Chapter 668: The Willing Take the Bait

Over a thousand units of energy may seem a lot, but many of Reslin's newly upgraded spells are above six circles, and any spell from six to seven circles consumes hundreds of energy units.

If it's from seven to eight circles, the energy consumption is even greater.

Additionally, there is a large batch of low‑circle yet very practical spells, such as Oil Technique, Fear Technique, Mage's Hand, Wall of Fire, Exile Technique, and these also require a lot of energy to reach their circle limits.

In less than five minutes, the spirit pool was empty again.

Reslin shook his head inwardly, no wonder the Naiser faction and the Mo Du faction have irreconcilable ideological conflicts. The mana he converts from a day's absorbed energy would take other legendary casters at least thirty years of meditation, and even a prodigy of unparalleled talent would need more than fifteen years of time and effort.

Given the limited mana and spirit energy, the number of spells and their potency can only be chosen one over the other.

Fortunately, I have a MutatedPhone!

Reslin truly entered meditation, constructing a Time Stop spell model in the Lake of Stars, and after a little over two hours, he heard his teammates' voices at his ears and slowly opened his eyes.

The teammates had all rested.

For Legendary High-rank strongmen, two hours is enough to recover to peak condition. Yizite sat at the table in the middle of the tent, cooking food for everyone.

The aroma of the meat steak and the fragrant fruit juice whetted everyone's appetite.

Beilake sat at his own berth, carefully wiping his Soul Gun with a clean silk cloth, earnestly and meticulously, as if tending to his most beloved woman.

In contrast, the barbarian priest was much rougher, casually leaning his hammer beside him, within easy reach.

Dao En Suosi looked at the Holy Spear Ranger and kindly asked, "Do you need me to use a cleaning technique for you?"

"No, thank you."

Beilake shook his head to decline, "Cleaning technique can only clear the surface; the Soul Gun's internal structure is very complex and must be meticulously maintained daily to keep it intact, so it won't fail at the most critical moments."

"What's the story behind these two guns?" Dao En Suosi asked casually.

"This one is called 'Judgment Light'."

Beilake picked up the longer Soul Gun; its shape was extremely unique, as if carved from white jade, the barrel a rectangular prism, the rear grip forged from alloy, with a faint Holy Light glow inside, exuding an air of antiquity and rustic charm, clearly an ancient relic.

"Judgment Light is one of the earliest Soul Guns in the world; in fact, it isn't a gun at all, but a magical artifact."

The Holy Spear Ranger explained, "It doesn't need bullets; as long as you infuse Holy Light, it can fire bullets, and the power depends on the amount of Holy Light, as does the firing rate."

Dao En Suosi's face lit up, "No wonder there's no muzzle; not needing bullets is so convenient."

"Not exactly."

Beilake sighed and shook his head, "Not needing bullets does save a lot of hassle, but it also limits Judgment Light's potency. It consumes too much Holy Light power and its range isn't far enough, so I usually rely more on this one, 'Falling Star'."

Speaking, he picked up another, shorter Soul Gun.

"Falling Star is the true Soul Gun, forged by my own hands," Beilake stroked the ornate metal barrel, saying proudly, "To create it, I studied under a gunsmith of the Oriense Empire in Queen Harbor for five years, then poured all the wealth I'd earned from adventures over the years into it, exhausting countless efforts, and finally succeeded in casting it."

"Is this gun of epic‑grade quality?" Dao En Suosi asked.

"Of course!"

Beilake's expression was proud, "Falling Star is the world's most elite Soul Gun; even in the Empire with the most gunmen, none surpasses it."

At that moment he saw Reslin open his eyes, and A Xina also cast her gaze, so he began to show off.

The Holy Spear Ranger, while twirling the Soul Gun on his fingertips, said, "The Falling Star's dimensional magazine can hold three thousand bullets, its interior divided into eight chambers that can store eight different effect bullets." A dazzling display, the Soul Gun moved as nimbly as his fingers, and he continued, "In combat I can switch bullets at any time to produce various effects. Unfortunately there's little chance today; later I'll let you see."

Today the main force destroying the demon nest was A Xina; she was responsible for pursuing fleeing enemies, using only the most ordinary Holy Light Bullet.

"May I have a look?" A Xina suddenly expressed interest.

"Alright." Beilake readily agreed, then hesitated a bit and warned, "A Xina, be careful with it; Falling Star can't withstand your power."

"You need to have confidence in my control of power," A Xina smiled, assuring.

The Holy Spear Ranger then carefully handed the gun over.

The female giant took the gun in her hand, gently rubbing it for a while, feeling its weight, curious yet actually making a comparison.

"You can fire a test shot."

Beilake, seeing she was somewhat reluctant to put it down, courteously took out a magical target and placed it at the side of the tent, saying, "No matter what you do inside the Rioemon Sanctuary, the sound won't travel out; this magical target is what I use for test firing, it can absorb bullet power, and as long as you don't fire at full force, it can withstand at least ten shots."

"Alright!"

A Xina didn't wait for Beilake's shooting instruction and fired at the target.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

She fired five shots in succession, the sanctuary's lights flickered, and among those five shots she switched three different bullets: Holy Light Bullet, Explosive Shell, and Armor Penetration Bullet.

"The power's decent."

The female giant returned Falling Star to Beilake; she said it was fine, but anyone could see she was actually not very satisfied.

"Do you know how to use a Soul Gun?" Beilake, seeing her bullet switching so proficient and her shooting technique so standard, suddenly felt puzzled.

A Xina smiled, "Hmm, I've used it a few times."

Her shooting technique was learned from Tai Li En, the company commander of the Second Company of Extreme Warriors; Tai Li En is the most skilled gunmaster in the Extreme Warrior Corps, having devised a complete set of shooting skills, teaching them to every brother, and also serving as the chief shooting instructor of the Gunwing Knights.

Even though she had studied for less than two months, A Xina's shooting art was top‑tier within the Extreme Warrior Corps.

Lei En's Bolt Gun given to her is in the Nebula Ring, but the timing hasn't been right, so she hasn't taken it out to use.

Beilake's Falling Star is indeed extremely powerful, but she's accustomed to the Bolt Gun and always feels it's a bit lacking.

Firing consumes too much spirit energy.

The firing rate isn't fast enough, the bullet speed is also slower, and the range can't be tested inside the tent, but it was seen in daytime battles and is clearly inferior to the Bolt Gun.

The most important thing is that Falling Star's recoil is too weak; firing lacks punch.

Beilake sensed A Xina's attitude; the beauty before him, her face a little unsettled, he asked in displeasure, "A Xina, do you think my Soul Gun is lacking?"

"No, Falling Star truly is the top‑tier Soul Gun, it's just not suitable for me," A Xina shook her head repeatedly.

"How could that be?" Beilake thought she was merely being perfunctory, raising his tone a few notches, "You can't find a Soul Gun better than Falling Star; if even it isn't suitable for you, what kind of Soul Gun do you want?"

A Xina remained silent.

"Um..." Beilake furrowed his brow, "Why aren't you speaking?" A Xina's reaction made him think she was doubting his professionalism.

A Xina somewhat regretted her curiosity.

"Let him see."

Reslin's voice suddenly rang out, and A Xina only then turned to look at him, a little puzzled by Reslin's meaning—won't this expose her connection with Lei En?

The Bolt Gun is no longer a secret among the Empire's higher echelons; a little inquiry can reveal it.

Beilake is only on the New Continent, so hasn't heard of it yet.

"It's fine," Reslin nodded slightly. Beilake is a good teammate, and the Holy Spear Ranger is also a highly promising transcendent vocation; if they could win over Ge La Mo Gen to guide the Gunwing Knight Order, even becoming its commander would be great.

After receiving permission, A Xina finally took out the Bolt Gun.

Beilake had already been unable to follow the two's conversation, and when he saw her pull out a massive soul gun, he was instantly drawn to it.

As the topmost gunsmith, he immediately sensed the gun's extraordinary nature.

"What kind of gun is this?"

"Bolt Gun," A Xina replied, handing the gun to Reslin so he could imprint a soul wave frequency for Beilake, granting usage permission.

Beilake's eyes lit up, vaguely guessing the implication of Reslin's actions.

"Is this the soul gun's secret lock?"

"Hmm." Reslin released his grip, "Give it a try, but don't fire for too long."

Beilake nodded in understanding, and the moment he lifted the soul gun he felt its weight, his complexion briefly changed, "What a heavy soul gun! It's almost as heavy as a war hammer."

The Holy Spear Ranger favors speed and evasion, with weak strength; even as a Legendary High-rank, he only has fifth‑level strength. Wielding a nearly one‑meter‑long, 240‑pound Bolt Gun with one hand is still a strain, so he resorts to a two‑handed firing stance, supporting the barrel with his other hand.

He aimed at the target and fired impatiently.

Boom!

A burst of explosive roar erupted inside the tent like a fireball, shaking the entire shelter and startling Beilake and Dao En Suosi.

Yizite, who was focused on cooking, almost knocked over the frying pan.

The magical target was blown to pieces.

Beilake stepped back two paces, barely able to grip the Bolt Gun; his palm supporting the barrel felt a scorching heat, but he couldn't care less now, his expression completely frozen.

Having wielded guns for a century and being a top gunsmith, Beilake sensed the soul gun's uniqueness after just one shot.

Such immense power, terrifying fire rate, and a soul‑energy consumption so low it could be ignored...

When holding the gun, he sensed over ten thousand rounds in the dimensional magazine, as well as single‑shot and burst firing modes, and a rune array inside the barrel so intricate it defied comprehension...

Beilake's worldview was shattered.

This wondrous soul gun perfectly addressed many of the gunslinger's and Holy Spear Ranger's weaknesses; to him, the Bolt Gun was like the most beautiful woman in the world, and the longer he stared, the more entranced he became.

After a long while, he finally came back to himself.

"This..."

"Who invented this Bolt Gun?" Beilake's voice trembled as he suddenly stared at Reslin, his eyes filled with boundless fervor and anticipation.

Yizite and Dao En Suosi were also shocked; with their keen eyes they could naturally discern the weapon's greatness.

"I," Reslin replied simply.

Beilake could hardly believe it, thinking, even if your power is great, you're still a frail Wizard; you can't even lift a Bolt Gun—one shot would shatter an entire arm. Crafting a staff or other magical items is normal, but how could you invent such a powerful soul gun?

"You don't believe it?" Reslin read his thoughts.

"Uh..." Beilake scratched his black scalp, "This is unbelievable; you're a legendary Wizard wielding mighty spells, the soul gun wouldn't be much use to you..."

Reslin gave no explanation, and pulled two more Bolt Guns from the Nebula Ring.

These are spares he kept for himself and A Xina.

"Two more!"

Beilake's eyes widened, then he understood: Bolt Guns are mass‑produced. His mind went blank—how could such a powerful soul gun be mass‑produced?

"Tomorrow you'll fight with them; see if they're easy to handle," Reslin said.

Beilake nodded numbly, "Fine!"

He ecstatically hugged the two Bolt Guns, realizing his power was too weak; if he wanted to dual‑wield and fire, he'd have to rely on Dao En Suosi's Divine Technique.

At this moment Yizite had prepared food and placed it on the table in the middle of the tent, inviting everyone to eat.

His cooking was superb; everyone praised it endlessly.

In the Abyss wasteland, being able to eat steaming delicious food is a rare pleasure. Only Beilake was distracted, stuffing his stomach haphazardly while fondly handling the Bolt Gun; yet the tent was too cramped to fire, making his mind itch, and he longed to go out and test it immediately.

A Xina, watching the Holy Spear Ranger, gave Reslin a thumbs‑up from behind.

She had already guessed Reslin's intention, using the Bolt Gun to lure the Holy Spear Ranger into the trap, later deceiving Ge La Mo Gen to serve Lei En.

Later that night, the group took turns standing watch.

Before dawn, Reslin was on guard for the final two hours; he set up a magical alarm outside the tent, then continued constructing a Time Stop spell model.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze piercing the tent toward the distance.

A sliver of light appeared on the eastern horizon; the Abyss wasteland's daytime was shrouded by evil‑energy clouds, blocking the sun, making even daylight a perpetual overcast.

Reslin focused his mind and listened for a few seconds, hearing a barely audible sound.

It was the hoofbeats of a massive cavalry.

The source was at least thirty li away; the Willpower gave no warning, clearly it wasn't enemies discovering the Rioemon shelter, but another target.

A few minutes later, the ground trembled lightly as the cavalry drew nearer.

Reslin judged via the sound path that the enemy wasn't heading toward them; they would soon pass about three li from this forest.

The teammates were awakened by the tremor.

"Their target isn't us," Reslin whispered, "They should just be passing through."

Everyone relaxed.

In yesterday's battle they had witnessed Reslin's keen perception; no matter how skilled an assassin or caster, in Reslin's eyes none could hide, instantly identified.

Yizite pressed his ear to the ground for a while, his gaze subtly shifting.

He stood up and said: "There are two groups of people, one group is the Netifu Demon's Abyss Knights, about one hundred twenty knights, they are pursuing a group of deserters, very likely they are human transcendents. Should we save them or not?"

(End of chapter)