I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 14
Episode 14
The next day.
「Will you enter the 10th Floor of the Tower of South Korea’s Main Tower?」
A question materialized before my eyes.
I swallowed hard for a moment.
‘This one is certainly no pushover.’
Yesterday, after returning home, I had gathered more information about the 10th Floor.
Even with thorough preparations, complacency was always a luxury I couldn’t afford.
I drew tension into my body.
After confirming that the concealment cloak was set to auto-equip.
“Yes.”
I answered the question.
Whoosh—
My body was transported into the Tower.
The landscape of the 10th Floor was starkly different from before.
A dense forest where even sunlight barely penetrated.
Massive trees were packed so thickly that moving was scarcely possible.
If I encountered Goblins in a place like this, combat would certainly unfold to my disadvantage.
But the 10th Floor’s notorious reputation wasn’t built on merely that.
There was a far more sudden and direct threat.
Namely.
Boom—!
‘…Even knowing this, the entrance is insane.’
It was because of this ominous Goblin that crashed down with a thunderous roar the moment I entered the Tower.
First, its eye level was just slightly below that of an average man.
Furthermore.
Huff… huff….
Breathing as if it had lost all reason.
‘Not “as if”—it actually has.’
Eyes bloodshot with crimson.
Nostrils flaring ceaselessly as if searching for prey.
A Berserker Goblin.
I clicked my tongue as I observed the massive greatsword gripped in the Berserker Goblin’s hand.
Despite its name, the blade was jaggedly chipped, making it resemble a saw.
‘If not for the cloak, that greatsword would have cleaved my shoulder blade clean open.’
There was a reason the Berserker Goblin was called the Newbie Reaper.
It performed true “severing” in the blink of an eye.
When the Tower first appeared, statistics on how many died because of this creature were never properly recorded.
Even now, accidents happen with disturbing regularity.
No other Goblins appeared on the 10th Floor.
Yet this single creature was more than enough to create a difficulty level incomparable to what came before.
Sniff sniff sniff— sniff sniff sniff snort—
The Berserker Goblin flared its nostrils, catching scents on the air.
Yet it ultimately failed to locate me.
It was due to my concealment stat—something unimaginable even for Hunters of my level—combined with the effects of my concealment cloak.
No, the problem wasn’t even other level 9 Hunters.
‘If I claimed to be level 10 with these stats, nobody would believe me.’
By pure stat alone, I had already far surpassed level 10.
No matter how much of a “newbie slayer” this creature was, it couldn’t overcome being overwhelmed by such dominant stats.
I calmly surveyed my surroundings.
Wherever I went, the Berserker Goblin would cover it in a single bound.
How many shots could I fire in that time?
One?
Two?
I wasn’t certain I could kill it with that many.
The Berserker Goblin’s other defining trait was its overwhelming regenerative ability—reminiscent of a troll.
Even if its arm was severed, it only needed to pick it up and reattach it, and it would fuse back within seconds.
I shifted my gaze.
Upward.
‘Switching to a sniper position.’
I moved as far as possible to a thick tree branch, positioning myself where it wouldn’t obstruct my line of sight.
In the next moment, I had established a stable stance atop a branch thicker than my own torso.
Sniff—! Sniff sniff—!
The Berserker Goblin’s reaction was unusual.
Had it sensed my movement?
The Goblin swung its head side to side, sniffing with even greater intensity.
‘…That was close.’
I swallowed hard.
What if my concealment had been just slightly lower?
Or worse—what if I didn’t have the cloak?
But for a sniper, hypotheticals meant nothing.
I calmly raised my rifle and aimed at the Berserker Goblin.
‘I’ve increased the firepower even more than against the Dark Orc.’
Of course, that had been a degraded version from outside, but I had no concerns about firepower.
As long as my position remained undiscovered, victory was mine.
I calculated the most certain timing.
Feeling the flow of air, I sank into a world composed of only myself and the Berserker Goblin.
With no delicate birdsong, no subtle insect chirping.
Just the straight line formed between me on the branch and the Berserker visible in my scope….
Soon, the world fell silent.
Now it was time to cast the stone and create concentric ripples.
Breath held.
Trigger pulled.
CRACK——!
My invincible shot finally broke free from the chamber, streaking toward the Berserker Goblin like a predator unleashed.
‘Perfect.’
I had no doubt the shot would connect.
But then.
——?!
The Berserker Goblin’s reaction speed was formidable beyond measure.
The instant I fired, the Berserker twisted its head toward my position with blinding speed.
The concealing cloak loses its effect after the first shot.
It had sensed my presence in that moment and reacted accordingly.
‘This monster of a creature….’
I placed my finger on the trigger once more.
By then, my bullet was already closing in on the Berserker’s face.
Perhaps the Berserker also judged that dodging at this point was already too late.
WHOOSH—!
It raised its massive blade sideways to block the bullet.
I had never encountered such an absurd creature before.
Even the Dark Orc on the 15th Floor couldn’t react—its head simply flew clean off.
So this is the true caliber of a Floor Master.
‘…My shot will be deflected.’
In the end, I clicked my tongue inwardly and prepared for the second shot.
An S+ rating might not be achievable, but that was due to my own insufficient preparation.
Then, the greatsword and bullet collided.
With such a fast reaction speed, I expected it would either deflect the shot or block it—
CRASH—!
“?”
Or so I thought.
“Huh.”
Momentarily bewildered, I alternated between my scope and naked eye, surveying the scene.
“…Did that thing just die?”
But whether through the scope or with my bare eyes, the result was unmistakable.
The Berserker Goblin’s grotesque blade was completely shattered, and its head had burst wide open—it was dead on the spot.
I stood there, staring blankly at the corpse.
I had pretended not to be nervous, but entering the 10th Floor meant I had mentally prepared myself extensively.
Last night, I even watched a horror film in the dark to strengthen my nerve.
And yet it really died in a single shot?
A Newbie Cutter?
“Hmm. That shouldn’t be possible. From what I heard, even if its skull gets crushed, it recovers….”
No matter how much regenerative power comparable to a troll it possessed, this shouldn’t have happened.
「Berserker Goblin defeated.
10th Floor cleared.
Rank: S+」
Even the system confirmed the finishing blow this way.
Only then did I quietly descend from the tree.
I approached the gradually collapsing Berserker Goblin.
Stab, stab—
I even tried stabbing it with my gun.
Thud, thud—
I kicked it several times with my combat boots.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
It was only natural, after all.
Its head had burst open.
“What a pathetic creature. Dies in one shot from a measly 30-power bullet?”
If the Berserker Goblin could hear this, it would have quite the grievance.
Whether or not I hit its head.
In any case, I complained about the Berserker a few more times before opening the notification windows.
「10th Floor clear record updated.
Location: Tower of South Korea.
ID: Ilgyeok
Rank: S+」
The global announcement had come through without omission.
Outside, people were surely cheering madly about Ilgyeok’s tenth S+ rank clear.
「10th Floor reward.
Item ‘Berserker Goblin’s Greatsword (E)’ acquired.
Check your inventory.」
The 10th Floor clear reward was the Berserker Goblin’s greatsword.
‘Hmm, I would’ve preferred a mana stone to this.’
Since it was a proper boss, I had been hoping for an E-rank mana stone that could increase my mana, but this wasn’t the worst outcome either.
No, looking at it objectively, it was actually quite good.
Compared to mana stones at 200,000 won each, this greatsword had a selling price that easily exceeded 1 million won.
That should be enough to prove to my parents that I’m actually working.
「S+ Clear Bonus.
Exclusive item ‘Portable Shooting Range’ acquired.
Check your inventory.」
“Oh!”
Then came the real S+ clear bonus.
My eyes widened at the reward, and I couldn’t help but smile.
A makeshift shooting range.
Just hearing the name made my heart race and my entire body tingle with excitement.
I had so many experiments I wanted to conduct, but I’d been lacking a proper place to do them.
If I were in the Military, I could have used their shooting range, but that wasn’t an option for a civilian like me.
I couldn’t exactly fire a gun in the open where everyone could see and hear me.
The moment I exited the Tower, I resolved to use this shooting range immediately.
Incidentally, I didn’t gain a level.
‘Who cares about that when I got a shooting range?’
I left the 10th Floor without a second thought.
The open field I always used when entering the Tower.
I pulled the shooting range item from my inventory.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary badge.
「Exclusive Item: Makeshift Shooting Range.
You can enter a shooting range where you can practice your marksmanship.
It cannot be used if anyone is aware of your presence.
You will not suffer injuries or death within the shooting range.
You can set the background to any location you have previously experienced, and you can summon monsters you have hunted as holograms.
You can freely adjust your stats. However, you cannot increase them beyond your current values.」
“…This is completely broken.”
After reading all the effects, I let out a short exclamation.
What did a Military shooting range matter compared to this?
“Ah, how ignorant I was before discovering this makeshift shooting range.”
I entered the shooting range immediately.
「Will you enter the makeshift shooting range?」
“Yes.”
Entry was simple.
I especially appreciated that I didn’t need to shout some activation phrase to enter.
The interior of the shooting range was basically an empty, flat space.
The usage was straightforward.
Whoosh—
As I visualized the Military shooting range, the background materialized exactly as I remembered it.
The mountains in the distance, the control post ahead, even that distinctive smell.
A perfect recreation.
Even the monster targets were operational.
Bang—!
With a casual shot, the target was obliterated beyond recognition.
Next came summoning monsters.
“…Let me test this out.”
I crouched down in the firing pit dug in front of me, concealing my body.
At the 800-meter line, I summoned the Berserker Goblin I had just captured.
Sniff, sniff—! Sniff, sniff—!
Though it was a hologram, it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
The creature paused to catch the scent of the air.
Whoosh—! Crash, crash, crash——!!
‘Damn, this is insane!’
It immediately began charging at me like a madman.
A true berserker incarnate.
In less than ten seconds, the berserker drove its saw straight down onto my head.
「Death confirmed.
Cause: Berserker Goblin.」
Yet there was no pain.
The Berserker Goblin transformed into particles and scattered into nothingness.
“So that’s how it works.”
I marveled at the shooting range’s system, which was far more sophisticated than I had anticipated.
At this level, practical training seemed entirely feasible.
After all, I could even summon environments from inside the Tower as backdrops.
To be honest, I would have been satisfied with just a spacious area and a few scarecrows set up.
「Will you be exiting the provisional shooting range?」
“Yes.”
I affirmed the system’s question.
Back to the open field.
I smiled faintly.
“This will be quite useful.”
* * *
「The 10th Floor clear record has been updated.
Location: Tower of South Korea.
ID: Ilgyeok
Rank: S+」
Ilgyeok, who had been inactive for several days, had finally conquered the 10th Floor.
Judging by the rank, he had apparently dispatched even the notorious Berserker Goblin in a single strike.
People’s reactions were largely as expected.
After all, this was Ilgyeok—the one who had defeated the 15th Floor’s mid-boss Dark Orc back when he was on the 7th Floor.
Naturally, he would have grown considerably since then, so there was no reason to expect any problems on the 10th Floor.
Most doubts about whether Ilgyeok might actually be a villain had been dispelled.
The people of South Korea could now enjoy a festive atmosphere watching this good news.
[ Alex Po: What good deeds did Korea do in a past life? (View original)
└ PunchKing Ddukbaegi: Do you not know of Dangun the Founder?
└ James Kim: You should write that in English, man;; ]
Though Americans weren’t trembling in fear and Japanese citizens weren’t suffering from dread as some might have said, foreign nations in general deeply envied Korea.
Yet even in this celebratory atmosphere, there were those who could not share in the joy.
Most notably, the talent search department of the Administrative Bureau.
“…So tomorrow it’ll be the 11th Floor?”
“Unless something unexpected happens, yes? We’ve already defeated the Berserker Goblin, so there shouldn’t be any obstacles….”
“I think we’ll have no major issues even up to the 15th Floor. Honestly, the consensus is that Dark Orcs are somewhat easier than Berserker Goblins.”
The employees nodded in agreement with Seongnyun’s gloomy tone.
Seongnyun glanced around at his staff before speaking.
“I… will have to call someone tomorrow, after all.”
“Yes? Who would that be?”
“Well… someone important.”
“D-don’t tell me the Minister?”
“I called him when Ilgyeok cleared the 1st Floor.”
“Th-then the Prime Minister?!”
“I called him when Ilgyeok cleared the 5th Floor.”
The employees’ faces grew increasingly pale.
The Minister for the 1st Floor, the Prime Minister for the 5th Floor.
Then who for the 10th Floor?
The employees decided not to ask further.
They simply did not want to get involved in such matters.
“If I want to keep my job, I need to have something to report, don’t I?”
“Th-that’s certainly true.”
Seongnyun’s voice and expression grew desperate.
In fact, he couldn’t simply say “How would I know who Ilgyeok is?” and hang up during tomorrow’s call.
Though Seongnyun wasn’t particularly ambitious about promotion, if he did that, he wouldn’t be worrying about advancement—he’d be worrying about where his next meal would come from tomorrow or the day after.
Just then, one employee spoke up hesitantly.
“Um, Director.”
“What? Do you have a good idea?”
The employee felt a slight chill at Seongnyun’s expression, which radiated the willingness to treat whoever suggested a good idea like a favored son.
Still, he had to speak his mind.
“It’s nothing major, but starting from the 11th Floor, we use the public floors, right?”
At that, Seongnyun and the other members of the talent search department tilted their heads in confusion.
“Huh?”
“That’s right?”
“Ilgyeok is a Hunter after all, so if we station people all over the public floors and wait, won’t he eventually show up? Unless he uses some item that keeps him hidden from sight. Either way, all the announcements will be posted.”
“Hey!”
Seongnyun let out an exclamation.
The employee flinched and shrank back.
Was it really such a simple idea?
There was no way the director wouldn’t have thought of something like this.
“Why are you only telling me this now?! You did great! I’ll go report this to the Director right away!”
You really couldn’t do it?
“Ah, yes… Thank you.”
The employee nodded reluctantly, and Seongnyun immediately rushed into the Director’s office with excitement.
Tomorrow’s call would be handled by Seongnyun, but still, I couldn’t avoid discussing the matter with my superior first.
And shortly after.
“What… What? Why are you telling me this now? I left the idea with you—what did you do with it?”
Seongnyun reappeared with his hair somehow disheveled, grumbling irritably.
‘But the manager did the same thing….’
It seemed he’d been thoroughly chewed out, so the employees couldn’t bring themselves to say even that much.
* * *
From the 1st Floor to the 10th Floor, one had to climb the Main Tower alone, but from the 11th Floor onward, things were different.
This was due to the existence of special floors known as ‘public floors’ or ‘platforms’.
Floors 11-20, floors 21-30….
Floors grouped in units of ten shared national platforms, and individual floors were accessed through these platforms.
On platforms where many people gathered, Hunters could form parties to tackle floors together, conduct barter trades, and communicate through chat functions.
Designed like a village, it was possible to rest and stay temporarily.
It was the turning point where the system’s ‘party’, ‘trade’, and ‘friend’ features were unlocked, and it was also when the community’s ‘private message’ function truly began to activate in earnest.
Other Hunters were all delighted when reaching the 11th Floor, finally saying the tutorial had ended.
“Doesn’t this just become a hassle?”
Ihyeon was the exception.
I had cleared everything smoothly so far, and I was certain it would continue that way.
Meeting others inside the Tower would only increase the risk of my identity being exposed, which wasn’t particularly welcome.
However, this was a structure I would inevitably have to face going forward.
If I couldn’t avoid it, I had to prepare.
‘I definitely can’t go like this in my current state….’
I shook my head, thinking about the equipment I was currently using.
Going to the platform dressed in military-style gear like this?
It would be fortunate if comments like ‘What’s that? They came all the way here dressed like that? Is it Ilgyeok?’ didn’t immediately start flying.
Ding—
At that moment, a notification rang on Ihyeon’s phone.
“Oh ho.”
My severance pay had been deposited.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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