Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

〈 Achievement: Ticket to Laputa (S) 〉

Congratulations!

You have earned the qualification to go to Laputa! If you couldn’t enter Saur Land, you would never get the ticket to Laputa. What is the entity that restricts entry to Laputa only to Saur Land’s royalty? What secrets does the floating island, nicknamed the land infused with godly power, hold? Why did Laputa have to cut off all communication with the outside world to prevent its secrets from leaking out?

We hope you will confirm the mystery with your own eyes.

Reward: 25 Stat Points

+10% Affinity with the entire Ezwen Theocracy

You are the first to register the 〈 Ticket to Laputa 〉 achievement.

The top three registrants of the achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame, with an additional 200% effect applied to the original benefits.

Effect: 50 Stat Points

+20% Affinity with the entire Ezwen Theocracy

Leeha looked at the hologram window and grinned.

If he could enter Saur Land, would there have been another way to get the ticket to Laputa without relying on the bones from Peklo City?

He thought it might have been possible.

Anyway, he finally got the ticket, and even though he hadn’t set foot in Laputa yet, he received a grade-S achievement.

Doesn’t that mean that when he arrives at Laputa, he would encounter at least grade-S or above content?

‘Moreover, this is the first time I’ve gotten such high affinity with the entire Ezwen Theocracy! Even with the New Continent Voyage or whatever, there wasn’t an achievement that openly boosted affinity this much.’

Although he was treated almost like a hero by the Vatican, that was merely a form of respect. Most of his connections were built on personal interactions with Urban II, the current pope, back when he was a cardinal.

Since the notification that he achieved 100% affinity had not appeared, Leeha thought this achievement would be quite helpful.

―There’s an achievement notification! Haha, although the level is a bit disappointing.

Leeha cheerfully sent a whisper to Fernand. Leeha wondered what he thought about the achievement.

―Huh? An achievement?

―Yes, an achievement. Fernand, did you not— Ah!?

Leeha realized that the achievement was something only he received.

In other words, the permission to go to Laputa granted by Ulrek was exclusively for Leeha. And Ulrek had told Leeha to select companions for the journey.

Fernand’s expression started to change drastically, and so did Leeha’s pupils dilate at that moment.

That meant Leeha could go to Laputa by himself.

Even if he decided to bring all his companions, the privileges granted to the ‘initial three’ registrants of the achievement would not extend to everyone.

In other words, who would be the first two individuals Leeha would choose?

‘Hall of Fame!’

Leeha had lent the ‘precious bone’ he got from Pyrot-Cocri’s incarnation to Saur Land’s side.

He was using the authority earned entirely by his own efforts.

Should he share it with everyone?

“Ahem… Fernand, shall we head back now? Everyone seems to be gathering at the accommodation.”

“Yes, let’s! Shall I carry you, Ha Leeha?”

From that point, Leeha started to worry about how to ‘take’ from his companions.

* * *

“So, I’m definitely the second one, right?”

“You mentioned something about map copying… what was that?”

“Ah, come on! I’m joking! Do you think I would do that? Ha Leeha and I are pioneers and adventurers in our own right.”

“Doesn’t that mean you’re treating me as a rival?”

“What! That’s not how you see me, is it?”

As they headed back to the hotel, Fernand was desperately flattering Leeha.

After mealtime, all the party members had returned to the lodging. Leeha had explained what had happened to the returned Kyle, Elizabeth, Brown, and Browless.

At once, everyone switched to flattery mode.

They knew that if they made a good impression on Leeha, they could receive a ticket to Laputa, and the first two would even get the Hall of Fame achievement.

“I thought no one else but you, Ha Leeha, could truly enforce justice better than anyone else.”

“You won’t betray the Three Musketeers, will you?”

“… I went out to get some drinks. They say it’s a special beverage from Saur Land.”

Alexander, Luger, and Kidd never left Leeha’s side.

Leeha sat on the couch with his legs stretched out, barely paying attention to their words.

Even Alexander, ranked number one, was no different. Having been rejected by the barrier to Laputa, he understood how precious this opportunity was.

“Everyone keeps talking so much without offering anything, huh? It’s a big problem, a big problem… Tsk tsk.”

Unlike the anxious users, the NPCs watched them with smiles.

Elizabeth, whose eyes were still puffy, was also smiling now.

Of course, there was only one reason she could smile. Leeha stood up from the couch and looked at the man sitting between Elizabeth and Brown.

The man no longer even wore a hood.

The man who had been treated here for a full three days.

“Ha Leeha…

-nim was it? Thank you. My mother told me it was thanks to you that I could receive treatment…”

Kyle offered his thanks to Leeha with an embarrassed smile.

“No. I’m the one who should thank you for recovering so well.”

Leeha responded with a smile. However, deep inside, he felt uneasy.

Saur Land had conducted every possible test and provided all treatments.

Amazingly, it was enough to achieve complete recovery, even for his damaged brain.

But that was all.

It was impossible to separate Jamiell from Kyle, and he remained the “Arcane Sniper.”

‘Damn it! I thought there would be some way for this part too…’

Leeha’s expression betrayed his frustration. Elizabeth, however, smiled and comforted him.

“Don’t think about it too much. We’re already grateful for this much. More importantly… he is no longer entrenched in the demonic state. Not just healing his body pains, but perhaps—”

“It might mean he’s freed from Kaztor’s curse.”

Brown answered, continuing Elizabeth’s words. Browless, as well as Kidd, nodded.

While other users were scattered across Saur Land gathering different pieces of information, Kidd had never left Browless’s side.

“Hey, Kidd! Didn’t you say he wasn’t fully cured—”

“I said he couldn’t escape the state of Arcane Sniper. At least the current Arcane Sniper…”

Considering the game mechanics required at least ‘one user’ for the story to progress, Kidd was able to hear everything that happened in the hospital due to his choice.

Thus, he knew.

“He will no longer be under Kaztor’s control. This means he can shoot ‘Arcane Bullet’ by his own will.”

The true Arcane Sniper was finally born.

Whether this was good or bad, no one could judge yet.

* * *

“Hehehe, then there’s nothing to worry about! We just need to immediately head to Bluebeard, Ghibrid, and Kaztor—”

“Luger.”

Luger shouted excitedly, but Leeha quickly called his name to stop him.

Kyle had an awkward smile on his face. Elizabeth, too, showed a look of regret.

Brown quietly spoke to Luger.

“Luger, you already know, don’t you…”

“Ah, uh, right… Ahem.”

Unable to bring himself to apologize, Luger understood his mistake.

—Geez, man.

“Arcane Bullet” is all seven shots. The moment Kyle shoots, he dies. No, it’s not even dying; it’s called “obliteration”.

It erases the very existence of the shooter, and you say he should just shoot?

—Damn it, but we can’t just let him live without shooting forever! It’s better to let him shoot comfortably!

—That’s just what we users think.

Leeha, Luger, and Kidd whispered to each other.

Should Kyle shoot Arcane Bullet? Should he sacrifice himself nobly?

For the users who considered Middle Earth as ‘just a game’, the statement posed no problem. Though the consequence of a ‘Arcane Bullet’ was ‘obliteration’, a more expansive concept than ‘death’, it was still something that a curious few might have found worth attempting.

However, for the NPCs for whom Middle Earth was their life?

To them, obliteration meant true annihilation.

In the suddenly tense atmosphere, Alexander spoke up.

“The sacrifice of the few for the good of the many is sometimes necessary.”

“Alexander?”

Alexander also understood the concept of the Arcane Bullet. How dangerous, powerful, and conceptual a weapon it was.

“… However, to say it is just would be difficult.”

Totalitarianism, even if dressed as utilitarianism, could not be justified.

Alexander held onto the concept of ‘the execution of justice’ as a conviction, which led him to deep contemplation.

“Then, though it might be a cautious question… Kyle-nim, how many shots have you…?”

In the subdued atmosphere, Leeha brought up the topic again. Clearly understanding the current situation was the top priority.

How many bullets had been fired, and how many more could be fired?

‘And… what about Zamiel?’

The disappearance of Kazzator’s intervention was surely a cause for celebration.

However, one of the effects of Kazzator’s curse was to exclude Zamiel’s interference.

Conversely, if everything was back to normal and Kyle was in a state similar to previous Arcane Bullet Shooters, how was Zamiel’s interference proceeding?

“Calling me ‘Kyle-nim’ makes me uncomfortable. I also remember how much Ha Leeha helped me, not just in treatment but in many ways… Even though I couldn’t speak well, I could hear everything. Please feel free to talk comfortably. Besides, being my mother’s successor makes you my senior.”

“Oh, is that so? Really? Haha! Okay, I’ll do that.”

Leeha, slightly taken aback by Kyle’s friendly approach, quickly adapted.

Kyle’s smile was clear but somehow faint.

“I have not used a single Arcane Bullet yet… hence it feels like this rifle is tightening around my head.”

It was inevitable. Everyone’s eyes followed Kyle’s fingertip.

He pointed to the Arcane Rifle leaning against the wall.

Leeha bit his lip.

Despite Kyle appearing normal, the reason why Elizabeth and Brown couldn’t laugh freely was clear.

Kyle was completely free from Kazzator’s curse.

In other words, Zamiel’s full-blown interference had commenced.

“Ah, now that I think about it, can Elizabeth-nim use that rifle now?”

“The moment Kyle’s treatment was completed outside the hospital was how I knew.”

“What?”

Brown answered.

“Liza… fainted.”

“The fainting didn’t last long. I saw something dark pass in front of me then. It came with the remark that if I touched the rifle again, it would kill me.”

Additionally, it meant that Elizabeth could no longer use the Arcane Rifle.

It also clearly showed what would happen to those unqualified who touched Arcane Bullet rifles.

Luger quickly averted his gaze from the rifle leaning against the wall.

* * *

By dinner time, the lively atmosphere had returned. Kyle was also enjoying a meal with a smiling face alongside Elizabeth and Brown.

At least at that moment, worries about the Arcane Bullet and Zamiel were all cast aside.

As NPCs enjoyed their meals, the users also savored luxurious dishes.

Well-prepared food generally had stat-boosting buff effects, and in Saur Land, almost every dish could provide such buffs due to its high quality.

Of course, even as they exchanged laughter and trivial chatter, the users’ minds were working rigorously.

―What will you do next?

―Since Ha Leeha has gained access to Laputa, it would be rational to visit there first…

―Just so you know, Ha Leeha! If you won’t give me the Hall of Fame achievement, make sure Alexander doesn’t get it either!

―Be quiet, Luger.

Ultimately, most of the conversation revolved around planning their next moves.

It was the same for Leeha.

‘There are two ways.’