Chapter 145: No Help

'Alright, it seems that this is the limit.'

At this moment, Leonel crouched on the highest branch of a tree that could support his weight, concealing himself within the dense foliage as he analyzed the gun in his hand. 

The gun had quite a simple sleek silvery black look to it. Its nozzle was especially long and narrow, leaving it heavily weighted toward the handle. But, Leonel favored this design very much. Since it was like this, the long nozzle wouldn't influence his shot downward. 

Though the gun looked to be intact, if one looked closely, it was possible to see several fine cracks along its surface. Leonel estimated that this nozzle could at most take two more shots before it broke along the points of weakness he purposely built in. 

After testing it, Leonel knew the limits now, and they were exactly in line with the experimentation of his Dream World. A single nozzle would last somewhere between 20 to 30 normal Force shots. However, if he used his Light Elemental Force, it would at most last 2 to 3 at most. 

If Leonel used the second phase of the gun and loaded it with a projectile he modified from his atlatl darts, then it could shoot just one. 

Though things were like this, there was good news as well. 

Leonel twisted and pulled the chipped nozzle off. After slipping his protective gloves on, he pulled Little Tolly from the Segmented Cube and got to work. 

He immediately activated [Melting Hands]. This technique worked similarly to [Delicate Touch] in that it heated up materials using the oscillation of atoms, however, it was much simpler to use because its application was broader. Since the nozzle's alloys were already set, there was no need to use [Delicate Touch] to fine tune the metal characteristics, so it was more of a brute force technique rather than a finesse technique.

Leonel's fingers worked deftly. Almost like a musician plucking the strings of a harp, he worked in unison with the little Metal Spirit, melting down the metal. 

Upon sensing that the metal had reached the ideal temperature for molding, Leonel used Spirit Unity with Little Tolly to project the Dream Sculpt image of the nozzle's blueprint. This communication with extremely steady and completely without flaw, displaying the prowess of Leonel's ability once again. 

Most beginner Force Crafters who use Metal Spirits struggle with this step. The advantage of Metal Spirits is that they were able to mold metals into incredibly intricate parts just by comprehending the will of their partners, however, was this really so easy?

How many could think of a single thing without straying? Even if you wanted to focus on a single thing, could you guarantee you wouldn't have a few stray thoughts? And, even if you succeeded in not having any, could the image you projected truly be perfect?

The human mind was known for playing tricks. Often, memories are easily distorted. The only way for a Force Crafter with a Metal Spirit familiar to circumvent this weakness is by constantly tweaking the image they send through Spirit Unity. Only in this way can they ensure the final product is perfect. 

However… Leonel had his Dream Sculpt? Was it even necessary for him to do such a thing? The image he projected would always be perfect.

Little Tolly acted quickly, wrapping the melted body up and shaping it into a thin rectangle of metal in what seemed like the blink of an eye. 

Leonel's eyes flashed, his palm flipping over to reveal a quill with a beautiful white feather. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Leonel's hands moved swiftly. Force Art after Force Art was drawn across the surface of the floating rectangular piece of metal. 

Of these Force Arts, there were three kinds. One was a Force Compression Art, the second was a Force Acceleration Art, and the third were Force Barrier Arts. 

The Force Compression Art concentrated the Force Leonel poured into the gun into a fine point. The Force Acceleration Art made the nozzle into a rail gun that accelerated the Force bullet continuously. And, finally, the Force Barriers were arranged along the inside of the nozzle such that the bullet was forced to follow a winding path that would give a stronger spinning action to the final product. 

There were multiple Force Arts of each kind dotted along the inside of the nozzle, making it look as though it was densely packed with graffiti. Yet, it still exuded a mysterious and somewhat ancient aura. 

The moment Leonel penned the last Force Art, the rectangular sheet of metal rolled close under Little Tolly's manipulation, forming a nozzle completely identical to the one that Leonel had just melted down. The only difference was that this one didn't have even a single crack on it. 

'16 minutes and 24 seconds. Not bad, I'm getting faster.' Leonel smiled to himself. 

If others knew that he had just Force Crafted while squatting on the balls of his feet, high up in a tree… It was just best you didn't compare yourself to others. 

Obviously, with how much time it took, Leonel couldn't do this mid-battle. But, it was definitely not too much of an inconvenience. After all, he had two guns and ten nozzles total. The only reason he had bothered to reforge this nozzle now was for the sake of preparedness. Since he had time now, there was no need to ruin a second nozzle, or else he wouldn't have time to cry later should a worst case scenario situation happen. 

Leonel put the gun away after twisting the newly made nozzle onto it. Then he smiled, watching Little Tolly rush around his fingers as though the little guy was seeking credit. 

"Yes, yes. You did very good."

Leonel didn't want to keep putting the little guy into the Segmented Cube, so he let Little Tolly stay out. His father had made it clear that keeping the little guy cooped up wasn't a good thing, so it was only right he let it out every once in a while. 

'Alright, I've already collected over 20 Beast Crystals from a few B and A-grade threats. I guess I should look for a greater challenge this time…'

According to Violet Rain, B-grade crystals were worth one point, A-grade were worth ten points, and S-grade were worth a hundred. There was a month of time, so though Leonel was fairly certain he was far ahead at the moment, he knew this wouldn't be enough for him to slack off. 

Suddenly, Leonel shook and fell from the tree branch. 

To an outside observer, it seemed that he had lost his footing and was now paying for it. But, just a moment later, the branch he was sitting at was blasted away. No, even the side of the tree trunk it was attached to looked like something had taken a bite out of it. The issue was that… there was nothing there!

Despite the fact there was nothing to be seen with the eyes, Leonel's alertness was on high. He felt all the hairs on his body stand up, the residual effects of fusing with the primitive man's consciousness still benefiting him. 

'Dammit, if I fall to the ground like this, I'll definitely break a few bones.'

Leonel's jaw clenched. At that moment, his back was facing the ground as he fell and his eyes were trained on the place the branch he squatted on had just been. If he didn't brace himself for the fall, he would suffer. But, he still didn't dare to turn away. 

Leonel involuntarily blinked. It was a normal action, no different from the thousands of times he had already done it in his lifetime to this point already. However, he could have never imagined that, this time, it would come with dire consequences. 

It was only a split moment, but when Leonel opened his eyes once more, a streak of black was already about to hit his chest. 

Was it going to do to his torso what it just did to the tree? And why was it that his instincts were screaming at him? Telling him that his Quasi Bronze chain necklace would be of no help…