Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

Until then, Koma was an ordinary bear, but during the absence of the field boss, he, the strongest in the vicinity, took over the position directly. However, how could that be possible? Leeha didn’t know, but NPCs did.

“Much like how you made a contract with that bear and the spirit, that bear also made a contract with the spirit of fire. Well, seen in that light, the spirit of fire might not have directly seen you.”

“Ah…! That’s what it meant.”

Half-spirit. Leeha recalled the exact term that the Sea God mentioned.

“And you don’t need to doubt Jellypong’s abilities. Its appearance will also change as it grows alongside you.”

“Grows?”

“Both in abilities and appearance. From my perspective, I prefer its current appearance.”

“Blaugrun will also change in rank and appearance. It’s inevitable if it’s a spirit. Look at Anderson and Sea Bream; they’re both mermaids, but their appearances are different. If Jellypong is also a water spirit, its appearance changing is natural. As my thoughts reached that point, I suddenly became curious.”

“Um… Is it possible for that Fire Bear to change its appearance?”

“Hmm?”

“The Fire Bear made a contract with the Spirit of Fire, right? Then, could the appearance of the Fire Bear also—”

“Has it never changed before?”

“Is that possible!?”

“I can’t say for sure, but it’s likely. Spirits are collections of elements, and as the power of the elements strengthens, their true forms may change.”

“Wow!?”

Could even the appearance of Kuma change!? Leeha suddenly realized the importance of this mermaid quest. How many pieces of information could he obtain? What if he had ignored it? Or if he had died after estimating the location of the New Continent? He would never have achieved the same result.

‘Now, I need to discuss this with the expedition members when I return. Haha, it was daunting at first, but the rewards are tremendous. I can’t believe I hesitated. Sacrificial quest, my foot! Anyway, it’s not for everyone! Isn’t this Middle Earth?!’ Leeha was so delighted that he even teased his colleagues on the ship.

“Any more questions?”

“…I have one last suggestion.”

“I have no intention of going back. I have a contract with my king. Staying here also requires further discussion with my father.”

“Does that mean neither here nor there is an option?”

“For now… yes.”

Why was it so complicated? However, if you weren’t a user raised in Kraven’s seas, you wouldn’t understand the intricacies.

“If you return to the Old Continent… when the king of Kraven asks you to return, will you come then?”

“Can you guarantee the future?”

“Okay, I understand. We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”

Leeha knew Drake was necessary for Kraven. After everything is over, what if he convinced the King of Kraven and came back here and took Drake? His relationship with Kraven would increase tremendously. Of course, the reward would also be tremendous.

“Then I will go now.”

It’s already been over 15 hours since entering the Dragon Palace’s waters. It’s approaching the 24th day. The time limit for Leeha is already at its limit.

“Do you need me to take you back? The distance must have widened considerably even without me.”

“Kik, there are plenty of capable people even without Captain Drake. Don’t worry. Ah! If my teleportation doesn’t work then, I might ask for your help.”

Drake chuckled at Leeha’s joke, and seeing his face, Leeha extended his hand.

“Thank you for everything, Captain.”

“I’m no longer a captain.”

“People from Kraven, users – they said such things. Once a captain—”

“…always a captain.”

“I believe you’ll come back someday.”

“Thanks.”

They exchanged a handshake, and for a moment, their eyes met.

“Now, Blaugrun and Jellypong! Let’s go!”

[Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyuu!]

Upon Leeha’s words, the two pets found their positions—Blaugrun above Leeha’s head and Jellypong attached like a vest to his upper body.

‘Summoning the Kuma here makes it a complete family.’

Leeha suppressed a laugh bubbling up and opened the skill window.

“Do you need to check on Anderson and Sea Bream before you go?”

“Nah, just send my regards. It might be embarrassing otherwise.”

“Alright then.”

“Now, I’m really off. Take care!”

[Kyuu! Kyuu!]

[Monmon…]

As Blaugrun and Jellypong greeted Drake, Leeha released the mermaid transformation and used the Chain Teleport: Three Musketeers.

Swoooosh—!

“Take care on your journey. May luck accompany you on the challenging path ahead.”

As Leeha disappeared, Drake quietly spoke.

23 days and 15 hours into the Dragon Palace’s waters, and 66 days overall since entering Kraven’s harbor.

“Musketeer Ha Lee! Returning after completing the mission in the Dragon Palace!”

“Wow, ahhhh! Eung-ahhh!”

Ha Leeha returned to the New Serpent ship. At this point, there were about 13 hours left until Sage Hyein’s B-team Time Limit.

Although the ships, which had not stopped even when the fishmen appeared, slowed down a bit upon Leeha’s return, it was mainly because everyone, including the users from the Blue Marlin, had come to the New Serpent ship to greet Leeha and get the updated information.

“So, everything is back to normal?”

“Yes. The Sea God has returned to normal, and the purification pool has been restored. The mermaids can no longer be born since we killed them all near the Dragon Palace. There won’t be any more attacks.”

“Oh, finally, I can relax now.” Kijung exaggeratedly sighed and gestured, prompting laughter from those around him.

Of course, the relief stemmed from the fact that they no longer had to face the mermaids.

In this atmosphere, the only one with a less bright face was Rubini.

Even without seeing her eyes due to the bandage, it was clear that she was making an uneasy expression.

“But really… What if the fishmen come back?”

Her skill didn’t display fishmen. Fishmen, who nullified the existence of the occupation itself, were enemies Rubini didn’t want to face. It was natural for her to be on high alert.

Leeha also knew this to some extent, so he playfully responded to reassure Rubini.

“Yes, even if they want to come, they can’t. There are no remaining fishmen. I saw the serpents decimate the fishmen around the Dragon Palace. You experienced it, right? How strong their attacks are.”

“Ugh, Eung-ah! It hurts! You’re making it sound so light. I really got hit the hardest-!”

“No, not that… Weren’t there fishmen who left while chasing after us?”

“Huh? Weren’t they all killed?”

Leeha and Kijung looked at each other. When was the perfect time when the fishmen, who had surrounded the Dragon Palace near the recovery of the purification pool and the normalization of the Sea God, would have completely disappeared?

Did the fishmen stop chasing the ships and return to the Dragon Palace as soon as the purification pool was restored and the Sea God was normal? If that was the case, the fishmen killed by Leeha, Hyein, Drake, Serpents, and others would be all of them.

But what if it wasn’t the case?

If the ships were still being chased, Leeha, who didn’t know that fact, naturally believed that they had killed all the fishmen, which was Kijung’s illusion.

“Kikik, it makes sense. We can’t be sure about the exact timing…”

“Uh, um… Anyway, since the purification pool has been restored, and the Sea God has returned to normal, we can assume that the number of fishmen won’t increase anymore, right?”

“But the contamination was done by Bluebeard. If Bluebeard does something again…”

Kijung glanced at Bailephus as he trailed off. The gold dragon nodded as if it understood Kijung’s concern.

“It’s not impossible. However, if the purification pool owned by the UndineTribe is truly the ‘Origin of the Sea,’ there won’t be many of them. If Le has already crossed this sea, there’s nothing he can do now.”

So, did it mean he could do something later?

The ominous feeling among the expedition members lingered, but no one dared to voice their concerns openly.

“It’s certain that the Sea God knew about Bluebeard. The ‘guy spreading contamination and corruption.’ As soon as there was something wrong with the purification pool, the Sea God suspected Bluebeard. Not only the purification pool, but he said that wherever that guy passed would be affected… Damn, let’s hope nothing unusual happens on this voyage.”

Although they had managed to create a situation to safely cross this voyage immediately, no one wanted to think about future anxieties at this point. As the atmosphere suddenly became tense, a user who had been quietly listening stepped forward. It was Hook from Kraven.

“Ahem! By the way, what about Captain Drake? He said he won’t be staying there, right? Eung, you said he wouldn’t go back to the Dragon Palace.”

“Oh! I don’t know about that yet. There seems to be some issue with the Sea God and a solution to it… He didn’t mention going back to the Kraven Kingdom immediately. But we’ll see.”

Kraven’s Hook formed a fist, and he looked serious.

What expectations did he have when he heard that Drake, along with the Serpents, came to help? However, from Leeha’s perspective, who didn’t know about the fact that the ships were still being chased, he could only deliver the news that Drake wasn’t returning to Kraven for now.

The only thing certain at the moment was that Drake wasn’t going back.

Hook nodded as if he understood Kraven’s concerns.

“Well, I guess so. You’re not one of our ship’s crew, so you wouldn’t know about the relationship. If Drake doesn’t take the position of the supreme commander in Kraven, what will happen? Our royal palace might explode.”

“Well, I don’t know. You’re not even a pirate. It would be better if Captain Hook took all the pirate kids and became the supreme commander. Isn’t that better? Or maybe take this opportunity to aim for the king?”

“What? What are you saying, you idiot!”

Kraven probably had his internal circumstances. It seemed that he understood that Leeha could only convey the news that Drake wasn’t returning to Kraven for now.

Laughter, banter, and jokes were exchanged between the users as they watched the Kraven users. Except for one person.

Chiyou had an attitude of not missing any news, even the tiniest bit, as she was involved in Leeha’s surroundings.

“As expected, Ha Leeha-ssi is amazing. I’ve always thought so since the national war.”

“Well… Yes, well, it’s just…”

“Heung, so… Didn’t you say you’ve got some items? You should brag at times like this. Right? What did you get?”

Chiyou increased the volume of her voice along with a crescent-shaped eye smile. While some male users showed satisfied smiles at her playful charm, Leeha was not one of them.

Although it couldn’t be definitively confirmed that Chiyo was an enemy, she remained a candidate. It was something that didn’t need to be explicitly mentioned.

“No, before that. I don’t fundamentally like that kind of playfulness.” Leeha showed a clear sign of displeasure, but Chiyo didn’t back down. “Aeh, Leeha is just shy. Is it because that appearance is cute? Huhu.”

“Hey, sorry, but don’t unnecessarily create discord within the expedition, Chiyou.”

“Oh my? Create discord?”

The one who intervened was Shin Nara.

Chiyo pretended to be surprised with bunny eyes wide open.

“Well, you know. It’s about not casually disclosing information like items, achievements, or levels even on Middle Earth. It’s common knowledge even for beginner users. Why ask about it and risk making the atmosphere weird?”

Was it because Chiyo seemed suspicious? Because she saw Chiyou’s troubled reaction to the successful news of his quest?

No, it wasn’t for those reasons.

It was because she couldn’t stand looking at the girl being referred to as ‘our Leeha.’

“Didn’t Shin Nara-ssi say that this expedition to the new continent needs to unite as one to clear it? Even if I hear such information, it’s not like I can do the quest now… Is it such a big deal?”

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