Arcane: Broken Mechanism

Sirion sat at the table, his gaze fixed on the system notification hanging in the air in front of him.

"Invention Complete: Desert Eagle."

The text glowed a dim blue, emphasizing the success of his work. On the table in front of him lay a pistol. The design was massive and menacing, the lines of the body strict and aggressive, as if the weapon itself wanted to inspire respect. Sirion carefully picked it up.

"Heavy," he muttered under his breath, weighing the pistol in his palm.

The metal was cool, and the ribbed surface of the grip felt good in his hand. This weapon was clearly meant for powerful shots. He squeezed the handle a little harder, testing how comfortably it fit in his hand. The system softly highlighted the weapon's additional parameters:

"Ammunition: 0/7. Damage: High. Feature: Increased armor penetration."

Sirion turned the gun over, examining every part. He wasn't just fascinated by making things like this, it was becoming part of his new life here in Zaun. He knew that each of his inventions could be the key to survival.

"The irony, of course," he chuckled softly, holding the gun at eye level. "I create to destroy."

He set the gun back down on the table, running his fingers over its surface. His thoughts turned practical. He needed to test it out to make sure it worked as intended. Sirion glanced at his watch. Time was running out, and there was still a lot of work ahead.

Sirion set the gun down on the table when a new system window suddenly appeared in front of him. The glowing text of the notification made him smile:

"Design section reached level 4."

"Engineering section reached level 4."

Following this, the current parameters appeared:

"Engineering: Level 4 (1/40)

Design: Level 4 (1/40)"

"Wonderful, progress is being made," he muttered under his breath, swiping his finger across the screen, dismissing the notification.

Each level was another step forward, another confirmation that his efforts were not in vain. Sirion understood that reaching a new level opened up more possibilities, both in the creation of things and in their optimization.

"Only one more level of engineering and the catalog will open," he thought, looking at the system tabs. But instead of immediately diving into studying the new one, he looked at the gun again.

"I should check this one first. And then I'll get to what else can be improved," he decided.

His hand reached for the gun. He stood up, heading to the far corner of the room, where an impromptu target lay in the form of an empty tin can placed at the foot of the bed. Of course the gun was empty, but it was worth checking if it worked. Of course the system showed that it was 95% perfect, but his personal interest was too much. He extended his hand, aiming at the can. And remembering his lessons, Powder released the safety and pulled the trigger. A light click followed.

"Perfect," he smiled, feeling a light recoil in his hand.

Sirion lowered the gun and smiled, feeling satisfaction from how the mechanism worked. A light click, recoil - everything matched his expectations.

But his attention immediately switched to another question. Before this, the system allowed only parts and resources to be thrown into the inventory. Could he now, with an increase in level, add a finished product to the inventory?

"Let's check," he said to himself, carefully examining the gun in his hand.

He called up the system interface and focused on the gun. A soft yellowish glow enveloped the weapon, and in an instant it disappeared from his hand.

A notification appeared before his eyes:

"Desert Eagle has been successfully moved to the inventory."

"Wow," Sirion was surprised, happy with the new discovery. He immediately opened the inventory to check. Inside, among the parts, there was now an image of the gun with a short description:

"Desert EagleCondition: ExcellentFunctionality: 95%"

"This makes things much easier," he thought, imagining how he would now be able to carry weapons or other inventions without burdening himself with extra weight.

He closed the interface window and thought for a second. The new ability opened up many possibilities, but also hinted that the tasks that awaited him ahead would require even more preparation.

Sirion again called the gun from his inventory, and it materialized in his hand with a slight yellowish glow. He ran his finger over the metal of the weapon, feeling the cold but surprisingly smooth material. He remembered how he had been able to analyze Ecco's generator in Benzo's shop. Perhaps he could analyze what caliber and what bullets to create?

"If it worked with the generator, it should work here too," he thought, concentrating on the device.

His fingers wrapped around the pistol, and the next moment blue lines began to pulse inside it, permeating every detail of the design. The lines moved like streams of energy, highlighting key components and mechanisms. Sirion felt how information about the pistol literally poured into his consciousness: the trigger, the hammer, the barrel - all this came together to form a single picture. But what interested him most was the chamber. Blue lines wrapped around it in a tight ring, highlighting the inscription that appeared before his eyes:

"Object analysis

Ammunition type: .50 AE (Action Express)

Cartridge length: 33 mm

Bullet weight: 19 grams

Recommended material: Brass (casing), lead/steel (core),

gunpowder - standard energy composition."

"Here it is," Sirion thought, feeling a slight satisfaction from the successful analysis.

The system immediately confirmed the success:

"Analysis complete. Ammunition creation available."

He let out a sigh, realizing how powerful a tool this gun was. But now he had a new task - to gather the necessary materials and set up production.

Sirion put the gun back in his inventory, but the feeling of it was still there in his hand. Heavy, solid, working perfectly - his first real weapon. He felt pride and a little relief. Now, if the situation became critical, he would be able to protect himself. This gun was not just a tool, but a symbol of the fact that he could create things that could change the course of events.

He leaned back in his chair and ran his hand over his face. Fatigue came over him suddenly, as if only now his body remembered how much energy he had spent that day. But thoughts continued to swarm in his head. Creating a weapon was an important step, but now he needed to find materials for ammunition. He knew that new difficulties lay ahead, but this did not frighten him.

Sirion stood up and headed for the bed. His gaze fell again on the gun lying on the table. A slight smile flickered across his face.

"Now I have something that can really protect me," he thought.

He sank down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Despite his fatigue, he couldn't fall asleep right away. The adrenaline from his success was still pumping through his blood, and his thoughts were haunting him. How and where to find the necessary materials? How to organize the process of creating cartridges? He tried to convince himself that the time for these questions would come, but his consciousness stubbornly clung to them.

Sirion turned on his side, closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Gradually, the level of excitement began to subside, and his body began to relax. After some time, his thoughts began to become more blurred, smoothly turning into sleep. The last thing he felt before falling into darkness was a quiet but firm conviction: he was on the right path.