Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Yes, thank you, mother!”

Ram Hwayeon suddenly stood up from her seat and greeted, and Leeha’s mother, who was getting up from her chair, awkwardly exchanged greetings with Ram Hwayeon. It was only natural for Kijung to nod in response.

As Leeha’s mother left the room, the atmosphere began to lighten up at last. Even though it was still uncomfortable to leave the room and hear their conversation from the small resting area behind the kitchen, the fact that Ram Hwayeon’s expression was starting to relax was a relief for Leeha’s mother.

“Uh… What’s on your mind?”

“Huh? Oh?!”

However, her relaxed expression quickly hardened.

Leeha felt as if he was learning for the first time what it meant to ‘shout quietly’ while listening to her voice.

“What now? Offering greetings to the family…to Mom… If you were going to do that, you should’ve said so earlier! Ugh, anyway!”

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“Unni, you’re blushing.”

“Hwajung, go eat your meal. Finish it.”

“Okay.”

While Ram Hwayeon was all bold, Ram Hwajung wanted to tease her sister, but it was simply impossible from the start.

“So many things to bring! Just say a word, don’t be indifferent!”

It was only natural for Ram Hwayeon to react this way. Even if there were signs that she would meet Leeha’s mother, she would never have appeared as she did now.

Seeing Ram Hwayeon’s fluctuating mood, Leeha needed to find a way to lighten the mood.

Fortunately, all four of them sitting face to face shared one thing in common.

“Oh, by the way, Ram Hwajung, did you do the second job change quest?”

“Yeah, the Ice one.”

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The story of Middle Earth was always a surefire way to connect.

“Oh? Second job change? Awesome! Congratulations!”

As Ram Hwajung accepted the congratulations, Leeha, with a surprised look on his face, congratulated her. Was it because the story of Middle Earth quickly turned into a business story?

By now, ran Hwayeon’s expression was back to normal as if nothing happened.

“Becoming a star’s family, it doesn’t really matter to you, but it would be nice if you were careful with your words.”

“Oh, well, but anyway, Kijung is-”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not accusing you of anything. And also, our Hwajung’s second job advancement was all thanks to you as well.”

As Leeha huffed out an explanation, ran Hwayeon smiled warmly.

Kijung also couldn’t help but look at it and asked Leeha, “What did Eungah do?”

“It’s nothing special. And rather than what I did, it’s more about Ram Hwajung doing well. The second job advancement, it’s nothing anyone can do.”

Although Leeha modestly spoke, ran Hwayeon nodded with a determined expression.

“Half right, half wrong.”

“What?”

Leeha inquired, surprised.

“Since Hwajung received the quest, I did some research. It’s true that not just anyone can undertake the second job advancement as you said. You need to have a certain level of skill. However… that alone is not enough.”

“Then?”

Leeha asked with a surprised expression, prompting Ram Hwayeon to pause for a moment before pulling something out of her bag. It was merely two sheets of paper, but the information contained within was as precious as gold to the players in Middle Earth.

“Look, look. I analyzed Alexander, Master Kay, and Hwajung.”

“This is…,” Leeha started speaking, but quickly took the papers to read them. Kijung also glanced at the documents without even knowing English. It was confirmed that their second job advancement was complete, and it was perfectly documented how terrifying the two players were. Additionally, there was the player who was closest to them in the process of advancing to the second stage.

Although they were only analyzing three players, by tracking their gameplay, ran Hwayeon and the Hwahong guild had extracted some commonalities.

“When did you conduct this research? It seems like you know more about me than I do,” Leeha asked.

“Besides skill, one more thing is needed…”

While Kijung marveled, Leeha was already reading the end of the documents. Ram Hwayeon received Leeha’s question.

“『Characteristic Keywords』. After turning one’s characteristics into keywords, one must possess that keyword and have a higher-level target than oneself.”

For Alexander, it was Bailephus. What about Kijung? Fighting with Gibrid wasn’t the main keyword. The reason for fighting with Gibrid!

“The Pope… I see. Since your original job was a Templar, a holy knight, that’s why?”

When confronting the Matan Army with the transcendent power horn in Middle Earth, it’s only natural that the Pope, with the remarkably high level, stands above everyone else, considering the data of Alexander, Kijung, and Ram Hwajung.

“In that case, Chiyou would be night.”

The keyword is the profession of Night…?

“Meeting someone who is a vampire might indeed be a natural occurrence.”

“We can’t exactly pinpoint that. I’m not sure if the second job advancement has been confirmed.”

“It’s likely confirmed. However, it makes sense that we can’t pinpoint it. If Bluebeard has done something unusual, it may differ from the typical advancement.”

Igor and Faust are there. While the Berserker and the Necromancer go well with magic, there seems to be a slight lack of connection between them being turned into vampires and having a second job advancement.

“That’s it.”

In other words, what bridged that gap was the power of Bluebeard. The speculations of Leeha and Ram Hwayeon were heading in the same direction.

“Alright. So, since Ram Hwajung’s profession is ‘Ice Mage,’ the keyword would be ice, and the high-ranking target would be-”

“It was the Silver Dragon you introduced her to. Huh? Why are you smiling?”

“Me? Was I smiling?”

“You’re smiling right now.”

Instead of answering Leeha’s words, ran Hwayeon pointed at his face. Leeha tried to lower the corners of his mouth that had unknowingly turned up, but it wasn’t easy.

‘Skill? It can’t be just about becoming a Ranker. Kijung’s second job advancement implies that. It might involve reaching the top in each profession or being a descendant of a hero, or perhaps there are other requirements. It may even be evaluated based on a stat total. From the perspective of “skill” alone, I… must have passed. The fact that a quest has already appeared is proof of that.

‘If I were to pinpoint my unique keyword, it would be 『snipe』. No matter what anyone says, I am the sole successor of “Accuracy” in Middle Earth. So, ultimately, if it aligns with my specialty, accuracy and sniping, the one who will lead me…’ Leeha finally understood everything and could make a clear decision. The White Reaper. This quest would undoubtedly lead him to a second job advancement.

“Hey, can you stop smiling like that? It’s annoying. And how long are we going to stay here?”

“Ah, right. Since it’s the end of the year, let’s go out and have some fun! I’ll show you around Seoul! Mom! I’m going out! We’ll leave the stuff here and go!”

“Y-yeah! Buy something delicious for the ladies! Huh?! Leeha! Do well!”

“Do well in what!? Let’s go, hurry up!”

Standing up abruptly from his seat, Leeha grabbed Kijung, who had just started eating. When the Ram sisters came to Korea for business relationships, they experienced many aspects of Korean culture as if they were completing a homework assignment they had never encountered before. The most enjoyable part of their unfamiliar cultural experiences was the guidance provided by someone named Leeha.

The only problem was that they couldn’t find accommodation, so they ended up returning late at night to Leeha’s mother’s store.

“Are you telling us to stay here and sleep?”

“Not exactly… Let’s go home and-”

“What are you talking about!”

“I mean! Let’s stay here! The convenience store is open today too! We can talk and have fun all night, then watch the sunrise in the morning, right? Isn’t that great? Kijung, you like it, right?”

“Uh… Should I stay here too, hyung?”

“Don’t state the obvious!”

Leeha forcibly made Kijung sit on the floor, then quickly went to the convenience store and bought snacks, beer, and milk for Ram Hwajung to drink.

They talked late into the night; alcohol helped dissipate the awkwardness and was a great ingredient in making people more active.

“Unni, listen.”

“Oh! The midnight bell! What, it’s already midnight?”

As Ram Hwajung whispered, Kijung fiddled with the switch inside the restaurant.

As December 31st 11:59 PM passed and January 1st 00:00 AM arrived, Leeha and Ram Hwayeon locked eyes. It was a long, intense moment, as if waiting for the sun to rise.

“Ah… Thank you for everything, Eung-ah. I’m leaving.”

“Sure. I wish you could just stay, Eung-”

Kijung chuckled and dodged Leeha’s punch.

“Why are you acting like that! You were fine because of me too!”

“Do you think this is a good thing? Ugh, this guy.”

The initial sense of confusion was all but gone as they watched the sunrise together after midnight, and as they sent each other off at the airport for the new year, the dynamics between Leeha and Ram Hwayeon had changed significantly.

“Ugh, I hate to admit it, but it’s probably thanks to Kijung. It was almost like being forced to spend nearly 24 hours together in the same place, so if our relationship didn’t change, that would have been even weirder.”

“When you come back later, you owe me a meal, hyung! Hehe, well, I’m off! Take care!”

Leeha, who was the last to part way with Kijung dragged his tired body back home. Although they wanted to take a breather as Kijung wished, now was not the time.

There were moments missed and, above all, now that they understood the structure of the 2nd job change, they couldn’t afford to sit back and relax.

“Mom! I’m home! You don’t have to prepare lunch – uh!”

Leeha’s wrist that was about to rush to the Middle Earth access device was grabbed immediately.

“Come on! Tell me! How did it go? Did the girls leave well? That slightly bluish hair, that friend seems too young, right? No, it’s the brunette, right? Tall? How did you find them? From where? What Kijung said about some group, I looked it up, but it doesn’t make any sense! Are those people the ones?”

“Wait! Mom! One by one! What are you saying?”

Faster than a Middle Earth addict, the strength of a mother! Leeha was instantly bombarded with questions as he sat in front of his inquisitive mother.

Seeing the news article page about the Ram Long Group on his mother’s gloomy smartphone, Leeha finally understood why she was making a fuss.

“Geez! Well, she’s the daughter of such a huge conglomerate, so it’s bound to be a bit strange, right?”

Where should Leeha start explaining? No, was there a need to explain at all? The truth was, there was nothing certain, not even as much as being acquaintances, let alone a girlfriend.

“They are those people, and the brunette is correct. But what you have in mind… I’m still not sure about that. Anyway, if something happens, I’ll let you know later.”

As they calmly replied while looking into their mother’s eyes, her fuss quickly settled down.

“You know~, you gotta be confident. A man should have guts. The other party is from Hong Kong, huh? So what if it’s some group! Don’t be intimidated. Got it?”

“Mom, really, I’m not intimidated at all. Don’t worry.”

Understanding her mother’s concern, Leeha reassured her.

In fact, there was a subtle sense of aversion. Wouldn’t a 2nd job at Ram Long be predetermined by now? Above all, wouldn’t they oppose getting involved with a normal family like Leeha’s over there, which caused the sense of aversion?

Maybe that was a big part of why Leeha treated Ram Hwayeon so coldly. As Leeha tried to get up from his seat, his mother added, “Yeah. Our son would never do that. Oh, but I’m definitely in favor!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“That girl seems reliable. I can’t figure out these gossip articles at all. Where would you find friends these days who greet you so courteously? Especially foreigners who wouldn’t bow easily. Mom is always in favor, the faster, the better! Got it?”

“W-what are you… saying, Mom!”

In a rush, they got up and hurried into their room. The laughter echoing from their mother’s back made them shudder.

“Kijung is definitely my mother’s sister’s son. The bloodline spreads after all…”

Shaking at the thought of his mother’s laughter bringing back memories of Kijung and the overly excited mannerisms of his mother, Leeha finally immersed himself in the Middle Earth access device.

(To be continued…)

TL’s Corner:

Although it felt random, the way Leeha, Luger, and Kidd got their 2nd Job advancement quest was tied to the story well.

Leeha needed an item to fight of against cold before fighting Chiyou in the eternal mountains, and through stroke of luck, he got the White Plague Potion.

Luger had to die from Gibrid and fight agains Lugermon to get his quest.

And Kidd, although he was the most random person to encounter his quest, it didn’t feel forced. He got asked by Lark and Shin Nara for help to monitor a village against Faust and Igor’s attack and he happened to be sent to a town that have gunslingers.

Wow, that was long.