I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 189

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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 189
Ep. 189
Deep beneath the Management Bureau.
A secret conference room equipped with a sophisticated eavesdropping prevention system and devoid of even a single camera.
Since no electronic devices were permitted upon entry, it was safe to assume that information discussed here would never leak unless one of the attendees spoke of it outside these walls.
Seongnyun, Ilgyeok, and Jia sat facing one another.
Gulp—
Seongnyun swallowed hard.
Now he understood with certainty the sense of incongruity he’d felt emanating from Jia.
An ability approaching the power of an S+ rank Spirit.
A reduction in presence so subtle that others wouldn’t consciously perceive it.
Once Jia had returned to her normal state upon entering the Management Bureau’s underground conference room, that beautiful visage he’d glimpsed in the footage finally imprinted itself clearly upon Seongnyun’s eyes.
Seongnyun, who had barely managed to speak until now, turned to the other man—presumably Ilgyeok—and asked.
“Then, if I may be so bold… are you Ilgyeok?”
He was a man of utterly unremarkable appearance.
On a sufficiently crowded street, one could spot a man of similar features every ten minutes.
Could this truly be Ilgyeok, the one who had shaken the world to its foundations?
“No.”
“?”
He was not.
Seongnyun tilted his head in bewilderment at what seemed like nonsense.
Had this person not been connected to Ilgyeok, he might have cursed aloud.
But that was not the case here.
“I could not come in person, so I sent an illusion. You may think of it as the same one I sent during the Doryong Gate incident last time.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Seongnyun exclaim in realization.
The strongest theory: Ilgyeok was a Dark Mage.
Most illusion-type magic was characteristic of the Dark Mage class.
The Hunter who had contacted Ilgyeok had witnessed the illusion with his own eyes, and Seongnyun had seen it through camera footage as well.
Yet the illusions of Ilgyeok that had been observed thus far were completely different from this one.
“This is so masterfully crafted that one wouldn’t even suspect it’s an illusion… you’re truly remarkable.”
Ordinarily, illusions were meant to deceive monsters, and against humans they tended to be somewhat crude.
Ilgyeok’s previous illusions had been textbook standard.
Stiff expressions and speech patterns, an oddly unnatural complexion and gestures.
An illusion could never perfectly replicate a human.
But this illusion—Seongnyun hadn’t doubted it at all.
Everything seemed human.
Even knowing it was an illusion, it made no difference.
The natural flush of color across the face, that faint smile, and speech patterns utterly devoid of artificiality.
‘Could it be that this is actually real, and he’s deceiving me by calling it an illusion?’
To such an extent that Seongnyun found himself suspecting whether this might be a reversal of a reversal.
Of course, this was thanks to the A-rank Perfect Target skill he’d obtained after clearing the 81st Floor and raising his grade.
Whether subtle or pronounced, the change was significant—but what truly mattered was that he could now use it effectively against people as well.
And Ilgyeok simply dispelled Seongnyun’s suspicions with ease.
Tick—
Ilgyeok plucked a single strand of hair and placed it on the desk.
The hair immediately transformed into particles of light and vanished in an instant.
It was the most definitive proof that the being before them was an illusion—that this was not the real Ilgyeok.
“I see.”
Seongnyun nodded in acknowledgment.
It was unfortunate not to have met the real Ilgyeok, but this was hardly the time to dwell on regrets.
There was only one thing left to confirm.
An ordinary person would have cast aside their doubts the moment they saw Jia, exclaiming “Wow, it’s Ilgyeok!” But Seongnyun, who was essentially representing both the Management Bureau and the government in this negotiation, could not afford such naïveté.
“If I may be so bold, might you have some evidence that could assure us of your identity?”
Ilgyeok might have been displeased by the request, but Seongnyun was willing to take that risk.
If he accepted the other party’s words at face value without any verification and things went wrong later, the consequences would be catastrophic.
And if this was truly Ilgyeok as he believed—
‘As long as his true identity remains concealed, he wouldn’t be offended by a simple verification.’
He held faith that Ilgyeok wouldn’t call off the meeting over such a request.
Indeed, Ilgyeok answered Seongnyun’s faith.
Swish—
As if she’d been waiting, Jia retrieved an item from her inventory.
A claw from Lava Lava.
True to Lava Lava’s nature as a creature of molten rock, the claw was also made of lava—though curiously, it retained only a faint warmth as a byproduct.
Was Ilgyeok presenting this as proof of having just cleared the 81st Floor?
‘This alone isn’t quite enough for us to be convinced.’
Seongnyun hesitated slightly as he picked up the warm claw.
A Lava Lava claw was certainly a valuable item, but it was also a byproduct that could be obtained if one had enough money.
At that moment, Jia spoke in a calm yet gentle voice.
“Would you like to call a trustworthy Hunter to examine the item?”
“Pardon?”
Seongnyun tilted his head in confusion.
It looked like an ordinary claw—was there some secret hidden within it?
Seongnyun called the only Hunter he could summon at the moment: Tower Defense.
“…Please wait a moment.”
Click—
Rather than bringing him into the room, Seongnyun himself stepped outside, claw in hand.
Despite sending an illusion, Ilgyeok had emphasized secrecy multiple times.
Though Ilgyeok had made contact through him, it was still best to minimize the number of people who would actually see them.
“You’re quite thorough, aren’t you?”
Watching Seongnyun take every precaution, Ihyeon—who had been waiting alongside Jia—let out a small admiration.
Unlike the tense Seongnyun, the real Ihyeon was currently lying in bed in his room, controlling the Dummy.
As the skill’s rank increased, the sensation of manipulating the Dummy became remarkably comfortable.
Where it once felt like wearing ill-fitting clothes, now it moved as naturally as if controlling his actual body.
Of course, he wasn’t taking the meeting with Seongnyun and the Management Bureau lightly—rather, he was concentrating on the Dummy’s movements precisely because of how important it was.
Keeping his real body still actually helped him control the Dummy better.
In any case, Jia nodded in agreement with that reasoning.
“The artifacts of Earth are truly fascinating.”
She was deeply impressed by the route Seongnyun had taken to guide Ihyeon and herself into the Management Bureau.
Ihyeon had suspected they wouldn’t be shown through the main entrance, but the reality far exceeded even those expectations.
They entered the basement PC room of some dilapidated building, then went through a janitorial closet next to the restroom, and walked through a small side door into an underground passage for quite some distance.
That wasn’t enough—at the end of the underground passage, they entered a suspicious public phone booth, entered a password, and then descended further like an elevator, then went through facial recognition, and so on.
In any case, they had to use countless gimmicks that looked straight out of a spy movie before finally reaching the basement of the Management Bureau.
Ihyeon shook his head.
“That’s something Earth people find fascinating too…”
It wasn’t just the Spirit Jia who found it remarkable.
Honestly, devices that looked like they belonged in movies kept appearing endlessly, and Ihyeon himself had thought, ‘Do they really need to go this far?’
If Ihyeon ever learned just how classified the information about him was being treated, he’d probably understand it well enough.
In any case, Seongnyun, who had stepped outside, soon returned with a stern expression.
In his hand, he still held the Lava Lava claw that Jia had taken out.
Ihyeon and Jia stared at Seongnyun with questioning expressions.
“Yes…… I’ve confirmed it.”
Seongnyun set the claw back down on the desk with a decisive tap, as if to say he’d done everything he could.
It looked like an ordinary item, but its contents were actually far from ordinary.
「Ilgyeok’s Lava Lava Claw」
Before contacting the Management Bureau, Ihyeon had already had Deokhuun apply the Branding skill to the claw.
The ID “Ilgyeok” was plainly written in the item’s name, so there was no way to suspect those who brought it.
‘Moreover, the Branding skill hasn’t even been revealed to the world yet.’
When Ihyeon had tested it, he’d only confirmed its effects, and he hadn’t released the item through auction houses or other channels, making it even more certain.
“How on earth…… is this even possible? I was quite startled.”
Seongnyun recalled the moment he heard the item information that Tower Defense had confirmed.
– This is…! Ilgyeok’s Lava Lava claw.
– Wait, how do you know Ilgyeok brought this?
– Yes, it’s Ilgyeok’s Lava Lava claw.
– So……
– Ugh, Manager, so……
Tower Defense kept repeating nothing but “This is Ilgyeok’s claw,” and he’d been frustrated about it.
After learning the truth, he finally understood the reason clearly.
But even so, he couldn’t explain the method of embedding his own ID into the item’s name in the system.
Moreover, if it were just an ordinary claw with only the name different, that wouldn’t be right either!
「This is an item obtained by an exceptionally remarkable Hunter.
It is an excellent weapon in its own right.
Agility increases significantly.
Strength increases slightly.
Flame attribute damage is applied by default.
When used in item crafting:
Flame attribute damage increases significantly.
It never burns in fire.
The probability of acquiring the skill ‘Flame Tracking (C)’ increases significantly.」
Normally, byproducts only have the item’s name written on them, but for some reason, this one was laden with all manner of descriptions.
Moreover, these weren’t mere explanations—each effect far exceeded what was typical for a byproduct.
At this level, it was comparable to items dropped by boss monsters that occasionally appeared in the Instant Tower.
No matter how remarkable a Hunter might be, there was no way to deceive the system, so this could practically serve as an identification card.
Whoosh—
Seongnyun, brushing aside the modifier “Ilgyeok’s,” pushed this formidable claw back to Jia with a gesture of reluctance, even considering only its effects would fetch hundreds of millions.
But Ihyeon shook his head.
“You need not return it.”
“Pardon? But still….”
Seongnyun looked at him as if asking for an explanation.
“It is a small gift for our first meeting with the Management Bureau. Will you use it for the nation?”
“!!”
Seongnyun gazed at Ihyeon with a deeply moved expression—or rather, at Ihyeon’s phantom form.
Having worked as Personnel Manager of the Talent Search Department and discovered countless “talents” over the years, Seongnyun had seen many.
Among them, Ilgyeok was now such a towering figure that the word “talent” itself felt inadequate, yet until now, the reactions of these talents had been remarkably similar.
‘Most of them would ask what they could gain from the government….’
In the early days when the Tower first appeared, it might have been different, but after industries utilizing Tower products flourished and Hunters became an admired profession, one’s traits and stats were essentially one’s rank.
Strong Hunters were welcomed not just in Korea but anywhere in the world, so it was only natural.
Of course, not many Hunters openly displayed their greed, yet Seongnyun still found this situation of “receiving something” from the other party quite unusual.
Especially with such a precious item!
‘Only by giving this much could I hope they’d agree to hold back the Defense Ministry…’
…Meanwhile, Ihyeon was entertaining a thought that would shatter Seongnyun’s emotional state in an instant if he heard it.
To Ihyeon, this claw was nothing but a bribe, pure and simple!
It was merely a common item with Deokhuun’s Branding skill applied, so he could gain maximum credit without any loss.
The Branding skill was intended for gift-giving purposes like this, not for items Ihyeon would use directly.
He wasn’t desperate enough for money to flood the auction house with inventory, and it was obvious that the rarer something was, the higher its value became.
A mundane item obtained by Ilgyeok was already selling with hundreds of times markup; add the modifier “Ilgyeok’s” to it, and inflate the stats on top of that, and it was game over.
In any case, Seongnyun’s moved expression proved that Ihyeon’s intention had hit the mark perfectly.
Seongnyun bowed deeply and spoke.
“Thank you. While I may not hold any significant position, I will certainly use this most effectively.”
“Yes, I would appreciate that.”
With that, the pleasantries were over.
Seongnyun immediately moved to the main topic.

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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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