Chapter 78
Alchemy is useless.
This was a well-known fact in this world.
Alchemy began a long time ago when a man with the elemental affinity of “Lead” attempted to turn lead into gold.
Naturally, it didn’t attract much attention.
After all, it was merely the desperate struggle of a commoner who had been dealt a bad hand in life.
Those with higher elemental affinities for metals had no reason to immerse themselves in alchemy.
Everyone could use magic to some extent, no matter how insignificant.
And in Trinity, where magic engineering was advancing rapidly, there was no place for alchemy.
Thus, alchemy began attempting what magic could not achieve.
For example, creating an elixir of immortality.
Or melting metals together in various combinations to create the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary material.
Of course, there were a few meaningful discoveries made along the way.
Improvements in metal refining or advancements in certain areas of pharmacology, for instance.
These did help blacksmiths and pharmacists, but the masses were uninterested.
To them, alchemists were just fools throwing strange things into cauldrons to boil.
By this era, very few people were still pursuing such practices.
And among the handful of people still engaged in alchemy was one man.
“Oh, the new release from Phantom Tower is out!”
The alchemist, Alken.
He was a man living in a small mountain village in the Kingdom of Franken.
He got by with a modest living, foraging herbs.
This was typical for the citizens of minor nations, whose wealth was drained away by the Empire, leaving little room for savings.
Though minor nations had been growing under international law recently,
Alken could have moved to the city for a better life.
But he didn’t.
Having eked out a living as an alchemist for nearly 30 years, he didn’t see any reason to change.
Moreover, the current era was simply too good to leave.
The Illusion Magic Tower’s Fantasy Reality.
Why bother with unnecessary hardships when there’s so much fun to be had here?
For Alken, as long as he had enough food to fill his belly and money to buy new releases, he was content.
Thus, he purchased and started playing the new game, Hidden Attack.
“What on earth is this…”
As soon as he logged in, an unfamiliar world unfolded before him.
A gray world he had never seen before.
It was honestly so alien that it was difficult to accept at first.
But since it was a game from Illusion Magic Tower, it was guaranteed to be fun.
After a few hours of playing, Alken quickly became accustomed to Hidden Attack.
“A gun, huh. What an interesting concept. How does Riot always come up with these ideas…”
If he had this kind of creativity, perhaps he could have created an elixir of immortality.
With a sigh, Alken immersed himself deeper into the game.
Bang-bang!
Hidden Attack was quite brutal.
For Alken, who had never killed anything beyond tossing a live frog into a cauldron, it was a strong stimulus.
Unlike the previous games that felt like mere “games,” Hidden Attack felt like actually killing someone.
Ordinary people generally struggle to accept the sensation of having killed.
It’s common for knights returning from war or adventurers to develop trauma from their actions.
Yet, Hidden Attack avoided such issues, seemingly due to the “gun” as a weapon.
“Killing someone really does feel like a game. Well, it is a game.”
You simply aim accurately and pull the trigger, and the person dies.
It felt like practicing archery, except the gun only required the slightest flick of a finger.
The unrealistic background and outfits also played a role.
Alken, as was his habit, disassembled the gun in the game.
If he could make something like this with alchemy, it would surely be a huge success.
Although nothing from the game had ever been successfully replicated with alchemy before.
Items like Minecraft’s obsidian or Ender Pearls, for instance.
“This one… actually seems doable, though.”
It looked deceptively simple.
“Don’t you just need to make the body and the bullets?”
You load the bullets into the gun, pull the trigger, and fire.
That seemed to be the entire mechanism.
Of course, there were likely more intricate details to its operation, but Alken couldn’t comprehend the inner workings of the gun.
Moreover, Illusion Magic Tower hadn’t fully implemented the internal mechanisms of the gun.
Only the exterior and the firing function had been designed.
So, disassembling the gun wasn’t even possible.
“The bullets seem to be the key.”
Thus, Alken focused on the bullets.
The bullets appeared to be cylindrical pillars made of a strange metal that converged towards the tip.
Yet, when fired, a small sphere seemed to shoot out.
Only the casing of the bullet was ejected to the side.
“So, something inside explodes, propelling the sphere forward…”
That would mean the bullet contained both the sphere and some kind of explosive mechanism.
The ignition mechanism was likely inside the gun.
With this in mind, Alken sent a chat message to other alchemists playing the game.
Don’tLookDownOnAlchemy: “Guys, don’t you think this could actually be made?”
There’sAPersonInside: “There he goes again. This is a weapon; even if it could be made, blacksmiths would be the ones to do it, not us…”
Don’tPutFrogLegsIn: “Ugh, stupid alchemists. Still boiling frogs in cauldrons, huh?”
There’sAPersonInside: “Dude, you’re an alchemist too.”
Don’tPutFrogLegsIn: “I recently got a job at a nearby pharmacy. ㅇㅅㅇ”
They didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic.
In fact, few alchemists pursued alchemy seriously anymore.
There’sAPersonInside: “Didn’t you blow up your cauldron last time trying to make obsidian?”
Don’tLookDownOnAlchemy: “Ugh, but this one really feels doable…”
Don’tPutFrogLegsIn: “Just shut up and play the game.”
In the end, no one showed any interest.
Yet, perhaps because he had roughly figured out the principle,
Alken began experimenting on his own to create the explosive material.
***
“Bang bang bang! Die!”
“Grrr! Grenade toss!”
Children on the street mimicked a gunfight, holding what looked like sticks as rifles.
This had become a common scene after the release of Hidden Attack.
Smack—
“Ouch!”
One child got hit in the head by a rock another had thrown like a grenade.
The child who threw it, seemingly unintentionally, didn’t know what to do.
“It’s okay. Even allies can get caught in a grenade’s blast, so you have to aim carefully before throwing.”
“Oh…! Yes, sir!”
“Kyahaha!”
When reassured, the children burst into giggles and ran off, delighted for some reason.
Watching them, I felt a pang of nostalgia—it reminded me of my younger self.
“…Should kids really be saying stuff like that already?”
“Well, it’s just play.”
Hidden Attack had a strict age restriction, prohibiting sales to anyone under 15.
But just like in modern times, some kids appeared to be secretly playing it using their parents’ artifacts.
Rikal watched the children with a concerned look.
“Killing people taints the soul. It’s not something children should come to understand.”
“True. I also warn buyers not to let their kids play. Still, I’m surprised to hear this concern from you, Your Highness. Especially in a world where even children used to go to war. Many people don’t understand why we’d bother restricting kids in the first place.”
Before the peaceful era, it was common for children to wield swords and axes in battle.
This world’s children still lived far closer to violence than those of the modern age.
Thus, many didn’t understand the necessity of an age restriction.
Surprisingly, Rikal, who seemed cold and ruthless, was concerned about this issue.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”
Muttering under his breath, Rikal walked on.
I ignored him and went about my shopping.
“By the way, where did you come up with this concept of a gun?”
“It’s just something I thought of.”
“So, it doesn’t exist in this world?”
“Correct. Although it seems feasible to create, I wouldn’t know how. Why?”
“If guns existed, military strength would multiply hundreds of times. Imagine a world where wars are fought with guns.”
Rikal’s sharp calculations showed how much work he’d been doing recently.
As a ruler, his desire to incorporate guns into his military was natural.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to make them myself.
I had only manifested the idea as a fantasy.
“Try ordering your scholars to make them.”
I immediately regretted my words.
If firearms were to become reality, the world could face drastic changes.
Perhaps the entire order of things would be upended.
“They couldn’t do it. Useless fools.”
“I see.”
“Do you really not know how?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have conjured them as mere fantasy, would I?”
“Hmm.”
It seemed his recent visit was motivated by his curiosity about guns.
Sorry, but I don’t know the answer either.
If I had, I wouldn’t be wasting my time as a fantasy mage.
“I understand.”
“Goodbye.”
Having finished his business, Rikal turned back toward the capital.
I checked the time and realized it was almost time for JeBbit’s broadcast to start.
“For now, it’s impossible.”
Guns and gunpowder had appeared relatively late in the history of my past life.
Considering the level of technology in this world, it wouldn’t be easy to make them.
Sometimes people like Rikal would entertain such ideas, but it still seemed impossible.
If guns were ever made, it would be a positive development.
After all, the world must progress.
“I’m just a game developer.”
That would be a good thing.
But creating guns would take a lot of time.
I discarded the thought and munched on a donut as I headed back to the magic tower.
A few quiet months passed, and the topic of guns seemed forgotten—
Until a certain beggar—no, an alchemist—visited the Illusion Magic Tower.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment