I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 149

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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 149
Ep. 149
The scope displayed nothing but the newly emerged Lich’s skull.
Click-clack— click-clack—!
The brisk forward and backward motion of the bolt-action rifle’s mechanism.
Claude watched the sight from the corner of his eye, growing anxious.
‘What strategy could possibly work? If he unleashes an attack like before, we’re finished… no, annihilated.’
Each of Ilgyeok’s strikes was undoubtedly beyond astonishing—it was miraculous.
What monster could possibly survive such an assault?
Except for a Lich.
But precisely because the monster they now faced was a Lich, even witnessing Ilgyeok’s overwhelming power left them uncertain.
The matchup was unfavorable.
Ilgyeok was the very embodiment of direct, overwhelming offensive power, yet his compatibility with a Lich—a creature that concealed its life force in some third location—was abysmal.
Not just Claude, but everyone present here except Jia and Elsie couldn’t even begin to fathom what thoughts occupied Ilgyeok’s mind.
‘Soul Destruction.’
Ihyeon calmly prepared to fire.
Actually, the Soul Destruction skill wasn’t really something that required shooting in the traditional sense.
No variable could serve as a variable.
I simply needed to frame the target in my scope.
And aim sufficiently—that was all the condition required.
Of course, I couldn’t be disturbed during that time.
There was no way the Lich would remain idle during those moments.
Kuoooooo———!!!
“Cough-hack!”
“We’re… being pushed back….”
Intense dark magic erupted and spread from the Lich’s surroundings.
Mana was both the material of magic and the will of the caster.
There was no doubt that a dark spell of incomparable magnitude compared to before would soon be cast.
Even Claude, along with the Dark Mages Minjeong and Roel, staggered backward from the powerful impact.
‘Of course, I’ve prepared for a moment like this.’
With my eye not pressed to the scope, I observed Jia.
Since the Lich appeared, I had given her an item to use at any moment if we began to be pushed back before I could act.
Or rather, to be precise, what Jia needed to do was—
Whoosh—!
“?”
“Huh?”
Simply leap into the air.
Swish—!
And hurl the object in her hand.
A white, smooth object spun ferociously as it shot toward the Lich.
A multi-purpose mana battery.
Though numerous Undead stood in its path, none reacted swiftly enough to intercept a projectile moving through the air.
It was questionable whether they would have even recognized it as a threat to the Lich.
The mana battery embedded itself near the Lich in an instant.
‘Mana Burst.’
Ihyeon focused through the scope while simultaneously overloading the mana battery.
Boom——!!!
A skill that froze surrounding enemies for ten seconds.
Though it was called ten seconds, for a monster like the Lich that relied primarily on magic, it was nothing short of a death sentence.
Along with a white shockwave, the dark magical force that had been undulating as if consuming the space itself was cleanly erased.
“!!!”
The Hunters’ eyes widened in disbelief at the absurd power of the Mana Burst.
‘C-could that have been the method to defeat the Lich?’
Even Claude, who understood the effects of Mana Burst, was startled by its overwhelming potency.
At that level, it had to be at least an A-rank item.
But if that were all, then Ilgyeok’s judgment was indeed mistaken.
‘Still, the Lich can resist Mana Burst! More importantly, it cannot affect the Life Vessel at all!’
No matter how effective the Mana Burst was, it was merely buying time.
It was not a path toward the successful strategy Ihyeon had confidently proclaimed.
But.
‘Now the preparations are complete.’
Click—
Another, true death sentence awaited the Lich.
The prepared skill, Soul Destruction, was cast.
“????”
The battle on the 5th Floor had been nothing short of fierce.
Compared to the countless explosions and collision sounds, the noise of Ihyeon pulling the trigger just once was no different than a single raindrop accidentally falling into an endless ocean.
Those watching Ihyeon’s movements were beyond bewildered—they were utterly flabbergasted.
He had spoken so confidently, asking them to trust him, yet nothing happened when he pulled the trigger?
The Mana Burst from moments ago had been hundreds of times more intense.
Though they knew of the Maesek Gun’s existence, having never used one themselves, they began to suspect that Ihyeon had merely pulled the trigger of what amounted to an empty gun.
“Ilgyeok! What is happening here?”
Claude asked, his tone filled with bewilderment.
Nothing had emerged that could be called an attack, and there was no mana movement to suggest a skill had been cast.
Claude was a Mage himself, so he understood mana fluctuations better than anyone.
Yet Ilgyeok did not spare Claude a glance, keeping his aim fixed on the Lich.
The Lich reacted as well.
Ooooooo————
A sound far more ominous and foreboding than anything Roel had produced.
It was something that, merely by hearing it, touched upon the primal terror of life itself….
Death. It was death itself.
As if angered by my absurd actions, the Lich let out a voice filled with fury and anguish.
The effects of the Mana Burst had already been overcome.
Dark mana still swirled around the Lich, though not as intensely as before.
“Damn it, I knew that bastard would pull something like this! All polished up on the outside!”
“…Mingzhu… your attitude changed far too abruptly… but the Watchman’s followers always act like that… burning with vengeance….”
Minjeong nearly hurled both her sword and staff in frustration.
Meanwhile, Roel’s interjections continued attempting to drive a wedge between me and Minjeong.
That’s how shocking it was.
The appearance of my Soul Destruction skill.
But Ilgyeok, the one who actually used the skill.
And Jia and Elsie, who had experienced how the Soul Destruction skill functioned at the makeshift shooting range, simply waited calmly for the results.
“Claude, this won’t do, we need to escape the Tower right now! At least you have to…!”
Jack, who had been slaughtering Undead outside the front lines alongside Elsie, cried out urgently.
I didn’t know what method Ilgyeok had employed, but the Lich wasn’t a monster that could be dealt with by simply pulling a trigger.
Even if everyone else died, Claude had to survive.
Claude was Frontier itself, and considering how many lives could be saved by maintaining the Frontier organization, it was only natural.
If I sacrificed my life and held the line, I could at least prevent monsters from entering the starting point, meeting the minimum conditions for retreat.
Even if Claude refused, Jack was determined to convince him until the end.
But just as everyone was crying out in desperation.
Crack—
Ilgyeok smiled.
“?????”
People unable to hide their bewilderment, as expected.
But this time, I maintained that smile and provided an explanation.
“We’ve cleared it.”
“?!?!?!??!!!”
‘Has that person finally lost it? If he was going to lose it, why did he have to drag us in here… Ugh, I never trusted him from the start! Looking like some parasitic worm!’
The fact that it was Minjeong harboring such harsh thoughts while everyone else panicked remained a secret.
But Ilgyeok’s words became reality.
「Lich eliminated.
5th Floor mission completed.」
“Eeeeeeh???!?!?!?!?!??!!?!?!!!”
Notification windows appeared before everyone’s eyes, utterly serene and dignified.
‘Wait, we really cleared it? Am I already dead and seeing things?’
The notification was so absurd it prompted such thoughts.
No, right now the Undead forces were still intact, and the boss Lich was not only fine but hadn’t even launched a single proper attack yet.
Crash—
“???????????”
The moment one thought the Lich’s Undead seemed ready to collapse the front lines and charge forward, they crumbled to dust in an instant.
It all happened in a single instant.
Then that voice from before—was it the final words of someone sensing their own death?
“What in the world…?”
Minjeong and Roel surveyed their surroundings with expressions even more bewildered than when Ihyeon had merely pulled the trigger moments ago.
No, this wasn’t about the Undead—it felt like common sense itself was crumbling.
As Dark Mages, they understood this better than anyone.
Under ordinary circumstances, Undead summoned through dark magic never collapsed so pathetically.
Even if all their mana were depleted, only portions would begin to crumble gradually. For them to disintegrate like this…
‘The caster would have to be dead.’
The implication was simple.
The Lich was truly dead, just as Ihyeon had said.
Well, it had been true since the moment the clear notification appeared, but it was simply too difficult to accept.
Yet everything in reality bore witness to the Lich’s annihilation.
And the person who made this truth most vivid to their consciousness.
*Thud—*
Ihyeon descended from atop the Skeleton and began walking.
With each step he took, the sound of scattered bones crunching and crumbling filled the air.
While the Frontier members could only follow Ihyeon’s retreating figure with their eyes, uncertain.
Jia and Elsie began ascending the staircase behind him.
It was the staircase leading toward that massive door from which the Lich had just emerged.
The sight resembled a warrior ascending toward a throne after vanquishing a Lich and claiming its place.
In reality, it wasn’t far from the truth.
Of course, Ihyeon’s reason for heading toward the Lich was straightforward.
‘I defeated the Lich, so now I need to farm the loot.’
I had witnessed the power of Soul Destruction before, even against Amogratl in the makeshift shooting range, but this was far more impressive.
In theory, it made sense, but still—to kill a Lich in a single shot? A Lich, of all monsters?
Without even destroying or finding its Life Vessel?
Judging by appearances, the Lich hadn’t even managed to resist properly.
Soul Destruction was still a skill affected by firepower.
This likely meant my firepower was that formidable.
Even if I could only use it once per day, its broken nature remained undiminished.
At this level, there would be countless Hunters who would be grateful to use it even once a week, or once a month.
Moreover, since the skill only destroyed the soul, the byproducts could be collected without any complications.
*Click—*
First, I picked up the mana battery Jia had thrown.
*Thud—*
As I finally reached the top of the staircase, various items lay scattered around the Lich’s skeletal remains.
「Harvestable Byproducts
Lich’s Dark Grimoire (A)
Cursed Dark Bone Staff (S)
Shadow of Darkness Robe (A+)
“The harvest is bountiful.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“What dropped that’s making you react like that?”
At this point, I had obtained everything worth getting from the Lich.
I was certainly curious about what exclusive skill I might acquire if something particularly special, like the Lich’s bones, had dropped, but wanting more than this would be greedy.
All the items that ordinary people considered the highest-tier loot from a Lich had already dropped.
Just looking at the grades, they were all at least A-rank.
I quickly scanned through the effects of the three items.
‘This should be enough…’
I twisted one corner of my mouth upward in a smile.
Then I descended the stairs again and stood before the Frontier members, who were still staring at me with expressions of disbelief.
Now it was time to settle the rewards and escape from this dizzying instant tower.
“Claude, Minjeong—would you come here for a moment?”
“Huh? Ah, yes…”
“Y-yes…”
The two of them quickly approached at my call.
I held out two items to them.
“Here—these are byproducts obtained from defeating the Lich.”
“???”
A staff and a scripture.
Yet despite my readily offering the items, Claude and Minjeong only widened their eyes and made no move to accept them.
“Won’t you take them?”
“Ah, well…”
Only after I asked again did Claude respond reluctantly.
“Forgive me, but… are we really allowed to accept these?”
Whether it was the Main Tower, an instant tower, or even a Gate, when Hunters completed a conquest, the rewards were typically divided in nearly equal proportions.
Because everyone who participated had worked almost equally hard.
Even if one or two people failed to pull their weight due to compatibility issues, it was customary not to object to the distribution as a gesture of appreciation for their effort.
After all, one could always find themselves in that position someday.
But this time, things were completely different.
What had the Frontier members actually done since entering this tower?
Jack had tapped and destroyed a single Rock Spider that was completely frozen?
Or held back the Lich’s forces for about ten to fifteen minutes?
Of course, holding back the Lich’s forces was no small feat, but if it hadn’t been for me neutralizing the Lich itself in one stroke, they might have been looking at hours or even days of battle.
Claude and Frontier weren’t shameless enough to expect a share after doing so little.
But I simply asked in return, as if questioning why they wouldn’t.
“Why can’t you accept them?”
“Huh? Well, that’s…”
“Didn’t we conquer this together?”
“…Ilgyeok.”
At Ihyeon’s simple question, Claude felt tears welling up in his eyes.
Throughout his activities as a Frontier member, he had received countless expressions of gratitude.
Yet there were just as many who harbored resentment toward him.
The reasons varied.
If only I hadn’t cleared that Gate, my political rivals might have been annihilated. If only I’d let that Tower open, I could have seized more power. If only I’d delayed the Main Tower’s update, we could have received more international aid….
No matter how many compliments he received, a single word of resentment always cut deeper into his heart.
This was also why countless obstructions had been placed against the Frontier’s activities.
Yet Claude had led the Frontier solely to prevent the deaths of innocent people, and regardless of the opposition he faced, he had traversed the world’s so-called “frontlines.”
He had shouldered those lives and conquered Towers and Gates.
This was nearly the first time he had conquered anything by riding on another’s coattails.
And it was even more unprecedented to hear words like “What’s strange about taking your share?” as if it were the most natural thing.
Perhaps the item Ihyeon had just offered him, along with those words, had healed a deep wound within Claude.
Drip—
“W-wait, Claude, are you crying right now?!”
“Huh!”

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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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