The First Gun

Spirit City.

East Street Blacksmith Shop.

Duan Fan walked out of the blacksmith shop, accompanied by a muscular man over two meters tall.

The burly man was very respectful toward Duan Fan, waving goodbye with a smile, "Little brother, take your time. When you come back next time, we guarantee all the items will be finished!"

Duan Fan said, "Don't rush for speed; just ensure the quality."

The burly man nodded earnestly, "Quality is guaranteed!"

Watching Duan Fan's receding figure, the man's gaze finally landed on the Spirit Hall Academy emblem on the back of Duan Fan's robe, his face filled with envy.

"Any Soul Master who can enter Spirit Hall Academy is a genius."

"This little brother couldn't have awakened his martial soul long ago; his Innate Soul Power must be very high."

"As for these little things he ordered, I wonder what they are actually for."

"He must be running errands for his teacher. I've long heard that teachers at Spirit Hall Academy research everything."

"Why think so much? As long as there are Gold Soul Coins to be made!"

The burly man muttered to himself and turned back into the shop.

The little brother had just brought him another big order, so he had to treat it with even greater care.

Quality had to be guaranteed.

And the speed couldn't be too slow!

On the street, Duan Fan walked toward the Spirit Hall Academy at a steady pace.

Now that the barrel is in hand, all the parts are in place. Next, I just need to go back and assemble them.

It's taken nearly three months, but I can finally see my first gun.

Building a gun doesn't seem as expensive as I imagined. All the parts for this one cost less than three hundred Gold Soul Coins in total.

The most expensive part was the labor; the materials didn't cost much at all.

It's mainly because the blacksmiths in Spirit City have great skills. Otherwise, if I couldn't produce qualified parts, I don't know how many Soul Coins it would have cost.

I ordered another batch of parts from them. With the experience from the first time, their efficiency will definitely be much higher. I estimate that by the next break, I'll be able to get a large batch of parts and assemble more M1910s.

Once I go back and assemble the M1910, as long as the pistol's performance is fine, I can consider slowly manufacturing rifles later.

Thinking that he would soon possess his first gun, Duan Fan's pace involuntarily quickened.

As he walked, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a shop by the side of the road.

It was a very ordinary-looking shop, lacking even a decent sign.

Duan Fan had been to that shop before; it was a store specializing in the sale of Soul Tools.

The Soul Tools in the shop were primarily Space Soul Tools. There were other types, but they were extremely expensive and their functions were quite lackluster.

The only things Duan Fan was interested in were the Space Soul Tools.

But Space Soul Tools were also expensive, easily costing tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins.

Although Duan Fan could afford it, he ultimately dismissed the idea.

Although having a Space Soul Tool would make carrying things more convenient, especially guns.

But spending over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins on a piece of junk Space Soul Tool really isn't necessary.

I heard the academy will be holding a New Student Soul Fighting Competition soon. As long as I place in the top three, I can get generous rewards, including a Space Soul Tool.

That Space Soul Tool, I am determined to win!

Entering the academy, Duan Fan headed straight for his dormitory.

The advantage of a single room was evident here; Duan Fan didn't need to hide what he was doing.

Although other students lived in this building, there was almost no interaction between them, so Duan Fan didn't have to worry about anyone coming to disturb him.

Back in the room, Duan Fan locked the door and immediately took out the other firearm parts, beginning to assemble the Browning M1910.

This was Duan Fan's first time assembling a firearm.

Yet, his movements didn't feel the least bit unfamiliar; on the contrary, they looked extremely practiced.

This was naturally thanks to [Firearm Manufacturing Mastery]; Duan Fan's mind held the experience of assembling firearms countless times.

In just a few dozen seconds, Duan Fan had the Browning M1910 assembled.

A complete pistol lay quietly on the table.

The slide was dark gray, its hand-polished surface covered in fine textures. While it couldn't compare to the mirror-like effect of machine polishing, it possessed a rugged, tactile quality.

The barrel protruded slightly from the front of the slide, the muzzle a dark hole with cleanly beveled edges.

The walnut grip panels were polished smooth and warm, fitting the curve of his palm perfectly.

Duan Fan picked up the pistol; the body was heavier than he had anticipated.

But this didn't affect his handling of it; instead, he felt that the solid weight was reassuring.

"Finally finished. It looks fine on the outside; time to test the gun."

Duan Fan gripped the pistol with his right hand, pulled the slide back with his left, felt the recoil spring tighten, and let go.

The slide snapped back into place with a crisp "click." The sound of metal striking metal was short and sharp, like a pebble hitting a steel plate.

That crisp sound was the most pleasant thing Duan Fan had heard in a long time.

Duan Fan turned it over and over, inspecting it twice. The more he looked, the more he liked it, and a subtle arc had already unconsciously curled at the corners of his mouth.

He had waited too long for this moment.

From drawing the first blueprint to running across every blacksmith shop in Spirit City, to the fabrication of the firearm parts.

All the anticipation and uncertainty that had been bottled up inside him transformed at this moment into something tangible, held firmly in the palm of his hand.

A pistol.

A real semi-automatic pistol.

The moment he held it, every bit of effort felt worth it.

Duan Fan set the pistol aside and pulled out a wooden box.

The box was small, pieced together from ordinary cedar planks without even a coat of paint; it was a clearance item he had picked up at a carpenter's shop.

He opened the lid to reveal rows of bullets neatly stacked inside.

The brass casings glinted with a dull, golden luster in the light filtering through the window.

Each casing had a primer pressed into its base, and a steel bullet of uniform specification was tightly embedded in the mouth of the shell.

These bullets had been manufactured in tandem with the firearm parts.

In fact, they had been finished even earlier than the gun parts.

Compared to building a gun, making bullets was much easier.

A bullet consisted of four parts: the casing, the projectile, the propellant, and the primer.

The most difficult part was the gunpowder ratio, a subject Duan Fan knew by heart.

As for the other components, the blacksmiths in Spirit City could handle them with ease.

"I need to find a place to test the power of this gun."

Duan Fan loaded the pistol, took a handful of spare ammunition, stuffed everything into his wide robes, and stood up to leave the dormitory.

Inside the Spirit Hall Academy's Soul Fighting Arena, there were designated areas for practicing soul skills, consisting of rooms built from special materials where students could enter to train on their own.

That was the place Duan Fan chose to test his gun.