Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

With a chuckle, Leeha entertained himself with a cheerful imagination. He knew that Kijung would likely come back loaded with all sorts of things, so it didn’t matter to him even if he returned empty-handed. If it weren’t for Kijung, the Earth of the Middle Realm wouldn’t have started its journey, so Leeha just kept an awkward smile on his face.

“If it’s more fortunate amid misfortune, does that mean Ghibrid has yet to appear since that day? They were also gathering Manticores, right? What are they preparing for exactly? Did they find it hard to face the Holy Knight with just thirty Manticores? Or… was it because they were lacking to sweep them away…? Are they gathering more Manticores to launch an attack on Juma City? But why isn’t Bluebeard participating in all this? Chiyou?”

The fact that there was still no contact from Prea was a source of unease for Leeha. Although getting information from that side would be the best option, he also had to consider the possibility of Prea playing a role as a ‘double agent.’

“Well, if you’re going to do it, then just do it! Whose side is the Spirit of Order on right now? Keke.”

Of course, the likelihood of that happening was significantly low. As long as Leeha’s actions in the Dark Forest remained, the Spirit of Order with white eyes was essentially in a state akin to being Leeha’s servant or slave.

“For now, let’s wait for the results of the Conclave… and clear the quest in the Dark Elf Forest. The rest can come afterwards.”

Just one day in the time of the Middle Earth, the Conclave would begin. The outcome of the vote there would determine everything from now on.

According to the text message sent by Kijung to Leeha before logging out, Romero’s chances of winning had surpassed eighty percent.

“The skillful maneuvers of Fibiel were great, but it seems that Cheka’s substantial threats played a bigger role.”

Cheka, who caused a stir in Ezwen like a mafia, focused not only on withdrawing the NPC supporters of Tusculani but also on uncovering the weaknesses of Tusculani, eventually succeeding in politically isolating him.

“Exploiting prejudices through negative means… Remarkable. Well, it’s reasonable to assume that there could be such a character setting for an evil NPC, but uncovering it in just nine days. How difficult would that have been? While a sharp-witted user could make guesses, practically uncovering and revealing it to deliver a blow is not something anyone can do easily. Especially when the NPCs, gearing up for the unprecedented event of Pope Elections, was watching every move.”

“But each time Cheka achieves massive success… it’s irritating that it’s Lark who brings him out. Ugh!”

Is it possible that the Rainbow Sword that Lark holds is the God’s Deity? However, after reading [Matan’s Shooter’s Diary], Leeha’s belief in that idea had somewhat diminished. While the possibility of it being the God’s Deity still remained, the ‘power of God’ was more likely to manifest in a different way. Then what is that sword? Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, seemed to recognize it… Does it have something to do with dragons?”

Leeha ruminated, but there was no clear answer in sight. The answer would always lie over there, in Middle Earth.

“Good. Let’s go.”

With determination, Leeha immediately logged into the Middle Earth. As always, many familiar voices greeted his connection.

Listening to two familiar voices mixed with curses and urgency, Leeha teleported to Hell’s Anvil in the Adamandir Mountains.

Having Bottleneck located in Gaza City, Leeha’s objective was not with the dwarves.

Beyond Hell’s Anvil, the target was Siand Pioneer Base.

“Right from there… We’re heading to the Dark Elf village.”

With all items, including magazines, perfectly equipped.

“It’s late.”

“From now on, I won’t wait.”

“Huh? We’re actually 15 minutes early compared to the agreed time. You guys arrived early!”

Even though they arrived early

“A relationship where someone always has to ‘sacrifice(?)’ due to ‘relative comparison.’

The trio headed towards the Dark Elf forest.

“Come to think of it, Kyle is the son of Elizabeth and Brown.”

After walking towards the Dark Elf forest for a while, Leeha spoke up.

Kidd and Luger remained silent.

“Did Elizabeth and Brown not know anything about the Matan’s Shooter? If we add Browless… even the three families must have been connected to the Matan’s Shooter for a long time.”

“Haha! Lucky for you guys, you’re competitors. One defeat is confirmed.”

“I agree.”

“What, what? Why?”

When Leeha’s thoughtful words were quickly ignored, he looked unjust, but Kidd remained tight-lipped.

“You forgot? The Matan’s Shooter disappears. The moment the final bullet is fired. It’s erased from memory, so there’s no way it would be passed down.”

“But! Someone left it behind! A human named Max left it behind, on some unknown generation before us. Then, someone among them, who knows?”

“Did the monster named Zamiel forget about us?”

“Zamiel saw us, you idiot.”

Luger chuckled and quickened his pace.

Did Zamiel see the Three Musketeers last? As Kidd cocked his head not quite catching on, he added, “At the very least, the memory playback magic records past events. It simply recorded fixed events to play back, so why did he see us? It’s simple, because he’s a time-traveling monster.”

… Wait, are we delving into time travel and temporal interference now? So, the past Zamiel, who caught a glimpse of our future, revealed all the records? Then shouldn’t the future change?

“Although I don’t really like delving into it deeply, there is also the theory of parallel worlds. Let’s ignore that for now. At least the assumption that Zamiel prevented all of Max’s successors from leaving recorded accounts of their actions… seems like a reasonable idea.”

With that, Kidd concluded his words.

The ‘brain’ of the Three Musketeers was indeed Kidd. He didn’t entertain troublesome thoughts. He thoroughly considered the limits of Middle Earth and was adept at examining its inner and outer framework.

“Nothing to add.”

At that moment, the thought crossed Leeha’s mind that Kidd might actually fit in quite well with Max’s successors.

“On the contrary, if Luger were to become one, things might turn upside down. If Luger were to become one of Max’s successors, it might be the day Middle Earth’s servers go down for the first time. Obtaining the seven marks with great effort, killing from the top rank to the 6th, and while attempting to kill the 7th, might end up annihilating themselves.”

Leeha suddenly had that thought and burst into laughter, loud and lively.

Amidst the laughter, there was a rustling of fallen leaves.

The sound of clanking and aiming occurred in a split second.

“We are not enemies.”

“We’ve come to meet the chief.”

“Long time no see, Dark Elves! It’s me, me! Leeha! Ha Leeha!”

Even Leeha, who was laughing, reacted immediately by raising Black Bass up into the air.

The Dark Elves cautiously surrounded the Three Musketeers, preparing to aim at them, but before they could disperse, the Three Musketeers had already discovered and aimed at them.

With a swift response that couldn’t even be compared to when he first arrived, the dark elves in the trees had no choice but to come down with eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, long time no see, everyone. Kidd, Luger, and the one connected to the power of the hero, Ha Leeha.”

As Kidd and Luger looked at him puzzled and asked about the ‘power of the hero,’ Leeha pulled out the necklace he obtained by killing Igor and showed it off while swaying it.

The dark elves seemed somewhat perplexed, as if they were subtly intimidated.

“Am I giving off a newbie vibe because it’s been a while? No, maybe I just got stronger, so it feels that way.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the physical prowess of the dark elf reconnaissance squad was top-notch, but for Leeha, who had been through all sorts of experiences in the new continent, they seemed almost laughable.

It was not just a difference in experience but also because of how overwhelmingly different Leeha’s growth had been since then.

Leeha vaguely recalled the leader of the dark elf reconnaissance squad and approached him to speak.

“Tataru, would you guide me to the chief? In Kaztor-“

Before he could finish his sentence, the dark elves brandished their bows as if attacking.

“Where is the scum!?”

“Whoa, surprise. What’s going on?”

It was truly an unconscious reaction.

He was curious as to how merely mentioning a name could elicit such a response from beings of the same race.

“Apologize. Apologies.”

Leeha nodded his head.

‘Well, I did feel they were weak because I’ve gotten stronger, but-‘

He looked at the elves’ intimidated appearance once again.

“This seems serious.”

“… Takado-Pia was attacked. The chief is currently seriously injured and under tr-tr-treatment.”

There must have been a reason why they were clearly intimated.

“Is that related to Kaztor?”

“Obviously. That damn dark elf spawned all sorts of trouble-“

“Luger!”

“-… I didn’t say anything wrong.”

When Kidd suddenly got angry, Luger’s voice shrunk.

The dark elves looked at Luger with angry expressions, but Tatar soon calmed their emotions.

“Since he’s originally that kind of human, let’s put up with him and calmly explain. What happened in the village? Was it attacked? Is everything okay now?”

Tatar, the leader of the dark elf scouts, bit his lip.

“The village… is half destroyed. We thought the Takado-Pia barrier was intact, but it’s not- It’s not like that-“

“They were just watching! They were hiding, waiting for a chance to kill us! That’s what happened!”

“Huh? Kidd?”

A young dark elf behind Tatar stepped forward and shouted. It was clear that he was definitely too young to be involved in such a mission.

“How could he make footsteps so easily.”

Guessing that this was the one who immediately caught the trio’s attention, tatar asked the young dark elf.

“Who were they?”

“The wood elves!”

“The wood elves? The wood elves attacked?”

“There were a few humans involved as well. Kaztor… that damn bastard caused trouble from outside… The wood elves incited humans by claiming that we deliberately caused it and brought them here.”

“I see. In that case-“

“Yes. Those who already knew the location quickly stripped away the Takado-Pia barrier and attacked with humans. … That’s how it turned out.”

Tatar patted the young dark elf’s head.

It was clear that the situation was so urgent that even a child had to participate in the search.

“There seems to be one trouble after another. It’s going to be difficult to interpret the data right away.”

“Still, we need to go there first. Since our quest needs to be cleared by meeting the chief, can you guide us there?”

Kidd politely asked Tatar. Tatar seemed hesitant for a moment, but he was smart enough to remember Kidd, Luger, and Leeha’s names.

“Got it. It’s a little far from here, so we need to speed up-“

“You don’t have to worry about that. Those who can’t keep up can be left behind. Isn’t that right.”