Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“A dusk spirit that hasn’t shown itself in nearly a hundred years…”

Leeha’s thoughts quickly began to race.

“I can’t tell you how much trouble I’ve been through looking for you all. Oh, you are all here, right?”

Teehee, teeheesat!

Leeha was certain now.

The laughter of the dusk mystical creatures echoed from all around. Essentially, this place was a “Dragon Palace” for the mystical creatures of dusk.

“Mermaids are fully materialized water spirits, so the concept is a bit different… but I’m convinced this place has been a sanctuary for the dark spirits who’ve been hidden in the Lope Continent for the past century.

“Keeseet, what to do!? You’ve come all this way, it’d be a shame if we’re not willing to make a contract.”

“If it’s not too rude, may I ask why?”

Ideally, seeing a Shade’s form would have made conversation easier, but speaking was the only option Leeha had at the moment.

Above all, since they could see him, he remembered to wear his brightest smile.

“A reason? We just don’t want to! Especially not with humans, and certainly not with someone who’s not even an Alensterna.”

Laughter erupted once again from various places.

Leeha didn’t miss a single word they said.

“You seem to know a lot about humans, given how long you’ve been here?”

“Teehee! Of course! We even know about the humans who sometimes come here to play! There’s another human reaching out and dancing somewhere else right now. Teeheehee…”

Leeha quickly guessed they were talking about Luger. He felt a desire to screenshot that moment of Luger, though he wasn’t in any different situation himself.

More importantly…

‘If excluding Fernand, no other user has reached this place, then who are these ‘sometimes visiting’ humans?’

Leeha quickly realized who they might be.

“Are the visitors by any chance a man and a woman?”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! I thought the weapon on your back looked like Brown and Elizabeth’s! You’re not a Spirit Master but a Marksman?”

“Yes, right. I’m an acquaintance of theirs. They had asked for a favor. They said they had passed by here not long ago… I’m new to this area, so I’m not familiar with the way…”

“Teehee, you don’t know the way!”

“Fool, fool! The only ones who know the way in the dark forest of shadows are us!”

Just a few minutes ago, he had mentioned coming to see the dusk mystical creatures and now flipped his words skillfully. However, the dark spirits found Leeha’s sly smile and acting only amusing. Such unexpected joviality.

“Brown and Elizabeth passed here already more than three days ago!”

“No, it’s been two days!”

“Three days, isn’t it?”

If it wasn’t for the visibility issue, Leeha might have believed they were not “dusk” but “light” mystical creatures. Good, almost there.

“If handling them is this easy, maybe I should consider making a contract?”

was a thought that crossed his mind.

However, it wasn’t as straightforward in practice. As mentioned by Shade, currently, Luger was merely spinning in place, caught in the prank of the dusk mystical creatures.

The kind and informative conversation was possible thanks to a heightened spirit affinity much greater than any normal Spirit Master and an item inside Leeha’s bag, something Leeha himself had yet to realize. If he had thought a little more, talked a little more, he might have understood.

“Fool, fool! Three days is how long it took for a dinosaur to pass!”

If not for that singular word brought up by one of the Shades, Leeha might have come to realize it too.

“A dinosaur?”

“Woo, woo woo! No, no. Too comfortable near demon and I don’t like it!”

“You’ll get waterlogged, totally soaked!”

“But you can climb up! You won’t need a Shade’s shell anymore!”

Amidst the ruckus of the chattering Shades, Leeha asked. The dinosaur was gone.

At least officially, there was only one entity known to have that grand reputation.

“Wait a moment. The dinosaur you just mentioned, is it Toon?”

“Yes, Toon, Toon! They say Toon passed through here again, Toon!”

“-Really…”

Unintentionally, Leeha stumbled upon information she had not expected to find. Just three days ago, Toon had passed through this place.

※ ※

“Why? Why would Toon?”

His heart rate suddenly increased. Amidst the anxiety and tension, Leeha had many thoughts, but it wasn’t easy to deduce the reason why Toon had passed through. If one were to predict the movements of Bluebeard and the Demon King’s Army, there could be three compressed reasons. One was to restore Toon’s arm.

Magic like healing couldn’t regenerate an arm that had been shattered into pieces and disappeared.

Then, one assumption could be that Toon was heading towards a place with a stronger regeneration magic.

“Or… Toon was moving on its own to gather the monsters for the fourth wave.”

The [Holy Spirit] being fully formed means it can’t spread. Individually moving the monsters would have a high chance of them being defeated in detail.

Therefore, it was also necessary to consider the possibility that Toon was personally leading them to a single location.

“If it’s not that then… This is the worst assumption.”

And the third,

It was moving to recruit a ‘new force’ of monsters. The Eastern New Continent still didn’t have many users. Even so, was there a need for Toon to personally move and lead the monsters?

Thinking so, the third reason seemed the most plausible. And that new force, whether through persuasion or threats, seemed like an opponent worth Toon’s personal involvement, right?

“What’s the reason Toon passed through here?”

“Kishi! How would I know!? Did it go to its house or what?”

“Eugh, no thanks! Toon’s house?! It’ll be full of those unlucky dinosaurs!”

“It’s a relief it disappeared quickly!”

“Right! We’d become bad guys if we got mixed up with it!”

The Shades burst out in complaint. Leeha’s ears perked up.

“A house? Toon has a house? Full of dinosaurs, you say-”

“Don’t you know? The kingdom of dinosaurs! Toon’s house!”

“Humans are such fools. They know nothing.”

Despite the Shades’ laughter, Leeha didn’t hear them.

“Uh, crazy.”

It was as if the worst assumption had come true.

If Toon wasn’t a standalone creature but, like paleos, a creature that popped out from several tribes?

“Such a monster…

If, as the Shades describe, a ‘kingdom of dinosaurs’, then at the very least, there must be hundreds!

Then, there’s no time to delay any further.

“Which direction did Toon go?”

“Far East! That’s where Toon’s house is!”

“Shades, can you guide me to the exit? Time is of the essence!”

“Kishishis, why should we let you out? What can you even do?”

Leeha clenched her teeth.

Indeed. What could she do?

‘I’ve also cross-checked with Luger… Teleportation doesn’t work around here.’

At least, not ordinary teleportation.

It might be possible for a Sage like Hyein, or someone of a Dragon level or higher, but currently, Hyein is logged out. Besides, if Toon’s house is in the far eastern direction, or east anyway. Alexander is logged in, but…? Could Leeha call him?

Even in this situation, Leeha thought of the quest.

Hadn’t they said not to come with anyone?

Moreover, if it’s been three days since Toon passed, and two days since Brown and Elizabeth passed, it could mean it’s not too far away.

In other words, even if she were to encounter Toon, there’s a high chance she can’t call anyone. Yet, should she still search for Toon? Must she face Toon alone, without anyone’s help?

Leeha recollected what the dusk mystical creatures had said. At the very least, with the guidance of the dusk mystical creatures, it’s possible to escape this forest.

‘To send me off, implies that their favor is necessary… and considering the situation-‘ Leeha mulled over his options.

“Sigh, sigh. At least I know that attacks work….”

He can do it. He must do it.

“Shades, if you would allow me to leave-“

For the purpose of breaking this tough bond, Leeha had to be prepared to take a step forward. For the world, for the new continent, for the fourth wave, to prevent awakening Ghibrid. Setting all that aside, for himself.

“-I will kill Toon for you.”

“Kikiki! A human catching him isn’t possible!”

“To catch a dinosaur? A human? Kiki! This will be fun!”

And with that, Leeha’s daring proposition was accepted. The Shades, known for their playful and mischief-loving nature, didn’t just laugh off Leeha’s seemingly outrageous claim.

“What if? Wouldn’t it be fun? Then how about I record that fun thing and bring it here? What will you do for me in return?”

Leeha beamed broadly, confident that the Shades must be seeing his self-assured smile.

“What should we do for you? Hm? What should we do?”

“But still, a contract? Nah! We don’t like contracts!” exclaimed the Shades, expressing their reluctance to enter into a pact.

“It’s not about whether you’re a spiritualist or a wood elf, we don’t want to make a contract with a human!” they clamored.

Suddenly, another phrase caught Leeha’s ear.

“Mentioning Alen Serna too… fitting well with wood elves – wait, wood elves?”

It reminded him of someone. A dusk spirit that hadn’t been seen for the past 100 years. A wood elf of the same kind as Alen Serna. A player who had stuck with Chiyou without any specific job as a spiritualist or any apparent advantage.

‘Prea… Could it be- is her goal the dusk mystical creatures?

Did they side with them to form a pact? Leeha felt like laughing. It might not be the only reason, but it seemed like a plausible guess.

‘The seed of evil. Definitely related. It’s conceivable that the dusk mystical creatures could be affiliated with the demon king’s forces. In that case…’

Leeha smiled. It didn’t have to be a complete success. However, this alone could deal significant damage.

“You don’t have to make a contract with me. Instead!”

“Kikiki, so what should we do instead?”

Leeha laughed as he set his terms, which the spirit Shades gladly accepted. Approximately 3 seconds after accepting the quest, Leeha found himself relocated to the eastern exit of the dark forest.

“It’s different from teleportation… a dimensional shift within the dawn.”

Even in the midst of this, Leeha was eager to extract as much information as possible.

One of the most crucial pieces of information was that many locations in the eastern part of the new continent were immune to teleportation. Apart from a few specific points, virtually all forms of spatial movement, including teleportation, were impossible.

‘They seemed mischievous but not liars.’

However, the dawn mystical creatures were different. The power that moved Leeha was a different kind from teleportation, limited to within the dark forest.

The ‘deal’ he had made with them had earned Leeha detailed information on Toon’s movement direction and this escape alone.

“To think this entire place was the dark forest. Shouldn’t there be at least one warning sign? Right, Jellypong?”

[Mongmong?]

Jellypong tilted its head. In the middle of the map left by Brown and Elizabeth, a vast oval could be seen. That was the full extent of the dark forest.

The route to the eastern part of the New Continent without passing through the Dark Forest was so narrow that it was virtually nonexistent.