Chapter 89: Heavenly Strings

“Does that mean boss has to let go of his gun?” Sergio said with slight panic, even though Nikolai was relatively calm. “But he loves his gun!”

“Have you heard of Martial Arts?” Lex placed the pipe in her mouth before taking out a piece of fabric and started to clean Nikolai’s gun.

“Also known as Celestial Arts.” Nikolai’s lips curved into a thin, cold smile. Yuxi’s body trembled as she happened to be sitting in front of him, and she was the only one who saw his eyes: bitter and resentful.

“Ah, that’s an uncommon name for them, but yes.” Lex pondered as she held the gun with both hands, looking at it sadly. “Guns are seen as weapons of mortals, and there are no heavenly strings to use.”

“Heavenly strings are epiphanies obtained through training using weapons, allowing the user to wield heaven’s authority. Guns, however, have no such thing no matter how much you train.” Master Dwarf seemed to be interested as he added.

“I’ve seen boss’s marksmanship. It’s unbeatable!” Sergio protested, and to Nikolai’s amazement, Yuxi nodded in agreement.

“Gunman, it seems your friends trust you greatly.” Lex’s lips curved into a smile. “How about a little battle to see who’s the better gunman?”

“Gunmaster also uses guns?” Sergio was surprised.

“Among many others,” Lex said with a smile. “How about it?” She gave a childish grin.

Nikolai couldn’t see why he would do this just for fun. However, it was also a chance for him to extort her since he wasn’t exactly rich at the moment.

“What do I get if I win?” Nikolai asked with the hint of a smile.

“What do you want?” Lex seemed hesitant now.

“How about the pipe?”

“Never!” Lex slapped the table, making the dishes jump in the air before falling on the table. As luck would have it, a bit of soup splashed on Nikolai’s face. “Ah, I’m sorry!”

Lex tried whipping away the soup from Nikolai’s face, but she had used the same fabric to clean the gun. As a result, the soot and gunpowder remnants smudged Nikolai’s face further, making it black.

“I’m so sorry!” Lex stood up hurriedly and tried to step toward Nikolai, but she tripped over her chair and fell toward him.

As she was about to fall into Nikolai’s embrace, his hand reached out like a snake and held her by the face, stopping her fall.

“Gunmaster, please, have a seat,” Nikolai said, his face black – quite literally. The Gunmaster’s mouth looked like a clover because of Nikolai’s grip, and she nodded.

‘They didn’t call her Lex the Clumsy for no reason.’ Nikolai wiped away the smudges on his face with his sleeve as he let go of Lex.

“I see that your pipe is off-limits,” Nikolai said after whipping his face clean, at least, he tried. “How about upgrading my gun for free?”

“Fine by me!” Lex sat down as if nothing happened, even though red finger marks were still on her cheeks. “However, if you lose, you’ll have to be my test subject!”

“Test subject?” Nikolai frowned, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits. “What do you mean by that?”

“I want to finish an incomplete Martial Art,” Lex said as she rubbed her cheeks with discomfort. “I need someone to practice it so that I can analyze it and complete the next moves.”

“Does it involve guns?” Nikolai asked with slight eagerness, making his companions shocked.

“No,” Lex shook her head sadly. “It’s a cold-weapon Martial Art.”

“Then I refuse.” Nikolai shook his head and leaned back in his chair. It seems his refusal was a surprise to everyone, including Sergio.

“Bossman, why do you hate Martial Arts so much?” Sergio asked with interest. The Gunmaster was also looking at him with suspicion for hating the Martial Arts so much.

“I can’t sense heavenly strings.” He admitted, grumbling. “Even the easiest, most obvious, and commonest heavenly strings are things I can never hope to touch.”

“You’ve tried wielding the heavenly strings before?” Master Dwarf asked with shock and fear. Nikolai could see that even Lex had the same expression.

‘Uh, maybe I’ve created a misunderstanding.’

Nikolai knew that he couldn’t use heavenly strings because of his past life, but these people didn’t know that. Anyone who tried wielding the heavenly strings at such a young age must be an heir of a prominent clan or family.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“You must have been through a lot…” Lex held his hand with both of her hands, making Nikolai flinch and try pulling it away. “But don’t worry, this art doesn’t use the heavenly strings.” She said with sparkling eyes. “Rather, you are the perfect test subject!”

***

“Bossman, what did the girl mean by saying that?” Sergio asked as they followed the Gunmaster toward the shooting range.

“The Martial Art?”

“No! You know what I mean!”

“Sigh,” Nikolai sighed before turning toward the two, who were looking at him with concern. “Heavenly Strings training isn’t something normal people can endure. Anyone can master the strings, but normal people would have to bleed for it.”

“Bossman, then why did you have to…”

“It’s nothing. Just forget about.” Nikolai waved his hand in dismissal, but he could feel Sergio’s and Yuxi’s concern. It made him nauseous.

‘An art that doesn’t use heavenly strings.’ Nikolai was intrigued by the concept, but he knew it was dangerous to practice an incomplete art. One mishap and you might end up losing your life.

He still agreed to it, as he didn’t think he would lose against Lex. He was 27 when he died, giving him a ten-year head start against the Gunmaster.

They followed the Gunmaster and the Master Dwarf until they reached a large field underground. The area had many targets and many signs of previous explosions.

They walked toward the center of the field until Lex stopped walking. However, there was nothing around them except destroyed targets and gates.

“Come out, little birdies!” Lex clapped her hands as countless buzzing sounds came from all around them. Small metallic creatures flooded into the field, filling the sky above them.