Chapter 68: The Young Fox with the Revolver

The process of making bullets was more complicated, yet at its core, it still relied on the expertise of anomalous scholars to refine white saltpeter, cinnabar, and other minerals. Nanoka’s general goods could then be used to produce nitrocellulose and mercury as semi-finished products, and finally, another round of processing would yield gunpowder and mercury fulminate for the primers. As for the casings and steel cores, those could be directly commissioned from a blacksmith. Afterward, a handful of women could easily assemble the gunpowder, casings, and bullet cores—a step that cost no more than a few copper coins.

Although the cost was somewhat high… Vinnigo was hardly short on money, was he?

A pair of pistols had cost Vinnigo thirty gold coins. Even though gold, silver, and copper were somewhat undervalued in this world, thirty gold coins still amounted to more than half a year’s income for a middle-class family.

“Big Brother Little Fox, have you thought up a new trick?” Hani asked curiously.

Vinnigo nodded, picked up one of the pistols, fastened it to his right hip, and hid the other behind his back. Then he put on a hat.

The hat was an ordinary cloth gunner’s cap, but at the top was a large, bright red pompom—a mark of the character.

FFTA, Moogle Gunner.

The Moogle race was small and adorable, yet their strength seemed to rival that of humans and Bangaa. Moogle gunners could wield firearms, even infusing magic into their bullets to inflict various status conditions on their foes—making them highly practical.

Moreover, Moogle gunners had bonuses to both range and firepower when using firearms.

So, the petite Moogle wielded a revolver designed for humans… the image was rather comical.

“Hee hee, Brother Little Fox is so cute!” Hani giggled, pouncing and tugging at the pompom atop Vinnigo’s head.

“Don’t touch that, it hurts!” Vinnigo yelped, quickly fleeing Hani’s mischievous hands.

Following the direction Shirley had escaped, it wasn’t long before they came upon scattered signs of battle. Merak’s group of four could not be underestimated; in comparison, the followers of the Bleating Cult, though modified to some extent by biotechnological or magical means, still retained many weaknesses typical of a ragtag mob.

Thus, though the enhanced cultists had caused Merak’s group some trouble, they were by no means enough to halt their advance.

“Tsk, tsk, you see here—his left arm is abnormally swollen, that’s muscle enhancement… If you cut it open, you’d find a special organ inside. My insight tells me this organ stores energy, to be expended in battle. However, such explosive output would inflict fatal damage on the internal organs, especially the heart and lungs.” Vinnigo explained as he walked, examining the cyborgs they passed.

The more he explained, the angrier Sophie became. Though silent, the gently trembling blade in her hand, exuding a faint chill, spoke volumes of her mood.

“Oh, look, another one slipped through the net. But we don’t have time to deal with the likes of him,” Vinnigo sighed, raising his hand and firing a shot almost carelessly.

Freezing round.

The Moogle Gunner’s magic bullets came in many types and were remarkably efficient. With the accuracy and power of the custom revolver in Vinnigo’s hand, ordinary armor might as well have been made of paper. Even enhanced humans could not withstand a single shot from him.

As long as blood was drawn, the magic within the bullet would activate, causing the enemy’s blood to congeal and rendering them immobile—unless, of course, they were naturally resistant to cold, or simply lucky enough to encounter a dud.

With a half-strangled howl, a cultist whose body was several times bulkier than a normal man was frozen solid by Vinnigo’s magic bullet, struggling desperately to break free. Ignoring the remaining small fry, Vinnigo strode forward, quickly passing through the now-chaotic ranks of the Bleating Cult.

Closer now, he could see Merak’s squad of four advancing cautiously in their familiar tactical formation. Their killing power might not have been overwhelming, but their coordination was excellent, and their combined skills were broad enough to handle nearly any situation—so long as the challenge wasn’t beyond their means.

Their advance was slow but steady.

“We’re here to help!” Vinnigo shouted.

Without a word, Sophie raised her sword and charged, slicing cleanly through any enhanced enemy—no matter the type—who dared stand in her way.

“Such enhancements—mere failures,” Vinnigo remarked with a smile. “The enhancements have surpassed the limits of both mind and body. Apart from being cheap, there’s no merit to them at all.”

He raised his hand, took quick aim, and fired six shots in rapid succession—blowing out the brains of the six most dangerous-looking enhanced cultists who had tried to approach. He lowered his gun, ejected the spent shells, and with the aid of a speedloader, reloaded six fresh rounds in the blink of an eye.

The revolver’s design was simple; if well-crafted, its range and accuracy surpassed those of similar automatic pistols. And if your hands were quick enough, a revolver could match the rate of fire of an automatic. Taking into account the likelihood of misfires and malfunctions, an excellent revolver in the hands of a skilled shooter could be deadlier than an automatic.

The Moogle Gunner was, evidently, just such a skilled shooter. The template’s strength might not have been exceptional, but the small, agile body, slender yet strong fingers, and use of a speedloader meant reloading was instantaneous.

The only trouble was the recoil—the revolver’s kick was a bit much for the petite Moogle, so Vinnigo had to plant his feet in a stance like an archer’s to shoot steadily.

Noticing Vinnigo’s strange weapon and its astonishing power, Velani, the archer of Merak’s team, couldn’t help but shoot him a curious glance. After all, the Moogle template’s overwhelming cuteness was enough to make most women’s hearts melt.

It’s been said that from grandmothers to little girls, no one can resist the charms of something fluffy and adorable.

When Velani looked his way, Vinnigo looked up and smiled at her. Young man, do you even realize how deadly that smile is, given your current appearance?

His main skill, Firearms, included three types of elemental rounds, as well as status effect bullets that could cause blindness, confusion, charm, silence, or paralysis. He had no subclass skills, but his counter-skill, Magic Evasion, greatly increased his ability to dodge and resist magic. His passive skill, Mind Unification, significantly improved the accuracy of normal attacks and skills.

A round of enhancement had compensated for his physical weakness, ensuring that the little Moogle wouldn’t lose control of the revolver’s recoil.

Bang… bang… With the rhythm of rapid, precise gunshots, one high-ranking cultist after another fell. With a sweep of his Insightful Eye, Vinnigo could gauge the enemy’s strength—and his bullets always sought out the greatest threats.

He hadn’t even used any special rounds. Simply letting the acceleration runes on the revolver speed up the bullets was more than enough. Activating the runes naturally consumed some energy, but far less than the mercury required for a transformation.

With Vinnigo’s addition to the group, it didn’t take long before Merak’s team had cleared the remaining obstacles around them.

“Little Fox, your abilities are growing quickly. I suspect it won’t be long before your brilliance makes you the brightest new star in the kingdom,” Merak said with genuine feeling.

“I’m still far from that, Merak,” Vinnigo replied with a faint smile.

“There’s nothing left here worth exploring. We should turn back,” Jemore suggested. “Clearly, we arrived too late; the materials, personnel, and equipment have all been evacuated. What we encountered were only the rearguard left to cover their retreat.”

“You know, Merak, I have a habit of cleaning up the battlefield,” Vinnigo said with a soft laugh. “Sir Tamp is still waiting for you. Leave this to us.”

“Very well.” Perhaps remembering Vinnigo’s past as a cat-eared scavenger scouring battlefields, even the usually stern Merak couldn’t help but smile.

Once Merak had departed, Vinnigo canceled his transformation and, after a brief rest, adopted a new character—this time with the scavenger trait of a Catkin. With Sophie and Cait Sith guarding them, he and Hani began a cheerful treasure hunt.

Naturally, with the scavenger trait, Vinnigo far outmatched Hani, but the little girl was undaunted, and Vinnigo gladly played along.

But while Hani was in it for fun, Vinnigo’s goals were far more profound.

The Bleating Cult’s alien biotechnology, the warlord’s magical biological modifications, the special sorcery of secret cults… Vinnigo was not picky—in fact, he’d gladly take anything he could find.

He didn’t even need to keep it secret from Sophie. With his Insightful Eye, Vinnigo could see through the workings of anything at a glance, and he had plenty of ways to replicate these technologies later—be they magical or extraterrestrial.

Of course, he had no intention of resorting to the crude, suicidal kind of human modification. When it came to applying existing technology, Vinnigo might well surpass its original creators.

The scavenging was soon finished. Hani picked up a pile of items she found amusing: some not-so-pure sparkling gems, eyeballs from unknown magical beasts, scales from sub-dragons—apparently she shared the same obsession for bright and shiny things as certain birds.

Yet there were indeed treasures among them. The Bleating Cult might not have recognized their value, but with time, Vinnigo’s Insightful Eye could identify nearly anything. Among Hani’s collection, he discovered the eye of a pure-blooded dragon.

Such an eye could be used to craft a very high-level magical artifact.