame Renko. She felt as though she knew this guy. But where?

Renko stared at Miyamura, racking her brain for some clue as to where she might have met him before. 

But as she stared, she noticed something odd... He was beginning to look more familiar to her. As though each passing second was making her more and more sure that she had met him before. 

And yet... It was still so elusive.

Suddenly, everything seems to be snapping in place

Miyamura. 

Boy in the same class as her and Hori, so he was also in 3-1.

Long hair.

A recent friend of Hori's.

Aha! She got it!

"It's the Emo-Moe guy!"

Oh crap, in her excitement she shouted out the words and both Hori and Miyamura turned to look at her. Miyamura and Hori stared at Renko, their surprise and confusion evident on their faces. Renko felt like a deer that had been caught in the headlights.

Why didn't she see it sooner?

The hair!

The hair was the giveaway.

Renko couldn't believe she didn't recognize them sooner. Hori's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"R-Renko?! Is that you?"

Hori asked with a nervous smile. 

Shit! 

Busted!

Renko sprinted for the second time, turning around and rushing down the road leading to her home. Hoping against hope, that Hori didn't notice her.

"Uh, hey there, Renko."

Renko paused to see Tatsu walking down the same road as her, a basket of fresh vegetables and a bag of groceries hanging from his hands.

"Hey there, good haul, huh."

He chuckled.

They both continued walking toward their apartment, admittedly Tatsu was stopped by the police twice so they could check his belongings. But they let him go soon enough, by now he was familiar with most of the patrolmen in the district who regularly stopped him because of his scary face.

Well, it was also quite a surprise to note that her apartment was quite close to Hori's. Just two blocks away.

"See ya' around, kid."

Tatsu waved her goodbye as they both reached their apartment.

Back at her apartment, Renko stored the eggs in the fridge and took a moment to relax. Her day had been quite wild, huh? From the bugs, and the system to finding out that her best friend might be married. 

Whelp, now was the time to focus on experimenting with cursed energy. Renko sat down, taking out the cursed flintlock pistol from her inventory.

'Observe'

[Inferior Cursed Flintlock Pistol: Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool

Durability: 8/10

- Damage: 5

- Range: 20m

- Reloading: Manual(15CP), Automatic(25CP)

Stat requirement: Strength(5), Spirituality(5)]

Renko concentrated on her Malevolent Arsenal skill, attempting to understand its intricacies better.

Fiddling around with the skill board, she found something... unexpected.

[Malevolent Arsenal:

Antique:

- Cursed Flintlock Pistol: 50CP (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 10/100)

 - Round Led Ammunition (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 4/100)

- Cursed Flintlock Musket: 80CP (Unavailable)

- Cursed Fusil de Chasse: 120CP (Unavailable)

- Cursed Blunderbuss: 120CP (Unavailable)

- Cursed Puckle Gun: 300CP (Unavailable)

- Cursed Bayonet: 30CP (Unavailable)]

Renko's eyes narrowed as she scrolled through the Antique section. This must be the recipe or maybe these weapons are the ones she could create at the moment. But what's with the levels for the recipes?

[Level 1: Inferior Grade: 10/100: 50% Attributes

Level 2: Normal: 0/1000: 100% Attributes

Level 3: Enhanced: 0/10000: 200% Attributes]

'Hmm'

Maybe she could use observation to check the stats of a normal Flintlock Pistol.

'Observe'

[ Flintlock Pistol: Grade Four Cursed Tool

Durability: 15/15

- Damage: 10

- Range: 30m

- Reloading: Manual(10CP), Automatic(20CP)

Stat requirement: Strength(5), Spirituality(5)]

Renko marveled at the improved stats of the Antique Flintlock Pistol, and it was not even that much of an improvement. Wonder what an enhanced one would be like,

[Enhanced Flintlock Pistol: Semi Grade Three Cursed Tool

Durability: 20/20

- Damage: 20

- Range: 40m

- Reloading: Manual(5CP), Automatic(15CP)

Stat requirement: Strength(5), Spirituality(5)]

Whelp, it had an even higher damage output, extended range, and improved reloading capabilities as compared to the inferior version she created at a moment's notice. However, the prospect of creating more powerful firearms fascinated her, and she decided to experiment with a new creation.

'Create Antique Flintlock Musket'

[Spending 80CP...]

[Creation in progress...]

A sudden flood of knowledge erupted from the depth of her mind. Almost instinctively, Renko brought her hands together clapping motion, and as she did, a surge of cursed energy gathered between her palms. As she separated them, the form of an Antique Flintlock Musket materialized between her hands. 

'Oops,'

She barely managed to catch it before it fell to the ground. Guess she had to rotate her hands or something.

'Observe'

[Inferior Cursed Flintlock Musket: Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool

Durability: 10/10

- Damage: 15

- Range: 50m

- Reloading: Manual(15CP), Automatic(25CP)

Stat requirement: Strength(6), Spirituality(6)]

Renko marveled at her first successful creation, her first conscious creation at least, a semi-fourth-grade cursed tool - an inferior one nonetheless. The musket possessed enhanced damage and a significantly extended range compared to her previous creations. She carefully examined the details displayed in her observation.

'Not bad at all. This musket could come in handy for longer-range engagements.'

[Cursed Flintlock Musket: 80CP (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 5/100)

 - Led Ball Ammunition (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 0/100)

 - Minie Ball Ammunition (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 0/100)

 - Nessler Ball (Available) (Lv. Inferior: 0/100)]

Hmm, maybe she ought to try it out once. 

Renko headed outside her apartment, to find a suitable target to shoot at only to realize that she lived in the middle of a heavily populated area. Even carrying a firearm was illegal, not to mention carrying a flintlock. She sighed before walking back into her apartment and aiming at a tree from inside. 

She could always store the flintlock in her inventory and then no one's gonna say anything if they didn't find the weapon in her apartment would they?

Grinning maliciously, she aimed at the tree, cocked back the hammer, and pulled the trigger...

Nothing happened.

[Warning!]

[Not Enough CP To Auto-Load]

[CP: 20/100]

[Required: 25CP]

[Burn HP To Recover CP?]

What?

Was there such a function?

She clicked on the CP bar and a new screen popped in front of her,

[Curse Energy/Points Recovery: 0.5/Per Min]

So it would take about 200 minutes to recover all that Curse Energy. 

'That's too damned long!!!'

But she could also try the manual load.

Renko decided to manually load the Antique Flintlock Musket. She concentrated the curse energy in her hand and a paper cartridge, cloth patch, and a lead ball appeared in her hand. She bit off the top of the paper cartridge and poured most of its content down the barrel, followed by the cloth patch and lead ball.

After that she used the ramrod, which was fitted on the underside of the barrel, to ram down all the contents and poured the remaining content of the paper cartridge on the flash pan. Once the flash pan was primed, she closed the frizzen and pulled back the cock. 

All in all, it took her a whole minute to load the flintlock musket. 

Now she was getting the appeal of the auto-firing mode, after all, if it took a minute to load, she might as well use the butcher's knife to fight. 

'Whelp formalities should be followed I guess,"

"Firing Flintlock Musket"

She aimed the barrel at the tree, got a good feel of the aim, and fired.

The Antique Flintlock Musket discharged with a resounding boom, sending a cursed energy projectile towards the tree. The impact created a sizable hole in the bark, showcasing the musket's enhanced damage.

'Observe'

[Damage: 15]

[Maple Tree 

Durability: 485/500]

[Notification]

[Firearms Mastery(1): +1 EXP]

[Marksmanship(1): +10 EXP]

'*Whistle*'

Renko was pleased with the results. The musket had some destructive power behind it, but the damage was not that much. Still, there was potential for long-range engagement.

'If only I had enough CP for the automatic reload...'

Renko pondered her options, considering how to maximize the effectiveness of her cursed tools. As she examined the details of the musket, her eyes fell on the requirement for cursed energy.

'Hmm, maybe I should focus on improving the wisdom stats, or maybe the spirituality.'

But the question was, where to find the experience point?

She was in no hurry to encounter another surprise attack from those bug-like creatures, at the same time she had tried searching for other unusual creatures today but never found any. 

'Guess I will have to look around the town during the weekends...'

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT KIDDO! I THOUGHT I HEARD A SMALL BURST FROM YOUR APARTMENT AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT! DID YOUR STOVE BLOW UP OR SOMETHING!"

And... that would be Tatsu.

She walked over to the front gate after storing the musket in her inventory, wondering how in the hell did she think that firing an 18th-century firearm in an apartment was a good idea. 

Renko opened the door,

"I am fine Tatsu, stop shouting. I accidentally dropped the kettle."

Tatsu looked at Renko with a mix of relief and skepticism. His eyes narrowed as if he were trying to decipher whether Renko was telling the truth.

"Dropped the kettle, huh? Sounded more like a cannon going off in there. You sure you're okay?"

Renko nodded with an innocent smile, trying to downplay the situation.

"Yeah, just a little clumsy moment. No need to worry, Tatsu."

Tatsu scratched his head, still unconvinced but decided not to press further.

"Well, be careful, kiddo. Don't want any explosions happening around here."

He chuckled and gave Renko a pat on the shoulder before heading back to his apartment. Renko closed the door and sighed in relief. She made a mental note to avoid using firearms inside her apartment in the future.

With her experimentation for the day complete, Renko decided to unwind and relax. She glanced at the clock and realized it was already evening. She was feeling a bit peckish, so might as well prepare something to eat.

Renko headed to the kitchen, contemplating what to cook for dinner. As she browsed through her ingredients, she decided to prepare a simple and satisfying meal – scrambled eggs. She retrieved the eggs she had fought so hard to acquire earlier, cracked them into a bowl, and began whisking them with a dash of salt, pepper, and a bit of diced green pepper.

As the aroma of the cooking eggs filled her apartment, Renko's thoughts shifted to her friends – Hori, Yuki, and even Tatsu. She wondered how they would react if they knew about her newfound abilities and the strange occurrences in her life.

'Hmm, Hori would freak out, Yuki would probably faint and Tatsu's actions are rather unpredictable.'

Once the scrambled eggs were ready, Renko plated them and sat down to enjoy her dinner. The simple yet comforting meal felt like a reward after the day's adventures. As she savored each bite, 

'Too much salt!'

'Perhaps I should explore the town's outskirts or the woods during the weekends. Maybe I will find more curse spirits out in the wild or someplace like a cemetery or something, and I definitely need to find a way to increase my cursed energy faster.'

With a plan forming in her mind, Renko finished her dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and plopped down on the sofa in the living room.

'Hmm'

[CP: 39/100]

'Let's try the Bayonet.'

[Spending 30 CP...]

[Creation in progress...]

The cursed energy gathered once again between Renko's palms, forming the shape of a Cursed Bayonet. This time, she managed to catch it without any mishaps.

'Observe'

[Inferior Cursed Bayonet: Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool

Durability: 5/5

- Damage: 12

- Reach: 2m

- Special Feature: Piercing Strike (Consumes an additional 10 CP per strike)

 - Damage+18

 - Critical Strike Chance: +0.5% 

Stat requirement: Strength(6), Dexterity(6)]

'Hmm, the bayonet's attack is leagues ahead of the flintlock!'

Indeed, the damage output of the bayonet was multiple times greater than the flintlock pistol and musket. The disparity spread to such a degree she might as well use a bayonet to fight instead of a firearm.

 Whelp, looks like she was out of cursed energy again. 

And so, the evening passed in a relaxed manner, and as night fell, she decided to call it a day.

Renko prepared for bed, storing her cursed tools safely in her inventory. As she lay in bed, she suddenly remembered,

'Tomorrow's gonna be awkward isn't it?'