Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Why not drop the concern? Would you like me to take a closer look at Lark’s sword for you?”

“Oh, by all means! If you wish, we can even trade! How about it, a short exchange?”

Lark willingly drew his sword from its scabbard and offered it to Kijung.

Unwittingly, Kijung pulled the shield closer to his body and stepped back. This reaction was precisely why Kijung felt uneasy around him.

An exchange? Is his sword even exchangeable?

‘First of all, is that really the sword? There has to be some trust! Moreover, how can someone be so sharply intuitive! Is it a keen instinct or what?’

While Kijung was contemplating whether to just stash the shield in his bag, Lark took another step towards him when suddenly,

“Kijung! Up ahead!”

“Whats?!”

Kijung’s body froze, and immediately, Shin Nara drew her sword.

“Do you see it, Bobae?”

“Yes, I see it. It’s coming, Ghibrid!”

Once again, a Demon King’s Fragment revealed itself.

“Rash attacks are absolutely forbidden! It has the ability to negate all attacks. No, rather than negating…”

“It absorbs them. It’d be more accurate to say it absorbs them.”

“Hehe, fitting, isn’t it? Even the toxic damage from successful attacks didn’t affect it.”

There had been only one group that had engaged in an official battle with Ghibrid. And that one group was considered superior to any other in Middle Earth.

“We must first understand what kind of attack works on it. Before we unravel that mystery, all we need to do is block its approach!”

“Damn! Easier said than done.”

“How will you block its approach?”

Even Lark appeared visibly tense. Shin Nara, ready to launch herself at Ghibrid, was equally flustered.

To think, even with Sacred, Virtue, the Star Chasers, and even the Ezwen Paladins gathered, they shouldn’t attack! It was Kijung who calmed his breath amidst them.

“Not all skills are ineffective against it. There’s at least one thing that definitely works.”

“Kijung! You absolutely can’t.

‘That skill’ is off-limits.”

“Ah, I know, Bobae. I also have no intention to use ‘that skill’.”

Bobae jumped at Kijung’s hint towards Sacrifice, but Kijung merely smiled.

“Then what?”

“The most primitive but sure way – ‘Pushing’.”

“…You’re not suggesting using your body to push it, are you, Kay?”

Hyein’s eyes widened upon seeing Kijung holding up the shield, and Kijung nodded in response.

“It can absorb attacks, but it can’t absorb me. That’ll be the most certain. Those with ‘Fire Attribute Close Combat Skills,’ please prepare just that. If its bandages attempt to coil around me, just remove those bandages. When I ‘body slam’ it away…”

Kijung gripped his shield, his eyes shining. Facing a new monster means trial and error is inevitable.

“Until a successful hit is confirmed, ‘grinding’ is the natural course.”

“All Paladins, cast different holy magics. Remember what inflicts damage and which attack feels most effective. Once we confirm at least one thing, then, let’s launch a full attack.”

“Wow, how noble. But still, still, what if? If even the holy attacks of the Paladins present here don’t work, what then?”

“It will work.”

“Formulating a hypothesis and experimenting is good, but at this point, it might be better to utilize already proven effects.”

“What do you mean?”

Lark paused his clapping and then showed his own sword. The proven effect, meaning, ‘Fire attribute works.’

He didn’t elaborate further, but Kijung understood Lark’s intention.

Kijung: Planning to use that ‘Red-Holy’ skill?

Lark: I hoped you wouldn’t remember that name… Is it too much to underestimate the Holy Knight?

Kijung: But long-range might not work. The fire attribute worked at close range to burn the bandages, but whether it deals damage to the actual body…

Lark: That’s the point! Just trust this once. Mine doesn’t categorize between close and long-range. You know what I mean? The skill that even Bluebeard couldn’t avoid!

If it’s a fire attribute skill utilizing the solar energy concentrated in Lark’s sword?

Kijung was one of the people who had witnessed the terror of that skill up close. There was no reason to refuse.

“Alright. As soon as the Paladin’s tests are over… I’ll count on you to use it,” Kijung said, nodding at Lark as Bobae glared at him.

“What’s the deal? Trying to act all tough?”

“Well… given the situation, there isn’t much to say.”

Lark responded to Bobae’s sharp remarks with a nonchalant demeanor, which only irritated Bobae more. However, since they were on the same team, there wasn’t much reason for bickering.

“Kay, are you sure this will be fine?”

“It will be. This time… probably. Because we have this.”

With a metallic sound, Kijung sheathed his sword.

Sheathing his sword before a battle?

What did “we have this” mean?

When everyone looked somewhat startled, Kijung finally burst into action. He wasn’t one to keep the everyone waiting. Quietly, he called out the name of a skill.

“[Dinosaurification Transformation].”

“What?!”

“What, what’s this?”

“Is that a black ball-?”

From Toon’s Great Breastplate Shield, a dark energy began to spread, enveloping Kijung’s body.

It looked like a pitch-black ball, rolling forward with no way to see inside from the outside, though this illusion did not last long.

Crack, crackle-

As the ball began to crack, hane admired it.

“No, it’s not a ball! An egg… An egg, perhaps?”

It was indeed an egg.

A dark egg.

As the wrapped cracks ran across the egg, becoming denser, the egg finally shattered. The figure that emerged wasn’t Kijung with his shield.

From the helmet to the armor and the plate boots, everything was united into a dull colored armor that didn’t even reflect sunlight.

And the material of that armor was definitely peculiar. A transformation??

“Beastification? No, it’s more than beastification…”

“Full-body… suit? The shield?”

This allowed the onlookers to know. Because the armor was made of an unusual material.

The very shield Kijung had been holding, now invisible, had undoubtedly transformed into a complete suit of armor.

“Heh, thought it was no ordinary shield- But, if it’s like this, it’s not even a shield! Plus, what’s this! Isn’t that person a high-ranking Templar? A Holy Knight acting like this! Should rather- switch to a Dark Knight! It fits better as a Dark Knight, change it!”

Lark grumbled, unaware.

Hearing this, Kijung shouted back as he ran forward.

[I am a Holy Knight! With this!]

The only thing emitting a white halo from Kijung’s all-dark figure, [The Nameless Paladin’s Sword], was finally drawn from its sheath.

His movements left a trail of black energy behind him, and his sword glowed faintly.

Facing Ghibrid, the Holy Knight covered in the aura of the [Dinosaur] charged forward.

“Seriously, amazing, stab, really freaking cool, seriously!”

He couldn’t perceive the trail of black energy his movements left behind. However, Kijung was acutely aware of his actions, which were notably different than usual.

“With this crazy sprint, an increase in movement and attack speed, and even an incredible increase in stamina! It’s total chaos!”

Shwoooo…

A Pyro Sphere materialized in front of Ghibrid.

“That, that! It’s one of the magics absorbed earlier!”

“Hmm, using magic absorbed on the same day?”

“Indeed, just by looking at that, you can tell that ‘long-distance magic’ with a fire attribute won’t work.”

“That’s not the problem, it’s powerful! That thing is strong!”

A Pyro Sphere was shot towards Kijung, who had transformed into a dinosaur form. However, Kijung did not change his direction.

“Dodge it, Kijung-“

Ka-aaa…!

Before Bobae’s cry could finish, Kijung collided with the Pyro Sphere. As the explosion burst forth and the flames majestically combusted, it signified nothing but the dissipation of energy.

“My sword seemed so easy to you, Ghibrid!”

The tip of the sword precisely neutralized the Pyro Sphere, and the residual energy was merely ticklish to Kijung in his [Dinosaur Form].

Kijung, shouldering his sword, took a battle stance. Drawing his sword was merely a precaution against any unforeseeable attacks.

Having previously managed to pierce Ghibrid’s body with his sword, Kijung knew well that simple attacks would not be effective. Hence, what he chose was literally a ‘body tackle’, the pure form of tackle itself.

“Haahaaaap-!”

Boom—–!

“Good! Nice!”

With a sound as satisfying as striking hollow steel, Ghibrid’s body was pushed back by a hundred or so.

“It worked!”

“Psych, hehe~ The last moment’s dash wasn’t even visible to the eye.”

“It’s truly become a monster now.”

Even Biyemi and Jin Gonggong, members of the same corps, couldn’t hide their shock at the transformation. Let alone Lark, who was merely bewildered by the sight.

“… Is everyone from the Leeha family like this? Does that household have the blood of monsters?”

“Khm, it’ll take some time to adapt, won’t it?”

“Shin Nara-ssi, you’ve adapted already?”

At that, Shin Nara gave a suppressed laugh at Lark’s quip. Ghibrid attempted another spell, but Kijung thwarted it and charged again.

Ghibrid’s physical attacks were simply swatted away with a swing of the arm, and Kijung once more charged in for another tackle.

Watching Kijung create distance once again, Shin Nara clenched her fist tightly.

“Oh~ No. I haven’t adapted to Mr. Ha yet. Actually, I thought ‘you’ might have managed it faster.”

“Eh? Huh? Leeha? No, I was talking about Master Kay. What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Huh?”

And then Lark and Shin Nara exchanged glances. Lark smiled intriguingly, causing Shin Nara’s face to rapidly blush.

“What are you two doing?! Focus on Kijung-ssi!”

Bobae shouted, prompting Shin Nara to hurriedly turn her head towards Kijung. In the meantime, Kijung had neutralized another one of Ghibrid’s spells.

“Another Pyro Sphere…… so it’s like that.”

“No, it might not necessarily be so. There were traces of status anomalies in the last words of those who were tasked in Juma City.”

While Hyein was converting hypothesis to verification, a member from the Sacred Knights, number 480, offered advice.

“Hmm, status anomalies.”

“Hehe, well, it is a Demon King’s Fragment after all. Must be a passive ability like ‘Fear.’”

“That will be confirmed once Kay arrives. Paladins, are you ready?”

“Ready. Now, it’s our turn!”

Light gathered in the swords of the Paladins. Simply brandishing their swords was not the extent of their capabilities. Paladins could also easily execute simple forms of holy magic.

“[Holy Light]!”

“[Turn Undead]!”

“[God’s Hammer]!”

“[Holy Chain Strike]!”

The first to be used were the long-distance magics!

Though there were some overlapping spells, the number of holy magics cast by the Paladins easily surpassed twenty. Kijung felt the holy energy coming from behind him. Ghibrid saw it too.

His bandages were wrapped more tightly than before, making it impossible to tell where he was looking, but he certainly raised his head.

“Trying to absorb this! Hah!”