Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a human who isn’t this flustered.”

“No, it’s not the first time. There was that guy last time.”

“Indeed. Now that you mention it, there was also that other…

“Ugh.”

The clan warriors exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

‘That guy from last time? Would that be Biyemi? What does that other one mean?’

He thought he hadn’t met paleo of Wonseung, but had they already met? However, the thought was cut off.

“Hmmm… All right. Let’s take him. Contact Lord Koba.”

Wonseung and his group didn’t kill him. With a soft voice, he commanded Jellypong to stay still.

“Heh heh.”

“…Do you find this funny, human?”

“No, not at all. This is just a bit surreal.”

“Surreal? This situation?”

Looking at the face of the monkey man, he grinned. The monkey man looked at him as if what just happened was absurd, and he shook his head.

‘Yes, it’s surreal. This is something that might come out of a cartoon…Being tied upside down like this and being transported.’

Like a wild boar captured by tribesmen.

He was being transported, hanging upside down tied to a wooden stick. Throughout all of this, his observation of the group led by Wonseung, the paleos, never ceased.

‘There are so many types of monkeys. What could these be?’

Normal paleos would have brown fur. This made him think of the black Gorilla paleos from the city of Harhei.

They looked like gorillas because of their black fur, but their body structure was different.

‘Orangutan…No, that’s not it. Chimpanzee? Is it a type of chimpanzee?’

He knew that Orangutans typically have light brown fur. This was based on the movie he watched about monkeys ruling the earth. However, this was not incorrect.

“Hmm, I’m not certain, but it seems there are quite a few traps of this nature around here?”

“What?”

“No, I noticed that you keep veering left for a while, then suddenly turn right, and just keep zigzagging around. If you were going to the tribe, you would have gone straight.”

Upon hearing this, one of the paleos scowled for a moment, then signaled another behind him.

“Cover his eyes.”

“Okay.”

Despite his eyes being forcibly covered with a thick cloth, his smile did not fade.

‘I thought so.’

He had no regrets.

In addition to observing their systematic movements, he had discovered quite a few trap activations.

‘Only one look is difficult. Once you find one, the rest are easy. This area is absurdly saturated with traps.’

Who were they being so cautious of? Considering it was a human, there were quite a few odd details.

‘Remembering that, there was a human skull earlier. And they said they saw a ‘human’ who wasn’t flustered. Who could that be?’

In his confusion, he considered that ‘human’ might have been Biyemi, but that couldn’t be the case.

He’s human outside of Middle Earth, but inside the game, isn’t he a lizard, the lizard people?

‘The NPC paleos wouldn’t mix that up.’

Removing Biyemi from consideration, it means there must have been at least one other human user here. If the bones of the human and the unflustered human are two different people, then at least two.

‘Still, could that be Fernand-ssi’s remains?’

He chuckled at the thought.

When considering users who could make it here, there were few candidates.

Considering personalities, perhaps Fernand and Lee Jiwon.

There could be another outsider, but no one else immediately sprung to his mind.

As he sorted through his thoughts, the noisy voices in the background slowly started to become coherent words.

When the rumblings became recognizable languages, he realized that he had arrived at the paleo tribe.
“You’re back.”

“So the alarm really did ring. We have another fool who fell into the trap.”

“What’s that? Who’s it?”

“Seems like a human.”

“Again? Where are these unfamiliar races coming from?”

Being blindfolded somehow gave them a clue about their characters. There were no chaotic or rowdy vibes like the typical paleos.

They were mostly close to primitive tribes with barely any trace of civilization, but now? In contrast, it seemed as though the evolved paleos were evaluating these lowly ones.

“Argh! Please put me down gently, gently!”

“…Truly amazing. You can say such things in this situation.”

“I wonder if you could still laugh when we split open your belly.”

Thud, they violently threw him onto the ground. After doing so, the paleos untied his blindfold.

“No, the disposal should be left to Lord Koba. Let’s take him there.”

“What are we supposed to do with this…”

“I’ll carry it.”

They moved with him in tow, removing the Black Bass in its entirety.

He bit his lip slightly at this juncture. Without the Black Bass, he couldn’t escape via teleportation.

To ensure his own safety, he needed to fully understand their tendencies.

“By ‘Lord Koba’, do you mean the Guardian Deity?”

“Guardian Deity?”

“Eh? The mystical creature and the Guardian of the paleo tribe-”

“Pathetic. You think we would believe in such superstitions. Lord Koba is far superior to those called mystical creatures. Besides, he is our leader of the bonobo paleos.”

“Really……

“What do you mean by ‘really’?”

Listening to the paleos’ answer, he nodded his head.

He couldn’t be certain if there was a race like bonobo among the primates, but their tendencies were more crucial than their tribal name.

“You guys are different from the other paleos. You are much more intelligent and developed. Although the structure of the village is similar… Are those structures firm-like that trap earlier? Do you use some kind of magic?”

“….”

They just sniffed in disdain without answering, although his expression had somewhat improved. Indeed, no race dislikes praise.

While they were somewhat aggressive, it could be attributed to the penalty from failing the common quest. Although they’re being treated like sacrifices, he still liked them.

‘The gorillas developed to the point of creating cities underground, but that was entirely due to Kaztor.’

Kaztor introduced them to magic and technology. If it weren’t for him, Ugly Monkey Harhei would have died without becoming a mystical creature.

At this point, these bonobo paleos were the most developed of all the paleos he had ever met.

And if they were this developed? They would most certainly know about the ‘Volcano,’ which wasn’t too far from here.

“Lord Koba. We have brought a human.”

-Same human as that one huh. Come in.

“Yes.”

One of the bonobo paleos politely opened the door. He couldn’t help but be in awe.

‘Wow, what is this… a king?’

They lined up on either side, just like ministers of a monarchy, with the king at the forefront. The white bonobo sitting on the throne was undoubtedly their chieftain.

But what was more surprising was not just this highly-developed civilization of bonobo paleos or the Snow-white mystical creature, but something else.

“I see, as he said earlier. You are Ha Leeha.”

“You, you know me- how-“

The ‘leader’ of the bonobo paleos, Koba, recognized him. His eyes nearly popped out.

Watching his sudden change of expression, the Snow-white bonobo grinned. Koba, savoring his disarray, shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s so strange? Already, on this land of Erika, you’re one of the most renowned people. Not only about Aibex, but I also know all about what came from Harhei. You’ve become friendly with many of the paleo tribes near the western coast. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the mystical creatures from there.”

“……Ah!”

New Continent Common Fame! He slapped his forehead in realization.

Achievements from completing tasks that granted 100% intimacy shone in strange places.”There were things I thought I was lucky to get…”

The intimacy achievement would always grant something extra apart from the stats, which differs based on the rank. Leeha hurriedly opens his character screen to check his reputation on the new continent.

The reputation he had built with various paleo tribes, doubled with the effect from the Hall of Honor, left even Leeha gaping in astonishment.

“Yes…. I see.”

“All paleos in the Erika Continent that lack previous intimacy will harbor hostility toward the player.”

“If you approach paleo tribes without any intimacy or a reputation in the Erika continent, you may be attacked.”

The two penalties for failing the common quest were clear and serious warnings. But what is the characteristic of Middle Earth? They never just let you die!

“Based on your intimacy and Erika Continent’s common reputation values, the attitude of the paleos can change.”

This line in the penalty clause essentially saved Leeha.

Just as Koba said, Leeha is among the top 5 who have the highest reputation on the new continent.

“I felt strangely relieved… was it because I unconsciously understood the advantage?” Leeha looked at Koba with a relaxed expression and gave a greeting.

“I apologize for greeting you in this manner. I assure you I had no intention of intruding illegally. I just set foot here because there was a place I wanted to visit.”

“You would have said the same even if you had intruded illegally, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, would I?”

Leeha’s peace of mind began to waver once again because Koba’s tone was a bit different.

It wasn’t something that could be said by someone who simply knows the high-ranking Leeha. More detailed and precise information.

“That guy told me everything, including your speech patterns and habits.”

Koba actually knew about Leeha.

“……Who……Who told you that? Biyemi? Was it Lizardia Biyemi?”

“Biyemi? Who is that?”

The first person that came to Leeha’s mind was Biyemi, of course. However, Koba shook his head.

“Then Fernand? Lee Jiwon?”

“I’ve heard of Fernand and Lee Jiwon, but they’ve never been here.”

Like Leeha, Koba knew the users with a high reputation on the new continent. But neither of them had discussed Leeha.

‘Who could it be? Someone who knows me well enough to talk about my speech patterns… and could come here? I have no idea.’

Could it be that Leeha doesn’t know this person, but they know Leeha? Leeha’s mind began to churn.

“He said I’d find something interesting from you. Despite all the complaining.……I had high hopes.”

“What do you mean by that-“

“Who could the person who told me all about Leeha be, who can make us so happy?”

Koba scratched his chin and smiled.

“You said you had a question, didn’t you? Then entertain us. If you satisfy us, we’ll satisfy you.”

Leeha looked at Koba with a puzzled expression, not understanding the sudden role he was expected to play.

“You can stay here.”

“……I just stay here?”

“You can go if you want. But it would disappoint Koba.”

The bonobo paleo who discovered and transferred Leeha shrugged and left. Once the door closed with a thud, Leeha started to slowly sort out the situation.