Last Gun Alchemist

The back of the castle felt strangely quiet compared to the battlefield at the front.

It was almost peaceful.

Ezra continued sitting on the same beach chair he had brought earlier from the trial base, his body leaning back lazily while his cap covered most of his face. The stone ground around him was clean, untouched by blood or gunfire.

A few meters away, the other five defenders assigned to this side sat together in a loose circle. Their weapons rested beside them while they talked nervously among themselves.

Every now and then, loud sounds echoed from the other side of the castle.

Gunfire, Howls, Explosions, the heavy thud of wolves crashing into the gate.

Each sound made them glance toward the wall with growing worry.

”What do you think is happening up there?” one of the boys asked quietly.

”It sounds worse than before,” another replied while rubbing the back of his neck.

The girl among them looked uneasy. ”I hope everyone is okay...”

Then...

BOOM!

A massive impact shook the ground.

Something enormous crashed down from above the wall. Dust exploded outward as the body hit the ground.

When the five defenders turned...

They saw it.

The creature’s size alone told them what it was, the massive grey fur, long claws and the deep breathing.

”AHHHH!” the girl screamed.

”That’s the Morvarg!” one of the boys shouted in shock.

”The leader of the Silverback Dire Wolves!”

The giant wolf growled while shaking its head slowly.

Its movements were heavy. Blood poured down its side.

The wounds left by Veda and the others were still fresh.

For a moment the Morvarg turned its head toward the open fields beyond the castle, as if thinking about escaping.

But then...Another sound caught its attention.

The presence behind it.

The wolf slowly turned its head back toward the group standing there.

Six humans.

Five of them trembling while one of them, sitting calmly in a chair.

In the middle of the situation...Ezra still hadn’t moved.

He remained seated on the beach chair, resting as if nothing unusual had happened.

”Hey! Ezra!” one of the boys shouted nervously, trying to warn him.

The Morvarg began running.

Its huge body moved violently across the ground.

Its target was clear.

Ezra was the closest.

The giant wolf lunged forward with its claws raised and jaws wide open.

Ezra finally moved.

He lifted his cap slightly and glanced at the incoming monster.

”Tsk...”

”It just had to be the Alpha of Alphas, huh.”

The moment the Morvarg reached him...

Ezra moved.

In one smooth motion he stood up while pulling a Harpoon Gun from his space bag.

Instead of stepping away...

He stepped forward.

As the wolf lunged at him...Ezra spun his body under the attack, at the same time he fired.

The harpoon shot forward.

The metal spike pierced directly into the Morvarg’s stomach.

The giant wolf howled in pain.

The harpoon rope stretched tight between them.

The Morvarg tried to keep running, but its movement dragged Ezra with it.

Even wounded, the beast was still powerful.

Yet Ezra did not resist the pull.

Instead...

He used it.

When the wolf ran past the tower wall, Ezra swung himself sideways using the rope’s tension.

His body lifted off the ground.

He kicked against the tower wall.

Then he pushed off it.

In the next instant...

Ezra came flying back.

Both of his legs struck the Morvarg’s body at the same time.

A double kick.

The impact landed directly on the wounded stomach.

The massive wolf was thrown backward.

Its body crashed down the slope behind the castle.

BOOM!

The sound echoed loudly.

The five defenders stood frozen. For several seconds they didn’t move.

Ezra calmly dusted his hands.

”Blood stained my shoes,” he muttered with a small sigh.

The five stared at him.

Then they ran toward the slope where the wolf had fallen.

When they reached there to check the bottom...They saw the Morvarg twitching weakly.

The harpoon had dragged the creature straight into the wooden stakes Ezra had planted earlier along the wall’s outer defense line.

Several spikes had pierced through its body.

The giant wolf struggled briefly.

Then it stopped moving. Its final breath left its lungs.

Silence followed.

The five defenders looked at each other.

Then slowly turned back toward Ezra.

All of them had the same thought.

He had just killed a Morvarg.

Just like that.

Even though the beast was injured...

It was still the leader of the Silverback Dire Wolves.

A monster even Binder-rank alchemists struggled to kill.

Yet Ezra defeated it within seconds.

And he was only Novice rank.

The realization left them stunned and just like that...

The first wave ended.

Across the battlefield, the remaining wolves were already dead.

The defenders on the castle walls slowly lowered their weapons.

Relief spread through the group.

”We finally did it,” Linda said, trying to shout in excitement, but her voice barely came out.

She had been screaming orders throughout the entire battle and had nearly lost her voice.

”Ahhh...”

Veda looked around at everyone.

”The injured need treatment immediately.”

”On it,” Boddy replied.

He and several others rushed up from below the castle carrying stretchers and first-aid kits.

Bobby immediately began helping the wounded.

Using his Flora Alchemy skills, he produced medicinal herbs and began treating serious injuries.

”We cannot rest yet,” Veda said firmly while standing up.

”We must dispose of the bodies immediately, clean the battlefield, prepare food to eat and restock our supplies.”

He knew his words sounded harsh, but this was tower defense and no one knew when the second wave would begin.

Although the trial would last for one month...Still assuming they would be given time to rest would be naive.

So, he gave the order anyway.

Everyone forced themselves to move.

The wounded were carried away.

The rest began cleaning the battlefield.

Blood was washed from the stone walls.

Broken rocks and debris were cleared away.

Soon...Ezra and the five defenders from the back arrived to help.

The five looked horrified at the state of the battlefield.

Bodies everywhere, blood stains across the stone and broken weapons scattered on the ground.

”Look who finally decided to show up after avoiding the fight,” Linda said coldly.

She glared at Ezra.

Then at the other five.

”I wonder how relaxed you all were while we fought for our lives.” She smirked.

”It was him!” The boy who had argued with Ezra earlier immediately pointed his finger straight at him, his arm stretched stiffly as if accusing a criminal.

”He was the one who stopped us!” the boy continued quickly; afraid someone might interrupt him before he finished explaining. ”He said if we went to help, we would only become a nuisance and cause problems for everyone fighting at the front!”

After saying that, he glanced sideways at Ezra with a satisfied look on his face, clearly expecting that Linda would now turn her anger toward him.

Ezra, however, didn’t react.

He simply stood there quietly, his expression calm and flat as if the situation had nothing to do with him.

The five people who had stayed with him earlier shifted their gazes toward him as well. Their eyes narrowed slightly, not exactly angry, but clearly uncomfortable with the attention suddenly placed on them.

Before anyone else could speak...

”He’s not wrong though.”

Tracy’s voice cut through the air.

She looked at the boy with a dry and unimpressed expression, her eyes half-lidded as if she couldn’t understand why he was making such a fuss.

Several others nearby, who were currently busy disposing of broken stones, clearing dust from the cracked ground, and washing away the dark stains of blood left from the battle, nodded almost at the same time as they overheard the conversation.

”What?” The boy froze in place, his face twisting in confusion.

He looked around at the people nodding, clearly not expecting them to agree.

Then he quickly turned his head toward Linda, hoping she would support him.

Linda stared at him for a moment.

Her eyes slowly narrowed.

”Fool.” Her voice was sharp.

”Go help the others now!” she snapped, pointing toward the cleaning teams working around the battlefield.

The boy immediately shrank back.

”S-Sorry!”

With his head lowered, he quickly ran off to join the others who were clearing the battlefield where the fighting had taken place earlier.

Linda snorted quietly.

”Humph!”

Even after that, her eyes still moved back to Ezra, glaring at him with clear annoyance.

Meanwhile, Veda watched the exchange with a faint smile.

”You took care of the Morvarg without any trouble?” he asked with a small laugh, clearly amused by Linda’s reaction toward Ezra.

Ezra looked at him briefly.

”It’s thanks to your hard work,” he replied in a flat voice. ”That’s what made it easier for me to defeat it.”

Before Veda could reply...

”Sir Veda!” A girl’s voice suddenly echoed from inside the tower.

”The crystal is glowing bright!”

Everyone nearby instinctively looked up.

Through the small windows near the top room of the tower, a strong blue light was shining outward into the dark night sky.

Since night had already fallen, the glow stood out clearly, illuminating the stone walls around the tower like a beacon.

Veda immediately noticed it.

His expression became serious.

”Ezra. Nickolas. Follow me.”

He turned and walked toward the tower entrance without wasting another second.

The heavy wooden door creaked slightly as he pushed it open and stepped inside.

Ezra and Nickolas followed behind him.

The three of them climbed the narrow spiral staircase, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone walls as they ascended toward the source of the blue light.

When they finally reached the top room...

Veda walked straight to the crystal.

The large blue crystal floated slightly above its pedestal, glowing gently like a quiet star trapped inside stone.

Veda placed his hand against its surface.

Immediately...

A holographic screen appeared in the air.

Lines of glowing text formed one after another, showing the rankings, the completion times for each group, and the points awarded for surviving the first wave.

For a moment, the room became quiet.

Then...

”Wow.” Veda stared at the screen with genuine surprise.

***

First Wave Completion Rank

1st. Vera Group – 14 hours 38 minutes (100,000 pts)

2nd. Felix Group – 18 hours 55 minutes (50,000 pts)

3rd. Veda Group – 19 hours 01 minutes (25,000 pts)

4th. Henry Group – 19 hours 20 minutes (10,000 pts)

5th. Priscilla Group – 19 hours 25 minutes (5,000 pts)

6th. Bale Group – 19 hours 48 minutes (2,500 pts)

***

”Fourteen hours...” Nickolas blinked several times, clearly amazed.

”I wonder how your twin sister’s group managed to pull off something like that,” he said while turning toward Veda.

Veda looked impressed as well, his eyes still resting on the ranking list.

”But...” Veda said, his expression slowly turning a little worried, ”I kind of feel bad for my little brother.”

”Don’t worry too much,” Nickolas smiled. ”He’s a strong boy.”

Then he looked back at the rankings again and laughed lightly.

”Sir Felix only got second place,” he said with a grin. ”I’m sure he must be fuming right now.”

”We only lost by a few minutes,” the girl beside them added quietly.

”Let’s work harder next time.”

Veda nodded firmly.

His fist tightened slightly.

”Also... we didn’t lose anyone. That’s a good outcome.”

He let out a long breath of relief.

Then he turned toward Ezra.

”So, Ezra.”

He tilted his head slightly while stroking his chin thoughtfully.

”What do you think? When do you think the next wave will come?”

Ezra slowly narrowed his eyes at him.

”Since when did you start relying on me for answers like that?” he asked dryly.

”Well...”

Veda scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

”You’re smarter than me,” he admitted openly. ”And you’re really good at figuring out how the board thinks.”

He looked at Ezra with an unusually bright smile.

Ezra stared back at him with a flat expression.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then...

”Ahh...” Ezra sighed.

He rubbed his forehead as if the situation itself was tiring.

”Don’t smile at me like that again, please,” he muttered.

Then he folded his arms and turned his attention toward the holographic ranking screen.

His eyes moved slowly across the information, silently processing what he could deduce from the numbers and timing.

After a short pause...

”Honestly,” he finally said, ”from the way the first wave started... it wouldn’t surprise me if the next one began early tomorrow morning.”

”What?!”

Nickolas and the girl both turned toward him immediately, their eyes widening in shock.

”Why would you think that?” Nickolas asked, staring directly at him.

Ezra lifted his hand slightly.

”Calm down.”

”I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me,” he replied in a casual tone. ”It’s not like that’s what’s definitely going to happen. I don’t think they would do that,” Ezra continued calmly after a moment of thought.

”They already said the trial will last one month, and if they suddenly throw the second wave at us tomorrow morning, that would almost feel like they are trying to wipe everyone out too quickly.”

He spoke in a steady tone, his gaze still resting on the floating holographic screen.

”So, what do you think then?” Veda asked again, this time watching him closely, clearly interested in hearing the rest of his reasoning.

Ezra slowly raised four fingers.

”What I think will happen,” he said, ”is that we will probably be given several days to rest before the next wave begins.”

He lowered his hand slightly while continuing to explain.

”It might even stretch all the way to the end of the second week, but let’s assume something simpler for now.”

He gestured lightly toward the air as if drawing an invisible timeline.

”We already know there are four weeks in a month,” he said. ”The first wave started on the second day and ended today, which is still the second day. That leaves five days remaining in the first week.”

He dropped his hand.

”So those five days will most likely become our rest period.”

Nickolas crossed his arms while listening, his expression still doubtful.

Ezra continued.

”I would say we can relax properly for about four days,” he said calmly. ”But on the fifth day we should start switching back into a cautious mindset.”

He paused briefly, thinking.

”Personally, I feel the second wave might begin around the fourth day of the second week.”

Veda raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ezra continued explaining.

”They’ll probably choose the moment when everyone has already relaxed too much,” he said. ”People will start getting comfortable after several days of peace.”

Then he suddenly clapped his hands together.

”Then...The second wave begins.”

He spread his hands slightly.

”And that’s when the real trouble will start.”

Nickolas stared at him for a moment.

”And we’re just supposed to believe everything you said like that?” he asked skeptically, clearly not convinced by Ezra’s explanation.

Ezra simply lifted both hands in a careless shrug.

”I’m not asking you to believe it,” he replied flatly. ”Veda asked for my thoughts, so I gave him my thoughts.”

His gesture clearly showed that he didn’t particularly care whether Nickolas accepted it or not.

Veda nodded slowly.

”We can go with your idea for now.”

Nickolas looked at him immediately.

”Aren’t you trusting him a bit too quickly?” he asked, confused.

Veda looked at him calmly. ”Do you have a better idea?”

Nickolas opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

”...No.”

He sighed.

”Well,” Veda said while placing a hand on Nickolas’s shoulder, ”at the very least it helps remove the anxiety of constantly wondering when the next wave might start.”

Nickolas nodded reluctantly.

”We can stay alert tomorrow just in case,” Veda continued. ”If nothing happens, then we use the next day to recover properly.”

He gestured lightly toward the holographic ranking display still floating in the air.

”After that we can restock supplies, buy new weapons using the points we earned, and reinforce the defenses around the tower.”

”Okay,” Nickolas finally said with a nod.

”Alright then.”

Veda removed his hand from Nickolas’s shoulder and turned toward Ezra again.

”Ezra, I’ll still need your help tomorrow,” he said seriously. ”But for tonight, you can go back and rest after dinner.”

Ezra waved his hand dismissively.

”Nah. I’ll help the group a bit with the cleaning first.”

Veda blinked in surprise. ”Oh?”

Then he smiled slightly.

”Alright then.”

He turned toward the staircase leading back down. ”Let’s go.”