Gun Skeleton Soldiers
The next day, Lola did not come as promised. Instead, she sent word that something unexpected had happened and asked Green to wait another couple of days.
Green frowned, but from what he had learned elsewhere, the Tower of Yin Spirits seemed to have vanished from Landon City not long ago. Even Viscount Paul had made no progress after mobilizing the city's military and police and pursuing leads through the Anomalies Bureau. Under the circumstances, it was hardly surprising that Lola wanted two more days.
Green settled in to wait. For the next few days, he stayed at Wilson Castle and practiced magic.
He had only three spells: Death Spirit Sight, Soul Summoning, and Bone Spikes. He practiced them in rotation. Although [Soul Summoning LV3] had reached its limit for now, there were still plenty of techniques and tricks to refine, such as making a summoned Skeleton Soldier appear wherever he wished within five meters of him. The same went for Bone Spikes. When he rescued Lillisa, Green had pushed [Bone Spikes] to its limit in a flash of inspiration. Afterward, he discovered to his surprise that it had risen from [LV5] to [LV6]. It covered a wider area, reached farther, and could now produce either a single spike or an area attack at will. The power of [Bone Spikes] had surpassed First Circle magic altogether—it was even stronger than some weaker Second Circle spells!
At noon four days later, a string of bang, bang, bang rang out from the training ground behind Wilson Castle.
Two or three meters in front of Green, a Skeleton Soldier stood firing a rifle nearly two meters long, with a bayonet fixed to the end of its barrel.
The rifle's thick barrel, covered in Magic Runes, did not suit Green's tastes, but its power was undeniable. Old One-Eye had just delivered it, and Green had immediately brought it here for a test. The results were gratifying: accurate shots, formidable power, and, most importantly, the Skeleton Soldier's own Psychic Energy could activate the Runes on the Enchanted Rifle, which had been designed for a Knight's Fighting Aura.
Those Magic Runes could not increase a bullet's power, but they could give ordinary rifle rounds the ability to pierce magic. They were one of the Kingdom Knights Order's chief weapons for suppressing Transcendents. Old One-Eye had somehow obtained a rifle of the latest model issued in the Royal Capital. Green's fifteen Gold Pounds had been well spent.
There were still problems with a Skeleton Soldier using an Enchanted Rifle. Its accuracy and speed at loading rounds could not compare with those of a trained Knight, and if Green could not improve them, his original plan would be severely limited. Fortunately, these Skeleton Soldiers were not complete woodenheads. They retained their instincts, especially in combat. Green, at least, had taught this one the basic motions of aiming and firing without much effort.
Just then, a notification appeared in the Graveyard.
Green checked it at once, startled and delighted. The Graveyard's description of the Skeleton Soldier had changed!
A new entry had appeared in the burial ground that produced Skeleton Soldiers—Gun Skeleton Soldier, a level-one elite unit with combat power [6.3] and a cost of [10] Psychic Energy...
Green had not expected the Graveyard to recognize the new equipment he had given the Skeleton Soldier, let alone produce an entirely new unit: the Gun Skeleton Soldier. Its combat power had jumped, and its price had doubled. Green's eyes lit up. He recalled the Skeleton Soldier at once and entered the Graveyard to examine the changes to the [Gun Skeleton Soldier].
Back in the Graveyard, the evolved [Gun Skeleton Soldier] changed visibly. The pristine rifle that had looked so out of place in its hands was corroded by the Graveyard's Psychic Energy until it was mottled with rust. The Runes on it twisted, changing from Evocation School Runes to Necromancy School Runes. Meanwhile, the Skeleton Soldier's worn leather armor became a suit of light armor combining leather and steel, similar to a Gun Knight's. Its defensive capabilities had improved by who knew how many times.
Green was delighted by what he saw. It truly deserved to be called an elite unit. He had also spotted a small loophole: recruiting a Gun Skeleton Soldier directly from the Graveyard cost [10] Psychic Energy, but recruiting an ordinary Skeleton Soldier and equipping it with a rifle cost only 5 Psychic Energy and 15 Gold Pounds!
Under the price Green had negotiated with Old One-Eye, he could get the Enchanted Rifles for even less if he bought them in bulk.
Gold Pounds were no great concern to Green. Psychic Energy was the truly scarce hard currency. If he could exploit this little loophole, he would effectively save half his Psychic Energy. He even took the idea further: could he put a Gun Skeleton Soldier on horseback and upgrade it into a Mounted Gun Skeleton Soldier? Not yet. Horses were living creatures and could not enter the Graveyard directly. To make it work, he would first need to find a way to create undead warhorses.
The next day, Green went to Old One-Eye's shop and, with money to burn, placed an order for thirty Enchanted Rifles. The total came to 450 Gold Pounds.
Green had not had that much money on hand before. But after he rescued Lillisa, the deeply grateful Viscount Paul had given him a substantial sum in Gold Pounds, along with a small estate on the outskirts of the city. Part of it was sincere thanks for saving Lillisa. Part of it was that the viscount valued Green's formidable strength even more. Few people in all of Landon City could fight two Demonic Insect Parasites at once and kill them head-on.
Green accepted the money without ceremony or guilt, then turned around and exchanged it for thirty military rifles whose sale the Kingdom had banned.
Once Green paid the deposit, Old One-Eye beamed. The profit from this order alone equaled several months of sales at his shop. He had taken Green for a down-at-heel noble and had not thought much of him. His earlier courtesy had been more for the sake of the Wilson Family and Vincent. Yet Green had proved that when a bird finally sang, its cry could astonish the world: he had ordered thirty Enchanted Rifles in one breath and paid half up front. He had spent hundreds of Gold Pounds without batting an eye. Old One-Eye could not help seeing him in a new light.
With the deal settled, Old One-Eye thumped his chest and promised the rifles would arrive within three days at the latest.
Green was about to take his leave, but Old One-Eye suddenly remembered something and called him back. "Hey, my friend, I know where you can find some damaged magical items. I think you'll be interested."
Green's eyes lit up. He had been worrying about his lack of Psychic Energy lately. He had hoped to make a run through the Secret Hideout of the [Tower of Yin Spirits], but Lola still had not gotten back to him. Now Old One-Eye had brought this up. The man was sharp: the first time they met, he had guessed that Green had some way to tell whether fragments of magical items still held value. But secrets like that were not rare, and he had no desire to pry. By bringing it up now, he was simply doing Green a favor.
Green stayed and immediately asked Old One-Eye to tell him more...
As it turned out, Old One-Eye had a friend who had once been a captain and squadron commander in the Kingdom Knights Order. He had possessed strength at the peak of the Apprentice Knight level. Now he was old, and drinking and gambling had drained his savings, leaving him in dire straits. All he had left were things he had seized or picked up on the battlefield years ago. He had sold everything relatively intact; only scraps nobody wanted remained. Old One-Eye had mentioned them to Green to help his friend. If Green wanted any of them, everyone would benefit.
Green's interest stirred as he listened. Even precious Magic Artifacts became expendable once they reached the battlefield. If those things truly had come back from a battlefield, some of the fragments might still contain Psychic Energy.