Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

He had both arms and his left leg, but his right leg was missing.

As he fell, blood poured out like a waterfall from beneath his right hip, which had been torn off like a chicken leg.

[[Great Heal]]

“Heal! Quickly, put everything into it! [Hemostasis]!”

“[Recovery]!”

Not only Bailephus but also the healer users rushed to save him.

If Lee Jiwon died here, it meant a confirmed loss of ten days.

Even if the wound was beyond treatment, they needed to confirm what Lee Jiwon ‘saw’ and ‘who he fought with’ before confirming his death.

“Lee Jiwon. What did you see?”

Alexander came down from Bailephus and spoke to Lee Jiwon. Lee Jiwon’s face, undergoing treatment, was completely distorted.

He too must have been experiencing a significant part of the pain of his right leg being violently torn off, as if it were real.

It was natural that he couldn’t properly respond to Alexander’s question.

“So, is it really Ha Leeha there?”

“No, or is it Luger? If it’s such a brute attack-”

When the users gathered around Lee Jiwon murmured, his eyes finally opened.

“No, hoo, no.”

Despite receiving a tremendous amount of healing, Lee Jiwon bit his lower lip so hard that it bled, trying to wake up his consciousness. His vision was still more than half dark, but he could see the faces of the surrounding users.

“It’s not Ha Leeha or Luger. Inside there… there’s something worse, ‘things’ worse than that.”

[More than one?]

“Huh, huhu, Golden Lizard! Pretending not to know, right?! You knew what was inside-”

[No. I couldn’t be sure. I haven’t seen them before either.]

Bailephus closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again, asking Lee Jiwon.

[What about the big one?]

“Damn it! I’m over level 300! Having to be a scout even after reaching level 300!”

Lee Jiwon, feeling incredibly wronged, thumped the ground while lying down.

The fact that he was no longer using his usual coarse language showed how much of an impact the situation had on him.

But he was also a user who longed to clear the quest.

Hiding what he saw would bring him no particular benefit.

“I don’t know its name. It’s about 30 meters tall, and even longer than that. It looked similar to a dragon but had no wings. It didn’t seem like it could fly with magic either. It’s like a ‘Tyrannosaurus’ from a Jurassic movie, but about ten times bigger.”

“The height is thirty meters, not the length?”

“An adult dragon’s total ‘length’ with its tail is barely thirty meters!”

A standing height of 30 meters, and a length surpassing that.

The users imagined the approximate proportions of a Tyrannosaurus, visualizing a monster much larger than a dragon.

The users were shocked at Lee Jiwon’s words. They hadn’t seen a thirty-meter Tyrannosaurus yet, but they knew how it moved.

Hadn’t they experienced the ‘speed’ of that creature on Rubini’s map?

“So, the thing that was moving so fast inside the map-”

“A thirty-meter body… moving fast enough to catch and beat Lee Jiwon?”

“How are we supposed to catch that?”

“And there’s something else, more ‘things’ than that…”

Shock brought silence.

Kijung and the members of Byulcho could only swallow their saliva.

Only one person here could extract information from Bailephus.

“Comrade. Do you know what Lee Jiwon is talking about?”

[I have encountered it once.]

“You’ve encountered it? But in my memory-”

Alexander was not with him at that time. That guy…

Bailephus snorted lightly, and the breath caught fire, burning the air.

It seemed like he was trying to burn away the chaotic emotions mixed with worry and anger with his breath, and only after exhaling did he continue speaking.

“He could be considered the left arm of Le. The second most cherished by him is the dinosaur, ‘Toon’.”

In the barren land where nothing grows, there it was.

The name of Toon, the second henchman of Bluebeard, appeared for the first time.

It was three days later, in Middle Earth’s time, when Leeha heard this name.

“Toon? Is that its name?”

“Yeah. Lee Jiwon-nim just barely survived. I thought I was going to die; I was so nervous… Ah! Lee Jiwon-nim also reached max level – no, not max level. Over 300 levels. That Brain Cloud, it’s incredible, I wish uncle could have seen it.”

Kijung enthusiastically recounted the day’s events in front of Leeha, but other words did not reach him.

The failures of Lee Jiwon and many other users did not impact him as much.

Right now, what was important to him was the existence of Toon.

“‘Matan’s Shooter’ was not the only one there…? No, but does Matan’s Shooter always stay there? Whether it’s Mr. Brown or Miss Elizabeth… At this point, it might as well be the entire Demon King’s Army. Is Matan’s Shooter under Bluebeard’s command?”

When exactly did he hear that Luger had died?

He had never heard the exact location of death, but if Matan’s Shooter is not one to move around at random, then Luger must have also died in the ‘Barren Land of Blooming Flames’.

“It’s been so long since then! And Kidd… he’s just been sticking to the academy lately, but I can tell just by looking.”

There’s no reason for a user like Kidd to keep sticking to the academy. Leeha knew this better. Therefore, the reason Kidd is at the academy now is likely because he encountered Matan’s Shooter. And Kidd probably knows where Luger died.

Naturally, Leeha would have gone there while he was away.

“Luger was there when he died, and Kidd was there when he… I’m not sure exactly when. He was also there a few days ago? Is Matan’s Shooter a fixture?”

‘Matan’s Shooter’ should have some special mission, right? Why only stay there?

Leeha tilted his head in thought.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Huh? Oh, no. That Toon, it’s over 30 meters tall, right? Then it must be easy to hit, right? If it’s a Tyrannosaurus, it must have a big head too.”

“…Wow… Hyung, did you just gain a little respect for me? Did you just think about catching it after hearing my story?”

Leeha had blurted out whatever came to his mind, but Kijung took it seriously.

Seeing Kijung’s reaction, Leeha was surprised himself.

“Well, no – I mean, yeah.”

“Anyway, but if Alexander and Bailephus-nim go, maybe it’ll be possible? Bailephus-nim said that Toon hasn’t fully recovered its strength yet. But still, inside there are Armored-High Trolls? All kinds of big monsters just completely covering the place-“

“What? What did you say?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

Leeha was startled, and Kijung flinched in response. Leeha’s expression was changing every second.

The difference between other demonic origins and that place.

That is, the reason why Matan’s Shooter had to be there.

‘That’s right… That’s why. To protect Toon while it recovers its strength.’

Not only the last sequence in the quest, but also the seventh in terms of the content of the demonic origins.

Leeha realized why it showed a different level than other places.

It was because of Bluebeard’s henchman, who had not yet fully recovered its strength.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“What can I do? First, we’ll each gather information until the users reconnect, then we’ll match up a date. Maybe we’ll proceed in as early as 7 days. What about you?”

“I don’t know… I have to do what I have to do now.”

“What do you have to do?”

“Sigh. That’s the thing. I just keep sighing. Dealing with these spirit creatures…”

Leeha was too exhausted to explain any further.

Meeting Kijung now was also because he had filled his bag with fertile soil from the jade-green mountain where Paleo was, and made time to come.

“Will you participate in the next battle?”

“I want to… but honestly, I don’t know.”

Obtaining the fruit of the World Tree was a top priority for Leeha.

Above all, how was he supposed to deal with the seventh demonic source teeming with creatures like Toon and Matan’s Shooter?

Leeha thought that even if he stepped in, it would be like adding a grain of sand to a desert.

“Even with Lee Jiwon stepping in, it’s not enough. Things inside are similar but somewhat different, and explaining this has helped the situation a bit. But still, it’s certain if uncle steps in.”

“I know. Thanks anyway, Kijung-ssi.”

“Sure. Let’s meet up in Seoul once your rehabilitation is done.”

Leeha lightly patted Kijung on the shoulder.

Kijung smiled and immediately activated the modification sphere. After Kijung disappeared, Leeha sighed deeply as if the ground was sinking.

‘Once I get the fruit of the World Tree, it’s a growth accelerator. Making Blaugrunn into adult class is more urgent.’

Now, it’s about making choices and focusing.

He was quite frustrated by the rumors but not overreacting, naturally reducing them.

‘Should I give up the common quest then? Hmm, that’s risky too.’

Leeha sighed again. Just thinking won’t change the situation.

Quickly obtaining the World Tree’s fruit to make Blaugrunn adult class, then contributing to the common quest! That was the most logical and efficient plan, he thought, before activating the modification sphere.

“Here, here, high-quality soil has arrived! Noeanen-nim, how is this?”

“…Not bad. I didn’t know such soil still existed in this land.”

“Of course, of course! Right below the jade-colored mountain, where the dogs gather. Perhaps because of the Paleos’ dung as fertilizer, the soil is strangely fertile – ah, I hope I’m not offending by saying this.”

“No. It’s only natural that good fertilizer enriches the soil.”

A man more muscular than a giant held a handful of soil, smiling contentedly.

Leeha found the unbalanced sight somewhat funny but couldn’t laugh.

‘It’s similar to the mermaid situation. Once a form is established, as in the spiritual realm, it’s impossible to know everything about the physical realm.’

All the water spirits existing in the water couldn’t locate the new continent. Once born as mermaids, they had to follow the rules of the physical realm.

Therefore, already formed beings like Noeanen or Celestine couldn’t know everything.

In matters of soil, wind, Leeha knew more, and there were parts unknown to them.

‘It seems like familiarity rises through various strategies… But it’s slow. Too slow.’

How long would it take to get the fruit of the World Tree at this rate?

Leeha barely managed to suppress his impatience. At least one thing was certain. Familiarity with spirits didn’t come just by talking to them or giving them something beneficial.

Leeha realized that he needed to help them ‘achieve their purpose’.

‘With the mermaids, restoring the sewage treatment was their goal, and I raised familiarity by helping with that. Here, I need to do something that helps make the World Tree healthier.’

Lake water full of minerals, fertile soil, what next?

‘Something to speed up photosynthesis? Gather solar energy – no, that might burn the tree. Ugh, I’m not a gardener! What do I know about plants!’

As Leeha naturally sat on a branch of the World Tree, Celestine approached him.

He wanted to rest here, but he couldn’t because the highest class wind spirit, Silen, was annoyingly hovering around him.