Matan’s Shooter

“On duty, no unusual activity!”

“Hmm, anything unusual―”

“…”

“―at all?”

The knight NPC momentarily flinched, but he didn’t interrupt his speech. His subordinate, another NPC, nodded in response.

“No, sir.”

“Good. Even though tomorrow morning is the departure ceremony for the , and things might be a bit chaotic, stay calm and―”

─────────────…….

“―remain diligent in your duties.”

The guard captain NPC of Fibiel nodded as he listened to his subordinates’ fervent responses.

Then he drew out a crystal ball and, after a brief pause, began to speak again.

“By the way, is he still at it?”

The guard captain NPC cautiously pointed to one side.

The knight NPCs, wearing troubled expressions, nodded in agreement.

“Yes… except for briefly joining us during meal times, he hasn’t slept at all―”

─────────────…….

A gunshot resounded loudly.

“―It’s been over 30 hours now…”

“Can’t you try to stop him, captain? At first, we thought it might help stay awake, but now it’s driving us crazy! How is it that he seems completely fine…?”

The relentless training was so rigorous that even the knight NPCs standing guard started to complain.

Although it was enough to make NPCs gossip behind his back, Ha Leeha, the person in question, couldn’t have cared less. No, he completely ignored them.

“Ah, this is seriously infuriating. No, it’s not just that I’m missing; the shots aren’t even reaching their mark.”

Ha Leeha sighed as he plopped down.

Continuous practice and mastery were supposed to be the key. He had started relentless training, but there was a fundamental doubt whether this quest could be completed through sheer training alone.

‘I managed to read the wind. I even tried using a to counteract the deviating points, but it’s no good. The problem is that the wind doesn’t blow consistently in one direction; there are points where winds collide and create gusts.’

A typhoon with a speed of 41 meters per second was indeed no joke.

If the wind rotated unidirectionally, it would be easy, but typhoons didn’t work that way.

Inside the typhoon, winds of various sizes and directions clashed, preventing Ha Leeha from controlling the bullets as he wished.

“Literally a . Ah, I wanted to see the departure ceremony tomorrow too.”

Several whispers from Shin Nara and many users had come, but Ha Leeha successfully resisted all those temptations.

‘Well, it’s less about resisting and more about being driven by desperation…’

He sighed again, removed the magazine, and, pulling out a cloth and cleaning rod from his bag, began to clean the muzzle of his Black Bass.

Apart from ‘reading’ the wind, all he had been doing was firing his gun, so even the Black Bass needed proper maintenance.

“Are you alright, Ha Leeha?”

It was the commander of the guard, who had been listening to the grievances of the knights’ NPCs, who approached Ha Leeha and greeted him.

Ha Leeha glanced at him and smiled warmly.

“Oh, yes! Haha, but since I can’t handle things quickly, it’s nice to see your face after a long time. Should I call you Sir Syndergard—no, commander?”

“You can call me whatever is comfortable for you. For now, it depends on the will of Ha Leeha-nim, a lord of Fibiel.”

The commander spoke humbly, and Ha Leeha made space for him to sit by moving aside.

Ha Leeha patted the commander’s shoulder amiably as he sat beside him.

“Oh, come on, no need to say such things. How many times have you helped, from Koma—no, Brown bear incident to the Royal Archive days?”

Isn’t he one of the few NPCs whose name he knew perfectly?

Once a knight of the Sacred Order and now appointed as the general commander of Fibiel’s guard, the knight NPC was none other than Syndergard.

Due to his long-standing association with Ha Leeha, the latter was genuinely happy to learn about his promotion here.

‘Haha, Nara had once lamented, thinking they had lost a talented individual.’

As Ha Leeha laughed, recalling a time when he exchanged whispers with Nara, Syndergard asked,

“Is there any good news?”

“Oh, no. Just reminiscing about the old times. As you can see, things aren’t going well here.”

Ha Leeha grumbled, pointing towards a distant storm on the sea.

Understanding why Ha Leeha was there, Syndergard merely nodded.

“To challenge and defy nature without the power of mana… I’m simply amazed.”

“Ha, even with praise, I can’t skip my night practice. I’m sorry; I know it’s tough for everyone.”

Sensing Syndergard’s intent, Ha Leeha quickly brought up the main topic, but Syndergard waved it off.

“No. For today and tomorrow, feel free to shoot as you please without any concerns.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Isn’t it the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Holy Union’? Only a small number of us, including myself, will remain here; the rest will proceed with our home country’s schedule for the next two days.”

“Oh! That’s right. Indeed, guarding His Majesty the King is a much more important duty.”

The grand inauguration ceremony held in Aeswen was an event all nations participated in.

With the heads of each nation attending, security was bound to be tighter than ever.

‘Especially since it’s the place where the Kaztor incident happened.’

Since players started participating in Middle Earth’s lore, the heads of each nation had never officially gathered in one place.

The only time it happened was during the Kaztor incident, which was handled as an unofficial event.

Hence, the players of Middle Earth judged that this ‘official’ event would not only enhance security but also be conducted befitting its title.

‘The community is buzzing, saying it’s going to be like a massive festival.’

How grand would it be for all the kings to gather? Yet, Ha Leeha couldn’t attend.

“Well then, I have to go back to practice.”

“Oh, yes. I feel like I took up your time.”

“No way. Talking with Commander Syndergard is enjoyable, and I feel like I’m the one taking up your time.”

Isn’t there a duty of guarding?

With Ha Leeha subtly throwing a playful jab, Syndergard also smiled sheepishly.

“Haha, indeed. Then I shall return to my duty of guarding the Mana Relay Tower and, of course, Ha Leeha-nim, the lord of Fibiel.”

“Heh, it felt like I became someone amazing. Well then, please take care of me.”

As Syndergard left, Leeha lifted the Black Bass again. Even though Anderson was knocked out, the typhoon hadn’t disappeared.

Tuquaaa─────!!

The bullet shot out.

It was a tracer bullet that was clearly visible even in the dark night, but within the typhoon of the night sky, it fluttered and failed to hit its mark properly.

‘Still, it’s nice that the Bottleneck has become legendary.’

Leeha sighed with a bitter smile and pulled the bolt again.

“Read the wind… You need to read the flow of that massive typhoon that even a bullet moving at the speed of 830m/s. And you have to hit a single target caught in it.”

Could he do it?

This time, even Leeha began to think of the term “Mission: Impossible.”

Once the bullet started getting swept away by the wind, it rapidly lost kinetic energy. After a few whirls, it would become just another floating debris within the typhoon.

‘In the end, to hit the target I want, at the moment I want, it means… avoiding wind interference.’

Shooting at a mass of a typhoon moving at 41m/s without the wind interfering? Is that even possible?

‘It’s a paradox. It doesn’t make any sense.’

Leeha aimed at the spot where the dark clouds were gathered.

There were ‘traces’ of the wind like lashing rain or seawater surging backward, but he still couldn’t see the wind itself.

“Read the wind… the wind… And understand the paradox as it is.”

He couldn’t think that it was impossible. He had to believe it was possible.

How could he avoid wind interference?

If he could read the wind, could he avoid its interference?

“I see.”

Leeha nodded.

He still couldn’t see a solution.

However, he had a vague sense of what ability the test was aiming to develop.

“Not to be interfered? Then I just have to avoid it.”

He needed to read the wind.

If he could read the wind, he could find a point unaffected by it.

─────────────…….

The gunfire echoed.

Knowledge and experience were different. The tracer bullet’s beam was dancing.

* * *

The Ezwenn Papal Plaza was already crowded with people.

Like the expression “a wave of people”, it was filled to the brim with users and NPCs, causing Luger to click his tongue in frustration.

“Tsk tsk, wanting to attend even like that? It’s ridiculous.”

“What’s more ridiculous is your presence here, Luger.”

“I-I only came because the major is attending! And there’s a rumor that Alexander, the bastard, might show up after a long time as well—”

Luger frantically looked around after Kidd’s criticism. Kidd, seeing Luger like that, smirked instead.

“The major and Alexander have been inside the Papacy for a long time. If you needed to see him, you would have followed them inside by now. There’s no reason for you to be on this balcony that overlooks the whole plaza of the Papacy.”

Just before the start of the inauguration ceremony, Browless had entered the Papacy with Alexander and Bailefus.

Moreover, when Alexander descended gracefully with Bailefus over the Papacy, the users’ awe momentarily shook the place called Eswen.

And now he’s looking for Alexander in that situation?

“So what—who—do you think I’m looking for!?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The person you have been frantically searching for… Ha Leeha isn’t coming.”

Kidd had already figured out Luger’s true intentions.

“What!? You— you think I’d waste even a second looking for Ha Leeha—…! Huh? But how did you know? That Ha Leeha wouldn’t be coming?”

Luger, who was flailing wildly at Kidd’s sharp observation, tilted his head in confusion.

“Ahem.”

Kidd pulled his hat down and coughed awkwardly before walking back into the building. As Luger was left alone on the balcony, his eyes gradually widened.

“… That guy… While he was waiting too. His pretenses are as dark as usual.”

The reason Kidd could figure it out was because he had been on the same balcony, looking around for the same reason as Luger.

Leaving behind the two, who, being excited about their second job advancement, were showing off, the inauguration ceremony of the “Holy Union” finally began.

As the doors of the Papacy opened, trumpets sounded, and the highest representatives from each nation, including the Pope, appeared.

—Waaaaaaaaa────!

—It’s Alexander─────────!

—Leeha Jiwon is here too!

—Both of them look different somehow—

—Oh! Ram Hwayeon’s here! Ram Hwayeon!

—What’s with that monkey next to her?

—That’s paleo! From the New Continent!

The event became lively as the highest officials, including kings and presidents, the NPCs who would effectively lead the “Holy Union”, and the key users who would play significant roles in the union made their appearances.

Since the plaza of the Papacy couldn’t accommodate everyone, even the field outside the Papacy had been equipped with real-time mana broadcast equipment, making it inevitable.

From those live-streaming through Y-Tube, recording this historical moment, to those wandering around just to observe other users’ reactions – everyone, nPC or user, was engrossed in the event.

“Kijung See is always the coolest at times like this.”

“Heh, you’re clearly smitten.”

“What? What did you say, biemy?”

“Oh, nothing at all.”

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