Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Hmm… well.”

Leeha pursed his lips and continued speaking.

“Blaugrunn, you might find them unreliable… but they’re not pushovers. Especially the one called ‘Chief’… he might not be someone you should underestimate.”

Blaugrunn began to flare up in anger.

“Argh! Just because those cats are a bit fast, do you think they can do something to me? Ha Leeha-nim, you really underestimate me too much!”

“Haha, I’m half-joking! But those people, they’re masters of assassination. They were incredibly active during the Second Human-Demon War. Ah! What was it? Even after that, assassins from that place, called 『Midnight Circus』, stole a dragon’s egg.”

Leeha’s words were meant to calm Blaugrunn and also inform him of their capabilities.

It was something Biyemi had once mentioned to Leeha.

‘Well, even if it wasn’t Biyemi, someone else must have said it.’

He didn’t know who succeeded in that quest, but ‘Stealing the Dragon’s Egg’ was indeed an existing quest.

Leeha’s words had an immediate effect.

Blaugrunn stared at him with wide eyes.

“…No way. They stole a dragon’s egg? That’s a life-threatening task, even with multiple lives. More importantly… how did they get past the dragon’s surveillance?”

“Hmm. Maybe they did have multiple lives. And they’re masters of assassination. Getting past the surveillance is―”

“No! It’s different from normal. Ha Leeha-nim, you know well that our species don’t have large numbers.”

“That… is true.”

Leeha knew this well, having attended the gatherings of both metallic and chromatic dragons.

Even the chromatic dragons, who were forcibly brought there, had around thirty adult dragons. The metallic ones had similar numbers.

‘Deaths caused by raids are compensated, but deaths in quests or game scenarios are not.’

In other words, the number could decrease from around thirty. That was an extremely small number to represent an entire species.

This indicated just how earnest the efforts of dragons to preserve their species were.

“It’s not just instinct. The protection of offspring is a thorough act by the entire species. In other words, to steal an egg from a single dragon—be it metallic or chromatic—you’d have to consider the entire species your enemy, evade their surveillance, and if you succeed, you’d be chased for life.”

“Wow… for life? By the entire species?”

“Yes. If a human dared to steal a dragon’s egg, this place would already be—”

“So that’s why they keep moving!?”

“―Excuse me?”

“It’s not just… to avoid detection!”

The reason their mobile tents moved or hid so quickly!

‘Staying in one place? That would be like advertising the base of an assassination group—come raid us! So they move around to survive. Especially because of the dragon’s pursuit!?’

Although Midnight Circus was not part of Minis, many of its users were from Minis.

Moreover, the areas they roamed were near Minis.

Most importantly, Blaugrunn didn’t know about the incidents involving the stolen egg. This meant the target was likely singular.

Leeha could roughly grasp how much the chromatic dragons despised Midnight Circus.

“Heh, like Blaugrunn said, those chromatic dragons, including ‘Onyx’, would go berserk. But they were still intact, right?”

“So that means they wouldn’t have been able to steal it. Humans? That’s absurd.”

“Okay, okay. You can think that way. But if you consider that they have skills close to that level… you’ll understand that they are qualified for this job, right?”

Blaugrunn made a sullen face and did not answer Leeha’s question.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had to. He soon said he would return to his lair.

“I should go study the gigantic marine creatures. Ha Leeha-nim, you handle those skilled guys on your own.”

“Hey, why are you sulking again? Well, I guess it’s time for me to go around alone anyway”, said Leeha.

“Are you really going to travel alone?”

Blaugrunn asked, showing some disappointment since Leeha didn’t try to stop him. However, Leeha wasn’t teasing him.

“I also need to look into ‘charging’. All the information discovered about the Black Bass from the Holy Grail was about the previous version anyway.”

The only information they gathered was about the ‘Legendary Black Bass: SASR’, which Leeha used extensively. Even the Intelligence guild had no data on the ‘awakened’ state. In other words, he’d have to face it head-on himself.

“Don’t go north.”

“Yeah, I won’t. Until the Midnight Circus contacts me, I’m not going anywhere. Either I’ll stay near the buoy, or I’ll cross over to the New Continent.”

There might be a clone of Pyrot-Cocri searching for him. It would be harder to react swiftly to danger without Blaugrunn around. Leeha needed to carry out various tests for charging, and he regretted having to give up on the northern regions, but he had no other choice.

“Understood. Then I’m heading back to my lair. If I get a call from the Lord or any information about Pyrot-Cocri from our kind, I’ll inform you immediately.”

“Yes, please do. And let me know if you discover anything interesting while investigating the Gigantic Mimic.”

“Of course. Travel carefully, Ha Leeha-nim.”

When Leeha took out the crystal ball, Blaugrunn also prepared for teleportation. His determination to ensure Leeha’s safe movement was evident. Feeling grateful for Blaugrunn’s concern, Leeha activated the crystal ball. Two purplish lights simultaneously flashed in an unexplored area near Minis’s outskirts.

***

“Good morning! It’s a great day!”

Kijung greeted enthusiastically.

“Kijung-ssi!”

“Welcome, Kay.”

As usual, Kijung logged into Middle Earth with energetic greetings. The guild members of Byulcho, who were already logged in, welcomed him warmly. Before Kijung could finish his greetings, Biyemi ran up to him.

“Kijung-ssi, a messenger came from Ezwen. The Pope’s office is calling for you.”

“A messenger from Ezwen?”

Kijung murmured, tilting his head.

“Why would the Pope’s office call, not the Sacred Alliance?”

“Maybe Ha Leeha-ssi found something again? Didn’t you hear anything?”

Biyemi asked with sparkling eyes, but Kijung could only tilt his head in confusion.

“Leeha hyung… he’s logged out right now. I don’t know much. I just woke up and logged in… maybe he left a message?”

“Hehe, you should at least check your smartphone. You’re a real addict”, teased Biyemi.

“There’s someone who logs out even less than me! I guess I can call, but if the Pope’s office is calling, they’ll tell me when I get there.”

Dodging the subtle jab, Kijung laughed.

Biyemi seemed disappointed that she couldn’t learn anything new immediately, but she quickly regained her energy.

“Then hurry up and go!”

“Alright. By the way, Hyein hyung, any issues with Ghibrid or Chimera?”

Currently, Byulcho’s role was to defend the frontline in the New Continent’s center alongside the Paleos. The difference now was that, unlike the past when they guarded vast, lonely areas, they were now joined by high-level knights dispatched from various countries!

“Recently, chimeras started appearing one by one. I’m not sure if it’s because they think it’s dangerous to scout using manticores or if they’re trying to conserve them… But one thing is certain—the number of small skirmishes has slightly increased compared to last week.”

Hyein responded.

“Still, if only chimeras come, it’ll be easier to handle them.”

“Of course. It’s already known that chimeras are weak against fire. The fact that Ram Hwayeon strategically placed the flame attribute paladins of Red Wood at the border is working remarkably well.”

Their cooperation continued seamlessly.

Especially because Byulcho shared its expertise without reservation, Byulcho received significant recognition from everyone guarding the border between the New Continent’s west and east.

“Understood. I’ll head to Ezwen immediately.”

Even Kijung had no idea about the small expedition heading east.

This was because Ewin, the General Commander of the Sacred Alliance, strictly controlled the information for protection.

Therefore, Kijung could not hear anything from Luger or Kidd and only learned the news upon reaching Ezwen’s Papal Office.

The Pope looked at Kijung with an unusually serious expression.

“… Pyrot-Cocri? That is—”

“The third Demon King’s Fragment, Exorcism Cardinal.”

Kijung wondered what message Leeha might have left. He cursed himself for not checking it before connecting.

* * *

“Since Ha Leeha-nim first discovered it, even dragons intervened, but they couldn’t stop her from emerging into the world. Despite Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon and Lord of Metal Dragons, getting involved.”

Pope Urban II spoke in a slow but clear voice.

Even though Cardinal Romero had become Pope Urban II, his habit of using honorifics when addressing Kijung or Leeha remained unchanged.

“So, you’re saying that the third Demon King’s Fragment has awakened?”

Kijung appeared greatly flustered.

Considering how much they struggled in the central New Continent due to the weakened Ghibrid, it was understandable that his body tensed upon hearing news of a new Demon King’s Fragment.

The Pope shook his head with a faint smile.

“It seems it hasn’t awakened yet. Moreover, Bluebeard might not be aware of it, which means the Lord Ahlo has bestowed a glimmer of hope in this misfortune.”

Urban II and Kijung both let out a small sigh.

“Then, what’s the current situation?”

“According to Ha Leeha-nim and his comrades’ reports… They described it as an undead entity infused with the power of Pyrot-Cocri. The General Commander referred to it as a ‘clone’ capable of utilizing a significant portion of Pyrot-Cocri’s abilities.”

“A clone… I see.”

Kijung couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Which would be stronger: the powerless ‘main body’ Ghibrid or the empowered ‘clone’ Pyrot-Cocri?

“We can’t divert the Sacred Alliance’s forces here. Using paladins to search the northern Shazrashian may provoke suspicion… Even if we keep it secret from outside, it would inevitably be noticed within the Sacred Alliance, which means—”

“You mean the information could be leaked to any spies within the Sacred Alliance.”

Pope Urban II nodded in reply to Kijung’s comment.

It was impossible to gauge the extent of Chiyou’s information network. Moreover, the Sacred Alliance comprised numerous knightly orders from various nations.

Keeping such a significant movement hidden from everyone, especially at the scale of entire knightly orders, was practically impossible.

Chiyou was currently heading east of the New Continent with Kaztor, but they were unaware of this. Even if they knew, Chiyou’s intentions could be relayed to the NPC Bluebeard at any time through a whisper.

Thus, any suspicious movements would certainly be detected by Chiyou’s information network, which neither Kijung nor anyone in the Sacred Alliance could fully fathom. At that point, Bluebeard would certainly learn about ‘Pyrot-Cocri’.