I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 181

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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 181
Ep. 181
The 80s floors resembled the 70s floors in some ways, yet differed in others.
Ihyeon and the spirits opened their eyes inside the stone tower that carried a faintly musty scent.
‘So this is the tower of the 80s floors.’
Unlike the previous common floors, the shared space of the 80s floors was this very stone tower.
Spanning from the 81st to the 90th floor—a total of ten levels—the stone tower required clearing a mission given with each ascent.
Once cleared, one could move freely to the next floor.
However, despite being called a tower, the interior space wasn’t particularly vast.
If I had to estimate… it would be about the size of four classrooms combined.
Because of this, I didn’t particularly plan to move while avoiding people’s eyes on the 80s floors like I had before.
Those who had climbed to the 80s floors were almost certainly among the superhuman ranks, and their levels or total stat values might be far higher than mine.
In fact, even before the 80s floors, such reversals in pure numbers had likely occurred long ago.
In a situation where discovery was inevitable, I didn’t particularly want to hide my identity.
‘The Ministry of Defense… honestly, it’s frightening, but they probably won’t bother dragging me back now.’
Even the Ministry of Defense, my greatest adversary, would find it difficult to conscript me into the military at this point.
Ten million members of the One-Strike Café, five thousand members of the One-Strike Service Corps!
No matter how powerful the Ministry of Defense was, they couldn’t ignore such an enormous level of public opinion.
Meanwhile, the spirits also seemed somewhat tense this time.
“Well, I thought the master would make it this far and more… but I never expected to see this place again. And so quickly at that.”
“It’s because the master’s clearing speed is too fast, Elsie.”
The highest floor the spirits had reached was also the 85th.
To be precise, they couldn’t surpass the 85th floor and had to stop at the 84th.
The term “highest floor” essentially meant the spirits didn’t have much experience coming this far either.
So it was only natural they seemed considerably tense, unlike before.
“Master, you must exercise particular caution on the 80s floors. Of course, I’m confident there will be no problems for you.”
Jia’s words, spoken with a somewhat anxious expression, stemmed from the same reasoning.
I responded with a deliberately composed smile.
“Don’t worry too much. I cleared the previous floors comfortably anyway. From what you’ve all told me, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
Of course, most hunters were hitting a wall and couldn’t progress, but the 80s floors didn’t suddenly transform into hell compared to the 70s.
In some respects, one could say it resembled hell, but worrying and tensing up prematurely didn’t suit us.
A sniper is a position that sometimes requires waiting in the field for an entire week depending on the operation.
To endure such a life, one needed an unshakeable, calm mentality that wouldn’t be disturbed by ordinary matters.
And unlike the spirits’ concerns, I genuinely wasn’t particularly tense.
“Even if I fail, it would just mean not achieving an S+ rating. What’s the big deal about that?”
I wasn’t even worried about failing the clear itself.
Perhaps I might achieve an S or A rating for the first time.
But even if I don’t get an S+ on the 80s floors, who could blame me for it?
On the 80s floors, there were still floors worldwide that hadn’t even achieved an S rating.
I placed one hand on each of Jia and Elsie’s shoulders and spoke with a gentle smile.
“Do what you can do. Then I’ll be able to push forward.”
“Master….”
“Master….”
At my encouragement, the spirits looked up at me with moved expressions on their faces.
My master certainly had the qualifications to climb even higher than this.
People simply thought that if their stats were high and their strength was great, they could conquer the Tower, but the spirits knew better.
While individual floors could be conquered that way, ultimately, to climb the Tower in the long term, raw strength alone wasn’t sufficient.
The Tower itself, after all….
“They say kindness comes from a full granary, but Master has changed too!”
“…Elsie.”
I looked down at Elsie with cold eyes as she destroyed the emotional atmosphere in an instant with her words.
I had always infinitely trusted and encouraged the spirits, but to suggest I’d become kind just because I’d suddenly become wealthy…!
For me, who had encouraged the spirits with pure intentions, it was truly unfair.
Of course, during the recent break, an enormous amount of money had come my way.
And it was true that just seeing that amount made me feel good, laugh uncontrollably, and all my worries disappeared, but to cowardly dig into that point!
I clicked my tongue once and walked past the spirits.
“Let’s just go. We’ll clear it if we do as we always do.”
What encouragement was this, anyway.
We’re a party made up of One-Strike and two S+ items.
I resolved that I would definitely clear this floor with an S+ rating as well.
“Yes, or rather, understood, Master.”
“I shall follow.”
Elsie also realized she’d touched on something she shouldn’t have and obediently followed behind.
Jia was, as always, loyalty itself.
I walked toward the stairs leading up to the 81st floor, muttering to myself.
“Fewer than 50 people in Korea have made it this far….”
It was information I’d confirmed from Deokhuun.
In over 20 years since the Tower appeared, fewer than 50 people in Korea had set foot on this Tower.
That number even included currently retired Hunters.
Among active Hunters, there were roughly 30 or fewer.
Most of them either hadn’t cleared the 81st floor or had barely managed to clear it.
From the 82nd floor onward, there were only about 10 Hunters at most.
“But that kind girl you mentioned last time was the first in this country, right?”
“Huh? Oh, right. Rank 1.”
I paused for a moment, but soon realized Elsie was talking about Suyeon and nodded.
Even thinking about it again, it was a mystery how someone like Suyeon cleared up to the 85th floor, but since she showed herself worthy of her name when it truly mattered, it must be possible.
After adding her as a friend, she asks me almost every day if the weather is nice or if I’ve watched any anime, but the Tower doesn’t lie.
“Then how many floors has the second-ranked person cleared?”
“Rank 2 is Seol Hwiyeong… apparently she cleared the 84th floor not long ago.”
“That person is also a formidable powerhouse.”
The Spirits nodded in agreement.
In South Korea’s Tower rankings, Suyeon and Hwiyeong were firmly in first and second place.
Below them, rankings were largely determined not by main Tower floor count, but by Instance Tower and Gate clear records, and the fierce daily debates on the internet about “who’s above and who’s below?”
After all, Hunters in the 80s didn’t typically showcase their abilities on camera.
Most of them were people whose faces were their credentials, and Ihyeon had now joined their ranks.
‘No, I’ll be surpassing them soon enough.’
Needless to say, my goal wasn’t merely to rank first in South Korea’s Tower.
Beyond that.
The realm that transcended even the 80s.
The 90s that only American Hunters were known to have reached, and certainly the 100th floor—a massive turning point.
I was already looking that far ahead.
Thump—thump—
I was climbing the stairs to the 81st floor, one step at a time.
Once I ascended these stairs, a stone gate would appear, and opening it would automatically transport me to the 81st floor space.
It was somewhat unexpected that I hadn’t encountered anyone, but given how few Hunters were here and how each had their own routine, it was unavoidable.
“Are you Ilgyeok?”
“…?”
A single person was waiting for me at the entrance to the 81st floor.
* * *
South Korea’s proud 10th-ranked Hunter, Jo Hanyeol!
ID ‘BlackDragonKing’!
Awakened the superior Assassin trait, ‘Dragon’s Assassin’!
Highest cleared floor: 82!
Currently undertaking fierce challenges to clear the 83rd floor!
…Or rather, he’d only recently cleared the 82nd floor and hadn’t actually entered the 83rd yet, but his resolve was as stated.
As the highest-floor Hunter of ‘Aegis,’ one of South Korea’s greatest guilds, his promotion to executive was essentially confirmed!
‘Therefore, the most rightful match for the lady Suyeon is none other than myself, Jo Hanyeol!’
Twenty-five years old this year, currently engaged in a pure one-sided love!
The reason was simple.
Suyeon and Hanryeol, who awakened as Hunters around the same time and began their activities, occasionally crossed paths inside the Tower.
The moment he first saw Suyeon, a spring breeze blew through the cold, blood-red heart of Hanryeol, who lived as a Dragon’s Assassin.
– L-lady, would you perhaps… register as friends with me…. Huh?
The cool charm of simply completing the strategy and vanishing!
Boom—! Boom—! Boom-boom-boom——!!
Overwhelming firepower projection that seemed impossible for someone shooting arrows, compared to the same level!
Without ever having a proper conversation, it had already been several years—truly the purest of pure love, one might say.
In any case, Hanryeol, possessing such illustrious credentials (?), heard this story one day at the guild house.
“Ilgyeok finally entered the 80s.”
“Wow, time really flies. It’s only been a little over three months, right?”
“At this pace… South Korea’s highest floor record might be broken soon.”
Just hearing about someone with the suspicious ID “Ilgyeok” entering the 80s floors where I am was unbelievable.
Well, up to that point, I could understand it well enough.
The 80s floors weren’t exclusively mine, and if someone was skilled enough, they’d climb higher—what could I do about it?
“But I heard that last time, Shin Gung even went down to the 70s floors to see Ilgyeok.”
“Ah, I heard about that too… but was that actually true?”
“Yeah, I heard it from the First Guild. Their Strategy Director is on floor 78, and he said he actually saw Shin Gung.”
“Wow… our Ilgyeok is truly world-class.”
Snap—!
But this I couldn’t understand!
Why would Shin Gung go down anywhere to see someone?
Hanryeol approached the Hunters who were conversing, his brow furrowed.
“Excuse me.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Hunter Hanryeol.”
The Hunters who saw Hanryeol instinctively stepped back.
In truth, the rumors about Hanryeol within the guild weren’t entirely favorable.
His reputation as an Assassin ranked 10th in Korea was well-deserved, with evaluations that he possessed sufficient competitiveness even on the world stage.
But rumors circulated that he was so obsessed with clearing the Tower that he disregarded means and methods, fixating solely on completion.
It was one thing to say “disregarded means and methods,” but there were cases where he abandoned fellow Hunters in danger and disappeared.
There were even sinister rumors that he used other Hunters as bait to divert monsters’ attention while he went after his target.
Of course, none of the clearings Hanryeol participated in had failed, but such facts weren’t particularly important.
Since Hanryeol rarely had the chance to meet other guild members face-to-face, such rumors spread like wildfire even more.
No matter how skilled one was, people couldn’t view a Hunter they couldn’t trust at their back favorably.
Most of the superhuman Hunters on the 80s floors were said to be eccentric or possess cruel tendencies, but regardless, those who directly faced Hanryeol couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
Action movies are thrilling when watched from beyond the screen, but in reality, they’re nothing but gruesome scenes of slaughter.
“Who exactly is Ilgyeok that you ask?”
“Pardon?”
“Well, we don’t know either, do we?”
“…Ah.”
But contrary to the rumors, the Hunters answered with bewilderment at the rather strange question.
Was he saying he didn’t even care about Ilgyeok?
Hanryeol belatedly realized his own mistake.
It was safe to say that no one throughout South Korea knew Ilgyeok’s true identity.
Frontier had cleared the Tower together with him, but they had almost no connection with Korea to begin with.
Hanryeol deliberated for a moment, then decided to leave.
He had intended to ask a question along the lines of “Who is Ilgyeok that Shin Gung went to see him?” but was blocked from the start, so he gave up.
It was too embarrassing to say “Who is Ilgyeok? I really don’t know,” especially after witnessing the endless stream of notifications as he climbed frantically until now.
But that didn’t mean Hanryeol’s anger toward Ilgyeok subsided!
Until now, he’d simply thought the person was skilled and climbing the Tower well, but now that Seo Suyeon was involved, he couldn’t let it slide.
‘Now that I’ve reached the 80s floors, there’s a tradition where seniors verify the skills of their juniors.’
There’s no such thing.
‘Let me see how that so-called One-Strike actually fights.’
Hanryeol wore a bitter smile as he stormed out of the guild house with heavy, angry footsteps.
“By the name of the dragon!”
Whoooooosh——!!!
The intense aura emanating from the Rank 10 Hunter lived up to his reputation.
“Whoa!”
The other Hunters watching the scene flinched from the shockwave, whispering among themselves.
“What? Why is he like that?”
“Wait, is he seriously going to fight One-Strike?”
“No, no… can that even happen?”
“Who knows! Honestly, who would know what’s happening on the 80th floors?”
“What if he approaches him to clear it together, then uses him as bait and abandons him?”
“My goodness!”
“…But why?”
“…Who knows?”
“Would One-Strike just take that lying down? I heard he’s some kind of serious criminal….”
“Regardless, didn’t Hanryeol’s tone seem a bit strange?”
The Hunters couldn’t begin to fathom Hanryeol’s complicated emotions, only managing to soothe their own anxious worries.

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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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