Rain continued falling softly outside the inn windows.
The capital city slept beneath darkness.
Inside the small rented room—
Ren quietly stared at the glowing blue system interface floating before his eyes.
After reaching Level 9—
The system itself had evolved further.
Several new icons had appeared across the interface.
[Name: Ren Viren]
Level: 9
Race: Human
Party Members: • Lyra Valeford
Current Weapon: • Beretta M9
Remaining Ammunition: • 9mm Bullets ×115
Storage: • 600 Gold Coins • 7 Silver Coins • Ogre Greatsword • Ogre War Club • Ogre Teeth ×2 • AK-47 Blueprint • Dry Monster Materials • Grenades ×2
At the corner of the interface—
Two new symbols quietly glowed.
[SHOP]
[MANUFACTURE]
Ren immediately opened the first icon.
A massive list unfolded before his eyes.
[SHOP]
Categories: • Arsenal
• Ammunition
• Rations
• Clothing
• Attachments
• Vehicles (Locked)
• Air Support (Locked)
• Naval Warfare (Locked)
Ren opened the Arsenal section.
Rows of weapon silhouettes appeared instantly.
Pistols.
Submachine guns.
Assault rifles.
Light machine guns.
Sniper rifles.
All modern.
All deadly.
But almost every single one remained locked.
[Level Requirement Not Met]
Reach Level 10 to unlock one purchasable weapon from each category.
Ren quietly narrowed his eyes.
So Level 10 was another major system threshold.
Then he opened the ammunition section.
Most ammo types remained locked as well.
One specific section immediately caught his attention.
[7.62mm Ammunition]
Status: Locked
Requirement: Craft AK-47 First
So the system progression connected together.
No rifle first—
No rifle ammunition afterward.
Logical.
Then Ren opened the Manufacture section.
[MANUFACTURE]
Available Blueprints: • AK-47
Requirements: • Refined Metal
• Special Hardwood
• Weapon Fragment ×1
Available Material: • Ogre War Club Metal Core
Missing: • Special Hardwood
Ren leaned back slightly.
The metal problem was already solved through the Ogre War Club.
But the hardwood remained an issue.
And he didn't even know where to obtain something like that in this world.
After quietly closing the system—
Ren finally looked toward Lyra.
She sat near the bed while brushing her silver tail slowly.
The dim candlelight illuminated her silver hair beautifully.
"We need a destination."
Lyra looked toward him.
"You mean after leaving the capital?"
Ren nodded.
"We became too noticeable here."
"The nobles will eventually investigate us."
Ren stayed silent for several moments while thinking carefully.
Then finally—
"We'll head toward Fenrisgrad."
Lyra immediately looked surprised.
"…My homeland?"
Ren nodded calmly.
"The nobles will expect something else."
"With over four hundred gold coins, they'll think I'll travel toward another human kingdom to live comfortably."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"No human noble would expect a slave owner to willingly head toward the homeland of his beast slave."
"They'll assume the slave might betray him there."
Lyra quietly stared at him.
Honestly—
That logic made terrifying sense.
Because most humans truly viewed beast slaves as dangerous property rather than companions.
Ren continued calmly.
"And if we expose the Blackfang Hyena Tribe there…"
"…you might get justice for your people."
For several moments—
Lyra remained completely silent.
Then slowly lowered her gaze.
"…Thank you."
After deciding their destination—
Ren asked another important question.
"What's the route to Fenrisgrad?"
Lyra immediately explained.
"There are two possible routes."
"The first route passes through a large trade town."
"The roads are wide and maintained properly."
"Trade caravans and merchants use that route often."
Ren nodded slightly.
Safe.
Predictable.
Which also meant easier to track.
Then Lyra continued.
"The second route is longer."
"Bad roads."
"Dense forest terrain."
"Very few travelers use it."
"Most people avoid it completely."
She paused briefly before adding—
"Even using the faster route…"
"…it would still take at least five to ten days to reach the Fenrisgrad border depending on weather and monsters."
The distance immediately made Ren realize just how massive this continent truly was.
But at the same time—
Long travel also meant fewer chances for nobles to track them continuously.
Especially once they disappeared into forests and small roads.
Then another thought appeared inside his mind.
"The forest…"
"Do special materials grow there?"
Lyra blinked slightly.
"You mean monster materials?"
"Special hardwood."
That immediately surprised her.
"You need special hardwood?"
Ren nodded casually.
"For weapon crafting."
Lyra's wolf ears twitched slightly.
"…That type of wood usually comes from Tyrant Tree Monsters."
"Tyrant monsters?"
"They're rare forest-type monsters."
"Very dangerous."
"Even D-rank adventurers avoid fighting them carelessly."
Ren immediately became interested.
"Where?"
"There's a dangerous forest region along the second route."
"The first small town on that route is closest to it."
"From that town, it takes around half a day by foot to reach the forest."
Then she added seriously—
"Tyrant Tree Monsters are much stronger than ordinary monsters."
"Even D-rank parties can die fighting them."
Ren quietly smiled slightly.
Dangerous monsters meant valuable progression.
And more importantly—
AK-47 production.
That alone already made the journey worthwhile.
Afterward—
Ren reopened the system shop.
This time he entered the Ration section.
Different foods appeared instantly.
Dry bread.
Military-style preserved meat.
Water containers.
Travel food.
Then he opened Clothing.
Dark traveling cloaks quickly caught his attention.
Perfect for hiding appearances during night travel.
Without hesitation—
He purchased: • Bread • Dry rations • Water containers • Two dark cloaks
The items materialized directly into storage.
Convenient.
Too convenient.
After finishing preparations—
The room slowly became quiet again.
Outside—
Rain continued falling over the sleeping capital.
Ren finally closed his eyes briefly.
For the first time since reincarnating into this world—
He actually felt mentally exhausted.
Dungeon raids.
Politics.
Killing.
Constant danger.
And the realization that stronger enemies would continue appearing.
Eventually—
He fell asleep.
1:40 AM
Ren's eyes opened instantly.
Years of military conditioning made waking quickly natural.
The room remained dark.
Only faint moonlight entered through the rain-covered window.
He quietly stood up.
Then looked toward Lyra sleeping peacefully beneath the blanket.
Her silver wolf ears twitched slightly while sleeping.
For several moments—
Ren simply watched silently.
Then finally—
He gently shook her shoulder.
"Lyra."
Her eyes slowly opened.
"…Time?"
"We're leaving."
Lyra immediately became alert.
No complaints.
No laziness.
Years of survival instincts likely made quick movement normal for her.
The two silently prepared themselves.
Dark cloaks covered their appearances completely.
Ren checked carefully outside the inn window.
The rain had already stopped.
Cold night breeze flowed quietly through the dark streets.
The entire area looked calm and sleepy beneath the moonlight.
Perfect weather for tired night guards to become careless.
Especially during late patrol duty.
Silent street.
Minimal movement.
Perfect.
He quietly checked the inn hallway afterward.
No footsteps.
No voices.
No movement nearby.
Good.
Ren slowly opened the room window.
Cold night air entered immediately.
Below the window—
A narrow dark alley connected behind the inn building.
Perfect escape route.
Before leaving—
Ren quietly placed the room key outside near the door.
No unnecessary suspicion.
Then finally—
Both of them climbed out silently into the darkness below.
Rainwater still dripped quietly across the alley stones.
And beneath the cover of night—
Ren and Lyra quietly disappeared from the inn without leaving behind a single trace.
Far away—
Beyond forests, borders, kingdoms, and war—
Fenrisgrad awaited them.
And somewhere along that road—
The first true assault rifle of this world would eventually be born.