Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

Their number, distribution, and everything else in the new continent were all unknown.

‘Above all… it wasn’t just the red goats. At that time, they undoubtedly had an ‘enemy’.’

Even the unidentified force that Leeha had not confirmed and had to retreat from might be present again.

Leeha’s decision to temporarily suspend the battle was undoubtedly correct.

After thinking to that extent, the complaints from the users subsided.

The red goats were cautious. Only after securing the positions where the members of the New Continent Expedition couldn’t escape did one of them approach Leeha.

‘Bigger than I thought. I didn’t see it properly at that time and ran away…’

But Leeha knew their appearance before the transformation. Human-like but shorter with a monkey-like tail. However, now turned into red goats, their height was slightly larger than humans and smaller than giants. The characteristic straight, narrow eyes of goats met Leeha’s eyes.

‘What should I bring up first?’ 

Leeha first intended to reveal their identity and talk about the existence of another continent.

“I understand that you must have been surprised. However, we are—hmm?!”

But that attempt didn’t even get two words out. The red goat stopped for a moment at the mention of an attack, but that was it.

For a while, the red goat, which had been thudding, pulled away from Leeha’s face and neck, sniffing the air around.

“L-Leeha!”

“Stay still, stay still, Nara-ssi. It’s okay. They won’t attack.”

At the mention of an attack, the movements of the red goat paused for a moment, but that was it.

After thudding for a while, the red goat pulled away from Leeha’s body, distancing itself.

The red goat nodded its head.

“Perhaps you were able to endure our anger because of the love of the sea.”

“…What?”

“I remember this scent. The squid that boarded our ship last time.” 

Leeha was surprised to hear the goat’s words but didn’t show it.

“Indeed… Well, at that time, you were sticking your nose right in front of my face. Did you confirm it by the smell?” 

Detecting the invisibility magic of Bailephus through scent is not something that can be done with just instincts.

Leeha neither confirmed nor denied that he was the ‘squid’ from that time. 

“I express my admiration for your amazing ability, O Squid who crossed the sea.”

“Thank you. Uh, but I’m not a squid—”

“Stop! Expressing admiration doesn’t mean having a conversation. Squid.” 

Whether Leeha agreed or disagreed, the red goat continued to call him a squid. Leeha felt slightly uneasy for some reason.

“…Understood. If you have any questions, please ask. I will answer.”

He had to show his sincerity first. The easiest way to gain trust is to show trust first. 

‘Opening the door is the hardest. But once you step inside, it’s easy. We’re almost there.’

Even though they weren’t yet conversation partners, Leeha was satisfied just by coming this far. However, whether the red goats were satisfied or not, he would have to think a bit more.

“There are many eyes here. All hide. I will take you to the village.”

“Red Goat!”

“Huh?! And what’s with the eyes—”

The goat that was talking to Leeha, perhaps the highest-ranking one, turned away from Leeha and gave orders to the other goats.

Even in that situation, what Leeha first thought about was the reaction of the members of the New Continent Expedition.

Leeha: But still, you must not attack! Did you hear what I said to this goat? If anyone swings a weapon, we’ll be in deep trouble!

“…Chet.”

Luger was about to lift the Cobalt Blue Python just a second before. It was close.

“Are you calling this a conversation? I knew it from the moment you started clumsily scheming.”

“I’ll commend your courage to save Shin Nara. But your conclusion is still amateurish.”

“Kikik, why bother talking? Anyway, you better understand.”

Luger, Kidd, and Biyemi gathered around, sitting closely, observing Leeha’s predicament. The space was spacious enough to accommodate 42 individuals in one place, and it was chilly. They were confined in the red goats’ fortress-like prison.

“Please control your attacks; it’s too much. At least you followed my words and came here once. You saw it on the way here, right? The structure of this village, with these enormous trees connected by stairs, houses… It seems to weave together the surface and the sky.”

“Sigh… Maybe it would have been better not to come at all, Leeha-ssi. The entire prison is sealed, so teleportation doesn’t work anymore.”

“Well, it’s true, but…”

Leeha was about to retort, but upon hearing Hyein’s sigh-infused complaint, he had nothing more to say.

“The spatial blockade is quite strong, but it’s not unbreakable.”

“The walls are the same. If you try to break them, you can break them, but that’s probably not what you want, Ha Leeha.”

“Yes. Both of you, please bear with it a bit.”

Even the combination of Bailephus and Alexander had some complaints. After a series of events on the beach, they were dragged into the forest of giant trees like a barrier and ended up imprisoned.

No user who longed for the New Continent landing would have expected such a situation.

“Logout might be a problem too. If the people they brought in disappear all at once, wouldn’t that be troublesome?”

“…A good point, Chiyouu-nim.”

“Of course. I’m always thinking about the best for the New Continent Expedition.”

Chiyou responded to Leeha with a playful smile. It was a cooperative attitude, but Leeha didn’t like it, not even that aspect.

Leeha was frustrated that there was no call from the red goats to have a conversation, but it was fortunate for Shin Nara. Because she finally found the courage to talk to Leeha.

“Hey, Leeha-ssi…”

“Yes, Nara-ssi.”

“Earlier… um…” 

But upon hearing Leeha’s voice, her will disappeared again. While Shin Nara wanted to say something, looking at the enthusiastic Leeha, it was not as easy as he thought.

Above all, the situation where the gaze of the 40 individuals, excluding Leeha and Nara, was focused solely on her was quite subtle. The fact that Leeha broke through the red goats’ attack and protected her was witnessed by everyone present, so it was easy to guess what they were all thinking.

“At least I didn’t say anything cringy! Otherwise, I would have had a hard time holding my head up.” 

The mumbling Shin Nara and the firm Leeha seemed to match somehow. Before Shin Nara could speak, Leeha spoke first.

“Hey! You don’t have to apologize or say thanks.”

“Huh?”

“Such talks can be done next time when we meet outside. Right?”

The intention was to turn the conversation as if to leave this place. Although Leeha’s purpose was to avoid this situation, his judgment was not wrong.

“Well, should we? Next time outside? Meet like last time?”

“Uh, yes. Like last time.”

“…Sure. Okay! Then, let’s talk again next time.”

Rather, it made Shin Nara understand that they would talk while dating.

Users watching from a distance simultaneously shook their heads.

“Kiskis, it’s hard to tell if it’s going well or not at times like this.

“But still, it’s improved a lot. Eong-ah has a subtle temperament.”

“Oh, sigh… No improvement at all. I can’t sleep for a few days again.” 

Biyemi, Kijung, and Bobae whispered among themselves, chatting like a group of ladies watching a drama. However, everyone was not watching the scene with contentment or joy. Ram Hwajung’s small fist was clenched tightly and trembling.

“…I don’t like it.”

The sound of her whisper was heard only by Rubini, who was right next to her.

“Yes, Ram Hwajung-ssi?”

Ram Hwajung, who had just opened her mouth, stood up from her seat and walked toward Leeha.

“Ag! Ram Hwajung-ssi. I’m so relieved that you didn’t use magic earlier – huh?” 

Thud! Then she struck Leeha’s thigh with her fist. It was a completely unexpected attack.

“What are you saying?”

Even if Jellypong didn’t absorb the damage, HP wouldn’t have looked the same. Instead, Leeha couldn’t understand at all what Ram Hwajung was talking about.

Only Rubini vaguely guessed the relationship between Shin Nara, Ram Hwajung, and Leeha by watching that scene. 

‘I didn’t notice before… but if it were Leeha-nim, something like that would happen.’

Although her guess was slightly off, when the sudden action of Ram Hwajung happened, the users were bewildered. It was Jin Gonggong who changed the flow of conversation.

“But why did they bother bringing us here?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s what the red goats said. Sure, this is a pretty sturdy prison, but it’s not like they’re going to lock us up permanently, right? Moreover, during the transportation, they didn’t cover our eyes or anything. In a way, they revealed all of their main base.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

When Jin Gonggong spoke, Pei Wu responded promptly.

“As for me, due to animal affinity, I’ve explored the homes of various animals in Middle Earth. Roughly speaking, animals don’t want to reveal their homes to others…”

Leeha could also use Jin Gonggong’s words as a hint. Suddenly, the words uttered by the red goats on the beach came to mind. Someone or something that prevented conversation in that place, or had the ability to do so? There was only one possible target.

“They had enemies back then. They must be launching an attack again, as the incident at that time was not an ordinary one. But where? Did they hide somewhere in the darkness? Aside from those trees, there wouldn’t be many hiding places.”

Leeha couldn’t completely solve his own questions. However, now was the time to solve them.

Kiiik… The sound of the iron door opening echoed. The external door opened, and the footsteps echoed – thud, thud, thud. Shortly after, what stood in front of the iron bars were the transformed red goats. Instead of tops, they wore geometric body paintings, revealing the lower part as if daringly covered, and identical faces with red goat tattoos. They looked like primitive beings from a foreign land, but what was different was the monkey tail protruding from their buttocks, swaying. Jin Gonggong was looking at the NPCs with keen interest. One of the red goats, who had become human, shouted.

“Red goats! Bring out your leader!”

Leeha and Alexander looked at each other simultaneously. Who should go out? At this moment, although other expedition members didn’t speak, their intentions were aligned.

“We need a representative.”

When Pei Wu nodded and suggested, Leeha could understand who should go out. He stood up without hesitation.

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