Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Prea puffed out her cheeks with a “woong~” sound.

“Spirits aren’t limited to just four types, right?”

“Keke, good. Very honest. In that case, I’ll be borrowing some of your strength.”

Seeing Prea’s bright laughter, Bluebeard nodded his head.

It was a relationship where it wasn’t necessary to probe deep into everything.

But it was also a relationship where neither would refuse involvement, knowing that it would be mutually beneficial.

“Toon! How much longer would it be without the ‘Root’?”

[It… it would be at least five more months.]

“Tsk tsk… Damnable thing. Do what you must. Either destroy the [Divine Staff], or finish preparations within three months. That includes Chiyou and the woman acting like she’s a successor of Alan Srna. Ah, right, what was the name?”

“Prea.”

When the name Alan Srna was mentioned, Prea flinched.

Although Prea could easily handle even the highest-grade spirits, the insight of a being at the top of the NPC hierarchy, not limited by spirit grades, was indeed exceptional.

Whether securing the [Divine Staff] would be advantageous or disadvantageous, neither Leeha nor any NPC from the Vatican could yet know.

If the [Divine Staff] is successfully protected, at the very least, an assault could be postponed for a month, securing a strategic advantage in time. But what if Toon attempts to damage the [Divine Staff] in any way?

That could essentially be creating trouble out of nothing.

As soon as the task of securing the [Divine Staff] was concluded, Leeha fell into a sleep that resembled collapsing.

Upon reconnected, three days in Middle Earth had already passed.

‘It’s still well-guarded. After all, Toon has to rebuild his force with one arm flying off; he won’t attack just yet.’ The vicinity of the [Divine Staff] was stationed with a considerable number of users, including the knights.

Despite Romero’s foretelling of a special intervention by the Vatican, it seems it wasn’t happening, at least for now.

“Eung-ah!”

“Oh, Kijung. Did you get some sleep?”

“Of course! Did you get some rest,-hyung?”

Among the [Divine Staff] protection user group, Byulcho’s members had their position.

Leeha somehow felt uncomfortable seeing Byulcho’s members including Kijung, but Kijung was rather concerned for Leeha.

However, Leeha knew.

He knew the stories Byulcho shared while he was logged out.

Or even if they hadn’t shared stories, as members of a guild like Byulcho, they would have sensed it.

“You still look tired? I think you need more rest, Leeha-ssi.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. For a Musketeer of your caliber to miss Toon at close range indicates a significant issue- mmpf- mmpf!”

“Ah, haha. Why is our precious miss like this again?”

Though Kijung hastily covered Bobae’s mouth, both Tale and Hyein made a coughing sound, exchanging awkward glances. In other words, everyone present faintly understood Leeha’s issue.

“Giggle, I’ve had a hunch something was off since Juma City. Back then, I thought you were targeting Toon, but you didn’t shoot for a long while, right?”

“Well…”

Leeha, too embarrassed to reply, didn’t respond.

How fortunate he was able to shoot at least Toon’s frozen arm?

And amidst this, how warmhearted Kijung’s efforts to comfort Leeha without burdening him, by constantly shushing Bobae and Biyemi?

Leeha once again felt grateful to his cousin.

“I’m sorry, Kijung.”

“S-sorry for what? I would have been in serious trouble if not for you.”

Kijung insisted he was fine, but it didn’t quite reach Leeha. It wasn’t that Kijung would have been in danger without Leeha.

It was that Kijung was in danger because of Leeha.

‘If I had shot a bit sooner, if I had just landed five shots on his head when the Sacrifice skill was triggered.’ Toon might have been completely eliminated. Perhaps it was an opportunity that wouldn’t come again?

Having experienced the [Sacrifice] skill, Toon would not recklessly charge anymore.

Meaning, there would barely be any chance to take a clean shot at him from then on.

‘Towards the end as well. In some way…’

Leeha turned his head to glance at a group of users and NPCs far away. Giggling with laughter, the person who emerged with a smile was Lark of “The Knight of the Rainbow”. If Lark had not blocked Toon’s attack at the end, Kijung would undoubtedly have died. Owing a debt to a user he disliked was as good as making Leeha’s heart uneasy. After all, the whole situation stemmed from his failure to properly attack Toon.

“I’ll go check. Call me if a monster appears.”

“Okay, where are you going?”

Kijung asked with a worried face, but Leeha just gave him a reassuring smile. When his mind was troubled, there weren’t many places to go within Middle Earth.

Whoosh…!

Activating the crystal, Leeha arrived at the Musket Academy, in the capital of Fibiel.

“Sigh… I have no face to see Nara-ssi,” Leeha, usually quite shameless, felt differently this time. It wasn’t just a simple mistake but a problem he had failed to resolve.

‘I should go thank Ram Hwajung-ssi later.’

As Leeha walked towards the entrance of the academy, a gunshot rang in his ears. The clean sound of the gunpowder explosion seemed to blow away the distractions in his head.

“Ah, this is annoying, so annoying. What am I supposed to do? I failed a snipe in the game, and it felt so real that I can’t snipe anymore in-game. Who am I supposed to tell about this? If I go to a psychiatrist, I feel like they’d lock me up in a mental hospital.”

Leeha, sitting on a bench, muttered to himself.

The reason he came here was simple. It was likely for Kidd or Luger to show up. Though he could always go to them using the Three Musketeers’ teleport or adding them as friends, consulting them didn’t appeal to him.

‘The best thing is to bump into each other and chat, just like I did with Kidd last time.’

Kidd had told him to go back to the beginning. Leeha recalled his words and scratched his chin.

‘What did Sergeant Kim say again? What did my mom say?’

While Leeha was securing the “Divine Staff,” he had been told there was a message. However, having logged out and fallen asleep immediately, and then logging back in right after waking up, he couldn’t remember exactly what his mother had said.

‘Where did she say to meet? Or did she mean they’re coming to our house? Or was it to come to the base?’

Bang!

Another gunshot rang in Leeha’s ears. The clean gunshots not only dispelled distractions but also disrupted his focus. Leeha looked towards the source of the sound.

“Huh? That person is still…? No, is it the same person as before?”

Unless there were more than two Musketeers of the Miyaou race, the user practicing now was undoubtedly the one he’d seen before.

“Back to the beginning… Right, the beginning for a musket is also a beginning,” Leeha mused as he rose from the bench and walked over. Perhaps by offering advice to a novice Musketeer user, he might find some subconscious hint that could help him as well.

“Excuse me, hello?”

Leeha called out from a safe distance, knowing it was dangerous to approach someone who was shooting. Standing far enough away so the shooter could notice him and stop shooting was basic protocol, something Leeha well knew from his time in the military.

The Miyaw Musketeer turned to see Leeha. His pointed cat-like ears looked incredibly cute on the handsome young boy.

“My name is Leeha.”

Leeha pondered what expression would look the coolest as he flashed a teeth-bearing smile. A Musketeer user, if not a complete beginner, would likely know who he was. It wasn’t strange for Leeha to be conscious of such fan service(?).

“I know.”

“What?”

“I said I know.”

But no matter how famous someone is, it feels bad when a fan speaks rudely to them. Without warning, he scoffed at Leeha, claiming he already knew. Leeha’s expression slightly crumpled as he came to offer advice. Watching his reaction, the handsome youth Miiwo shook his head.

“What an idiot. You remember the etiquette of the shooting range but completely forgot the sniper’s etiquette. No matter what, have you forgotten to keep a poker face?”

“…What? Who-“

“Second sniper squad leader, at ease—Oops!”

“Trainee number 6! Sta—nd, ha—lt! I mea—, wha—, huh?!”

As the resounding voice was heard, Leeha reflexively assumed the ‘at-ease’ position, raising his right arm. This was beyond a conditioned reflex—it was almost an instinctive ‘unconditional reflex’, so familiar were the voice and tone.

“…Could it be…”

It was the same phrase he had always heard at 6:20 every morning after completing his military service, enrolling in the non-commissioned officer academy, and receiving special sniper training.

Who was the one who had said those words!

“Master Sergeant Kim?”

“I’m a Warrant Officer now. Kidd, even if you’re not interested, don’t you even know the ranks?”

Leeha couldn’t decide whether to be happy to meet Master Sergeant Kim in Middle Earth or to be bewildered that a veteran sniper, now over forty-six, was playing in the guise of an fan.

“That—that is, um, you see—”

Where to even begin? Why are you here in Middle Earth? Even if you are here, what’s with that appearance? Congratulations on your promotion?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Leeha’s mind.

“I’ve been waiting here for several days. Didn’t your mother pass on the message?”

“Oh! Ah, so that’s what you were referring to?”

Leeha suddenly remembered his mother’s words before he fell asleep. By the time he woke up in the morning, his mother had already gone out, leaving him unable to fully catch what was said! Leeha felt awkward and flustered.

“Tsk, tsk. After all, Ha Leeha is quite famous in Middle Earth. You must have been busy even inside.”

“Hehe, not at all. It’s all thanks to the sergeant—”

“Showing your teeth, are you?”

“Sorry, sir!”

Once again, an unconditional reflex was executed. Leeha’s body and mouth reacted on their own without the need for his brain to control them, showcasing the profound relationship between him and Sergeant Kim.

‘I’m not sure if I can call this profound, but—’

Standing at attention without even properly moving his eyes, Leeha heard a “rest” command.

Only then could he relax and scrutinize Sergeant Kim. After a moment of tension followed by relaxation, the initial embarrassment had mostly faded.

Sergeant Kim, staring intently at Leeha’s lower body, asked, “How’s your leg? All better now?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Acting foolishly, always whining… Heaven must be punishing you, kid, for ending up with a defective cartridge.”

Had Sergeant Kim already had a chat with Leeha’s mother? He seemed to know everything about the accident and even Leeha’s recent surgery.

“It seems so,” Leeha replied with a bitter smile.

Had someone else overheard Sergeant Kim’s remark, they might have felt upset, wondering how one could mock such a serious accident. However, Leeha somewhat understood his intentions. Despite his always harsh words, sergeant Kim had cared for his snipers more than anyone else.

‘But still, it feels a bit disappointing—’

“That’s right! I heard everything from Captain Jeong. How could they handle the accident so poorly— I almost went to see the division commander, but the battalion commander kept stopping me, so I let it be.”

“The division commander?”

“What commander! He’s a civilian now, isn’t he? Just call him that guy. Only considered the nation’s son when they need him. Despite all the official petitions sent to the Ministry of Defense, shouldn’t the division commander have been covered? Right?”

The slight disappointment Leeha felt until moments ago swiftly evaporated. No, it wasn’t just gone; his feelings were replaced by astonishment and disbelief.