Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra rubbed his eyes, the sting of sleeplessness pressed behind them like tiny needles, but he forced them open anyway. His vision blurred for a moment before slowly clearing.

The alchemy circle was finally finished, but that didn’t mean his preparation was done.

Not even close.

The wooden chair creaked softly as he leaned back, staring down at the pages scattered across the desk. Thin lines of alchemical symbols covered the paper. Circles within circles. Marks, measurements, and notes written in tight handwriting.

He had spent the entire night finishing it.

His fingers were still stained with ink.

Testing the circle would normally be the next step. That was how things were done. Test it, adjust it, correct mistakes, but he didn’t have time for that. The fifth trial was approaching too quickly.

Ezra exhaled slowly.

”Well, I’m sure it will work...” he muttered.

His voice sounded dry from exhaustion.

If the calculations were correct, the circle should be able to produce the structure needed for the Barrett M107 and its magazines. The design had already been broken down and reconstructed inside the alchemy formation.

Now the only thing left was the materials.

He pushed himself up from the chair.

The movement made his back crack.

”Ahhh...” Ezra scratched behind his shoulder blade and stretched his arms. ”So much to do.”

He walked toward the bathroom.

The cold tiles felt icy under his bare feet.

After splashing water on his face several times, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His black-and-white hair looked messy, strands sticking out in different directions. Dark circles hung faintly under his eyes and he was trembling from the little cold water splashed on his face.

He didn’t care.

There was no time to care.

After washing up quickly, he changed clothes, grabbed his coat, and left the room.

Eating can wait.

The thought passed through his mind as he stepped into the corridor.

The door locked behind him with a soft click after he scanned his key-card.

The hallway outside was already busy.

People moved everywhere.

Groups walked past while speaking in low voices. Some leaned against the walls discussing strategies. Others headed toward the training grounds with weapons in their hands.

Everyone looked busy and everyone looked tense.

Ezra walked through the corridors quietly.

He saw several people practicing in the training field as he passed by an open viewing window. Blades clashed, someone fired arrows and some trained their shooting ability with revolvers. A group was running drills while shouting commands.

Others sat together at tables with papers spread out, planning routes and discussing possibilities for the next trial.

Some looked like they hadn’t slept at all, some looked pale.

Others clenched their fists while staring at ranking badges pinned to their uniforms.

The air felt tight.

It carried the smell of metal, sweat, and anxiety.

Everyone understood something.

The fifth trial was coming and for many leaders, this would be the perfect moment to eliminate their competition.

Entire groups could disappear in a single trial.

No one wanted to lose, no one wanted to die.

So, orders were being given everywhere.

Prepare, Train, Plan and Survive.

Eventually Ezra reached the market district of the trial base and just like he predicted...

It was packed.

The moment he stepped in, noise surrounded him, people shouted.

Vendors called out.

Arguments broke out near certain shops.

Ezra paused near the entrance for a moment and looked around, then he stepped forward and entered the crowd.

Navigating through the marketplace felt like pushing through a river flowing in every direction. People bumped shoulders while trying to reach shops before supplies ran out.

Ezra moved from place to place.

Metal shop, stone shop, paper store, weapon shop, Alchemy accessory supplies.

Each shop had a line stretching outside the door.

He waited and waited and waited.

Time moved painfully slowly.

By the time he finished waiting at one store, nearly three hours had already passed. When he moved to the next one, the same thing happened again.

The sun climbed higher in the sky.

Sweat formed on his neck.

And supplies slowly started disappearing from shelves as people bought them faster than workers could restock.

Still, Ezra managed to get most of the materials he needed.

He was lucky.

When he finally stepped away from the last shop, his legs felt slightly weak.

So, he sat down on one of the benches placed along the middle of the market road.

The bench was meant for people who needed a moment to rest.

Ezra leaned back and stared at the chaotic crowd.

”That was hard,” he muttered.

Across from him, people were arguing loudly while trying to buy materials.

Someone shoved forward, someone else shouted. Maybe they were from two other factions? Ezra didn’t care, he just watched as the argument unfolded in real time.

A shop worker tried to calm them down.

”I can’t believe Sir Felix actually bought all that equipment just like that. He’s such an asshole.”

A girl’s irritated voice sounded from Ezra’s right side.

”Calm down, Fay,” a male voice replied.

Ezra glanced sideways.

A group was walking close to the bench he sat on.

”Ezra!”

Bale suddenly waved when he noticed him.

Ezra blinked once.

Vera’s little brother.

He raised his hand and waved back.

Bale approached with a smile on his face.

Five people followed him.

All girls.

Ezra quietly let out a laugh under his breath at the strange sight.

”You look tired,” Bale said when he stopped in front of him. ”Can we join you? One of my members needs to rest.”

”Sure,” Ezra replied calmly.

One of the girls quickly sat on the bench beside him.

She had black hair and dark eyes. Her breathing was uneven, and sweat soaked the collar of her clothes. Her chest rose and fell quickly as if she had been running.

Fay immediately knelt beside her.

”Hold still,” she said while helping the girl unbutton the top two buttons of her shirt so she could breathe easier.

The girl leaned back against the bench and sighed.

Then Fay turned to Bale.

”You don’t mind?” she asked sharply.

Bale froze.

He had been staring absent-mindedly.

”Oh... sorry!”

He quickly turned his head away.

Fay snorted lightly.

Then she looked toward Ezra.

For a moment she seemed to expect him to be staring too, but Ezra wasn’t looking at them.

His eyes were already focused on the chaotic crowd in front of him again.

”Sir Bale,” Fay said after a moment. ”Who is he? I swear I’ve heard his name somewhere.”

”Hmm... Ezra...”

The last girl standing at the edge of the bench folded her arms, thinking.

Then her eyes widened.

”Wait... isn’t he the one people said caused Aliya’s death?”

The other girls turned toward Ezra instantly.

”What? Him?”

The two girls who had been whispering about how cute he looked now stared with stiff expressions.

”Girls,” Bale quickly interrupted, ”that was just a rumor spread by Felix’s group.”

”Yeah, Lady Vera already said it was an ambush by Sir Felix’s lackey’s,” Fay added.

”Oh... right.”

”That Sir Felix really causes trouble everywhere.”

”Shhh... don’t let anyone from his group hear you.”

Fay narrowed her eyes at them before turning toward Ezra again.

”So,” she said slowly, ”how did you get to know Sir Bale?”

Ezra turned his head slightly.

”It was through Veda,” he replied simply.

The girls froze.

Veda?

Did he just say Veda? Without the ”Sir”?

The girl on the bench leaned closer to him, studying his face carefully.

”Are you some hidden son of an elder or something?” she asked curiously. ”Your hair is black and white... and your eyes are black...”

She leaned even closer.

Ezra stared at her calmly.

”You’re invading my space.”

Their eyes met.

The girl suddenly realized how close she had leaned.

”Ah!”

Her face turned pink.

She quickly moved back and sat properly.

”Sorry...” she said quietly.

”My elder brother allows him to call him that,” Bale said while giving a thumbs-up. ”And honestly I prefer people calling me by my name too. The whole ’Sir’ thing feels weird.”

”That’s bad, Sir Bale,” the girl standing at the end of the bench scolded immediately.

”Lady Vera always tells you to keep your authority visible,” Fay added, pointing a finger at him.

”If others hear you talking like that, they will think you’re a weak leader.”

”Argh...”

Bale shrank slightly on the bench.

”Do you want me to report you to Lady Vera?” Fay asked coldly.

”No...” Bale replied weakly, looking at her with puppy eyes.

Fay and the other girl sighed.

Ezra leaned slightly closer and whispered,

”What’s with this ’report to Vera’ thing? Don’t tell me most of them are actually her people?”

Bale scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

”Well... haha...”

”You’re not wrong.”

”Fay was supposed to stay in my big sister’s group,” he admitted, ”but she was told to watch over me.”

”Some of the others came from my brother’s side too.”

”People who could have strengthened their groups were told to help me instead...”

He sighed quietly.

Ezra nodded once.

”You have good elder siblings.”

Then he stood up and stretched his arms.

”They must have restocked the shops by now,” he said. ”And I’ve rested enough.”

He waved slightly.

”Time to finish my shopping.”

Bale waved back.

As Ezra walked away...

Fay stared at him confused. ”Doesn’t he feel hot?”

”I noticed that too,” one of the girls said. ”He’s been wearing a coat in this heat.”

”He’s mysterious,” the black-haired girl on the bench murmured softly.

Her cheeks were still faintly red.

Fay and the other girl stared at her.

”Seriously?” they both said, narrowing their eyes at her.

***

Ezra continued moving through the market.

More waiting, more lines, more arguments.

But eventually he managed to buy the rest of the materials he needed, by the time he finished, the sky had already begun turning orange.

Evening was coming.

After that he went straight to the cafeteria and ate quickly.

Not being able to train felt strange to him, but today had still been productive.

When he returned to his room, he showered again and immediately began creating the Barrett M107 magazines.

One by one.

Carefully and slowly.

He controlled his Cognis usage to avoid wasting too much energy.

Hours passed.

The room remained quiet except for the faint scratching sounds of metal shaping under alchemy.

Finally...Around midnight...

He finished, but Ezra still didn’t sleep.

Instead, he sat cross-legged and began circulating his Cognis.

Energy flowed slowly through his body.

The exhausted reserves gradually recovered.

Morning arrived quietly.

By then his Cognis had almost returned to its peak.

Ezra stretched his arms and cracked his neck.

”Thinking about it... I should buy materials for traps too.”

He scratched his head.

”Okay... I’ll go back to the market today.”

He looked at the pile of magazines stacked neatly on the floor.

”Finish every preparation...Then tomorrow...”

His eyes sharpened slightly.

”We get into serious action.”

He cleaned up, left the room again, and entered the market for another long battle of buying supplies.

This time he focused on materials for traps.

His points dropped quickly with every purchase, but Ezra didn’t hesitate.

Everything would be worth it once the trial began.

After returning to his room, he packed everything carefully inside his space bag.

Then finally...

He slept deeply and just like that, time passed.

The Fifth Trial was about to begin.