Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

The White Reaper chose a sniper point that was too safe, hiding his body.

If he had really disappeared, if he had truly shot in the snowfield, he would have been absolutely impossible to find.

“No, that’s not it. I made it that way.”

After revealing his breath, they engaged in a sniper battle with a margin of error of 10 meters.

They twisted their bodies, avoiding each other’s bullets with strained muscles, deceiving each other’s eyes and brains. As a result, the White Reaper had to take a sniper shot that could see ‘every direction’ without missing a single point and had to erase all his traces in the snowfield, instead looking at somewhere through the window sill.

“There is no coincidence.”

Every coincidence was a necessity formed by his own efforts.

“The window sill of the third sniper point. The body of the Mosin-Nagant rifle would have been placed there. The window sill vibrated slightly due to the recoil.”

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It was nothing short of confirming the traces of ants crawling. In reality, there was no way to confirm whether the icicle had flown off or not.

“However,”

The figure lying in the prone position flipped his body completely.

If someone saw him, he would look like a crazy person lying on a snow-covered hill, enjoying the winter. Moreover, if he had the muzzle pointing towards the sky in that position, it would make him seem even more so.

As he lay aiming at the sky, a voice echoed in his mind once again.

This time, there were two people.

When it reaches that point, it’s not about ‘seeing and shooting.’ What should I say? Can I call it ‘believing and shooting’? You just have to believe.

“Believe!”

The words of Miss Elizabeth and Sergeant Sergeant Kim merged in his mind.

“To the furthest left of the third point’s window sill, the distance is 1,427.2 meters. Primary wind direction is southeast, wind speed 9/8, secondary wind direction is south-southeast, wind speed 7,200/8.”

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He pulled the trigger towards the sky, pulling out the information he subconsciously knew.

Then, trusting himself, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“『Curve shot』”

“Taaaaang-……!

What shot up into the sky was a small dot. The small dot changed direction in midair, heading towards the worn window frame of a dilapidated lodge. By the time the echo of the gunshot subsided, a white light burst forth from that spot.

‘Haah…. Haah…?’

The outcome of the shot was already known.

Babam-!

Accompanied by the sound of achievements popping up, blinding system notification windows cluttered the screen. But at that moment, there was no chance to see them.

“Not even taking a look……. Geez.”

He didn’t look at the target. Though he believed that it would be there. He didn’t shoot at the target either. He merely believed that he would reach it. He visualized the massive curve of the bullet flying, felt the difference in wind direction and speed as it curved.

“Just trust, and shoot.”

Could that be described as knowing it?

The point where it curved was where the bullet had been fired at an altitude of more than 1007 meters. He had no idea how the wind in that airspace differed from the ground where the bullet was shot, what the wind speed would be as it curved towards the potential direction of the White Reaper from that point. He hadn’t scattered grass to observe or watched the tremor of smoke or other objects.

“But how did I really know?”

Should it be called instinctive measurement? He couldn’t properly explain what he had done even to himself.

Anyway, after realizing that his unbelievable sniper attempt had succeeded for the first time, what struck him first wasn’t pleasure or satisfaction. As soon as he fired the bullet, the first thought that came to him.

“Dang, the recoil is a killer. Shooting lying down kinda hurts the stomach a bit too, doesn’t it? Hehe.”

It was the recoil. He laughed unconsciously, rubbing his stomach.

『Myong, myongmyong!』

“Oh, Jellypong?”

“Kyuuuuung…~….?”

“Even Koma?! You there. I told you to go down and search, didn’t I? Why did you come back again? I told you not to come until you’ve taken a hit like a Jellypong.”

Another ‘Leeha’ approached with a small child, giggling and staggering.

When Koma saw Leeha, perhaps feeling reassured, it had returned to its usual bear form, even excluding the power of the fire spirit.

『Myong! Myong!』

“Yeah, yeah, were you worried about me? But isn’t it embarrassing for me to mumble with my face like this? Let’s take off the glasses.”

When Leeha reached out, Jellypong took off its glasses from its face – Leeha still couldn’t pinpoint exactly where Jellypong’s face was, as it was different from the incident during the last time it wore the glasses.

At that moment, Leeha couldn’t help but burst with laughter.

“Hehehe, Jellypong! Koma!”

“Kyu, Kyung?”

『Myong?』

“I did it! Look at this, this is an achievement! Huh!? It’s me! Uh-haha!”

『You have obtained the achievement ‘Invisible hand’.』

『You have obtained achievement: Recognition of the Pandril Sniper.』

Leeha held hands with Koma and Jellypong, dancing clumsily. Just as they were sharing a brief moment of joy, a voice was heard from behind him.

“Quite a spectacular sight…”

“Who’s there?”

Leeha reflexively turned around, aiming the rifle. Meanwhile, Koma summoned the power of the fire spirit once again.

“Kyuung?”

『Myong-myong!』

“Ah, I’m not an enemy! My name is Karelin… Perhaps you’ve heard of me before…”

Karelin raised both hands in response to the threats from Leeha, Koma, and Jellypong.

Leeha’s eyes widened at the sound of his name.

Although this was their first actual meeting, there was no way Leeha wouldn’t know his name.”Carel- Karelin? The 12th-ranked player, that Karelin?”

“Phew, I was worried you wouldn’t know, but thankfully you do. Yes, that’s correct.”

Karelin shrugged off the robe he was wearing, tossing it aside. It was a gesture that served as nothing short of proof of his identity. The loose robe didn’t just appear baggy due to the garment’s design.

It was the iron-like muscles and perfectly toned muscles hidden within the robe that served as a testament to his identity. Most notably, the clothing he wore under the robe was the type most despised by Middle Earth users, especially male users.

Ranked 12th in Middle Earth and known for his formidable physical skills, Karelin’s combat style was quite different from the norm. While conventional combat styles in Middle Earth typically combined buffs and strikes, such as those of the Pei Wu or Hwangryong guild, or the Daoists Baek and Mu, his combat style was somewhat unconventional.

“The wrestler who shattered a troll’s vertebrae, leading to instant death… Karelin!”

Bearing the same name as the strongest anthropoid primate, Karelin’s job in Middle Earth was none other than a wrestler. With a face resembling that of a gorilla, he smiled with a seemingly innocent expression.

※ ※

“Oh, so you’ve seen that old video.”

“Yes, I have! I watched it and listened to it.”

One of the comments Leeha heard from Kijung before he turned off the Combat Assist System was, about Tale, who ran a kendo dojang and was stronger than users of the same level, and ‘another user’ who was said to have shattered a troll’s neck with a wrestling technique.

“Oh wow!? That person… had such a stylish combat video, it was truly amazing!”

It almost felt like watching a celebrity, didn’t it? Even though Karelin’s face alone wasn’t enough to recognize his identity, Leeha had also seen his videos on YouTube. There was a time when Leeha wanted to delve deeper into the musketeer job while watching Karelin’s recorded combat style.

“Ah, cough, um, yes. So, uh… what can I do for you?”

Leeha quickly changed his hesitant expression and asked Karelin.

While it was an exciting moment for a well-known figure to recognize their name and strike up a conversation, it might not be the case at this particular moment. This was the restricted area of Shazrashian, and since Karelin was a member of the Shazrashian Giants, it might not be ideal.

“Well, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the President. The Human Flesh Hunter were quite challenging even for us… Haha, judging by your reaction just now, it seems like you managed to take care of him, am I right?”

“I didn’t exactly get rid of them.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. Well, no worries. Judging by the fact that you didn’t attack me while I walked here, you probably had some kind of quest to clear… and it seems like taking care of the Human Flesh Hunter has quieted things down. May I ask about the details?”

Karelin approached with a smile. Leeha couldn’t help but think of the Silver Dragon, Arzenmacht and Ram Hwajung. However, while they might have appeared cold and distant due to their abrupt expressions and indifferent tone, Karelin seemed to be in a slightly different situation. Simply put, even if a gorilla were to smile, they would appear more docile than him.

“Above all, that tone, that attitude-”

Leeha couldn’t grasp Karelin’s exact purpose. The only thing he could understand at the moment was one thing.

“No, I’m sorry, but I may not be able to answer your question. And, um, I would prefer it if you didn’t approach me as I approach the White Reaper.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s probably related to the quest. I’m just trying to be cautious to some extent. I don’t intend to be disrespectful to Karelin, but- this quest is very… very, very important to me.”

Karelin is of the Giant race.

『Achievement: Recognition of Pandril Sniper (S)』

Congratulations! You have gained recognition from the Pandril sniper who terrified the Shazrashians!

“The rough fingers of Giants can’t move delicately in such cold. If someone can achieve such a precise snipe, Pandril’s blood must be in their veins.”

Your successful shot in extreme cold has deeply moved the renowned sniper. As long as you don’t offend him, he won’t attack you in the future.

Reward: Agility +25, Ice Resistance +10%, You won’t be attacked by the White Reaper’s Ghost

You are the first registrant of the achievement 『Recognition of Pandril Sniper』.

The first three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, and an additional 200% of the existing effects will be applied.

Effect: Agility +50, Ice Resistance +20%

Another S-rank achievement significantly increasing Leeha’s attack power. It also raise the total ice resistance by 30%.

However, the most important thing in this achievement was not that.

“Not being attacked by the White Reaper’s Ghost… that’s the clue.”

The speaker carefully examined the text written in the achievement description.

The White Reaper will not attack you in the future. However, only if ‘you do not offend the White Reaper’s Ghost!’

“What do you mean… Is there something wrong if I approach Ha Leeha?”

“Well, it seems like it might be – no, just in case. Just in case. Please don’t come any closer.”

Whether the White Reaper’s Ghost will consider Karelin a Krabavi or not, at least it won’t consider Karelin a Pandril.

So?

“If I show that I am just talking or being together for no reason and end up being disliked… Damn it, even though it feels like I’ve already cleared it! I have to know how this damn game will go!”

Just being with Karelin could potentially offend the White Reaper’s Ghost.

The speaker was being cautious about this point, and from Karelin’s perspective of not understanding the language, there was no reason to feel good about it.

“As you may have heard from the NPCs- people here… this place is a restricted area for Shazrashians. Do you realize that you threatened 216 Rangers, extorted the Lord of Hamina Castle to find out the location of this place, and even entered recklessly?”

“Of c- course! That’s my fault, but, um… how should I put it, I haven’t opposed Shazrashian’s interests or done anything wrong? It’s just that there’s a bit of a problem, that’s all.”

The speaker hastily explained their situation, but it wasn’t going to be cleared up easily with a tangled situation.