Matan’s Shooter

TL: xLordFifth

ED: 

The lightning breath, not a straight line but a radiating force, tore through the air. Leeha knew the only weakness of a dragon’s breath: avoid the initial direction of the blast. Dragons, of course, knew this too, but usually, spreading the breath’s energy weakens its force.

But now?

Centered around Blaugrun, the breath formed a semi-circle, incinerating every approaching avian monster with sufficient power.

Leeha, attempting to peek, had to close his eyes again as his body emitted a bright light.

[Your level has increased.]

“…Level up… with just one breath?” Leeha was torn between joy and the urge to curse Alexander. How could he not top the rankings if a Juvenile Dragon could do this, let alone an Ancient Dragon!

“That… Blaugrun-ssi? You’re Juvenile-class, right? I thought the monsters were between levels 260 to 280-”

Leeha was too stunned by the unbelievable scene to discern whether Blaugrun was boasting or speaking the truth. Blaugrun’s face, though draconic, showed a smug satisfaction that Leeha recognized. He nodded, finally regaining his focus.

“We can’t fall behind! Jellypong, switch to combat mode: Agility! And-“

[Mongmongmong-!]

As Jellypong sprang from Leeha’s body, glowing red, Leeha activated another skill.

“–[Soul Link]!”

With a roar, the fire bear ‘Koma’ appeared, flames engulfing its body.

Gone were the days of wandering alone; each member of the ‘Leeha Squad’ possessed top-tier combat abilities.

Leeha pulled the trigger, laughing heartily.

“Kahaha, let’s sweep them all! [Multi-shot]!”

As his highest offensive skills were unleashed, Blaugrun in dragon form, fire bear Koma, and Jellypong, created by the Water Spirit King Elaim, began their rampage.

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Common Quest: When You Cut the Grass, Snakes Will Appear

Details: Verify the Source of Demons (3/7)]

It was about 7 hours later when the quest count increased by one.

The most surprised among the users was certainly Fernand.

‘Could it be Leeha-ssi? No, no way. Byulcho is on the Old Continent, and there’s no one to gather the quest. Who among the others cleared a spot…? Maybe it really was Leeha-ssi…? No, it couldn’t be. Even Alexander couldn’t do it alone… No, it can’t be.’

Despite his rational doubts, a lingering unease remained unquenched.

Fernang’s enormous trust in Leeha paradoxically made him anxious.

“Phew… I can’t even remember how many magazines I’ve changed. Jellypong, you must be tired too. Thanks for your hard work.”

[Mongmong… Mongmongmong…]

Exhausted, Leeha collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Jellypong, too, with droopy eyes, slithered towards Leeha.

Even in its agile ‘combat mode,’ which highly synergized with Leeha’s stats, Jellypong was evidently fatigued.

“This is really… not something to repeat. Koma only fought for 30 minutes before disappearing.”

If Koma heard that, he’d probably growl and smack Leeha’s back, protesting that he had no choice due to the 30-minute limit of Soul Link. But Leeha knew better. It was simply an outcome of over six hours of intense battle.

[Already tired? I feel like I’ve just stretched my body after a long time. Why don’t we take on another location?]

“Heh, no showing off, please. Blaugrun-ssi, I saw you huffing and puffing after three hours.”

[Humph, who’s showing off?]

Despite his words, Blaugrun-ssi settled next to Leeha. They had decimated nearly 70% in the first three hours, but the remaining 30% took another four strenuous hours.

‘Maybe it was easier than expected, considering it would normally require three to five raid teams.’

The might of the ‘Leeha Squad’ was evident, offering an unexpected gain along with a rapid level up. But Leeha’s actual objective remained unachieved.

“The giant tree wasn’t the World Tree… not even close.”

Fernang’s supposed World Tree look-alike was far from it. Instead, this colossal tree was the very symbol allowing this place to be a source of demons.

[Bluebeard’s mana traces are there. Though I don’t understand the meaning of the six circles he marked on the tree.]

The marks, undoubtedly made by Bluebeard’s staff, were clear to Leeha too. However, the significance of the six circles, unknown even to Blaugrun-ssi, was frustrating.

The achievement obtained after annihilating all the monsters didn’t shed light on these marks either.

[Achievement: The Fifth Land Tainted with Demonic Essence (A+)]

Congratulations! You have successfully purified the fifth land tainted with demonic essence! However, Bluebeard is nowhere to be found. He protected this land, undoubtedly visited by him. There’s only one reason he traveled to various places! Chase him before it’s too late. Purify the lands still tainted with demonic essence and confront Bluebeard.

Reward: Strength +10, Agility +10, Intelligence +10, Erika Continent Common Fame +30

(No Hall of Fame for this achievement. Awarded to the entire raid team.)

‘Three out of seven demonic sources have been cleared by players.’

The quest count was 3/7, but the achievement clearly stated ‘the fifth source.’ It wasn’t a typo. Leeha knew it referred to the story-based numbering of the seven sources.

‘Even if this was the ‘Fifth Demonic Source,’ what about those six circles? If only I knew the markings at other sources.’

But who cleared them remained a mystery. After a grueling battle to reach the supposed World Tree, finding it unrelated was utterly disappointing.

“Where on earth do I find the World Tree? It must be somewhere in the New Continent!”

[Don’t be too hasty.]

“Gosh, I wouldn’t be this anxious under normal circumstances.”

[Normal circumstances? What’s different now?]

Blaugrun-ssi tilted his massive dragon head, curious. Leeha hesitated before speaking.

“I’ll be away from the world of Middle Earth for a while.”

[Away? Why?]

“Well… I have somewhere to be. Just that.”

How could he explain logging out to go to Hong Kong to an NPC?

Leeha shrugged it off vaguely and waved his hand.

Since his hatching days, Blaugrun had witnessed Leeha’s countless logouts and didn’t press further this time.

[Quest: The Shadow of Radical Growth – Phase II]

Objective: Within 150 Middle Earth days, acquire the ‘Fruit of the World Tree’ and deliver it to Bahamut.

“Well, there’s no need to rush. I haven’t even spent a day in Middle Earth’s time yet. As for Hong Kong, I don’t plan to stay there more than three or four days.”

Even when factoring in the travel time, it would only consume about five real-world days at most. In Middle Earth, that equated to about 25 days, a manageable period considering the 150-day deadline.

From the start, the 150-day limit implied the difficulty and arduous nature of finding the World Tree. Thus, Leeha decided not to rush and instead gather information and move methodically.

“After all, this wasn’t all for nothing.”

[Of course. Just seeing Jellypong and that bear in action was—]

“No, not that. I mean, as a result.”

[Result?]

“Hehe, character window!”

Leeha smiled at Blaugrun and opened his character window. Was the battle’s gain solely about checking combat power? Of course not!

Name: Leeha / Race: Human

Job: Musketeer / Level: 209 (68%)

Title: Shadow Assassin / Achievements: 130

HP: 6,550(4,585)

MP: 1,945

Stats: Strength 561(+466)

Agility 3,471(+1,244) Intelligence 233(+182)

Stamina 228(+135) Spirit 95(+85)

Remaining Stat Points: 45

“Just recently I was at 200, and now I’ve almost reached 210.”

[Indeed, your level has visibly increased.]

“Do you notice that too?”

[Obviously. It’s all thanks to me.]

Blaugrun snorted arrogantly, but Leeha didn’t have the energy to retort and simply allocated all his stat points to agility.

“Ah, I should stop by Gaza City before leaving. Shall we go back?”

At Leeha’s question, Blaugrun reverted to his human form. The flickering turquoise glow was as good as a nod. Leeha saved their current location in the modification sphere and teleported to Gaza City.

While handling administrative work for the city, Leeha briefly opened his friends’ window. Kijung had already logged out, and so had Shin Nara and Bobae.

“It must be nighttime in reality. They’ve probably gone to sleep.”

Then he checked Kidd’s location.

Erika New Continent – The Barren Twilight Plains.

Leeha couldn’t tell where it was but guessed it must be near a hunting ground.

‘Going to see the Matan’s Shooter, and he’s in the same place called the Barren Twilight Plains?’ It was a peculiar place name, different from Leeha’s expectations.

More importantly, the plains? Why would an NPC or monster like the Matan’s Shooter be in such a place? Could it be resting there?

‘He’s not moving yet. Maybe he’s leveling up first before proceeding…’

Leeha deeply pondered. Being a well-prepared player, Kidd’s approach would surely differ from Luger’s. Knowing Luger’s last location and heading to find the Matan’s Shooter, he wouldn’t move immediately. Until Leeha prepared to logout for Hong Kong, he could only speculate so much. 

Kidd’s location changed right after Leeha logged out.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!