A gunshot made Ignia, who was outside the door, turn her head.
"Sean!"
"I'm fine, just testing the pistols." Looking at the two flintlock guns in his hands, he realized he could actually use magic to load bullets! He hadn't noticed that before.
Back in Talamian, Luke had also given him a flintlock. He used to fiddle with it often but never thought much about it... mainly because his proficiency was too low back then, and every method he tried resulted in [Invalid].
What he remembered most clearly was failing to freeze water in a cup with magic, and the fact that he could only use magic twice a day was a major problem.
It was only now that things had improved a bit...
Although he felt his magic being drained just now, the amount used wasn't large.
Sean figured that if he used it to make ammunition, he could last a long time—at least longer than just practicing magic.
Outside the door, Ignia gathered another dark sphere and hurled it with her magic staff...
Then came an explosion from the other side.
[Chaos Strike~]
That was the name of the cast bar appearing above her head.
Besides attacking, Ignia kept her unique [Explore~] skill active, seemingly searching for any other enemies nearby.
Sean quickly scavenged the flintlocks. In the box, besides the guns, there was a leather belt—the kind used to holster firearms.
It would come in handy, so Sean took it along.
Walking to the door...
Ignia's magic points had already dropped by [600]. With a full pool of only [2000], using too much took a heavy toll on her mental energy.
Sean crouched down and approached slowly...
"Where are they?"
Ignia turned to look at Sean as he walked over, holding two flintlocks.
They looked quite refined—probably the weapons the other side had been firing!
"Did you find them in the shop?"
"Yeah, but I asked about the masked thugs." The enemy was still around, so Sean didn't linger on other topics.
The sounds from across the way had stopped, but Ignia still didn't stand up.
"I took out most of them, but a few might have run into the alley... I'm worried they'll come back, so let's wait a bit."
Seeing Sean about to stand, she quickly grabbed him.
"Wait! It's dangerous..."
"It's fine." Before Ignia could stop him, Sean was already on his feet.
The street ahead was a mess. Not a single shop within a dozen meters was intact, and the ground was a gruesome sight!
Ignia had been throwing skills almost indiscriminately, relying purely on destructive power to take down enemies... If not for her high level, the outcome might have been uncertain.
It was clear that despite being a Level 4 Order Keeper, she lacked combat experience—otherwise, she wouldn't be foolishly waiting here.
Since they had already driven off the immediate threat, they should move positions quickly. Waiting here, was she expecting the enemy to call for reinforcements and fight another round?
"Let's go..." Seeing no one around, Sean called Ignia to leave.
"What if they come back!"
She stared at him, asking what sounded to Sean like a stupid question.
"Better than staying here, or we might get surrounded by more people. Plus, near the Earl's mansion, there should be a patrol. We need to regroup with them." Hearing this, Ignia seemed to understand and immediately stood up to leave.
The strongest smell on the street was blood.
Sean had no idea where these thugs came from, daring to openly loot and riot in Koga City.
He walked over to a fallen thug's body and pulled back the face covering... revealing a very ordinary face—the kind you'd pass in a crowd without a second glance.
Health was at [10/1000], just a sliver left.
But that single-digit health was essentially a death sentence. That tiny amount could only sustain a few final thoughts.
As for what he was thinking...
What goes through someone's mind at the end? Only he would know.
His status had entered [Dying!], with no more thoughts left...
"What's wrong, Sean? Do you know him?" Ignia asked from behind.
"No, I was just checking who they are—what kind of people would have the nerve to start a riot in Koga City," Sean said.
From the health bar, he was just an ordinary person.
But how could ordinary people suddenly stand against Koga City, start a fire in the east, lure away the newly arrived Red Dragon Witch and Black Feather Knight, and then launch a riot on the main street?
To Sean, it seemed like a suicidal move, and he couldn't understand it.
What kind of plan would drive ordinary people to such a desperate attack?
Thinking back, those gunpowder materials must have been secretly transported and prepared, which was why they all had flintlocks...
This riot must have been planned for a long time!
"Who's there!"
No sooner had they left the main street than Ignia spotted a figure darting into a shop not far ahead.
Both instinctively looked for cover nearby.
"Was that a person?!" Ignia said nervously.
"Shh, you startled him. You shouldn't have shouted."
It happened in a flash—Sean hadn't even had time to focus. Otherwise, relying on his affinity judgment, he could have fired immediately. Now the enemy had taken cover.
"Ah... what do we do?"
"It's fine... there are two of us!"
If he had lacked confidence before, now with a gun in each hand, Sean felt ready for a fight.
He peeked out slightly, and the other side seemed to be looking too.
The moment their eyes met, the figure ducked back...
[1900/1900, Hostile] Status: [Nervous!].
In those few seconds of eye contact, Sean got the enemy's info. Sure enough, it was an opponent.
And he was close to Level 2 Order Keeper, with high health... Sean noticed no other enemies nearby. Either the other side had also been attacked, or they had split up to scavenge.
Since health was full, Sean leaned toward the latter.
He looked again, and the enemy also poked his head out to check!
Their eyes met once more, and both quickly turned away. This time, besides the usual status, a cast bar appeared above the enemy's head...
[Reloading~]
He was already loading bullets.
Ordinary flintlocks needed manual reloading. Even advanced ones with stored magazines required resetting the spring and flint before each shot, or the gun wouldn't fire.
"Ignia, can you give me a shield to block one bullet?"
"I can, but what are you going to do, Sean?" The girl looked at him, asking.
"A..."
"Huh?"
"I said I'm going to auto-attack... no time to explain. He's reloading. I'll count to three, and you cast the shield on me."
"One..."
He took a deep breath.
Fighting Bachler earlier hadn't made his heart race like this—back then, the archaeology team had plenty of experts. Now, he only had Ignia, who was high-level but had zero experience.
"Two..."
"Three!"
Seeing her raise her magic staff, Sean leaped out into the street...
Bang~
Bang!
Two crisp gunshots rang out.
They fired almost simultaneously, but both had overestimated the other and themselves. From a dozen meters away, neither hit!
The enemy immediately ducked down to reload.
But what stunned the opponent—and even Ignia—was that Sean simply walked forward.
Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Bang...
His guns fired nonstop.
He alternated between the two, never pausing to switch hands.
[Magic Proficiency: 94]...
[Magic Proficiency: 95]...
[Magic Proficiency: 96]...
[Magic Proficiency: 97]...
Ignia, crouched behind an overturned cart box by the roadside, watched in amazement.
So this was auto-attack?