Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

As soon as he stepped into Bahamut’s lair, Leeha called out to Lord.

An elderly man in a pure white robe, who had not been visible just a moment ago, suddenly stood before Leeha.

With lightning speed that could not be followed by the eyes, the Metal Dragon King possessed the ability to move at a speed similar to that of the Demon King’s fragment.

“Wow… No, wait. The treasure vault! I want to go to the treasure vault!”

“You just came back from Kuzgunakh’s lair, and now you want to go to my vault?”

“Yes!”

“Nothing happened in Kuzgunakh’s lair?”

“Th-that’s not… Well, can you show me the vault first? And then I’ll explain. Anyway, nothing significant happened there.”

Apart from briefly playing with the two dragon boys, nothing eventful occurred. Right now, what mattered to Leeha was checking the items in Bahamut’s vault.

The old man smiled kindly and flicked his fingers.

Snap!

The sound was the answer to Leeha’s request.

“Great!”

In the blink of an eye, Leeha’s body had been transported to the vault.

It was undoubtedly much larger than Kuzgunakh’s treasure vault. Legendary-grade items were scattered like beach sand, but Leeha didn’t pay attention to such things right now.

“Where is it? The ostrich egg, the ostrich egg—”

Kicking away the gold coins that lay instead of tiles, Leeha searched around.

The item he had stepped on and slipped on just moments ago, the one and only item in this vast Bahamut’s vault that he hadn’t seen until now.

An item most similar to the description he had heard from the Juvnail Dragons!

“I found it!”

Leeha discovered a sparkling egg buried among the gold coins and immediately picked it up, then checked its name without delay.

____________________________________________________
< Mythical Easter Egg >

Effect: Rebirth of a life form whose life functions have completely ceased.

Description: An egg containing divine power. By combining the internal energy, which only gods can possess, with the mana of a deceased life form, the said life form can be revived anew.

(This item vanishes after one use.)
____________________________________________________

“Uh, uh, uh. Uh—!”

< Mythical Easter Egg >. Before the thought that this item was correct could settle in, the adjective preceding it captured Leeha’s attention.

‘Mythical? Could this be…’

Beyond legendary grade?! Leeha’s eyes and mind were spinning.

Inferior – Ordinary – Special – Rare – Heroic – Legendary.

At least, the known item grades didn’t include “Mythical.” Moreover, the word “Divine” had never been associated with any item.

Moreover, what about that effect and description?

“It’s not some temporary resurrection magic used by Baileyphus.”

Does “completely ceased life functions” mean how far it extends?

“The important thing is that this is not for players. After all, players who come back to life don’t need such items. Is it to prevent level-downs when reviving deceased Rankers? No, even using this item for that purpose would be too wasteful. If it’s genuinely above legendary grade, it means it’s higher than a legend. Ultimately, it targets NPCs.”

What’s the scope? Does it even acknowledge the corpses of NPCs turning to ashes and disappearing over time? Or does it mean to use it when they are in an ashy state?

“Do I have to bind it to the mana of the deceased life form—?” Leeha couldn’t understand the part starting from there. Is it just a simple description? Or does it mean that the deceased life form must have some relics from their past life?

As the unhelpful description from Mid Earth couldn’t provide clarity, Leeha couldn’t easily make a decision.

It was the first time he found an item of a grade estimated to be above legendary in Bahamut’s lair, but he couldn’t be sure if he needed it. That’s why he had doubts.

“What can I do with this? Sell it? No, I already have enough cash just from selling the items obtained from Kuzgunakh’s lair. Ugh, maybe I should resurrect Browlithus when he dies?”

Wasn’t there a quest failure condition that included Browlithus’s death?

Perhaps this could prevent such a situation. Of course, it would be a good solution, but if it truly was above legendary grade, he would have to weigh the value of Browlithus’s life against that of this item!

“Or should I give up on the < Mythical Easter Egg > and look for other items? Now that I know there is something called mythical grade, there might be mythical-grade equipment like weapons. If such a thing exists, it could have a destructive power surpassing even the Black Bess.”

What if there were mythical-grade muskets from myths?

For a moment, Leeha recalled the name “Marksman of Matan.” Maybe that’s what such an item would be called.

It would be an item fitting for someone with such a title.

But what if he found just one such item? It would be like getting wings for Leeha, who already had overwhelming growth speed.

“Ugh… umm… Leeha. Think, Leeha, think. Mid Earth never just leaves items lying around. There must be some use that—”

…it exists….

After a long time of pondering, a certain scenario popped into Leeha’s mind.

However, it was a gamble.

He had no way of knowing the likelihood of success.

Can he shoot it? Can he hit it?

He had only one chance!

Perhaps he would never see another mythical-grade item as long as he played Mid Earth. No, in fact, there hadn’t been any until now!

He didn’t know if it would reappear or if there were other mythical-grade items outside of this one.

Nevertheless, despite all that, would he try? Would he seize the opportunity in Bahamut’s lair?!

“…Lord Bahamut! I’ve made my choice!”

Ta-a-a-ng!

The marksman finally pulled the trigger.

You have obtained the Mythical Easter Egg.

***

Bahamut looked at Leeha holding the Easter Egg with a bemused expression. Normally, the old man’s face would be gleaming with amusement, but this time, it was different.

“Indeed… is this what humans call a ‘bullseye’?”

“Yes?”

“You chose a fitting nickname. You hit the mark.”

More than being astonished, it seemed like a sense of admiration.

Bahamut looked at the Easter Egg in Leeha’s hands like a satisfied spectator admiring a beautiful painting. Leeha didn’t dwell too deep on how Bahamut knew about the trio of inherited attributes of the Three Musketeers or what he meant by “bullseye” when he said, “you hit the mark.”

But one thing was certain.

“You chose well.”

The value of this item called the Easter Egg was higher than Leeha had imagined.

“Is this ‘Mythical Easter Egg’… more valuable than the so-called legendary items?”

“Of course. The sanctity of this item surpasses that of mere legends.”

Leeha’s expression showed a mix of delight and sadness.

The joy of confirming that it was genuinely above legendary grade and the sorrow of the possibility of another mythical-grade item’s existence.

“By any chance, are there mythical-grade equipment in the vault? Like a sword or a shield—”

“Bulbul, I’ve lived long enough to see countless humans, from heroes to beggars. And there was one common trait among them.”

“Yes, yes? What was that?”

“Silly humans tend to think other people’s bread is bigger. Do you understand the difference?”

When Bahamut grinned slyly and looked at Leeha, he also understood his meaning.

“People who think other people’s bread is bigger might not enjoy their own bread properly, while those who focus too much on the size of other people’s bread can’t eat their own properly… that kind of difference, right?”

“Indeed, Bailiphus did choose one properly.”

Whether there was another mythical-grade item in Bahamut’s lair or not, that wasn’t the important part. Bahamut wanted to let Leeha know that.

“Understood. Then may I ask about how to use it?”

“Just as it is written.”

“Written as it is?”

“That’s right. You only need the remaining mana of the said life form. There’s no worry about the item with that mana being destroyed.”

Bahamut smiled and replied, and Leeha accepted it with a smile.

Indeed, just like the Metal Dragon King, Bahamut seemed to know why Leeha had chosen that item and how he intended to use it.

“Thank you, Lord.”

“I should be thanking you for choosing the Easter Egg.”

“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”

“Come by thinking of it as visiting your grandpa’s place.”

“Uh, grandpa, when I visit my grandma and grandpa’s place, they always give me all kinds of things, saying their grandchild is so adorable.”

“That’s usually what grandmas do. But I don’t have a wife.”

Leeha playfully added humor, and Bahamut responded with humor as well.

It was undoubtedly a relationship that exceeded 100% in intimacy.

“Keke, understood! Then, I’ll definitely see you next time!”

“Yeah, take care.”

[Leeha activated the teleportation circle. It was too obvious where Leeha should go next.]

***

“Bottle-neck old man!”

“You’re here to pester me again? You must have some debt to pay! Do you think items just pop up out of nowhere overnight?!”

As soon as he heard Leeha’s voice, Bottle-neck clicked his tongue.

Since the decision to move back into Hell and Ville hadn’t been made yet, they were still waiting in the new blacksmith’s shop.

“Oh, oh, I’m not here to rush you. And I’m not here to ask about the progress or anything, so don’t worry!”

“Huh? Then why did you come?”

“Of course, I came because I wanted to see you.”

“Me?”

Even if he sounded annoyed, when Leeha smiled, Bottle-neck’s expression brightened slightly.

“Huh? What are you saying? Why would I want to see an old man like you? Do you have that item I gave you? Is it in there?”

And then, Leeha’s expression crumpled in an instant.

Pushing aside Bottle-neck, Leeha went into the blacksmith’s shop and immediately found the item he wanted.

“This… is it.”

“Ah, it’s not finished yet! We’ve completed most of the steps, but the finishing touches—”

“No, I’m not going to use it. It’s because of this energy source.”

A faint light was emanating from the workbench where the item was placed. While looking at the item, Leeha took out the Easter Egg from his bag.

“What’s that?”

“Easter Egg. Do you know about it?”

“…Easter Egg?”

Bottle-neck tilted his head for a moment.

He remained in that pose for a while, then stiffened, and next, looked astonished.

A moment later, he shouted louder than Leeha had ever heard before.

“Easter Egg!”

Surprisingly, it was Leeha who was taken aback.

“Do you know what it is?”

“Re… Rebirth Egg! Is it the Easter Egg you’re talking about?! You―”