[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 725: The Great Path (3)
-A gun...? You're going to forge your first Projection Equipment as a gun?
Eroom Salzeo's jaw dropped as though he'd heard something impossible.
A clan head's Projection Equipment was normally passed down as the clan's signature weapon.
Yet among all the prestigious families whose names were known far and wide, he had never once seen one whose clan weapon was a gun.
"Is it really that shocking? Why?"
When Yeongwoo tilted his head and asked, Eroom furrowed his brow deeply.
-Guns are weapons mostly used by petty criminals who rob people in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
"But... isn't that because they're incredibly efficient? They're weapons that let you beat someone down from far away without them being able to do anything."
-And that is precisely proof of weakness. It means you lack the confidence to cross blades with your opponent. They are also a symbol of cowardice.
"What? Since when does being cowardly matter in a real fight? We're a band of robbers to begin with."
Yeongwoo once again formed a finger gun with his hand, but Eroom shook his head.
-If they were truly weapons specialized for winning, some clans would have adopted guns despite their vulgarity.
"So there's another reason people don't use them?"
-You're truly dense. Have you ever actually been shot by a gun in real combat?
"...What?"
Yeongwoo reflexively asked back, then fell into thought.
Come to think of it, ever since arriving in space, he couldn't recall ever being hit by a bullet.
That was despite having encountered opponents who used guns.
"Huh. You're right."
Then again, guns being terrifying was a story from Earth.
In a universe crawling with every kind of monster imaginable, things were naturally different.
After all, the universe was full of people who could swing swords faster than bullets.
-Guns themselves have an obvious limitation.
Following Yeongwoo's example, Eroom also formed a gun shape with his hand.
-In the end, every shot is fired through the barrel, making the direction of attack extremely easy to predict. Furthermore, the time until impact is proportional to the distance between you and your target. Ironically, that means the farther away your opponent is, the easier it becomes to read the attack.
In other words, the gun's greatest strength—its ranged attack—was also its fatal weakness.
Of course, that only applied to those whose martial prowess had reached a sufficiently high level.
But weren't all the enemies Yeongwoo faced capable of casually dodging bullets?
It was, in fact, a very realistic criticism.
"Now that you mention it, you're not wrong."
-So? Have you finally changed your mind?
Eroom let out a sigh of relief, as though their conversation was finally getting somewhere.
Yet Yeongwoo still held up his finger gun.
"But what if it isn't just an ordinary gun?"
-...What?
"You said you've never seen a gun passed down as a clan weapon, right? Doesn't that mean you've never fought against a legendary gun?"
-......?
That wasn't exactly wrong either, leaving Eroom unable to respond immediately.
"No, seriously. If you're going to compare it to a legendary sword, shouldn't you compare it to a legendary gun? Isn't that only fair?"
Besides, what he could create now was a legendary gun with a whopping 110% activation.
Even Yeongwoo himself couldn't predict what kind of weapon would come out.
"And we're supposed to be a band of robbers. It'd be ridiculous if we didn't even have one proper gun."
As Yeongwoo spouted such absurd logic, even Sevio of the Twelve Sword Assembly voiced his concern.
-...Are you serious? An opportunity like this won't come twice. Forget about it becoming your clan's weapon—this is a rare chance to forge a sword perfectly suited to you with your own hands.
In response, Yeongwoo lightly lifted Bastard at his waist.
"I already have the sword that's perfect for me. So I just want a gun that's perfect for me too."
Before anyone else could object, he quickly selected Weapon.
* Weapon – 100% + 10%
Flash!
The familiar system messages appeared before his eyes once again.
[You have selected Weapon.]
[Please select one of the weapon types listed below.]
Then countless rectangular buttons, each about the size of a finger joint, appeared.
Pipipipit!
Inside each button was a simple icon depicting a weapon—a sword, an axe, a bow, and countless others.
Some of them were difficult for Yeongwoo to identify due to his lack of experience.
But he only needed to find one thing.
The gun icon.
"Ah, there it is."
After finding the pistol-shaped icon, Yeongwoo scanned the rest to see if there were any similar ones.
"Looks like there's only one kind of gun."
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—there were no other firearms.
Taking a short breath, Yeongwoo immediately pressed the icon in question.
Tap.
[You have selected Firearm.]
"Alright, let's see how this weapon forging thing actually works."
Rubbing his hands together, Yeongwoo waited eagerly for the next instruction.
And finally—
[Beginning creation of Legendary-grade Projection Equipment with 110% activation.]
The actual forging process had begun.
[Scanning your trajectory and comprehensive data for projection.]
"Trajectory? Don't tell me that means the path I've walked through life?"
When Yeongwoo muttered that, Eroom nodded.
-It's called Projection Equipment for a reason. Your personality and disposition are reflected in it completely. You'll probably be given some utterly ridiculous choices.
"What do you mean by choices?"
-You don't get to decide every single effect on the equipment yourself. The attributes that can appear are determined to a certain extent by your data. All you choose is the direction they take.
"So that's why it's called Projection Equipment."
-If you've spent your whole life fighting in underhanded ways, then it'll probably grant effects suited for underhanded combat.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
"Like... increased damage when attacking from behind?"
-Exactly. Ratmen are the ones who grant those kinds of effects with an extremely high probability.
"Hey, isn't that a little discriminatory? Not every Ratman fights dirty."
-I'm merely stating the facts. You'll learn eventually.
With those words, Eroom slowly rose to his feet.
His waist had completely healed in the meantime, and he'd recovered a fair amount of stamina as well.
-After resting a little longer, I'll be able to deal with the likes of you using just one arm.
"Mohir's about that strong too, so go ahead and rest up."
After tossing out that remark, Yeongwoo turned his attention back to the system.
At some point, it had begun displaying his racial traits.
|Human: 41%
|Artari: 27%
|Dragon: 16%
|Machine: 10%
|Other: 6%
"...Huh? Why does it need data like this just to make a weapon?"
Yeongwoo tilted his head.
While he did so, the creation system finished scanning all of his data and displayed the next message.
[As this creation guarantees 100% Legendary activation, three Legendary attribute slots have been granted.]
Then an additional notice appeared.
[An additional 10% Legendary activation is granted by the top effect of the Ashen Nameplate. This bonus will be reflected in the attribute effects of each slot.]
'So that's why it says 100% + 10%. Looks like three legendary option slots is the maximum, no matter what.'
As Yeongwoo nodded with his arms folded, a brilliant golden system message appeared before him.
<Firearm – Type Selection>
'Type selection...?'
It was probably asking what kind of firearm would serve as the weapon's base.
And indeed, the following message confirmed it.
[One-Handed Firearm]
|Rapid fire, gains special functions when combined with #Machine attributes, compatible with shields.
[Two-Handed Firearm]
|High firepower, allows extensive custom modifications, can transform into a melee weapon.
Firearms were divided into two primary categories: one-handed and two-handed.
This likely had a significant impact on the actual size of the finished weapon as well.
'The two-handed one obviously has much more firepower... but judging by these descriptions, the one-handed version looks a lot more suspicious.'
Besides, it could be used together with a shield.
Since Yeongwoo already possessed a mythical shield, the one-handed firearm naturally appealed to him more.
'Honestly, the two-handed one would look cooler... but let's be practical.'
Without much hesitation, Yeongwoo selected the one-handed firearm.
Flash!
The next prompt immediately appeared.
<Would you like a shotgun or a compact cannon? Selecting this option will disable certain attributes that can be granted to the Firearm type.>
It likely meant that certain options would become unavailable due to physical range limitations or firing mechanisms.
However, Yeongwoo hadn't wanted a shotgun or a hand cannon in the first place, so he selected No.
'If I wanted a shotgun, I would've picked the two-handed firearm from the start.'
As Yeongwoo shook his head, a line of text finally appeared that truly caught his attention.
<First Slot – Unpredictability>
'Unpredictability?'
<Accordingly, an Unpredictability selection has appeared for the first slot. This Unpredictability may amplify the attribute effects assigned to the remaining slots.>
'I still have no idea what that means.'
Seeing was believing.
As Yeongwoo silently waited, the attribute options for the first slot finally appeared.
"Ooh..."
As Yeongwoo let out a sound full of anticipation, Eroom could no longer contain his curiosity.
-Where are you now? Choosing the first slot?
"Yeah. Guess you can't see any of this."
-Of course not. Forging a Projection Weapon is the exclusive privilege of the owner. More importantly, what options did you get? The first slot is extremely important. Choose carefully.
"Well... I don't think choosing carefully is going to be easy. The theme of the first slot is Unpredictability."
-...Unpredictability?
Eroom wore an expression that said he'd never heard of such a thing.
"I guess straight-laced guys like you have never gotten an option like this. Though it's my first time too."
As Yeongwoo absentmindedly scratched his nose, the first candidate effects for his legendary firearm appeared before his eyes.
【Stealth Shot】
|Attacks made with this firearm cannot be perceived.
Unpredictability: There is a high probability that Slot 2 will generate an effect with the #Sense attribute.
【Sharpshooter】
|A small, intelligent mechanical arm fires the weapon in your place.
Unpredictability: Amplifies the effect of Slot 2 by 50%.
【Confidence】
|Attack power increases by 10% for each adjacent enemy, up to a maximum of 100%.
Unpredictability: A conditional attribute will appear in Slot 2, and the effect of that attribute is amplified by 25%.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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