Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“What’s with this lunatic!”

Leeha was taken aback. Was he completely unaware of how formidable that attack was? Regardless, the thought alone was enough to make Leeha forget his own terror for a moment.

Leeha quietly pulled the trigger. At the same moment, Lark’s sword, as loud as thunder, charged towards Toon as well. When the two attacks collided, the shockwave sent Leeha tumbling backwards. The smell of gunpowder wafted from Black Bass’s barrel.

[Ahhh—-]

When dust settled and he reopened his eyes, what the users found was a brilliant light. Countless ice shards glittered as they reflected the sunlight. It was Toon’s arm that had shattered. Kijung had blocked and Ram Hwajung had frozen it, and now Leeha had finally broken it!

However, there was no time to be shocked that Toon’s arm had shattered. The real astonishment lay elsewhere.

“Whew, whew- impressive indeed.”

Had losing an arm slowed down his attacking speed?

Toon’s other arm, which he swung, couldn’t inflict any damage. It was blocked by Lark, the Rainbow Knight.

“Alone?”

“It can’t be- he blocked Toon’s attack all by himself?”

“Even Alexander couldn’t do it, how could this man…”

“Ah, wait, wait. We’ll ask what you mean by ‘this man’ later. It certainly sounds like the treasure voice of a rare jewel.”

Lark answered, giggling without even looking around. It meant he still had the luxury to laugh. Toon, having lost an arm and his attack blocked, staggered backwards.

[Where did this guy come from-]

“Phew, the hero always appears later, you know. In the same sense, it means you, Toon, are not the hero. Isn’t it about time you disappeared?”

Leeha didn’t know whether to admire or be infuriated. Clearly, the skill was remarkable, but the way of speaking, somehow logical yet infuriating, was something he just couldn’t get used to.

Luckily, Lark’s constant babbling was effective. It was enough to completely distract Toon, already shocked by the loss of his arm and his attack being blocked, without a moment’s rest.

During the remaining time, there was no way to focus on [Divine Staff].

[Saint Power Charged: 100%]

[Cardinal Romero’s prayer has reached the heavens.]

[Divine Staff has been activated.]

[In 21 days, the Holy Spirit will condense on Divine Staff.]

The notification only briefly caught the users’ eyes. A beam of light shot up to the sky from Divine Staff, and in response, a cascade of light showered down on them.

“Wow… All debuffs removed, and health and mana fully restored?”

Open character windows to check HP and MP status, users clicked their tongues. God indeed knew how to love his creations who rely on him.

[Khua, kueeeee…]

“Hah-ha! Trying to run away? But you know we can’t just let you go easily, right?”

With his spirits lifted, Lark charged at Toon. If the power used to block Toon’s arm swing was converted to attack, Toon would undoubtedly be in trouble. Especially since one of his arms had been completely smashed by Leeha’s attack.

Users watched Lark with eager eyes, but Lark couldn’t continue his next attack. The form of the dragon began to blur and fade away. [Divine Staff… must… ] As if a hologram was disappearing, Toon’s form simply vanished. All that remained was an illusion in Toon’s shape.

“What?”

When had he started preparing it? Until the attack on Lark, he was definitely the ‘real body’. Then, when had he prepared his illusion? Right after the attack failed? Or when Divine Staff was activated?

“Hey, over there!”

Toon’s true form was already running away in the distance.

“What? It can use illusions too?”

“Wow! And so secretly?”

“That’s ridiculous! It’s unfair for something with such a big size to use illusion magic without anyone noticing!”

“If that thing can use illusion skills too, it’s going to be a problem during the real raids.”

Users clicked their tongues in disbelief when Leeha was able to grasp the gist of the situation.

‘Elizabeth had clearly said it. There’s no need for mana evaporation bullets. That guy doesn’t have any skills. Magic doesn’t make sense either. Then, there’s only one person who could be behind this.’

A figure that others hadn’t thought of appeared in Leeha’s mind.

“No, it’s not magic. Blaugrunn, you didn’t feel any mana, did you?”

“Ahh, yes. I didn’t feel any mana, but-“

“It must be a spirit.”

Prea, the spirit summoner with the white eyes. Leeha was convinced this was her doing.

“Spirits? How is that possible with spirits?”

“Is there such a thing as an illusion spirit?”

The users momentarily tilted their heads in confusion.

Leeha did not provide a special answer. The principle behind creating illusions isn’t that complicated.

If she had properly used the spirits of light and water, it would have definitely been possible.

‘So, she can even control the spirits of light.’

He had seen her with the spirits of fire, wind, and earth. Including water and now light… Does that mean she’s adept enough to summon illusions?

‘How many spirits can she control?’

Leeha briefly imagined Prea tiny in comparison, perched atop Toon’s foot.

“No, no, wait a moment! What are you all thinking so seriously about!?”

“Kijung?”

“Hahaha, it seems like there’s a misunderstanding! We’ve won, you know! We’ve won! Coming to the New Continent! For the first time! After always being on the defense against the Demon King’s Army, always losing! For the first time!”

Kijung pointed to the “Divine Staff” with his shield.

“We’ve finally occupied the source of the demons!”

His excited voice spread quickly around him. Toon had run away, and the large monsters had been mostly dealt with.

“As he says. We’ve finally taken the first step in spreading the will of the great Ahlo here.”

Romero nodded with a kind smile.

Cheers erupted energetically.

The users began to shake with excitement, releasing their thrill and goosebumps freely.

Securing the first step for the sanctification had been a close call, but it was neatly done in the end.

[Sanctification]

Objective:

Secure the Divine Staff within the New Continent of Erika in 15 days.
Protect the Divine Staff for 21 days after securing it.

Bobae finally ran to Kijung and hugged him.

Hyein let out a long sigh, sitting down. His gaze was directed towards the Sacred knights.

Shin Nara, who had been about to rush to Leeha, couldn’t help but stop.

“Leeha…”

While everyone was shouting in joy, Leeha couldn’t entirely join in.

‘Damn! It could have all been over if we had made even a small mistake… Divine Staff would have been gone.’

If it hadn’t been for Kijung’s hidden ace, the timely appearance of help from Ram Hwajung, and Lark’s efforts, Toon would have destroyed the Divine Staff.

Shooting with a frozen arm was already difficult, but what if a truly critical battle came? What then?

Today, it was fired. Somehow it was fired.

However, without completely shaking off the fundamental fear toward Toon, Leeha bit his lip, realizing there wouldn’t be a ‘true victory’.

“So… you came here without using spatial movement?”

[We were concerned about mana tracking. Please, kill me, Count.]

Toon prostrated on the floor, apologizing.

Though unstable in a kneeling position due to missing an arm, Bluebeard didn’t even bother to look directly at Toon.

‘I always thought it was just a playful character, but it’s quite frightening.’

Standing slightly away from such NPCs, feeling awkward, was Prea.

Caught between action and inaction after Chiyou’s death, she had ended up here by inadvertently stepping(?) on Toon’s foot.”

Huff… if I had intended to kill you so easily, I wouldn’t have bothered granting you such precious strength, would I?”

[“That’s right-“]

“What do you mean, ‘that’s right’, you dumb dinosaur brat!”

Before Toon could finish speaking, Bluebeard figure had already moved above Toon’s head. Swinging his staff, Bluebeard struck the back of Toon’s head. Though it seemed a light hit, the sound began to reverberate throughout the entire cave.

[“Cough-!”]

“Didn’t I tell you we need to awaken Ghibrid as soon as possible? At this critical moment, when we should be advancing the ambush disguised as the 4th wave, sooner rather than later- and what? You couldn’t even break that cursed staff? Even though we have to gather ‘roots’, it will still take two months, you idiotic thing!”

Whack! Whack! Bluebeard’s thrashing didn’t cease. Prea, watching from the side, flinched and stealthily summoned a spirit, knowing that if even a spark flew her way, a single hit could end her due to the torment Toon was undergoing.

“What’s this? I smell a disunited household.”

Therefore, Prea had to prepare. She needed a way to escape unnoticed or distract Bluebeard in case of an emergency. However, that very act caught Bluebeard’s attention. Their eyes met.

“Ah, what? Me?”

It was impossible for Bluebeard not to notice the summoning of the spirit. Picking up his hat that had fallen while striking Toon and placing it back on his head, Bluebeard approached Prea.

“It smells like a disunited household. The stench effused by those Ifrit lackeys. Ignis- no, no. Selena. So, you’re a spiritualist.”

What Prea had prepared was to summon Selena invisibly. Bluebeard had caught on through the smell alone.

“I’m Prea.”

“Chiyou… I knew you were around her. Yes, I remember seeing you at the fortress.”

When Bluebeard mentioned Chiyou, Prea saw his cheeks twitch slightly. Although Chiyou had contributed significantly in confirming the location of the [Divine Staff], from a consequentialist viewpoint, to Bluebeard, Chiyou was in ‘the same position’ as Toon. Essentially, at this point, a clear failure.

Chiyou, having reconnected after the death penalty, how badly will she be treated by Bluebeard? If Biyemi knew this fact, lizardia would have been smiling broadly for hours. In Bluebeard’s view, given the system, Chiyou’s perception had deteriorated to this extent.

Prea, just by observing Bluebeard’s expression, could discern that fact.

“That’s correct. Even with my modest strength, I am aiding Chiyou.”

Bluebeard momentarily paused at Prea’s address, which lacked any honorifics.

Carefully lifting her head, it was unclear whether Bluebeard’s expression was one of amusement or contemplation, but Prea made a bold decision nonetheless.

Snap! With a flick of her finger, spirits appeared beside her. Bluebeard, observing their presence, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Noeanen? Selena with Celestine, Elerestra! Puhahahat! What’s this? I see. So that’s why formal titles were unnecessary.”

Selena, the supreme fire spirit in a flaming skirt. Noeanen, a muscular, macho supreme earth spirit. Celestine, the supreme wind spirit lying in a slanted pose with a cheerful smile. And Elerestra, the supreme water spirit with a pure face and hands politely joined together. All were supreme spirits of the four elements.

“There are a few more interesting things besides this.”

“Hmmmm… You must have wished and hoped for Chiyou’s disappearance, looking forward to this day.”

“Not exactly. Hehe, but this kind of thing is fun, isn’t it?”

It was natural for a being like Bluebeard. At least, in the eyes of a Demon King’s Fragment, in terms of combat power or rarity, Prea’s power was regarded higher than Chiyou’s.

“Kukuku, borrowing the power of spirits, yet not seeking to receive my power. Nor aiming to gain the power of demons, why stick around Chiyou? Ifrit and Sylphid would throw a fit if they knew.”

Yet, not revealing one’s true capabilities and remaining quiet until now, what did that mean? Bluebeard was an NPC capable of instantly discerning the efforts of a spiritualist trying to approach him.