Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“There must be only one reason for this.”

Leeha raised his scope. There was no need to go far.

In the vast space with the giants’ jet-black bodies scattered around, there was another giant standing, looking precisely in Leeha’s direction.

“Come out and face me, Lord Karelin. Your complexion doesn’t look so good, does it?”

Leeha chuckled.

The massive giant in ‘jeans’ was staring directly in Leeha’s direction. Could Wrestler dare to do that without even looking through the scope? Leeha decided to test that.

“Considering the wind speed and direction—probably—”

He quickly adjusted his aim and fired a shot. Karelin didn’t move, extending his arm towards his thigh. That was all he did.

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“Tch. Didn’t even aim properly.”

The bullet was intended for his head but ended up flying towards his thigh.

Despite the interference of the wind, at least the bullet was aimed at a part of his body. However, it missed.

The question was, “Where is the bullet that should have pierced his thigh?”

Was Karelin fully aware that Leeha was looking at him? As if flaunting it to Leeha, Karelin slowly began to open his obvious fist.

“Damn it. He can’t even see the movement of my finger… how can he ‘grab’ the bullet? What kind of reaction is this?”

Karelin, with a twisted expression, dropping the distorted bullet tip to the ground, showed neither arrogance nor panic.

Watching his indifferent face, Leeha bit his lip. He didn’t know what method Karelin was using, but Karelin was fully aware of him and could perfectly intercept even his attacks.

Contrary to Karelin’s angry expression, Leeha’s face began to contort.

※ ※ ※

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Karelin flipped his robe and joined the ranks. Even Leeha, who had been observing him through the scope, almost lost sight of him for a moment due to his speed.

The reason he avoided was not just because Leeha’s bullets were terrifying.

“I inform everyone! There is only one sniper on the enemy side, it’s Ha Leeha! I, Karelin, will deal with Ha Leeha, so the rest of you don’t have to worry and just keep advancing!”

As he raised his voice to get the halted troops moving again, the giants grumbled.

“But – if we run rashly like that—”

“Run. It’s an order.”

Somewhere, a voice of discontent burst out, but Karelin didn’t even look in that direction.

The absolute rule dominated by the logic of power.

The expressions of the Shazrashian’s Giant users were gradually hardening. If the person in charge of the event quest came out like that, how should they react? Should they gather together and rebel? Should they advance only if safety is secured after confirming Leeha’s death? However, Karelin didn’t even give them the luxury of thinking about what to do.

“Knights, aattack-!”

“Ahhhhhh!”

At the thunderous roar, the Shazrashian’s Knights 1480 all took a firm stance.

He had been leading the users from the beginning and had positioned the NPCs who were to protect the NPCs beyond the center rear. Of course, there was a ‘kind’ explanation that it was to protect the non-resurrectable NPCs, and since all the users understood it, it was a viable arrangement.

But Karelin had a different thought.

“From now on, anyone lagging behind the Knights will be… all cut down!”

For a brief moment, all 20,000 troops closed their mouths.

They were so overwhelmed by the audacity of Karelin’s statement that they couldn’t even speak.

“W-What are you saying! Karelin!”

“This is outrageous! It’s tyranny!”

“Don’t you know we’re Rankers!? Why are we going crazy, risking our lives in this measly event quest! We all enjoy fighting, but this isn’t fighting! Why risk our lives in a quest where we could just walk and die!”

Discontent poured out like a dam bursting. In an instant, the outpouring of grievances was such that Karelin couldn’t possibly hear them all.

But Karelin didn’t care. He had never intended to listen to their words from the beginning.

“Anyone who is dissatisfied, step forward and speak up.”

Just one word spread like ripples on the water’s surface. A quiet yet resolute voice enveloped Karelin’s surroundings, and the silence spread like wildfire, dominating them in an instant.

“As long as I am in charge of Leeha, none of you will die. So run. And remember, this is not just for me! Please remember that this is for all of us.”

Karelin’s thighs swelled as if they were about to burst.

Ta-a-a-ng-…!

With a gunshot, one Giant fell. It was a Giant wearing a robe similar to Karelin’s.

“Knights, fulfill your original mission! Charge, all of you!”

With a single word, Karelin shouted and shot out like an arrow.

“Damn it, they all look the same, but who is who after all-”

“Ha, Ha Leeha-nim, they’re moving again! And over there! Over there!”

“Where? Where!?”

Leeha frantically adjusted the scope’s magnification to examine the overall situation. There was no need to ask who the lone figure standing out from the massive giant army rushing like a swarm was.

“Damn it-”

Leeha hurriedly adjusted the magnification and clicked, but it was no easy task. The thought that crossed his mind as Leeha pulled the trigger was regret.

Karelin, running low like a rugby tackle, was too fast for him to chase even with the scope’s maximum magnification.

With the distance between them barely two kilometers, it was only natural.

“The wind interference is bothering too much- too fast! Does that big guy look faster because he’s crouching down? Optical illusion, right? Really?”

Gunshots and distractions only echoed in his mind. The bullet had hit the ground long before Karelin had even reached it.

“B-Blaugrunn! Hurry! Stop them! Slow them down!”

“My magic isn’t ready yet?! If they come a bit closer-”

“Aargh, we can’t wait for that!”

“No, they’re not running towards us! It seems like that giant intends to ignore us and keep running!”

“Damn it!”

Leeha and Blaugrunn were not directly confronting the giant. They were in a position overlooking them at an angle, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief and strategize.

Upon hearing Blaugrunn’s shout, Leeha finally grasped Karelin’s intentions. Karelin was charging forward in a tackle-like stance.

“Are they going past us- straight to the ruins where the White Reaper’s Ghost resides?!”

Leeha tried to read his thoughts. Why would he do such a thing?

‘Even if we see it coming, we can’t guarantee dodging Shimo’s attack. Above all- the quest doesn’t clear with just one person! Then, the meaning behind that action is-‘

Leeha realized that Karelin intended to lure himself towards the ruins. It was a ploy to make him move towards the ruins, facilitating the giant army’s advance right before their eyes!

Leeha was confident he had read Karelin’s thoughts. So, the strategy was to counteract accordingly!

“Blaugrunn! Go back and inform the White Reaper of our situation here, then block their expected occupation point!”

“What? Can I go back alone?”

“We still have 15 minutes of 『Levitation』 left, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but-”

“After 15 minutes, I will use ‘Partner: Attendance,’ so you go first!”

“Got it!”

Sending Blaugrunn ahead to prepare for the worst-case scenario, I, on the other hand, vowed to kill one more high-ranking 1420 in this place without Karelin.

“Even if I don’t know about Karelin, he must be someone in a high position. Him falling means the command structure on their side is simplified. If we kill any other senior officers in the current situation, the command structure will shake again.”

Slowing down the enemy’s pace was the primary goal. Blaugrunn immediately used teleportation.

When the dazzling light of enlightenment shone, Leeha saw Karelin through the scope. The reason they could see the Giant Army from the sky was that there was no cover between them and Leeha.

In other words, it meant that there was a clear line of sight between them and Leeha.

How would the dazzling light of the Northern land look?

“That crazy bastard?!”

Karelin saw the dazzling light of enlightenment and understood its significance. He wasn’t running forward to lure me into ruin. He suddenly changed direction and ran toward Karelin.

A giant in ‘Steel Tights’ was rapidly enlarging in the scope.

“Ah, aah!”

In a hurry, Leeha adjusted the aim and pulled the trigger.

Although it was a shot taken in haste, I was born a natural sniper. I accurately predicted Karelin’s assault trajectory, calculated the ballistics, and the bullet flew towards that spot.

The only variable was the wind. The bullet grazed about 1.50 meters away from Karelin’s body due to the strong wind.

Despite the disappointment in his eyes, Leeha saw it.

“Huh?”

Karelin, who was rushing in for a tackle, suddenly made a motion as if trying to grab something beside him.

“What…? Trying to catch the bullet?”

It was the bullet that flew about 1.5 meters away from Karelin’s body.

Considering the speed at which Karelin was coming and the direction in which the bullet was moving, there was no reason to defend against this attack, which didn’t need to be caught.

Reaching out his hand towards the bullet that didn’t need to be caught?

“Why?”

I was puzzled. Is it just going to be enough to feel threatened and give up? No way. When feeling threatened, one should rather shrink back.

So what now?

“Damn it, Jellypong! Let’s get down, anyway, let’s go down! Through those trees! Vertical maneuver!”

『Swoosh, whoosh!』

However, there was no time to contemplate that. A strong sense of danger loomed. The battle that started at a distance of 2.6km between the two parties had already brought Karelin to a distance of 900m.

If he activated 『Partner: Retreat』, he could immediately return to Blaugrunn’s side. If he used 『Partner: Summon』 to summon Blaugrunn, there might be a chance to confront Karelin.

“What a waste.”

But now, he wanted to confirm this sense of danger. If he couldn’t leave this place now or solve the problem with his own power, there was a possibility of being controlled by Karelin indefinitely. Before it was too late, at the very least, he had to get some clues.

“Hiyaaa-!”

“J-Jellypong, quickly!”

Shwooaaak-!

Finally, Jellypong’s arm grabbed onto a nearby conifer branch. Like a rock tied to a slingshot, Leeha’s body was dragged along.

“Stop!”

“Aaaah! Who would stop just because someone tells you to stop! Karelin, you fool!”

Frantically rummaging through his bag, Leeha lit a bomb. It was a small emergency close-range bomb, but its firepower was undeniable.

Kabooom—

The explosion radiated flames around. The black smoke temporarily reassured Leeha, but it was short-lived.

“I got you!”

Through the smoke, Karelin’s figure emerged. In a low tackle position, he suddenly leaped into the air for a moment.

“Aaah, aaaaah!”

He felt like his stretched arms were elongating, almost like they were growing in Leeha’s perspective. Fortunately, Jellypong’s maneuvering was by no means easy.

Swoosh!

Jellypong executed a vertical maneuver through the trees, with Karelin chasing after him like a vengeful spirit. About 56 meters away from the ruins where the White Reaper spirit resided.

The second 1:1 showdown between Leeha and Karelin had begun.