Private Experimental Zone
Edith and the others were busy with their experiments, leaving only the puppet version of Ron André in the lab, fiddling with the newly completed element guns.
Illya had produced three in total, all engraved with the second-tier composite spell—Explosion Spell (fire–earth).
Among second-tier spells, its power ranked near the top.
Even a mid-level warrior would be severely injured if struck head-on.
Of course… that depended on actually hitting the target.
Ron's goal was to equip ordinary people with these weapons to fend off small beast tides.
But even against slow, unintelligent beasts, training would still be essential.
Otherwise, accuracy would be a serious issue.
In his previous world, an untrained person using a handgun—
In a tense situation—
Could easily miss a target just over ten meters away, even after firing several shots.
If they wanted to aim properly, it might take several seconds.
And by then, the enemy would've already closed the distance and knocked them down.
Soon, Ron's main body arrived at the experimental zone.
He took the three-element guns from the puppet.
After storing two in his [Backpack], he handed one to Yuna.
"This is it?" Yuna held the gun in one hand, examining it.
The grip fit comfortably in one hand, and the barrel was about the length and thickness of an average forearm.
It was light enough for an ordinary person to wield single-handedly.
To Yuna, though, it felt almost weightless.
That made her a bit skeptical of its power.
Still, since it involved magic, appearance didn't matter much.
"Come on," Ron said. "Let's head to the testing ground and see what it can do."
They arrived at the range, standing about thirty meters from the target.
Ron began explaining how to use the weapon.
"See this bolt? Pull it back. That aligns the internal magic circuits—basically a safety."
He demonstrated as he spoke.
"After that, aim at the target and pull the trigger with your index finger. That'll release the Explosion Spell."
Yuna followed his instructions, still half-doubtful.
She pulled the bolt, raised the gun, aimed—and pulled the trigger.
In the next moment, she felt mana gathering inside the barrel.
The surrounding elements resonated, converging at the muzzle.
After about one to two seconds—
The spell formed and shot forward.
Boom!
The explosion struck the bullseye.
Flames and jagged earth fragments tore the target apart.
One could easily imagine the devastation if that detonated within a group of beasts.
"Not bad," Yuna remarked, glancing between the destroyed target and the gun in her hand.
For a sixth-tier assassin like her, the damage itself wasn't impressive.
What amazed her was—
It truly required no mana to activate.
For her, the element gun was just a supplementary tool.
But for ordinary people—or even low-tier warriors—
This thing could completely reshape their combat capability.
And its operating cost was practically negligible.
Which meant most people could afford to use it—
Assuming they could afford to buy one.
Or…
If Ron chose to provide them.
Of course, that wouldn't come without a price.
Yuna took the mana magazine Ron handed her and followed his instructions to reload.
With that, she had mastered the basics.
"The power's average," she concluded after firing a few more shots, "but if your private army is fully equipped with these, their combat strength will increase significantly."
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Of course, it's average for you. But for ordinary people—or beasts—it's a completely different story."
In his view, this world's rigid hierarchy—built on magic and battle aura—
Left those at the bottom with no way to break through.
Their lives were worlds apart from the nobility.
Weapons like this couldn't overturn the system overnight—
But they could at least allow ordinary people to touch the power of magic.
And that alone was progress.
Of course, Ron didn't consider himself noble.
Everything he did was driven by personal interest.
If it happened to improve society along the way—
That was just a bonus.
Watching Yuna continue testing, Ron reflected on one flaw:
Compared to firearms from his previous world—
The element gun had a noticeable delay.
From pulling the trigger to firing—
There was a one-to-two-second gap.
In real combat, hitting a moving target would require prediction.
That kind of skill could only be developed through repetition.
Fortunately—
With Element Potatoes providing near-limitless energy—
Ammunition wasn't a concern.
Once Illya produced these in batches, Ron could recruit and train troops in Tansen City immediately after gaining his territory.
For now, preparations could already begin.
"Spend the next few days practicing," Ron said. "Then come up with a training system."
"I'll give you some input as well."
"No problem."
Yuna fired another shot and nodded.
At first, she didn't feel much.
But as time passed—
She started to feel… hooked.
Just like when she first drove the Element Vehicle.
She licked her lips slightly, fingers brushing over the gun's surface.
Each trigger pull—
Each delayed burst of magic—
Gave her a strangely satisfying thrill.
If Ron knew what she was thinking, he'd probably joke:
This is the joy of shooting.
Half an hour later, Ron brought a still-reluctant Yuna away from the testing ground and returned to Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop for lunch.
Of the three-element guns:
One was given to Yuna
One kept for himself
And one…
He planned to give Nora self-defense.
Though given Nora's personality—
She'd probably need quite a bit of training before she could properly aim and fire.
That wasn't a problem.
Ron was always happy to teach.
After all—
He could guide her step by step on how to "shoot"—
Just like how he taught her certain other "skills" at night.