[Cheese Gun]:

  Level 1

  A piece of cheese shaped like a gun. That’s it. That’s all it is. For now.

  A particularly savvy cheesemaker may be able to figure out how to refine it, maybe even channel and amplify cheese fired from it. But right now, it is nothing more than a lump of cheese shaped like a gun.

  (Each level doesn’t really do anything.)

  Colby held the [Cheese Gun] in his hand, tracking the Knights attacking Elaine. Their movements were less stiff, but still nowhere near the fluidity of a person in control of their body. It made even someone like Colby able to follow their movements.

  But following a target and hitting it were two different skills. A direct hit was out of the question, even with the questionable help of [Cheese Gun], so what about an indirect one?

  Inside of his Core, Colby had loaded up Smart Waiter with some [Stickious Cheesious] pieces of mozzarella. However, as he cycled through the list of available delivery points, his fears were confirmed. There wasn’t an option to shoot cheese from the gun in his hand.

  Here, he was really hoping that the option would miraculously appear.

  “C’mon, Smart Waiter. Please,” Colby said. “Deliver it through the gun.”

  “I’m trying, master,” he signed, squeezing his eyes shut. “I have never done something like this before.”

  “I know, but you have to try. If anyone can do it, it’s you. You’re Smart Waiter for a reason…” Colby trailed off.

  Smart Waiter was Smart Waiter, the Core Construct wasn’t Knowledgeable Waiter. There was a difference between the two terms, though they overlapped. Right now, Smart Waiter didn’t know how to deliver spells to anywhere other than Colby’s body.

  The reason being he had only ever been exposed to Colby’s body and not anything else. Smart Waiter lacked the knowledge that his current level of smartness couldn’t bridge. But what if Colby built that bridge for him?

  Colby opened up Smart Waiter and retrieved the full-body mold that was normally used when applying the cheese armor.

  With some spare cheese, he made another [Cheese Gun], placing it within the mold’s hands.

  “Use the mold as a guide. Treat the gun as an extension of my body and not just cheese to be delivered,” Colby said, shutting Smart Waiter’s hatch.

  The Core Construct shut his eyes, Mana draining as he attempted to deliver the [Stickious Cheesious] out of the gun, only for his hatch to flap open in reluctant defeat.

  “I’m sorry, master,” he signed. “I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the concept. I’m not smart enough.”

  “No. You’re more than smart enough. You just need a better teacher. But the only thing I know is cheese…” Colby trailed off. “All I know is cheese.”

  “Master?” Smart Waiter signed.

  “If all I know is cheese, is there really a difference between cheese and I?”

  “Master?”

  “Don’t treat me as master. Treat me as cheese.” Colby brought out the full-body mold once more and completely covered it from head to toe with spare mozzarella. “Cheese and I are one and the same, Smart Waiter. Just like how you deliver to every single part of my body, you’re still doing the same. The gun is just another part of my body. It's just another route. It's just another cheese, like me.”

  Mana began to drain from his Core as Smart Waiter closed his eyes. The Core Construct trembled, shaking as he focused with all of his might. Smoke began to spew from the metallic hatch as his glasses nearly vibrated off his frame.

  Then, a litany of notifications bombarded Colby’s view.

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 15!

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 16!

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 17!

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 18!

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 19!

  Congratulations! Smart Waiter has reached Level 20!

  Core Construct can now be upgraded.

  Warning! Core is only at Tier 1. Upgrading to a Tier 2 Core Construct will overload the Core.

  The first of his Core Constructs to hit level 20. And now he could be upgraded to further reinforce the intent that spawned it. Though if he did that, the un-upgraded Core Constructs would throw a jealousy-fuelled tantrum.

  Colby’s attention refocused back on the real world. There was a much larger drain of Mana than usual that made his legs buckle as he watched the glob of [Stickious Cheesious] emerge not from his hands, but from the barrel of the [Cheese Gun].

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  Congratulations! [Cheese Shot] has reached Level 12!

  The ball of cheese soared through the air, splattering not quite exactly where Colby had been aiming, but close enough.

  As a Knight lunged forward with another stab, he stepped on the ball of [Stickious Cheesious]. When he lifted his foot, thin strands of cheese stretched with his boot. That hardly slowed down the Knight. He must’ve been using [Strengthen] to bolster his puppeted body. But in a fight at this level, a fraction made all the difference.

  Elaine dodged the blade, then brought her own sword up to knock the steel aside as it curved back for her throat. In that same breath, she surged forward.

  The Knight’s movements were inhibited enough that she finally managed to land a strike before leaping back as his comrades swooped in.

  “Colby?” Elaine muttered, glancing towards the source of the cheese. Her eyes widened as she yelled, “Colby!”

  “Yes, I’m—”

  The wind was knocked out of him as something tackled him in the gut, knocking him down to the ground. A strong gust rushed past as he saw a large boulder zoom overhead. It crashed into the wall, bursting apart into a hailstorm of pebbles that rattled the mold-covered ground.

  On Colby’s chest, he found his attacker and saviour. It was Porter.

  Behind the boy, running up to them, was Thornelius. And on his back, riding the Thornwolf like a mount, were the ginger-cheese men of [The Ricotta Army].

  “Are you okay?” Porter asked, looking at him.

  “No, I’m—”

  Thornelius barked. He tackled both of them, just barely pushing them aside from another giant boulder.

  The Arcanist with a staff had forgone waiting for fire to appear. She lifted the staff, the green gem surrounded by leaves, flared with pulsating power.

  A giant boulder blinked into existence in front of her. It blasted forward, moving at far greater speeds than a boulder of that size should be able to travel.

  They scrambled out of the way, just in time.

  As much as Colby would love to help Elaine, he couldn’t do that if he were busy trying not to know what it was like to live under a rock.

  “Porter!” Colby yelled.

  “On it!”

  The Supply Runner understood Colby’s intentions. He turned around and offered his back, something which Colby graciously accepted. While Colby offered his [Cheese Pouch], something which Thornelius and [The Ricotta Army] graciously accepted as well.

  Wind blew against his face as the Porter Delivery Service ferried them away from danger, dodging past the massive boulders that flew their way.

  Colby held out his [Cheese Gun], aiming at the Arcanist with a staff. If he could take that annoyance out, then he could freely help Elaine.

  Multiple balls of cheese fired out of the barrel. Regular [Cheese Shots], [Stickious Cheesious] ones, and even a couple of [Cheese Bolas]. They soared through the air, heading straight for the Arcanist.

  A wall of stone rose from the ground. His cheese splattered across the mold-covered rock. Then the wall shifted. It slid across the ground on a collision course straight for them, tracking them, keeping them centered in its path.

  At the last second, Porter unleashed a burst of speed, moving out of the way as the wall thundered past and slammed into the far wall. Stone met stone, a match made in heaven, except they weren’t in heaven. Rock shattered from the impact, peppering the ground with the failure of their relationship.

  Porter’s [Air Dash] was something Colby wasn’t used to. His arms spun in the air, searching for balance before his brain finally overrode instinct and he gripped Porter’s shoulders.

  Okay, that Arcanist is a no-go.

  It was back to helping Elaine.

  Colby returned his attention to the Knight-in-training. He fired another round of [Stickious Cheesious], right over where the Knights stood. The puppet, or rather the Myconet, had learned. It commandeered them, ordering the puppets to step around the cheese.

  Since they weren't in the mood for sticky, what about slippery?

  Blasting out of the barrel of the [Cheese Gun] was a [Cheese Pouch], a very special [Cheese Pouch]—one whose outer layer was thin enough to survive the flight, but not the landing. A cascade of [Marvelous Mozzarella Marbles] exploded out, spreading across the ground.

  Congratulations! [Marvelous Mozzarella Marbles] has reached Level 5!

  Some of the Knights weren’t able to react in time. Boots came down on the smooth spheres of deliciousness. They slipped. Legs flew out from under them as they crashed onto the ground.

  The sudden spill of bodies hitting the floor gave Elaine room to breathe. She slipped between straight and curving sword slashes while rocks whistled past her head—either hurled from afar or erupting above and below her.

  Watching the scene unfold before him, Colby had an epiphany. A hazardous battlefield was just as much of a problem for Elaine as the enemy Knights.

  More cheese was fired out of his [Cheese Gun]. [Cheese Pouches] were deployed as another troop of ginger-cheese men, parachuted to the battlefield. Their objective was support.

  They dove in and moved any marbles that rolled Elaine’s way. And with their toothpick-blades, they’d scrape off any [Stickious Cheesious] that limited Elaine’s movements more than the enemies.

  However, just because Elaine was being supported didn’t mean she’d magically win the fight. She was still vastly outnumbered, unable to land a finishing blow. But what if she didn’t have to finish them off?

  What if he did it for her?

  As hard as his new Aged Gouda was, it would never match up to literal rock. If he couldn’t take them down with raw power, he’d do it in his own cheesy way.

  More ginger-cheese men were deployed, along with an extra cheese-protected Thornelius.

  After another set of [Marvelous Mozzarella Marbles] toppled yet another Knight, the Thornwolf pounced on his chest, pinning him down.

  The latest platoon of ginger-cheese men were armed with a special version of their toothpick-sized [Cheese With An Edge]. Half the platoon had two, each with a [String Cheese] threaded through the top, connecting them; the other half were unarmed.

  [Cheese With An Edge] was sharp, but it wasn’t piercing through rocks sharp, not yet. Mold, on the other hand, should be fair game.

  Planting a toothpick at their feet, the ginger-cheese men threw the other over the Knight’s body. Those who were previously unarmed received precious gifts from the heavens. They grabbed the toothpick-blades, stabbing them into the mold and securing them in place.

  A single [String Cheese] was pretty weak, but when bundled and crisscrossed together multiple times, it could hold even a Knight down.

  Elaine had seen what Colby had done and approved it. When the next Knight toppled, the Arcanists switched their attention to the valiant ginger-cheese troops and Thornelius pinning them down. Elaine swooped in, protecting the brave army as they cut the puppets strings by, ironically, using more strings.

  The process repeated over and over. Together, they knocked down Knight after Knight, before moving on to the robed Arcanist. At the end, there was only one Arcanist left.

  It was the one with a mini-tree staff. She had been launching massive boulder after massive boulder, missing every shot thanks to Porter.

  The tremors of boulders shattering into pebbles had ceased.

  The gem atop her mini-tree staff shone with emerald fury as she stared them down, and they stared back.