Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Hehe, as expected. Go, Death Knights. Dullahan, block my path, 『Bone Shield』.”

The ghostly horses summoned by Faust each lifted their riders into the air and galloped through the void.

The number of surviving Death Knights was around five!

“No way!”

“I agree. 『Chain Lightning』!”

Leeha and Blaugrunn targeted the ascending Death Knights. Although these creatures were resistant to magic, they couldn’t withstand Leeha’s physical blows.

In the moment their movements were slowed by Chain Lightning, Leeha’s bullets sliced through them, disintegrating the undead.

After eradicating the Death Knights with successive gunfire, Leeha ordered Koma to step back.

As Koma faltered, his figure blurred.

“We can’t send Koma back yet. There are still Dullahan knights left. We have to take them down.”

Even Leeha’s bullets had little effect. Though the bullets pierced their bodies, the souls regenerated, rendering the attacks futile.

“Damn it, should I use a flamethrower? Dealing with a necromancer alone is this difficult-”

“Are you okay, bronze?”

At that moment, a distant roar cut through the sky. Five shimmering dots appeared from the direction Blaugrunn had flown from.

“I’ll handle my part. Losing face in front of a guest would be disgraceful!”

“Huh? Could it be…”

“… That foolish White dragon…”

Who is trying to save someone and has come here?

Yet, even before the White dragon’s mouth, mana orbs had gathered clearly.

With a single frost breath. Leeha planned for the next opportunity the moment that came to mind.

Leeha thought of summoning the terror spirits once the Bone Shield freezes over and Faust stops in horror!

Without even looking at the entrance of the White Draagon, Faust recognized its arrival. He was always the first to sense his dragons when they enter his control range.

“Go back, blancophul! Protecting yourself comes first!”

“You think I, a White Draagon, can be taken down by a mere skeleton like them, Blaugrunn!”

Even though the White Draagon shouted confidently, his flight seemed far from relaxed to onlookers.

“What’s this? Just being chased over here? Damn it, why are Chromatic Dragons so weak-”

At that moment, something flashed through Leeha’s mind.

Blancophul was an adult-class dragon. Why was he weaker than Blaugrunn, who lingered at the Juvenile-class, a weaker branch among the Chromatic Dragons?

“Ughhhhhhh!”

『The Aura of Dragon Slayer – Ancient Dragon』

Description: The aura of having slain an Ancient-class dragon can be felt by all dragons, regardless of their Metal or Color lineage. Whether it be a brave adult, a curious juvenile, or a clueless hatchling, if you adopt a hostile stance, they can’t help but yield to your dominance. You are a dragon slayer of the Ancient class.

Effect: Overall abilities of hostile Adult-class dragons decreased by 40%. Overall abilities of hostile Juvenile-class dragons decreased by 50%. Overall abilities of hostile Hatchling-class dragons decreased by 60%.

It was because he existed in that place.

Wasn’t their relationship with the Chromatic Dragon lineage still negative, that is, 『hostile』?

At the same time, Leeha could discern another fact.

Did Faust’s movements suddenly get faster?

“It’s not just because of the aura of the vampire. The reason his movements have sped up… Faust noticed it as soon as Leeha appeared. It was rather foolish of Leeha, the one who provided the cause, to realize it late.”

『Achievement: Nightmare at Sunset (S-)』

Reward: 21 stat points Alarm function when a vampire is nearby

Vampire’s movement and attack speed +20% in battle with a vampire

You are the first registrant of the achievement 『Nightmare at Sunset』.

Effect: 42 stat points

Vampire’s movement and attack speed +409% in battle with a vampire

From the moment he met Leeha, Faust’s agility had increased by about 60%.

To realize that now!

But as this was his first official battle with a vampire, and Leeha was abruptly pulled out in the middle of a meeting, it was difficult to prepare for it.

“Damn it! White dragon, move aside!”

Leeha growled, raising the rifle.

Blancophul, flying towards him, furrowed his brows for a moment at Leeha’s sudden action, but at least the dragon’s instincts worked perfectly.

The moment Leeha pulled the trigger, blancophul rolled to evade.

And behind him, a chilling scream echoed, “Aaaaaah!”

The skull of the dragon following closely behind the White Draagon shattered into pieces.

“Phew! Use your breath on the bone shield, Dragon!”

“Do not command, unfortunate dragon slayer! Even without your words, it was the right thing to do!”

“Jellypong, Koma, step back!”

As soon as Blancophul opened his mouth, Leeha distanced himself once again. In Faust’s hidden gaze, there was no reaction.

Crack!

The dragon breath froze the bone shield froze along with undead need it.

“It was great! 『Multi-Warhead Shot』!”

Right now is the chance!

Due to Dullahan’s remaining number not even reaching twenty, he was in perfect condition.

4,000 bullets of Multi-Warhead Shot, a total of 40 shots, were fired towards Faust all at once.

The bone shield with the defense of ice shards crumbled the moment it was hit by the first bullet.

Simultaneously, the distinctive continuous roar of Multi-Warhead Shot resonated, and countless ice fragments sparkled in the moonlight in the air.

“I caught- … it?”

Leeha trying to strike a victory pose felt puzzled.

Despite clearly seeing the Bone Shield shattered into pieces, no achievement alert rang out.

Instead, what echoed in their ears was a dreadful scream.

『Kwaaaaah…!』

“Oy”

『B, blancophul!』

In the brief moment that Blaugrunn, who was watching Faust and Leeha on the ground, missed, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

“Krr-hehe, thank you. Ha Leeha. Grab the White Draagon, Goldstaff.”

『Yes… Master.』

Blancophul was being held by Goldstaff.

However, what entered Leeha’s eyes was not the Gold Dragon that was entangled with the White Draagon Blancophul.

A small figure perched on top of Blancophul’s head.

Clearly, it was Faust. Only, it was not the familiar white lizard form that Leeha knew.

But now was not the time to be concerned with how he looked. The moment he noticed the black energy emitting from Faust entering Blancophul’s head, there was nothing else visible to Leeha’s eyes.

Immediately opening the character window and investing some points into the mind stat, shouting until his throat was sore as soon as the crosshair aligned was the most urgent thing to do.

“Blaugrunn-ssi, close your eyes! 『Terror Spirit: Summon』!”

Shwaaaaaaaa…!

Summoning the terror spirit that would terrify even the surrounding dragons!

The uncanny being that sprang from Leeha’s chest locked eyes with Faust and his enemies, including Leeha.

“It’s great, shoot, the moment Faust stops!”

Leeha grasped his rifle and pulled, and Blancophul assumed a knee-hugging posture, shaking, was out of the question. With even the possibility of the White Draagon fainting, Leeha had to aim precisely for the moment of the fall. It had to be aimed directly above the White Draagon’s skull, ensuring no harm would come to the White Draagon…

『Grrr…!』

Blancophul finally plummeted alongside the terminal. Leeha had already been thinking about and aiming for that exact spot. He pulled the trigger.

The bullet grazed narrowly over Blancophul’s head. There was no one there.

“What the…?”

Faust was floating in the air with levitation magic.

“Fhaha, hehehahat! I almost said something unnecessary. Thanks for the help, Ha Leeha! Subduing the target is essential in creating the 『Lich Dragon』!”

“Why, though?”

“Kill him, Goldstaff!”

As Goldstaff, turned into a Lich Dragon, he swiftly approached the falling Blancophul.

『No!』

Blaugrunn hurriedly flew over, but the distance versus similar flight speed made it too late. Leeha regained his senses at Blaugrunn’s shout and fired bullets towards Goldstaff. But the Lich Dragon didn’t stop. Although there were moments when his movements faltered as the bullets hit, the gravitational acceleration propelled him relentlessly towards his target.

“Damn it, die, die!”

“If, if this continues, blancophul’s Dragon Heart—”

“Stop, you undead monster!”

He put all his might into pulling the trigger. But that didn’t make the bullets any stronger. Marked by the bullets hitting, the sharp claws of the Lich Dragon’s black smoke dripping, were on the verge of penetrating Blancophul’s chest.

『Ah, aahh-』

“Urggh!”

The bursting light was enough to blind Leeha’s eyes.

“Fuhahahat! This time, victory is mine! No, our victory will continue!”

With his arm raised, covering his eyes, Leeha heard Faust’s distant shout.

Unlike his usual tone, his voice, rich with laughter and excitement, was enough to turn Leeha’s insides upside down. Revenge? That is something to consider when facing an enemy.

“… This can’t be happening.”

When the light disappeared, the only things left in the space that Faust had teleported from were the two slightly injured Dullahan. Leeha and Blaugrunn had rushed in and killed the bone dragons, leaving behind only a few Death Knights and taking anothe “Lich Dragon” that Faust had acquired.

Considering this a trade, it was no exaggeration to say that they suffered a massive loss.

***

Aaaahhhh…!

There was a ground tremor strong enough for the person standing there to feel it, but the movement of the one causing the vibration did not stop.

“Kakaka, where did that initial zeal go? Ahhh.”

“You swung like that and your arm doesn’t even hurt? What a cheat.”

“Be careful, Lark-ssi!”

“-Ugh!”

Whirrr!

Lark twisted his neck like a turtle as he passed by a saw-like blade, grazing his hair.

There was no delay in Igor’s attack, and his movements did not slow down in the slightest.

“It’s unexpected. I thought I had caught up a lot though!”

“Don’t I have the Shin Nara-ssi with me? According to Cheka, there should be debuffs -”

“To make such moves while under restraint…? Unless I die, the emergency arrest effect won’t wear off.”

Since Nara was sharing information with Lark and Cheka, Igor’s condition was known to all three of them.

With Igor’s speed and attack speed debuffed, the calculation had already been made that they could subdue Igor with a joint attack from the three of them. However, once the battle began, the results did not go as planned.

“The more you fight, the stronger he gets. It’s a loss to keep clashing swords for a long time. I have to throw my body, even if I have to endure the damage, to subdue him.”

Shin Nara gripped the handle of her sword. The thought of subduing Igor without shedding blood and breaking bones filled her mind.

Lark glanced briefly at Shin Nara’s state. Since Cheka mainly protected the nearby players or the NPCs, the ones who primarily clashed swords with Igor were Shin Nara and Lark. They could roughly guess as they had faced Igor with many swords.

Igor was getting stronger the more he fought, and Lark had been observing the situation from a while ago. Therefore, he needed to stop her before she intervened.

“Does he get stronger by sucking others’ blood, not even being a mosquito larva? Where’s the rule that allows that?”

“Haha, are you displeased?”

“It’s not displeasure. It’s just annoying when my guess turns out to be right. Isn’t that right, Dame?”

Lark shrugged and looked at Shin Nara.