Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Ha Leeha quickly read through the quest window.

He immediately understood the meaning of the example he had brought up.

‘He said that the Eyes that Penetrate could see through camouflage. Then the reward skill for this quest must be…’

It meant an even higher level of camouflage!

‘No, it’s not just camouflage. It literally means melting into the surroundings, becoming one with them. But!’

What bothered him was the phrase “holding one’s breath” at the end of the quest description.

Wasn’t it Shimo who, being an ethereal being, kept saying words like “getting weaker” and “about to disappear” ever since the quest with Ha Leeha began?

‘Well, since there is a next quest with a reward, it can’t be the end, right? No way that quest will be the last one, would it? The name Giseoljae doesn’t seem to fit with the “White Death” anyway―’

[What do you think I did to face the giant wizards? They once wiped out an entire forest with their wide-area magic. During the Winter War, they blew up the entire area within an 800m radius, destroying it completely.]

“Huh? Ah, what?”

If it was during the Winter War, then he was alive, not an ethereal being.

But how did he survive when the entire 800m radius was blown up?

[Your tricks were quite interesting, but mine are a bit different.]

Shimo quickly laid flat on the snowy ground.

Ha Leeha kept watching him. Or so he thought.

Though he hadn’t blinked, Shimo’s form naturally disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

“What? Huh?”

When did he disappear?

It was so natural that he couldn’t even sense something disappearing from his sight and awareness.

“How—”

[How could you attack me when I’m not there? If you want to carry the name of the White Reaper, you’ll have to master this.]

“No way… Is it what I’m thinking it is?”

Ha Leeha tilted his head with a strange expression.

He hadn’t been affected by wide-area magic.

How could they attack me?

I don’t exist. Everything pointed to one thing.

It wasn’t just camouflage, transparency, or transformation; it added something more.

‘…Attack nullification?’

Even in a state of camouflage, if an attack lands on Ha Leeha, he’d die.

But does this skill prevent such mishaps?

Not having to worry about blind attacks and wide-area skills?

‘This is crazy, that’s impossible. Yeah, it must be impossible. That would be cheating. Ha ha, no way.’

Ha Leeha was shocked for a moment but soon came to terms with it. That was just too much, wasn’t it?

“How does it sound? Will you take on the challenge?”

Shimo urged Leeha.

Leeha looked at the quest window once more.

The success condition was to evade Shimo’s pursuit for 24 hours.

‘He’s an NPC that can even see through camouflage. Simply hiding won’t work. But as long as I avoid his pursuit and don’t get hit…’

There was also the option of three-dimensional maneuvers using Jellypong.

Couldn’t Blaugrunn be utilized to subtly interfere?

Although the quest conditions seemed dangerous, Leeha’s curiosity about the skill reward couldn’t be contained.

“I accept the challenge.”

The battlefield was set.

The quest would automatically fail if he left the battlefield.

Shimo would start moving in 5 minutes.

Hide and Seek:

[Preparation Time ― 00:04:59]

‘Oh?! Hide and Seek? And only 5 minutes to prepare―’

As Leeha hastily grabbed his Black Vests, Shimo fired his paint bullet into the snow.

Startled by the gunshot, Leeha looked at the ground and saw a red-colored snowball.

“Is that… a paint bullet?”

[I can’t use real bullets, can I? Remember, the moment you get hit even once, it’s over for you.]

Shimo, radiating an aura as if he were about to kill someone, held a paint bullet more suitable for a survival game.

Leeha couldn’t help but think, ‘This spirit can be quite meticulous.’ But he couldn’t afford to waste even a second here.

“Let’s go, Jellypong!”

[Myong-myong!]

Leeha swiftly moved away from Shimo.

The place where Shimo was, remained as ruins from the past. He was using the largest building in the area as his main base.

“A… Ah!?”

Only then did Leeha realize it.

Shimo had said he couldn’t leave ‘this place.’ So, how large was the battlefield?

“Just this much?”

The area Shimo could roam was the ruins of an old village. The entire village, about 1km in all directions, was surrounded by a light purple spatial barrier.

In this place with hardly any suitable hiding spots, Leeha had to find a place within 24 hours to conceal himself within 4 minutes.

The only fortunate thing was that the sun had already set.

***

“Chup, the coastal side following Juma City has been fully deployed, but there’s still no sight of it.”

“Mm, I thought so. I heard about Kaztor’s flying speed from Leeha-ssi, but from the center of the Sea of Dawn to here is quite a distance. If he were coming by flight alone, there’s certainly not enough time—”

“Hah! Nara-ssi, you’re thinking too complacently again. Just because he flew out of there doesn’t guarantee he’s flying all the way here.”

Lark had drawn his sword. Even just walking while holding it, the blade left trails of a rainbow-colored afterimage.

Shin Nara watched for a moment before asking Lark, “So, he’s going to use teleportation? But they said the mana linkage failed.”

“The mana linkage itself might have failed. While teleportation ‘all at once’ might not be possible, what if he used continuous blinks from the point where the New Continent comes into view?”

It was insightful to think of various ways a profession can be applied even if it was not his actual occupation.

“Ah… Right! Now that I think about it, they said he went to the Old Continent from here a long time ago… Even though the old settlement near the Gorilla paleo Tribe has been closed, there’s still a chance he might teleport near there!”

Shin Nara nodded her head in agreement.

While the Sacred Knights and some of the Vertuor Knights deployed along the coastline were using transparent detection and reconnaissance skills extensively, they would not be able to catch someone moving by blink.

Moreover, hadn’t the investigation into Lotzak’s past undertaken by the Fibiel royalty revealed that he came from the New Continent just before the Second Great Inhuman War?

“Yes. But he probably wouldn’t go to the gorillas. It’s probably his first time back to the New Continent in a long while; he wouldn’t want to see such ugly faces from the start… Hmm, let’s see… Arbitrarily entering using blink poses significant risks as well… Given that Ha Leeha-ssi thwarted them, there’s a near-impenetrable defense set up here which would not go unnoticed by an NPC of that caliber… So—”

Lark mumbled ceaselessly, while Shin Nara watched him with curious eyes.

‘Is that what it means when they say you can hear someone’s brain working? He seems smart, but at times like this, he’s like a kid—’

“—How will he come. He must be incredibly strong, right?”

“Ah?! Yes?”

Lark stopped mumbling and suddenly turned his head to Shin Nara. Startled, she hurriedly responded, worried that he might have read her mind.

“I-I’ve never faced him myself. But… Even without Leeha-ssi’s words, subduing Sir Syndergard without even a scream is an astounding feat.”

“Indeed. To silently kill twelve border guards, including a former Sacred Knight and a coalition force from four nations…”

Lark knew nothing about Kaztor nor his connections to “Matan’s Shooter.” All he knew from Cheka about Lotsak=Kaztor were tidbits collected by Pon from the Vertuor Knights and the events at the Papacy.

Thus, it was nearly impossible for him, positioned differently from Leeha, Kidd, or Luger, to decipher Kaztor’s plans and intentions.

‘Two former members of the Fibiel’s Three Musketeers. Or rather, three including their children. What Kaztor the Dark Elf NPC might currently be targeting is likely them…’

Yet, he managed to derive such unlikely insights.

Could this be the outcome when Luger’s instincts met Kidd’s intellect?

His mind was tirelessly churning.

‘Where could they be? Judging by Kaztor’s moves, it’s certainly the New Continent. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come here.’

While Lark pondered, Shin Nara was also rigorously communicating with Ram Hwayeon and the paleo members from the Partisans, trying to discern Kaztor’s movements. So far, there were no significant results.

Dealing with AI of the highest caliber required “reading” them in advance rather than merely “responding” upon sight.

And at that moment, a whisper arrived for the two members of the Capital Guard Knights.

“From the coastline—”

“―Lich Dragon Emergence!”

The Sacred Knights and the Verture Knights had reported immediately.

Shin Nara quickly lifted the crystal ball, but it was Lark who stopped her motion.

“W-What are you doing!?”

“No, we shouldn’t go.”

“What? What do you mean― What? It’s a Lich Dragon! Faust― Ah! Igor has also appeared! Faust and the Lich Dragon to the north, Igor to the south!”

On Juma City’s northern coast, Lich Dragons, Bone Dragons, and Undead Dragons suddenly made their appearance.

On Juma City’s southern coast, an unidentified Giant had appeared.

Immediate support was requested.

This was the common report that both of them received.

Shin Nara couldn’t hide her urgency, making Lark’s actions even more perplexing.

“……A feint attack. They split north and south……”

Lark ground his teeth.

“Let’s go to Juma City!”

“What? At least explain―”

“Don’t use the crystal ball, use the return scroll!”

Unlike the crystal ball, the return scroll required no casting time. Lark immediately tore the scroll and disappeared.

Despite her confusion, Shin Nara followed him without delay.

“Lark! Lark! Where are we going? All other guards are already dispatched for support!”

NPCs guarding the perimeter of Juma City, regardless of their affiliation with the Sacred Alliance, were heading for support both north and south.

Lark turned to Shin Nara briefly.

His face was contorted, but a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

“That’s exactly why I’m saying this……. It’s their favorite pattern. No, Igor and Faust have made it even more certain.”

“What?”

“Kaztor or Lotzak. It wasn’t because of the former trio! They’ll come. And if we know which area they’re coming to…… I can play a little trick.”

“What…… What are you talking about―”

Shin Nara stammered as she looked at Lark’s sword. Yellow particles had gathered on his blade without her noticing.

“〈Sticking Yellow〉.”

A brilliant yellow light shone from Lark’s sword.

“……Hmm? What did you do?”

However, Lark didn’t respond. Instead of answering, he suddenly started running.