Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“The terrain over there… If it’s there—Jellypong!”

[Myong myong!]

To the left was a typical forest path, while to the right, the terrain rose so steeply it resembled a cliff, high enough that it seemed to tower over the surroundings.

With such a steep incline, it would be impossible for average users to climb from left to right without the aid of skills or items. The height, moreover, was over 30 meters.

“Get to the top of that cliff, before Toon gets here. Hurry!”

The moment he saw the terrain, simulations started running through Leeha’s mind again.

‘%…70 battles, 69 losses, and finally… 1 victory.’

It had taken exactly a thousand days of pursuing Toon for Leeha to finally secure a virtual victory.

Nothing else was worth looking at now.

Daylight was breaking, which meant Toon would soon be on the move, and it wouldn’t take him more than 40 minutes to reach this spot.

“Let’s get ready.”

[Myong.]

Leeha attached a magazine to his Black Bass.

The fight to turn his one simulation victory into a real one was about to begin.

Leeha took a deep breath as he faced forward.

“Good. There’s nothing obstructing the view.”

Jellypong swiftly lifted Leeha to the top of the cliff with its spider-like legs. Compared to the forest on the left, the right side of the cliff lacked sufficient cover.

Though there were sparse weeds, they were not dense enough to conceal a body, and the rocks, though present, were hardly significant in size.

Leeha positioned himself between the largest rock and some weeds, laying prone and ready to snipe. He quickly set up his bipod, making sure his rifle was as stable as possible on the uneven terrain, then pulled the bolt.

A heavy sensation filled Leeha’s fingertips.

The magazine he had loaded was a pitch-black, colorless one, not subsonic but filled with regular bullets.

[Myong, myong…]

“Are you also feeling uneasy?”

It was a distinctly different feeling from the usual.

“Me too. But what can we do?”

Leeha chuckled ruefully as he shifted his gaze to the scope. What was it again? The die has been cast. What’s done is done, and cannot be undone. Leeha knew better than anyone that it’s pointless to dwell on anxieties you can’t change.

‘The expected route for Toon to pass is definitely through the middle of that forest path. From here, it’s about 1.76 meters, close enough.’

Leeha ran the simulation through his mind once more. How long would it take for a monster of size 440m, with such long strides, to cover the distance here from 1,710 meters?

A creature with a stride of at least 170 meters. But that’s when walking normally. Considering its sprint speed…

‘It’s going to be enormous. It’ll cover more ground than its size with each step. That means, at least 53 meters? Then, taking three, four, no… even five steps a second into account, Toon could cover a distance of about 265 meters in just one second. Averaging between four and five steps, that means it could move an average of 240 meters per second.’

Leeha felt dizzy at the thought. 1.7 km is a distance where those with poor eyesight may not even make out what’s there. Yet, for Toon, it’s a distance that can be closed in merely 8 seconds.

“8 seconds… heh, incredible.”

Until now, various obstacles, escort personnel around Leeha, and more than targeting Leeha himself, important objects like the [Divine Staff] made sprinting movements unfeasible.

But now?

Maybe a brief evasive maneuver could buy an extra 2 seconds. But that’s still just 10 seconds. Standing still, one might manage to land a few shots…”

Toon will come running at full speed, also maneuvering left and right.

If he were to run straight, it’d make sense to aim directly at Toon’s belly from the start. Even as the distance closes, continuous firing without readjusting the aim would suffice.

After all, any deviation would be in vertical alignment, so aiming at Toon’s belly would do just fine. However, it’s a different story if the target moves left and right, especially one that can close a distance of 265 meters per second. Swift readjustment of the aim will be essential.

Click-click-click.

Of course, having calculated even that in the simulation, Leeha was already swiftly turning the dial on top of the scope.

“Like this… Whew, there’s no one watching, so I don’t have to be nervous, but it’s like going up on stage, right?”

[Myong?]

“Right, I’ve never actually been on a stage before. I definitely couldn’t be a celebrity. Getting this nervous over such a thing.”

Even as Jellypong’s eyes wandered, Leeha kept talking.

In the most tense and dangerous moments, jokes are needed more than ever!

Like Kijung, with whom he shares a cousinly bond, Leeha was also using humor to ease the tension.”

Okay, okay. I’ve got the terrain around us all figured out. We can do this.”

Leeha took another deep breath.

Just as Leeha swallowed, a distant rumble came from afar.

“Like hell we can…”

Koooung- Koooung- Kooouuung…!

“We have to.”

Without even needing to look, Leeha knew it was Toon approaching.

Leeha didn’t fiddle with the scope anymore.

The zeroing was already set at 1.700. What was left was just to wait until Toon crossed into the perfect straight line alignment with Leeha.

It wouldn’t take too long.

Watching the dust kicked up by Toon’s feet and his head bobbing, Leeha checked his pacing.

‘It wasn’t much different from my calculation. Should I be thanking him or what?’

Leeha let his smile fade away.

Hooooo…

“Shall we?”

[Mong!]

Hearing the small cry of Jellypong, Leeha briefly closed his eyes, then opened them.

Toon filled Leeha’s view from within the scope.

Leeha slowly exhaled. Haaaaa… Leeha pulled the trigger.

Tuooooo—–!!

Koooung- Koooung- Koooung- Koooung- Koooung- Thump!

The rhythm of Toon walking was-broke. Leeha didn’t plan to watch his target stagger for long. He pulled the trigger again.

[Mong!]

But before the second bullet could reach, Toon had already spotted who was attacking him and from where. Instinctively, he ducked, evading it.

Leeha felt a chill run down his spine as he made eye contact with Toon through the scope. However, there was no longer any fear. After all, everything was still within Leeha’s expectation.

“Eye for an eye, you bastard.”

Tuooooo——-!!

The third bullet was fired.

[Aaaargh! This damn thing, lying in ambush here! How did he anticipate my path!]

“Doesn’t matter if I can’t hear whatever you’re spewing! Just shut your trap!”

—

Leeha pulled the trigger again. The distance was still more than 1.7km!

Toon’s voice wasn’t audible.

Pulling the bolt, Leeha slightly adjusted the zeroing and fired again!

Once more, then again!

[You can’t kill me with such attacks, you arrogant bastard!]

Leeha was watching, clearly. With each shot landing, he saw Toon’s skin explode and blood stream out.

Although the first shot had accurately taken out the crown of his head, shattered his collarbone, shattered his shoulder, and even punched a complete hole in his chest, Toon didn’t falter.

Except for the first direct vertical shot, it effectively meant Leeha was unable to stop Toon’s charge.

“Expected, but this is too much!”

Faster than his panic was Leeha’s hand movements.

“The stopping power this bullet has should be…”

Another shot, and yet another!

Leeha wished to gouge deeper into the previous wounds, but accurately aiming at the swiftly moving Toon, disproportionate to his size, was impossible.

Still, Leeha targeted every possible spot on Toon’s body.

One bullet hit the thigh, another the shin, quickly cocking the bolt and spilling yet another bullet towards Toon’s armpit. And another step was aimed at the elbow of a deformed arm.

Leeha had tried to target what seemed like weak points on a human body, yet none of his hits were effective. Despite the wounds opening and blood seeping out, and even sometimes what seemed like white bone appeared briefly within Leeha’s scope, Toon never backed down.

“That white thing must definitely be a bone… Even though flesh has been gouged out to reveal bone, not a single scream of pain-“

Roar!

There was no sight of Toon screaming in pain. There were small groans and the sounds of disrupted breathing, but that was hardly good news. No, it was rather bad news. It meant they had gotten close enough for such small sounds to be heard.

[“Have the others not shown themselves, or did you really come to find me alone! Kahaha!”]

Toon’s sudden laughter and Leeha’s gunfire stirred up the quiet eastern New Continent.

Whizz!

Birds flew up, and wild animals scattered with cries, but Leeha himself was so focused he couldn’t even perform the evasive maneuvers he had initially intended.

The battle, which started at 1.76m, had now closed in to 500m. By Toon’s stride and speed, he would arrive in just over 2 seconds.

“This is really a troublesome bastard.”

Leeha quickly rummaged through his bag while lying down.

Leeha was at a height of 30m above the ground, a very appropriate distance to meet Toon’s 44m tall gaze and converse.

In other words, it was the perfect height to aim for his eyes.

“This should work?! If not, what am I even living for!”

Among the items he pulled out was an emergency bomb!

Lighting the fuse of the special Bottleneck bomb and aiming his sights at Toon’s eye, Leeha threw it.

[Funny guy! This time I will devour you-]

Boom!

With the explosion, a giant flame erupted.

Toon, who had been approaching step by step, could not carelessly advance this time.

A vast flame had exploded in front. But it wasn’t just because of the flame.

[Khaaaat-! Damn you!]

As if the explosion was a mere deception, one bullet that flew through the firestorm pierced Toon’s pupil. Even with eyes larger than those of an average human, Toon’s face was utterly ripped open, and a storm of blood gushed forth.

Even then, Leeha saw it.

The great rage being directed at him by Toon!

Without even shielding his bleeding eyes, Toon merely squinted and continued advancing towards Leeha.

A monster that didn’t step back even after being attacked in the face and losing the sight in one eye.

It wasn’t merely because he was strong or his immense stature.

Compatibility! The grudge formed between Leeha and Toon during the game had made Toon determinedly combative.

[Where are you, you cur! Do you think you can escape and live in a place where spatial movement is impossible!]

Toon bellowed.

His voice, filled with pain and evil, reverberated loudly above the cliff.

Including an eye shot, a total of eleven attacks.

Excluding one missed shot, ten bullets had pierced various parts of his body in addition to the flames from the bomb, yet Toon did not flinch at all.

“The first shot with Shadow Hitman applied was a whopping 87,000, and if we consider the rest of the attacks at 43,000, that totals up to 520,000! Show some sign of damage! If it’s as Leeha expected, he can’t be completely unharmed.

The problem is, it’s not about tearing flesh or skin, but the need to shake his bones…

Yet, Toon was already in front of Leeha.

[Do you think such deception can free you from me!] Toon, with his remaining arm, swung swiftly, clearing the gunpowder smoke before striking the ground Leeha was lying on.

[I will not kill you off easily! I shall bring your well-pounded flesh to the Count!]

Toon, as he declared, had no intention of killing Leeha through blows or crushing.

It was an effort intended to grasp. Toon’s effort to inflict the most severe pain hadn’t faltered.

“Ah! Go away, leave!”

From within the smoke not yet fully cleared, Leeha’s scream could be heard. Thump…!

And immediately after, the sensation of something soft filling his palm!

[Kaha! Caught, you are caught, you scoundrel!]

Though one eye could not see properly,

Toon’s sense of touch in his fingertips was not dulled. He could accurately determine what he had caught. On the cliff’s edge, the thing grasped firmly in Toon’s hand was unmistakably Leeha.