Slayin’ With a Strap

(I am noting that I did skip using a Black powder Navy, and a few steps in the 'Timeline' of guns as a whole, but as someone who's owned a Blackpowder navy? Fuck 'em.)

Leaning with his hands braced against the edge of the table, he was looking down to the guns on the table, one was modeled after a Lefaucheux M1854 revolver, one of the first-ever shell revolver and as far as he knew, it was the first. There were a few changes made to the materials, using certain dungeon materials increased its overall strength.

Meaning it wouldn't break quite so easily, and having reinforced multiple small parts so they were practically impossible to break down from wear.

The other was a long rifle, Dale had skipped a few years in the firearm industry since he was looking to get the one thing he has never been able to get, a Henry .30/30 lever action with an octagonal barrel. Why?

Because of Ye-haw.

These were the two new guns, but it was also the ONLY two currently available, and both he and Hephaestus agreed they'd slow down how fast these all came out, and until her smiths could mass-produce the flintlock musket and pistol, as well as get people used to the existence of firearms.

Most likely if everything went to Dale's wish? The revolver would be the next thing to come out, and it would be by the time he was already up to modern firearms.

Would this have effects on the timeline as a whole? Sure, would this possibly be a bad idea giving more shady people a cheap and easy way to kill people so easily? Sure.

But it wasn't Dale's problem, it was their problem, he was only there to get a surplus of materials, weapons, points, and make himself stronger as for what's to come because when you're shooting your way across the multiverse, you can't always just be a normal, run of the mill human to deal with things.

That said, would Dale ever become something other than human, or would he continue to shoot his way through the multiverse John wick style? Maybe if a really hot vampire chick wanted to turn him he'd think about it.

"So, plan to try them out? It was Hephaestus who had spoken, bringing Dale out of his thick vampire momma daydreams as he looked up to her.

"Yes, holsters are already made for them as well, just not sure if I want to bring a team down for it or not. They'll only slow me down.''

Hephaestus frowned at that, Dale wasn't one of her Familia members, even if he could shine under her as a proper smith, but hearing him be so open about the fact the familia he was in only slow him down was saddening.

Also, the fact is he has only been an adventurer for a week or so, yet here he is. Already thinking about abandoning his team, but it wasn't her right to intrude on this, she could only give advice.

''They might slow you down, but in the case of something happening, it's always good to have back up.''

Dale nodded, what he had said was total bullshit. He doesn't care how long it takes him to go through the dungeon, Ais had just joined the Loki Familia, meaning he was a long time before canon even started, granted he didn't even care about canon.

He was here to shoot things, fuck bitches, and shoot more things. He planned to cowboy through his ageless life until he either died or got bored.

He had only said something deep sounding because he was watching the bar for the system to fill up, he had to be standing near, and observing the firearms for a while for them to become registered in the system.

Once they register, they would be allowed to be upgraded by the system. It also meant he could purchase more of the firearm from his system as well, meaning as long as he registered it, he technically had an unlimited amount of guns. As long as he had things to kill.

Which, he'd never run out of things to kill, even if he had to revisit worlds at different frequencies.

Taking the revolver and rifle, they vanished, Hephaestus eyebrows lifted a bit to that, but she is under contract not to question his abilities. The only description he could give her was the fact they were a part of his 'Family Magic' like how some families had magic through the generations.

He really didn't need to wear the holsters, but it made him look cooler if anything.

As he left the tower he head into the dungeon himself, planning to put the revolver through its paces first.

Well, and the fact he now had two of the revolvers. Dual-wielding them as he planned to see how far he could get with them alone.

The first few floors were a breeze, and it wasn't until the sixth floor that he had to use two bullets for something, it was the War Shadows.

Dark humanoid-type creatures with three razor-sharp claws, that had long ass arms.

However, two rounds to the large pale orb to the top of their heads was enough to drop them before they got close, no one else was that lucky.

Along with the perks of making it so Dale would never age, his body and mind would never get tired, he could continue to perform at his highest peak as long as his body was healthy. He didn't need sleep or food for that matter. But he would still eat and sleep, just because he had no reason not to usually.

But for now, he was going to grind out not only the monster materials he could now automatically pick up because of his system but also earn all that sweet Excelia.

He did need to stop at the seventh floor, the needle rabbits were too fast for him to his. Not because of how fast the bullet moved, no it was because Dale himself lacked the speed to be able to keep up with their movements, so he had fallen back to the previous floors to grind.

How long had he been at it? No idea, all he knew is by the time he had finished, his gear had been in tatters, not because of damage, but because of all the moving he had been doing, he had racked up thousands of points and he felt his falna practically bursting at the seams inside him, he had long since reached the point of leveling up, he knew that. But he planned to get the max amount of stats he could, and he felt anymore and he might go boom.

So, he began the track back up, easily able to keep his pace at a full sprint as he blitzed past other adventures, not bothering to slow down.

Soon he was at the Loki Familia mansion, which gates opened automatically to his approach.

Soon he was in the mansion where he had pit stopped to change and take a shower. Deciding from then he would carry some spare gear and clothes as well.

Going to the study where he would usually find Loki and Riveria he knocked.

''Come on in!" It was Loki who responded, as he entered the door he walked in closing it behind him. Looking to those gathered, it was only Loki, and Riveria.

''DALE! I was about to storm Hephaestus' shop if she didn't release you soon!" She shot up, able to juke out Riveria before launching herself at him

Catching the Goddess before she suddenly pushed off him and to the ground, her eyes wide. ''Dale, what the hell?!"

Riveria walked over smiling. ''Good to see you finally, we had been wondering when you'd get out of the workshop, a few times we thought we'd lose you in research just like sometimes we lose Hephaestus."

''NO! There is no way he has been just working on his contraptions, Dale explain yourself! Where have you been to leave a month ago and come back with this much Excelia?"

Riveria hearing that let her brows furrow, before a look of realization crossed her face before fury took over as well. ''DALE! I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS IF YOU'VE BEEN 'TESTING' YOUR TOYS FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH STRAIGHT IN THE DUNGEON, I WILL BAN YOU FROM GOING BACK IN!''

Dale raised a brow to that before he nodded. ''I have been in the dungeon for the last month, Hephaestus, and I had finished everything around about... somewhere while it was dark."

Riveria began to grow redder, the poor elf lost for words in her rage as she struggled to grip at the right ones. Practically stopping herself from strangling him.

''Now's not the time Riveria, it almost feels like he's going to explode from excelia overflow, I need to level him up now."

She pulled Dale to the couch who got his shirt off easily, letting her go through the process.

The process took a while, and the amount of energy building made Riveria step over to look, and what she saw brought her out of her anger and awestruck.

Loki spoke, her voice not having the usual joking tone. ''D...Dale, you ARE human... Right?"

''Born and breed, far as I know. Why?"

Loki turned to Riveria, seeing her in the same state she turned back to his broad back, her hands slowly working over his back as she melded his Falna. ''You... Your stats are all at 1500 exactly, all in triple S ranking, I don't know how it's possible, anyone else would have a stat go above and it would cause them to go to death's door, anyone who tried to go over the predetermined limit is met with a torturous fate..."

"But you... All of your stats are right at the edge, right before it tips over, not only did you break the usual limit of 1000, but you went even further beyond... How?"

Loki was working overtime trying to mold his falna, despite her having been the one to give it to him, it was like it wasn't hers to change, even as she tried her best to do so there were some points she'd need to take her time to change it.

"What is with these skills? Tireless Soldier? It doesn't have a rank."

Riveria finally came out of her stupor and spoke. ''Dale, did you ever feel tired while you were fighting?"

''Unless I used an excessive amount of mana? No. I never slept during my time in the dungeon."

Another look of anger flashed over the elf's eyes, but she calmed as she continued to watch her Goddess build his status up.

''Look! He's got another one? Limitless? Is this why his stats are like this? But that doesn't make sense, if you were limitless, then why does the limit for 1500 still stand? Shouldn't you just be able to keep going?"

Dale was about to respond but his vision suddenly cleared up, suddenly all his senses went haywire, he could suddenly feel everything around him, see it, hear it, smell it.

"Shit, Dale calm down, you're suffering from level sickness, it is rare but it happens when your stats jump, like an overload. Just breath and relax."

Dale was trying, boy was he trying. But it was like he had been listening to music at 3, and it was suddenly cranked to 11. Burying his head forward into the pillow as he limited his senses. Taste, sight, scent. He could still feel and hear, but the information became a lot less and it was helping him calm down.

After some time he began to calm down, feeling him relax beneath her Loki spoke. ''You only have one development ability and it's Hunter... You already have it at G, which is crazy..."

''Your stats are already starting at 500? Ais hasn't got anything on you..."

"Loki-Sama, we'll need to keep this information secret from the guild... If the other gods find out Dale's abilities, along with his guns and bombs, they'll be after him and attempt to poach him, even if it may mean forcibly removing his falna..."

Loki's eyes darkened in rage, she wanted to say it wasn't possible, that one of her own Familia may not be in trouble, but it'd be a lie. There were some twisted people out there, some that would do anything to get ahold of him. She pressed her hands to the lower part of his back. ''I'm not going to give you a paper Dale, is that fine?"

"It's fine, I understand the need to keep all of my abilities secret, there might already be some after me if they find out I'm the one who made the Flintlocks."

She smiled, patting his back before she leaned down and hugged him tightly. ''Thank you for understanding Dale."

Riveria cut through the moment like a hot knife through butter. ''This does not excuse you from having been in the dungeon, alone, for a month."

Dale heard Loki whisper into his ear. ''Good luck, hope you don't die."

Before she ran out of the room, leaving Dale alone with overprotective Elf Momma, who looked ready to kill him.