Matan’s Shooter

“… What about the Adelar Knights?”

“No contact. These guys, what the hell happened? Are they all really dead?”

Lark asked, to which Pung shook his head in response.

Lark clenched his jaw so tightly it felt like his teeth might shatter as he spoke.

“The Eagle Crest Knights, Adelar, they’re as skilled as us. And to think they were taken down going after just a gorilla paleo…?”

“It’s not just them. What about the vanished Castilla? Or Brytax? Those brutes swinging their war hammers were ferocious! But to say they couldn’t catch a Black Crane? Over three hundred from Castilla came, only to be annihilated by the Black Crane! They could crack an adult dragon’s skull, but—”

“I know. Just keep it down.”

Lark, the White Commander of the Virtue Knights and the chief commander in the new continent. At his word, the finance manager had no choice but to shut up.

It was clear from his face alone that Lark was in an exceptionally low mood.

Except for Shin Nara, users who have attained such a lofty position in various knight orders can be counted on one hand.

Even he, with his insight and skills, was utterly baffled by the current situation, naturally infuriating him.

“What the hell happened? Over six knight orders have been wiped out already. Now there are even those from the Red Goat Tribe getting annihilated. It wouldn’t make sense for such rubbish to be dispatched to the new continent.”

Wasn’t it the policy to select only the elite for dispatch? It was only natural to send the skilled for the honor and prestige of the nation of Minis. Yet, these skilled ones have failed despite having the numerical advantage and even knowing specialized strategies?

“No, it’s not just failure.”

Annihilation.

Not a single person returned alive to report what happened? Does that even make sense?

Lark was utterly unable to comprehend. The problem is there’s no sign of any large force moving to kill them.

“Sacred Knights and Byulcho have been here all along?”

“Yes. Even when the leader was absent. Because they were specially monitoring, much like Shin Nara.”

“But still, this situation. What about Lee Jiwon and Pei Wu?”

“The Hwangryong did come by occasionally, but there was no sight of Pei Wu. And Lee Jiwon hasn’t shown his face from the start.”

“If there was any possibility, it would be that Lee Jiwon and Pei Wu of Fibiel were moving at Shin Nara’s request…”

“Do you really think so?”

At Pung’s question, Lark shook his head.

“No.”

It was his hypothesis, yet it lacked evidence.

The mainstay of obtaining and protecting [Divine Staffs] were knight orders and guilds. It’s true that the Hwangryong, the largest guild of Fibiel, supported them in many ways, directly and indirectly.

However, Pei Wu was not there.

Nor was Lee Jiwon, who plays without a guild.

But Lark did not jump to conclusions. To decide it was their doing just because they were unseen is not a leader’s way of judgment.

“It’s better to assume they are somewhere leveling up. With their level nearing 300, not 200, there’s no reason for them to waste time disbanding the knight orders from their homeland at Shin Nara’s request.”

It makes more sense if the Ezwen Paladins, receiving a covert directive from the Vatican for reasons of diminishing the alliance’s solidarity, were the ones who moved.

“Who exactly is it? If it’s neither Sacred nor Byulcho, we must consider a third party. And that implies an intrusion by a powerhouse capable of dealing with entire orders from Minis… Aaaaah,” Lark gritted his teeth.

While Minis’s other knight orders were frolicking about, sacred and Byulcho went to stop them, and in the meantime, Virtue planned to conquer other paleo tribes one by one that had not been [Subdued] yet.

But what is this mess?

The premise that Minis’s knight orders were supposed to stir didn’t happen, thus even Virtue is stuck here without being able to move.

“Who is it? Who’s thwarting us?”

Could it be one of the Rankers?

Has it been the work of Igor and Czar, from whom no news has come among the users for months?”Or perhaps an outsider? Among the outsiders, those with such skills—”

Suddenly, a face surfaced in Lark’s mind.

A somewhat stoic face. Someone with an unreasonable range, but who hadn’t managed to properly attack Ton due to certain circumstances.

“Ha Leeha?”

However, he soon shook his head.

If it was before he had acted together with Leeha, he might have even thought of Leeha as the culprit. But hadn’t they advanced together, even to the [Divine Staff]?

“His gunfire is no joke. If he had targeted the knights from our homeland near the paleos—”

The other knights stationed around to maintain control would have definitely heard the sound.

Dozens, if not hundreds of gunshots, were not a common situation. Had such an event occurred, news would have reached his ears by now.

“Huuu… Well, worrying about it is just as frustrating anyway. In the end, we’ll have to see what happens after the ‘Holy Spirit’ or whatever it is gets involved.”

Lark shrugged.

In the end, there was no answer to be found in worrying without information. Regrettably, postponing things was also a decision.

“What if the resistance from Sacred becomes even fiercer by then?”

Pung asked with a worried look.

“By then, there’s nothing we can do. Since the original goal of sanctification has been achieved—”

Lark simply smiled.

“Whatever happens afterward doesn’t matter, does it?”

He fiddled with the handle of his sword. His gaze was fixed on the Sacred Knights, unaware of whatever Shin Nara and Kijung were discussing behind his back.

“So? You really think Leeha is doing this?”

“Exactly. Seriously, what is he even doing? Oh, come on—No, no. As much as it’s Leeha, it’s unbelievable. Six have already been completely taken down. Plus, if he’s currently engaging another, that would mean he’s taken down seven knight orders by himself. Minis’ Knights are not like those amateurs from the old Rising Sun!”

“Ugh, I know! That’s why I’m dying to see it! What kind of trick is Leeha using?”

Shin Nara asked, urging for answers, but only Kijung’s sigh could be heard.

She turned her head to look at the formation of the Byulcho Brigade. Kijung was visibly frustrated, grasping her head and stomping her feet.

“Not even telling me, how is he doing it?”

Even Shin Nara and Kijung couldn’t grasp the secrets of Leeha.

With the silencer and subsonic bullets, the cohesion of the knight orders near the ‘Divine Staff’ would never fall.

Leeha’s unseen efforts were unacknowledged, which was a source of regret for him.

Phew!

Luckily, the system of Middle Earth recognized his achievements!

[Your level has increased.]

[A trust relationship with all mystical creatures in Erika Continent is established.]

Of course, this was much more beneficial for Leeha than simple compliments.

“Nice. Leveling up like this is sweet.”

With the final shot that took down the last member of the seventh Minis Knight Order, Leeha nodded as he opened his character window.

Name: Ha Leeha / Race: Human

Job: Musketeer / Level: 233(0%)

Title: Shadow Hitman / Achievements: 136

HP: 8,050(5,635) / MP: 2,365

Stats:

Strength 609(+524)

Agility 3,600(+1,292)

Intelligence 420(+275)

Stamina 291(+198)

Mind 125(+115)

Remaining Stat Points: 5

“Slow and steady increases, but still at 233. Hmm… Well, considering it’s increased by more than 5 in just a few days, it’s a tremendous speed.”

Leeha invested more stat points into agility as he reloaded his magazine.

“That damn rainbow bastard—nah, considering he’s only subdued the gorilla paleo so far, should I consider that fortunate?”

Having three paleo tribes to take care of was one of the few advantages that allowed Leeha to expose himself less.

Leeha: Blaugrunn-ssi, what about those scouting around?”

Blaugrunn: I’m still waiting in that spot. I’ll let you know if there’s any movement.”

Leeha:Okay. Once we catch that one, there won’t be any coming back today~ Let’s really go hunting.”

Blaugrunn: Real hunting?”

Leeha: Yes. Beyond 3,500m, searching for monsters above level 250. In order to break the fifth quest of Black Bass, Leehas fully confident again.

At that time, not a soul yet knew that a user wandering the New Continent had discovered something utterly ludicrous.

“Huff, huff-“

On a cliff, a rock was oddly wrapped around a creature’s feet.

Climbing it, human hands were fidgeting.

Sticking out his head from the precipice,

the one who climbed up the cliff was none other than Fernand.

“Ugh, so high. Thought I was going to die because of creatures that are neither griffins nor harpies.”

He retrieved his whip that he had coiled around. Like pressing the button on a tape measure, the whip wrapped around the rock swiftly shrunk and coiled back.

“If only that, which I saw from the other side, the World Tree’s forest, wasn’t corrupted, then I wouldn’t have struggled this much.”

Standing atop the cliff, he retraced his path. The trees standing out in the distance were definitely the World Trees.

Even though they were now completely tainted and not serving their purpose, the corrupted World Trees, recognizable even in the Old Continent, were unmistakable to Fernand.

Of course, this forest of World Trees was once fervently roamed by Leeha, seeking its fruits.

In other words, Fernand had just managed to cross the central part dividing the New Continent from east to west!

“Considering the southern part was a desert and the north was icy, it seems I’ve come quite deep into the inland where life is sustainable. Since the Red Wood and the western coast are on this side-“

Unbeknownst to him, this meant he was the first user to set foot in the ‘eastern’ part of the New Continent.

Only after he updated his map while observing the surrounding terrain did he finally get up and turn his head.

The awe he felt just after climbing up, and the task of retracing his path, had momentarily blinded him to something. Or, even if he had seen it, it would have been unbelievable. Only then did something unbelievable catch the edge of Fernand’s vision.

“What is that?”

Fernand squinted his eyes.

Where is this?

He was sure that no other user had ventured further than this, given how far removed it was. Moreover, he had passed through several paleo tribes on his way here.

Living in their own established territories, they chose a path of coexistence with the environment without harming the surrounding natural setting. Hence, in such a barren cliff with not even a speck of useful resource, that thing should not exist.

“A typical wooden house, like one might see in the villages of the Old Continent, caught Fernand’s eye.

Smoke billowed softly from a small chimney, welcoming him.

“[Background Merge], [Feather Sneak]”

Fernand immediately used his skills. Unlike invisibility, it was a type of stealth skill that naturally blended him into the background. And another skill that made his footsteps silent as a feather, erasing any trace of his presence.

For Fernand, who often explored dungeons and historical sites packed with traps that activate under the slightest weight, these skills were indispensable.

‘This isn’t an archaeological site, but- At this level, I won’t be caught.’

Stealth and erasing footsteps didn’t mean invisibility.

Meaning, if someone tried to look, they could certainly see him. But Fernand couldn’t risk more.

“If there are ‘monsters’ nearby, seeing me would mean they see the background through me. I hope there are such creatures.”

Except for a few species like the paleos, sensitive to 480-degree scents, Fernand had managed to deceive most but remained vigilant.

The incongruity of a wooden house placed in the midst of the New Continent had him on edge.

Despite walking on a stony terrain, Fernand’s footsteps made no sound.

The smoke rising from the wooden house continued unceasingly.

“Someone’s lit a fire…

‘”

Could it be that they’re preparing a meal?

It was indeed a sight reminiscent of the scenery seen in the villages of the old continent!

TL’s Corner:

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