Matthews also knew that the bullets he had made were ordinary iron mixed with a little copper. They probably weren't even as hard as ordinary iron from his previous world.
Iron like this simply couldn't withstand much impact. The only reason it had pierced the first boulder was its speed.
After that, Matthews tried firing the Electromagnetic Cannon several more times and found that its effective range was only about 350 meters. Beyond that range, its power dropped considerably.
He had two ideas for improving it: one was to make the bullets harder; the other was to strengthen his control over the thunder element and cover the bullets with more lightning, increasing their power.
The next morning, Mia asked Matthews, "Brother, are we going to try that magical attack of yours that crackles with electricity again today?"
Matthews shook his head and replied, "No. Right now, it only has the power of a fifth-level attack. I can't improve it much in the short term, so today I'll keep practicing my blade skills."
"Okay. Aren't we having a barbecue today? We can use your magic to hunt in a little while."
"Uh, don't you think that's a bit of overkill, little sister?"
"Not at all. Your magic is super cool."
Looking at Mia, who seemed to be turning into a little delinquent, Matthews couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. He just couldn't figure out what. At home, he had always taught her to be graceful. Clearly, it wasn't his fault, so it had to be her roommates at the Imperial Capital school who had led her astray.
"Hey, do you have any weird roommates?"
Mia asked in confusion, "No?"
"I see. Make sure you focus on practicing magic from now on. Don't go fooling around with them, okay?"
Mia thought her brother was worried she wouldn't study magic properly at the academy, so she promised, "Don't worry, Brother. I'm a genius in my class."
"Mm, our Mia is the best. You'll definitely become an elegant mage one day."
Matthews would never admit that his own chuunibyou antics might have gradually influenced his sweet, gentle little sister. Since she had agreed so readily, he didn't mind praising her a little.
At noon, Matthews and his sister sat there eating barbecue. The young magical beast from the day before came back, and Matthews cut off a piece of raw meat and tossed it to the creature.
That day, it did what it usually did: sniffed the meat for a long while, then carried it into the river and disappeared.
"Brother, why did you toss it meat again?"
Matthews explained, "I was bored, so I tossed it a few pieces to play with."
After that, Matthews began seriously practicing his blade skills. He still remembered that the first level of blade mastery was simply using a blade. At this level, a person could manage basic swings and thrusts with a blade or sword.
The second level was Blade Mastery. At this level, a blade wielder could begin to control their weapon. They could make the blade move with them: when the blade struck, their body would arrive with it.
The third level was the unity of man and blade. At this level, the blade was like an extension of its wielder's arm. Using it felt as natural as raising an arm. Those who reached this level surpassed most other blade users. They no longer relied on fixed forms; every slash and thrust was blade work. This was the level of Heavy as Light and Light as Heavy.
The fourth level was blade intent. Those at this level could imbue their blade with their will. Their attacks carried a mysterious intent. A flash of the blade might easily cut through stone—or fail to cut a sheet of paper. Through this understanding of intent, one could comprehend the momentum of heaven and earth.
The fifth level was to incorporate the Laws one had comprehended into one's attacks. Those who reached this level were generally geniuses who had comprehended the Laws.
Matthews was still at the first level. In his previous life, he hadn't practiced much with blades when he trained in martial arts. For now, he was simply getting his body used to the blade in his hands and learning to control the force behind each swing.
As time passed, a week went by in the blink of an eye. The winged, snake-shaped magical beast cub now dared to come within a meter of Matthews and his sister.
By then, Matthews had even made it a stone bowl and shared some of their food with it. The little fellow seemed to especially enjoy fish soup.
Today, Matthews grilled another animal and gave the little fellow a leg. After finishing it, the creature lay beside him with its mouth open, asking for more.
Matthews tossed it another leg. Mia said unhappily, "Brother!"
Girls didn't like snake-like creatures like this, so Matthews reassured her, "It's fine. It's pretty cute."
"I don't see what's cute about it."
After eating, the little fellow unusually didn't leave. Instead, it lay down at Matthews's feet. Matthews remembered that in the original story, the protagonist Linley had also coaxed the God-Slaying Rat Bebe into following him just like this.
Unfortunately, Matthews didn't think he'd get the same treatment as the protagonist. He stroked the little fellow, and it didn't seem to mind.
In the days that followed, the riverside where it had once been just the two siblings gained a magical beast cub. It also started bringing fish whenever they ate.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Matthews had gotten used to attacking and defending with two blades. With his sister's school term about to begin, he decided to take her back.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Matthews and his sister packed their things and set out for the Imperial Capital. He had already made up his mind: after dropping her off at the magic academy, he would go train in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. He was now a sixth-level warrior, and he had an Electromagnetic Cannon attack powered by Battle Qi. He had also learned to wield a pair of blades. It was time to head to the Magic Beast Mountain Range for some training!
Seeing that Matthews and his sister weren't lighting a fire to cook as usual, the little fellow dropped the fish from its mouth and stared at them in confusion as they walked away.
After following them for a while, it finally understood. They were leaving. It thought for a moment, then ran after Matthews and bit his calf.
"Brother, watch out!"
When Mia saw the little fellow she had raised for over half a month attack her brother, she immediately warned him.
"It's fine. Look."
Mia followed the direction her brother pointed and saw a magic array forming in front of the winged, snake-shaped magical beast. Two magic arrays flew toward her brother and the magical beast cub.
Matthews now realized that this was a contract magic array cast by a magical beast. He couldn't help wondering what level the cub was, since it seemed to him to be only a third-level magical beast.
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