25. Titanfang Repeater (Patreon)

Luke stretched out on his dorm room bed, his mind still reeling from the sheer absurdity of what he had gained. The first dungeon dive had been more than just an eye-opener—it had been a massive reality check.

For most of his classmates, the experience had stripped away whatever lingering naivety they had about this world. Fighting humanoid creatures, watching them fall, hearing their death rattles—it was something that left a mark, no matter how prepared one thought they were. Luke had seen it in their eyes, the way some carried themselves afterward, a new weight settling on their shoulders. Some, like Jasmine, had coped by focusing on the thrill, while others had fallen into silence, likely processing the sheer intensity of what they had experienced.

For Luke, however, the dungeon had only confirmed what he had long suspected: his system was far more rewarding than it had any right to be.

And he had just unlocked a perk that broke it wide open.

His grin widened as he flipped through his system notifications, eyes zeroing in on the absurdity that was his first-ever perk. A reward multiplier that scaled according to the maximum number of participants allowed in a dungeon run—so long as he completed it solo.

“Ridiculous,” Luke murmured, barely suppressing a laugh.

Even with just a one-star beginner dungeon, the profits had been astronomical. He had walked away with 500 sils—an amount of money that an average family of four would take more than six months to earn. All for a single dungeon clear.

His ego soared as he lay back against the mattress, basking in the sheer brilliance of his situation. Not only had he unintentionally humiliated Grukthar, but he had also secured a cash flow that could be abused to an absurd degree.

“Man, I love this world.”

His thoughts drifted to the other rewards he had gained. He had been so caught up in the money and perks that he had nearly forgotten about the skill reward.

Or rather—the sub-skill reward.

Since it was Saturday, he had the entire day to mess around. No classes, no obligations—just him and whatever nonsense the system had thrown his way this time. With that, he willed the Gunner Craftsmanship skill window to appear.

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Gunner Craftsmanship (Normal)

Production Skill

You can now start crafting your own guns! And who knows, maybe for others too?

Skill Proficiency: Level 2

• Can repair and upgrade simple guns.

• Blueprints available: Flintlock Pistol Upgrade

  • Required material: Flintlock Pistol, 100 grams of Iron, 200 grams of Wood

  • Improve the quality of a flintlock pistol by 0% to 300%

  • The chances of getting better quality pistols will increase as the skill proficiency increases.

  • There's a low chance of a weapon rarity increase during the upgrade.

  • There's a high chance that the weapon will break during the upgrade.

  • There's a low chance the upgraded weapon will have an additional option added.

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Luke’s eyes twitched. He was unable to raise his skill proficiency ever since he came to the academy. The upgrade success rate was still abysmally low. He had hoped for something that would make the process easier, but it seemed the system was determined to make him gamble his way to greatness.

And then, his gaze fell upon the new addition.

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Sub-skill available!

Gun Combination The sub-skill shares the proficiency of the original skill!

• You can now combine two or more guns together!

• Combining two or more guns may result in a new gun that has the stats of both the guns!

• Combining a gun without a skill with a gun that has a skill will result in a gun with a skill!

• The success rate of two guns combining successfully is medium.There’s a low chance for the guns rarity to increase. In case of failure, both guns will be destroyed!

• There’s a slight chance that failure will result in your guns being refunded.

• The higher a gun’s rarity or the higher the number of guns combined, the lower the success rate will be!

• There's a special chance that more than the original number of skills will be added to the gun!

• There's a medium chance for successful guns to have additional options!

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Luke’s smug expression slowly crumbled as he read through the skill description. His stomach churned.

“Why is it gambling again?” he groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

Memories of his previous attempts at upgrading flintlock pistols flashed before him—the painful, heartbreaking failures that had left him cursing the system. The absurdly low success rates had been bad enough back then, but now he had an entirely new way to lose his weapons to RNG.

And yet…

It was just too damn good to ignore.

With a resigned sigh, Luke sat up and reached into his inventory, pulling out two normal rank flintlock pistols. He had stacked them all in his inventory—there was no better time to experiment.

Just as he was about to begin, a slithering sound caught his attention.

Szeth, his metallic serpent companion, was lounging on the floor, idly flicking his triple-ended crystal tail. His silver-black scales shimmered under the light, his silver-slitted eyes lazily watching Luke’s movements.

Then, in a flash of motion, Szeth shot forward, snatched one of the flintlock pistols in his mouth, and slithered away.

Luke blinked. Then let out a laugh. “Really? That’s how we’re playing this?”

The serpent, seemingly pleased with his newfound ‘toy,’ flicked his tail in excitement.

Shaking his head, Luke got up and walked over. “Alright, buddy, I get it. You want attention. But you can’t go carrying guns around in your mouth, yeah? That’s dangerous.”

Szeth paused, then slowly turned back. His head dipped slightly, and with a defeated ‘Beeh’ sound, he slithered back onto the bed and dropped the gun with a droopy expression.

Luke ruffled the top of his head, chuckling. “Don’t be dramatic. I’ll take you out to play with Ivy and Don later, alright?”

At the mention of his friends, Szeth’s head instantly shot up, eyes gleaming with excitement. His tail wagged—something Luke still found ridiculously adorable for a snake.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re excited,” Luke said, shaking his head before turning back to the two pistols.

He flexed his fingers, took a deep breath, and smiled.

“Alright then,” he murmured. “Shall we get started?”

Luke arranged both flintlock pistols in front of him, his fingers tingling with anticipation as he activated the Gun Combination skill. A subtle hum of energy coursed through his body as mana poured from his hands, enveloping the firearms in a soft blue glow. Slowly, the pistols began to tremble before disassembling themselves piece by piece, the individual parts hovering in the air as if suspended by invisible threads.

The wooden grips melted away into a thick, dark liquid, while the metallic components turned into a silvery, gooey substance, swirling together in midair. Streaks of blue light flickered through the fusion process like veins of lightning, illuminating Luke's room in an eerie glow. The two liquefied pistols pulsed as they intertwined, reshaping and reforming under the guidance of the system’s unseen hands. The mana strands tightened around the merging components, compressing them into a new form.

Then, with a final surge of energy, a bright flash erupted. Luke instinctively shielded his eyes as a soft ding echoed in his mind, signaling the completion of the process.

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[The combination was successful! You have acquired a 'Twin-Barrel Flintlock Pistol.']

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Luke eagerly reached forward, grabbing the newly formed weapon. The moment his fingers wrapped around the grip, he could tell it was different. The weight was slightly heavier than a normal flintlock, but it felt balanced in his hand.

The pistol featured two barrels stacked side by side, the dark iron polished to a fine sheen. Elegant yet simple engravings decorated the sides, marking its uniqueness. The trigger mechanism looked reinforced, hinting at its increased firepower.

Pulling up its stats, Luke’s eyes widened:

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Twin-Barrel Flintlock Pistol
 Type: Firearm

• Attack Power: 77-99 base physical pierce damage (+bullet damage)

• Range: 17-51 meters

• Scaling: Dexterity D+

• Accuracy: 60%

• Rarity: Common

• Durability: 85/100

Details:
 A modified flintlock pistol featuring two barrels stacked side by side, allowing for either sequential or simultaneous firing. While it increases the firepower compared to a standard flintlock, its weight and slightly misaligned barrels reduce accuracy. Each shot must still be muzzle-loaded individually, making reloading a time-consuming process.

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Luke grinned. "A two-shot pistol with this much damage? Damn, this is broken! It even outperforms the Kalthoff repeater in raw power. If I can mass produce these..."

He stopped himself, shaking his head. Selling these to nobles or armies was a tempting idea, but he wasn’t ready for that level of attention just yet. There were bigger things to achieve.

His eyes flickered toward his most prized firearms: the uncommon-ranked Kalthoff Repeater with its fifteen-shot capacity and the rare-ranked Enhanced Flintlock Pistol, which boasted the deadly ‘Explosive Bullet’ skill.

“What if I combined these two?” he mused, his heartbeat quickening at the thought. “Just what kind of monster would that create?”

The temptation was real, but the risk was terrifying. Losing both of his main weapons due to greed would be beyond foolish. He forcefully shook his head, dispelling the dangerous idea. Instead, he retrieved five uncommon-ranked pistols from his inventory. He only had of five these, and though they were valuable, they weren’t irreplaceable.

Then, as if possessed by a moment of madness, he placed the newly created Twin-Barrel Flintlock Pistol into the pile.

Szeth, who had been watching the entire process with keen silver eyes, slithered forward and nudged Luke’s hand, his triple-ended crystal tail twitching with concern. Luke chuckled, petting Szeth’s metallic head.

“What’s the point of having these if I don’t take a little risk?” he said with a grin.

Taking a deep breath, he aligned all six guns in front of him and activated Gun Combination once more.

Szeth let out a small hiss and nudged Luke again, as if questioning his sanity. Luke laughed, picking up the little serpent and raising him into the air.

“Alright, Szeth, I’m trusting in the Szeth Luck this time!” he declared, sneakily opening one eye as he activated the skill.

This time, the process was far more dramatic. The weapons vibrated violently before breaking apart into a dazzling array of floating components. Metal and wood melted into shimmering pools of liquid, swirling chaotically in the air. The blue mana threads guiding the transformation intensified, crackling like miniature bolts of lightning as they pulled the elements together into a new form.

The entire room lit up as the energy reached its peak, culminating in an explosive burst of radiant blue light.

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[The combination was successful! You have acquired a 'Titanfang Repeater.']

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Luke’s breath hitched. '...It worked?!'

Another notification popped up:

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[An unbelievable achievement!]
 Combine more than 5 guns together!
 Rewards:

• Novice Gun Crafter Manual (A book of blueprints)

• Inventory expansion +64 slots

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He grabbed the new firearm, his eyes filled with wonder as he inspected the masterpiece in his hands.

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Titanfang Repeater
 Type: Firearm

• Attack Power: 213-267 base physical pierce damage (+Titan Bullet damage)

• Range: 50-150 meters

• Scaling: Dexterity B | Strength C

• Accuracy: 88%

• Rarity: Rare

• Durability: 150/150

Details:
 A masterfully engineered six-shot flintlock revolver, created by fusing multiple high-quality pistols into a single advanced firearm. With its rotating chamber, it allows for six consecutive shots before requiring a reload. The reinforced barrel and refined rifling greatly extend its effective range, making it lethal even at long distances.

Innate Skill – Titan’s Barrage (Cooldown: 5 minutes)
 For the next six shots, firing speed drastically increases, and each shot deals 50% additional damage, but accuracy is reduced by 5% due to recoil.

Additional Option – Titan Bullets
 Any type of ammunition loaded into this firearm is automatically converted into Titan Bullets, which have a base damage of 55 and deal blunt damage in addition to the weapon’s standard pierce damage.

A weapon designed to bring devastation with every pull of the trigger.

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Luke let out an ecstatic yell before planting a grateful kiss on Szeth’s scaly head. He lifted the serpent up again and twirled him in the air.

“Yes! The Szeth Luck is real!” he cheered, showering his companion with exaggerated praises.

Szeth flicked his tongue in delight, his triple-ended tail wagging enthusiastically, genuinely happy for his master.

As if to reward Szeth for being the lucky charm he was, Luke took out all the food that Szeth enjoyed as treats, most of which he had already stocked up in his time-frozen inventory. Szeth nibbled on the food as he reveled in Luke’s continuous praises. 

After a few more victorious celebrations, Luke finally took a closer look at the Titanfang Repeater. Even at a glance, it was evident that this was no ordinary weapon. 

It was a masterfully crafted six-shot revolver, it’s dark steel body adorned with intricate silver engravings that shimmered under the light. The elongated barrel bore the name TITANFANG REPEATER in bold, engraved letters, giving it a regal yet menacing presence. A polished black leather grip wrapped snugly around the handle, while the rotating chamber gleamed with a refined metallic sheen. Subtle etchings of fanged beasts curled along the sides, accentuating its fierce and commanding design.