Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED:

“Hmm, hmm, hmm. Madam, hi!”

“Oh my, our lord, you seem to be in a very good mood today.”

“Yes. A task that seemed difficult turned out to be quite easy.”

It was easy, at least for Leeha. The difficult part would be for Bottleneck.

Of course, Leeha knew that too. Once Bottleneck found a certain level of value, it would ultimately be his job to personally search for the corresponding materials.

‘Anyway, that ‘value’ calculation is the hardest part. It’s not like you can just run an Excel a few times and get the answer.’

A scope with a maximum magnification of over 50 times would be at the level of top-grade binoculars. To implement technology of that size into a scope to be mounted on a sniper rifle? It requires more than just one or two calculations. It’s not something you can easily figure out just by tinkering with a calculator.

There’s no doubt that the laws of physics will be cleverly twisted to somehow make it happen. That’s what Leeha thought.

“Anything new lately?”

“What new could there be? Our lord handled the Shinobigumi matter well… Nowadays, extracting information from Minis has become much easier. Thanks to that, the quality of information sent to the palace has improved, and the capital branch has gotten quite busy, my sister told me.”

Madame Ju smiled softly. Her attitude towards Leeha was friendlier than before. Why would the officially recognized Intelligence Guild of Fibiel suddenly become so friendly to Leeha?

Of course, Leeha himself knew why. It was partly their responsibility.

“Phew, it wasn’t easy. Who would have thought they’d be setting traps there? I, I almost died.”

Who was it that informed Leeha about Chiyou being in the Silver Plains? It was the information network of Holy Grill. Indeed, Chiyou was there, but Holy Grill only knew one thing and was unaware of the other. It was because of that ‘one thing’ missed by Holy Grill’s information network that Leeha almost faced a deadly crisis.

‘Well, I survived because I had predicted that Chiyou wouldn’t show up in that way… But still, it was really a close call.’

If Leeha had been just a bit less sharp, just a bit more naive, he might have really fallen for the Shinobigumi’s trick.

He could have been killed by Chiyou, and the secret quest received from Lotzak and the king would have failed, leading to a plummet in royal affinity.

Ju knew well what Leeha was talking about and had no words to retort to such probing.

“I’m really sorry about that. There were parts we just couldn’t know…”

“Right, right. How could we know everything 100%? I was just… disappointed. Even the Holy Grill, managed by Madam Lu and Madam Ju, known as the strongest information guild of Fibiel, couldn’t read the moves of the Shinobigumi managed alone by Chiyou.”

It wasn’t a thoughtless complaint, nor was he asking for compensation.

However, Leeha’s tone, subtly scratching at their pride, was not at all friendly. Normally, Ju would have snapped back, but now she could only sigh in response.

“Well, it’s a thing of the past. It’s not like it changes the relationship between you and me, right?”

“Yes? Ah, that, of course. It should… I appreciate you thinking that way.”

“So, I wanted to ask a few things. Nothing as difficult as the Shinobigumi stuff! Without their interference, it should be much easier. Can you help?”

Leeha showed a refreshing expression.

Giving Ju a sense of guilt and indebtedness? Naturally, it was to obtain the latest information for free.

‘How unfair it is that I still haven’t received a single tax from the thriving Holy Grill.’

Every time he asked something, he had to give huge tax benefits, which was particularly annoying for Leeha.

“Cough, alright. What information do you want?”

“I’m not sure if you would know this… But the Vatican has a treasure vault, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I think I might need to enter that treasure vault.”

“Oh! The reward for the New Continent expedition? I know about it. The auction house area was bustling because of that recently.”

“That, really?”

It was news to Leeha.

But almost all the members of the New Continent expedition, except Leeha, had already received their Vatican rewards, so it made sense.

Some users had received items that were perfect for them, while others had obtained items that were literally ‘money-makers’ and put them up for auction.

Of course, the amounts were beyond imagination, and even those who couldn’t buy them crowded the auction house area to see the items’ performance, leaving no room to even step in for a while.

“Ah, I was curious too. To think that in the meantime, you were busy with Chiyou. No, that’s not the important part.”

Leeha shook his head and looked back at Ju. There was one thing he currently wanted to know.

“Is there an item in the Vatican’s treasure vault that would suit me?”

In other words, he was utilizing the information guild NPC’s system for an ‘item search’ feature! This time, even if he could bring Blaugrunn, he would still have to search everything regardless. He wasn’t seeking a specific item, but rather something that was either the best or had the highest utility.

In short, even bringing Blaugrunn wouldn’t be much help. Naturally, if he knew something in advance, it would be advantageous.

“Hmm… For the current Leeha-nim, you say?”

“Yes.”

Ju leaned her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands.

Her face, showing interest, was brushed by her slender fingers, tapping lightly. To Leeha, it looked like she was typing on a keyboard.

‘Is she searching?’

As the head of the information guild, an NPC, she could fully activate her permissions. This would allow her to recognize all of Leeha’s current statuses and find the most suitable items for him.

“We can’t know everything that’s in each country’s treasure vaults. Even for Fibiel’s vault, we can’t fully grasp its contents, let alone other countries.”

“Of course.”

“But… I have heard a rumor.”

“A rumor? What kind?”

“In the deepest part of the Vatican, there are two items that… perhaps our lord would desire the most. At least, I don’t think the members of the New Continent expedition chose those items.”

“Two items? How do you know what I want?”

“Who knows? I don’t. So you’ll have to make the choice. Where you put more emphasis… That’s all I can tell you.”

Ju spoke almost like an oracle.

Leeha was momentarily stunned, then quickly shook his head.

“Wait a minute! You have to at least tell me the names and appearances of those items!”

“That is…”

Ju whispered into Leeha’s ear. The names, appearances, and functions of the items.

That’s when Leeha realized.

‘The system of Middle Earth… delves deeper into the user’s thoughts than I thought.’

It wasn’t just about understanding patterns. A game with a world-class AI might understand humans in some ways better than they understand themselves. The two items mentioned by Ju, which she wasn’t entirely sure about, were exactly what Leeha needed at the moment.

Leeha left Holy Grill. What he chose was in his hands. The quicker he made the choice, the brighter it would shine. Leeha activated his crystal ball. His destination was, of course, the Vatican.

“Phew… Now, there are no paleos or whatever to deal with.”

In a uniform-like outfit, emitting a blue light from his cannon. Luger, breathing heavily, stood on soil that resembled a burnt charcoal pile. With every step, a rustling sound rose, along with ash-like substances, and the footprints left behind glowed red before disappearing. It looked like land made of burnt charcoal.

Luger, who had not stopped by the Lope Continent since parting with Kidd and had only moved around the New Continent, naturally stepped into places no other user had ever entered.

“Aaah———ack!”

“A crow with four wings, that’s what it is.” It had already been over a week since the paleos had become nowhere to be seen.

In the meantime, he had passed many places. It had also been over an hour since he stepped onto this land with its strange soil. Even Luger could tell that the atmosphere of this space was completely different. There were several pieces of evidence that bolstered Luger’s conviction that typical paleos wouldn’t be present.

“No, it’s impossible for there to be paleos. Crows with four wings, and those creatures lurking over there, waiting for the right moment…”

Luger quickly turned his head. Something had been watching him from the sparse rocks, but as soon as he turned, whoosh, it quickly hid behind the rocks. A normal user might not have noticed, but this was Luger. In terms of perception, not even Kidd or Leeha could match him. In that brief moment, Luger had seen them. Wolves with three heads. About ten in number. They were watching and being wary of Luger.

“Are they looking for a weakness? Or is it just a simple warning?”

It had been about an hour since Luger entered this land, but he couldn’t speed up. The creatures were annoying, and so far, there was no information about this land.

“There’s no location achievement popping up. A land this vast should have one. If not, it means I haven’t entered far enough to trigger the achievement information…’

Going a bit further would confirm it. So Luger had no choice but to ponder. The number of crows in the sky was gradually increasing, and the same was true for the wolves. A location achievement would mean that I’ve fully stepped into this land. Right now, it’s like a ‘buffer zone’, only watching and guarding against intruders, but if I really ‘enter’, how will these monsters observing me react, these unpleasant beasts?

“Should I deal with them here before moving on?”

Luger slowly loaded his cobalt blue python with bullets. There were quite a few of them, but if he could take out two or three with one attack, it might be possible to finish before the rest rush in.

“However, if they spread out widely and come at me, it will become quite troublesome.”

Luger is a master of hunting. A master hunter doesn’t only think from the hunter’s perspective. He knows that he too could become the prey, hunted at any moment. Especially wolves, creatures specialized in group attacks. He had to consider not only forming a wide formation but also the possibility of coordinating with the crows in the sky.

“With three heads, are they smarter?”

Luger mumbled to himself and then let out a hollow laugh, “Heh.”

“…Spending time with that Ha Leeha guy, I’ve picked up some strange habits.”

Then he shook his head. After all, as soon as he entered this land, Luger had already saved it in the crystal ball. If it’s a monster in the form of an animal, it wouldn’t be able to lock the space.

First, let’s fight. After trying to fight, if it doesn’t work, I can use a return scroll and then come back using the crystal ball.

“[Cannon Enhancement: Flat Cannon].”

Luger quietly recited the skill. Humming, the cobalt blue python glowed with light.

Luger could feel those behind him twitching, but they still hadn’t come out yet.

“Stay behind the rocks… I’ll blow you all up with the rocks.”

If he shot a penetrating explosive shell, it would burst through the rocks and explode right in front of their faces. That single shot could render more than half of them in a near-death state.

Luger barely held back a grin.

The pleasure of success, the feeling of confidence in his strength, was always thrilling.

“[Jagd- Ack!”

Boom!

The moment he turned around to pull the trigger, something rushed past his back.

With an immense force of wind.

Like charcoal dust, things from the ground soared into the air.

“-What?”

“Grrrrrr…”

It was then that the three-headed wolves jumped out from behind the rocks. But Luger couldn’t look at them. What had just passed behind him? Luger examined the ground. Something had deeply gouged the earth. The marks looked like bullet scars.

Bang!

It was then that a faint gunshot was heard. Luger’s mind raced like lightning. He thought it had just grazed his ‘back’. But how did it become ‘behind him’? At that moment, Luger had turned around to shoot at the rocks. If he hadn’t turned, what would have been there?

‘My head.’

Ignoring the charging three-headed wolves, Luger tore the scroll. Considering the time difference between the bullet grazing him and the faint gunshot heard from a distance, he could estimate the distance of the sniper.

“Grrrrr-”

Whoosh! Right before Luger’s body disappeared, the three-headed wolves launched an attack. But Luger’s body vanished, and ‘something’ that had just grazed Luger’s back pierced through the spot. Torn apart was not Luger but the body of the three-headed wolves.

“Crack!”

Something that ripped through the body of the three-headed wolves embedded in the ground, raising a cloud of charcoal dust. Embedded in the ground was a bullet. Despite having to reluctantly leave the place he had reached after investing almost all his time in the New Continent, Luger didn’t regret his journey so far.

“Hehehe… finally found it. [Matan’s Shooter]”

Considering the time it took for the bullet to graze him and the sound to reach him.

Luger estimated the distance to be 7km.

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