Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

With the distance so short, it would take only about 0.3 seconds to reach Lark’s torso.

Based on Shin Nara’s memory of his combat style and movements, she judged it an attack he absolutely could not avoid.

Shin Nara smiled.

She aimed for the right forearm.

Piercing once deeply enough to damage the muscles would make it difficult for him to grasp and swing his sword.

Though he could quickly recover by swallowing a potion, at least it would dampen Lark’s momentum.

That, she thought, was sufficient. However, Lark had fully grasped her intent as well.

“Well, dodging an initial ‘Telegraph Punch’ kind of attack is a given. I was a bit surprised you avoided it with a much more advanced technique than I expected, but nothing changes.”

Hence, Lark did not move. He only tensed his grip around his sword.

“[Blue Hurricane].”

“What?”

Whoosh——-!

A teal whirlwind erupted beneath his feet.

There was no time to be amazed that wind could possess color. The sudden gale lifted Shin Nara’s charging form entirely into the air.

“What the—!?”

“Well, I didn’t want to show you something like this. But guess it’s inevitable against Dame Shin, huh? Truth be told, it’s kind of sloppy. But it’s better to use it than to look foolish in front of the kids. Sigh, an unforeseen loss.”

Lark clicked his tongue, shaking his head. The strong winds still swirled around him.

Had the Vertul Knights anticipated this skill and thus kept their distance? Even though Shin Nara floated upward, she noted the surrounding changes. However, the Knights, despite having initially maintained a sufficient distance, struggled not to be swept away by the powerful gale.

“How can you use such a skill instantly without casting?”

It wasn’t magic.

It might be possible with mystical creatures, but she couldn’t feel the presence of any spirit or related entity here.

The only explanation Shin Nara could think of was that it all boiled down to an item.

‘His sword is of a much higher caliber than mine. Something about that rainbow-colored sword—’

“Now, come down.”

Lark pointed his sword towards Shin Nara and flicked the tip downward. The teal wind, still swirling with vigor, abruptly ceased, throwing Shin Nara’s body to the ground.

Thud!

The sound was significant but, thanks to rolling gently back to her feet, she wasn’t seriously hurt.

Lark had forcibly canceled his attack skill to prevent damage.

“Continue…?”

Lark asked, tilting his head slightly towards Shin Nara.

With his casual demeanor and arrogant expression, yet knowing the “source of his confidence,” Shin Nara had no choice but to respond differently.

“A skill, isn’t that a bit cheap?”

“Huh? My, I never expected to hear that from Dame Shin herself. Calling a skill cheap.”

“No, a common skill would be one learned from job quests or passed down by a master at level 140. However, your skill seems far removed from that.”

“…Ah. Want to go with just pure skills then?

Maybe something like wooden swords? Swordsmanship- oh, you said fencing. Using fencing swords to fight fair and square?”

To Shin Nara’s nod, Lark’s words implied understanding the secret behind his sword without a proper ambush to execute a skill before inflicting a wound on him would make beating Lark 1:1 difficult. Of course, she didn’t expect Lark to fall for such a method. As expected, Lark straightforwardly rejected Shin Nara’s suggestion.

It wasn’t just a plain rejection.

“Someone of your caliber should know… leveraging items is also a skill….”

He looked around cautiously.

“Something’s coming.”

He had inferred not just why Shin Nara posed such a question but also its underlying motive.

“Hm? Surroundings?”

Though Pung tilted his head, Shin Nara’s expression began to harden.

She had not hoped to uncover the secrets of the sword with just a few words; the dialogue was meant to buy time.

‘Jeez, his perceptiveness is infuriatingly sharp. Acting all high and mighty like he wouldn’t bother about his surroundings…’

Shin Nara scanned her surroundings. The Virtue Knights intensified their guard and surveillance as per the orders of the species. The space was locked down! Would they be able to defend against Lark’s assault if he chose to attack in such a condition? It might not be easy.

However… Shin Nara was determined not to just stand by and be easily defeated. Fortunately, the guild Shin Nara had requested assistance from was Byulcho, a place where the esteemed Ranker Bobae and the outstanding tank Kijung, along with Biyemi known for his unconventional offensive strategies, and Jin Gonggong, resided.

“In a situation like this,” they were the most reliable players one could ask for.

Bang…!

“Uh?”

“What was that sound?”

Banggg… Bang…!

“What’s this?”

“Ah, it’s too late.”

Though Pung was momentarily startled, Lark sighed.

Suddenly, the sound of a window shattering echoed through the air as a turquoise-colored dome vanished in an instant, revealing several figures.

“Whoaaa!?”

“It’s high! Land, land!”

The ones who clumsily hit the ground were, of course, members of Byulcho. A simple dimensional lock scroll could never thwart Hyein’s teleportation! However, such a skill from a Sage was not something one could see often. It was natural for Pung and the Virtue Knights to be amazed. Lark alone nodded as if he had expected this, saying, “Nara! Are you okay?”

“Bobae!”

Bobae ran towards Nara and immediately drew her bow. No arrow was placed, but something shimmered on her bowstring.

“How dare you-“

“Bobae-ssi! We should listen to what they have to say before attacking-“

“What’s there to listen to from such scoundrels!

Sharp Edge, Pointed Arrow“

The tips of the translucent arrows glistened.

Adding to the increase in attack power, the arrows were guided skills aimed at vital parts. Bobae released the bowstring.

Swish——-

As soon as she shot, the almost transparent object split into several parts, too fast for regular players to even grasp the form of it.

“Between the eyebrows, solar plexus, and… the groin. Three arrows to start with—”

“Embracing Green“

Shshshshsh— Boom, boom, boom. Bobae found herself unable to do anything but stand there with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, the three arrows had been embedded into translucent green leaves that had enveloped Lark. A wall of countless dense leaves, unimaginably thick even in a dense forest, had deflected Bobae’s attack.

“That person called Master Kay, was it? Even though it’s not too organized, suddenly releasing arrows like that, Bobae? What if you had hit him.”

she was interrupted by another sound of an arrow hitting, “Falling with the top of the head aiming—shooting directly… originally, starting with four arrows aimed at.”

The voice of Bobae gradually became embarrassed as she spoke. It seemed like an attack that had been predatory, aimed at someone engaged in conversation, but the Pointed Arrow skill had been intended from the start to target four critical areas.

The members of Byulcho weren’t particularly surprised upon seeing Lark’s skill. After all, defensive spells like the [Force Barrier] attached to accessories were fairly common amongst them. The only person who was truly anxious was Shin Nara.

“Following Blue Hurricane…

Embracing Green. Wait, hang on. Blue followed by green—”

Shin Nara’s eyes widened. Lark was staring straight into her eyes.”

Sigh, we should have visited at least two more places today. Let’s all head back, to the Divine Staff.”

“Huh? Just leave like this, even though their numbers are few?”

“It’s fine. Staying any longer would only put us at a disadvantage,” Lark activated the crystal ball. Though it was a sudden order to return, Pung did not object any further.

Following Lark’s lead, the knights activated their teleportation scrolls, disappearing in an instant.

Light flashed three or four times, and the meadow at the outskirts of Red Wood, which had just been a battlefield, was now only swept by desolate winds.

“Whew… Looks like those guys were scared of us? If they had messed around a bit more, I would have just -”

“Giggle, maybe they noticed us approaching.”

Biyemi and Jin Gonggong appeared, cutting off Kijung’s words.

They had intended to assist with a sneak attack using their stretching skill and poison pouch but could not play any significant role as the Virtue Knights had vanished.

“Maybe… it’s not just for that reason.”

“What do you mean, Nara-ssi?”

“It’s the skills… They don’t want their skills to be known.”

Shin Nara hadn’t made eye contact with Lark before leaving.

It wasn’t the eyes of someone afraid or hesitant about battle.

Instead, it resembled the eyes of a playful child, filled with secrets and unwilling to reveal them.

“And as for skills… we still have plenty left.”

Shin Nara shared her theory with the assembled members of the Byulcho Guild. The possibility of facing the Virtue Knights again was rapidly increasing.

“Huh, so what do we do now? Once Nara catches on to something, she doesn’t easily let go. It doesn’t seem like she wants to kill them, though.”

Pung, having returned via the Divine Staff, frowned.

Revealing information unnecessarily and the loss of potions for quick healing was merely irritating.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’m thinking.

‘Toon-nim’ must continue to approach us for it to work… but there are countless ways to draw Nara away.”

“What are you planning?”

“I mentioned it earlier. You thought it was a good idea too.”

Lark cradled his neck with his hand.

His demeanor showed he was still calm and composed.

“The idea I agreed with? What was that… Ah, ah… But wouldn’t that put us at a disadvantage? Everyone might start acting like young horses in spring, and if those monsters decide to come destroy this—”

“Exactly. It would indeed be problematic if Toon could actually do that… But, let’s call on a few trustworthy knight orders and guilds from Minis. No other countries.”

Lark stretched. For Pung, that was the end of their discussion.

Now that orders were given, they just needed to be followed.

“Hmmm. Okay. After all, ‘The Hundred Captain’ is the supreme authority here. Understood.”

Pung disappeared immediately.

That night at the main camp of the Virtue Knights, some unfamiliar faces could be seen.

The rumors about the “Subjugation” achievement among the Minis affiliated knight orders and guilds started spreading the next day.

“Indeed… adding a small wing-like formation.”

“Strictly speaking, it’s more of a ‘turbine’ than a wing. The gas expands right before it exits, and this turbine forcibly spins, allowing it to escape. Passing through the bulkhead, the subjects lose enough energy, and turning the turbine and escaping cools and decelerates them a bit.”

Leeha explained, spreading out a newly drawn detailed blueprint before Bottleneck.

The silencer’s form, covered by a rotating cap, was unfamiliar even to Leeha.

“Mm, I get the feeling. In that case, a heat-resistant turbine would be even better if it could provide a significant cooling effect. If only there was a special metal for that.”

“Oh! Exactly. You understand so quickly, Bottleneck-ssi.”

“M- Me, the lord? I’ve been swinging a hammer since before you were born, you dare say that to me?!”

“Giggle, anyway! Please take care of this.”

“Are we heading to the New Continent right away?”

“That’s the plan. Let me know once it’s made,” Leeha had promised in exchange for Kidd’s request for an [Enhancement].

Bottleneck would handle everything related to the silencer, including the procurement of materials.

Leeha was well aware of how much quicker things could proceed with 20 handling it.

‘If I had to find materials myself, they would’ve probably asked for orichalcum or something.’