Chapter 202: A "Top Class" Magic Gun! The Legendary Weapon from Two Hundred Years Ago
Gulp~
Alar's silver-white pupils dilated slightly. Staring at the grain and the baskets of wine barrels exuding the smell of alcohol in the Gray Dwarf treasury, she couldn't help but swallow.
These supplies, worthless in Tang Zheng's eyes, were true treasures to the Humans living in the food-scarce Despair Valley.
In contrast, things like gold, silver, and gems were no different from ordinary stones in this desert—perhaps just a bit prettier.
Seeing Alar's dazed expression, Tang Zheng realized this as well.
"Alar, the underground caves here have become unstable. Arrange for people to move these supplies out as soon as possible."
Tang Zheng continued to remind her in a steady tone, "There are also a large number of Gray Dwarf corpses that need to be dealt with. Otherwise, they might contaminate the underground water source."
Alar snapped back to her senses, a tense look immediately appearing on her face. She raised an arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead and nodded vigorously.
"I'll go arrange it right away, Lord."
Without even pausing to catch her breath, Alar turned and strode away on her toned legs.
Seeing Alar's impetuous personality, Tang Zheng gently shook his head. Compared to Leinas and Imina, Alar was clearly not as composed.
However!
This was also related to the environment Alar lived in. After all, there were only so many Humans in the entire Despair Valley. Everyone supported and helped each other, lacking the scheming and calculation found among the Humans of the Northwest Continent.
"I wonder how things are going for Leinas and Imina?"
Tang Zheng muttered to himself in a low voice.
He wasn't too worried about Leinas's situation. It was Imina he was concerned about, as she was in a dangerous organization like the Eight Fingers.
If he, the necromancer hidden behind Imina, never showed himself, 'Dancing Scimitar' Edstrom and 'Spatial Slash' Peshrian might just get some ideas of their own.
However!
He had intentionally left behind the 'Illusion Demon' Succulent, which was also an indirect way of giving Imina the power to contend with the other two members of the Six Arms.
"Given Imina's personality, if she truly senses danger, she'll definitely ask Leinas for help. If it gets even more dangerous, she'll most likely just run away."
Thinking of this, Tang Zheng smiled faintly and walked into the treasury, heading towards the pile of broken weaponry, armor, and various ores.
The Forging Minister, under the effect of [Charm Species], followed at Tang Zheng's side, occasionally speaking up to introduce the ores.
Tang Zheng had originally thought there would be some rather precious raw materials among these ores; after all, it was the treasury of the Gray Dwarf Race.
But it turned out to be just a pile of common raw materials.
According to the Forging Minister, they had painstakingly collected these materials from the underground veins in this desert.
Tang Zheng scanned the ores with a lack of interest, his gaze falling upon the armor and weaponry. He looked them over carefully; indeed, not a single piece was intact.
"Is this all there is in your Gray Dwarf Race's treasury?" Tang Zheng asked the Forging Minister.
"Yes."
The Forging Minister nodded with a vacant gaze. "The most precious treasures were the three gargoyles that possessed great power, but they have already been destroyed by you, Lord."
Gargoyles?
The look of disappointment in Tang Zheng's eyes deepened.
Gargoyles were indeed a decent asset, with an average attack strength at a level 20 or higher standard. Coupled with their special physical composition, they could resist most negative effects and had a certain resistance to physical attacks.
For the Grey Dwarves, they could certainly be considered strong.
"What's the deal with this magic weapon? And why can it still be used?"
With a flip of his hand, Tang Zheng took out the magic gun.
He had already inspected this magic gun's attributes and couldn't help but be a little astonished, but unfortunately, like the weapons before him, it was in a damaged state.
...
Item: Magic Gun · Sniper Rifle (Damaged)
Level: Top Class (41-50)
Restriction: Gunner-type Class
Durability: 79/200
Effect: Straight-line Shot (600m), 10% Critical Hit Rate
—Bullet Physical Attack +80
—Physical Damage +7
—Passive: [Muzzle Cooldown] · After firing a bullet, there is a five-second delay before the next shot can be fired.
—Active: [Infrared Scan (2/use)]
Headshot: Increases critical hit rate by 20%
Arm Hit: No damage · Can choose to knock one held item from the opponent's hand.
Torso Hit: Deals an additional 50 damage.
Leg Hit: Causes movement impairment.
—Active: [Muzzle Overload] · Forcibly fires bullets in rapid succession, with each shot costing 2 points of Durability.
Description: ? Unusable!
...
This was the information Tang Zheng had obtained using [Item Appraisal]. A top-class magic item, and also the highest-level weapon he had seen so far.
Equipment like the [Magic Gun] always had a high item level, and after seeing its effects, Tang Zheng was even more certain that this was Player equipment.
It wasn't a waste of the skill point he spent to master the basic job of [Gunner].
...
Skill Points: 78→77
Skill: Evasion Intuition
Cost: 10 HP
Description: As a Gunner, you possess a remarkable trick for evading ranged attacks. After observing an opponent launch an attack, you can dodge it instantly.
...
This was the skill the Gray Dwarf gunner had used to consecutively dodge his mana slash and the pounce of the goshawk that the evil spirit hound had transformed into.
This was the first time Tang Zheng had seen a skill that required HP to activate. It seemed similar to the martial skill [Mind's Eye] in effect.
But in reality, they were vastly different!
[Mind's Eye] is a passive evasion method with a certain range limit, whereas this skill is an evasion technique for dodging ranged attacks.
Its only drawback was the need to spot the opponent's attack in advance, making it quite suitable for dealing with magic casters who need to chant.
Tang Zheng had initially been a bit surprised why that Gray Dwarf gunner hadn't displayed any amazing dodging techniques during their close combat.
It turned out this skill could only be used to dodge ranged attacks.
Coming back to his senses.
What Tang Zheng truly cared about right now was why this magic gun showed as unusable in the [Item Appraisal].
But the Gray Dwarf gunner had clearly been able to use it normally.
The Forging Minister stiffly raised his head, his vacant gaze landing on the magic gun. "This is a legendary weapon passed down from the hands of the second Gray Dwarf King."
"It's been over two hundred years. There is very little information recorded about this legendary weapon; even His Highness the King doesn't know much about it."
"After our Gray Dwarf Kingdom was destroyed by the Troll Kingdom, although this legendary weapon was unusable, it was the weapon used by His Majesty, King II, so it holds a sacred, symbolic meaning of inheritance. That's why His Highness the King brought it along."
Hearing this, Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
Two hundred years ago was the era of the Thirteen Heroes, a chaotic period when a large number of demon gods descended upon the continent.
The origin of the magic gun was worth pondering.
Three possibilities!
It came from the hands of the Human Player among the Thirteen Heroes, or it could be one of the many magic items borrowed from the Eight Greed Kings' Guild.
The title "Thirteen Heroes" was what the people living on the Northwest Continent called this group of heroes.
In reality, the number of these "heroes" far exceeded thirteen. It was just that the Slane Theocracy and other countries deemed it unsuitable to publicize other races, so they deliberately selected a portion of them to be celebrated in tales.
There was another possibility.
This was the possibility Tang Zheng was most reluctant to consider: that two hundred years ago, aside from the Human Player among the Thirteen Heroes, other Players had descended upon this continent, just not in the northwestern corner where Humans resided, but in this very region.
As for the third possibility.
It came from the descended demon gods. Since they were monsters from the game, the possibility of humanoid monsters appearing and wielding such weapons also existed.
Tang Zheng frowned slightly. The first or third possibilities wouldn't be a big deal, but the second one was the most troublesome.
There was too little information at present.
Furthermore, it was an event from over two hundred years ago, and the Gray Dwarf before him didn't know much. He would have to investigate the other countries in this region for information.
"Then why can this weapon be used now?" Tang Zheng stared at the Forging Minister and asked again.
"This legendary weapon was unusable because it was missing a key component."
"Ever since we arrived in this Despair Valley, I have been studying it. A few years ago, I finally managed to use the last of the mithril and blued steel to forge a compatible component, allowing this legendary weapon to be used again."
The Forging Minister stated blankly.
Tang Zheng raised an eyebrow and looked at the magic gun in his hand again. After a careful inspection, his gaze fell on the gun's stock.
To be precise, the magazine!
With a *click*, the magazine popped out.
A silver magazine, completely different from the black and wood-grain color scheme of the magic gun, ejected.
Seeing this magazine, a look of realization dawned on Tang Zheng's face. This magic gun was missing its original magazine; no wonder [Item Appraisal] showed it in a "Damaged" state.
"Truly remarkable. To think you could even forge something like this."
Tang Zheng sized up the Forging Minister seriously, then began to smile. "So, you made the bullets too?"
"Yes."
The Forging Minister nodded. "Following the descriptions in the legends, I used the power of rune script to barely create small iron pellets that would allow this legendary weapon to once again release its power."
Now, Tang Zheng couldn't help but be quite impressed by this Gray Dwarf artisan who could use the power of "rune script".
To be able to make a damaged magic gun usable again through his own ability, not only did the other party possess the [Rune Craftsman] job, but his level was likely not low either.
He even likely had a higher-tier artisan-type class.
(end of chapter)