I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 2

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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 2
Episode 2
Ihyeon was bewildered.
Awakening itself was indeed a rare occurrence.
But it wasn’t as if I would never witness it in my entire lifetime.
Hunters with levels were certainly scarce, but there were quite a few Awakened like me who could only use mana after awakening.
It wasn’t for nothing that Awakened individuals were conscripted into the Military.
“But here’s the thing….”
I had never heard of a gun—no, not just a gun, but an object awakening before.
Was this even possible?
No matter how powerful the Tears were, shouldn’t it be the owner who gained strength in such cases, not the gun itself?
That was when it happened.
A system window appeared before my eyes.
「The item ‘Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle’ has awakened.
The system is now bound and synchronized to its owner, ‘Choi Ihyeon.’」
“???”
Even the system window displayed content I had never heard or seen before.
What was item awakening, and what was system synchronization?
But I soon understood what it meant.
“…Status window?”
I cautiously called up the status window, my tone half-admitting that I might be losing my mind.
Originally, I had only awakened and possessed no status window.
But then.
「Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle
Trait: Sniper Rifle
Lv. 1
Firepower: 0
Range: 0
Precision: 0
Stability: 0
Concealment: 0
Rate of Fire: 0
Mana: 0
Distributable Stat Points: 15」
The status window I lacked had manifested on my mana rifle.
“What in the world…!”
My jaw hung slack in astonishment.
First of all, the stat names on the sniper rifle were anything but ordinary.
Normally, they were classified as strength, stamina, agility, wisdom, and so forth.
‘Firepower, precision, stability, concealment… what is all this?’
The sniper rifle was completely different.
Well, it was a gun, not a person, so there was nothing I could do about it.
But 15 stat points to distribute?
Even among Hunters who could grow through levels while climbing the Tower, there were strict distinctions in rank.
The criterion for those distinctions was essentially the stat points granted per level.
Though, I could only distribute them myself at level 1.
Normally, Hunters received about 3 to 7 stat points per level.
If talent overflowed, up to 8.
If one received around 10, they were worth challenging for S-rank—those called the elite among Hunters, with over 500 levels.
Among S-rank Hunters, those counted as monsters in the superhuman tier were said to need 10 or more.
Honestly, I didn’t know much beyond that.
But this sniper rifle had a distribution stat of 15.
“I-if it’s like this, then superhuman… or rather, super-rifle?”
I stammered the words out.
The power of tears.
The effect was unmistakably real.
But I didn’t know yet.
…That even those I considered to be in the superhuman tier had never received 15 stat points to distribute.
I stared intently at one stat in particular.
Mana, specifically.
‘I don’t know for certain yet….’
Perhaps if I raised mana, I could overcome my cursed mana pool.
No, it was more than intuition—it was almost certain.
I could surpass not just two stages, but reach the third.
I closed the status window without distributing the stats yet.
Nothing felt quite real.
“Inventory.”
The inventory I’d been unable to use until now opened as if by magic.
‘Could it be… this works too?’
I carefully picked up the mana stone rifle and held it toward the inventory.
Normally, mana stone rifles weren’t official items and couldn’t enter the inventory.
Only byproducts from slaying monsters and Hunter-exclusive items could be stored.
But.
Whoosh—!
“!!!”
Contrary to my suspicion, the mana stone rifle slid smoothly into the inventory and appeared as a small icon.
I stared blankly at that icon.
Then I checked the trait again in the status window.
With no modifier, just “Sniper Rifle.”
I opened the trait window to check its details.
「Choi Ihyeon’s Sniper Rifle
Classification: Sniper Rifle
Description: It is a sniper rifle.」
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at such a terse description.
‘Well, a sniper rifle is a sniper rifle, after all.’
Yet paradoxically, this very explanation helped me regain some sense of reality.
If a gun could speak, it would probably sound exactly like that.
In any case, I understood one thing clearly—my rifle had awakened, drinking tears like some impossible lie.
“…What do I do now?”
That was the problem.
A rifle that had just awakened, and myself on the verge of discharge.
Should I report that the rifle had awakened and become bound to me, then endure the military?
The military would surely try to keep me, saying it was the right thing to do.
And while I had wanted to protect people in the military as well.
‘With this kind of power, I don’t want to do that anymore.’
Things were different now.
A soldier bound to a unit, merely responding to deployment orders?
I wanted to see further than that.
A way to protect more people.
And the most certain way to protect my own people.
That lay in the hands of a freely operating Hunter, not a soldier.
Besides, after enduring all this ridicule and contempt, the military had ultimately given me forced discharge as a gift—I could no longer feel any attachment to it.
“…Yes. I’ll leave.”
I made my decision.
* * *
The next day.
I headed straight to the Battalion Commander’s Office from the morning.
“Sir, Sergeant Choi Ihyeon reporting.”
“Come in.”
Junghwan’s voice was no different from yesterday.
As I entered, Junghwan immediately asked.
“Are you here to report leave?”
“No, sir.”
“Then? If you’re going to say you can’t discharge or some nonsense like that again….”
“I’m discharging.”
“I knew it… What did you say?!”
Junghwan’s eyes widened in shock.
Until yesterday, he had been quite troubled—I wasn’t accepting the instructor position, and I even seemed willing to accept a transfer to a regular unit.
Yet in just one day, I had changed my mind and decided to discharge?
Junghwan narrowed his wide eyes and asked again.
“You didn’t eat something bad, did you?”
Then Ihyeon responded with a bewildered expression.
“Wasn’t it you, Battalion Commander, who told me to discharge?”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
Junghwan had me sit back down in the chair in front of his desk.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
It was a question I could have easily anticipated.
And I had already prepared the answer in advance.
“Actually… I spoke with my parents yesterday.”
“And?”
“When I told them about the unit’s situation, they said to just come home. They told me to help with Father’s store.”
“Hmm.”
Junghwan nodded.
He had heard that my parents ran a small neighborhood convenience store.
It was a common path that discharged soldiers took.
Yet Junghwan’s intuition, honed as a commissioned officer from the military academy who had risen to become a Special Forces Battalion Commander, told him something.
This guy has something going on.
“You didn’t re-awaken, did you?”
“….”
It was a probing question, but my expression remained perfectly composed.
Of course, my true thoughts were different.
‘I had a feeling, but I guess not just anyone becomes a major.’
When it came to battalion affairs, Junghwan saw everything as if holding it in the palm of his hand.
Even when the soldiers desperately tried to keep secrets, they would slip into Junghwan’s sight and be exposed once or twice.
What kind of ability was it to think of re-awakening in a situation like this?
Wasn’t my awakening something I did myself?
But since I also knew Junghwan’s character, I naturally smiled and let it pass.
“Haha, how could that be? How would I re-awaken on the very day I heard about discharge after living as an awakened one for four years? I’m not some novel protagonist.”
Honestly, Junghwan also had suspicions, but at the same time thought it didn’t make sense.
Just one day.
What were the odds of re-awakening in that single day?
Yet Junghwan pushed past such suspicions and spoke.
“Go to the medical office.”
“Did I mishear?”
I tilted my head as if asking why he would go that far.
The battalion medical office had a simple mana measurement device.
While not precise due to its simplicity, it could confirm whether re-awakening had occurred or not.
Especially since my original mana capacity had always been quite low.
Junghwan spoke again.
“Well, if you’re confident, you should just get the examination. As it happens, the Commander’s directive came down from headquarters last week. Since many officers are awakening their abilities, hiding the fact, and then pursuing hunter activities after discharge, physical examinations are mandatory before separation.”
‘This is insane….’
When had such an official notice been issued?!
I clicked my tongue at the Military’s cruelty.
Awakened individuals with a Level are exempt from military service, but if you awaken in the Military, your service is automatically extended by five years and you’re transferred to the Hunter Unit.
That’s why there were warnings never to awaken in the Military, no matter what.
In other words, if my re-awakening was confirmed now, my service would be extended by five years!
For me, who had just decided to leave the Military, it was an incredibly cruel turn of events.
But I—
“Yes, I understand.”
I stood up confidently.
My attitude was one of: go ahead and try if you’re so certain.
“Hmm.”
Junghwan seemed somewhat taken aback by my attitude, tilting his head slightly, but he soon headed toward the Medical Office first.
Whirrrrr—
The examination ended quickly.
Step onto the rod-shaped measuring device to measure height and scan—that’s it.
The Military Doctor informed Junghwan of the results.
“It’s identical. Exactly enough to finish with two shots from a mana stone rifle.”
The Military Doctor, who habitually mocked me as well, spoke in a tone tinged with ridicule.
Under normal circumstances, my feelings would have been hurt, but I genuinely smiled.
“Thank you for confirming, Military Doctor.”
“Huh?”
The Military Doctor seemed slightly flustered by my attitude, which was somewhat different from usual.
‘He said he’s taking off his uniform today—has he finally lost it?’
Well, since I was leaving anyway, I might have found enlightenment in such remarks.
Of course, my reason for smiling was slightly different from what the Military Doctor thought.
‘Let them examine me all they want! Will my mana show as increased?’
What awakened was not me, but my gun.
So there was no way a re-awakening would show up from an examination like this.
At first, I honestly wondered if the system’s synchronization meant the gun’s mana would also be recognized, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Wasn’t that why I hadn’t distributed any stat points just in case?
Anyway, after that, everything proceeded smoothly.
When Junghwan contacted the Personnel Department, my discharge certificate was issued immediately.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
Junghwan patted my shoulder as if he’d put in some effort.
But my thoughts were different.
‘Work hard? It was all already prepared.’
If Junghwan had truly been considerate of me, he wouldn’t have allowed the non-commissioned officers—or even the soldiers—to openly gossip about me behind my back.
He was well aware of other battalions’ affairs, but knew nothing about mine?
Such a thing could never happen.
Deep down, Junghwan also hoped that Ihyeon would just leave.
I had no choice but to grant his wish.
“Will you leave tomorrow? Or today?”
Ihyeon answered Junghwan’s question immediately.
“Since the decision is made, I’ll just leave today.”
“Alright, you’ve worked hard all this time.”
“Yes, loyalty!”
“I have to go to the brigade today, so I won’t be able to see you off. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine! Thank you for everything!”
“Right, remember—you’re still a soldier until today. Be careful.”
“Ha, I’m not even a regular soldier. I wouldn’t make such a mistake.”
Ihyeon answered briskly and left the Battalion Commander’s Office.
Even as he completely exited, Junghwan’s eyes held that questioning look—’What’s wrong with that guy?’—but he could never imagine.
How could he possibly think that a gun had awakened? Not even a person, but a gun.
At best, he’d probably just think that his father’s supermarket paid better than a soldier’s meager salary.
Returning to the Bachelor’s Quarters, Ihyeon immediately gathered his gun and belongings.
There wasn’t much to call luggage.
Just some simple clothes and miscellaneous items.
Over the past year, I hadn’t truly lived—merely existed—so my belongings naturally became sparse.
As I was about to leave the Bachelor’s Quarters, the non-commissioned officers I usually knew were approaching from a distance, giggling among themselves.
“Did you hear? That premature XX is finally leaving.”
“About time. The Battalion Commander made quite the decision.”
“The Battalion Commander was actually hoping for this too, you know.”
“…Hey, over there.”
Then they noticed Ihyeon ahead and cleared their throats awkwardly.
Park Geonwoo, wearing the rank of sergeant, raised his voice brazenly.
“Hey, XX, you’re not even a soldier anymore—why are you being so cautious? Just say goodbye. See ya~”
Gunwoo waved his hand mockingly.
He was Ihyeon’s peer, but he was one of those who openly ostracized Ihyeon, apparently believing he’d been passed over for promotion because of his marksmanship.
‘The Special Forces Unit doesn’t get held back for something like that, you idiot.’
Whether he knew or didn’t know.
Normally, Ihyeon would have just laughed and walked past, but now he had no intention of holding back.
Thud—thud—
Ihyeon walked straight toward Gunwoo.
Then he thrust his face right in front of Gunwoo’s.
Gunwoo, who was about 10 centimeters shorter than Ihyeon, flinched backward in shock.
“W-what the hell? Are you crazy?”
“Huh?!”
The surrounding non-commissioned officers tensed up, wondering if a fight was about to break out, and watched the situation carefully.
Though only half-awakened, we were both Awakeners and members of the Special Forces Unit.
Once fists started flying, things never ended cleanly.
The tension hung on a knife’s edge.
But after staring at Gunwoo in silence for a long moment, Ihyeon suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
“Yeah, take care of yourself, you bastard.”
“What, what?”
Ihyeon’s smile deepened.
There was no point in saying anything more.
What was the use talking to trash he’d never see again?

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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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