Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

『How dare they… mere toys…』

If Petyr and Lee Jiwon represented the users, then the NPC representative was Pyrot-Cocri from the Peklo City.

『Arghh—Damn it, damn it, damn it! What the hell is this Black Bass or something!』

She wanted to squirm, but she couldn’t move inside the crystal ball.

After struggling for a while, a sudden smile appeared on her face.

『Kikihi, yes. The situation is… I’m the one making it. You’re all~ my marionettes.』

Pyrot-Cocri closed her eyes as she wriggled.

* * *

“Gkh, Gkh… Puhahak! I knew it… Of course.”

Igor, Sasuke, and Pyro turned to look at the NPC who suddenly burst into laughter.

“Wh-what is the matter?”

“I was feeling itchy for some reason. I wondered what this itching, itching feeling was.”

Bluebeard revealed a fierce smile.

Then he turned his body away from the dungeon they were about to enter and faced outside.

“Where are you going?”

“Pyrot-Cocri isn’t supposed to be in this kind of place. Damn little brat. If you were already awake, you should have given a heads-up instead of making us suffer for nothing.”

Bluebeard lightly grumbled as if spitting out his words.

Igor and Pyro, as well as Sasuke, were all startled by his confident tone.

“Pyrot—Did you just say Pyrot-Cocri?”

“Yes. I found out where she is.”

“H-how did you suddenly figure that out… we’ve been wandering in the New Continent all this time because of that―”

“That? Did you just call her that?”

Bluebeard slowly turned his head to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately bowed his head.

“No, I’m sorry.”

To Bluebeard, Sasuke was even lower than Igor or Pyro.

His expression clearly showed that he couldn’t tolerate such a lowly being belittling a Demon King’s Fragment, who was of the same kind as him.

“Igor, Pyro.”

Bluebeard smiled at Sasuke and then called Igor and Pyro.

“You two need to come with me. Bring this guy along.”

‘This guy’ obviously referred to Sasuke, whom Bluebeard pointed at with his chin.

“Understood.”

“What?”

Pyro nodded his head tightly, while Igor stretched his neck as if to loosen it and showed a reluctant expression.

“Where do we need to go? We already have a hard time moving around during the day due to restrictions.”

“To the continent across the sea. Underground in the Cold Wind Mountain Range… You call it Shazrashian. Head to the northernmost part of that country.”

Since Bluebeard had finished speaking, Igor couldn’t refuse. When he ended his words, it was Sasuke who was the most surprised.

“Shazrashian! Pyrot-Cocri is in the northernmost part of Shazrashian?”

“What’s with that ‘I knew it’ tone?”

“No, I didn’t know. It’s just that recently we’ve been able to access that area—”

“Recently?”

“Yes, it was previously locked—no, it was an area we couldn’t pass through. But recently… the person who enabled access to that area—”

Sasuke turned pale.

He wasn’t as capable as Chiyou, but he was still one of the closest aides in a user-created intelligence guild.

He wasn’t entirely oblivious.

‘Damn it…’

One step ahead again.

If he delivered this to Chiyou, what kind of scolding would he receive?

There was no way the person who opened the northernmost part of the Shazrashian didn’t know about Pyrot-Cocri.

“—It was Ha Leeha.”

Sasuke’s comment, which assumed Pyrot-Cocri and Leeha’s encounter as a certainty, drew reactions from all the members of the Demon King’s army present.

“What? Ha Leeha? That guy again?”

“Ha Leeha? Alright. I’ll leave immediately.”

“Keheheh! Lead me, you damn lackey of Chiyou!”

Before the admiration in the sticky voice of Bluebeard could fade, Pyro and Igor swiftly surrounded Sasuke. Even Igor, who had initially looked reluctant, now had eyes ablaze.

Bluebeard was not the only one who harbored a grudge against Leeha.

“Ha Leeha… Fine. First, the three of you just scout.”

“Scout…?”

Pyro, who still hadn’t grasped the entirety of Ha Leeha’s involvement, asked.

“If Ha Leeha had discovered Pyrot-Cocri, and if that audacious brat had given me this hint… Ha Leeha wouldn’t be there alone, would he?”

“Kekeke, there would be dragons, right? Wasn’t there also that damned Holy Knight brat?”

It was a well-known fact that made Igor and other Demon King’s army users shudder.

“What would you do if after scouting, there is indeed a dragon, especially something like Bahamut?”

In response to Sasuke’s question, Bluebeard bared his teeth in a grin.

“It’s a bit early to reveal, but I also have a card up my sleeve. A card so interesting that the old man over there would forget Pyrot-Cocri’s name.”

If only they could awaken Pyrot-Cocri completely.

Glancing at Bluebeard’s face, which solely entertained this one thought, Sasuke whispered urgently to Chiyou.

―Oka-san, I have something to report to you. It’s urgent.

* * *

“Alright, everyone, great job! If you want to rest, take a good rest, and if you need to gear up, do that. Let’s meet at the Ezwen Papal Office in 3 Middle Earth days! Make sure not to dissolve the party until then!”

When levels are low, it’s best to claim the reward immediately upon completing a quest.

Whatever items or rewards come out would undoubtedly be better than what one would be using at that level.

However, once a certain level is surpassed, the story changes.

Especially when the rewards of a quest are concealed, like the one received by Kijung and his party, one must be even more cautious.

Particularly in the case of the Papal Office, where there’s a high chance of gaining access to the Pope’s secret treasury.

Considering that?

Kijung, taking into account the optimal timing for rest and adjustment, chose to set the rendezvous for 3 days later. As soon as he finished talking, members like Raphaela, Rubini, and Pei Wu opted to return.

“Hyung, are you staying here?”

“Well, since Bahamut hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll stay until then.”

“Okay, I’m going to get some sleep then.”

Just like Kijung, who was also exhausted, Leeha quickly logged out after a brief farewell.

The ones remaining were Ram Hwajung, Arzenmacht, and Leeha with Blaugrunn.

All individuals with connections to Bahamut.

“… You don’t seem to have any connection though.”

Except for Lark, that is.

“Why wouldn’t I have any? That, uh, Platinum Dragon told me to stay friendly with Ha Leeha. I want to check if that’s still valid.”

“I’ll ask, so just go.”

“Oh come on~ Ha Leeha—”

“Ugh, so annoying…”

Lark was sticking to Ha Leeha with attempts at charm, while Ram Hwajung watched the scene with a displeased expression.

“You’ve arrived.”

“The Lord approaches.”

Before they could say anything about sending anyone off, Bahamut finally made an appearance.

Of course, for Leeha, it wasn’t entirely a pleasant encounter.

‘If you were coming, you should have come sooner. But then again, I wouldn’t have earned the achievement had you shown up early…’

Why hadn’t Bahamut appeared earlier?

From Kijung’s party discovering Pyrot-Cocri to the end of the battle, it took roughly around 40 minutes.

Another 30 minutes went by, dealing with the distributions and discussing the ongoing situation.

Thus, an hour and ten minutes had passed without Bahamut showing up. If it weren’t for Leeha and the others appearing, Kijung’s party would have been decimated by now.

“Arzenmacht, Blaugrunn, and my subordinate, Ha Leeha.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You all have worked hard. Truly, well done.”

It wasn’t just an ordinary death; it would have led to the worst outcome of multiple people, including Arzenmacht, becoming undead.

“We could have worked even harder, though.”

Unlike Arzenmacht and Blaugrunn, who greeted respectfully, Leeha wore a somewhat awkward expression.

“I apologize for being late. But please understand there was a reason why it couldn’t be helped.”

Bahamut seemed to read Leeha’s thoughts and started with an apology. Hearing this, Leeha couldn’t remain sulky any longer.

“It’s been a while, lord Bahamut! I’m sorry to ask this as soon as we greet, but could you tell us the reason, if it’s no trouble?”

Lark, with a positive attitude, quickly raised his hand and asked, seizing the moment.

Ram Hwajung continued to glare at Lark, while Bahamut, with a slightly tired smile, looked at him.

“Hmm, it’s been confirmed that someone entered the ‘Abyssal Maw.’ It appears a human carried the key.”

“What? The Abyssal Maw…?”

Leeha, unaware of Lee Jiwon’s situation, asked in surprise.

“It’s a very bad situation. If the Abyssal Maw is activated, Le might have noticed. No, that guy, desperate to find Pyrot-Cocri, would not miss it.”

Moreover, hadn’t they been told before that the Abyssal Maw wasn’t yet opened through Pyrot-Cocri?

“Does that mean… Pyrot-Cocri has awakened?”

“No, that’s not the case. If it were, Lumi, and of course I, would have already noticed.”

Bahamut shook his head in response to Leeha’s words.

The reason Blaugrunn began to move directly, differed from what Leeha’s party speculated, but it all led to one conclusion.

“It means Le’s loyal subordinates are likely to come here, to awaken Pyrot-Cocri. Maybe… Le himself might appear.”

“Then it’s a big problem! If Le comes here—”

“Haha, didn’t I mention there was a reason for everything? I sealed the ‘Abyssal Maw’ in the central continent. Even if they have the key, they can’t use it immediately unless Pyrot-Cocri awakens. The worst-case scenario would be Le using the key to appear directly before Pyrot-Cocri.”

“Ah…!”

Bahamut wasn’t just idling around.

Ram Hwajung feigned disinterest, but Lark was doing his best to piece the conversation together.

“You mean, uh, that Bluebeard and vampires, likely including Chiyou, Igor, Faust, and Pyro among others, will come here to awaken Pyrot-Cocri? And if she awakens, the Abyssal Maw will be used as some kind of portal?”

Although Leeha found Lark’s intuition impressive, given the circumstances, it was something he would eventually learn.

Bahamut nodded towards Lark.

Leeha hastily asked Bahamut.

“So, does that mean it’s fine now? Since we know Bluebeard is coming— Lord, you’ll stay here, right?”

“Of course. Although we failed to stop the part that already emerged, we can’t let Le act freely anymore.”

“That’s great—”

“But the issue is.”

Bahamut still wore a kind smile, but it lacked his usual playfulness.

This very fact made Leeha anxious.

“Well, there’s no need to discuss it ahead of time. Just take it as an old man’s grumble. You need to grow more. Much more than now.”

“Yes. I already plan to—”

“Grow faster…”

Leeha firmly believed Bahamut was speaking to him.

Yet Bahamut, passing Leeha, stopped in front of Lark.

“Huh, what? Me?”

And he even put his hand on Lark’s shoulder while speaking?

Even Lark, the concerned party, couldn’t understand Bahamut’s demeanor, leaving Leeha utterly baffled as well.

Arzenmacht and Blaugrunn also wore surprised expressions.

Bahamut stared at Lark intently before turning away.

“Arzenmacht. Blaugrunn. From now on, strictly guard the vicinity of Peklo City. All our clan’s eyes must be on this location. Ensure multiple layers of alarm skills are set, at least five-fold.”

“Yes, my lord. I will prepare immediately.”

“I will too.”

While Blaugrunn hesitated briefly, Arzenmacht responded promptly.

Following this, Ram Hwajung clung closely to Arzenmacht.

“Yes, yes. Human child favored by Arzenmacht, will you assist our clan?”

“Yes.”

“Arzenmacht, take this child and go to my lair.”

Bahamut gave instructions with a satisfied expression.

Immediately, Arzenmacht and Leeha realized the underlying meaning.