Matan’s Shooter

“I sensed that something had happened to my child back then, and only then did Rotzak say that if I didn’t listen to him, Kyle would die. That’s also when I first heard about Arcane Bullet. I’m sorry, Les. I just couldn’t tell you—”

“I completely understand, Beth. You had no other choice.”

As Browless looked at her with intense eyes, Brown patted his shoulder to lighten the mood.

“Haha, Browless, you’ll understand once you get married! When it comes to kids… you just can’t help it!”

Browless gave an awkward smile, and Elizabeh, who was watching the scene, continued to speak.

“So, we had to run away. When the Demon King’s army retreated… my husband and I came here. But we couldn’t live among monsters. So, we lived separately. Orders from Rotzak would come occasionally, and we would carry them out.”

They had lived the life of puppets.

This coming from the members of the Three Musketeers, renowned as the best musketeers in all of Middle Earth. Yet, there was no hint of shame in her.

‘Was it because she’d already become accustomed to this life? Or because she’d transcended everything? It’s probably the latter.’

Or perhaps it was because she was a mother.

Leeha couldn’t fathom the feelings of a mother who only thought of her child, Kyle.

“Kyle inherited the abilities, but he held the gun himself. So, does that mean he can use that gun?”

“Yes, to put it simply.”

Elizabeth nodded in response to Kidd’s question.

Luger tilted his head and asked, “What about Arcane Bullet?”

“I can’t use it.”

“So, Kyle can use it?”

At Elizabeth’s answer, Leeha asked immediately.

A sudden sense of foreboding filled him.

Why had Kaztor gone to such lengths, even opposing Zamiel, to make Kyle Arcane Sniper?

Making Elizabeth Arcane Sniper alone would have sufficed. If that had been the original contract, keeping just that would have secured the legendary musketeer ‘Brown’.

An unborn child would naturally heed their parents’ words anyway.

‘Ah…? Could that be the reason―’

Leeha felt a chill run down his spine. Elizabeth briefly looked at his changed expression.

Then she spoke.

“Yes… Only when Kaztor is present.”

Why had Kaztor made Kyle Arcane Sniper?

Why did Zamiel eagerly await the handover of Arcane Sniper?

An incomplete Arcane Sniper.

Arcane Sniper completely controlled by Kaztor.

Leeha had to change his way of thinking.

Kaztor hadn’t taken the risk just to oppose Zamiel.

‘Only a human can become Arcane Sniper! That’s right, so—’

How had a dark elf, who couldn’t become Arcane Sniper, controlled the Arcane Bullet’s power?

The dark elf had been intelligent and persistent.

Kaztor had tried to control Arcane Bullet as he wished and at the same time aimed to subjugate even Zamiel.

It was natural that Zamiel had cursed at Kaztor.

* * *

In need of time to organize their thoughts, only the sound of the firewood crackling in the bonfire filled the silence.

Brown turned his head and sighed, while Elizabeth looked back at Kyle, who was sitting behind her.

Even while talking about himself, Kyle didn’t take off his hood.

“After hearing from Rotzak, especially after Bluebeard came here, I also talked to him.”

“Le! Do you know where he is?”

“The place he used as a secret hideout must have been abandoned by now. You know his personality well, dragon….”

“Yes, that’s true. I see.”

Bailephus jumped in surprise, then nodded.

Bluebeard had come to the New Continent before the humans of the Old Continent. There was no way he would have missed Elizabeth and Brown.

“So, we got to know more details about Arcane Bullet and Kaztor. The reason he talked was obvious too.”

“Yes, as my husband said, Bluebeard wanted our power, or more accurately, Kyle’s power. He told us to go to the eastern edge of the New Continent.”

The eastern end.

The players’ ears perked up at the newly introduced clue.

“What’s over there?”

“Saur Land.”

At Browless’s question, Elizabeth answered lightly.

Fernand, intrigued by the unfamiliar name, glanced at Bailephus.

However, even the Ancient Gold Dragon looked puzzled, as if they had never heard of it.

“What… is that?”

“According to Bluebeard, it’s the land with the most advanced civilization. The curse that Rotzak placed on Kyle is incomplete… so we might find a solution in Saur Land. 〈‘Of course, you might not’〉, he teased us. Nonetheless, we were desperate enough to cling to any straw.”

“Hmm. But at that time, we were still receiving periodic contact from Rotzak. We couldn’t move recklessly. Besides, Kyle was too young back then.”

Why had Bluebeard said such a thing?

The players had a rough idea of his personality and didn’t believe he was merely teasing them.

“Heh, so instead of wasting time, I thought why not teach shooting!”

“Hahaha. That’s just like you, liza. If 『Pierce』 and 『Accuracy』 were the teachers, the skill level must be impressive.”

Elizabeth deliberately tried to lighten the mood, and Browless responded with a laugh.

— I thought I was going to die back then. The director must have a sense of humor.

— Shouldn’t we find a way to subdue it while it’s weakened like this?

— Let’s just listen for now. About Saur Land.

While the Three Musketeers whispered among themselves, the atmosphere shifted slightly.

“Really. Your disciples probably wouldn’t lose a fight.”

Brown said with a hearty laugh, looking at Browless. For a moment, the Three Musketeers noticed a change in Browless’s expression.

“Hah! Come on, Brown. These three here are better shooters than I am. I acknowledge your son’s skills, but he wouldn’t stand a chance against my kids.”

“Oh, really? I seem to remember being stronger than you 20 years ago. A disciple taught by a stronger master should be… naturally stronger, right?”

Brown shrugged, moving closer to Kyle. He picked up the hat that Browless had set aside.

“Stronger? Are you going to bring up the King’s Commendation story again? If you’ve forgotten, I let you have that win… it seems your memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“Let me have it? Nonsense. Even by the ‘shooting tournament score’ standard, the result was the same, wasn’t it?”

“I use 『Rapidfire』. I don’t rely on brute force to shred the target for points like you, so ignorant spectators couldn’t judge the destructive power—”

Feeling both chills and amusement from the suddenly intense atmosphere, the Three Musketeers watched.

— Luger, Kidd! Doesn’t this scene seem familiar?

— Does 『Pierce』 also inherit personalities?

— 『Rapidfire』 is just as narrow-minded as it was back then, huh?

Caught between whether to laugh or cry at the familiar bickering between Brown and Browless, a familiar awkward tension arose.

“I don’t know what you two keep blabbering about! How about we loosen up with a ‘Free for All’? Three of us, 1:1:1, within a 3 km radius, unlimited time?”

With a clack—

Elizabeth quietly clutched her rifle.

The sound of metal silenced the two men immediately.

“This always happens when they meet. Where was I? Ah! Saur Land. Around the time Rotzak revealed to us that he was Kaztor, we began to move. We headed to the far east and finally reached the boundary of Saur Land, but—”

“Did you get in? So?”

“—We couldn’t enter.”

Elizabeth sighed.

Brown added to explain why they couldn’t enter.

“If you’re not permitted, you can’t even cross the boundary. Furthermore, to obtain permission, you must summon them… but they never show interest in us. It’s a dilemma.”

“How can we get their interest?”

Leeha asked cautiously.

Brown shook his head and replied.

“Well, to summon them from such an isolated place… haha, unless you are one of their kin, it’s probably impossible.”

“Hmm, in a land where we don’t know what exists… against people we don’t know… only their kin can enter?”

Kidd quickly summarized the situation.

Pure strength alone wouldn’t be enough. If it were, Elizabeth and Brown would have already tried it.

“Ugh, this game is so annoying.”

Luger murmuring meant there really was no other way.

Fernand crossed his arms, re-evaluating the skills and knowledge he possessed, while Alexander pretended to listen to people’s conversations with an air of disinterest.

Leeha was the one who stepped up.

“The locals living in Saur Land?”

“Ah, you know them. The place where Toon’s tribe resides.”

“That’s right!”

Leeha clapped his hands in realization.

Kaztor had attempted to make a deal. But why?

Why had he wanted “such a useless item”?

Middle Earth didn’t create useless items.

As Leeha rummaged through his bag, all eyes turned to him.

“Then what if we mimic Toon’s voice?”

“That… what is that?”

What emerged from his bag was a wind instrument resembling a trumpet or clarinet. The peculiar aspect was that it seemed to be made of bone.

“Oh, it’s Toon’s vocal cords. If you blow into this end, it produces sound.”

Alexander, who had been listening nonchalantly, dropped his soup bowl.

* * *

After Leeha took out Toon’s vocal cords, a considerable commotion erupted around the campfire.

Luger and Kidd pushed Leeha, questioning why he had such an item but never mentioned it. Fernand, with sparkling eyes, even asked what he needed to offer to obtain it.

Even the ever-dignified Bailephus transformed silently into dragon form, stating he wanted to use it. By the time Elizabeth, who had barely stopped crying, laughed so hard that she teared up again, the situation began to calm down.

After things settled down, Leeha took a deep breath.

“What Kaztor said at the buoy in the central area of Dawn’s Sea was indeed… another clue. The reason he wanted this is likely for just one reason. It wasn’t about wanting to enter Saur Land himself, but rather…”

To prevent Elizabeth and Brown, or Kyle from entering Saur Land.

That was the most rational deduction.

It aligned with Elizabeth’s words, and most importantly, it highlighted Kyle’s incomplete status as Arcane Sniper.

Kyle could only shoot Arcane Bullet when Kaztor was present.

“From past memories of Arcane Sniper, arcane Bullet had a condition of being used at least once within a certain period. Failure to do so caused extreme headaches and suffering, which couldn’t be endured with potions, healing, or mere willpower. Eventually, they would be forced to use Arcane Bullet.”

It could be considered a sort of curse.

Leeha, Kidd, and Luger speculated it was a special ‘status effect’ powered by Zamiel.

In other words, Zamiel controlled the continuous succession of Arcane Sniper using this!

Until now, at least since Zamiel first emerged, this remained unchanged.

But Kyle?

Kyle couldn’t use Arcane Bullet without Kaztor.

If Zamiel couldn’t exert influence in this state, it would be the first challenge Zamiel faced.

“That’s why Zamiel cursed when Elizabeth picked up the gun. It’s also why ‘Francis’ from Arcane Sniper memories gave me a plain clue.”

Reversing this interpretation, the reason Kaztor targeted Toon’s vocal cords became apparent.

To prevent Kyle from going there.

This raised another question for Leeha.

Did Zamiel know there was something in the Far East?

“Zamiel told me to go to the Far East. Was it simply telling me to kill Kyle and Elizabeth, obtain the gun of ‘Arcane Sniper’, and become the new sniper?”

But what if Zamiel knew about Saur Land?

“What if he led me to take Kyle to Saur Land? If that was the implication?”

What would unfold in Saur Land?

If Kaztor tried to prevent Kyle from entering Saur Land, and Zamiel tried to get him there?

“If Kaztor’s twisted power reverts to its original state, then Kyle will eventually―”

Become a complete Arcane Sniper.

In other words, he would be able to use Arcane Bullet even without Kaztor.

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