Chapter 6
Izumi stared at the Giant Mud Slime as it continued to regenerate.
Hole after hole appeared in the monster's body whenever a bullet struck it, yet every wound closed again within seconds.
"Hm..."
While dodging the monster's attacks, Izumi continued firing her revolver.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
She had already fired more than twenty rounds in total.
Yet the result remained the same.
The monster refused to die.
In fact, its movements were gradually becoming faster.
"!!"
Izumi jumped backward.
The giant wave of mud narrowly missed her.
"That was close."
Casually, she turned toward Tom, who was hiding behind a bush.
"Hey."
Tom flinched.
"Y-Yes?"
"What happens if it catches me?"
"Eh?"
Tom didn't understand why Izumi was asking such a question at a time like this.
"Obviously, the monster will swallow you alive."
"And then?"
Tom swallowed nervously.
"Then your body will melt until nothing is left."
Izumi slowly nodded.
"That's pretty scary."
Even though she said that...
Her expression didn't look frightened at all.
On the contrary.
She was smiling.
The monster attacked again.
Izumi easily dodged while leading the battle farther away from Tom and Darius.
"Hm..."
"If this pistol isn't strong enough..."
She looked at the revolver in her hand.
"What if I use a stronger one?"
Instantly, light appeared in her palm.
A new weapon took shape.
Large.
Heavy.
And far more terrifying.
Smith & Wesson Model 500.
One of the most powerful revolvers ever created by humanity.
Izumi's eyes sparkled.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you."
The Giant Mud Slime roared.
Its body surged toward Izumi.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
But this time...
Izumi didn't dodge.
Instead, she leaped high into the air.
She raised the massive revolver.
And aimed directly at the monster's core.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion-like gunshot shook the entire area.
Birds throughout the forest immediately took flight.
The ground trembled.
Even Tom and Darius instinctively covered their ears.
"AAAAH!"
"What was that?!"
Izumi's eyes widened.
Even she was surprised.
"A-Are you serious...?"
The Giant Mud Slime exploded.
Not pierced.
Not damaged.
Completely obliterated.
The massive body of mud was torn into countless small fragments.
It couldn't regenerate.
It couldn't move.
And simply vanished.
Silence filled the road.
Izumi slowly lowered the revolver.
"This weapon..."
She looked at her own hand.
"It never felt this powerful when I used it on Earth."
When she fired earlier,
her body had actually been pushed backward.
As if she had just fired a cannon.
"Hahaha..."
Izumi chuckled.
"Interesting."
Then she looked at the remains of the monster.
Her expression immediately turned disgusted.
"Disgusting."
Not long afterward,
Tom and Darius emerged from their hiding place.
Both still looked shocked.
"I-I can't believe it..."
Tom swallowed nervously.
"You really defeated it."
Darius immediately ran toward her.
"Big Sister!"
"That was so cool!"
Izumi laughed softly.
"Hahaha."
"It was nothing."
Although deep inside...
She was extremely proud of herself.
Tom then looked at the weapon in Izumi's hand.
"Miss Rumi."
"Hm?"
"May I ask something?"
"Of course."
"The thing you're holding..."
Tom pointed at the giant revolver.
"Is it an artifact?"
Izumi blinked.
"Artifact?"
Now it was Tom's turn to be confused.
"You don't know what an artifact is either?"
Izumi shrugged.
Tom immediately let out a long sigh.
For the umpteenth time.
He had to explain something.
"Artifacts are weapons or special items that possess extraordinary power."
"Some artifacts can even split the sky or the sea."
"Oh..."
Izumi immediately understood.
In that case.
An artifact was basically a superweapon.
"Hm."
"Maybe this is an artifact."
Tom and Darius' eyes immediately lit up.
"WAAAAAAH!"
They stared at the revolver like children gazing at hidden treasure.
"I've never seen an artifact up close before."
"Me neither!"
Izumi chuckled.
"Why?"
Tom answered seriously.
"Because artifacts are incredibly rare."
"Especially high-grade artifacts."
"High-grade?"
Tom fell silent again.
Darius looked up at the sky.
He was starting to get used to Izumi's lack of common knowledge.
Tom continued explaining.
"Artifacts have ranks."
"From highest to lowest, they are..."
"Mythical."
"Ultra."
"Ancient."
"Elemental."
"Spirit."
"Legendary."
"Unique."
"Epic."
"Rare."
"Basic."
"Normal."
"No Class."
Izumi nodded.
"Hmm..."
Tom smiled.
"If I had to guess..."
"Your artifact is at least Unique Class."
"Or perhaps..."
Tom swallowed.
"Legendary."
Darius looked at her with equal anticipation.
Izumi herself had no idea what to say.
Because this weapon obviously wasn't an artifact.
But explaining the concept of a revolver to them would be far too troublesome.
"Umm..."
"Yeah."
"Something like that."
Tom and Darius' eyes instantly sparkled.
"WAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Seeing their reactions,
Izumi could only smile awkwardly.
Meanwhile...
Far away in the Royal Capital of Monotiz.
The two knights who had escaped finally arrived.
They ran nonstop toward the headquarters of the Holy Knights.
BAM!
The office doors burst open.
"LORD ZAK!"
"Lord Zak!!"
A large man sitting behind a desk immediately stood up.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
"WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?!"
"YOU SHOULD KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING!"
Both knights trembled.
One of them, Revi, spoke while gasping for breath.
"M-My lord..."
"Ryen and Mozi..."
"Have been killed."
The room instantly fell silent.
"..."
Zak's eyes widened.
"What?"
In an instant,
he was standing directly in front of Revi.
His hand grabbed the knight's armor.
Lifting him off the ground with one hand.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"RYEN AND MOZI ARE DEAD?!"
"M-My lord..."
"It's true."
The other knight, Tori, answered in a trembling voice.
"They were killed by a girl in Werenty Village."
Zak froze.
"..."
"A girl?"
"A village girl?"
A few seconds later,
Zak burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter echoed throughout the room.
Then suddenly stopped.
His face turned cold.
"Enough."
"Tell me the truth."
He pulled out a scroll from his desk drawer.
Scroll of Mind.
An Epic-Class artifact.
A few minutes later.
After viewing all the memories stored within the minds of the two knights...
Zak's expression slowly changed.
He threw Revi's body aside.
BAM!
The knight slammed into the wall hard enough to crack it.
"That..."
Zak muttered quietly.
"That wasn't a battle."
"It was a massacre."
He recalled what he had witnessed.
Ryen.
The best knight, a man who had nearly qualified to become a Holy Knight.
Killed in a single attack.
Unable to fight back.
Unable to react.
Unable to survive.
Zak clenched his fists.
"The item that girl used..."
"There's no doubt about it."
"It's an artifact."
"And not an ordinary one."
In his mind,
he began estimating the power of that mysterious weapon.
"At least..."
"Legendary Class."
Maybe higher.
Far higher.
Tori finally gathered the courage to ask,
"T-Then what should we do?"
"Should we report this to the King?"
"Maybe the Kingdom's Player can help capture that girl."
Zak looked at him.
"Hah?"
A killing intent filled the room.
"Capture?"
Zak's voice turned cold.
Extremely cold.
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO CAPTURE HER."
Tori and Revi swallowed nervously.
Zak slowly stood up.
His fists clenched tightly.
"We're going to kill her."