I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 18

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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 18
Episode 18
“Everyone’s just full of bluster. They don’t even realize that talking like that makes them look worse, not better.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
I walked alongside Daejun naturally, engaging in conversation with him.
It felt strange—since becoming a Hunter, I’d never had a conversation like this with anyone before.
I didn’t know much about guild personnel work, but people are all the same, aren’t they?
Recalling things from my time in the military, I threw in some vague agreement, and Daejun seemed satisfied with my responses.
All the while, I was watching for my opportunity.
Just then, Daejun changed the subject.
“But how does Ilgyeok manage to avoid all these people anyway? I mean, sure, there are skills and items, but at level 10, it should be pretty hard to evade Scouts’ eyes.”
I nodded.
It had been quite difficult, honestly.
I was just getting by with items and effort.
When I didn’t respond, Daejun subtly nudged my arm.
“What’s your guild’s take on it?”
“Huh?”
I asked innocently.
Daejun laughed shamelessly and pressed further.
“Come on, you seem to be from a pretty decent guild and you’ve got skills yourself—surely you have some theories?”
‘Got him!’
I inwardly cheered as I confirmed that Daejun had walked right into my trap.
Then I scratched my short sideburns as if uncomfortable.
“Well… my Team Leader said it was absolutely confidential.”
“Oh come on! People in the same line of work share these things, don’t they?”
Same line of work?
Are you a sniper too?
But for my deception strategy, now was the right moment.
For a sniper, a lie wasn’t much of a transgression.
I lowered my voice and spoke in hushed tones.
“Actually… we’re mainly looking for people who appear to be mages, but it’s proving difficult.”
“Oh really? A mage?”
Daejun showed interest.
But as befitted a personnel officer from a renowned guild, instead of biting immediately, he tested the waters first.
“Though mages are known to have a rough time early on, aren’t they?”
That’s true.
Mages can only use basic mana strikes before acquiring their first skill, and this technique is so weak that many describe this phase as pure hell.
Because of this, even just clearing normally and progressing—let alone achieving S+ rank—is considered a sign of talent.
But I naturally had an answer prepared.
“Obviously, it wouldn’t be an ordinary mage.”
“Then?”
I gave Daejun a pointed look at this juncture.
My expression conveyed: why are we doing this when we both know the answer?
“Ah ha ha, my apologies. Of course it would be an advanced trait.”
An advanced trait, not that of a common mage.
For instance, Seo Suyeon likewise possesses the trait “Shin Gung” like a nickname, rather than simply being an Archer Hunter.
If it’s an advanced trait for a mage, they would either awaken with a unique skill, or there would be another method to break through the early stages.
I nodded.
“And beyond that, overwhelming stat distribution, fortunate luck with early-stage skills, plus—given the unprecedented S+ rank, there might be some special system bonus involved.”
“…All four of those factors combined to create Ilgyeok?”
“That’s how we see it.”
“Hmm.”
Daejun fell into contemplation.
Certainly, the probability was low when assuming coincidence piled upon coincidence.
Especially regarding system-based additional rewards—that was pure speculation.
But if the odds weren’t that slim, could a monster like Ilgyeok have ever been born?
Regardless of Daejun’s deliberation, I had revealed quite a bit of truth.
Well, everything except the mage part was true.
After all, the perfect lie is perfected by mixing nine parts truth with one part falsehood.
‘Honestly, how are you all going to verify anything except the mage part?’
I was fairly confident since it was a secret that would never be exposed.
Well, Daejun seems like quite a high-level Hunter anyway, so he’ll filter things out on his own.
“Yes, we conducted some simulations on our end, and there’s no other way to explain it.”
The subject of the simulation was myself, so it was true.
Besides, Daejun already believes I’m a high-level Hunter anyway—why not add a bit more to the story?
“I also challenged the 14th Floor as a test alongside Ilgyeok while I was down there, but I couldn’t match his speed.”
This is also true.
I couldn’t be faster than myself.
Daejun’s eyes narrowed at my words.
Well, my current equipment is unremarkable, but judging by the feel of it, an Assassin trait.
Assassins are famous for clearing speeds faster than their level on easier floors, so saying something like that carried sufficient credibility.
Daejun, who had been thinking about something, clapped his hands.
Clap clap clap—!
‘…Ilgyeok, the act ends here! Surely that’s not what this is?’
Sudden applause?
Daejun shook his head vigorously as if to say he was throwing in the towel completely.
“You’re truly remarkable. Working so diligently as if it were your own matter—it’s impressive.”
“…Ha ha, thank you.”
“Still, to clear that quickly, you’d need to be a ranged trait.”
“Exactly. It would be impossible without firing a gun.”
“Ahahaha! A gun? You’re quite the jokester!”
At my words, Daejun clutched his belly and laughed.
‘…This bastard?’
Watching Daejun laugh without knowing the truth, I felt irritated once again.
After laughing for a while, Daejun wiped away the tears that had trickled down and spoke.
“Regardless, that’s really valuable information. Thank you.”
Daejun nodded lightly and went ahead to initiate a trade.
“A trade?”
“I should give you something for the information. I don’t have much, and these are items I’ve been hoarding, so please don’t feel burdened.”
Burdened, my ass.
It felt like I’d been properly deceived, and if anything, I was the one who should be giving something.
「ID: HeadHunter
Orc Leather Armor Set.
Healing Potion.」
A nickname befitting a Scout.
But the items he was offering were quite unexpected.
The Orc armor set was one thing.
“You’re giving me a Healing Potion?”
Healing Potions, which rapidly healed wounds, were quite rare items among Hunters.
Daejun laughed cheerfully and spoke.
“I don’t have any use for them anyway with the places I frequent. Rather than looking like some stagnant fossil, I’m saying you should do things properly if you’re going to do them.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
I accepted the trade with an ambiguous expression.
Daejun, thinking I was very grateful, wore a satisfied smile.
I was genuinely ambivalent about it.
‘There’s no real reason for me to get hurt.’
Until now, I had never been injured in the Tower, and I likely never would be.
If a sniper were to get injured while alone, it was essentially the same as death.
Regardless, Daejun, having repaid his debt of gratitude in his own way, waved his hand in farewell.
“Then I hope you get good results!”
“Yes, I hope you find Ilgyeok as well.”
I also bowed respectfully in return.
“Ah, just to be safe, please keep this secret.”
“Come on~ Why are you like that between us? The Personnel Team’s work is always confidential!”
Daejun spoke reassuringly with a lighthearted tone.
I smiled and nodded.
‘He definitely won’t keep it secret.’
I prayed that he’d spread it far and wide, even to foreign countries.
After parting with Daejun, I checked my inventory once more.
I’d received some surprisingly decent items.
At this rate, there wouldn’t be any need to draw Jeongsik’s attention like when I first entered.
…It was also nice that I no longer needed to touch my severance pay.
I left the Public Floor with a satisfied feeling.
Meanwhile, Daejun, who had parted ways with me,
‘This is jackpot, this is real jackpot!’
was trembling with excitement, completely unaware that he’d been deceived by me.
“He was definitely military, wasn’t he?”
The hallmarks of an excellent HR professional are keen observation and a poker face.
At first, I thought he was just a business associate, but as we talked and walked together, I felt it clearly.
That stiff, clipped way of speaking. Those measured, precise movements.
It was a type rarely seen in civilians outside the military.
“The government is desperate to find Ilgyeok, and yet I managed to meet someone from that side….”
The way he readily spilled information after just a little coaxing was evidence of relatively limited social experience.
Moreover, he naturally mentioned guns, which are known to be unusable inside the Tower.
Most decisively, despite Daejun introducing himself first, he subtly skipped his own introduction, which confirmed it.
This person is someone who cannot reveal their identity!
…In a certain sense, it was accurate.
In any case, the guilds generally have superior intelligence on most Hunter-related matters, but in such critical issues, the power of the state cannot be ignored.
So intelligence agencies like the Ministry of Defense, the National Intelligence Service, and the Tower Administration are analyzing Ilgyeok in that manner.
Just hearing the gist of that analysis was jackpot.
‘Anyway, thank you, soldier. Thank you, soldier.’
Daejun felt a touching sense of emotion as he recalled my dedication to the nation.
They said that side was lacking in equipment, and seeing what he wore, that rumor seemed true.
Why else would Daejun have generously given him leftover Orc gear?
‘…Could it be that he gets it confiscated as corruption right after returning?’
Well, without being able to confirm, he couldn’t even report it.
Walking with such thoughts, Daejun
happened to meet an HR professional from another guild coming from the opposite direction.
Daejun was quite familiar with them.
“Oh? Deputy Manager Daejun?”
“Hey~ Long time no see~”
HR professionals could read each other at a glance.
“Something good happened, didn’t it?”
“Nah, nothing at all. Just another blank day.”
“I can tell that’s not true? Come on, share with us!”
“Heh, what kind of relationship do we have?”
“Why are you being so cold? Alright! I’ll treat you to that pojangmacha you like today!”
“…Pojangmacha?”
And just like that, they naturally headed straight to making drinking plans.
Though Daejun initially deflected a few times, as the drinks kept flowing, his guard gradually lowered.
“Today, you see… *chuckles* Do you know who I ran into?”
According to government officials, Ilgyeok is said to have an upper-tier Mage characteristic!
Thanks to the rational logic and sufficient circumstantial evidence, this rumor spread like wildfire overnight.
And from the next day onward, on the Public Floor:
“Excuse me, Mage? Could you spare a moment to talk with me?”
“Oh, the Mage is here! Just a second!”
“Look, look! That’s Ilgyeok!”
“…I’m telling you, I’m a Swordsman? Ugh, I should probably make my ID private.”
“I-I’m so sorry.”
Whenever anyone who looked remotely like a Mage appeared, people would rush over in a spectacular frenzy.
Watching this unfold, I let out a quiet laugh.
“The effect is definitely working.”
No one paid any attention to me anymore, dressed in ordinary Assassin garb.
The deception tactic was so effective that it was almost disappointing.
‘Either way, this works out well for me.’
「South Korea, Main Tower 15th Floor. Will you enter?」
“Yes.”
I savored the delightfully amusing spectacle for a while longer before entering the 15th Floor with a light heart.
Opening my eyes again, the land before me had transformed into a perfectly black wasteland.
The sky too was thick with ominous dark clouds.
The 15th Floor is where the mid-boss appears.
Naturally, the mid-boss is a Dark Orc.
And Enhanced Orcs influenced by the Dark Orc’s power swarm toward Hunters in hordes.
Unlike the Goblin Warrior Captain, the Dark Orc only reveals itself after you kill all the Orcs.
I loaded a bone bullet and surveyed the Orcs’ movements.
A cliff rising above the black wasteland.
Two Orcs stood guard in front of a gaping cave entrance.
Their builds were more robust than ordinary Orcs, and their expressions were half-twisted—suggesting considerable difficulty.
But.
*Bang—!*
The moment my aim was locked, I fired without hesitation.
The bone bullet crossed hundreds of meters in an instant, piercing straight through the Orc’s forehead.
*Screeeech—!*
The other Orc let out a cry.
Simultaneously, unsettling shrieks erupted from deep within the cave.
All the Orcs inside came rushing out.
‘Good, your job is done.’
*Bang—!*
I finished the second Orc’s skull as the situation unfolded exactly as expected.
Then, toward the narrow cave entrance.
Boom—
I fired a poison bomb.
Well, Orcs are definitely stronger than Goblins anyway.
Boom—
I fired one more shot for good measure.
Soon, thick smoke billowed from the cave entrance and deep into its interior.
Ihyeon confirmed the sight and twisted his lips upward into a smile.
‘What can you possibly do against this?’
The operation, codenamed “Raccoon Hunt,” had begun.

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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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