Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

With many hints already provided, Leeha could guess what the failure penalty entailed.

If the demonic lands start exchanging magical energy, what happens?

‘The monsters will become stronger, which is a given. If that’s the only consequence, it would be a relatively mild penalty.’

But the possibility of Toon rampaging couldn’t be dismissed.

A giant dinosaur, over 30 meters tall, could lead all sorts of monsters in an onslaught towards the western coast of the new continent.

What if that happens? Could the current level of users stop them? Leeha was skeptical about this, “The Paleos will not leave their tribes… The destruction of human towns and the loss of mana relay towers will be inevitable.”

Meaning, the means to reach the new continent would be lost. At best, they would have to start again from the ‘buoy’ in the middle of the Sea of Dawn.

For regular users, it would take at least 60 days to gather resources from there.

‘Essentially, pioneering the new continent would become much more difficult. Especially if Toon remains alive.’

He must be killed. Thorough preparation is essential, particularly since Toon is not at the first demonic source.

‘Matan’s Shooter…’

According to Kijung, there are at least 7 days until the next total assault – time enough to prepare.

‘I have to do it, though.’

Leeha walked towards the Bottleneck forge, whispering to two people.

Leeha: Getting hit suddenly makes you want to grow fast, huh?

Even if the message was the same, the responses were bound to differ.

Luger: If you want to die, keep talking.

Kidd: I don’t have time for jokes.

To get information about Matan’s Shooter?

He would have to ask those who have faced it.

The first person Leeha thought of was Lee Jiwon. Lee Jiwon lost a leg in the first total assault but did not die.

So he was currently logged in without penalty.

But to talk to Lee Jiwon about Matan’s Shooter, he’d have to spill everything. Well, the information would be released eventually…

With someone else to talk to first, getting information from Lee Jiwon was not a priority.

Leeha: There will be a total assault on the seventh demonic source in 7 days. You’ve heard about the attack three days ago, right?

Luger: Don’t care about idiots doing idiotic things.

Kidd: I’m aware. I heard that a monster named Toon caused devastation. It has nothing to do with me.

Leeha smiled at the replies from Luger and Kidd. They only know one side of the story.

Time to prod them a bit to get a reaction.

Solo players like Luger and Kidd, naturally, get information a bit late.

Leeha: Why don’t you care? The seventh demonic source, recently attacked and soon to be attacked again… is the [Barren Land of Blooming Flames]. It wasn’t annihilated by Toon. Toon may have contributed, but what’s the real reason the users were wiped out?

Luger and Kidd didn’t reply.

Thinking of them exercising their right to silence, Leeha laughed.

Keeping quiet? But this keyword will make it hard for them to keep playing dumb.

Leeha: Don’t you know? Really? Should I tell you? It’s because of Matan’s Shooter. While you’re messing around, Alexander or Lee Jiwon might become the next Matan’s Shooter.

Could Alexander or Lee Jiwon become the next Matan’s Shooter?

Leeha didn’t know. But he was aware that this bait was perfect for opening their mouths.

Responses came back immediately.

Leeha laughed, listening to the squawking voices of Luger and Kidd.

And he knew who was in charge in situations like this.

Luger: Quiet! Come to the Bottleneck forge quickly. I’ve activated teleportation. Hanging up.

Soon after, two users appeared near the Bottleneck forge, grumbling.

“What’s this, what’s this? Why are three of us huddled together again, making me anxious!”

Bottleneck emerged from the forge and shouted in greeting, his voice incongruously cheerful.

The trio couldn’t miss the excitement in his voice, but they didn’t look directly at Bottleneck right away.

The three of them meeting again was the first time since they had parted in the underground city of the Gorilla Paleos.

This meant that quite some time had passed.

‘Their items have changed. The color of Luger’s gun barrel… Kidd’s coat feels slightly different than before.’

‘Have they grown again? Those damned guys!’

‘Am I the only one who’s not evolved?’

It was apparent that Luger and Kidd’s item setups had slightly changed.

Even though Leeha had no new items, Luger and Kidd couldn’t imagine that he had wasted his time.

In fact, Leeha had evolved Blaugrunn to Juvenile class and, along with the ‘Halihali Brigade,’ had wiped out one of the demonic sources.

Such a significant (?) event might not have been predicted by Luger or Kidd, but for them, Leeha’s growth was always a certain guess.

“What are you doing here!? Did you three come to our forge just to have a staring contest?”

“Of course not. How have you been?”

“Been well, my foot! I would have been much better if you hadn’t requested those weird items!”

Bottleneck looked at Leeha and snorted.

At the mention of item requests, Kidd and Luger’s ears perked up.

“That… you can tell us about that later.”

Leeha hurriedly tried to stop Bottleneck, but he brushed off Leeha’s hand and started hopping around.

“Are you three making some secret? Anyway, you’re always asking what I made, whether I took any orders, every single day -“

“Who said that, Blacksmith Bottleneck!”

“When did I ever!”

Challenged by Bottleneck’s sharp words, Kidd and Luger reacted.

Ah, they thought, trying to feign ignorance, but they couldn’t escape Leeha’s eyes and ears.

“…You guys… did that? Spying on me like that?”

“No? I didn’t! What do I care about what you’re making?”

“I’m a fellow student of Leeha.”

Leeha wore an incredulous expression.

Luger whistling and kicking the ground, Kidd fiddling with his hat… and deliberately avoiding eye contact!

Leeha alternated his gaze between Luger and Kidd, then suddenly turned to Bottleneck.

“Bottleneck-ajussi! Did you tell them everything? You shouldn’t have! There should be something like a duty of confidentiality -“

“Among the Three Musketeers?”

“–Yes?”

In fact, there was no loss even if it became known.

Eventually, whether it was the scope or other weapons, Luger and Kidd were skilled enough to copy or adapt them.

Leeha half-jokingly reproached Bottleneck, trying to extract more information (?), exaggerating his actions.

However, Bottleneck didn’t allow it.

“Master. Should there be secrets among the Three Musketeers? Haven’t you learned anything from Brown, Elizabeth, and Browless?”

Despite being much shorter than the Three Musketeers, the dwarf’s presence was fierce. The weight behind his quiet words couldn’t be hidden.

“…No, that’s not what I mean – well, if you put it that way.”

“Hmph! Whatever any of you do, I will tell you everything! So none of you get any other ideas! When you were not around, Browless came by and told me everything! About Brown – and that Elizabeth – ahem!”

Bottleneck suddenly stopped his rant and wiped away a tear.

The three young Musketeers looked at him in astonishment.

Such a rapid change in emotions.

‘I don’t know about Matan’s Shooter, but it means they told him they’re still alive and on the side of the Demon King’s Army.’

Leeha thought Bottleneck’s overreaction was actually beneficial.

The goal of this meeting was to persuade Luger and Kidd to join the total assault, and now their emotions were likely to be swayed.

“Alright. It’s best to be both friends and rivals, isn’t it? Being just friends or just rivals is different.”

“Of course! Take plenty of bullets with you.” Leeha glanced between Luger and Kidd, then gestured towards the inside of Bottleneck’s forge.

“Now that we’re here, let’s talk while we pick up some ammo. I have a suggestion to make as a member of the Three Musketeers.”

Luger and Kidd didn’t express their usual dissatisfaction.

Watching them nod slightly, Leeha thought they might already be anticipating what he was going to say.

Conversely, it also meant they already knew how much he knew and had thought about.

“Matan’s Shooter and Toon… I heard that Lee Jiwon became an amputee.”

“Even if Alexander and the dragon join us, it would be impossible to conquer them.”

Without saying much, Leeha acknowledged their prior engagement with Matan’s Shooter.

They didn’t go into detail about the battle or the situation, but their current conversation was an implicit acknowledgment of their encounter with Matan’s Shooter.

“Is Matan’s Shooter that strong? Can’t we take him down if all three of us dive in?”

“‘All three of us’? Leeha, how far can you shoot?”

“Me? Well… I think up to about 5 km.”

Luger asked incredulously.

Kidd shook his head, hearing Leeha’s response.

“Assuming your firearm and Matan’s Shooter’s firearm are the same, which means the bullet speed of Mr. Brown and yours are equal, the distance from which he first fired was 7 km.”

Seven kilometers.

Leeha’s mind raced.

“To shoot at a distance of 7 km, I’d have to raise the gun barrel. With my current scope, I can’t calculate for that range.”

Even with all his skills and items, Leeha wasn’t confident he could reach 7 km.

It wouldn’t be just sniping within the scope’s range; he’d have to aim at the maximum distance and then raise the gun barrel like shooting a mortar.

Even then, hitting the target was doubtful.

Being just 1 cm too high or low would make the bullet land far from the target.

“I’ve been targeted since then. Continuous fire from a distance of 7 km. At that range, it’s more like predictive shooting. Predictive shooting isn’t even a second apart, but being hit repeatedly is maddening. Even that damn quick shooter couldn’t do that.”

“That damn quick shooter?”

“Ah. That wasn’t about you, Kidd.”

“Watch your language. Consider this a warning.”

“Ah, a warning? Thank you.”

Luger teased Kidd as he looked at him. There was a subtle difference in how they interacted with each other and Leeha.

It was probably due to the wariness shared between those who had encountered Matan’s Shooter.

Also, Luger being more talkative than usual was another sign of the danger posed by Matan’s Shooter.

“Sigh… So, what if we add another dragon? Not as strong as Bailephus but another one?”

“What nonsense? There’s only one Dragon Knight, that guy. Don’t tell me you’re talking about your hatchling?”

“It might be better than nothing, but it won’t make much difference.”

“…”

There was no way they could know. Leeha watched them for a moment, rubbing his head.

Should he tell them? Or not?

Usually, he would keep it hidden a bit longer, but Bottleneck’s words weighed on him.

Now was a time to use everything they had and combine their strengths. There was no benefit in keeping secrets.