Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Toon, instead of speaking, let out a monstrous scream and charged at the users afflicted with fear. With every step, the ground shook as if the earth itself was trembling.

“Kwaaaai—–!”

“Kyahahaaaaa-“

The Armored-High Trolls also roared like mad.

Their charge, in sync with Toon’s advance towards the users, was enough to evoke terror.

The users still bound by the status effect ‘fear’ couldn’t move a muscle as they watched Toon charging towards them.

“It’s wrong. We shouldn’t have provoked it-“

“We can take it down! Just think of it as a big adult dragon!”

“Healers and tanks, come quickly! We have 30 seconds until the fear effect wears off, just hold the line once!”

The users affected by fear murmured amongst themselves.

Should they abandon them? There were too many to leave behind.

The attack squads had to move forward to save them.

“[Super Shield]”

“[Holy Barrier]”

The tanks’ shields were strengthened, and the clerics created holy barriers. Thump, thump, thump! These were the first barricades set up to stop Toon’s advance.

[Aaaaah—————]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch… Boom!

And the barricades were utterly shattered.

The users who couldn’t move due to fear, and the tanks, healers, and damage dealers who had advanced to protect them, were all split in half from top to bottom with just one sweep of Toon’s attack.

Ashen corpses were scattered like stones.

“Those arms…

“Whip… like a whip-“

“This is no time to be stunned! The trolls-“

The users tried to regroup hastily, but the trolls’ charge was relentless.

With just one strike, Toon had completely reversed the mood and, after trampling over the ashen corpses of the users, raised its head towards the sky.

Its gaze was fixed on a golden dragon.

[Aaaaah————–!]

[Toon is roaring!]

Bailephus quickly changed direction, but it wasn’t easy to approach Toon due to the constant barrage of attacks. Boom, boom – the arcs of attack were unending.

With the objective of ‘moving towards Toon,’ Bailephus’s path was overly simplified, making it an easy target for the sniper Matan’s Shooter on this land.

“Run away!”

“Damn it! Retreat first! Regroup and then we’ll reorganize!”

“Teleport-“

“Teleport won’t work! If we pull out now, the quest fails!”

Seeing even Bailephus being thwarted, the morale of the users plummeted.

They had to retreat.

The need to survive and the regret of failing the quest crossed paths. In that moment, a giant shadow loomed over the users.

Lee Jiwon emerged from the dark thunderclouds filled with lightning.

“Toon, you bastard, brings the drama. Did Alexander get scared?”

“What nonsense. I’m going first.”

“That’s more like it! There’s no better chance than now without the sniper! Let’s go, [Thundercloud]!”

Filled with thoughts of revenge, Lee Jiwon infused mana into the thundercloud.

The light flickered.

The users closed their eyes.

“Whoa?! What’s that!”

Before they could even register the sound of crackling, about twenty Armored-High Trolls were incinerated in an instant.

As the monsters, still not understanding what had happened, turned towards them, Alexander’s shining spear thrust forward. “[Fury Pierce]”

The movement was swift, but the impact was profound.

As the air momentarily rippled, large holes were already punctured in the chests of the monsters that had been far away.

“Oh, oooooh!”

“Alexander’s here! Lee Jiwon’s here!”

“Keep going! Don’t run away!”

The efforts of the top two rankers were enough to boost the morale of the users. Notably, they weren’t the only ones present.

“[Golden Dragon’s Eighteen Forms: Summon Divine Dragon]!” With a rumble shaking the earth, a yellow dragon appeared in the sky, enough to showcase the presence of the third-ranking player.

“All Golden Dragons, coordinate with Alexander and Lee Jiwon to take down Toon!”

Hii—o!

“I’ll help. [Ice Grinder]”

“Hwahong will prioritize protecting Hwajung-ssi! You don’t need to worry about me!”

Pei Wu and the Golden Dragons, Ram Hwajung directing and assisting from behind, along with Ram Hwayeon and Hwahong.

“We can’t just stand by! All Byulcho members- Wait, Hyein-hyungnim?”

“Huuu, just come to my side. It’s important to have the power to face the Troll legion, but right now, we need to focus everything on Toon. Let’s move with Mass Teleport.”

“Yes! That’s the way!”

“… Kijung is always like this in times like these. Should we also try to get our faces on camera? [Guided Arrow]!”

And with Kijung, Hyein, Bobae, and others from Byulcho in action, the users once again united to tackle the Barren Land of Blooming Flames.

As Bobae’s guided arrows flew towards Toon, other users spared no effort in using their skills.

A rain of fire from Blaze Shower, Ram Hwajung’s giant ice sawblade, poisoned bolts, energy clusters wrapped in electricity, and even small meteors falling from the sky!

“Kazu-“

[Paahahahai———-!]

Excited Lee Jiwon tried to shout a slogan, but it was drowned out by an even louder roar.

Toon opened its jaws nearly 180 degrees and expelled the energy within.

It wasn’t a roar to produce sound.

“…What’s that, a wide-area dispel?”

“No, all the magic flying at it just now… everything…”

With one move, Toon’s roar had successfully neutralized all the magic that had been hurled at it.

“That’s to be expected.”

“Of course, of course! Now it begins! I’ll handle the small fries with [Thundercloud], and that Toon guy-“

Lee Jiwon leaped from the thundercloud, casting a spell.

Remembering the pain from a past battle when the thundercloud was drawn too close to Toon, he decided to take it on directly.

“I’ll face it myself. [Giga Blade]!”

Shwaaaaak-!

Coating his black sword with even darker energy, Lee Jiwon led the charge.

“Don’t fall behind!”

“Follow! Follow Lee Jiwon!”

Ku, gu, gugu, gugugu?——!

A wedge-shaped massive formation surged towards Toon.

Now that all cards were on the table, only one thing remained: a clash of power.

[Aaaaah——–!]

“Brandish.” “Haaaap!” “Hup!”

Toon’s second whip-like strike, Alexander’s swing, Lee Jiwon’s magic swordplay, and Peiwu’s Golden Dragon collided. This was the signal.

Even the combined top-tier attacks of rankers 1, 2, and 3 barely matched two of Toon’s arm swings.

But that was enough.

As long as Toon’s attacks could be blocked, other users could inflict any amount of damage.

In the Barren Land of Blooming Flames, the war between the fierce monsters and even fiercer users continued unabated.

Skills and shouts were rampant, but only three people weren’t focused on the chaos.

Luger, Kidd, and Leeha, each busy observing their surroundings.

In a slightly distanced location from the brutal battlefield where people and monsters were torn apart, Leeha slowed his breathing to assess the situation.

The distance to Toon was roughly 900 meters.

‘What about Bailephus?’

Bailephus was still unable to approach Toon.

Without the Ancient-grade gold dragon, the fight below wouldn’t even be possible.

Even the attacks of five among the top 10 rankers could barely equal two of Toon’s arm swings.

“But the attacks on Bailephus are still fierce. Brown must be nearby.”

Leeha utilized his Eagle Eye skill to survey the distance, while adjusting the Black Bass for relatively closer targets.

After all, his immediate goal wasn’t the Matan’s Shooter.

“Neutralizing Toon is the key. That’s all that needs to be done. The immediate objective is to clear the Ma demon’s stronghold.”

Toon was right there.

Spotting a 30-meter-tall dinosaur posed no difficulty.

Despite its frenzied movement and roaring as it slaughtered the users, rapid repositioning was impossible for it.

‘Besides, Brown is keeping Bailephus in check. They haven’t noticed me yet. Meaning, now is my chance.’

Leeha returned the Eagle Eye skill to its original setting and peered through the scope.

The monster, Toon, with a black body and red spots, was a terrifying sight even from a distance.

“Distance check… 920, 923 meters?”

Leeha began fine-tuning the Black Bass.

Even during this, he communicated with Kijung, Lee Jiwon, Ram Hwayeon, and others via whispers, confirming Toon’s exact size.

“The target’s precise height is about 33 meters. Then, adjusting the observed distance to 919 meters. The target should be the head, right above those yellow eyes, aiming directly at the brain.”

Click… click, click.

Lying prone, his fingers delicately adjusted the settings.

The long barrel of the rifle remained utterly still. For Leeha, a 900-meter range was as good as his favorite spot.

“Huuuu… Don’t be nervous. Good, good. It’s not like I’d miss a target bigger than a Brass Golem at this distance, right? This is a piece of cake! No, more like lying down after eating cake.”

Leeha joked to ease his tension, pulling the trigger. He felt the heavy sensation of a bullet engaging.

No need to use range-extending skills. No point in exposing his position unnecessarily.

‘The title [Shadow Hitman] doubles the damage when undetected. Now, quietly, calmly, just one shot to the creature’s head.’

After all, that spot was an instant kill point.

Even if it didn’t kill instantly, double damage would be a significant blow to Toon, and Leeha intended to clear the quest by incapacitating it.

Haaaa…

Leeha slowly regulated his breathing.

Toon roared within the scope. The vibration in the air was so delicate it could be felt even at his location.

Many users in front of Toon must have succumbed to the status effect ‘fear’.

‘The opportunity will come. There will be a moment when it won’t move at all.’

Hadn’t he observed the battle until now? Leeha’s effort to find Toon’s pattern was not in vain.

Lee Jiwon swung his black sword at Toon’s knee.

The sword, surrounded by lightning, seemed to struggle even to strip Toon’s scales.

Toon turned.

Its tail, larger than its arms, was too thick to be evaded by jumping.

Pei Wu’s dragon, formed of qi, intercepted Toon’s tail swipe. The tremble in the dinosaur’s body was visible even to Leeha.

Behind them, Ram Hwajung was casting.

The blue particles entering the spell indicated it was no lightweight magic.

‘Magic. Yes, that’s it, Ram Hwajung-ssi.’ Leeha’s index finger touched the Black Bass’s trigger.

The coldness of the metal was unfelt. Surely, that spell would create the opportunity.

The moment Ram Hwajung’s lips moved, a massive ice spear was formed.

Was it a fully mana-charged Ice Spear?

Leeha didn’t know the skill’s name, but the ice spear seemed large enough to completely pierce Toon.

As the ice spear flew towards Toon, other users also attacked, trying to distract it.

But their attacks were futile.

Toon seemed momentarily startled by the ice spear, but then calmly opened its mouth.

If it exhaled air there, the ice spear would vanish without a trace.

Toon opened its mouth.

Just as it was about to cast a wide-area dispel with a roar!

“[Mana Vaporizing Shot]”

Thwoooaaah——-!

Leeha’s index finger pulled the trigger.

The moment Toon extended its head to roar was already read perfectly by Leeha.

A hole was drilled into the head of the 33-meter-tall dinosaur.

A small hole right above the eye let in a stream of bright red blood.