Titan Star Soul - Skylight

Facing the flash of fire erupting from the muzzle, the replica shifted its form, attempting to dodge the lethal bullet.

The phantom figure swung the crimson longsword in its hand with impenetrable defense, attempting to replicate the miracle of parrying a bullet with a blade. However, if the trump card Ryan relied on to end battles could be so easily blocked, he would not have kept it hidden as a secret weapon time and again.

The alchemical bullet that tore from the barrel shimmered with a faint phosphorescence, whipping up a violent gale as it left the muzzle, pouncing upon its prey with the vicious cruelty of an invisible spirit in the wind.

The high-speed bullet collided with the crimson longsword in the replica's hand, sparking a burst of fire. Ultimately, the physical attributes the replica had set for itself became its own undoing; after knocking the sword aside, the alchemical bullet maintained its momentum and pierced straight through the replica's chest.

The bullet, having passed through the chest, flew straight to the edge of the arena's barrier, falling to the ground only after being blocked by the invisible wall with a crisp, melodic clink.

With a gaping hole running through its chest, the replica looked at the mage holding the hand cannon—a piece of art brimming with metallic beauty—and an unexpected smile appeared on its face. With a sigh, it remarked, "Well fought..."

As the words fell, the phantom dissolved like spring snow, fading into specks of light that vanished into the air inch by inch.

The Tower Spirit's familiar mechanical voice rang out right on cue:

"Respected Trial-taker, congratulations on successfully passing the second trial. Calculating highest difficulty bonus...

Loading inheritance mode... bzzt...

Distributing rewards..."

Only when the Tower Spirit spoke did Ryan feel certain that the dust had settled, the string that had been taut in his heart finally slackening.

The mage spun the gleaming, cold-steel weapon half a turn in his hand, stylishly mimicking a Western cowboy by blowing lightly on the muzzle. His eyes held a smile, and his calm tone could not hide his pride and relief:

"The gun is named Black Rose, meticulously polished, carved, and forged by a master Dwarf smith. It weighs twelve catties and eight taels. I hope you enjoy the experience."

As a visitor from Blue Star, how could Ryan not have designs on the high-powered automated weapons of his past life?

However, through a series of experiments, Ryan discovered with regret that the formula of "one saltpeter, two sulfur, three charcoal" seemed not to work in this world of swords and magic. The gunpowder on the continent of Faerûn was a special chemical that merely looked like the one from his past life.

Although primitive gunpowder weapons had appeared on Faerûn—such as the flintlocks made by the Dwarves of Ironforge in the North, or the matchlocks in the hands of pirates swarming the Azure Waves of the southern seas—the gunpowder of Faerûn was entirely different in composition from his past life, and its power was far from satisfactory.

Ryan had meticulously studied the secrets within, only to helplessly conclude that it might be due to the differences in world laws. The explosive power of Faerûn's black powder was greatly diminished. Furthermore, this world was filled with brutes capable of crushing stones with their bare hands and running horses across their shoulders; primitive gunpowder weapons sometimes couldn't even break the skin of certain monsters, forcing him to regretfully abandon the idea of farming and developing gunpowder technology.

Faced with this cruel reality, what could Ryan do? No matter how unwilling he was, he had to accept it; after all, the microscopic worlds and the composition of fundamental particles were different between the two worlds.

Compared to the Blue Star of his past life, where the world's basic framework was built by microscopic atoms, this fantasy world was filled with idealistic power. Belief was imbued with strength, and souls could interfere with information.

In the underlying construction of the world, the microscopic world of Faerûn was permeated and infected by elemental magic power.

The elements and fundamental magic particles that filled the heavens and earth were both the primal magic and the materials that created all things.

In this world, all existence was permeated with elements. This latent, invisible energy existed in every grain of sand, every stream, every living creature, and even in the air—it was omnipresent and all-encompassing.

These powers, known as magic, and these elements that filled the world, were the essence of any energy in this multiverse. They manifested and differentiated into four aspects: matter, energy, information, and soul. They were the most primitive materials used by the Creator to build all things, and they were the collection of information that constituted the material foundation and cosmic laws of this world.

In this world, the surging, violent tides of magic were constrained beneath the Weave, and the authority leading to truth was hidden in the center of the Sea of Force.

However, even though the technology of his past life could not be replicated, the light of wisdom would not be extinguished.

After much deep thought, Ryan adapted to local conditions and redesigned a magic-modified firearm from another world.

He mixed magic-conducting mithril into cold iron, and the gun body was redesigned with reference to the famous weapons of his past life.

To ensure the perfect guidance of the gun barrel, Ryan personally traveled to the North to visit a renowned Dwarf master, commissioning him to cast the entire gun body in a scorching furnace, then micro-carving the designed acceleration and charging magic arrays into the interior of the barrel.

The hand cannon used the gunpowder Ryan had re-purified and supplemented as its basic energy source, while crystalline Magic Crystals embedded in the grip provided power to the arrays inscribed on the barrel and internal chamber.

After Ryan spray-painted it a heavy, ink-like black, the entire hand cannon looked like a luxury item brimming with artistic flair and cold, metallic beauty.

Yet, when this luxury item was paired with alchemical bullets inscribed with magic runes, it transformed into a dazzling weapon of slaughter.

Ryan named it "Black Rose." Every gorgeous, brilliant bloom of the Black Rose represented the passing of a living soul.

Ever since he spent a fortune crafting this hand cannon, he had treated it as one of his trump cards.

After all, both the bullets and the firearm required special customization. Even for the moderately wealthy Ryan, the exorbitant cost made his heart ache. Since the early days when a single bullet blew the skull off a rampaging Earth Dire Bear during a crisis, he had rarely needed to use this weapon.

After lovingly wiping down "Black Rose," Ryan stored it back into his Traveler Space, letting it wait for its next furious bloom.

At this moment, the light emitted by the moon-white floor of the platform slowly dimmed, and the sealed steel door opened once more. Behind the door stood the half-elf ranger, who had been waiting anxiously.

"Got through by luck."

Before the surprised half-elf could speak, Ryan, having already guessed her question, spoke with a smile.

Jelona froze for a moment, and a happy smile bloomed on her beautiful face like peach blossoms after the spring snow had melted. The half-elf nodded, responding to the mage: "Mm, as long as you're okay."

The Tower Spirit, which never read the room, suddenly chimed in with a notification that interrupted their conversation:

"Respected Trial-taker, your reward is ready. Please proceed to the designated location to claim it."

Hearing this, the young man felt a surge of joy in his heart. Although the assessment was perverted, the rewards were genuinely precious.

The Myriad Changes Card given in the first round was a priceless treasure, whether used by himself or traded.

Honestly speaking, the rewards for this ruin's trials were indeed generous, and Ryan was quite looking forward to the reward for this round.

Following the prompt to the designated location, a magic array appeared before the two of them.

The center of the ten-foot-diameter circular array was depicted with complex and intricate exquisite patterns. Intersecting magic inscriptions revealed a mysterious aura, and the outer rim was decorated with shimmering, colorful gem fragments. Even with Ryan's knowledge base, he could not discern the function of this inexplicable array.

"Trial-taker, please proceed to the hub to receive your reward."

As if worried that Ryan wouldn't understand, the Tower Spirit thoughtfully projected a large, downward-pointing arrow symbol above the array.

Ryan's forehead creased with a few dark lines; for something with such an unknown function, the mage was truly a bit uneasy.

"Please, Trial-taker, proceed to the Hub to receive your reward." The Tower Spirit's prompt sounded once more, and at the same time, the arrow hovering above the magic circle actually began to bob up and down.

Damn it, I'm even more uneasy now. This sense of déjà vu from a third-rate game's objective marker—I'm afraid this is another trap, isn't it?

The mage's inner soul of snark burned fiercely, but faced with the temptation of a legendary mage's legacy, and with him already on the boat, he had no other choice. Ryan could only silently grip the card in his hand and, as if rushing toward a battlefield, step by step approach the so-called "Hub."

The mage stepped into the Hub, and the patterns upon the magic circle lit up one by one. The mage's figure vanished in an instant, leaving behind only the half-elf ranger, who stood dumbfounded staring at the empty magic circle.

In the deep, boundless void, the figure of the golden-haired youth appeared beneath a starry sky. On the deep blue celestial canopy, layers upon layers of flickering stars swirled around a purple crystal core as brilliant as a diamond.

Ryan stared at the magnificent scene before him, dumbstruck. With stars shifting and space-time transforming, wasn't this reward a bit over the top? I didn't intend to come to a godforsaken place like this!

At this moment, an ethereal and majestic consciousness reached him:

"Young Planeswalker, greetings."

A simple greeting, yet it made the mage's pupils constrict. As if facing a formidable enemy, he immediately prepared to use his Spark to leave this inexplicable place.

But the consciousness that followed from the void made the mage halt his actions:

"Do not be nervous; I harbor no malice."

The goodwill within that ethereal, vast consciousness that reached directly into the heart needed no words to be understood; it was as gentle as a breeze caressing all things in the mountains and forests, and as refreshing as spring rain falling from the horizon to nourish the soul.

Ryan paused for a moment, then posed a question to this boundless, brilliant starry sky: "Who exactly are you?"

The grand consciousness seemed to arrive from the distant horizon, and the voice echoing in Ryan's ears carried a hint of a smile:

"I am the Star Soul of the Titan, the Master of Metal, the Sovereign of the Earth.

Power is My mandate, steel is My kin, and the stars are My servants.

My name is Skynet."

The vast and mighty consciousness reverberated among the stars. The stars shone with brilliant radiance, and the entire void seemed to echo and praise this sacred name.