Chapter 4: The Power of the Pistol
He examined the hole in the Copper Grade fan, then nodded once.
"I'll take it."
This time, the young woman beside him had nothing to say. She stared at the damaged fan, her earlier confidence shaken by what she had witnessed.
Kiara explained how to load the pistol, demonstrating each step clearly. She showed him how to open the chamber, insert a bullet, and close it before firing. Once he understood the basics, she returned the pistol and the remaining ammunition to the wooden case and slid it across the counter.
"Please handle it carefully," she reminded him. "It's a weapon, not a toy."
The young man nodded, accepting the case with both hands. He placed it beside the gold coins, and Kiara returned the extra payment without delay.
Several notifications rang inside her mind.
[One Single-Shot Pistol sold.]
[Four gold and fifty silver deducted.]
[Six 9mm Bullets sold.]
[One gold and eight silver deducted.]
[Main Quest Completed.]
Kiara's smile remained steady, although the deductions made her reconsider just how much profit she had earned. The system had registered the sale, but the cost of producing the weapons and ammunition had taken a bite out of her earnings.
Still, a sale was a sale.
"Thank you for your patronage. Please visit again."
The young man gave her a polite nod before leaving with his fiancée. The woman followed without another complaint, though she occasionally glanced back at Zion, still unable to understand how he had stopped her attack so effortlessly.
Outside, the four massive wolves began pulling the carriage away, their heavy paws striking the stones as they disappeared into the evening crowd.
Kiara watched them go before closing the shutters.
The moment the shop was sealed, she returned to her seat and opened the system interface.
[Main Quest: Sell your first system weapon.]
[Status: Completed.]
[Reward: Dismantling Skill.]
She selected the reward immediately.
[Dismantling Skill acquired.]
[Skill tab unlocked.]
[New Main Quest issued.]
[New Side Quests issued.]
The updated quest list appeared before her.
[Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-Shot Pistols.]
Progress: 1%
Reward: Single-Shot Firearms Unlock.
[Side Quest 1: Earn 100 gold coins through sales.]
Progress: 6%
Reward: System Store.
[Side Quest 2: Sell 10 Single-Shot Pistols.]
Reward: Revolver.
[Dismantling: Convert any object owned by the host into equivalent credits.]
Cost: 0 Ether Energy.
Cooldown: None.
Kiara read the new skill description twice. Then she looked at the old weapons still displayed along the walls.
A slow smile appeared on her face.
"At last. Time to clear the shelves."
She turned toward Zion.
"Gather every weapon in the shop, including anything stored in the back room. Bring the shields, too. I want everything in one place."
"Understood, Big Sister."
Zion moved immediately, collecting the displayed swords, spears, sabers, battered shields, and other neglected equipment with mechanical efficiency. While he worked, Kiara checked the entrance and made sure the shutters were firmly closed. She had no intention of letting curious neighbors watch her experiment with an unknown system skill.
Before long, a large mound of steel, leather, and wood occupied the center of the shop. The pile represented years of forgotten inventory, most of it too ordinary to attract a serious buyer.
Kiara opened the skill interface.
A circular array of symbols appeared before her, rotating slowly around a glowing command.
DISMANTLE
She picked up an old sword and moved it toward the projection. The moment its edge touched the circle, the weapon vanished from her hand. Its image appeared inside the array, and the command brightened.
Kiara tapped it.
[Item will be permanently destroyed. Proceed?]
"Yes."
Light spread across the symbols. The image of the sword shimmered before breaking apart into tiny particles that disappeared into the air.
A notification appeared.
[You dismantled a nameless sword.]
[Credits gained: 0.]
Kiara stared at the message.
"Zero?"
Her expression cooled as she opened the system interface again.
"System, explain."
[Ungraded weapons hold no credit value. Dismantle higher-quality items for credit gain.]
She slowly exhaled through her nose.
"That would have been useful information before I destroyed it."
Had she sold the old sword instead, she might have earned a few silver coins. The amount would have been small, but small amounts could add up when money was limited.
[Compensation denied. Host failed to inquire.]
Kiara narrowed her eyes at the notification.
"So you only compensate me when you make a mistake, but when I make one, it's my problem?"
The system offered no response.
She stared at the silent interface for another moment before deciding that arguing with it would accomplish nothing.
"Fine. Show me the exchange rates."
A new list unfolded before her.
Weapon Grade
Credits Earned
Copper Grade
1–5
Silver Grade
10–50
Gold Grade
100–500
Platinum Grade
1,000–5,000
The list continued through several higher grades, eventually reaching God Grade.
Kiara studied the figures with interest.
"As far as this Empire is concerned, Platinum Grade should already be near the top," she muttered.
She remembered the previous owner's precious Gold Grade staff, which he had guarded so carefully that he refused to sell it even when his business was failing. The thought brought a quiet laugh to her lips.
Zion tilted his head, apparently uncertain about what she found amusing.
"Nothing. Continue."
For the next three hours, Kiara worked through the pile with steady patience. One weapon after another disappeared beneath the rotating symbols, dissolving into brief flashes of arcane light. Blades vanished, leather crumbled into glowing particles, and wooden handles disintegrated without leaving so much as a splinter behind.
By the time she finished, the center of the shop was empty.
[Total equipment dismantled: 445.]
[Total credits earned: 687.]
Kiara regarded the final number without much disappointment.
"Not a fortune, but better than nothing."
The credits had no immediate use, so she dismissed the interface and headed upstairs. After a long day, she needed food and rest more than another hour spent studying system menus.
Although this world lacked the conveniences she had once taken for granted, her inventory kept stored food perfectly preserved. She retrieved some leftover rice and a couple of eggs, heated a little oil in a pan, and prepared a simple meal with salt.
The smell of cooked eggs and warm rice soon filled the small room.
She ate quietly before retiring for the night.
Downstairs, Zion remained seated beneath the dim lantern light, his back straight and his eyes open. He neither slept nor complained, keeping watch over the shop like a tireless guard.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Kiara had a place she could call her own.
It was small, dusty, and almost empty, but it was a beginning.
Morning sunlight slipped through the gaps in the shutters.
After washing up, Kiara descended the stairs and looked around the shop. The walls were now bare, and the empty shelves made the place look even more neglected than before.
She placed her hands on her hips.
"Right. We rebuild."
Opening the gallery, she selected the Single-Shot Pistol.
[Create.]
[Single-Shot Pistol created.]
Another pistol appeared in her inventory, followed by another and another. She continued until she had produced twenty weapons.
"Zion, place them evenly along the shelves."
"Understood, Big Sister."
He began arranging the pistols with precise movements, leaving enough space between them for customers to inspect each one. Kiara then turned her attention to ammunition, creating more bullets until she had well over a hundred.
She gathered them into a sturdy wooden box and placed it beneath the counter.
The shop was no longer empty. Its new merchandise looked unfamiliar beside the old wooden fixtures, but that was precisely the point. No other store in the Imperial Capital could offer the same weapons.
Kiara surveyed the displays one last time.
"Ready."
Zion walked to the entrance and lifted the shutters. Warm morning light flooded Nexus, illuminating the silver pistols and the polished signboard outside.
The shop was open for business.
Meanwhile, at Silver Manor, sunlight filtered through tall windows and spread across the polished wooden floor.
Arceus Silver slowly opened his eyes. For a few moments, he remained in bed, staring at the ceiling with an unusually pleased expression. His gaze soon drifted toward the wooden case resting on the table beside him.
He reached for it before even bothering to change his clothes.
The lid clicked open, revealing the silver pistol nestled inside. Its surface gleamed in the morning light, clean and simple, without gemstones, elaborate engravings, or a glowing Ether crystal.
That simplicity only made it more appealing.
Arceus lifted the pistol and felt its cool weight settle into his palm. His thumb brushed across the wooden grip as he recalled the previous evening's demonstration.
The weapon had punched straight through his Copper Grade fan.
He had witnessed it with his own eyes, yet part of him still found the result difficult to believe.
"Let's try this properly today."
After washing and changing into a simple training outfit, he secured the pistol inside its case and left his room. Several servants bowed as he passed through the corridor.
"Young Master."
Arceus nodded and continued toward the training courtyard.
"Bring me six old porcelain vases," he instructed. "The cracked ones will do."
The servants exchanged puzzled looks but did not question him.
"Yes, Young Master."
Within minutes, six worn vases had been placed on pedestals across the courtyard. A few curious maids lingered near the corridors, whispering to one another. News of the strange weapon Arceus had purchased the previous evening had already spread through the manor, and everyone wanted to see what it could do.
Arceus placed the case on a stone table and opened it.
He picked up one of the small brass bullets, turning it between his fingers.
Such a tiny thing.
Yet according to the shopkeeper, this little piece of metal was what gave the pistol its power.
He recalled Kiara's instructions and began preparing the weapon. Open the chamber, insert the bullet, then close it. The process sounded simple enough, but when he tried to find the release, his fingers fumbled slightly.
"Is it here?"
He pressed the mechanism.
Click.
The chamber swung open.
"So that's how it works."
A small grin appeared on his face. He inserted the bullet, closed the chamber, and listened to the second click.
"There is something satisfying about that sound."
Carrying the pistol to the marked position, he raised it with both hands as Kiara had shown him. The first vase stood ten meters away, waiting on its pedestal.
Arceus took a slow breath and aimed.
Then he squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The explosion shattered the quiet morning.
Several maids screamed, while a servant nearly dropped the tray he was carrying. The vase remained untouched. Instead, a flowerpot several meters to the side burst into pieces.
Arceus blinked at the result.
"I may have missed."
A nearby guard coughed, struggling to hide a laugh. Arceus pretended not to notice and examined the pistol.
The chamber was empty, and the spent casing remained inside.
"Right. I need to remove that first."
It was another lesson learned.
He opened the chamber, removed the casing, and loaded a second bullet. His movements were already a little smoother, although he was still getting used to the unfamiliar mechanism.
He returned to his position and aimed again.
BANG!
This time, the bullet struck the ground beside the pedestal, spraying dirt across the courtyard.
A gardener nearby yelped and scrambled backward.
"My apologies!" Arceus called out.
"N-No harm done, Young Master!" the gardener replied, bowing quickly despite the fear in his eyes.
Arceus rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Perhaps ten meters was too ambitious."
He moved the remaining vases closer, reducing the distance to five meters. This time, he paid closer attention to his stance and grip, recalling each instruction Kiara had given him.
Raise the pistol. Aim carefully. Keep the weapon steady. Squeeze the trigger instead of jerking it.
He took a breath, lined up the shot, and fired.
BANG!
The vase shattered into glittering fragments.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"That feels much better."
He reloaded and tried again, repeating the process with greater confidence.
Open. Insert. Close. Raise. Aim. Fire.
BANG!
Another vase shattered.
The recoil no longer startled him as much, and he was beginning to understand how the weapon behaved when fired. Each successful shot made the process feel more natural, and the strange device was rapidly becoming the most interesting possession he had ever bought.
By the time he reached the final bullet, his hands were far steadier than they had been at the beginning.
He exhaled, aimed at the remaining vase, and fired.
BANG!
The vase burst apart.
Arceus lowered the pistol, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
From the balcony overlooking the courtyard, Wester Silver had watched the entire demonstration. His calm gaze settled on the unfamiliar silver object in his son's hands, and his expression grew thoughtful.
He had heard that Arceus had purchased a strange weapon from an obscure shop in a poor alley. At first, he had assumed it was merely another unusual trinket that had caught his son's attention.
But the shattered vases told a different story.
Wester waited until Arceus lowered the weapon before speaking.
"What is that?"
Beside him, his wife continued staring at the pistol. She studied its shape for a long moment before slowly shaking her head.
"I don't recognize it either."