A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 265 : Floating Territory (19)

“The gun was impressive, but the quality of the bullets was crude in comparison.”

“…….”

“In fact, there was more to fix with those than the gun itself.”

To some extent, it was a given.

The issue of increasing the firepower of Mana Bullets was the core obstacle that prevented firearms produced through Magical Engineering from being used by ordinary people.

It was the very reason why the Order had not even considered ‘Magitech Firearms’ as a viable option until now.

To increase the firepower of a Mana Bullet, the bullet inevitably had to contain a high level of mana.

The amount of mana held by a bullet and the damage it dealt were so directly linked that they were practically synonymous.

Unless the core problem that Magical Engineering had yet to solve—the ‘Mana Twist Phenomenon’—was addressed, it was virtually impossible to boost a bullet's firepower.

The Mana Twist Phenomenon, where the composition of a material mutates when high-density mana flows through it, was a challenge for which Magical Engineering had not even found a clue to a solution.

And because Mana Bullets were small and made of various alloys, they were one of the areas where the ‘Mana Twist Phenomenon’ manifested most strongly.

In the first place, the fundamental reason why every artifact U-jin touched ended up breaking was this very ‘Mana Twist Phenomenon.’

If even those brilliant artifacts couldn't withstand it and broke down, it was nothing short of absurd to expect a mere bullet to endure the Mana Twist Phenomenon.

…Of course, that didn’t mean there was no solution at all.

If there wasn't, even the ‘prototype’ U-jin used during the Northern Subjugation War would have malfunctioned and given out long ago.

First, it was difficult to change the special alloys that Magical Engineering had been producing.

Creating a new alloy required trying countless combinations, and that wasn't something that could be done in just a day or two.

Furthermore, Mana Bullets, which were among the smallest instruments used in Magical Engineering, were extremely sensitive to their composition.

Even with precise refining, producing high-quality goods at a consistent level without error was a separate issue from simply finding the right formula.

Even with a precisely refined alloy, it was impossible to create a new mixing ratio in such a short time that could counteract the Mana Twist Phenomenon, which compromised integrity and softened the material.

Ignoring the Mana Twist Phenomenon was also out of the question.

The phenomenon was bound to occur in any material through which mana flowed.

And Mana Bullets, by their nature, were objects meant to hold mana.

To increase firepower, they naturally had to hold more mana, and the longer that state persisted, the more the twisting phenomenon would be maximized.

Moreover, the resulting issues—such as ‘increased instability in the bullet’s trajectory’ or ‘decreased durability of the firearm itself’—weren't things that could be solved by simply ‘ignoring’ them.

Ultimately, in a situation where everything seemed impossible, the method U-jin suggested to Emily was the ‘Mana Imbuement’ method.

It was a method only U-jin could use.

Because of that, it was an innovative way to pull off firepower that would normally be impossible.

Instead of storing mana in the bullet beforehand, only a circuit capable of conducting mana was installed.

The principle was for the user on the field to imbue mana on the spot, controlling the Mana Twist Phenomenon in real-time.

By using this ‘Mana Imbuement’ method, the bullet didn't hold mana for long.

Although a slight Mana Twist Phenomenon might occur, the bullet would be fired before it became serious, effectively solving most of the problems caused by the phenomenon.

…However, this wasn't a fundamental solution.

It only reduced the impact by extremely shortening the duration; it didn't block the ‘Mana Twist Phenomenon’ itself.

Therefore, strictly speaking, as Jang Yeong-sil said, the level of the bullets themselves was relatively low compared to the out-of-this-world technology of the firearm.

At the very least, when it came to controlling the Mana Twist Phenomenon, it could be called an ‘incomplete technology.’

Of course, that didn’t mean the technology behind the bullets was insignificant.

Even that much was considered over-technology compared to the current capabilities of Magical Engineering.

Even U-jin, who had commissioned Emily, didn't know the exact principles beyond the fact that a Mana Circuit had been set and engraved.

It was an item created with the best efforts of Emily, who was practically the founder of Magical Engineering. Who would dare look down on it?

…But that was exactly why.

U-jin couldn't help but feel nervous.

Even U-jin, who had returned from the First Round, could not dare to guess what kind of performance this Mana Bullet—created by Jang Yeong-sil while calling that great technology ‘crude’—and the ‘Dragun’ modified with the methods of the Floating Territory would produce.

He had never experienced it in his past life, and if the Floating Territory succeeded in reaching the Transcendence Plane just as it had in the First Round, it would never happen again after this.

It was truly an unprecedented combination.

He couldn't help but have high expectations.

Watching the corners of Jang Yeong-sil’s mouth twitch for a moment, U-jin reached into the pouch he was handed and pulled out the first bullet he felt.

As soon as he took it out, Jang Yeong-sil’s explanation followed as if he had been waiting.

“I don’t know if you’ll understand me or not, but for starters, I improved the compatibility of the circuits.”

“…….”

“The reason it was crude was ‘cause you shoved the same circuit into everything without distinguishin’ between the attributes of The Five Elements.”

Just as he said, Emily hadn't specifically distinguished the circuits by attribute.

And with good reason—the technology of engraving Mana Circuits into bullets was an out-of-bounds technology that didn't exist in conventional Magical Engineering.

In the first place, just as it was named a ‘prototype,’ it wasn't a product completed through sufficient time and refinement.

Later, by the time it reached the Beta version after the Alpha version, the ‘Dragun’ certainly reached the point of distinguishing bullets by attribute, but at this point, that was still a long way off.

If U-jin’s memory served him right…

『…I'm telling you, I really struggled making that. Anyway, it should be almost perfect this time.』

『Really? It doesn't seem like much….』

『Not much? That was the hardest part!』

In his past life, during the process of upgrading the ‘Dragun’ to the Beta version, Emily had said that was the part she struggled with the most.

Given the short amount of time, just forming a circuit that could accept mana was enough of a limit at the current level.

However, the words that followed from Jang Yeong-sil’s mouth made Emily’s efforts pale in comparison.

“So, I went ahead and carved ‘em into five different attributes.”

“…….”

“Why’d you make somethin’ so simple so half-heartedly? If you’re gonna do it, you should’ve done it right from the start.”

Of course, one couldn't say it was Emily's fault.

It was a result of the difference between the field of ‘Magical Engineering’ and the field of ‘Arts (Sulbeop).’

In Magical Engineering, the importance of ‘attributes’ was relatively less than in the Arts. In the unique mana utilization system created by the Floating Territory, ‘Arts,’ the very first thing they prioritized was those ‘attributes.’

Arts began from the grand premise that the nature of all things in heaven and earth consisted solely of the combination of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and scale.

Since its roots began with the distinction of attributes, the division and imbuing of attributes—which felt awkward in Magical Engineering—was considered much more natural.

Of course, that alone didn't explain everything.

Just as Emily could only do it in the second improvement after Alpha in his past life, it was a fairly high-level technique. And although Jang Yeong-sil spoke of five attributes as if they were natural…

The world wasn't so easily divided.

Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, Earth.

There were things that couldn't be easily categorized into those five natures, and to begin with, the idea that a Mana Circuit could be distinguished by attribute was something an ordinary person couldn't even imagine.

It was something possible only because he was ‘Jang Yeong-sil.’

“Look.”

“…….”

“Can you see the character for ‘Water’ engraved there?”

“…Yes.”

“You use that bullet for any power corresponding to that element. Water, ice, hail—as long as its essence is water, you use that one.”

“…….”

Shrug.

“What are you waitin’ for? Fire it.”

Jang Yeong-sil said, gesturing with his chin toward a massive lump of iron on one side of the forge.

“It’ll be fine no matter how hard you hit it. It’s an alloy we put there to test the performance of our armaments.”

At Jang Yeong-sil’s urging, U-jin gripped the bullet in one hand.

Woong—

Staring at the Mana Circuit’s vessel, which felt much wider than before, he kept his eyes fixed forward and asked him.

“…How much can the firearm handle?”

Jang Yeong-sil’s answer was brief.

“Everything.”

And clear.

“…….”

U-jin concentrated mana into his right hand, which held the bullet.

He couldn't help but let out a low groan at the Mana Circuit, which reacted much more smoothly and agilely than before.

Haa—

At this rate, he felt like his mana might be depleted after firing at maximum output about ten times.

Every bit of mana he poured in was being swallowed by the bullet.

Thus, a massive amount of mana was sucked into the bullet.

Zwaak—

Soon, upon his open palm, a bullet emitting a blue light radiated its presence.

U-jin immediately chambered the bullet into the Dragun.

Ping—

Clack—

With a sound that felt somewhat more cheerful, the Dragun, having swallowed the bullet, sent a vibration through him. The ‘Water’ character above the muzzle was glowing.

Woong—

“The reason it broke before was ‘cause the gun and the bullet weren’t synchronized. So, I made it so that when you load the bullet, they naturally share the same flow.”

“…….”

“You can probably fire it however you like without any problems.”

Given the confirmation once again, U-jin didn't hesitate to aim the muzzle straight ahead.

And the moment he pulled the trigger.

Kwaaaaang—!

Along with a massive roar that one would never expect from a muzzle, a ball of blue light burst forth.

Erupting as if a mass of pure mana had been discharged, it charged straight toward the iron lump in front of him.

The moment it collided, it spread out with a ‘puk’ sound, and the mana possessing the energy of Water swallowed the iron lump.

Immediately after, a powerful wave of mana arose along with a strange ‘beeeep’ sound.

“…….”

In that split second while U-jin blinked, the energy of water transformed into the energy of ice, freezing the entire iron lump solid.

But that wasn't the end.

Step, step—

Tap.

When Jang Yeong-sil walked over slowly and lightly tapped the ice…

Crack—

“…My god.”

Cr-crack—

The massive block of ice, with the iron lump still inside it, split in half.