"So embarrassing… this is way too embarrassing…"
Hel's cheeks were burning red as she hurriedly took off the white, backless mini dress she had been wearing.
Then, grabbing Niv beside her, she pushed the girl's head down and forced the outfit onto her instead.
"Seriously, look at this!
Tell me—just tell me—how am I supposed to keep my identity hidden dressed like that?"
Niv didn't resist at all. She just stood there blankly, letting Hel fuss over her for quite some time.
"Hmm… not bad. It actually suits you. But you're missing a pair of shoes."
Hel looked down at Niv's smooth, white feet, then rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
A moment later, her eyes lit up as she glanced toward the remains of the angel's wings—now nothing but bone.
"Perfect material for shoes," she murmured.
Not only would it make good use of what was left, but it'd also ensure nothing of the wings went to waste.
If the original owner of those wings could see how thoroughly Hel was putting them to use…
well, they'd probably feel "deeply honored."
And so, Hel crafted a pair of open-toed high heels from the angel bone for Niv.
Even after finishing the shoes, there were still plenty of bones left over.
Not one to waste resources, Hel decided they might as well experiment and see what kind of weapons or equipment they could make with the rest.
"Master," Niv began, "according to goblin engineering principles, staves and similar casting tools are merely devices that assist mages in channeling elemental energy.
However, they have many drawbacks—high material cost, slow attack rate, low destructive power, and so on.
So my suggestion is… we build a Magitech Cannon instead."
"Magitech Cannon? You mean like the ones on battle mechs? Wait—don't tell me you mean those things?"
Hel's eye twitched. She immediately pictured what Niv was talking about—
those huge cannons, taller than their wielders, that the hybrid elf magitech soldiers had lugged around during the previous battle.
Each one looked absurdly oversized, especially when carried by tiny girls barely a meter and a half tall.
A mage wielding something like that on the battlefield? How could that possibly make sense?
"I think we should go for something more compact—like a smaller staff you can hold in one hand."
"The goblins ran numerous tests," Niv countered. "Given equal material costs and the same spell output, a magic staff consumes 35% more mana and produces 12% less power than a magitech cannon."
"But still…"
Soon, the two were locked in a debate over what kind of weapon to make.
Niv's philosophy was simple: bigger is better, more is beautiful.
Hel's, on the other hand, was practical: a good weapon is one that kills before the enemy even realizes what happened.
Both had valid points, and neither could convince the other.
In the end, Hel "won" the argument—not because she persuaded Niv,
but because with the B5 Research Facility's limited industrial capacity, they simply couldn't build large-scale magitech weapons.
Niv reluctantly conceded, though she maintained her belief that magitech weaponry was inherently superior to traditional magic staves.
Hel agreed with that much.
So, after a few days of non-stop tinkering in the small lab,
the two finally succeeded in creating a miniaturized version of the magitech cannon.
Hel based its design loosely on a pistol from her past life,
though aside from the shape, it had absolutely nothing in common with a real gun.
Traditional magitech cannons worked by firing engraved magic shells that contained runic inscriptions,
allowing the user to cast spells rapidly.
Hel's version—the magitech handgun—completely overturned that concept.
Since the B5 lab specialized in biological and bloodline research,
they didn't have the capacity to mass-produce actual shells.
Instead, the two developed a method of compressing elemental energy and releasing it at a single point,
creating a highly focused, piercing attack.
While this drastically reduced its area-of-effect damage compared to a normal magitech cannon,
it greatly increased penetration power—
and since most living creatures were soft and squishy anyway,
you didn't need to vaporize them when a single shot through a vital organ would do.
After the first magitech handgun was completed, Hel's mind started racing again.
"What if… I increased the barrel size and made it capable of firing elemental shells instead?"
And so, using the remaining bones, Hel managed to create twelve small, floating Bone Cannons.
Each one was powered by elemental energy, capable of holding elemental crystals for sustained fire,
and could either hover around Niv for ranged support or be wielded directly as handheld cannons.
In addition, Hel crafted two magitech pistols for Niv—a long-barrel and a short-barrel version—
with different attack ranges and power levels, perfectly suited for a variety of combat situations.
"Niv," Hel asked curiously, "if you fought a King-rank powerhouse right now with all that gear, what are your odds of winning?"
"According to the database," Niv replied in a calm, mechanical tone,
"the probability of victory against a Judicator-class mecha is 13.8%.
Against an Apocalypse-class mechanical dragon, 7.5%.
But against Goblin Scholar Hilda, the success rate rises to 45.5%."
"…So basically, you only stand a fifty-fifty chance against a non-combatant scholar?"
"Yes. Since Master has only just stepped into the Archmage realm,
you currently lack the mental strength to engrave high-tier runes.
Therefore, all of Niv's equipment remains at orange-grade epic level,
and the overall boost to combat effectiveness is limited."
"Alright, so we still have to grind and level up quietly," Hel sighed.
"When can us rat players finally rise up…"
"However," Niv continued, "there is a way for Master to fight a King-rank opponent."
"Oh? What way?"
"Magitech Supercannon."
Niv's small face turned utterly serious as she said it without hesitation.
"…Fine."
Hel threw up her hands in resignation.
Clearly, Niv still couldn't let go of her romantic obsession with giant cannons and warships.
And so, Niv led Hel to the city's most crucial location—
the only place Hel had yet to visit: the subway terminal.
Though calling it a subway terminal was generous—
it was more like a massive freight hub.
Beneath the huge platform were nine railway tracks.
Some had copper-built mechanical trains parked on them,
their aesthetic giving off a heavy steampunk vibe.
At the far end of each track was a large tunnel entrance.
The middle one was the biggest; those on either side grew smaller in size.
According to Niv, each tunnel led to a different city.
But now, except for the central one—which remained intact—
most of the smaller tunnels had been sealed shut by dirt and debris.
Only one small tunnel remained partially open, and its track had no train on it.
"H-how could this happen?! The rail to C53 Heavy Industrial City is completely blocked!"
Niv stared blankly at the sealed tunnel, her expression collapsing into despair as the light faded from her eyes—as though she'd just lost her faith in the world itself.