Matan’s Shooter

『They had become people who habitually cowered. They were even more fearful than squirrels searching for a burrow. Zamiel, frustrated, suggested getting rid of them, but I could understand them quite well. As someone of humble birth and an outcast from a secluded tribe, I wasn’t any different from them.』

‘Again, Zamiel… Even starting with a technique mentioning the friendly Panrind tribe made the entire text confusing from the start. 『In a world where might equals respect, the sorrow of those without power is immense. I remember being called nothing but ‘the unlucky ****’ until I made a name for myself through the war with Minis after joining the army.』

“There is another censored part here. Hmm, I don’t feel any mana, so I can’t read it. It’s certain there are letters here, though.”

Blaugrunn tilted his head and changed angles trying different perspectives. If he could see it, he would have reacted somehow. Ha Leeha watched Blaugrunn hum and turn the pages again.

『However, if you have strength… If you can prove your strength, the treatment changes completely. Not only for yourself but for every organization you are affiliated with! I also became a different person after receiving this rifle by chance on the battlefield. I sometimes wonder if I was too greedy back then, but it can’t be helped.』

『Anyway, I want to help them. Zamiel, who seems to find everything amusing, is only smiling and not stopping me. So, it’s okay to help, right? He better not say otherwise later.』

“Again, again-”

“What is it, Ha Leeha?”

-Blaugrunn, you know I’ve been into the memories of a former Matan’s Shooter from the journal, right?

-At that time, there was… some unknown entity in the realm of the Matan’s Shooter. It realized when we entered the memory, and it’s like a spirit attached to the rifle.

-You don’t mean-

-Yes. It’s that name that keeps appearing now.

Zamiel.

Blaugrunn looked at Ha Leeha in surprise. As someone knowledgeable about Matan’s Shooter, Blaugrunn could understand everything quickly just from Ha Leeha’s brief explanation.

“How could that be? To be with someone trying to destroy you…”

“Exactly. What kind of…?”

What was that attitude towards an old friend?

“What will you do if he changes his words later? You’re already a vanished being!”

Could he not know about Matan? Did he not know that using the seven bullets would immediately obliterate his existence?

『From learning how to change their appearance to handling new firearms. I taught them everything. Perhaps because they were accustomed to hiding and living in a crouched position, they quickly learned how to alter their appearances… but it is unfortunate that only a few truly learned how to handle firearms. I think I have done my part sufficiently. Even if, as Zamiel said, my name disappeared and my existence vanished. As long as there is a trace that I was here, I am content with that.』

The contents of this particular book ended there. In the meantime, there were various other digressions, but at least the main contents, involving Matan’s Shooter and Zamiel, were all classified here.

“You know it. You know it all. But how can you take this attitude?”

Isn’t this the mindset a casual user would have when they play Middle Earth for pure enjoyment, rather than a heavy-hitting ranker or outsider-level player?

Could NPCs have such a mindset?

These are unique beings that exist only in this world, living their lives here.

Ha Leeha took a moment to compose himself before asking the Chairman.

“Chairman. You’ve read all of this too, haven’t you?”

“Of course. At first, we tried to find out from every possible source if Zamiel` knew the one who left this record… but we couldn’t find him.”

“Of course- oh, of course, that would be the case.”

“It is humbling. That person saw through the weaknesses of our people clearly. However, even through oral traditions, it is said that he never looked down on us. On the contrary, he devoted his body, mind, and soul to help those in the same situation as himself.”

Leeha nodded as he listened to the Chairman’s words. He couldn’t grasp what exactly this person did, but considering the Chairman’s expression, ‘devoting body, mind, and soul’ did seem logical in a way.

‘Working hard for those in the same situation… surely his condition was even worse.’

Matan always had to be used in regular cycles, and if not, penalties were imposed. This was evident enough from both Max Hescok and Kyle.

In other words, despite having a life set on a timer, he was strong enough to work for others.

“He was an incredible person.”

“He was- hmm?!”

“Ah, ah…!”

Suddenly, light emanated from the book that Ha Leeha was holding.

“Be careful, Ha Leeha- !” Blaugrunn swiftly shielded Ha Leeha. The light soon vanished, and nothing happened around them.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s…?”

The Chairman pointed at the book. Ha Leeha, unable to answer Blaugrunn’s question, reopened the book.

Rustle, rustle, rustle-!

『That fellow Zamiel might not know, but the truth is there is some ambition involved. If, someday… word of these deeds spreads. If the name of this nation becomes widely known, surely someone will come looking for ‘my’ traces. Perhaps, it might even be you, the person reading this now, who knows about Zamiel and knows about me.』

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

“This, this can’t be! What is this-?”

Just when he thought it was over, another layer of information was revealed.

‘He hid it!? He hid the text- Ah!’

He was someone who had an extraordinary talent for disguising his appearance.

Even with the dragon’s mana, he couldn’t be detected as a polymorph. It might have been no problem for him to transform the contents of the record into ordinary sheets of paper.

What were the activation conditions hidden within the contents? Were all users pursuing the traces of Matan’s Shooter the target? Was the qualification given only to those who confirmed the from the White Reaper?

In any case, the unknown Matan’s Shooter had anticipated this situation.

“Ha Leeha! This- this- can’t be!”

“… a magic circle.”

The one who discovered it was Ha Leeha. It was a magic circle mentioned in the journal left behind by Max Hescok. The hidden magic circle had now revealed itself.

***

The chairman of the Panrind Council immediately evacuated the people. Although many of the 1,400 lingered to catch another glimpse of Ha Leeha, he requested people step back, knowing the power of the magic circle.

Along with the chairman, a select few from the elder council, Ha Leeha, and their contact Aner moved to another location.

“Ha Leeha, this is…”

“Probably another record left by ‘him’. I have seen something similar before. It allows you to experience a specific period from that person’s point of view.”

“It’s called memory reconstruction magic”, Blaugrunn supplemented Ha Leeha’s explanation.

“Oh! Then we-”

“But there may be limits to the number of people or qualifications. The fact that this magic circle suddenly appeared…”

“And above all, if it is used once, it becomes impossible to use it a second time. We must consider the likelihood that the magic’s reconstruction is a one-time occurrence, human”, Blaugrunn cautioned.

The members of the elder council approached Ha Leeha, but soon halted all movements, understanding the gravity of his and Blaugrunn’s explanation.

“Then it would be most appropriate for Ha Leeha, or rather, the White Reaper, to view it.”

“Would that be acceptable, chairman?”

“Of course. If Ha Leeha had not come, we wouldn’t have known it existed anyway.”

Finding it uncomfortable to speak directly, Ha Leeha had looked around nervously. He then expressed his gratitude to Chairman 1480, who had readily given his permission, and prepared together with Blaugrunn.

“Hold on tight, so you don’t fall.”

“Don’t worry. I protected you even in that unexpected situation last time, remember?”

“Ho, Blaugrunn, you’re the best. Well then… I’m off.”

“Yes. Have a good journey.”

Ha Leeha placed his hand on the magic circle.

A blinding light pierced into Ha Leeha’s mind.

“Hmm, it’s a little different from using mana. It’s more like blending in with nature! Don’t you get that kind of feeling? Once that’s possible, transforming into other species won’t be a problem!” Ha Leeha could feel the energetic explanation, accentuated by hand and foot gestures.

“That, that’s not as easy as you…”

“It’s not easy, no, but you’ve got to do it! Once you’ve learned it, you can transform into a troll or an ogre, and we might even be able to stand against the great nations. This small village could turn the tide of a whole nation!”

The way of speaking, chattering without a pause, almost felt frivolous.

“Do you think that will really work?”

“Shut up, Zamiel. You can leave.”

On hearing Zamiel’s voice from behind, Ha Leeha felt his hackles rising, though the current ‘owner’ of the body responded nonchalantly.

“You’re treating me quite casually.”

Perhaps Zamiel was used to such treatment, as his voice resounded again.

“Transformations might be a mix of lizardia and miyao traits with your tribe’s vision, but you think they’ll understand my gun’s secrets and the matan too?”

Suddenly, the owner of the body turned around sharply. Ha Leeha saw Zamiel’s figure in the empty air directly.

‘Damn, he noticed!?’

Zamiel had recognized him when he had entered Max Hescok’s memory in the past. As Kidd had predicted, he was definitely the absolute entity moving across time and space in the Middle Earth game, having addressed the three musketeers!

Just as Ha Leeha tried to recall Zamiel’s appearance more vividly, and Zamiel attempted to grasp Ha Leeha through the eyes of the current ‘owner’s’ body, the body’s mouth opened once again.

“I promised, didn’t I? From the moment I gripped this rifle… yes, from the moment I made a deal with you out of my greed. Despite the lies and deception you used to take my soul, I’ve always known that the fooled are the fools, as I’ve heard often since I was young and experienced myself. That’s how the children of the uneducated grow up, isn’t it? Anyway, I conformed. For the period you decided, without refusal, I’ll use the matan and sacrifice my soul to you. In return, with no interference in what I do… we made an agreement.”

The previously frivolous voice was now nowhere to be heard. The words were imbued with strength, and the robust pronunciation and deep voice were sufficient to convey his resolve—to both Zamiel and Ha Leeha.

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