"LISTEN UP, BOYS AND GIRLS!!!"

The brazen male teacher thundered across the entire plane of grass. As students around me slowly stopped chattering, the male teacher stood still, back straightened and his arms crossed.

"Alright, have I gotten everyone's attention? Good. Today will be your practical evaluation, so make sure you do well, if you want a passing grade."

"Ughhh... I hate tests like this..."

"Are you serious dude? I'm not sure about you, this is gonna be hella fun!"

The murmuring from the students came in a form of groaning, mixed with a slight anticipation and excitement.

"There are going to be three tests - One will test your [Mana Control], one will test your [Endurance], and lastly, we'll move on to [Mana Output] and [Mana Accuracy] using still targets."

"Woah~ I'm kinda anxious..."

"Come on, it'll be fine!"

"Is everyone clear? If there are no more questions, shall we start the first test?"

"..."

"Alright, looks like everyone is ready to go. First test, can everyone produce a [Water Ball] right now?"

The students faces turned serious, as they concentrated as they held their hands in front of their body, in a circular round shape. 

"...[Water Ball]."

Doing the same, a small burst of mana exited the fingertips of my hands, as soon the cluster of mana sprouted from reality, as a small water ball spun and gradually increased in size, until the shape of a baseball. 

That was the easy part. I knew this. So when I turned around to evaluate the other students, I was not shocked to see them creating water balls that were the size of an exercise ball. 

That's right. My poor pathetic excuse of a water ball was nowhere near what the actual size of a [Water Ball] should be. 

Sigh.

Those who created a proper [Water Ball] were already considered "decent" mages, but sometimes you had [Monsters] that exceeded the norm. That title such does apply to a certain someone that was in my class right now.

"Woah~~~! Do you see that? She's creating a [Water Ball] that fucking big!?"

"Ohhh~~~ As expected of Sofia Elena Petrov... The genius Russian magician!!!"

A young girl with a slender body, porcelain skin as pale as snow, with thin cherry lips and a sharp distinguished jaw - her nose was rounded, and her eyes glistened like a deep sapphire, as her straight silky silver hair shimmered in the sunlight. She had a cute tuff of hair that stood from the top of her head, and her bangs laid over one eye. She was quite tall, standing at a height of around 168 cm, as her chest was quite substantial, the tight blazer holding onto the slim curves of her body. To top it all off, she was... quite the beauty. A charming face that could easily turn the heads of every boy that passed her, admired by both men and women for her outstanding grades and ferocious magical capability. She was the [First] heroine that the MC met, and was part of his party (harem) that held onto humanity's hopes and dreams.

This was kinda good for me. While everyone was fascinated by Sofia's magic, I was over here crying in a dark corner over the incompetence I had. 

"Eh...? Do you see that scary looking guy over there? Isn't his water ball too tiny...?"

"You're right... Ha. What a fucking loser."

(Just ignore it... Just ignore it...)

Clamping my face frozen, I gritted my teeth as I pretended not to hear them.

Yes, I know I'm a fucking loser. There's no need to tell me that. So move on with your fucking day will ya?

The teacher walked around and observed everyone's water ball, as he occasionally nodded his head and wrote down something on his smart tablet. Especially when he got to Sofia, he started grinning as he wrote down a lot of things on that tablet. Then... he came to me.

"Hmm? Hey you, where's your [Water Ball]?"

"...I'll bring it up right now."

Obviously, since I could only hold the water ball for 3 seconds, it had already dissipated from existance. 

Channeling my mana through my fingertips again, [Water Ball] was created, and the teacher seemed to wait for a few moments, before his eyes prodded me with confusion. 

"...Is that it?"

"...Yes."

I meekly answered, as I felt embarrassment rise to my face. 

"Um... Okay. Uh... Don't worry! I'm sure you'll grow in no time! I guarantee it!"

In his own way, the teacher was trying to cheer me up, but alas it didn't really pull any heartstrings from me. 

(...Sorry teacher, but this guy's body is never going to become a proper [Gaia].)

I soon heard some snickering in the background, in which I spotted a group of boys with different wild coloured hair, as they continued to sneak a glance once in a while at my pitiful [Water Ball]. It wasn't only them. Basically the whole class had noticed my shitass water ball, and had started to gossip about me.

I didn't need to hear it to know what they were saying about me - things that surrounded around me being the [Worst One]. 

Well, what can I do anyways? In this point in time, I had no talent nor the skills, so I can't make any excuses. 

Following that train of thought, I dismissed the ridicule the classmates as I continued to emotionlessly stare at the empty landscape.

Feeling a particular gaze upon me, I turned my head around and spotted Sofia, who locked eyes with me for a moment, before looking away in disinterest afterwards.

Sigh.

"Ahem! Moving onto the next test, we will now be testing your [Mana Endurance]! For this test, you will hold the [Water Ball] as long as possible - if you hold it for 3 minutes, you will be marked as passed. The 2nd test... will now commence!"

Once again, the students began creating their water balls again. For me, however, I did not even try. It was three seconds after all. So I walked up the teacher and tapped on his shoulder.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I could only hold mine for three seconds. Mark me as failed."

"...Seriously? No- nevermind."

No words were spoken as he lightly patted me on the shoulder.

(This teacher is surprisingly sympathetic, huh?)

At the very least, it seemed like the male teacher was not a bad person.

Obviously, people took notice of me failing immediately and started to snicker again.

(...Holy fuck. Why do these fuckers have the most time in the world to look down on someone instead of focusing on their own tests? Were Japanese people always this rotten?)

Finally, I stopped giving a shit, and glared back at the group of boys and girls that were laughing at me. As soon as my eyes made contact with them, they immediately looked away with small sweatbeads evaporating from their heads.

-----

[Three Minutes Later...]

"And... times up! Everyone stop what you're doing!"

A sigh of relief washed through the entire area.

"Thank god... I thought I was going to die!"

"Final Test. I've laid a bunch of wooden targets in front. Choose a random weapon from the rack over there, and create your most strongest magical atttack and hit the target. That's all. Everyone ready?"

Nobody said a thing.

"Good. The third and [Final Test] will now commence! Line up, one by one, I'll call your names up."

One by one, names were called out, as each student walked up to the wooden weapon rack, choosing weapons that ranged between swords, spears, battle axes, and bows.

"Sofia Elena Petrov! Come up!"

As the russian girl stepped up to the weapon rack, she pulled out a clean rapier adorned in shiny silver. 

"Hmu~ That rapier definitely fits a graceful girl like her..."

"It fits her so well~ Kya~"

As Sofia stood in front of the targets, around 20 metres at the start line, she lowered her stance as she held the rapier high up, the tip facing towards the targets as she readied herself grasping the weapon with one hand.

A few seconds passed, then in a flash, [Ice] began to wrap around the edge of the blade, as the frost extended from the hilt of the sword to the point, warping the sword into a beautiful glacial rapier, as it glistened in azure blue. With 5 quick successive stabs, the [Ice] from the rapier  shot out as it went flying towards the targets. The icicles spun in the air, as it pierced through the wooden targets like paper, eventually lodging themselves into the tree and brick wall behind the targets.

This all happened in 1 second flat.

Moments of silence passed the area, before everyone began cheering and going ham.

"WOAHH!!! DID YOU SEE THAT!?"

"CRAZY!!! I'M TELLING YOU CRAZY!!!"

Flicking the rapier downwards, she returned it to the weapon rack. 

"Next! Sa Da... Dau...Dae-hyik... Dae-hyun?"

"I mean, you eventually got it, I guess."

Stepping up, it was finally my turn. 

(...This is not going to end well.)

Not only could I not manifest a simple [Water Ball] for long, I couldn't even infuse it into a weapon at all. [Gaia] were [Heroes] that combined the new profound power of [Mana] and [Weapons] together to create a terrifying power that could rival those of tanks and artillery, but on a more insane level, transcending human heights and capablity.

And here I was, with an ordinary body, forced to infuse mana into a weapon.

...Author-nim. I really do hate you.

Sighing, I walked up to the weapon rack. Inside contained a variety of weapons. The ones that caught my eyes the most was the silver longsword - strong yet surprisingly light and easy to maneveur. However, I knew I had no chance at wielding a sword like that. That was the MC's specialty, not me. In the dusty corner of the weapon rack, laid a small compartment with a small lever that you could pull out.

Intrigued, I yanked the compartment open. My eyes widened as soon as my eyes laid upon the mysterious black compact weapon.

A Glock 17.

...What's this doing here? No, it doesn't matter where it came from.

Memories of the past [Sa Dae-Hyun] rushed my mind. The feelings of bitterness and inferiority clouded me, as I felt something claw from within me, as if my air canals had squeezed tight. Images of him holding his blunt dagger, hacking away at a training dummy, over and over, and over again, until his calluses were no longer visible and all that remained was a bloody pulp of his palm, the continued aggravation of people nicknaming him the [Worst One], as they talked shit behind his back, calling him a fucking loser, a poor excuse of a [Gaia], a trash deliquent that did not deserve the title of a human being- Memories of him crying his heart out until his eyes no longer had the ability to produce tears. No parents. No family. No friends. No loved ones. (A/N: Zero bitches.) Just him. Alone. Suffering as he persevered, hoping that one day, everything would turn around. That, his life would turn a full 180, and he was finally awarded for his hard efforts.

But in the end, not even [God] was kind enough to give him the chance to prosper. He couldn't handle it anymore. And... he finally broke. He chose to give up everything, and fell victim to his feelings of inferiority and jealousy, targeting the MC, and his party of women. 

Why did it have to be me?

Why did he get everything but not me?

We started on the same line, I put in countless hours and days into training, and all I got in return was this?

Why was the world so unfair to me?

...I've had enough. 

.....

Snapping out of my daze, my eyes refocused onto the gun.

Something felt warm and wet on my eyes.

...Am... Am I crying right now?

Ah that's right... Yeah, I am. [Sa Dae-Hyun]... You really did live such a fucked up life didn't you? 

I'm "you" now, but your memories and soul still resides in me. So for that... I promise you I will make sure that you no longer have to suffer.

No more wasted efforts.

No more days of continuous and repeated ridicule.

Fucking none of that.

So... trust me alright?

I received no answer. But faintly, I felt a warm hand tap my back, as it left into the skies.

Engraving my determination, I wrapped my hand around the gun.

As soon as I pulled it out, everyone on the field immediately stared at me with their mouths agape. They eventually broke into a gigantic sea of laughter and contempt.

"Did this guy really just pull out a gun? What a fucking joke!"

"Is he really that shit? Holy fuck, I can't believe it!"

"Having to rely on a crutch... Such a fucking loser."

As they continued to riot, I slowly trudged to the starting line.

Now you might be wondering, why did people hold [Firearms] with such mockery?

Simple. It was practically impossible to infuse mana into the bullets when you shot them.

All the elements and advantages that came with being able to infuse magic into a weapon became useless. In the end, it would just be a normal gun, and that's it.

That is precisely why everyone soon moved onto using medieval weapons again, as they were able to utilise the full advantage of [Mana].

As for why they called it a crutch, it was also pretty self explanatory. [Guns] were able to damage and kill small monsters, but aside from that, had no other real purpose on the battlefield. As everyone moved to the medieval weapons, the negative bias towards [Guns] exploded, calling it a weapon that had no [Skill Ceiling] and [Practicality]. 

Leading to this.

But it doesn't matter.

If I can't use [Swords], nor can I use [Magic], then fuck it.

I'm using [Guns].

After all, apart from reading, my favourite hobby was rocking up to the firing range, and shooting some [Firearms].

Pulling up to the starting line, I placed my left hand on the top of the slide, as I racked it backwards, exposing the 9 mm bullet, while the barrel of the gun slightly came backwards and tilted upwards. The bronze casing glistened and shimmered from the sunlight, as it slightly popped up from the magazine, allowing for itself to be caught by the bolt of the Glock. Beautiful. Letting go from my left hand, the slide rocked forwards, as it picked up a round and inserted it into the chamber. Clink! 

[Striker Action]¹With a striker-fired handgun, there is no hammer present. When the slide is racked back and released forward, the firing pin remains back and under spring tension. The trigger releases this tension and allows the pin to push forward resulting in firing the round in the chamber., with the safety being on the trigger, a full polymer frame apart from the slide, with double-stacked magazines that carried [17+1] rounds of [9 mm Parabellum]. Ahh... I really do like guns after all. If people thought the smithing of swords and other medieval weapons were a piece of art, then the machining and engineering of [Firearms] were an aesthetic piece of architecture to me.

A shame that everybody now looks down on them now. 

Gripping the gun in my right hand, I wrapped the left hand on top of the right hand, as my left fingers comfortably sat in the grooves of my right knuckles and fingers. Riding high near the side of the slide, my left and right thumbs ran forward, in a singular line. I had my right pointer finger off the trigger. As I lined up the back post with the front post of the ironsights, I slowly took a deep breath, and exhaled. There it was. At the tip of the front post, lied the bright tiny red bullseye of the target. Where's the [Wall]... Ah. There it is. All I had to do now was just squeeze the trigger and-

BANG BANG BANG!!!

Three consecutive shots, all dead centre.

-----

A/N: The illustration that are in this novel are all AI generated by me, including the front cover of this novel. If you haven't realised already, this is kinda of nerdy gun novel, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do when I'm creating these chapters. Thank you for reading this chapter.