Chapter 105
"Oh, right!"
Jin smacked his forehead.
Gravis!
The realization struck him like a breaking jar inside his mind.
In a land beyond the horizon, where the outline of skyscrapers was replaced by vast open skies, a place teeming with purists.
He had been so thoroughly immersed in a competition filled with cold steel and rampant spellcraft that he had completely forgotten—
His longest partner, second only to his own body.
Clenching his fist, Jin immediately pressed the call button.
Not even five seconds had passed since checking the message when a prompt response came through, as if Wonder had been waiting for this moment.
[This is Wonder.]
"I read your message. So, Gravis' upgrade is finished?"
[Yes. Both Developmental Test & Evaluation (DT&E) and Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) have been completed. All that remains is to deliver it to you.]
Skipping any pleasantries, the conversation went straight to the point.
With his device pressed to his ear, Jin glanced at Anna calling him from afar and mouthed, 'Just a sec.' Then he continued,
"I'm not in Downtown right now. Can you drop it off at Anekdote like we discussed? I'll pick it up later."
[I understand you're in District 8. You're participating in the Rotation, aren't you?]
"Yeah. You knew?"
[I always keep a close eye on your movements.]
It would have been hard to miss this time.
Behind Wonder's voice, faint background noise trickled in—murmurs, clattering sounds.
"You're outside?"
[Ah. I'm at a café. The espresso here is quite decent.]
"Hmm. Espresso."
Jin wasn't the type to dismiss such details lightly.
Even a bitter black liquid, just ground and brewed from roasted beans, had its perfect pairing—
"You're having something sweet with it, right? Hopefully cake. Ah, now that I said it, I want cake."
As Jin smacked his lips, Wonder replied,
[Shall I order one for you?]
"What, are you gonna do a food broadcast? Should I turn on video call?"
[That would be difficult. I'm not fond of sweets.]
Huh. Then why—
Jin, who had just been about to hit the video call button, made a disappointed face.
Wonder, in his usual level tone, added,
[So, you should come and have it yourself.]
"How would I even know where you are?"
[District 8. A three-story rooftop café at the intersection—if you look from the entrance at a 7 o'clock angle, you'll see the train station.]
"······?"
Jin didn't respond right away.
After a short silence, Wonder chuckled softly.
[Shall I send you the address?]
The café was called Urban Grind.
Ascending the stairs steeped in the rich scent of coffee, Jin reached the rooftop, where a sharply dressed man with neatly waxed hair stood gazing down at the intersection.
In front of him, utterly mismatched with the tiny espresso cup, was a table full of cake slices—an impeccable hit to the ambassador's tastes, courtesy of a competent sales manager.
The man turned his head slowly at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"You're here."
It was Wonder.
Aside from the time he had signed the initial contract, all their interactions had been through messages and calls.
This was only their second face-to-face meeting.
Come to think of it, when he first retrieved Gravis, a subordinate had been sent instead.
For someone as busy as Wonder to make the trip himself, Jin felt the need to rewind and insert a step he had skipped earlier—greetings.
"It's been a while. You doing well?"
"I'm the same as always. Mostly busy, occasionally free. And you?"
"Me? Not sure about usual, but right now, I just want something sweet. Mind if I dig in?"
"Of course."
"Then…"
Without hesitation, Jin devoured all eight slices of cake—the entire menu selection of the café.
It didn't take long.
Each forkful was a spell, making the cake disappear one by one.
A true testament to his rank as second-tier.
"…I should've ordered more."
"I tend to eat a lot."
Jin swallowed down the unspoken truth—that even this hadn't been nearly enough.
Setting down his fork, he turned to Wonder.
"So, you really came all the way here just for Gravis?"
"Is there another reason?"
"None?"
"Who knows."
Wonder answered with a faint smile, then let one shoulder drop.
Lifting a large briefcase—no, a metal case—off the ground, he placed it on the table.
"First, confirm the goods."
"So suddenly?"
Jin's question was nearly simultaneous with the click of the case unlocking.
"Ooh?!"
His eyes widened as he saw the gun's dark body nestled in the center of a black silicon foam mold.
"It's bigger?"
After color, the next thing to catch his attention was the length of the barrel.
Gravis had always been larger than a standard handgun, about twice the size.
But now, it was even longer.
"Yes, as you can see. The total length has increased by approximately 10% from the previous 31.94cm to 35cm. Would you like to hold it?"
Wonder gestured toward the weapon, scanning their surroundings as he did.
He was checking for onlookers, but fortunately, the rooftop was empty aside from the two of them.
"Whoa. Hold on."
Jin picked up the newly upgraded Gravis, immediately letting out a surprised exclamation.
"It's way heavier."
Naturally.
Even before, it had been a gun with zero regard for balance.
Instead of correcting that flaw, it had doubled down, throwing out any pretense of moderation.
According to the laws of physics—mass and momentum—
At this moment, Jin was holding something that felt like at least 20kg.
Which was equivalent to a 60mm mortar.
The sheer weight alone made it absurd, and the completely unbalanced center of gravity only made things worse. It wasn't even designed to be used by normal people.
But Jin didn't complain.
Instead, he casually flicked his wrist, adjusting to the weight.
Seeing this ridiculous feat of strength, Wonder let out an amused scoff.
"How much does it weigh now?" Jin asked.
"It's gained 7kg, making it 17kg total."
"…Isn't that overkill?"
"We had no choice. To counteract the recoil of the new ammunition, a stronger superalloy was necessary. Here, take a look."
Wonder pulled a bullet from his coat.
Jin blinked at its sleek form.
"This is our new self-propelling round. Simply put…"
The technical explanation that followed went mostly in one ear and out the other.
But in summary—
Self-propelling rounds.
Unlike conventional gunpowder bullets, these contained an additional propellant that accelerated the projectile the moment it exited the barrel, maximizing kinetic energy.
It sounded impressive at first, but there were severe drawbacks:
The recoil was doubled.
The extreme firing force increased the risk of mechanical failure.
Even if the gun didn't malfunction, its lifespan would be drastically reduced.
In short, it wasn't ready for mass production.
But what kind of company is Ruger & Dolman?
"Maniac But Dependable."
They've stubbornly upheld the catchphrase—known as MBD—for decades, making them a bunch of eccentric madmen.
What?
A 94.4% chance of malfunction?!
The barrel got wrecked before it could fire through five magazines during testing?
Then make it out of a material that can withstand it!
And so, a gun barrel made from a solid piece of ultra-hard alloy was born.
Far more durable than conventional aluminum alloys, but as heavy as a bodybuilder on full supplements.
All of this was thanks to the utterly insane developers who shrugged off responsibility onto the users, thinking, "Eh, I'm not the one shooting it anyway."
"You could say we've pushed the hardness and strength to the absolute limit. In fact, when we tested the surface with a diamond-coated ultra-abrasive drill, it couldn't even make a scratch."
Jin only focused on the last part of that statement.
So, in short, it's super durable?
Okay, got it.
In reality, this kind of thinking wasn't necessarily wrong.
The absurd weight, which would make it impossible for regular users to carry, became a non-issue the moment it landed in Jin's hands.
Now, only the advantages remained.
That's why Jin could take it so positively.
But Wonder's explanation wasn't over yet.
"Jin, why don't you try infusing mana into the Gravis?"
"Mana?"
He tilted his head at the unexpected suggestion but soon complied, gripping the handle and channeling a bit of mana into it, just to see.
Then something incredible happened.
Wooooom.
The dark barrel of the New Gravis trembled slightly, as if it were alive.
"What the hell…?"
As Jin's eyes widened in surprise, Wonder explained.
"We engraved spells along the rifling inside the barrel. Or more precisely, we used molds with spell incantations carved into them when casting the alloy. According to our developers, a considerable amount of high-mana-conductive metal was mixed into the ultra-hard alloy. So, they thought, why not give it a shot? They even consulted renowned mages."
"And what kind of spell is it?"
"It's an enhancement spell. The bullets pick up the mana infused into the rifling as they fire. Or rather, the mana is imprinted onto them. We confirmed this through over 100,000 tests, so you don't have to worry."
"Hold on."
Jin interrupted, staring down at the Gravis.
Then, raising his head slowly, he asked,
"If this weapon can imprint spells… doesn't that basically make it an artifact?"
"That's one way to see it. It might not match the quality of the weapons dwarves made a thousand years ago, but our developers are geniuses in their own right."
Wonder's voice brimmed with confidence.
And in truth, there was a backstory behind this.
Weapon upgrades usually go in one of two directions:Enhance the strengths, or compensate for the weaknesses.
But in Gravis's case, the developers decided to push both to the extreme.
Perhaps this reckless approach made them feel more at ease.
Since we're already making a ridiculous weapon, let's go all out!
What else should we add?
With that mindset, they gleefully ran wild, even engraving spells into it.
Of course, the recoil worsened whenever magic was used.
But in the end, it was a weapon born purely from irresponsible indulgence.
Thus—
It was only natural that it gained a fitting name.
Behold, Gravis Ground Zero!
Or simply, Gravis GZ.
They say insanity taken to its peak becomes art.
And someone once said explosions are art.
So naming it "Ground Zero"—a term for both the epicenter of a massive explosion and the beginning of something new—felt inevitable.
A weapon made for one person.
A monstrous firearm standing at the starting line.
In summary: Complete lunacy! So just use it yourself.
***
"What is this?"
Ryucard asked, staring at the sword in his hands.
Carlos, standing beside him, had a similar reaction.
"A spear…?"
Jin responded to their puzzled expressions.
"It's a gift from a friend of mine. They just want you to test them out and give some feedback."
Carlos yawned with his usual lazy expression, glanced at the logo on the spear shaft, and mumbled,
"R&D? What's that mean…?"
Then he shrugged, handing the spear back to Jin with a languid drawl.
"Too much trouble…"
Normally, Jin would've respected Carlos's attitude.
Outside of battle, this guy found everything in life a hassle—he even held in his piss until the absolute last moment.
But today was different.
Jin had received far too generous a gift from Wonder—no, from Ruger & Dolman.
Somehow, they'd found out Jin was acquainted with the successors and had begged to send them some of their company's melee weapons as gifts.
He had agreed.
"Just once."
"Too—"
Carlos's response was getting shorter.
From experience, Jin knew that if he let it go now, Carlos would shut up completely.
And then he'd be stuck swinging the spear alone until Carlos decided to speak again.
So Jin sighed and said,
"If you test it, I'll fight you twice."
"Oh? Are you serious…?"
Carlos's eyes gleamed.
Currently, their friendly match record was 2-1 in Jin's favor.
Seeing a chance to turn the tables, the spear-wielding fanatic snatched up the R&D spear.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The air howled as he spun it, and Jin smirked.
"Not now, later. I've got something else to check first."
Then, turning to Ryucard, he clasped his hands together as if in prayer.
"Just a favor, please. The company said just getting your evaluation would be an honor."
"Understood. It's not a difficult request."
"You're the best."
Jin flashed him a thumbs-up, then turned toward Katrina.
"What?"
"Set up some ice for me."
"Ugh, are you doing that stupid ice-breaking contest again? No. Go ask Dayor to stand there and take the hits instead. He'll tell you which one hurts the most."
"Sis?"
Dayor's voice was promptly ignored as Katrina glanced up at Jin, still standing in front of her.
She scowled and waved a hand.
"Pissing me off…"
At her gesture, ice pillars shot up in the arena.
Ten of them, neatly aligned—surprisingly generous for someone who had just refused.
"Thanks."
Jin let out a smirk as he drew the Gravis from his waist.
Whether it was the Gravis 707 or the Gravis GZ, to Jin, Gravis was just Gravis.
He savored the hefty weight before locking in the magazine!
Just as he channeled mana into his outstretched hand—
Wait, what if?
A thought flashed through his mind, and instead of mana, Jin carefully infused a different power into the weapon.
It wasn't easy—his chest kept trying to force it out in the form of a staff—but somehow, he managed to fully imbue the Gravis with [Light of the Old Era], also known as divine power.
Bzzzt— The gun barrel trembled as he aimed it forward.
His previous record was seven when throwing a Thunder Spear.
How would it go this time?
"..."
At last, Jin lightly pulled the trigger.
And in the next moment—
Kwaang───!!
A dazzling streak of light tore straight through the massive ice pillars beyond his raised hands.
One, two, three, four… eight, nine, ten.
Not a single one was left untouched.