Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

“That’s not it…”

“It isn’t? Who doesn’t know that you two are secretly meeting as if on a date? Huhut, I don’t know if dating during such an important quest isn’t ‘promoting chaos’. Well, even on the New Serpent, there seemed to be two people engaged in such romance. Isn’t that acceptable?”

Chiyou had already suspected the relationship between Leeha and Shin Nara. Moreover, during this expedition, their complex relationship was evident enough.

Although Leeha and Shin Nara didn’t meet frequently, Chiyou, by symmetrically comparing their uncertain relationship to the confirmed relationship between Kijung and Bobae, was treating it as if it were an established fact. It wasn’t a logical debate but rather a verbal brawl, tearing down and disparaging each other, where Chiyou was almost unbeatable.

Especially now, Shin Nara’s face was turning red, and she was clearly getting angry.

“Ro- Romance?! What- What are you talking about?  Have you said enough now, Chiyou-ssi?”

“Stop it. Chiyou-ssi was just curious about the items. But this time, it seems like Shin Nara-ssi is reacting too sensitively.”

Chiyou quietly hid behind the Tamer Yongyong. It might have been an attempt to stimulate the protective instinct, although, from Leeha and Shin Nara’s perspective, it seemed like a futile effort. Nevertheless, Yongyong, who had already embraced the role of protector, just grinned widely.

“Nara, stop it.”

When Leeha stepped forward to take Nara’s side, the tense situation was defused. Even the spirited Shin Nara could now calm down a bit.

‘Supporting her like that is more noticeable. It seems that Shin Nara is becoming Leeha’s “eyes” beyond a simple liking. As for the items, it doesn’t matter much since I can steal a glance whenever the opportunity arises. Confirming their relationship was truly important.’

While Chiyou, with a feigned injured expression, was behind Yongyong, the act was an obvious performance.

If she decided to extract information in earnest, the most crucial thing was to discern who was on her side and whom to be cautious about. With this brief quarrel, Chiyou had once again organized her thoughts on who might support her.

“It’s unfortunate.”

As Ram Hwajung muttered quietly, the commotion surrounding Leeha’s return had come to an end. Alexander, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, ordered the ship to resume its maximum speed.

“Anyway, we just need to keep going straight now, right?”

“Yeah, as long as B-Team’s Hyein does well— the quest success probability should be at least 80%.”

1. Construction of the Mana Relay Tower in the Dawn Sea.

2. At least one combatant out of 40 arrives at the New Continent.

3. Construction of the Mana Relay Tower within the New Continent.

Reward for Goal 3: ?? (Reward variation based on the achieved goal quantity)

Failure Condition: Failing to achieve more than 2 objectives.

Once Hyein resolved condition 1, the remaining tasks were conditions 2 and 3. While condition 3 might be challenging, the common belief among all expedition members was that condition 2 was almost guaranteed.

‘Considering we have the strongest combo of Alexander and Bailephus, resolving condition 1 should suffice to overlook failures.’

Of course, no user approached it with the thought of just meeting the minimum requirements for success. Now that Leeha had returned perfectly, there was no way the users wouldn’t aspire to succeed in all three quests.

“By the way, have we heard from Hyein?”

“I whispered to him about six hours ago, and things are progressing smoothly. About 6 hours left now.”

Kijung confirmed the time and nodded. With this piece of information, Leeha felt completely at ease. Since entering the waters near the Dragon Palace, except for a brief nap, Leeha hadn’t had a moment’s rest. The most urgent need was undoubtedly a good night’s sleep.

“Yeah, that’s right. I think I’ll go out and take a nap. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, who’s going to stop eong-ah from resting? You are the one who suffered the most among us. Get a good night’s sleep for a day or two.”

“Hey! Even if you say two days on Middle Earth, that’s only 10 hours. Shouldn’t you give us 24 hours of free time?”

“No, no. You only have two days on Middle Earth.”

Kijung gestured with an exaggerated attitude, and Leeha couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful exchange.

“Okay. Let’s cleanly start again in two days. Rotate the shifts as usual.”

With these words, Leeha prepared to log out, bidding farewell to the other users.

As Leeha prepared to log out, at the unmoving island in the center of the Sea of Dawn, called the ‘Buoy,’ Hyein was standing, gazing into the distant sea. It had been 94 hours since Team B, led by Hyein, started their operation in the central area of the Dragon Palace. With only 6 hours left until Hyein’s time limit, the completion of the mana relay tower should have been normal. However, Hyein’s expression was dark.

“Sorry… But, at least this much, I must…”

Hyein raised his head and looked at the mana relay tower at the center of the Buoy. The completion rate of the mana relay tower was only about 75%. Even with Sage Hyein personally carrying materials and assisting the workers with skills, they couldn’t expedite the precise construction. He had to prepare himself for what was to come.

***

“Would you like to date me, Leeha?”

“What? Uh, what are you talking about?” Leeha looked up awkwardly, taking a step back. Was it acceptance or rejection? It felt like his mind and body were playing separately. No, maybe it was a joke?

Leeha stared at her, but there was no change in Shin Nara’s expression.

“So, Leeha, does that mean you have no feelings for me? Did you discuss your feelings about me with others?”

“No, no, no. That’s not the case. It’s just too sudden-”

“What? You want to date that girl, right?”

“Wha! Ram Hwayeon?”

Whoosh-!

Flames burst from Ram Hwayeon’s fingertips. Leeha felt both bewildered and puzzled as he watched her casting without any change in Shin Nara’s expression.

“Why are you here-”

“Those who dare to defile the daughters of the Ramrong Group must face the consequences!”

“Bad oppa. [Blizzard].”

“What? Even Ram Hwajung-”

Whirrrrrr-!

The skill casting was fast. Leeha covered his face with both hands as a blizzard approached.

“Oooh! Aaah, aah…”

The cold wind gently touched Leeha’s face lying on the bed. His eyes opened with widened pupils, but even though he realized he had woken up from a dream, the tension didn’t easily dissipate.

“What chilly wind—damn it…”

He remembered now; he had briefly opened the window for ventilation and had fallen asleep like that. Despite feeling the chill, he recalled how tense he had been, and cold sweat was streaming down his cheek.

“Hey, what… Ram Hwayeon’s appearance in the dream did feel strange.”

Was it because of such a bizarre dream? Perhaps it indicated that he hadn’t properly rested, given his constant struggles within Middle Earth.

Experiencing such a dream was a first for Leeha, and he felt bewildered.

‘No, even though it was a Middle Earth-related dream, why like this…’

Leeha shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at the clock. Only six hours had passed since he fell asleep, but sleep no longer came to him.

In the end, Leeha grumbled and moved his wheelchair, deciding to completely shake off the remaining drowsiness.

“Is ‘difficult tasks’ deeply ingrained in my subconscious in such an image? Certainly, the situation just now seemed more challenging than fighting Bluebeard.” 

Checking the official homepage and community trends before logging into Middle Earth had become a daily routine for Leeha. However, this time, there was a number he found unfamiliar. 

‘1 new email…? I should have blocked all spam. Where is this coming from?’

Attempting to block it again, Leeha found that the new email wasn’t spam. He was momentarily puzzled by the sender, Ram Hwayeon.

“Subject: E-ticket? What’s this? How does she know my email address… Was the appearance of Ram Hwayeon in the dream supposed to mean something like this?” 

Leeha had a slight headache.

Leeha clicked on the email sent by Hwayeon, titled “e-ticket.”

[I heard Hwajung’s story. Are you busy these days? It seems the voyage to the new continent is long. According to Middle Earth standards, it might take less than 80 days, but considering real-time, I’ve set it for 30 days later. It’s a chartered flight, so I can adjust it for a day or two, but it’s better to match it. I’ve put in Master Kay as the guardian, but if you want to add someone else, contact me three days in advance. You can bring up to five companions, but there’s no need to make a fuss. See you at the Hong Kong International Airport.]

“What is she talking about?”

Even after reading it, the content didn’t quite make sense. Leeha started reading it again from the beginning. However, even without reading the entire content, the attached file alone was enough to trigger a sense of foreboding. Already, the specific date, departure: ICN / arrival: HKG, the term “chartered flight,” and the phrase “See you in Hong Kong” in the content…

“Is this a plane ticket?”

Relying on Ram Hwayeon’s skills, she wouldn’t need detailed passport information like for regular flights. Also, these individuals were guaranteed through a chartered plane, so there was no need for extensive information!

“How does she even know my birthdate and name? Is she insane, really?”

Leeha was dumbfounded at the absurdity of the situation.

“Using something like a Korean agency? If the Ramlong Group is trying to find out something, avoiding their attention might not be easy. Why go through all this trouble of setting a schedule for Hong Kong? Just telling us to come should have been enough… Hmm, strange.” 

Leeha couldn’t comprehend the reason behind Ram Hwayeon arranging this Hong Kong trip.

‘She doesn’t seem like the usual Ram Hwayeon. More impulsive in her actions. And she’s silent. Why? What is she hiding? Well, at least my embarrassment is gone now.’

Leeha observed that Hwayeon’s behavior was different from her usual calm demeanor. The perplexing feeling persisted.

‘Yeah, something’s off. Definitely off.’

With a more composed mind, Leeha re-read the email, searching for any hints. There seemed to be nothing unusual, except for one word.

“Not a companion, not a friend, but ‘guardian,’ and Master Kay is designated as the ‘guardian.’ Guardian? What is she protecting? Hm, it’s not like Ram Hwayeon is a fool to use the term ‘guardian’ for Master Kay just because he’s a tanker in reality.”

But there were no more clues. Was it a suggestion not to change the schedule? Or a reminder, because it’s a flight and schedules, couldn’t be altered easily due to airport schedules? The words were ambiguous. There were a few suspicious words, but with the information Leeha had, it was impossible to figure out the reason behind them.

‘Up to five companions… here it says “companions” again.’

After staring at the monitor for a while, Leeha finally shook his head. He now knew that analyzing Hwayeon’s actions in such detail had little meaning.

‘Whatever, I’ll go in and ask directly. Geez. But seriously, what’s going on?’

Using the Middle Earth login device, Leeha moved his wheelchair. Though it was still midnight in reality, once inside Middle Earth, the bright sun and the sea would be waiting.

‘Shouldn’t get into the habit of going in so early. They should all appreciate my efforts as much as I appreciate the trouble I went through in the waters of the Dragon Palace. Login!’

Despite having such thoughts, Leeha was looking forward to the users welcoming him. The memory of the friendly atmosphere between the users on both ships before logging out made him smile.

Shoo-!

However, upon logging in and greeting everyone, what Leeha faced was by no means a pleasant situation.

“Looks like you’ve been through a lot, coming a bit early—”

“Who doesn’t know that?!”

“I know, but are you going to keep saying that we should go?”

“Our food situation isn’t good! We haven’t even left the Dragon Palace’s waters yet! Even if we somehow manage to leave this place, who knows where we’ll end up next!”

The loud voices of the members of the expedition from the new continent caught Leeha’s attention.

“Yes, you said it well! It’s necessary because of such reasons! How can we go without Hyein-nim!” It had been six hours since Leeha logged out, and in Middle Earth, it had already been a bit over a day. This meant they were on the 25th day since entering the waters of the Dragon Palace. Hyein had not returned, and the Mana Relay Tower wasn’t even completed yet. It had been 68 days since they departed from Kraven’s Harbor.

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