Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“We’ll miss the achievements if we’re late! We need to catch at least one monster to earn our own!”

The users were divided. There were the cautious ones, observing the map, Alexander, and Bailephus, and the radicals, who were following Lee Jiwon.

Their numbers were almost equal.

Most of the New Continent expedition members, needless to say, were cautious.

Because the users who knew the power of the Gold Dragon best would not be the first to advance.

“Uraaaai! This is why I like Lee Jiwon! Burn, [Flame Qi]!”

“[Titan] formation! It’s time to show the power of the Giant race!”

However, some, like Pyro, Bantal, and the Amunsan triplets, who joined the radicals, were chasing after Lee Jiwon, adding fuel to the radical users’ momentum.

Roarrrrr!

Monsters were emerging from the Blooming Barren Land. The users’ cheers and skill effects flickered brightly.

“Ah, Alexander-nim?! Bailephus-nim! Aren’t you going in? It’s not good to split the gathered users!”

“That’s right! Since we can’t pull those guys back! We should quickly go in and join forces…!”

Kijung and Bobae ran up and shouted, but Bailephus did not speak. Alexander, alone, would not move in such a situation.

“…I stand with my comrade’s decision.” As Alexander finished speaking, thunder roared.

From the black cloud that Lee Jiwon was riding on, similarly dark lightning spread here and there.

‘Lee Jiwon, unbeatable in a 1-on-1 situation-‘

‘-Did he also get an item advantageous in a 1-vs-many situation?’

Whooosh!

Even after about 30 minutes since entering the Blooming Barren Land, the situation was stable.

The cheers of the users who had advanced far ahead were still encouraging.

Even though the skill effects had weakened due to the distance, it seemed like there were constant flashes everywhere.

[What?!]

“What’s wrong?”

[There’s something. What is this?]

“Does my knowledge not help?”

Alexander spoke with a hint of disappointment, but Bailephus just nodded, as if there was no other choice.

[Rubini. Anything on the map?]

“There’s nothing unusual so far.” Rubini looked up at the map.

Other users could also clearly see in the map.

The fierce momentum of the users advancing into the Blooming Barren Land!

Each one appeared only as a small dot, yet the scenes of battle seemed to be vividly depicted.

[Just now, there was definitely something… some different aura.]

When Bailephus tilted his head, a peculiar point appeared on the map for the first time.

“Huh? This- This one at the front was Lee Jiwon-nim, right? The black dot had a white dot on it.”

“Yes. Lee Jiwon-nim was on the Thundercloud, but-”

“…The Thundercloud has disappeared. The black dot is gone.”

As the users surrounding the map began to voice their concerns, they had already significantly advanced into the Blooming Barren Land.

In a situation where the advancing users could no longer be seen with the naked eye, white dots on the map began to disappear one by one.

“Monsters! The monsters suddenly appeared!”

“Wow! What’s this huge dot?!”

“We’re surrounded!”

Had these monsters not been detected by Rubini’s map?

The users looked at the map with expressions of disbelief, but the situation remained unchanged.

Among the monster markers, there was one enormously large dot. The number of smaller dots was too numerous to count.

All of them suddenly surrounded and rushed towards the users.

It was natural for panic to occur in various places.

After the Thundercloud’s mark disappeared, the users could no longer distinguish which dot was Lee Jiwon.

Had something that made the Thundercloud vanish also killed Lee Jiwon? Or had the Thundercloud disappeared because Lee Jiwon died? Did the disappearance of the Thundercloud summon the monsters? How did they manage to make it disappear from Rubini’s map?!

“What’s happening…? What’s that big dot?”

“Ha Leeha… sniped him. Lee Jiwon! And then summoned the monsters at the same time-”

“That’s impossible! How could that be possible?! Not even Bluebeard could-”

“No, that’s, Ha, Ha Leeha! Ha Leeha-”

In this uncertainty, where nothing could be confirmed, the users watching the map were dominated by fear.

Fear naturally narrows down its target.

The users, engulfed in fear, focused on the only known subject, Ha Leeha.

“Just one word. Die.”

“That’s what I’m saying! I’ve been saying this all along, Ha Leeha is not that kind of person!”

“Ra, Ram Hwayeon-ssi is right! I don’t know what means Leeha-hyung used, but he and Lee Jiwon-nim are like brothers!”

Ram Hwayeon, Ram Hwajung, and Kijung raised their voices to quell the disturbance, but the commotion didn’t subside.

Alexander, too, seemed determined to keep quiet until Bailephus responded.

Another ranker stepped forward.

The sound came from a higher position than Alexander on top of Bailephus.

Myeol Shi Ding————!

Quiet down———!

The roaring lion’s roar echoed throughout the Blooming Barren Land.

The users covered their ears but turned their heads towards the source of the shout.

Floating in mid-air with a levitation skill and shouting was none other than Pei Wu.

“Forgive my rudeness. But Ha Leeha is not that kind of person. Anyone who slanders him further… I will deal with them in the name of Hwangryong.”

Pei Wu politely bowed to the users.

After Pei Wu’s lion’s roar, all the users belonging to the cautious group fell silent. Ram Hwayeon snorted but also breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tch, it’s always good to have a loud voice. One shot and it’s done.”

“Yes. Pei Wu. If it wasn’t for him. Blizzard.” The blue particles gathering around Ram Hwajung dispersed into the air.

Ram Hwayeon looked at Pei Wu and Ram Hwajung alternately with a relieved expression.

Kijung was looking at Pei Wu with a tearful expression.

“Pei Wu-nim…

“Kay, it would have been nice if you had played that role.”

“Kheung, don’t say that, Hyein-hyung. Ah! By the way, what’s happening, Rubini-nim?”

“I don’t know. What the Dragon is thinking… But it’s certain it’s not Ha Leeha. Not just because it’s not marked on the map-”

“He’s not in the friend window either. You also have Ha Leeha added as a friend. Right, Ha Leeha is currently in Hong Kong.”

Users who were close to Leeha, including all of Byulchof, gathered around Rubini’s map.

“Hong Kong?”

“Yes. He’s not in a situation to log in. I can guarantee that. It’s not Ha Leeha over there.”

Ram Hwayeon looked at Rubini, flaunting her connection with Leeha.

Rubini quietly nodded. Although she could hide her expressions since she didn’t reveal her eyes, a fleeting emotion of regret was sufficiently conveyed to Ram Hwayeon.

“The white dots are disappearing faster!”

“What’s going on?!”

As the monsters’ encirclement tightened, the white dots disappeared more rapidly.

What could the users here do? Even if they ran there right now, all the white dots would have vanished before they arrived.

While other users could only worry, there was one person who could act.

Pushing through Kijung and Bobae was Hyein, who gripped her staff tightly.

“Bailephus-nim! I don’t know what’s inside, but what if I go in to rescue?”

[Sage. But it’s impossible. I cannot guarantee your safety. That giant monster is definitely…]

“Whatever it is, doesn’t matter, I’m not behind in casting speed! If you give me your strongest shield-”

[Shield.]

Bailephus alternated between looking at the distant land where the users were likely fighting and Rubini’s map.

The casting was quick.

[It won’t be easy. [Absolute Protection]]

“Thank you. Even if I can save one person… Everyone clear this area! Confirm coordinates! [Teleport]!”

Swoosh-!

Hyein’s figure vanished.

Where he reappeared could be identified by the remaining users because almost all the white dots had disappeared from Rubini’s map. Suddenly, a new white dot appeared, drawing the attention of nearby users.

As users began to gather near the presumed location of Hyein, several of them disappeared.

They couldn’t even move a few tens of meters.

When a few white dots had gathered near Hyein, a purplish light flashed beside Rubini’s map.

“Kahak… Haa. How are we supposed to catch that…

“Heal- heal me! Heeeal!”

“Demons! There are demons! Bigger than a dragon…!”

“Damn it! Where are these attacks coming from? What is that monster-like thing-”

The users gasped for air.

However, they couldn’t obtain any immediate information. Healers hurriedly attached themselves to the users and began treatment.

“Hyein-hyung? What’s the situation? Demons, you say?”

“I don’t know… Something huge… a massive monster. But there was something stranger.”

“What?”

“The same attack as Ha Leeha.”

It took less than three minutes for Hyein to vanish and return.

What had he seen and experienced in that brief time? As Kijung swallowed nervously beside him, Rubini spoke quietly.

“There’s only one white dot left. Everyone else has been annihilated.”

The hologram map, as large as a cinema screen, showed only one flickering white dot. The monster markers surrounding it were too numerous to count, easily over a thousand.

It was like a national war, with the sheer number of users gathered.

Divided into cautious and radical groups, the users who had charged in still accounted for nearly half.

That was a considerable number.

The disappearance of such an enormous number meant something significant.

[Annihilation]

The users had yet to experience the feeling of defeat. It was difficult to accept the situation.

“Uh…? The last white dot is moving somewhere?”

“What, what? Who is that?”

“It’s fast!”

At that moment, the last flickering white dot began to move.

At a speed unmanageable by ordinary users, the white dot quickly disappeared beyond the map’s edge.

The giant monster marker and several other smaller markers chased after the white dot, but the white dot was slightly faster.

“So, that dot is… in a situation that can be considered annihilation.

Considering the ratio of users who had charged in, one person was barely 0.1%.

It wasn’t hard to guess who the 0.1% user capable of moving in the current situation was.

[Lee Jiwon. Where are you going?] Bailephus also recognized him. The surviving Lee Jiwon was moving fast towards the map’s edge, then circling around and coming back down.

There were quite a few monsters in the direction Lee Jiwon was heading, but they were not enough to stop him.

“Even in that situation… he’s still fighting. Alone!”

“Crazy, how many is he killing? He doesn’t even have the Thundercloud anymore.”

“He’s fast too. Amazing. It gives me chills.”

The white dot, erasing the monster markers, moved swiftly.

Its destination was this very place where the users were now watching the map.

The users, whose thoughts had been frozen, had no choice but to gather their spirits.

The effort of Lee Jiwon, struggling alone, was being projected in their minds. Could they just stand here, staring at the map dumbfounded?

At least among the users who made it to the New Continent, there were no fools like that.

“All healers, prepare to heal—

“Prepare mana infusions as well!”

“Quickly, quickly! Lee Jiwon-nim is about to arrive!”

“Tankers, line up! Keep in mind the possibility of monsters following us here!”

About 15 minutes after the cautious group users began to move busily, Lee Jiwon was approaching from afar.

“Haa… Haa…

“Lee Jiwon…-nim…

“Quickly, heal-”

Lee Jiwon collapsed just like that.