I grab a brass ingot from the sack and I grab the metal container where I put the leftover metal from the removal process. After all, grabbing a little bit of brass from the 1 kg of ingots will remove a lot of those metals that I should assemble as something different.

I open my status window first and move to [Material Manipulator I] to open the 5.56x45 NATO blueprint. I open the blueprint and select the brass casing first. I fiddle with it first, to make sure that the little small measurements are correct in the blueprint.

Remember, the blueprint is in the form of a mesh grid forming a 5.56 casing. I make sure every single adjustment is correct, and eventually, I am braving myself to create the first bullet. Since this is precision machining, it’s better to shred the material first before actually crafting it. I hold the brass ingot and shred it into small tiny balls in the metal container.

The basics of materialmancy are three aspects, shaping, removing, and adding. To make precision things, simply removing isn’t enough to get the most yield. It requires the three of them at the same time to gain the maximum yield from the amount of material provided.

The ingot in my hand slowly disappears and moves to the material container that I have. I open the lids, and inside of it, small metal balls the size of a BB fill the entire container. It weighs as much as the brass ingot that I just shred when I lift it up. It’s the removing process, aka the shredding.

After that, it’s time to produce the bullet. I put my left hand on the metal container and a progress screen appears in the place where my blueprint is. The progress bar fills up quite fast, and eventually, after it fills up, I open my right palm. A 5.56 casing appears in my hand.

I hold the cartridge with my right hand and I observe it closer by putting the casing right in front of my eyes. It’s as close as I remember it, with the perfect diameter and all. However, what amazes me is the precision of the blueprint that I create. It feels similar in weight in comparison to a real legitimate 5.56x45 cartridge.

“You naughty little sister!” Suddenly, Rachel barges into the library, with hands filled with paper wrappers, which I presume to be candy. She then pinches me right in the cheek, “If not for the guards telling me Albert took you back home, I’ll be worried to death.”

“Aw, aw, aw, I’m sorry Rachel, truly,” I reply and I drop the casing to the table from that pinch.

“You little adorable…” Rachel stops pinching my cheek, she then notices the bullet cartridge that I hold in my hand. “What’s this? Did father teach you how to shoot a rifle yet?” She observes the cartridge with newfound interest.

“Isn’t what hanged on the rifle a musket?” I ask.

“It’s a breach-loading rifle. That’s why I also want to ask whether Albert teaches you how to manufacture a bullet casing or not. Still, that’s pretty impressive, Helen, not many people can draw their own bullet casings,” Rachel praises me.

Breach-loading rifle means the rifle is loaded from the back instead of the front like a regular musket. However, is it a common rifle, or is that just an authentic piece of equipment that my father just happens to own?

“Does everyone use a breach-loading rifle?” I ask Rachel.

“Not everyone, only some people, who are rich enough to buy one. Even today, Albert doesn’t get a hand on a free-license breach-loading rifle design. I don’t understand why he doesn’t copy anyone’s design,” Rachel says. I understand why especially considering scanning a blueprint from a paper itself is very draining.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Not to mention that copying a rifle design is very much looked down upon, and you will face scrutiny from other weapon designers if you copy the design without their permission. I wonder how they enforce that law, though. Or is there any limitation regarding copying a blueprint like that? I will like to know.

“One reason or another, to be honest, if you ask me,” I answer.

I switch from the blueprint of the casing to the blueprint of the primer itself. I choose the boxer primer design, which means I also need to draw the abnormally small anvil with my own finger, not an easy feat if I have to say so myself. I spent two hours just drawing and redrawing the anvil itself.

I put my left hand on my container again, and two progress bars appear in my vision. Once it finishes, a small cup and its anvil, a signature of a Boxer primer, appear in my hand. Rachel observes it really close, to the point where my sister breathing down my ears, my upper new animal ears, to be exact.

“Rachel, don’t breathe down my ear, I can hear it really loudly,” I say, I never thought my upper ears will be this sensitive. Rachel then grabs a seat and sits down right next to me. Now, the hard part is mostly done, I need to find the content of a primer and I’ll have a working primer.

Rachel then comments, “Helen, you know, it’s actually easier if you just buy it from a gunsmith. I’m sure Albert has primers for sale, if not for his own usage.”

“Really?” I nod to her, disbelieving what she just said about primers because reloading this will be much easier with a ready-to-use primer. The primer consists of two parts, the casing which is alright, and the anvil, which is a tiny piece of flower-shaped metal that must be pressed into the casing filled with primer powder.

“Yeah,” Rachel nods. She then picks up the bullet casing. “It’s smaller than the bullet used in the rifle that our father uses. What’s the purpose, to reduce the recoil?” Rachel asks. I just reply with a nod. I am under the assumption that the rifle that my father uses is using black powder.

The gas produces by smokeless powder is actually much more than a black powder, and it doesn’t produce as much smoke as a black powder. I pour out the brass metal beads that I produce earlier out of my metal container into the table, carefully not to spill any of that brass beads out the table.

I stand up from the table and grab a copper ingot from the sack. I shred the copper ingot so all of it enters the metal container and I craft a bullet with the same exact method as the brass casing, by putting my left hand on the metal container and my right hand squeezing tight.

The bullet then appears on my right hand. It was a bullet fully made out of copper, but to be honest, this is only a prototype. I can change the material to full lead, but for now, copper will do. To be honest, I should have designed something that can use two materials at the same time. I haven’t learned how, though.

“This is a perfect bullet, in fact, too perfect, what are you planning to do with using copper bullets, though?” Rachel asks me. Considering that most bullets of this era are made from lead, I shouldn’t even bother with that question.

“Nothing, just want my bullet to be unique, that’s it,” I say.

“Hmm, but lead is cheaper, though,” Rachel says.

I wonder how much Rachel knows about firearms, “Rachel, how much do you know about firearms in general?”

“I know enough because our father teaches that when he is free, and trust me, he really embeds the knowledge of guns to you,” she says.

“When will I get to shoot a rifle, though?” I ask.

“Around your age, I shoot a rifle, so, soon, I think,” she says.

I craft more bullets while Rachel watches me with excitement as copper bullets appear in my right hand out of nowhere. I think it’s just the same as when Ostwald produces chemicals out of magical stone. Can I produce a metal out of magical stone, though? It will be awesome.

Now, I only need Rachel’s powder and that would be all. I will try to experiment with the powder needed. Though, It’ll make more sense if I borrow Ostwald and Rachel’s scale so I can get the perfect amount of powder. It should be enough to fire the rifle, but not too much that I will be more likely to blow the rifle.

For now, though, one of the hardest parts is done, now it’s the time to design the rifle itself. I’ll take the design from the Colt M16 and Daniel Defense MK12, especially since the only plastic parts seem to be the plastic grip and the stock. Of course, it will have a full-auto function, since I will probably need it. I eventually make 60 bullets and casings before almost passing out.