Matan’s Shooter

Matan’s Shooter 495

TL: xLordFifth

ED:

Swish-swish-swish!

It all happened in an instant. As Chiyou lightly bounced in her fixed spot, five swords materialized in the air. Composed of mana, these swords moved on their own, a kind of psychic and Qi-infused sword dance. Chiyou had once told everyone that she was an ‘assassin’. How could a ‘dancer’ from a class without special weapons perform assassinations? Chiyou’s top-level attack skill cleanly answered that question. For Leeha and his party surrounding her, it was a worst nightmare.

“Damn- what-“

It’s not easy for a ranged dealer to prepare for a sudden close-quarters battle. Especially when the completely subdued opponent suddenly lashes out in desperation! Bobae was momentarily startled, and Chiyou didn’t miss her chance. Two of the floating mana swords swiftly lunged towards Bobae’s abdomen.

“Bobae-ssi!”

Bang!

But by her side was Kijung. Blaming Kijung for rushing to Bobae first would be unjustifiable. After all, they were practically lovers now. However, there were five mana swords in total. Chiyou’s sword dance wasn’t just targeting Bobae.

Three mana swords headed straight for the person who immobilized Chiyou.

“Hyein! Wind Barrier!”

“Tale-hyung! Look out!”

Boom!

Mages like Hyein are equally vulnerable in close combat. Hyein rushed to Tail, who used a simple defensive skill, but it was slightly too late. While two swords targeting his chest and belly were barely blocked, his legs were not so lucky. The mana swords completely penetrated Hyein’s thighs, vibrating intensely. By the time the Space Grab released, he was writhing in pain, surrounded by a brief flash of purple.

In just over two seconds, all this unfolded.

“Great job, Sasuke!”

“Heut!”

Sasuke, who had been staring blankly at the ground, suddenly came to life. Was she waiting for this moment all along? But that wasn’t important. What mattered was Chiyou’s sword dance had completely immobilized Byulcho’s members for those precious seconds, enough for Shinobigumi’s agents.

“Leeha!”

“There’s no need to close the distance.”

Leeha had been right next to Sasuke and Chiyou all along. He regretted not pulling the trigger first. He shouldn’t have been intoxicated by victory. He should have blown Chiyou’s head off!

“Damn, even Blaugrunn-ssi-“

“Mutual Destruction!”

Leeha’s left hand threw Blaugrunn. His right hand pulled the trigger.

The gunshot sounded.

Sasuke grabbed Black Bass and Leeha’s arm.

A large hole opened in his chest, quickly turning ashen. But before his body turned completely gray, Sasuke’s body began to swell. The Black Ninja assassin’s secret technique was activated, sacrificing his life to complete the mission.

A giant pillar of fire erupted in the silver plains.

“Phew, Leeha-hyung! Leeha-hyung!”

“Kijung-ssi?!”

“Bobae-ssi! Step back, further! Don’t come closer until we secure a safe distance!”

“Kijung-ssi is-“

“Get back! Prepare to deal damage from a distance!”

Bobae attempted to grab Kijung’s arm, but he had already pushed her away. Even as the 10th ranked archer, facing the 7th ranked dancer, Chiyou, was a formidable challenge. In a life-or-death fight like this, Chiyou had enough ability to kill Bobae. Kijung’s decision to distance Bobae from Chiyou was crucial.

The situation was equally grim for Tale and Hyein. As a close-combat dealer and a sage, they lacked adequate defensive skills. Caught in the unexpected blast radius, managing their own HP was challenging as they shared potions to create distance.

Amidst the lingering dark smoke, Hyein frowned, realizing the gravity of the situation. ‘Chiyou has such a skill… We could have underestimated her.’ The spatial barrier was still intact, set by Hyein, so Chiyou couldn’t break it. But what if she ran? With her agility, catching her wouldn’t be easy.

Thump… Thump…

“Ahahaha! How dare you act so bravely in front of me? Did you really think you could survive?”

“Uh…?”

Hyein quickly had to change his thoughts. Was Chiyou escaping? Why? That seemed like a move of desperation. Was the situation unfavorable for Chiyou?

‘No, can’t be… she’s planning to defeat us all?’

Chiyou emerged from the smoke, slightly singed and disheveled but with a fierce glint in her eyes.

Changg, Changg!

The sound of two potion bottles breaking was enough indication of Chiyou’s relatively stable condition. Moreover, the five floating mana swords testified to her prowess.

‘No, it’s not a ‘maybe’!’

Hyein grimaced, realizing that Chiyou had gained the most from the exchange between Sasuke and Leeha. Could they, including Bobae, Kijung, Tale, and himself, beat Chiyou, who was in the ranking?

“Retreat, Hyein-hyungnim. Focus on shorter casting debuffs. Tale-hyungnim, prepare as if it’s a boss raid.”

“No… this might be tougher than any raid.”

Kijung quickly positioned himself in front. It was a sudden 4:1 situation, but PvP and monster hunting differed, especially in a small-scale elite confrontation.

“You think you can stop me with you guys? You think a ranged dealer like Bobae can hold me back? Tale, with your skills not even touching me? Hyein, you think I can’t deflect your two-second casting trash debuffs?”

Step by step, Chiyou advanced relentlessly, her confidence rooted purely in her abilities, which even the members of Byulcho acknowledged.

‘Damn, if only Leeha-hyung was here…’

Kijung swallowed hard, watching Chiyou approach and then opened his friends list, checking on Leeha, who might have been logged out due to Sasuke’s explosion.

“Huh?”

“What’s this ‘huh’? – Wait, what?!”

While Kijung was puzzled, Chiyou suddenly stumbled and fell. Tripping? Even in the dissipating smoke, it was unthinkable for the 7th ranked dancer to lose her balance over a mere pebble.

“What the- What’s this? Get it off!”

[Mongmongmong!]

Strange noises filled the ears of the Byulcho members at that moment. Chiyou, flailing on the ground, gradually became unable to even struggle. Lying there, she twitched like an insect on its back.

“Could it be…”

“That sound…”

Bobae and Hyein’s eyes widened in shock. Beyond Chiyou’s writhing form, a silhouette emerged through the thick smoke.

“Psh, always making things difficult. To think she’d go as far as making Sasuke self-destruct. And that guy, no guts at all, just does whatever he’s told. Are you all soldiers or what?”

The person pushing through the smoke with a scowl was none other than Leeha, whom Kijung had to rub his eyes to believe. It was another moment where the gift from Lord Bahamut, the leader of the Platinum and metal dragons, shone through.

“Hyein-ssi, keep the spatial lock tight, will you? Just in case someone tries to summon her out. Make it completely impenetrable.”

“Of course… Of course, I will. Don’t worry.”

Hyein’s demeanor towards Leeha was notably respectful, contrasting with Leeha’s actions upon emerging from the smoke – ruthlessly beating Chiyou with the butt of Black Bass. The Jellypong wrapped around her cunningly loosened only where the musket’s butt landed, adding a level of precision to the beating.

“Kuk, khuh-“

“Ah, that’s a bit relieving.”

How many minutes had he been hitting her? Given that Hyein used the spatial lock twice more, it must have been almost 30 minutes. The necessity of using potions during this prolonged attack made one wonder if it was really needed, but no one, including Kijung, dared to stop Leeha.

“Chiyou.”

“Hu, huh.”

Chiyou could hardly speak. Seeing her react with a flinch at Leeha’s voice, Kijung shook his head, guessing her ‘synchronization rate’ must be high.

“What are you going to do with Shinobigumi now?”

“What do you mean, ‘what to do’?”

“Well, asking this seems pointless. Even if I force you to sign a contract, Shinobigumi isn’t a specific entity, and I can’t restrict you from making money. You haven’t set up a guild, so you wouldn’t have all your assets in one place.”

Each time Leeha spoke, Chiyou’s face hardened further. She had hoped for the best possible outcome in this situation – to appease Leeha with a superficial contract and end it with a single death. But Leeha wasn’t someone to fall for such tactics.

“Even idiots like Rising-Sun couldn’t completely break through with that method. So, it’s unlikely for a more sophisticated organization like Shinobigumi. I can’t put something like ‘follow my orders for life’ in a contract. And it doesn’t seem like Middle Earth would enforce such restrictions. So, what do you think I’m going to do?”

Leeha squatted in front of Chiyou, his grin devilish.

“What are you going to do?”

“You probably already know. With your intelligence, you should already be aware.”

“Damn it… Are you really going to go through with this? You’re going to do such a thing to me, is that it?”

Chiyou clenched her lips. In fact, the situation was chilling enough to even startle Leeha momentarily. As with the boss of Rising-Sun, when people are cornered, they inevitably beg for mercy with tears and snot. At least, that’s what Leeha had experienced.

‘A real big shot is indeed a big shot. She’s not an ordinary woman. She anticipates what I’m going to do and still doesn’t beg for mercy.’

Of course, Chiyou was glaring daggers, and Leeha knew better than to let such thoughts show. Leeha decided to take an even stronger stance.

“Shh, shhiiii… Let’s not do this. Let’s not show each other such ugly sides after coming this far. Let’s accept the conclusion cleanly. Okay?”

Click, Leeha cocked the hammer of Black Bass.

“And since you already know ‘what’ we’re going to do, you must be prepared, right? You’re probably already whispering to the Shinobigumi here and there… Go ahead. Spill everything you can do. We won’t be sitting idly by either. Right, Kijung?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right. Former members of Byulcho’s guild also agreed to actively participate. After all, many people still shudder at the mere mention of words like Shinobigumi, Sasuke.” Kijung nodded. Leeha showed a satisfied expression.

“If you die here, you’ll respawn in ‘Chesi’, a very, very, very small village near the border of Minis. The defense force is just 7 people. Hmm. Perfect.”

Hearing Leeha’s words, Chiyou bit her lip even harder, to the point where blood was visible.

This was another thing Leeha had considered while contacting Byulcho.

Leeha didn’t want to end it by just killing Chiyou once. Should an opportunity like this end merely as a reward for completing a quest? Leeha’s answer was NO.

The death of a ranker once can bring significant losses, but it’s still possible to recover.

What Leeha wanted was the complete annihilation of Shinobigumi, an irrecoverable loss.

There was only one way to achieve this.

“Are you prepared to drop out of the rankings?”

Infinite hunting.

Byulcho’s guild members would continuously stay in Chesi. If Chiyou logs in, they’re prepared to PK her within the village without hesitation.

Of course, such a strategy was possible because of Hyein, Bobae, and Leeha. Even if she could log in after 48 hours, she wouldn’t dare to do so easily. If she logs in, she faces substantial actual damage due to death; if she doesn’t, Shinobigumi loses its overall commander. Either choice is a prison for Chiyou. Leeha’s trap had reached Chiyou. And Black Bass’s bullet would penetrate her from the back of her head.

“Are you ready to fight me to that extent?”

Despite being aware of all these situations, Chiyou, who lifted Black Bass first, was the one to speak.

“What preparation? You’re talking about infinite hunting. And you’re the one who started ‘fighting to that extent’. What are you talking about?”

What else could be left? However, Leeha shook his head. He mustn’t think like that now. Chiyou must be acknowledged as a genius in handling information and manipulating people’s psychology. Even her bravado must be seen as seeking room for negotiation. He must ignore her words. Chiyou has nothing left. There are no more secret weapons! Leeha thought so.

“Okay, Ha Leeha. Then I’ll use everything too.”

“You think I can’t kill you if you say that?” However, Chiyou did not offer any negotiation to Leeha. Hearing the words ‘infinite hunting’, she sparkled her eyes and only expressed confidence until the end.

“Kill me.”

She did not refuse death. “Okay, bye-bye.”

Baaaaaaaaang…!

A white radiance emanated from Leeha’s body.

Yet, despite being the executioner, Leeha couldn’t understand why he felt an uneasy premonition.

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