There's roughly about 830kg of gunpowder in front of him. Excluding the remaining goods, just buying the three of them cost him about 1500 gold coins. However, it will only take one-third cost if he could buy it from the system.
This is probably the first time he actually gets to see that the system is offering cheaper than outside the world. After all, according to its policy, the rarer the item is, the costlier it should be. Does that mean gunpowder isn't a rare item?
When Mark thought about it for a moment, it made sense to him. After all, the ingredients he used were all available in bulk in nature and being utilized for various purposes in this world. He knew that people would try to reverse engineer his weapons.
At the very least, he knew that someone will surely find the process of making the bullet. However, smokeless powder is tough to crack. So, some alchemists will try to use replacements. It only means that sooner or later, gunpowder will be invented.
When people realize the value of these materials, their price will go up and so would be the cost of making gunpowder.
So, Mark thought that he might as well depend on the system to procure the classic gunpowder for a cheaper version of the bullet.
And with buying from the system, each 9mm bullet will take only around 5 grains (~0.32 grams) of gunpowder. That means 100 gm would be sufficient for 300 bullets. Now, it's time to produce the remaining three parts of the ammo: the bullet, the case, and the primer.
He doesn't have too many machines for fast mass production. So, 200 thousand of bullets order made by Feng Wu might take some time. That's why he only tasked one of the robots to mass-produce them as much as possible while the remaining two will work on his designs to complete one of the conditions of the quest for the second Spirit Path.
He handed over the detailed designs of the parts required for the remaining Tigon series weapons (except for the rocket launcher and howitzer) as well as the instructions and almost all the materials i.e. 100kg of lead, 100 kg of tin, 100kg of brass, 1ton of copper, 100 kg of Herculean steel. He only withheld Damascus tungsten in his inventory as this high-density material was of no use in making firearms.
He wanted to use it in making a missile but that requires heavy work and high-end equipment, which he can acquire once the Factory reaches a higher level. So, it was left for the future.
Once he stored all of the wooden boxes filled with gunpowder in his inventory, Mark returned to the real world and proceeded to sleep.
The next day evening;
"Open Mark's factory"
Unlike the last time with Chimera SGM, Mark didn't bother to assemble the parts himself and already passed the instructions to the robots to do the work before he left.
As a result, he was greeted with the sight of eight shiny weapons neatly placed on the desk. Two of the robots bowed to him and reported to him the completion of the work while the remaining one is busy with the process of making the 9mm lead bullets with copper casing (gunpowder version).
Mark ignored it for a second and placed his entire attention on the weapons. Actually, they were only assembled. There are still two steps left. If there's an error in his design and receives a poor rating from the system, then, he should redo the design process and it will take a toll on his brain.
However, he was confident that it won't happen. After all, these designs weren't created just now. He had created prototypes in his past life. It's just that they didn't make it to mass production because of budget constraints, complex designs, and the availability of affordable options.
Mark first picked up the machine pistol, capable of auto fire with high RPM just like a submachine gun. Its outer appearance resembles that of a Glock-18, although with an additional front-loaded magazine of 30-round capacity.
With the fun switch at the top, the machine pistol can interchange from semi-automatic and automatic modes.
The semi-automatic mode will use the rounds at the back and the auto mode will use the bullets in the front magazine.
Down below the barrel, the torchlight can also be fixed so that it will become easier at night.
"System, analyze the weapon."
Tigon 1
Type: Pistol
Grade: N/A
Weight (empty): 624 gm
Caliber: 9x19mm
Rate of Fire: 1420 rpm
Magazine capacity: 20, 30 rounds
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMaximum effective range (100% accuracy): 23 meters
Absolute range: 58 meters
Attachments: available (max: 1)
Description: A handgun that is capable of shooting automatically like a machine gun.
Recommender stats: N/A
System's rating: 7.2
Comments: The weapon is up to the standards of the system. It can be sold to customers.
*Ding! Please proceed to the testing grounds to test the weapon.
Mark closed down the window. Instead of directly going there, he first checked the remaining weapons
Tigon 2 (Executioner)
Type: Revolver
Caliber: 12 gauge shotgun shells
Capacity: 6 rounds
Range: 83 meters
System's rating: 7.9
**
Tigon-3
Type: Fusion
Barrels: 2
Caliber: 12 gauge shotgun shells, 40mm grenade
Capacity: 16 rounds (shotgun), 1 round (grenade)
Range: 576 meters
System's rating: 8.8
**
Tigon-4 (PDW-57)
Type: submachine gun
Caliber: 9x19mm
Capacity: 50 rounds
Range: 690 meters
System's rating: 8.2
**
Tigon-5
Type: Sniper rifle
Caliber: 7.62x51mm
Capacity: 10 rounds
Range: 1280 meters
System's rating: 7.1
**
Tigon-5A
Type: Sniper rifle
Caliber: 0.50 BMG (12.7x99mm)
Capacity: 10 rounds
Range: 5084 meters
System's rating: 9.5
**
Tigon-2A
Type: Revolver
Caliber: 40mm grenades
Capacity: 6 rounds
Range: 62 meters
System's rating: 6.8
**
Tigon-1A
Type: submachine
Barrels: 3 (Gatling style)
Caliber: 9x19mm
Rate of Fire: 2455 rpm
Capacity: 50 rounds
Range: 95 meters
System's rating: 7.8
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm**
"System, Open Testing Ground"
Mark's spirit was then transported to the place with different sections that are filled with target boards.
The testing ground is in the shape of a sector of a circle. It is further divided into three sections. The first section is full of lanes separated by indestructible walls. This is for practicing small guns ranging from pistols to machine guns.
As he proceeded further, he enters a larger second section, which is for testing explosives like grenades or C4, and bigger weapons like a rocket launcher. The targets are randomly placed everywhere over the barren land.
The final section is where all kinds of habitats are located ranging from hills to a huge lake. Here, according to the system, the target can appear at a place where Mark wants it to be with just a thought in his mind. It is a perfect place to test combat aircraft, missiles, destroyers, etc…
Mark began to test his eight weapons of the Tigon series in the first section. The sniper rifles were tested in the third section because of higher range.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-1. You received 200 experience points.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-2. You received 350 experience points.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-3. You received 800 experience points.
*Ding! Mark's factory leveled up.
*Ding! You unlocked suppressor
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-4. You received 500 experience points.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-5. You received 400 experience points.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-5A. You received 1500 experience points.
*Ding! Mark's factory leveled up
*Ding! You unlocked Scope (zoom: 20x).
*Ding! You unlocked Mining.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-2A. You received 750 experience points.
*Ding! You successfully invented Tigon-1A. You received 500 experience points.
*Ding! Do you wish to sell the designs to the system for mass production?
"Mining? System, is that what I think it is?"
The system confirmed his thoughts with its reply.
*Ding! The mining function will let the host mine the rarest materials according to the level. However, these materials are bound to the host and cannot be sold to others in any way. They can only be used for the host's research or production of the weapons.
"Okay, that's cool. Let's see what it is, right away." Mark proceeded to open the mines, putting aside the offer from the system for a moment.
Mine
Level: 1
Extraction: 1gm/hr
<<< Go >>>
"Uh, system, what metals can I mine actually?"
The mining function was actually different from what Mark had imagined it to be. There were no real mines like it was for the factory. Instead, there's a lottery wheel with eight sections and each one had the image of metals that he only heard of in mythological stories or comics. Fortunately, there are a couple of them that he knew from his past world.