Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

There was no sign of other black crane paleos coming nearby. Since Rubini’s map reached beyond the range of 1km, there was no need to worry much about a surprise attack.

‘It’s not just simple observation. It’s almost like moving with a field command center, right?’

As Leeha comforted himself, hitting the cheeks of the black crane paleos, he briefly glanced at Rubini’s skills and felt reassured.

Cchak!

The ability to perfectly survey the battlefield and pinpoint the enemy’s location was practically close to a cheat.

“Ugh…”

“Oh! Are you awake now?”

Black crane!

Cchak!

With another slap, the black crane paleos finally opened their eyes. As they saw Leeha and Rubini in front of them, they attempted to scream and struggle. However, Leeha’s hands were faster than their wriggling.

“Remember this? Shut your mouth.” Leeha raised the end of the object he was holding, and a current sizzled, making the black crane paleos’ eyes widen. They nodded their heads quickly.

“Bl-Black crane…”

“Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions. If you don’t answer or if your answer lacks sincerity, I’ll give you a little shock, and oh! The most important thing, if you say ‘I don’t know,’ you’ll get a shock every time. Understood?”

“…I don’t..”.

“I told you to just answer, right? ON.”

“-le- lul-lul1—-1- lul-lul一”

This time, the duration was not long. It was just enough time for the current to flow and make them feel considerable pain. Leeha didn’t feel good about electrocuting the barely (?) captured black crane paleos, as it went against the principles of “information gathering” rather than torture.

Leeha wiped away the drool at the corner of the black crane paleos’ mouth with a gentle touch and smiled brightly. What kind of recognition would the black crane paleos, who saw an “unfamiliar human” for the first time, have in their eyes?

For Leeha, there were more important things to use his divine senses on than the NPC of the New Continent.

“How far is your tribe from here?” Leeha inquired.

“It’s here- this- that way, that way.”

“I’m asking about the distance, not the direction. ON-“

“Ah, ah! Black crane! Mercy rule!”

“Mercy? Hmm… No.”

“Please, please-“

Bzzzzzt———-!

“-Bzzzzzztl!”

This time, the timing was even shorter than before. Leeha quickly released the electric shock device. At least once, he could have shown mercy. It was allowed. However, Leeha wanted to make it clear. Of course, there was a valid reason for it.

‘The mana freeze has run out. I have to make sure that they don’t even think about transforming.’

It was one of the things he learned through his bones when he was in military.

“Now, let’s start again. How far is your tribe from here?”

The smile on Leeha’s face was nothing short of devilish. The black crane paleos immediately responded without the habitual “Black crane.”

“We’ll arrive in about an hour if we fly.”

“Flying for an hour, hmm… Reconnaissance, are there only you guys who have come out?”

“That’s right.”

“In which direction, how many at a time? What’s the interval? Shift time and personnel, location?”

Leeha meticulously extracted the information he needed.

During this time, Rubini prepared for the disappearance of the skill, meticulously copying and drawing the terrain and landmarks on the hologram map she created, including contour lines.

After thoroughly asking for various information, Leeha finally brought up the main topic.

“Hudid… Your tribe’s guardian deity has changed recently, right? I heard it from the red goat paleos. The relationship between Aibex and Hudid was very good. But why did it suddenly change? Since when?”

Certainly, Bluebeard must have done something. Did he make contact? If so, did the paleos witness it? If there was no contact at all, how did Bluebeard corrupt Hudid?

Leeha’s eyes flashed. When Hudid’s name was mentioned, the eyes of the black crane paleos, who had been trembling until now, also changed slightly.

“…I don’t know about that.”

“Alright!”

Cchak! cchak!!

Leeha clapped. The black crane paleos looked confused. Leeha raised his right hand again and smiled happily.

“You finally said it! Do you remember what I said earlier? If you answer ‘I don’t know,’ what happens?”

“T-Tw…twice, no! No! I don’t know! No!”

The electric shock device glowed even when it approached the black crane paleos. The one who had fainted in the commotion woke up again.

As soon as he woke up and understood the situation, the paleos glared at Leeha.

“Who are you! Who dares to do this to us-“

Leeha couldn’t stand to leave him like that.

Bzzzzzt———–!

“-Get-gegegegegue—!”

“This guy is getting on my nerves… Hey, tell me. Who am I?” 

Leeha casually electrocuted the newly awakened one, then frowned at the paleos who had already woken up. The paleos who had almost been electrocuted twice for answering ‘I don’t know’ quickly approached his fellow and began yelling.

Leeha didn’t wake up the other one directly for a reason. There was one individual marked by fear, and having him would make future ‘information gathering’ even faster.

After the conversation with the black crane paleos ended, the two paleos looked at each other and were subjected to the final warning by Leeha.

“Why did Hudid change recently, when did it happen, were there any strange people, did anything happen after going somewhere? Anyway, tell me everything about any signs of abnormalities. The one who speaks late gets a 5-second jolt.”

“I-I’ll tell you! A month ago, we found something below Hudid’s right wing…”

“The…black cap! I saw something like a small cap buried under Hudid’s right wing…”

“Cap? Hat?”

Military life’s most challenging aspect is not mere physical training. In the realm of ‘information gathering,’ the most effective method is still, in other words, ‘first come, first served.’

With a beast-like glint in his eyes, Leeha effortlessly acquired all the information about the black crane paleos without engaging in significant combat. Rubini observed a different side of Leeha with a mixture of fear and admiration.

“I’ve generated the map. The marked points here are all the paleos.”

“Well, they didn’t lie after all. I was half-expecting some resistance or maybe even some threats.”

As Leeha chuckled, Rubini seemed a bit taken aback.

After maintaining control for so long, the fact that there was almost no resistance or threats was surprising.

‘Even when leaving, he ended up stunning them… I don’t know what to make of Hahi’s real nature.’

Since the duration of the mana freeze had expired, once Leeha and Rubini left, they could immediately return, informing the tribe of the attack.

Leeha, having gathered all the information, released them, and coincidentally, they arrived at this location.

It would take about an hour for the transformed black crane paleos to fly the distance, even with heightened vigilance. However, Leeha and Rubini had no reason to avoid them.

After approximately two hours of walking, they began to see the outskirts of the black crane paleos’ tribe on the map.

“Sabak… Sabak…”

In Rubini’s map, everything from monsters to animals was marked. However, in the vicinity, there were no creatures other than the black crane paleos.

‘They must have killed anything that posed a threat in the surroundings to strengthen the foundation of their village.’

This aspect actually made it easier for Leeha and Rubini to approach. Moreover, the giant trees of Redwood provided natural cover.

The only concern was the possibility of being detected through aerial surveillance, but Rubini’s map covered a wider radius than the black crane’s vision, so that wasn’t a problem.

As long as they remained cautious with their sounds, the two moved swiftly around the outskirts of the black crane paleos’ tribe.

“Is there anything special marked on the map?”

“There seems to be a gathering of paleos marked on the map. This might be the ‘courtyard’ they mentioned.”

“Alright. After passing through the courtyard, the third building should be Hudid’s residence, right?”

“Probably that… Oh! Ah! Ha Leeha-ssi!”

“Yes?”

“This… This is it!”

Continuing their conversation, Leeha and Rubini kept moving. However, Rubini’s footsteps came to a sudden halt. The reason for this interruption was evident when they looked at her map skill. A massive point was marked at the northern end.

“Indeed.”

Finally, Hudid’s figure came into view for Leeha as well.

Although the map was still in 2D, it was simply represented, but Leeha remembered the details.

“The external limbs, blue head, and the red dot embedded in the black body… Now, the problem lies in the detailed strategy.”

Leeha had thoroughly assessed the surrounding terrain, landmarks, the creatures’ behavior, patrol routes, and even the timing. Moreover, he knew the target and its location.

However, the challenge was how to proceed. Leeha pondered while looking through Rubini’s map.

“Miss Rubini.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how to climb trees? No, this might be faster.”

“Climb trees? What’s—”

Swoosh!

Rubini was suddenly caught off guard as an invisible force wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to Leeha.

“Ha Leeha-ssi!”

[Mongmongmongmong…]

However, even inspecting her waist, Rubini couldn’t discern anything. There was something translucent encircling her slender waist, revealing eyes, nose, and mouth, creating a cute yet eerie feeling for Rubini.

“Don’t worry. It’s mine. Let’s go, Jellypong! First, send her up, on top of that tree!”

[Monmonmon-!]

The entity was Jellypong. The water elemental swiftly ascended into the tree with Leeha and Rubini, shooting up like a rocket.

“Splendid!”

“It’s more enjoyable than you think, right? I’ve only tried it once before—unbelievably refreshing!”

Leeha’s hair fluttered in the wind as they soared upward. Rubini, however, stared directly at Leeha, her gaze piercing through the wind, as if she could see through the blindfold.

Unaware of this gaze, Leeha enjoyed the wind until they reached the top.

[Mongmongmong…]

“Thanks. We can go in now. Miss Rubini, hold on tight.”

[Mongmong-!]

The hand—or rather the face—of Jellypong, which had been gripping Rubini’s waist, vanished into Leeha’s vest.

Finally, Leeha surveyed the surroundings. What was the angle of the sunlight? From which direction could the enemies come? What position would provide the most optimal ballistic trajectory?

The essence of sniping lies in waiting.

However, one cannot wait endlessly. In the swift and decisive art of sniping, drawing out the enemy is fundamental. Having completed all calculations, Leeha nodded and instructed Rubini.

“Just examine the map carefully and lie down on the other side of the leaves. Stay well hidden, so you won’t be noticed.”

“What? Just like that?”

“Yes, stay hidden. Don’t get caught.”

“But—”

“Then I’m off!”

Whoosh!

Before Rubini could finish speaking, Leeha had already activated a skill. Watching the platinum light emanating from his body, Rubini momentarily lost focus, then with a “Haaat!” sound, Leeha gracefully moved along the branches.

Nevertheless, she followed Leeha’s instructions thoroughly.

[Huuu-di-id] O foolish mystical creature of Redwood!”

A moment later, a colossal dragon, an illusion of the Platinum Dragon Bahamut, appeared. Its thunderous voice shook the entire Redwood.

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