The place Yeoreum and I headed to looked like a shooting range.

At the range, many adventurers were showing off their weapons, some of which made loud noises, including firearms.

*Bang!*

As soon as we stepped into the range, a gunshot rang out, causing my ears and tail to stand straight up. I instinctively raised my hands to cover my ears.

"Wow..."

The sound was as if someone had shouted directly into my ears. My ears were ringing, and my vision felt momentarily heightened by the shock.

"Pretty loud, right?"

Yeoreum said something to me, but since I was covering my ears, I couldn't make out what she was saying. The constant ringing from the gunshots was only making things worse.

All I could do was blink in response, while holding my hands over my head.

"..."

Yeoreum watched me for a while before she gently pressed down on the area around my ears. I wanted to shake her off, as I didn’t need help, but when the sound was completely blocked out, I stopped resisting.

"Huh?"

It was strange—how did Yeoreum's touch make the gunshots disappear? I couldn’t understand, but I knew this was a world filled with magic, so it must have been some kind of magical technique.

Given that, I decided to use Yeoreum's hand as a makeshift earplug. It was a bit embarrassing, but having no ear pain was worth the slight awkwardness. I was far past the point of caring how I appeared to others.

So, with Yeoreum’s hand resting on my head, I approached Jung Yu-na, who was nearby. I led the way, and Yeoreum followed, her hand still covering my ears in a rather odd position.

"Yu-na!"

Yeoreum called out to Jung Yu-na.
Even though I couldn’t hear the gunshots, I could hear Yeoreum’s voice clearly.
For someone like me, who had lived in a world without magic, this was nothing short of incredible.

"Oh, hey!"

Jung Yu-na waved to us.
Oddly, her voice didn’t sound like the gunshots at all. Maybe it was because Yeoreum and I were physically connected.

"I was blocking Winter’s ears because she was hurting from the gunshots."

"You... really?"

Jung Yu-na, looking envious, waved her staff in the air. Suddenly, a translucent barrier surrounded us.

"What is this?"

"It’s a noise-blocking spell. It blocks sounds that exceed a certain decibel level."

With that, Yeoreum removed her hands from my ears. My ears, once squished under her palms, sprang up like a spring.

"Oh..."

The gunshots now sounded muffled, as if they were underwater. I wondered if there was no such thing as noise complaints in this world.

As I was lost in my own thoughts, Jung Yu-na handed me an arrow.

"Winter, do you want to try shooting this?"

"What’s this?"

"It’s an arrow I made. I crafted it so it would suit you."

I took the arrow from her. The only noticeable difference from a regular arrow was that it was red in color.

"Here, I also brought a bow."

"Oh... thanks."

I nocked the arrow into the bow and looked up at Yeoreum.
I was curious about the people shooting guns and had a question.

"Um, can I try shooting a gun too?"

"A gun?"

"Yes. It seems more convenient in a dungeon than a bow."

"Hmm... A gun is harder to use than a bow."

Yeoreum shook her head firmly.
I couldn’t understand why shooting a gun would be harder than using a bow, especially since all you had to do was pull the trigger.

"Why?"

"When you shoot an arrow, you hold the fletching with your fingers. That allows you to infuse the arrow with mana much more efficiently."

"Oh..."

So, it was hard to infuse a gun with mana because it was a machine doing the work for you. I nodded, understanding this new piece of knowledge.

"You can still infuse mana into a gun, but it’s not as efficient as with a bow. Guns are mostly used for clearing out low-level monsters or just for fun in places like this."

"I see."

I had mistakenly thought guns would be better than bows, using the perspective of someone from Earth, where there was no mana.
It was a mix of common sense from both worlds.

‘Then what about grenades?’

Would grenades be inferior to regular spells too?
Pondering this, I pulled back the bowstring and aimed the arrow that Jung Yu-na had given me at a distant target.

*Thwip!*

Thanks to the noise-blocking spell, the arrow flew silently and hit the target dead center.

"Huh...?"

It didn’t seem any different from a regular arrow.
Why go to the trouble of making something like this?
Just as I was about to glance over at Jung Yu-na, the arrow embedded in the target suddenly began to glow.

*Boom!*

The explosion was so powerful that it pierced through the noise-blocking spell. I jumped in surprise, my heels lifting off the ground.

"...?"

The target was completely obliterated, reduced to pieces. Even the targets nearby were destroyed as well.

"What... What was that?"

"It looks like Jung Yu-na is experimenting with something again."

The surrounding adventurers, who had been firing their guns, stopped and turned to look in our direction. I too stared wide-eyed at the two women in front of me.

"Not bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I added a safety mechanism so Winter wouldn’t be in any danger from the blast."

Yeoreum and Jung Yu-na continued their conversation, then both turned to me simultaneously.

"Winter, how was it?"

"Don’t you want to try it in a real fight?"

"Uh..."

You want me to shoot this in a goblin dungeon?
With an explosion powerful enough to obliterate even a goblin mana stone?

After a brief moment of contemplation, I couldn’t resist the appeal of it. The truth was, shooting an explosive arrow was fun.

I just hoped they would keep using that noise-blocking spell while I did it.

---

We visited the goblin dungeon with Yeoreum and Jung Yu-na, but today we returned empty-handed.
The explosive power of the arrows had completely wiped out the goblins, leaving nothing behind—not even their mana stones or guts.

"Haa..."

I sighed, but in truth, I was feeling exhilarated as I walked back to the container with Yeoreum.

"Winter, how was it shooting the explosive arrows?"

"It was really fun."

"I see."

Yeoreum smiled, but there was something awkward about her expression, as if she was hiding something.

"Why?"

"Well... the thing is, those explosive arrows are actually quite expensive."

"...What?"

Was she seriously expecting me to pay for them?
The excitement that had inflated in me quickly began to deflate.

"Of course, the ones you used today were just for experimental purposes, so you don’t have to worry about the cost. But in the future..."

"I’ll have to pay for them, right?"

"No, you won’t need to pay. You just need to gather the materials, specifically the mana stones."

"Oh. That’s fine. I can do that."

Yeoreum’s awkward smile faded, and her expression returned to normal, satisfied with my response.

"You can also create arrows that freeze or conduct electricity, depending on the mana stone you use. The power might vary, but it’s possible."

"Wow..."

Arrows that shoot lightning? The excitement that had left came rushing back, making my heart race.
It would be a shame to waste mana stones on such things, but goblin mana stones were easy enough to come by, so why not?

‘With more power, I can earn more money too.’

It wasn’t a wasteful expense, that was for sure.
Feeling satisfied, I walked with Yeoreum toward the container. For some reason, she also seemed to be in high spirits, even clenching her fist as if to say "Let’s do this."

'Does Yeoreum really like explosive arrows too?'

I wondered as we reached the container. That’s when I spotted someone crouched with their back to us, facing the garden.
The perked-up rabbit ears were enough to identify her as Levinas.

"My garden...!"

Was she trying to ruin my garden to get back at me for earlier?
I ran toward her, but the scene I witnessed shocked me.

The dandelions, which should have still been seeds, were already in full bloom.

"Where have you been?!"

Levinas stood up, covered in dirt from head to toe.
She must have had something to do with the rapid growth of the dandelions.

As I examined her, trying to figure out the reason, Yeoreum clapped her hands lightly.

"Is this our rabbit friend? That choker looks great on you!"

"Eek!"

Levinas jumped back in fear.
Complimenting her on a choker that she thought had a bomb attached probably sounded like a threat to her.
Of course, it wasn’t really a bomb.

'I probably seemed like a crazy person to her.'

I remember feeling the same way when I first met Yeoreum after my transformation.
Sensing a strange sense of camaraderie, I ran over to Levinas.

"Did you make the dandelions grow like this?"

"Yes! That shark monster promised to let me go if I helped with the chores...!"

"A... shark monster? Let you go?"

Yeoreum, not fully understanding the situation, tilted her head in confusion.
I decided to explain the situation to her later and turned back to Levinas, who was proudly resting her hands on her hips.

"Can you make other plants grow quickly, like the

 dandelions?"

"Of course! I’m from the great horned rabbit tribe!"

"Wow!"

A power that accelerates plant growth.
What an unexpected windfall.
With this, I could expand the garden and grow even more plants.

The more dandelions I harvested, the more I could lower the price of the tea.
The lower the price, the more we could sell.

At this rate, maybe I could repay my debt before I die?
Feeling hopeful, I clasped my hands together, only for Yeoreum to let out a deep sigh beside me.

"Ugh..."

I had no idea why she was suddenly displeased.