Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

‘Haha, since it wasn’t meant to penetrate in the first place, it was aimed to explode.’

Observing the explosion that occurred in the air about 1.26 kilometers away, Luger wore a satisfied expression on his face. It was a projectile designed to explode after a certain amount of time, utilizing a new type of shell made for explosions.

It effectively exerted its power near the Manticore. The staggering Manticore in midair soon began to fly rapidly in the opposite direction. Watching this, Luger nodded his head.

“Alright, off you go:”

He never intended to kill it from the beginning. There was no need to kill the Manticore he stumbled upon here.

“Gibrid… must be feeling restless to head west.”

Luger could tell this from his encounter with Gibrid. The direction of the Chimera army was clearly westward. Why haven’t they headed west yet, despite being from the eastern part of the New Continent?

Luger had thought about this particular issue extensively during the offline period. And he reached a conclusion.

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“The defense forces near the forest of the Corrupted World Tree.”

Above all, he saw Gibrid trying to spare at least one kind of Chimera.

In other words, he was trying to minimize battles and head towards the western part of the New Continent.

Therefore, he had to send out scouts. To find the weakest point, he would use his most agile forces. Naturally, the monster with wings, the Manticore, had to be it.

“What will Gibrid do when he finds out someone capable of killing the Manticore has appeared?”

Despite only a brief battle and short conversation, Luger and Gibrid’s encounter was more than enough. As a natural hunter, Luger could easily read the idea of ‘prey’ just from that.

Luger focused his gaze and looked in the direction where the Manticore had disappeared. Even though it was a sunny afternoon, in the distance, something twinkling caught his eye. Luger immediately moved his body.

“Whoops-!”

An explosion erupted from where Luger had been just a moment ago. Despite the chaos of flames and deafening noise, Luger swiftly rolled his body and stood up.

“I have no choice but to let that guy go! Hahaha! I’m a genius after all! Nice to meet you, 『Lugermon』!”

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Though he was laughing, there was a grotesque twist in Luger’s expression.

“Dang it, can’t really see it properly. The distance exceeds 2.56 meters. How can I make such precise shots from this distance? Moreover, this destructiveness… haha) This monster is a being made for itself.”Therefore, the stronger Lugermon is, the more it proves Luger’s own strength. However, at the moment when he has to fight the monster on a one-on-one basis, feeling something that surpasses his own strength?

Luger immediately set up the timer and pulled the trigger. A few seconds later, there was a loud noise and flames, but that was all. There was a difference in both the time and the volume of sound compared to the explosion that occurred where he was and the light that flashed from Lugermon.

“Damn it, not hitting it? It’s already a distance away, and in the meantime,” Luger focused on a distant black dot. The barely visible Lugermon was gradually rising towards the sky.

“Increasing altitude!? It’s fast too! How the hell am I supposed to deal with this -”

Luger swallowed nervously. Kidd mentioned he fought against Crimson Geckos. the image that came to mind was an attack helicopter. Luger had challenged Lugermon with the perception of an overwhelmingly powerful flying object at a relatively close distance to the ground.

However, at this distance, at that altitude? Lugermon was no longer an attack helicopter.

“Fight against a fighter jet -”

Lugermon suddenly increased altitude, and a flash of light came from it. The flames from the barrel were even visible enough for Luger, 2.56 meters away.

“- What?”

As Luger dodged out of the way, an explosion occurred as soon as he moved his body. A monster that surpassed even Luger in distance, not to mention accuracy!

Luger once again reached for the Cobalt Blue Python at his waist.

‘It’s a distance that can’t even be hit with Artillery Enhancement: anti-aircraft rifle. The angle is too high. Damn it, a dragon might be easier!’

If he lured it close and shot, there was a possibility. However, if that thing realized that it had seized an advantageous position… No, with enough intelligence to realize, it would never come close. Above all, there wasn’t even a lure to drag it in.

Luger could see that. The moment he withdrew his body as bait, the monster would retreat.

“Such opportunities don’t come often. At most three times. Maybe twice. In the worst case, I must also consider the possibility of Gibrid jumping out at the second time.’

In reality, an ordinary soldier on the ground cannot win against a fighter jet. But this is Middle Earth, so it can be done.

Luger’s thinking quickly shifted. Even faster were Luger’s hands.

What a powerful armored piercing round it was. So powerful that it was almost impossible to withstand the recoil. Literally a sabot round, designed to bring down a Manticores with precision aiming. The round hit right on the Lugermon’s wing.

“Good! Direct hit- Huh!?”

But that was all. The momentarily wobbling Lugermon quickly regained its composure and started gaining altitude once again.

… Did the armor-piercing round not penetrate? What kind of round was that?

As a shooter himself, Luger knew. The previous hit was truly a stroke of luck. Considering the wind direction and speed, hitting a target with that speed at this distance with an armor-piercing round would be close to impossible without some extraordinary luck. Perhaps it was a once-in-a-lifetime shot that might not be repeated!

“But the 90mm recoilless rifle I have can’t be used at this distance! Damn it!”

His own attacks relied on luck, but the enemy’s attacks kept pouring in at this very moment. Luger bit his lip and leaped away.

“My anti-aircraft rifle has already reached its limit…”

Avoiding the explosion had soon reached its limit as well. Once the surrounding terrain was completely devastated, there would be no place to hide.

“Something beyond this is needed. Like…”

Facing a monster with overwhelming firepower at a distance unreachable even for field artillery or 90mm recoilless rifles, Luger muttered.

“Heavy artillery anti-aircraft rifle… Flak. 『Flegerabwehrkanone』”

As soon as a single word left his mouth, Luger’s vision flashed.

SHwaaaah…!

A holographic window appeared.

※ ※

『Acht-Acht-1』

Description:…

“A perfect cannon can hit any target from any angle. The one and only cannon capable of anti-air, anti-ground, and field artillery. But remember, you are the only one to plan, build, and handle it.

Content: Legendary-class gunsmith search

Reward: Acht-Acht-2

Condition for Failure: Merge Manticore (Subject: Death of Luger)

Penalty for Failure: Cancel Quest Route Original Return 『Dominator of all battlefields, cannoneer』

-Do you accept?

“Acht-Acht-1?”

For Luger, Middle Earth translations were not needed with the original language. However, he couldn’t grasp the exact meaning. Compared to the typical quest window which distinguishes between the ‘dialogue’ of the quest giver and the ‘description’ of the Middle Earth system, the description given in the quest window was too lacking for Luger.

“Is this quest because of that guy? Did he give me the quest?”

Luger gazed at Lugermon once again. But it was unsettling to think that a monster had assigned a quest.

“Is the lack of explanation because of him?”

The content read “Gunsmith search,” with the failure condition being his death. What could this possibly mean?

Yaaargh…

Matan’s Shooter

Another explosion shook Luger’s mind.

Even analyzing the quest window with a relaxed mind, it was difficult to understand, being forced to make such a choice in the unending battlefield of explosions!

“Damn it all!”

Luger once again pulled the trigger towards 『Lugermon』.

With a loud bang and a recoil strong enough to make his right side stagger, another steel bullet shot out. However, Lugermon skillfully dodged it.

‘If it’s not a time-limited explosive round… it’s impossible to catch that. Dammit! Is making that the quest? But he’s a legendary blacksmith – that idiot orangutan bastard was only at hero level-‘

Briefly thinking of Koba, the leader of the bonobo paleo, Luger’s lips tightened as his eyes momentarily glazed over.

Clearly, Koba had been the best blacksmith he knew up until now.

For Luger, he was the only one who had strengthened his weapons, his one and only support. But what about now?

“The bearded dwarves said it themselves. The skill of that inspirational fool who failed to synthesize legendary firearms has changed.”

There was Bottleneck.

Failing to synthesize legendary firearms, but due to that failure, Bottleneck’s grade had risen. Luger couldn’t know what would happen next, but at least Bottleneck was noticeably different, enough to require resting.

“Hahaha… Am I truly favored by God!? Hihi, that stupid bastard was working for me after all! Legendary blacksmith and all-purpose cannon, ahh- ahh!”

Luger remembered.

The last words he muttered! “『Flegerabwehrkanone』. In other words, it was Flak. Ahh- ahh, if we combine them, the answer is 8.86cm Flak!”

Luger immediately turned around and ran.

He had to cleanly admit that he couldn’t deal with Lugermon right now.

“If I die to that guy, it’s all for naught. Haha, but with this quest and the failure penalty written on 『Cannoneer』 ..

A German won’t fail to understand its meaning.

An explosion occurred behind Luger. Feeling the warm flames against his back and the storm pushing his body, Luger laughed.

“Cannoneer! A ‘gunner’!”

The strongest enemy in the world, who is it? It’s none other than oneself.

Luger fully understood that point. And he had the opportunity to fight with ‘himself’.

It was certainly not something common. In some respects, it was both luck and misfortune that no one else could achieve. It was almost natural for Luger to acquire the quest in a different way from Kidd.

***

Despite the feast of food prepared to the point of breaking the table’s leg, the only moving chopsticks were those of Ram Hwajung.

In the restaurant where only the clinking noises of utensils spread softly, Leeha’s mother, barely opened her mouth.

“It’s still too early to decide what to order… I’m sorry, there’s only this kind of food available-”

“Oh no, no! Mother, it’s really delicious!”

“But, you should eat it with rice-”

Ram Hwayeon wrapped the cod roe in kimchi and ate it. Leeha had no choice but to hold back a sigh.

*Sucking sound*

“It might be too salty…”

Kijung lowered his head to suppress a laugh, while Leeha looked at him with a dissatisfied expression. The crisp sound of the kimchi echoed awkwardly. It was still around two in the afternoon, and despite briefly introducing the Ram sisters, the awkwardness remained. Or rather, the situation became even more awkward.

“So, then… uh, in Hong Kong… you work…?”

“Yes, yes. Just a small business.”

“Uh. Unni.”

“Hush, Hwajung.”

“*Choke…!*”

Kijung once again ducked his head under the table. The conversation between Ram Hwayeon’s somewhat broken smile and incomprehensible Ram Hwajung alone was like a comedy sketch.

From Leeha’s perspective, Kijung was so comical that he wanted to scold him. Secretly, Leeha elbowed Kijung’s thigh under the table and quickly sent a text message.

“You just wait and see.”

“Khu, sorry, hyung. But still! Introducing them to aunt now will lessen the shock later.”

“Why do you keep saying it will be less shocking later? What do you think will happen? Besides, even if you explain about the Ram Long Group, my mom still has no idea about that! She knows your personality!”

Kijung introduced that they were the eldest and youngest daughters of the chairman and were managing the group’s business.

However, what Leeha’s mother currently understood was only that their father was helping run a small company abroad. The sense of alienation and an indescribable distance. Add Ram Hwayeon’s unusual attitude, there was simply no escape from the thorny situation.