*Bang*
The report thundered across the clearing as Arceus pressed the trigger.
*Gaah*
Harold screamed, staggering backward as blood streamed from his ruined left eye.
Using this opportunity, Arceus swiftly slipped from his grasp and hit the ground hard, scrambling upright instantly and sprinting toward his companions.
Harold stretched his hand to catch Arceus' shirt from the back but the latter managed to get away.
Ralph and the others also surged forward at the same time to shield him.
Seeing the situation turned around, half-blinded and disoriented, Harold fled into the forest.
"Captain Ralph, pursue and capture him alive," Prince Kaelan commanded sharply.
"At your command, Sire..."
Ralph disappeared into the trees without hesitation.
"Ark..."
Sienna rushed forward and wrapped Arceus in a tight embrace the moment he reached safety.
Looking at him, she grabbed his cheek, "Thank the heavens you are unharmed."
Prince Kaelan exhaled slowly, tension easing from his shoulders.
"Arceus, that was reckless," he said, though admiration softened his tone. "You were lucky that it..."
Lucian interrupted with a straight face. "That's not luck."
"Hmm?"
Arceus lifted the pistol with a faint smile.
He replied. "Regardless of whether one is a One-star warrior or a Nine-star warrior, their eyes always remain vulnerable without any protection, Your Highness. I was precisely aiming for it."
Prince Kaelan couldn't help but stare at the weapon thoughtfully.
From his angle, he had only heard the explosion.
He had assumed black powder.
Now, seeing the device clearly, curiosity overtook him. "What did you shoot him with?"
"Bullet," Arceus mentioned casually.
"Bullet?" Prince Kaelan echoed, eyes narrowing slightly.
Sienna shifted aside, giving him a clearer view.
The pistol's design struck him as entirely foreign to this world.
Lucian stepped closer, studying it with undisguised interest.
"What an odd name," he remarked. "Bullet."
Arceus shook his head lightly.
"No," he corrected. "This is the pistol. The projectile I fired earlier is called a bullet."
Silence followed as the word settled among them.
*
Meanwhile back at Imperial City;
Nexus Weapon Store;
Kiara rested her chin on the polished wooden counter, staring at the open doorway as though willing fortune itself to step inside. The late afternoon light spilled across the floor in a thin golden strip, illuminating dust motes that drifted lazily in the still air.
"One entire week," she muttered under her breath, the words heavy with dissatisfaction. "Two pistol sales aside from bullets. At this pace, I might grow old before the main quest is finished."
Kiara exhaled slowly.
"At least that wealthy young master's obsession with bullets pushed me over the line," she murmured, thinking briefly of Arceus Silver and the unusual frequency of his visits. Without that steady stream of gold, even the side quests would have crawled like wounded beasts.
She leaned back slightly, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"Designing a nuclear warhead in my previous life was less exhausting than persuading nobles to buy a simple firearm," she grumbled. "Revenge feels further away with every uneventful day."
At that moment, the door creaked open.
A short, round middle-aged man stepped inside, beard thick and neatly combed, cotton garments clean but practical. His eyes moved quickly, assessing shelves, corners, and counters in a manner that spoke of experience rather than idle curiosity.
"Big Sister," Zion announced evenly. "A Customer."
Kiara did not lift her head immediately.
"Handle it," she replied lazily, cheek resting against the wood as if even courtesy demanded effort.
During the first days after opening, she had greeted every passerby with polished enthusiasm. That enthusiasm had gradually been ground down by accusations of fraud and endless skepticism. In recent days, only Arceus Silver had earned her genuine smile.
Zion stepped forward.
"Welcome to Nexus Weapon Store. What are you seeking, Esteemed Customer?"
The man's eyes brightened.
"My friend recommended this place," he said in a lively tone. "I have come for the pistols. That is what they are called, correct?"
Kiara's head lifted instantly.
Friend?
His mind raced briefly. Arceus seemed unlikely to mingle with merchants from distant lands. Perhaps it was one of the novice adventurers who had purchased days ago.
The man introduced himself with a slight bow.
"My name is Harrison. I am a merchant from Western Phoenix."
Kiara sat upright at once, attention sharpened.
A merchant.
That single word held more promise than ten idle nobles.
Harrison clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke.
"I traveled here by caravan to trade goods within the Imperial City. On the outskirts, we were ambushed by bandits. Fortune favored us, for two passing youths intervened using a weapon unlike any I have witnessed in twenty years of roaming this Empire."
He walked toward the display shelves, gaze lingering on the polished pistols with unmistakable admiration.
"I have visited cities from the southern coasts to the northern borders," he continued thoughtfully. "Yet I have never seen such a compact ranged weapon."
He turned toward Kiara.
"I am told they cost five gold coins each. If I purchase in bulk quantity, would you consider a discount? Say, twelve pistols for fifty gold coins."
Kiara blinked.
Discount? Now that's for a merchant. Instead of bargaining for the product, he offers a bulk purchase and asks for a standard discount instead.
Before she could respond, the system chimed softly in his mind.
[The system does not allow bargaining. If the host agrees below set price, the difference will be treated as a gift. Host receives no share from the gifted portion.]
She frowned slightly.
A part of her resisted the idea of absorbing loss for a stranger. Another part calculated swiftly.
Bulk sales meant faster quest completion. Faster unlocks meant stronger weapons.
Harrison waited patiently, reading the hesitation in Kiara's eyes.
After a measured pause, Kiara's lips curved into a polite smile.
"Mr. Harrison, I cannot reduce the pistol's price directly. However, if you purchase bullets in bulk, I can accommodate your proposal."
"Bullets?" Harrison echoed, surprised.
Kiara retrieved a 9mm round from beneath the counter and held it up.
"As a bow requires arrows, a pistol requires bullets. Each bullet costs twenty silver coins and can be used once. These projectiles can kill mortals and One-star rank spirit warriors, and they can seriously injure Two-star rank Spirit Warriors outside the fighter path."
Harrison's eyes gleamed, though not with mere fascination.
With calculation.
"If this weapon exists only here," he thought in a murmur, "then these bullets must also originate here. That creates opportunity."
He turned back to Kiara.
"How about two hundred fifty bullets and twelve pistols for 100 gold coins. A fair compromise."
Kiara ran the numbers silently.
Forty bullets were effectively given away. Approximately 10 gold coins were absorbed as a loss. But this time, she wouldn't make a single gold coin of actual loss. Her share of profits from the system was 10 gold coins, which will be gone from the free bullets.
But it is fine. At the very least, the mission progression is going forward.
She nodded.
"Deal."
"Zion," Kiara instructed calmly, "bring twelve pistols."
"Alright."
He withdrew two boxes containing one hundred bullets each, then carefully counted out the remaining fifty into a third container.
Notifications rang repeatedly in his mind as she received 100 gold coins from the customer.
[Twelve pistols sold.] [54 gold coins are deducted]
[Two hundred bullets sold.] [36 gold coins are deducted]
[Fifty bullets registered as gifts.] [10 gold coins are deducted]
[Side Quest (1) completed.]
[Side Quest (2) completed.]
While Zion assisted in loading the wooden cases into Harrison's cart, Kiara opened the quest panel again.
[Main Quest: Sell 100 Single-Shot Pistols]
Progress: 15%
*
[Side Quest (1): Earn 100 gold coins from weapon sales]
[Completed.]
[System Store.] (Click to receive)
*
[Side Quest (2): Sell 10 Single-Shot Pistols]
Completed.
[Revolver.] (click to receive)
The rewards pulsed faintly beside the completed quests.
As he clicked on them, the notifications rang in rapid succession, chiming one after another as though the system itself had grown impatient with silence.
*Ding!
[You unlocked the System Store.]