“Why is reloading considered romantic, you ask…”

I began to explain the romanticism of gun reloading to Iscaliote.

However.

“Hmm... I see, so reloading is like ‘Sword Drawing Technique’?”

-Click-

“Are you kidding?”

‘Should I just shoot?’

I reflexively lifted the muzzle of my gun. It seemed Iscaliote didn’t understand the romance at all.

“What?”

“Sigh... How can you compare that with this?”

I continued to explain to Iscaliote, but ultimately, I failed.

Iscaliote was someone who couldn’t understand the concept of romance.

‘She’s the kind of person who’d even eliminate forms of armament for the sake of efficiency.’

Just as I was about to give up on explaining the romance.

Iscaliote spoke up.

“So in the end, it’s just about reloading, right?”

Then, she took something out from her side.

It seemed as though she had transformed a part of herself to create something.

It looked like a long stick.

It was filled with shells inside.

I recognized the name of that item.

“Fast Loader?”

A device designed to swiftly reload by just pushing it in, as it was filled with shells on a rail.

Using that would considerably reduce the reload time.

The fact that she had brought that out meant...

“Even though I didn’t understand the concept of romance… Still, I understood what you wanted."

She took the shotgun from me.

-Click, clack-

After loading it with the Fast Loader, she handed it back.

"There! You'll be satisfied this time, right?"

In the end, the automatic reload wasn't gone, was it? So why the Fast Loader? Was it just for the thrill?

I decided to play along and fired the shotgun into the air.

-BANG!!!

The shotgun emitted a burst of flame.

Flames glowing in full spectrum.

They soared like a dragon, sweeping across the front.

Where they hit, multicolored embers lingered without dying out.

Everything in sight was scorched.

"How did you do that?"

"It's my ability."

Iscaliote smiled innocently.

-BANG!!! -BANG!!!

After emptying all the bullets into the air, I checked my own condition.

"No major issues."

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have been able to handle the full-spectrum power and would have died, but now it was different.

Was it because I borrowed Iscaliote's power?

Of course, compared to pouring all the mana, the strength was relatively weak.

But at this level... although my mana was heavily depleted.

I could withstand it by absorbing souls and increasing my mana.

"So usually, it's just ordinary bullets... but when loaded, it fires like this?"

"Yeah, but since I'm assisting, you can only use it when I'm inside you..."

She added, "With this, it's fine, right? It's like reaching a satisfactory compromise between the irrational and the rational, don't you think?"

"You are wise, but..."

I fired a few ordinary bullets into the air and pondered.

While shooting the shotgun, I gauged the amount of mana I was expending.

"Hmm... this is indeed..."

"Senior, please remove the automatic reloading feature as well."

"Huh? We just agreed on that..."

"This isn’t about romance or anything like that."

I recalled the feeling.

I calculated the durability of the Unique Armament and the total amount of my mana, adjusting the power of each bullet.

To ensure that the power remained constant and always averaged out.

If the strength varied and was weak or strong in any situation, it would inevitably create a variable.

It's a matter of instinct.

Automatically reloading one round at a time interfered with my senses.

"Since it automatically reloads while shooting, it's hard to keep the mana amount consistent."

With the Fast Loader available, there's no reason to endure this sensory confusion.

After sharing my thoughts, she agreed and restored it to the original setting.

However, it was possible to use ordinary bullets with the Speed Loader.

"Thank you, Senior."

"You're welcome!"

"Then..."

I intended to test out the new function, but Iscaliote did not allow it.

She stopped me with her hand and then spoke.

"...I realized in a flash that I was swallowed."

"What do you mean?"

Swallowed?

"It seems it's about time to wake up, although it's still early... we have to escape from the stomach."

She began to explain the situation, implying she was aware of what was happening outside.

"Just now, your body was swallowed by the monster."

"Isn't that a serious problem?"

She spoke as if it were nothing serious.

"No, it's okay for now. It's not just any monster... it's a peculiar one. As a creature, its organs are twisted and severely contaminated, so its body is greatly swollen. The digestive system is different from those of normal animals, so you don't have to worry about being dissolved by gastric juices. What you should be concerned about is..."

She continued.

"Your soul being completely digested. You must escape before that happens, do you understand?"

'...Do I understand what she's saying?'

I mulled over her words.

'Swallowed, escape from the stomach, not dissolved by gastric juices, before the soul is digested...'

The point was to escape, wasn't it?

"I understand."

It seemed I'd understand more clearly if I saw it with my own eyes, but anyway.

"...Alright, I'll wake you up now, so find the brightest star in the monster's stomach."

"Once I find it... should I deal with it?"

"Yes, it'll be stronger than the stars you've fought so far, but you can do it, right?"

As if asking something obvious.

"Well, you never know until you try."

With those words, I opened my eyes wide.

I was waking up from the dream.

"...What!"

A girl with orange hair appeared before my eyes. She had long orange hair and red eyes.

Her eyes were quite sharp, and one of her canines was noticeably protruding.

'Ella of the Punitive Squad.'

I instinctively recalled her name.

Was she in the second year? I remembered she was a junior to Alcatraz, the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. She seemed to have a positive view of the Head, undoubtedly.

'Hmm... there won't be any major conflict then.'

She was someone very friendly towards the Disciplinary Committee.

I bowed my head respectfully and greeted her.

"Hello, Senior, how are you doing?”

"...Not well, I'm afraid."

"The situation isn't the best."

How I ended up inside the monster's stomach with her, I wasn't exactly sure of the backstory...

But I knew what I needed to do.

I took out my Unique Armament.

Then, I pulled out the Fast Loader from my pocket and inserted it into the shotgun.

-Clank, clack.

Eight regular rounds were loaded into the shotgun.

“Let's defeat them quickly and get out of here, senior.”

Even now, I felt as if something was gnawing at my soul.

Is this what Iscaliote meant by ‘digestion’?

I have to escape before my soul is completely digested.

I stood up and looked around.

Surrounded by a dark forest.

Is this really inside the monster's stomach?

There was no need to dwell on such thoughts.

-Grooo...

As Ella and I began to explore the forest, two wolves appeared to greet us.

Creatures inside the monster’s stomach—were they also swallowed like us?

"A monster devoured by a monster."

Bracing myself, I aimed my shotgun.

Two of them.

There was no need for Iscaliote's Full Spectrum to deal with them.

-Bang!!!

-Bang!!!

I aimed and fired.

Just two shots, one for each wolf.

The shotgun took down both wolves and spat out shell casings along with gray smoke.

-Thud...

The shell casings that fell to the ground disappeared after a brief moment.

"Just now, that was..."

Ella.

She approached, drawing her Unique Armament.

A longbow with both ends burning in red flames.

It was a weapon specialized for long-range sniping.

'It won't overlap with mine.'

While the shotgun is a firearm, it's strictly for close combat.

"It looks like a magical creature devoured by another magical creature, similar to our situation."

"But ordinary magical creatures don't look like that."

"Or maybe it's a ghost of a magical creature. Let's move before we end up like that."

I brushed off Ella's question lightly and advanced deeper into the forest.

From the encounter with the creatures earlier, I noticed something.

There was a white line-like feature on the creatures' backs.

It seems... the source is connected at the end of that line.

Perhaps the magical creatures are being absorbed into their main body.

"Senior, I think the main body is inside there, so... senior?"

"Huh, yes?"

"Why are you spacing out?"

I turned around to check on Ella's condition.

When she didn’t respond, I looked and saw she had a look on her face as if she were possessed by a ghost.

"Are you seeing something strange, or hearing anything unusual?"

"No, it's not like that, so don't worry."

Ella waved her hand dismissively and tried to move ahead.

'It's dangerous to be at the front.'

She was meant to stay at the rear, as it would be risky if she got hurt. I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

A bat suddenly flew out from the forest.

It didn't seem particularly threatening.

But judging by its appearance, it was definitely a Magical Creature.

I immediately deflected it with my shield and then finished it off by striking it down with the edge of the shield.

Then, I said to Ella, "Senior, I'll take the lead. Despite how I look, I'm meant for the front lines."

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