I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 188

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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 188
Ep. 188
The circumstances behind Hanryeol’s unexpected suffering at Yurim’s hands unfolded like this.
After Ihyeon cleared the 81st floor, the Management Bureau naturally descended into chaos.
Just as Ihyeon had acknowledged that he could no longer conceal his identity as perfectly as before in the 80s floors, the Management Bureau harbored similar thoughts.
Seongnyun unleashed a barrage of instructions upon his employees.
“Which Hunters are currently in the 80s floors? Do we have any confirmed information? Haven’t the guilds submitted status reports?”
“Yes, we’re checking right now!”
“But the Hunters in the 80s floors tend to find status reports so tedious….”
“At least, we don’t have any Hunters from our bureau there.”
In that moment, one employee suddenly shot to his feet and cried out.
“Found him!”
“Y-you actually found him?!”
“…?”
“Ah, sorry. Who is it?”
Seongnyun’s eyes widened in surprise, having never expected to actually find anyone, and the employee looked at him with an expression of profound disappointment.
In any case, the employee’s report went like this.
“It’s Hunter Jo Hanyeol from the Aegis Guild. He entered the tower several days ago and hasn’t come out since.”
“Well, that’s… a bit odd, I suppose.”
Seongnyun nodded while remaining skeptical.
Hunters in the 80s floors were truly eccentric among eccentrics.
Some would enter the tower only to exit immediately with trivial excuses, while others would disappear for an entire month without contact, causing despair, only to emerge having cleared it perfectly.
Still, since Hanryeol was a Hunter who prioritized clearing efficiency above all else, he typically emerged quickly, which is why Seongnyun found this strange.
However, the employee hadn’t mentioned Hanryeol without reason.
“According to the report, just before entering the tower, he suddenly interjected into a conversation related to Ilgyeok at the guild house.”
“That’s it!”
Seongnyun clapped his hands together sharply and exclaimed.
If that were the case, the course of action was clear.
First, they would inquire with the Aegis Guild to see if Hunter Hanryeol had encountered Ilgyeok.
Of course, Aegis wouldn’t provide an easy answer.
Whether they had truly met or not, they would have their own calculations to consider.
However, Yurim, the master of the Aegis Guild, was someone who cooperated reasonably well with the Management Bureau, which gave Seongnyun reason to hold some hope.
‘If it’s Guild Master Yurim, there’s a high chance she’ll at least provide a hint.’
Even if the response contained nothing explicit, the nuance could be discerned through careful attention to the exact wording.
For instance….
“A response has arrived!”
“What does it say?”
“Um… It says ‘We cannot determine,’ apparently?”
“Hmm.”
In the case of such a response, it meant the guild truly had discovered nothing on their end.
But it was clearly different from “never met,” “unrelated,” or “unable to answer.”
“So Jo Hanyeol encountered Ilgyeok, but they didn’t obtain any information from him either.”
“Yes, that’s what I think too.”
The employees of the Talent Search Division possessed abundant imagination by nature of their department.
They imagined the behavioral patterns of Hunters they didn’t know well, how they might fight, and…
As a result, they naturally began to envision how Ilgyeok and Hanryeol appeared when they met on the lava plains of the 81st floor.
Hanryeol, ranked 10th as the Dragon’s Assassin, facing Ilgyeok with only a single dagger in hand.
And Ilgyeok, who appeared like a comet and ascended floor by floor, overturning towers across the entire world.
Regarding Ilgyeok’s identity, the Dark Mage theory was most prominent, but there were also claims he was an Assassin like Hanryeol, and even jokes circulating on the internet that he literally fires a gun…
In any case, the meaning of Hanryeol leaving the tower without even reporting to the guild was simple.
‘Jo Hanyeol also… lost to Ilgyeok.’
Regardless of the circumstances, Ilgyeok and Hanryeol clashed on the 81st floor, and Hanryeol was defeated in that battle.
That’s why Hanryeol kept his mouth shut.
Most of the Talent Search Division employees had met Yurim, the Aegis Guild Master, and thinking of her image made them shudder even more.
‘How on earth could it be so severe that even Guild Master Yurim couldn’t open her mouth…!’
Regarding Ilgyeok’s characteristics, the employees of the Talent Search Division all agreed on one thing about his background.
An extremely brutal and terrifying criminal.
Truly the king of South Korea’s underworld!
This was certainly the most plausible interpretation given Ilgyeok’s actions so far.
The employees each imagined Ilgyeok torturing Hanryeol savagely in the tower, leaving him barely alive, and grinning wickedly—and cold sweat began to pour down their spines.
However, the Storm Manager offered a slightly different opinion.
“But wouldn’t something have happened to Hunter Hanryeol’s well-being if that were really the case? Given that there’s no such report, they might have reached an amicable agreement.”
“Deputy Manager! That’s exactly why Ilgyeok is a technician(?), right!”
“Ugh, just imagining it is terrifying. How could you torture someone without leaving any marks on their body…?”
“So that Dark Mage rumor must be true after all.”
Of course, as always, his opinion didn’t receive much attention.
But the next day.
The Management Bureau, specifically the Talent Search Division, fell into a state of shock from an event they never could have imagined.
“P-Personnel Manager! This is serious, very serious!”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you were entering the tower today?”
Seongnyun tilted his head in confusion as he watched a familiar face practically tumble into the office.
It was a face he hadn’t seen in quite some time.
A Hunter with the ID “Tower Defense” who had made contact with them back when Ilgyeok, Minjeong, and Carrie Machine Heeuwon were clearing the 20s floors together.
He was also the one who confirmed the Dummy’s face when two gates opened simultaneously.
After that, as Ilgyeok ascended the tower day by day, the distance naturally grew, and he had been performing his duties as an ordinary Management Bureau Hunter.
There was no reason for him to suddenly burst into the Talent Search Division like this.
Yet Tower Defense’s expression was completely drained of color.
“I-Ilgyeok! It’s Ilgyeok!”
“What, did Ilgyeok rescue people again in the 40s floors?”
But he paid no mind to Seongnyun’s flippant joke and led him to the soundproof conference room set up in the corner of the office.
Seongnyun wondered why he was acting like this, but since he wasn’t the type to speak carelessly—unlike some deputy manager from the talent search division—he quietly entered the conference room.
“So, what did Ilgyeok do? He should be clearing the 82nd floor.”
“That’s… that’s not it!”
“Then?”
“Ilgyeok… he wants to meet with you, Manager.”
“?!”
Seongnyun’s jaw dropped without thinking.
In that moment, Seongnyun and Tower Defense’s expressions became nearly identical.
Seongnyun laughed awkwardly and spoke.
“Today isn’t April 1st.”
“I know that too, Manager!”
It was neither a lie, nor a joke, nor a dream.
That Ilgyeok really wanted to meet him?
Tower Defense swallowed hard and continued speaking.
This morning, just as he was about to enter the tower and begin clearing it, he suddenly received a message from Ilgyeok.
He wanted to meet the Personnel Manager from the Management Bureau’s talent search division, and asked him to arrange it while maintaining absolute secrecy.
If any unnecessary information leaked beyond that, the meeting would be terminated immediately.
Having just participated in a wave, he left the tower right away upon hearing those words and came to find Seongnyun.
“Is that… really true?”
“Yes, it’s true, but why are you speaking like that?”
“I’m just shocked, shocked.”
Seongnyun stroked both sides of his chin with his index and thumb, deep in thought.
Ilgyeok, who cleared the 81st floor, suddenly seeking him out.
And even silencing a hunter of Hanryeol’s caliber about it.
At that moment, Seongnyun could finally glimpse Ilgyeok’s true intentions, which he had never seen before.
‘He must have realized the secret wouldn’t last long.’
In a way, it was a wise move.
If the secret couldn’t last long, the intention would be to settle things before that card’s effect wore off.
That way, he could extract maximum benefit.
Since he’d already met Hanryeol, the sooner the better.
Seongnyun nodded and spoke.
“So when does he want to meet? Should we set the time on our end?”
“No, right now.”
“?”
Seongnyun’s jaw dropped at such a casual response.
He hadn’t expected it to be this fast.
‘Haha, it was a dream. Yeah, something felt off from the moment Ilgyeok suddenly wanted to meet me when we were getting along fine.’
Seongnyun couldn’t hold onto his rapidly fading consciousness and was about to escape from reality.
“He’s coming now, they say. With a substitute spirit named Jia. Hey? Manager, snap out of it!”
But this was no dream—it was undeniable reality.
Seongnyun realized he was the sole person responsible for this crisis, and he had to cling to whatever threads of reason he could find.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Seongnyun spoke.
“All… all right, I understand. Open up one of the underground secret conference rooms. Code Red.”
“C-Code Red!”
Upon hearing those words, Tower Defense’s complexion grew even more ashen.
Code Red.
The highest level of emergency standby order that the Personnel Manager of the Management Bureau could authorize.
Once issued, all employees at the Management Bureau’s headquarters had to remain at their posts until the order was lifted, and unnecessary external contact was forbidden.
While the reason didn’t need to be reported immediately given the emergency nature of the situation, that didn’t mean it could be invoked recklessly.
Naturally, if the justification didn’t match the severity, severe disciplinary action was inevitable.
‘If Ilgyeok isn’t a Red-level situation, then what in the world would be?’
But Seongnyun had certainty beyond doubt.
It wasn’t simply a matter of making contact with Ilgyeok—Ilgyeok was coming to the Management Bureau itself.
If they met without any preparation, Ilgyeok would be completely exposed among the countless Management Bureau employees.
Especially after the terrorist incident on the 30s-level public floors, it had been discovered that foreign intelligence operatives were hidden even among the Management Bureau’s contract workers—there was no way he could take such a reckless risk.
Seongnyun gave Tower Defense further instructions.
“Contact Ilgyeok right now. Under no circumstances should he enter through the main entrance.”
“Yes, yes. Understood, sir.”
“And…”
Shortly after.
Aeaeaeng———!!!
– Attention all personnel. Code Red. Code Red. All employees are to proceed with duties according to protocol. I repeat. Code Red. Code Red.
An untimely siren wailed loudly through the once-peaceful Management Bureau.
“What? What happened?”
“Code Red? Did a gate open somewhere?”
Code Red was rarely issued unless a high-grade gate suddenly appeared near Seoul, and many tried to figure out the reason, but none succeeded.
It was because Seongnyun, who had authorized the order, had not disclosed the reason.
But since Code Red had been officially issued and couldn’t be ignored, people remained at their posts despite considerable confusion.
It was exactly the effect Seongnyun had intended.
So where was Seongnyun himself?
“You made sure to give him a clear description of my appearance, right?”
– Yes, sir. Don’t worry.
He had already slipped out of the Management Bureau and was pacing at the designated meeting spot to rendezvous with Ilgyeok.
If Seongnyun openly entered with Ilgyeok and Jia, who was supposed to come with him, in a Code Red situation, they would inevitably stand out.
So he had come out early to guide them through an alternate route.
No matter how experienced Seongnyun was, the fact that the person he was meeting was none other than Ilgyeok made his mouth dry and his fingers restless even while standing still.
‘Is it that person? No, is it that one?’
To the point where every man and woman passing by on the street seemed suspicious of being Ilgyeok!
But Seongnyun’s worries didn’t last long.
“Huh?”
Unable to remain still for long, Seongnyun’s gaze darted about before finally fixing on a single point in the distance.
A man and a woman approaching from afar.
They didn’t appear particularly remarkable, yet Seongnyun’s eyes kept drawn to them for reasons he couldn’t explain.
The man was utterly ordinary, but the subtle sense of incongruity emanating from the woman continually provoked Seongnyun’s instincts.
‘How strange…’
There was no other way to describe it.
They were clearly visible, yet something about them refused to solidify in his mind—a peculiar sensation that eluded comprehension.
Of course, only someone like Seongnyun, who had observed countless Hunters over the years, could perceive such subtleties.
Ordinary people, ignorant of such matters, would likely have dismissed them as unremarkable passersby.
‘Are they Hunters?’
The moment that thought crossed his mind.
“Are you Personnel Manager Baek Seongyun?”
The man arrived before Seongnyun and posed the question.

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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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