Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

The door opened in sync with the Third Prince’s steps. And there, before them, was the king.

Sitting on the throne was a dinosaur adorned not with a helmet but a crown on his head. Interestingly, he was wearing armor instead of flamboyant garments.

“Even the king is always on guard”, Alexander murmured with a hint of admiration in his voice.

Leeha also tilted his head as he listened to Alexander.

‘He said there were no enemies… But, to begin with, the term “Anti-King” itself implies the existence of an adversary. And to think the king’s clothing is armor?’

Was it thorough preparation despite the absence of enemies?

That would ultimately mean acknowledging the existence of enemies, wouldn’t it?

As Leeha lost himself in thought, the king spoke.

“There is one who has killed a rogue dragon, Ulrek.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We have confirmed the vocal cords, skin fragments, and claws of the rogue dragon Toon”, the Third Prince called Ulrek bowed his head before the king.

In front of the king, the Third Prince was not using the term “Anti-King.”

Leeha deduced that the term itself was considered disrespectful to the king.

Then, he broke the barrier that had confined Leeha’s group.

The group suddenly found themselves standing on the ground, but they did not panic.

While everyone quietly assumed their positions behind Ulrek, only Leeha boldly looked at the king.

“I see. So, it’s a human.”

“Yes, my name is Ha Leeha.”

“We owe you great gratitude for removing the disgrace of our species.”

The king of the Saurus Tribe wore a bright expression. His gaze soon shifted beyond Leeha to the rest of the group.

Leeha immediately understood who he was looking at.

“Then… You must not have come just to deliver news. What brings you here? It has been a long time since I saw a gold dragon. Is it because of you?”

“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Bailephus, a Gold Dragon. Although there are many things I wish to discuss, it is not because of me that we came here”, Bailephus greeted the king once again.

Although he had every reason to be flustered by the direct mention of a gold dragon, he displayed the composure befitting an Ancient level being.

At that moment, Leeha became convinced that the dinosaurs possessed a mysterious insight.

‘The Third Prince didn’t know about the dragon… but he mentioned Kyle. In that case—’

The next target the king would mention. No sooner had Leeha thought of Kyle than the king turned his gaze towards him.

“Then it must be because of someone engulfed in dark energy.”

“Kyle! He is called Kyle. We came here to request you to cure my son of his sickness… That’s why we came all this way.”

As Leeha anticipated, the king used a more definitive term than Ulrek. Elizabeth hugged Kyle tightly.

The king observed the mother and son while making a humming sound.

Leeha also lowered his posture again with a pounding heart. It was then that he awaited the king’s next words.

—Completely defenseless.—

‘Huh? What?’

—Kekeke… Saurus, huh… He’s not a half-wit dimwit like Toon. I’ve never tasted the pure blood of a complete Saurus. Do you know, contractor?—

‘Uh, probably not? This place was never revealed, and Toon was the only Saurus tribe member known outside. But a half-wit? Well, he was a mutant like a Silkie chicken…’

—Imagine what it means for the apex of the Saurus to be completely defenseless. No need to mention it.—

Black Bass chuckled in a low voice.

Leeha’s eyes widened as he pondered Black Bass’s words.

‘This is crazy! No! Don’t think about it!’

—Are you afraid? Just one shot. With one shot at the apex of the Saurus, I can become perfect. It’s not about 50%!—

‘You could reach 100%?’

—Exactly. With just one shot. If I drink the blood of the purest and strongest being untouched by any divine or demonic energy… I will become perfect. I can tell by the scent… Kekeke.—

At such close range, there was nothing between Leeha and the king. There wasn’t even a guard nearby.

Though the king wore armor, his face was exposed.

– So… shoot. Then the charge rate will reach 100%.

Black Bass’s words were simple but chilling.

Above all, the temptation of the outcome he subtly hinted at seemed irresistibly appealing and thus felt all the more terrifying.

‘100% charge…’

Shoot the king in this situation?

If the “White Reaper” hit the exact instant kill point, it might catch them in one shot.

Even if it didn’t kill them in one shot, if they became more significant, one could still aim for the timing using “Ghost in the Shell” and multi-warhead missiles.

One could kill them.

Definitely… one could kill them.

So?

What would happen afterward?

‘Setting aside the thought of this accursed ego-possessed serial killer gun called Black Bass, what would happen after killing the king of those dinosaurs?’

Even if he achieved 100%, he would soon die because of the dinosaurs here.

Bailephus, Elizabeth, Brown, Kyle, and Browless wouldn’t be reborn.

‘Stop talking nonsense!’

Leeha dismissed Black Bass’s words lightly.

―Fine… I am just an observer of the chosen one. Until fresher blood is supplied.―

‘Shut up! No matter how many times you repeat that, it’s useless. Black, you absorbed the White Reaper’s gun and showed no effect! You always demand blood refills, don’t you?’

―Kukukuku…―

‘Don’t try to laugh it off! Anyway, I’ll keep an eye on you.’

Leeha quieted Black Bass with a half-threatening tone.

Just as Leeha’s thoughts tangled more complexly, the king spoke again.

“Human, Ha Leeha.”

“Y-yes!”

Leeha, startled as if his thoughts had been read, quickly responded. The king tilted his head slightly but soon showed a gentle expression.

“I appreciate you dealing with the rogue dragon, Toon.”

“Ah, no. It was a threat to us as well, so we only shot it down.”

“I want to repay you… but we decided not to interfere with the world anymore.”

“Pardon?”

“We can give you a simple gift, but we cannot cure those engulfed by darkness.”

The dinosaur king stated his refusal firmly while smiling.

Before Leeha could fully grasp what he meant, Elizabeth shouted first.

“Why! Why! Does that mean there is the ability to cure but you won’t?”

The atmosphere grew somewhat chilly.

Despair appeared on the faces of the NPCs, who had relied solely on that method.

“I’m sorry, but we cannot do that, Ulrek.”

“Yes.”

“Provide them sufficient rest and guide them outside tomorrow afternoon.”

The king tried to rise from his seat.

The sudden turn of events left the players flustered.

Is this really the end? Is this all the culmination of the long journey thus far?

The gazes of Luger, Kidd, Alexander, and Fernand focused on one spot.

Even NPCs Browless, Elizabeth, and Brown were looking at one person’s back.

There was only one person who could step up in this situation.

“Your Majesty.”

Leeha spoke quietly.

“Do you still have more to say, human Ha Leeha?”

The king sat back on the chair. Leeha nodded and whispered quietly.

‘Bargaining.’

Retreating was not an option.

With that determination, Leeha started a debate with the king of Saur Land.

Leeha composed his breath.

It was clear where he should start.

“When you say you will not interfere with the world… does it mean you do not care about external circumstances?”

“Yes.”

“However, the outside world is very concerned about this place. Especially those called the Demon King’s Fragments. The entity that the runaway dragon Toon served was precisely one of them—”

Even if they did not care about the outside, it would be futile. One day, this place would be invaded.

Mentioning that possibility, Leeha intended to draw upon their strength.

“Le, the Noble Demon Clan Leader with Bluebeard, right?”

The King’s words instantly choked off what Leeha was about to say about the dangers of the Demon King’s Fragments.

The King looked at Leeha intently.

“Do you know when Toon left? Of course, we know. Twenty years ago, when that disgrace to the clan went on a rampage with those so-called Demon King’s Fragments, we stayed still. I believe you understand what that means.”

They knew about the 2nd Human-Demon War between Humans and Demons.

And yet, they only watched. If these beings had intervened, it wouldn’t have been called the 2nd Human-Demon War between Humans and Demons.

It might have been dubbed the ‘Final Human-Demon War’, with enough power to obliterate every Demon King’s Fragment.

Leeha, regaining his composure, managed to speak.

“Do you believe they cannot come here? Do you think hiding here makes you safe?”

“They can’t come, or even if they do… so what? We are not hiding; we are avoiding.”

Confidence.

The very confidence that had impressed Alexander resided in them.

This was a common thought among Leeha and the other users.

What if these beings all mobilized? What if every dinosaur in this city emerged?

The balance would collapse.

Whether it was the Demon King’s Fragments or entities akin to Ancient Dragons, unleashing them in tens of thousands would be unbearable for any force.

“Then why do you remain secluded? With such powerful strength and advanced civilization, with resources in abundance, why—”

“Then let me ask you. Why should we help you?”

“What?”

“We have the strength to protect ourselves. We have no shortage of resources. We have food. So, why should we help you?”

“If we fall, the next target for the Demon King’s Fragments will certainly be—”

“If they come here, we’ll deal with them. Relax and meet your annihilation peacefully.”

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

To the degree that even their breathing halted in sync; Leeha’s party couldn’t react.

Meet annihilation peacefully?

They were truly a group that had declared isolation from the world, harder to persuade than Leeha had imagined.

“……Krr—”

“Shh.”

Luger, seething, stood up to say something, but Leeha reached back to restrain him.

He kept his gaze fixed squarely on the Dinosaur King.

Ordinary persuasion wouldn’t work. Neither would saying that the Demon King’s Fragments were coming so they should unite.

Of course, emotional appeals and requests for help were out of the question.

So what was the next strategy?

‘Okay… fine. As Lark mentioned, high-level NPCs are generally difficult to persuade. I know. I’ve had my share of long arguments.’

Even with solid logic, it often took hours to turn their hearts.

But there was a way that didn’t rely on logic.

Leeha quietly turned around. Step, step, step… and walked somewhere.

“Leeha-kun?”

“Senior, may I have a moment, please?”

Leeha politely asked Elizabeth. She bit her lip briefly but nodded.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you.”

With Elizabeth’s permission, there was no need to hesitate. Leeha extended his apologies to the person before him where he stopped.

“I’m sorry for the introduction on our first meeting, but I have no choice. Please forgive me.”

With a flourish—!

He pulled back a hood, revealing Kyle’s face.

Though everyone turned to look at his face, Leeha’s voice roared louder.

“This person is the ‘Arcane Sniper’.”

Most users and NPCs, including the King, tilted their heads in confusion. It was a declaration that naturally provoked the question, ‘So what?’

Kyle looked up at the King.

Leeha also looked at Kyle’s face.

Elizabeth had concealed it so diligently, and she had mentioned it was painful, yet his face appeared normal.

So white and delicate, it seemed like he might even be a woman rather than a boy.

Of course, that detail was unimportant to Leeha at the moment.

“And he… this is a Arcane Sniper who remembers the King’s face.”

Elizabeth, Brown, Kidd, and Luger all gasped in realization.