The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent-Chapter 274

Raising my rifle was nothing more than a reflex.

Since coming to this world, how many bullets had I fired? Ever since I was a child and first started using a revolver, I had carried a gun with me at all times. And whenever I had a chance, I practiced.

Swinging a sword wasn’t an option for me—not when I had the power to rewind time. If I trained, my muscles would develop, but the moment I rewound time, all my progress would reset. No matter how hard I worked, it would all be undone in an instant.

That was why I chose firearms.

Pulling a trigger always produced the same force. The bullet’s speed was instantaneous, faster than the average person’s eye could track or react to.

Of course, that didn’t mean guns required no physical ability. In this era, most firearms were heavy metal constructs, and handling them skillfully—quickly aiming and maintaining control—still required some level of strength. But in the end, what mattered most was sensation.

There were plenty of calculations that could determine bullet trajectory—wind resistance, gravity, even my own pulse. This world had long-range rifles for snipers, after all.

But at the end of the day, the most important factor was the shooter’s instinct.

No need for meticulous calculations—just an innate sense of this is the right distance, this much wind means the bullet will curve just so, my arms are positioned like this, so the muzzle will sway like that—

—I needed to be able to fire with that kind of unconscious, instinctive precision.

I had no talent other than rewinding time. That was why I had done the only thing I could to keep from losing my edge—I fired as many shots as possible.

If I still had the ability to rewind time, I wouldn’t even be thinking about any of this. I would just fire, and if I missed, I’d turn back time and adjust accordingly.

But Lucas was smiling.

He wasn’t pouting in annoyance. He wasn’t glaring at me in frustration.

He looked happy—because he was enjoying the fact that he could fight me like this, because he knew I wouldn’t use any “unfair tricks.”

"Because it would be more fun that way."

That was what he had told the Emperor when asked why he chose me.

Lucas was savoring this moment.

Well, to him, being able to cut down someone like Fangryphon was probably a rare opportunity.

“...”

Lifting my rifle had been instinctive. But the thought that followed was deliberate.

Could I hit him without my ability?

Right now, Lucas was strong enough to fight a Sword Saint. And I wasn’t even standing on solid ground—I was balancing on the back of a moving gryphon.

But before I could dwell on it further, my mind went blank.

The solid wooden stock of the rifle pressed against my shoulder, my cheek settling against it in a familiar posture. The sensation was ingrained in my body.

The long barrel aligned itself. The front and rear sights clicked into focus. My finger rested on the trigger—

—And I placed Lucas in my sights.

I pulled the trigger.

The barrel kicked upward, my shoulder absorbing the recoil. There was no sound—not that it was unusual. The gunshots I fired always seemed quieter to me than those from anyone else.

Lucas twisted his body, dodging to the right.

Watching that, my first thought was, Of course.

I didn’t know how he had dealt with the Sword Saint, or whether he had actually finished that fight. But if he was coming straight for me, then dodging a bullet should be child’s play for someone who could slice bullets in half.

Yeah. That’s only natural.

I worked the bolt as fast as I could. Ping—the spent casing ejected with a sharp sound, clinking as it tumbled away. The acrid scent of gunpowder filled the air as the bolt slid open, ejecting the empty cartridge.

I pushed the bolt forward, chambering the next round. A crisp click echoed.

Bang!

This time, Lucas deflected the bullet with his sword. A blade aura followed immediately after, but the gryphon twisted its body at the last second, and the attack only grazed the very ends of my hair.

Oddly enough, even with the attack slicing past my face, I hadn’t changed my stance. Had the moment been too brief for fear to register?

And this, too, was only natural—

Ah. I was starting to understand.

Even after Lucas dodged and deflected my bullets multiple times, I didn’t feel afraid. I only processed it as a logical outcome.

Why?

I pulled the trigger again.

Lucas dodged—again, to his right.

Of course.

Lucas always dodged that way. The only times he moved in the opposite direction were when he needed to.

And honestly, Lucas didn’t have to dodge bullets very often. If an ordinary gunman faced him at this range, they wouldn’t even get the chance to fire before he cut them in half.

So this was—

I chambered another round. Click. The sound of the bullet sliding into place felt deafening.

Lucas was close enough now that I could see his amused expression clearly. The gryphon's magic was building, the air turning white around us. Its wings curled protectively, trying to shield me.

But it wasn’t as though Lucas was out of range.

Lucas prepared to swing his sword again—

—And then he saw me move the barrel.

A subtle movement. Just slightly to the right. A small adjustment, right as the bright light masked my form.

With firearms, even the tiniest shift in angle could drastically change the bullet’s trajectory—especially over distance. Though, this wasn’t that far.

Before Lucas could swing, I pulled the trigger.

This time, he dodged to the left.

Right. Of course he did.

He even looked a little surprised at himself.

I had spent my life shooting at anything and everything. Vases in the palace corridors, little flags strung across the streets, pigeons, sparrows, wild game—and people.

And among those people, Lucas was included.

In fact, I could say with absolute certainty—

No one had °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° ever shot at Lucas more times than I had.

And no one had ever hit him more times than I had.

So of course—

This was a sense I had drilled into myself, rewinding time again and again until it was carved into my bones.

“Kh—?!”

The bullet tore through Lucas’s right shoulder.

Yeah. Hurts more than last time, doesn’t it?

I wasn’t sure if he was still wearing the same bulletproof gear, but there was a vast difference between a handgun round and a rifle round in terms of kinetic force.

Unlike before, where he had managed to keep his stance, his entire body reeled backward, his sword arm thrown off balance.

Click.

I chambered another round.

Bang!

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And I pulled the trigger one last time.

All of this had happened in the span of a single breath.

*

The enemy’s morale was visibly crumbling.

The gryphon soared through the air, unleashing magic in every direction. Even an army filled with civilians from the Holy Nation was useless in this situation. Ordinary, untrained people—mindlessly charging forward—could only be stopped by other people who had no intention of cutting them down.

And now, the device had completely shut down. The gears that should have been turning had vanished without a trace, and the towering pillar of light had ceased to rise. The room itself felt dimmer, as though half its illumination had been snuffed out.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though the goddess’s power lingered. But not long after we returned to this world, the summoned forces began collapsing one by one, losing consciousness. In the end, only my companions, the Emperor, his children, and a handful of knights remained standing.

And then—

“It’s over.”

The Emperor murmured.

He was bleeding.

The battle had raged on for too long. His body bore the marks of countless sword strikes from multiple opponents. Honestly, the fact that he was still standing—let alone exuding such an air of authority—was remarkable.

Lucas had already been shot. Bella and Jayden were barely holding themselves together. Everyone was exhausted, their breath coming in ragged gasps.

The only one who seemed relatively unharmed was Damien, but even he wasn’t without injuries.

“Belvur will send reinforcements soon.”

Now that the barrier was gone, it was inevitable.

“...Are you expecting proper treatment as a prisoner?” Charlotte asked.

The Emperor shrugged.

“Well, I’m considering it.”

As he spoke, his gaze lifted toward the gryphon I was riding.

For the first time, I thought I saw something like admiration flicker in the Emperor’s eyes.