"I didn't expect I was a shooting genius," Ed said to himself proudly.
He then pulled the trigger frantically. After firing five shots in a row, he emptied the remaining bullets. Almost all of them hit the target, shattering the wooden board into pieces. Not a single shot missed.
"There's almost no recoil. It's amazing."
The construction method of this pistol was unknown; the drawings in the secret room had long been stained black and tattered, making them impossible to decipher. Yet he could feel the vibration was minimal. The lack of significant recoil might be related to its name, Shock Stone. Perhaps it was made from some unique material native to this world.
He holstered the pistol and drew the short gun from his thigh. This was the most important weapon. He aimed...
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, the recoil lifted the short gun high. The recoil was too obvious, but if you were mentally prepared, you could still control it well enough to fire two shots with one hand. A distant piece of wood shattered completely.
The hit was perfect, the steel balls penetrated the board and lodged deep into the solid wooden wall behind it. The penetration was impressive, yet he felt nothing unusual, which, according to common sense, shouldn't have been the case. Ed couldn't help but frown.
He picked up the gun and examined it carefully. A thumb-sized flying eagle decoration was fixed on the upper part of the grip. After firing, it became clear that this part could be adjusted. Turning it twice revealed two distinct gears, indicated by a clear tactile feedback. He flicked it upwards and fired again. This time, the new wooden board was pierced cleanly without shattering.
Sensing something was off, Ed reloaded two more rounds into the chamber. Using the paddle, he fired two additional shots.
"I see. But is this the only function?"
The paddle's up-and-down movement seemed to control the bullet's spread or focus. If that was all, it was somewhat disappointing. He studied the gun repeatedly but discovered nothing new.
"Don't tell me I need to use magical energy, like mana, to unlock its true function?"
The more Ed thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, how could he expect the gun to reveal its full power without some form of charging? Frustrated, he holstered the weapon back on his thigh. He returned to his room and lay on the bed, staring at the cabin ceiling.
"It seems not all magical items are like the magic ring I obtained, which produced effects without requiring magic power."
"I wonder when the treasure hunting group that crazy Priest mentioned will arrive," Ed couldn't help but complain. He longed for that magical power more and more, feeling it was just barely out of his reach.
...
Forget it. I'll go see my dear Raila. I wonder what she's doing.
Collecting his thoughts, Ed shook his head, got up from the bed, and rushed toward Raila's house.
Raila's house was at the edge of town, only a few hundred meters from Ed's, not far at all. This proximity was also the reason their secret remained safe, despite Raila visiting him every night.
I hope the girl isn't home. Otherwise, I might not be able to surprise her properly.
Ed thought this as he stealthily entered Raila's courtyard. Just as he was about to use his spare key to enter the house, he suddenly heard sounds coming from the backyard.
Curious, he went to investigate and saw Raila had just finished hanging wet clothes on the line. She was walking back into the house, humming a tune Ed had once sung for her. His voice was so terrible it might have made people want to silence him forever, but the lyrics were good. Raila had forced him to write them down, and now she hummed them whenever she had a free moment.
Jackpot. It seems she's alone. And I am so lucky, she's about to take a shower. Hehehe, let's play a prank on her.
After confirming through the window that no one else was inside, Ed silently entered the house using his spare key and headed toward the bathroom. It had no door, only a large curtain hanging over the entrance. This was probably also why Raila's beast of an ex-husband had bad thoughts about his step-daughter, seeing her naked daily as her assets grew must have been hard to resist.
Ed peeked inside the bathroom and saw Raila sitting on a stool, completely naked, testing the water temperature in the buckets. Without a bathtub or shower, she could only wash using buckets and a mug.
Locking onto his target, Ed first locked all the doors to avoid any unexpected surprises. Then he removed his clothes, tiptoed into the bathroom, and came up behind Raila. She seemed to sense someone behind her and was about to turn when Ed firmly covered her mouth with his hand, forced her to stand, and hugged her tightly from behind.
Mmmm!!!
Raila didn't know it was Ed. She struggled fiercely, kicking her legs and hitting his arms, trying to break free, or at least free her mouth to scream for help. But Ed, who knew Raila better than she knew herself, was prepared. How could he let her ruin his surprise attack?
As her struggles intensified and she began scratching at his body with her sharp nails, he parted her legs slightly and positioned his dick at the entrance of her vagina.
Sensing his intention, Raila went into a frenzy, doing everything she could to prevent him from raping her. She even tried to grab his dick and pinch or scrape it, hoping the pain would make him release her. But Ed anticipated her move and stopped her. Finally, under Raila's horrified expression, he pushed his dick deep inside her. She went completely still, as if she had lost her soul and turned into a puppet.
Her sudden stillness surprised Ed. He began to worry that he had gone too far and that something had happened to her. But his worry lasted only seconds before she returned to her senses and started scratching his body like a crazed fox, drawing blood from his thighs, arms, and other places.
Yet this level of pain wasn't enough to make Ed stop his disgusting prank, for which he was definitely going to get beaten. He began moving his hips at a medium pace, not forgetting to grab her breasts with his free hand and pinch her nipples, which were surprisingly still soft.
Just as Ed thought Raila's frantic struggle would continue, he noticed something like water droplets falling on the hand covering her mouth. Moving slightly, he withdrew his hand from her hair and looked at her right cheek. Tears were streaming from her eyes like a fountain, and she now behaved as if she had no strength left at all.
This delivered a critical hit to Ed's excitement, leaving only a deep sense of guilt. He hadn't expected Raila, who was over 30 years old, to be so mentally fragile and to give up so quickly, like a young girl.
Sighing helplessly, Ed pulled out his dick, removed his hand from her mouth, and turned her to face him. He smiled sheepishly under her confused gaze. "Surprise! I'm back!"
It took Raila a few seconds to process the entire situation. Then her confusion and despair turned into sheer fury. What greeted Ed wasn't a hug or sweet words, but a fist aimed directly at his eyes.
What happened next was entirely expected: Ed was heavily beaten by Raila in the bathroom, and his screams could be heard throughout the house.