Ben continued experimenting on his magic pistol. He didn't go on a solo job today in order to focus on his pistol. He wanted to be prepared for anything that might happen on this job.
He wants to add an element to his magic pistol, but it's harder than he thought. The base magic that is used on the pistol is Bullet Magic. Bullet Magic itself is categorized as a dark element. So Ben needs to change that dark element and replace it with another one.
But changing that dark element is not a easy task. Even after a week, all of Ben's attempts to change it failed. It would either break, explode, or couldn't be formed at all.
That's why on Monday after school, Ben scanned a lot of books in the library. He scanned books that were related to Bullet Magic, elements and also magic letters. He needed more data to finish his project.
He continued the experiment the next day, but still failed. The data from the school's library wasn't enough for this. Darkness magic isn't that popular, after all. Just the sound of it made people afraid easily.
Luckily, Ben has an expert in the guild, the old man. He asked for Roubaul's help to come up with the magic letter formula. Then he worked with Roubaul using all the information they have.
They experimented every day until they were finally successful on the 8th day after working together. The key was to make the Bullet Magic neutral without an element.
Then for the element, they installed it on the lacrima that stores the elements. That's why for each element, Ben needs one lacrima crystal.
"Ben-boy, it seems you can only use 1 element. If you want to use all the elements, then you need to forge one pistol for each of them. But it won't be efficient." Roubaul said.
"That's too troublesome. Fortunately, I have a solution." Ben replied with a grin on his face.
He drew a blueprint with A.I Chip's help. Roubaul watched him draw the blueprint and understood it. What Ben drew was a revolver that was rather big and had 8 slots.
Those 8 slots were for Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, Light and his element, Sun. Then inside the handle, Ben would install another lacrima crystal.
The size would almost match the handle. It's like a magazine, and it's also changeable. So Ben can change it if the energy was depleted.
But this crystal will not have an element. It was just to add more energy because the crystals in the slots were small. They won't have enough power to shoot repeatedly, so he needed another source. It's like having more batteries.
"This round thing. Is this for storing the lacrima crystals?" Roubaul asked.
"Yeah, it will hold all the crystals. To change the element, I just need to roll it to the desired crystal." Ben explained.
"Hoo, this is a good idea. How many shots can this pistol fire?" Roubaul questioned.
"I don't know. We need to test it's limits first." He admitted.
"I can't wait for it."
After he drew the blueprint, Ben started to make the revolver. He made a crude version first as a prototype. Then he made the lacrima crystal 'batteries'. The crystals came from the cave that he used to train in last year.
Ben finished the prototype the next day and tested it in the field. His guild mates came to watch the test. They were curious if Ben's new magic item would work.
Ben wore protective gear that Roubaul made. The rest of the guild took a few steps back to avoid getting hit accidentally.
He only used the small crystals for this test and doesn't use the lacrima magazine. He wanted to determine the limit of these small crystals first. Then Ben commenced the test using the fire element first.
BANG* The first shot went without a hitch. The damage on the target tree was also good. It wouldn't kill strong mages instantly, but it can give them fatal injuries. A few rounds would be able to kill a mage.
Ben tested the other elements next and only the sun element had a slight issue. It ejected stronger energy than the others, which is good. But the revolver won't be able to hold it if it's used too much.
"It seems you need to tone down the sun element's power." Roubaul gave him some advice.
"No, this is good. I need a stronger shot among these 8 elements. It can be used as a trump card or finisher." Ben remarked.
He started shooting again with the small crystals. He fired shots until the crystals ran out of energy, even the sun crystals. The result was 20 shots for the 7 basic elements and 10 for the sun element.
"150 shots total without the lacrima magazine. The sun element took 2 times the energy, but it was 2 times stronger, so it was a fair trade off. Let's try the magazine." Ben said.
Ben loaded the lacrima magazine then fired again. He doesn't change the empty small lacrima crystals to know the magazine's limit. The result was 532 shots using the basic elements.
"Nice, this is really nice. With 682 rounds in total, those 2 serpents I fought in the past would die even if I didn't use my own magic. But it's apparent that the revolver needs to be stronger." He stated while looking at some thin cracks.
"Then you'll need better material." Roubaul said.
"But this steel was the best thing I found in the town."
"Because you bought it the normal way. You need to buy it a special way." Roubaul had a grin on his face.
"Ah, I can ask for your friend's help." Ben realized what the old man meant.
"That's right. I will contact them for the best material available. You just need to prepare the money. But Ben-boy, I want you to make enough for your team as well." Roubaul asked him to make pistols for the girls.
"Don't worry. I've planned the ones for Wendy, Bella and Carla." Ben informed him.
"Eh, us too?" Wendy was surprised.
"Of course. This is a life-saving item, so I will make one for each of you." Ben smiled and ruffled Wendy's hair.
After the experiment, Ben gave his bank card to Roubaul. The old man's friends would purchase the materials for the magic guns. Roubaul said his friends have good reputations in the magic world. So they'll be able to buy high-end products easily.
While waiting for the materials, Ben trained like usual. He had prioritized the elements these last few days. So now he would train like normal and a lot harder than before.
He also helped the girls train and played with them as well. The girls showed good progress lately. They play around often, but they still train following their schedule.
It had been a while since Ben checked his stats. So he was curious and decided to check.
[Name: Ben Cooper
Age: 12
Status: Alive
MP: 48,981/48,981
STR: 85
AGI: 84
STA: 89
INT: 99]
'Finally, I passed the 80 mark on all stats. Intelligence is just 1 point away from 100. My MP increased significantly after the fight with that Etherious. It seems possible to pass 100 on all stats this year or sooner.' Ben thought while looking at his stats.
Ben changed his training method since the battle with the serpents. The change was working wonders because his stats have increased significantly.
"Hard battles are the best way for me to grow. If I keep fighting hard battles, then I'll surpass the 100 mark in the next 6 months. Then I'll be a S-Class wizard and have access to more dangerous locations, he he."