Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

“What?!”

“What, what happened?”

“Oh, no- it’s nothing. I apologize, Cardinal-nim.”

Leeha had to hastily apologize to the Cardinal. In the Vatican, he had unwittingly let out a loud ‘Pak!’ sound, so surprising was Kid’s statement.

Leeha: What are you talking about? Luger died? By whom? Why?

Kidd: I don’t know either. But… there’s someone you’re suspecting, right?

Leeha: What did he say he was doing? Did he die while hunting?

At Leeha’s misstep, Kidd sighed. Leeha was just as frustrated. What on earth had happened to Luger? At least since Leeha had met Luger, there had never been any news of his death. Even more so, to die so suddenly. And that Kidd knew about it?

Leeha: What is it! Hurry up and tell me!

Kidd: Think about what Luger said he would do last.

Leeha: The last time… when the three of us separated- uh, that is, when I left the underground city and probably-

Suddenly, Leeha’s footsteps halted. The Cardinal, walking ahead, turned his head. “Are, are you okay? If you have any pain, let me know. While I may not have as much divine power as His Holiness, I can alleviate some of the pain…”

The Cardinal was worried enough to look at Leeha’s distorted face. In this moment, Leeha could fully share Kid’s anxiety.

What was the last thing Luger had said to him when they parted?

‘I’m going to find… the Matan’s Shooter.’

And now, he was dead. Could an ordinary monster of the New Continent kill him? With teleportation and return scrolls, it wouldn’t be easy. Killed due to spatial lock and PK? Given Luger’s personality, he would have quite deep grudges here and there, but it was unlikely that he would suffer such a fate deep in the New Continent. Naturally, the possibilities had to narrow down to one place.

‘…He found it.’

The one who killed Luger was the Matan’s Shooter. In other words, Luger had found it. The Matan’s Shooter. Leeha bit his lip.

***

Leeha: He found it.

Kidd: It seems reasonable to think that.

There was a reason for Kidd’s voice to be firm.

Just a while ago, Leeha had checked the location of the Three Musketeers. He remembered where Kidd was and where Luger had been.

That thought came to mind, and Leeha immediately asked Kid.

Leeha: If we track the vicinity of where Luger was yesterday morning, perhaps-

Kidd: No. I know the last place he was.

Leeha: …What do you mean? You saw Luger’s last location?

Luger’s last location, that is, the place of his death. Where was it? Right where the Matan’s Shooter is.

Leeha asked, but Kid did not answer.

Leeha: Ki…dd?

Kidd: I’m going ahead.

Leeha: Wa, wait a minute! Where to?! At least tell me the place before you go! And how are you going to do it? What are you planning to do by going alone? You said Luger is dead!

Kidd: Don’t you remember what happened with Lepanto? He must have recklessly gone alone and died. I won’t do that.

Leeha: No, wait a minute! This isn’t something to think about so lightly-

Kidd: Then, that’s it.

Leeha: Kidd! Kidd!

Leeha tried to put more force into his whisper, but no further response came from Kid.

Leeha pondered for a moment. If he used the Three Musketeers’ chain teleport, he could immediately go to Kid’s side.

Should he fly there right away?

‘No, no, no. Kidd hasn’t moved yet. His current location isn’t there. It’s better not to chase him prematurely and miss him-‘

Let’s wait. Until Kid’s location changes to a much more unclear and ominous name.

Fortunately, the locations of the Three Musketeers are displayed in much more detail than regular friend window. And since Middle Earth is a game, it was quite predictable that the Matan’s Shooter would be in a land with a ‘bad looking name’. While Leeha was pondering for a moment, Kid had already deactivated the teleport of the Three Musketeers. Frustration surged in Leeha.

‘Stupid! What can you do alone? Especially being a ‘rapid shooter’!’

Leeha thought about the future plan logically, but the anxiety and restlessness did not immediately disappear. Luger is dead. How did he die? Did the Matan’s Shooter shoot the Matan? Or? What terrain, from how far a distance, and with what weapon did he kill Luger? Did Luger fight back? Did he land a hit?

‘Let’s assume the Matan’s Shooter is me.’ Leeha had some confidence in himself.

If he and Luger were to fight one-on-one, as long as he wasn’t ambushed, he didn’t think he would lose. Above all, the difference in range was overwhelming.

‘But if my position is revealed.’ He couldn’t be sure.

It was Luger who could render the overwhelming range advantage useless. Although Leeha recently succeeded in a snipe shot with a maximum range of 4km, such a long-range sniper shot always requires clear visibility.

In reality, the reason Leeha was able to snipe a Brass Golem from 4km away was because there was nothing to obstruct his view, as he was shooting from one mountaintop to another.

Luger, who knows the weaknesses of long-range sniping well, would, in a terrain suitable for stealth, slowly approach like a snake hunting its prey and completely blow up the spot where Leeha is standing.

‘He has enough ability to do that.’

Therefore, Luger’s death is not just a matter of ‘confirmation of death.’

The ‘circumstances’ under which he died are the most important. Kidd spoke too easily, making Leeha worry about him even more.

Kid, smart enough to be called the ‘brain’ of the Three Musketeers by Chiyo, would certainly have thought of what Leeha has so far. Despite this, Luger’s case was shocking enough to worry Leeha.

“This is the place.”

“Oh, yes?”

“Our Vatican’s treasury.”

“Oh, ah! Yes, right. The treasury.”

Having momentarily forgotten where he was headed, Leeha, guided by the Cardinal, finally arrived at the Vatican’s treasury.

Perhaps because it was as small as a city-state but had the power bestowed by the name of the Holy Nation, it was not an underground space like the royal treasury of Fibiel.

A giant gilded door stood before Leeha, exuding solidity.

“It’s huge…”

“Yes, it is. It contains not only the items left by the past Popes who performed miracles but also those said to be directly bestowed by God.”

“There are such things? Could I possibly take something like that-”

“However, I don’t know what they are.”

“Pardon?”

“I too have only heard about it for the management of this place. Perhaps someone else has already taken it.”

The Cardinal said with a smile.

Could it be true?

Or is it just a legend passed down like a story? Listening to the ambiguous words of the NPC, Leeha tilted his head.

“Feel free to look around and let me know if you find something to your liking. I’ll be right here at the door.”

“Ah, yes.”

The Cardinal opened the golden door. Leeha walked into the Vatican’s treasury.

‘Really…

Apart from the Pope being the representative of God on this land, how Ezwen can exhibit power on the continent by actually using divine power.

Although Leeha had not fully grasped even the royal treasury of Fibiel, he could easily tell that the Vatican’s treasury was much larger than that place.

‘I heard from Ju, but hearing the Cardinal’s words makes me feel uncertain again.’

The well-organized classification, like a large supermarket, was another reason that made the place seem larger. Leeha began to search for items. There were two items that Ju had recommended as the most necessary for him at the moment. What else could be useful?

“It sure looks nice. Everything is sorted by grade.”

Just after entering the door, for a brief moment, he saw a few rare items, but now, the aisle Leeha was walking down was lined with hero-grade items on both sides. Turning his head to the left, the wall was not visible properly. Turning to the right, the wall was still not in sight. Whichever way he looked, shelves filled with items lined up to seven levels. Leeha couldn’t remember how many such shelves and corners he had passed. It was no exaggeration to say that every type of weapon, armor, and accessory suitable for all job classes in Middle Earth existed here.

‘This is crazy, really. And so many hero-grade items… If I go a bit further, I’ll find legendary items. Or perhaps… There might be items I’ve only seen once before.’ Leeha recalled the item that resurrected Blaugrun.

Mythical-grade items, Easter eggs.

Items with unbelievable abilities, like an Easter egg.

And wouldn’t they be much easier to find? If they’re displayed like this, sorted by grade? There’s no need to fiddle with items in the front. I just have to run straight to the back and pick them up. Naturally, the highest grades would be there.

“Okay, let’s skip the front! I’ll start searching from the back!”

Leeha ran. Without caring about his stamina. Until he reached the end! Continuously, incessantly!

But the end never came. Although it didn’t matter that he could run until his stamina was all used up, Leeha was flabbergasted.

‘…Is it really this big?’

He ran and ran.

The hypnotic effect of the shelves passing by was almost surreal.

White floors, white ceilings, shelves of the same size lined up at equal intervals, and endless items on each shelf… No matter how much he ran, the same scene continued to appear.

It was the same whether he looked left or right while running.

The items glimpsed in front of the shelves were surely changing. He wasn’t just running in place, so what was going on?

“No, this is killing me. What is this?” After running for a long time, Leeha eventually had to stop.

Was it even possible to have no end? Even in Middle Earth, there should be some limit to space. Suppressing his irritation, Leeha picked up an item from the shelf right in front of him.

[Rare Non-Breakable Knife Treated with Magic Alloy]

Attack Power: 670 – 680

Type: Close combat, one-handed weapon

Effects: Agility +11, Critical Hit Rate increased by 19%, a chance to activate 〈Explosion〉

Requirements: Strength over 250, Agility over 800

Description: A knife made from materials treated with magic alloy. It won’t break even when stabbed into a stone golem, and thanks to the magical engravings on the blade, it occasionally triggers explosion magic. It’s a highly practical tool as it requires no maintenance cost, and its aesthetic appeal makes it popular in the black market.

“Huh?”

The dagger, engraved with unrecognizable patterns, confused Leeha.

Rare-grade? Suddenly a rare-grade? The rare-grade items had all disappeared before even passing ten shelves upon entering. And everything checked since then was hero-grade?!

‘This doesn’t make sense. How can there be rare-grade items again now? If they were mixed up, why bother categorizing them like this-’

Suddenly, a chill ran down Leeha’s spine. Mixed up? That couldn’t be. Leeha turned around.

“Aha… So that’s how it is.” The golden door he had entered through was right nearby.

Walking a little further and examining the items, he recognized several of them. They were items he had checked earlier.

‘It’s like a loop. No, still, this is too cruel for the Vatican!’

If you blindly run towards the end, you end up back at the beginning!

Perhaps it’s a lesson not to be greedy and to find something suitable?

If he got too greedy here, he might just exhaust his stamina without gaining anything.

Leeha nodded his head and walked leisurely. Kidd’s location hadn’t changed since the last check.

Knowing that Leeha would follow if he moved rashly, Kid wouldn’t go to Luger’s last location as long as Leeha didn’t log out.

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