*** Morning - Bree’s Mechanicum
FWISH!
The dagger shot out at terrifyingly fast speeds, completely obliterating the target that Bree had set up in advance in his shop for me to try it out.
"Satisfied?"
Bree crossed his arms, even if the device was definitely going to be worse than a normal handgun.
It didn’t mean he was slacking on its craftsmanship.
He still had pride after all.
"More than satisfied."
I replied, feeling its lightweight design on my wrist, and as for its issue of having a slow reload.
That wasn’t a problem.
[Bottomless Daggers (S)]
I could simply just instantly summon a dagger inside the machine and fire it immediately.
Completely removing all the health hazards and inefficiency while keeping its destructive capabilities.
CLICK!
The dagger was loaded into the mechanism, the sound confirming it was ready to fire.
CLICK-FWOOSH!
Another dagger shot out, destroying another one of Bree’s test targets.
It was basically a gun at this point, but instead of shooting steam or bullets, it shot out unlimited daggers from a demon prince’s treasury.
"D-Did you just fire twice without reloading...?"
Bree uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his sides as he stared at the location of where the dagger was planted.
And what was even stranger... the daggers disappeared after a few seconds after hitting their target.
"Magic, huh..."
Bree scratched the back of his head. He had never heard of dark magic having the capability of creating temporary weapons with that much durability.
In fact, only earth magic was supposed to have that special ability.
But he was a mere tinkerer; he couldn’t say for certain, all he had to do was mind his own business and accept the cash.
"Here."
I tossed Bree a tip. I had expected him to make something heavier, but he managed to create something this light while still maintaining its firepower.
That deserved extra.
"Appreciate it, kid." He caught the pouch filled with cash, opening it briefly before placing it onto his desk.
"I’m guessing you’ll be using that for the academy’s tournament."
"You heard about it?"
"Yeah, people talk, and naturally, someone like me is bound to hear it." Bree grabbed a watch from a pile, tossing it to me.
"Consider it as a gift, give them hell, and make sure you show off my craftsmanship."
Bree grinned, waving me off as I headed off.
I had already spent way too much time on testing my new gear, so I didn’t want to be late.
"Don’t need to tell me that."
I snapped my fingers, teleporting away. Bree looked smart enough not to ask questions about why my magic seemed different than others.
[Profaned Step]
*** Academy’s Grand Field
The time of the tournament... it should have been a grand event where almost every student was at their peak, ready to change the old ranking decided for them by the crystal and the faculty.
But... due to the sudden change of schedule.
Now felt more like a circus filled with people who could barely conjure a spark.
Of course, there were exceptions, but for most of those participating, it was going to be messy.
The venue was the Academy’s Grand Field, a special open location used only for dangerous, high-importance events.
Lined with bleachers enough to fill the entire academy’s student body and faculty.
But because of its sudden rescheduling, only new students and available faculty members would be watching.
And well... other students from other years who had the free time.
"This is everyone, huh?"
A professor groaned, slouching against the judging table, his eyes a blood red from the lack of sleep.
"Yeah... actually, I’m not sure."
Another professor yawned, adjusting his glasses, yet still clearly having a hard time thinking clearly.
None of the people in charge of the tournament had gotten any sleep the night before.
Well... other than one.
Professor Corvus, well, to be more accurate, more like had already gotten so used to sleep deprivation that he barely even cared anymore.
"Seems like that’s everyone."
He took a look at his clipboard, checking the matchups, noticing a few missing students, those that I had taken care of, and some of the students that Kevin was experimenting with dark magic on.
The latter not affecting Evelina’s plans for the matchups that much.
It was now time for the first fight to begin...
"Cael Arden and Invictus Reid, head to the field!"
Corvus declared, glancing at the left and right bleachers where my opponent and I sat.