Last Gun Alchemist

Everyone slowly gathered with their respective groups as they stared at the six massive doors built into the stone wall at the back of the hall.

The hall itself felt different today.

The air was more tight than usual.

Soft murmurs spread through the crowd as people whispered among themselves.

Some talked about their preparation.

Some wondered what kind of monsters they would face.

Others simply stood there silently, arms crossed or hands clenched, their eyes fixed on the doors.

Everyone knew this trial would not be easy.

Then...

The door beside the podium opened.

The sound of metal hinges echoed lightly through the hall.

A woman stepped inside.

Two guards followed behind her.

The moment she appeared; many students instinctively turned their heads.

She had white hair.

Not pale blond or silver—pure white, like fresh snow under sunlight. Her eyes were the same color, calm but cold.

She wore a white shirt tucked neatly into a black skirt. Black leggings covered her legs, and over her shoulders rested a long black coat that wasn’t buttoned. It simply hung loosely, swaying slightly as she walked.

On the right shoulder of that coat...

Five stars.

Her presence alone made the atmosphere shift.

The murmuring voices slowly died down.

Some highlines recognized her immediately.

Even a few lowlines stiffened when they realized who had just entered.

”Hello, kids.”

Her voice was soft, but it flowed through the hall like a cold breeze brushing against bare skin.

”There’s been a change of plans for the fifth trial.”

A smirk appeared on her face as she looked at the many reactions spreading across the crowd.

Surprise, confusion, worry.

She slowly scanned the hall.

Her eyes briefly landed on Vera.

Then moved toward Veda.

Unlike many others, Veda did not react strongly to her words.

Seeing that, her smile widened slightly.

”This trial,” she continued, ”will take close to a month to end.”

Her words immediately stirred the crowd.

A month?

Many students looked at each other in disbelief. Not another month’s trial. Shades of the fourth trial ringing in their heads.

”Until you finish defending against all waves of monsters while protecting your tower.”

The hall grew louder again.

Whispers turned into worried murmurs.

Some people frowned, others clenched their fists.

A month-long defense trial meant exhaustion, long battles, and the risk of resources running out.

The woman watched the reactions calmly.

”Don’t worry,” she added lightly.

”Once you reach your tower, certain things will be presented to you to help with your survival.”

Then her gaze sharpened slightly.

”So, leaders...”

Her eyes moved toward the six leaders.

”You should harden yourselves and carry your group to survival.”

Her gaze shifted again.

”And all you followers...”

She paused for a brief second.

”Make sure you are not a burden to your fellow survivors.”

Silence fell again.

Her words were simple, but they carried weight.

Then she clapped her hands once.

”Now... let the fifth trial begin.”

The sound echoed clearly.

Immediately...

The six large doors behind the groups began to open.

Heavy mechanical gears started turning.

GRRRR...

The grinding sound rolled across the hall like distant thunder.

Stone doors slowly slid aside, cold air from beyond the doors drifted inward.

Meanwhile, the woman had already turned to leave.

Waiting near the entrance of the podium were three familiar figures.

Raymond, Freya and Kyle.

They all bowed slightly when they saw her.

”Lady Silva!” Raymond said respectfully. ”I didn’t expect you to appear this soon.”

The woman—Silva...looked at them.

Her expression was gentle.

Yet something about it felt dangerous.

Like a flower hiding poison.

”I returned home after finally getting some free time from working in the palace and thought I should visit my little siblings,” she said casually.

Her eyes briefly shifted behind them.

Toward Bale.

He was currently leading his group toward their door.

”They all look healthy,” she said calmly.

Without saying anything more, she walked out of the hall, her expression changing to a disgusted frown.

The two guards followed behind her.

Raymond, Freya, and Kyle quickly moved along as well.

”That was Lady Silva,” Tracy whispered, glancing back several times as Silva disappeared.

”Wow... I didn’t think she would come here,” Linda added.

”Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?” Nickolas cut in.

The two girls immediately looked at him with annoyed expressions.

”We know,” they replied at the same time before turning toward their door.

”They added something to the trial,” Nickolas said quietly while looking at Veda.

”Yeah,” Veda sighed.

”But it won’t matter.”

He turned to face his group.

Many of them looked uneasy after hearing the changes.

”As long as we work together,” he said with a calm smile, ”we will survive.”

His voice was steady.

It eased the tension slightly.

Ezra stood near the front of the group where Veda and the other core members were gathered.

Without wasting more time, Veda led them toward the open door.

They stepped through.

For a moment...Darkness.

Then light.

When they exited the door, a fresh breeze greeted them.

Ezra blinked slightly.

They were standing on an open grass field.

Thin patches of snow scattered across the ground, melting slowly under weak sunlight. Tall trees surrounded the field on several sides, their branches stretching high into the sky.

The air smelled clean.

Cold.

When the group looked to the right...

They saw it.

A large tower.

Stone walls rose high above the ground, forming a fortress-like structure. A wooden bridge-like entrance door stood open, waiting for them.

”We should move now,” Veda ordered.

He began walking toward the tower.

Ezra walked with the others but glanced around carefully.

Then his eyes lifted toward the tower’s height.

They really spent a lot of money building this trial, he thought quietly.

The group crossed the open ground and entered the castle.

Inside, the stone structure felt wide but mostly empty.

”So... what now?” Tracy asked while looking around.

”We should start unpacking,” Veda replied.

”And begin setting up the alchemy circle for the joint alchemy.”

He paused before adding,

”Then we set up campfires and tents.”

Nickolas raised his head slightly.

”About the joint alchemy... we’re doing that, right?”

”Yes,” Veda nodded. ”It will make us ready for the first wave faster, if we set it up now.”

Nickolas clapped his hands loudly.

Everyone turned toward him.

”We have many things to do before the first wave arrives,” he announced.

”The group assigned to prepare the alchemy circle should head upstairs now and start immediately.”

”Others will go outside and scout the surrounding area.”

”Tracy and Linda will follow the scouts,” Veda added.

”Nickolas, supervise the joint alchemy team.”

Then his eyes moved toward Ezra.

”Ezra, you will come with me and her.”

He pointed toward a girl standing among the group.

”We will survey the entire castle and see what resources were left for us.”

Ezra nodded; the girl nodded as well.

Soon everyone began moving.

Some climbed the tower stairs.

Others exited the castle for scouting.

Ezra, Veda, and the girl moved deeper inside the structure.

They climbed several staircases and walked through long stone corridors.

”Hmmm...” the girl muttered while looking around.

”There are no rooms here.”

She glanced at the staircases.

”Just stairs leading upward and this central tower structure.”

They continued walking around the upper level until they reached a door built into the side of the central tower.

Veda pushed it open.

The three stepped inside.

Ezra looked around the circular stone walls.

”If this is the center of the castle,” he said slowly, ”then it might contain some kind of control room.”

”Control room?” the girl repeated curiously.

”Well,” Veda said with a smile, ”let’s see.”

They climbed the narrow staircase inside the tower.

Eventually they reached a final door.

Veda opened it.

Inside the room...

A black flag stood planted in the center.

Beside it floated a glowing crystal.

”I guess you were right,” Veda said with a smile.

Ezra looked around quietly.

”So, if our flag gets stolen,” he said calmly, ”that means we lose.”

His eyes rested on the flag.

The girl moved toward the window.

From there she could see almost the entire field outside.

Group members were moving around below, setting up equipment.

The scouting team was already disappearing into the forest.

”Wow...” she whispered softly.

Meanwhile Veda examined the crystal.

When he touched it...

A holographic display appeared.

Words and images floated in the air.

Weapons available for purchase:

Catapults — 1,000 pts

Machine Gun — 15,000 pts

Cannons — 200,000 pts

Another message explained that an energy force field could protect the entire tower from heavy attacks three times.

After that...

The ability would disappear.

The weapon purchasing system would also deactivate.

”That’s a lot of points,” the girl muttered.

”For only one machine gun and canon,” Veda sighed.

”If we buy it now after spending so many points preparing earlier...”

He shook his head.

Ezra spoke calmly.

”Don’t worry too much.”

Both of them looked at him.

”If they added this system,” Ezra continued, ”knowing most groups already spent their points preparing...”

”Then they will probably introduce a way to earn more points.”

”What do you mean?” the girl asked.

”Maybe after the first wave,” Ezra explained, ”they will rank the groups based on how fast they defeat the monsters.”

”The faster groups will receive more points.”

”The slower ones will receive less.”

Veda nodded.

”That sounds like the most logical system they might use.”

He stepped toward the window.

”We should inform everyone.”

But Ezra was already walking toward the door.

”Well, I’m going to my post,” he said while waving slightly.

”I need to set up my equipment.”

He left the room.

The girl frowned slightly.

”What’s with him?”

Veda chuckled.

”We should go too.”

They left shortly after.

Meanwhile....

Ezra moved toward the back side of the tower.

Earlier discussions suggested monsters might slip through that area if the trial designers wanted to increase difficulty.

He reached the outer wall.

Then opened his space bag.

He pulled out a large sack.

Inside...

Rows of Barrett M107 magazines.

Loaded, prepared.

Ezra stared at them briefly.

At one point he had changed his mind and created more.

Fifty had not felt safe enough.

So, he made another fifty.

One hundred magazines in total.

Then he removed the parts of his tent and began assembling it.

The tent was square and large enough for three people.

He placed it near the stone barricade wall that protected the edge of the castle.

There was a reason for that.

Inside the tent...

He would hide his Barrett M107 while shooting.

No one would see it clearly.

Before finishing the tent setup, Ezra tied a rope to the wall and climbed down the outside of the castle.

Once he reached the ground, he walked toward the tree line.

After stopping a short distance away...

He took out a digging tool.

Then he began carving a long vertical line across the ground near the forest edge.

A quiet preparation.

For what was coming next.