Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

The joy of arriving on the New Continent had been momentarily set aside, and despite facing an overwhelming preemptive attack, they did not retaliate. Without a mana relay tower, the New Continent  ‘Erika’ could only be traveled to and fro in about 120 days. Without proper supplies and manpower, they couldn’t engage in a prolonged battle against the Demon King’s Fragments.

However, even after hearing Leeha’s pivotal statement, Aibex showed no significant reaction. It seemed he wasn’t on the same side as the Demon King’s Fragment, but the eyes on Aibex’s back remained closed.

As an NPC classified as dragon-class, what judgment would this creature make? How was it set up?

The die had already been cast. All Leeha could do was wait.

“I see… So, that’s how it is.”

After a moment, Aibex’s eyes gently opened. The eyeless goat’s face nodded slowly. However, Aibex wasn’t looking at Leeha. Despite the straight-line eyes of the goat head, Leeha could sense some unease from Aibex, even though the goat eyes indicated agreement.

“Now, the clues are finally coming together. Foolish… Foolish-“

The shout from outside Aibex’s dwelling reached them at that moment.

Aibex’s eyes instantly widened, almost covering the entire back. Although the internal Paleos were momentarily bewildered, Aibex did have a certain aspect fitting of a “Guardian of the Tribe.”

“My children, no need to be surprised! Call your eldest brother and follow me!”

“Red goat!”

Aibex stood up and shouted! And the paleos inside and outside responded at the same time.

The sudden change in the atmosphere made Leeha momentarily assess the situation, but Aibex didn’t afford him the luxury.

“Human, you said you are ‘Ha Leeha,’ right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

“We’ll talk about that topic later. Anyway, it seems that the recent conversation and those foolish black crane fellows are somehow related.”

“What?”

“Follow me.”

Aibex stood up and began leaping onto the “Red Wood” with a paat-paat sound! It was as if he was effortlessly jumping on a tree trunk with the slightest curvature.

Each time he lifted a foot, nine red tails fluttered like a fan. The enormous size was incongruent with the speed, reminiscent of Pei Wu.

“What is that, and how am I supposed to say that black crane… whatever it is? Anyway, did the persuasion work?”

Leeha looked puzzled, gazing at the goat leaping onto the tree. Anyway, if they came, they’ll have to deal with it.

Leeha diligently followed Aibex, stepping on the stairs surrounding the tree.

“Red goat! Defend! Show those crazy black crane fellows a lesson!”

“Red goat!”

Swooosh! Swoooosh! Even while climbing the stairs, flashes of red light appeared here and there.

The transformed Paleos, now red goats, leaped towards the top of the tree trunk, stepping on the pillars without hesitation. The speed at which they ascended was impossible to catch by merely climbing stairs.

“Jellypong! Can you extend your hand, or rather your face, and grab onto something to prevent me from falling?”

Before Leeha finished speaking, the hand—or rather the face—of Jellypong, the gelatinous water spirit, protruded from his vest. Leeha chuckled at the sight of the smiling metawater spirit.

“Okay, let’s go. Help me ride the tree!”

Paat! Leeha trusted and jumped as if riding a wooden monkey. As if the arm of a tree-climbing monkey reached out, Jellypong’s arm extended from Leeha’s chest.

Already standing at the top of one Red Wood, Aibex awaited Leeha’s ascent from below.

“Indeed. It seems you received the love of the sea. Is it that creature that separated from the sea god, mermaid, as they say?”

“Yes? Uh, well… something like that,” Leeha replied, bewildered.

Though it was said to have been born where the sea god resided, Aibex casually mentioned it, like talking about a rare animal from a neighboring country. 

‘Is he joking because he hadn’t encountered it, or because he is confident? He knows about humans but he doesn’t know about dragons!’’

Leeha imagined the meeting between Bailephus and Aibex. 

‘Now that I think about it, Bailephus is an expert at mana detection. Didn’t he know that a being like Aibex is here?’

So far there were only two beings that were able to escape the gold dragon’s mana detection. The ancient dragon Kuzgunak’sh and Bluebeard Le.

Did this mean that Aibex is above that level?

There was no time to dwell on it. Below, the transformed paleos were taking their places one after another.

While the ibex moved on all fours like a ‘real goat’, the paleo’s transformation resembled a human form.

“Follow.”

“Yes, yes, understood.”

Now, with more questions than answers, Leeha continued to climb the stairs, leaving the transformed paleos behind.

“Prepare for a coordinated attack!”

“Red goat!”

Beside Aibex, Leeha could recognize the commanding goat with a thunderous roar. ‘Eldest Brother’ Youngblood. He was issuing commands to other goats around him, directing their positions, and organizing a defensive formation.

But it wasn’t an ordinary defense.

“He’s not here for no reason. Defending against enemies from above in this place is not suitable. The visibility is too obstructed.”

Originally, the identity of the enemy had not been clear from the beginning. Black crane. Perhaps, as the name “black crane” suggested, the enemy would fly.

“Hudid creates fire.”

“What?”

“And I prevent fire. The reason the Red Wood Forest could grow for over five thousand years was the harmony between his power and mine. Burn what needs to be burned and protect what needs to be protected.”

Aibex spoke at that moment.

‘Did he just compare himself to someone else? Hudid… If that’s the case—’

No, before that, Leeha needed to confirm one thing. Some thoughts crossed his mind, but they were too absurd.

“I’m sorry, but—about this black crane—”

“They are paleos. Following Hudid, Hudid’s children. Just like red goats are my children.”

“Could it be that… on your side as well—”

Paleos? The red goats releasing puffs of air beside Leeha were also called ‘paleos.’ But if they were paleos too, Leeha carefully selected his words and glanced at Aibex’s back.

“Transformation… is that the right term? Enhancement? Possession? In any case, can you do something like that?”

“Huh, can’t humans inherit their parents’ abilities? Well, when Youngblood brought you here, you didn’t show such habits. It seems it wasn’t that you couldn’t, but that you didn’t.”

Aibex’s response was affirmative, adding to Leeha’s confusion.

‘Inheriting abilities…? Indeed, it means possession, enhancement, transformation, or something like that! And if that—shouting among themselves like they did means what I think it means—’

The black crane was likely to transform into some aerial form. Looking at the definition of the word, perhaps a crane!

“Then, is ‘Hudid’ similar to Aibex-nim, perhaps—”

“They’re coming.”

Aibex nodded, cutting off Leeha’s words. Further explanation from Aibex was unnecessary.

“Toward the sun’s direction during lunch! Throw!”

“Red goat!”

With Youngblood’s powerful command, the red goats grabbed weapons and threw them. Thin, thrown spears burst into flames as they soared through the air.

In the foremost point of the targeted area, a giant black crane was flying. Aibex, also of an extraordinary size, was dwarfed by what was approaching.

The creature had a scarlet-patterned body and a head that shone with a blueish light, resembling a goblin flame. Even without additional explanations, Leeha could understand that this creature named “Hudid” was the one Aibex mentioned.

Considering its spread wings, Hudid was gigantic, possibly comparable to the Gold Dragon Bailephus. Behind it, hundreds of small black cranes, resembling Youngblood in human form, were also flying.

The surrounding paleos—Red Goats—were goat-shaped, but the approaching paleos—black cranes—were human-shaped cranes, each with a pair of human arms.

‘In other words, red goats with two legs, wielding weapons in their arms… and human-shaped black cranes with wings on their backs, fighting with weapons in both hands?!’

Even for Leeha, who had been to the Dragon Palace, this scene was bizarre, to say the least. It might be more appropriate to call it a monstrous battle.

“[Bright Flame].”

Hudid extended a wing-like forelimb toward the direction the thrown weapons were coming from and casually shouted.

For a moment, it seemed like a flash of light from its blue head! However, one of the weapons thrown by the red goats burned even more intensely.

‘Increased the fire?!’

But the brilliance was short-lived. As one of the thrown weapons ignited into an enormous flame, the other fires in the vicinity were all extinguished, creating a surreal scene.

“[Gwangyeom].”

Hudid lightly exclaimed as it withdrew its extended limb.

From its blue head, a flash of light! At that moment, the burning weapon among those thrown by the red goats intensified even more.

‘Added more fire?’

However, the brilliance was brief. As one of the thrown weapons generated an enormous flame, all the surrounding fires were extinguished.

“Oh? What’s this? Did all the fires—”

“He creates fire. It’s a powerful fire that temporarily sucks in all the surrounding oxygen.”

Fire doesn’t burn without a continuous supply of oxygen. If powerful firepower was concentrated temporarily to absorb all the surrounding oxygen? The small fires around are all extinguished, leaving only one large fire.

“Oh? What’s this? Did all the fires—”

“Keep throwing!”

“Red goat!”

The red goats continued to throw their weapons, but the black cranes nullified the attacks with graceful maneuvers and evasive aerial movements. The speed of the thrown spears was fast, but air defense battles inherently favored the defensive side.

‘Without a concept like anti-aircraft artillery… It’s nearly impossible to block attacks with just thrown weapons.’

The black cranes, almost invisible in the pitch-black night sky, could only be discerned by the faint moonlight and the fiery glow from the thrown spears. The flaming spears continued to fly, enhancing the flames with each throw, and the surrounding fires were extinguished in the ongoing attrition.

“Burn it all down.”

“Black crane! Prepare for the bombing run! Explosive assault!”

“Black crane!”

Even the black cranes, not immune to continuous attacks solely based on ‘direct hits’ without explosions or collateral effects, were now creating a single large formation. It was evident to Leeha amidst the chaotic flight.

Amidst the busy throwing of spears, the red goats started to waver.

“Prepare for ground defense! Guardian Deity-nim!”

“Don’t worry. What would happen if the one in charge gets nervous?”

“Sorry, red goat!”

Youngblood, by Aibex’s side, bowed his head.

It was at that moment that Aibex, Youngblood, and Leeha, who were in the circular sky, and the approaching Hoodid and black cranes, seized their opportunity.

“Assault.”

“Assault! Explosive assault!”

“Black crane!”

Finally, Leeha could accurately observe the black cranes’ movements. Like a kingfisher catching fish, all the black cranes descended vertically, and flames ignited on their bodies. True to the name ‘explosive assault,’ they were burning themselves while descending in a trembling manner.

“Wow?! What is that—”

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