I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 205

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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 205
Ep. 205
Before I could even sketch out an escape route, a notification window materialized before Hwi-yeong.
Not that the notification itself was unfamiliar.
I’d seen something nearly identical almost daily for the past three months.
The only thing that differed in this notice was the floor number at the very beginning.
Yet even so, Hwi-yeong paused upon reading the notification’s contents.
‘Have I grown weaker?’
I’d certainly hunted the Drake as swiftly as usual—no, faster than usual—and my sense of time hadn’t wavered.
I’d been on the 84th Floor for less than twenty minutes.
Which meant Ilgyeok had entered at most twenty minutes ago as well.
Yet the floor was already cleared.
And with an S+ rating at that.
…Though admittedly, if the 84th Floor were cleared in twenty minutes, the system would have no choice but to assign an S+ rating.
But setting aside such trivial concerns, was it even possible to clear the 84th Floor in this timeframe?
Even if a Volcano Worm opened its maw wide the moment you entered, it would be cutting it close.
What method could Ilgyeok possibly have employed?
Hwi-yeong halted his steps toward the Golem and fell into thought for a moment.
Setting aside all practical considerations, if I were to spin a tale as fantastical as a novel, it would be this:
‘Utilizing Spirits for mass monster hunting… and Ilgyeok defeating the Volcano Worm in a single strike.’
Regardless of what means or methods were employed, it was the most plausible hypothesis.
But the most certain thing was:
‘I need to leave.’
The only way to confirm was to ask Ilgyeok directly.
Thus, Hwi-yeong made an exceptionally unusual choice.
「The floor has not yet been cleared.
Will you exit?」
* * *
Upon entering the 84th Floor, Ihyeon immediately sprang into action.
“Jia, you know there’s a lot I need you to do this time, right?”
“I will proceed as you instructed beforehand.”
Immediately, an incongruous chill began to permeate the space where scorching heat had been raging wildly.
Simultaneously, dozens of black shadows materialized, and the Knights of the Evil God revealed themselves.
“Krhehe… what a scorching place this is, my lord. And Captain.”
The most senior among the Knights, recently appointed as Vice Captain, spoke as the group’s representative.
“Will there be any hindrance to your activities?”
I had acquired the Knights of the Evil God on the 75th Floor.
Since that place had been a frigid region—the complete opposite of here—a simple check was necessary.
The Vice Captain let out a raspy laugh and replied.
“Such trivial matters are of no concern to the Knights of the Evil God.”
“Excellent.”
Ihyeon nodded, approving of the proper mindset.
The Knights of the Evil God, properly trained, proved remarkably useful.
‘After all, they were born as S-grade items with hidden traps built in—they have to be useful.’
Considering the effort Ihyeon had invested, it was only natural.
“What shall we do, Master? Slaughter the monsters? Or conquer this land?”
As the Vice Captain asked in a fierce tone, the Members behind him likewise gleamed their blue eyes fiercely.
They hadn’t completely abandoned their original nature, but Ihyeon didn’t expect them to.
Given the Knights’ role, a certain degree of savagery was necessary.
“Similar.”
“Ohhh…!”
Surprisingly, when Ihyeon simply nodded without insulting them, pushing them around, or getting angry, the Members let out exclamations of admiration.
Had their Master—this absurdly powerful one who showed not a speck of greed—finally come to his senses(?).
But instead of detailed explanations, Ihyeon nodded once more toward Jia.
“Let’s begin now.”
“Yes, Master.”
“It begins!”
“Conquest!”
“Domination!”
As if those words alone filled them with anticipation and exhilaration, the Knights raised their weapons and cheered.
“Which direction shall we charge?!”
“East? North! West! South?!”
“Ahoy! Ahoy!”
The Knights, intoxicated by the exhilaration they hadn’t felt in so long, erupted in fervent enthusiasm!
But.
Crash—! Rumble rumble rumble———!!!!
“Huh?”
“Captain, what’s that?”
Jia, indifferent to their fervor, simply drove her shield into the ground and initiated a wide-area taunt.
She moved with tremendous momentum, as if to draw in every monster in the vicinity.
The Knights, naturally filled with intent to attack, turned to look at Jia in slight confusion.
A conquest campaign should strike like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
To use provocation when they could sweep through unprepared enemies with ambushes seemed foolish.
And the Knights well understood the power of Jia’s taunt.
If she did that, the already formidable 80th Floor monsters would come charging with eyes blazing like molten lava.
Sensing something amiss, the Vice Captain spoke to Ihyeon.
“My lord, using the taunt skill will make the battle more difficult.”
“No? This is the plan.”
“Pardon? What sort of plan…?”
“This is the 84th Floor. We need to catch the Volcano Worm.”
Whoooosh—!
At Ihyeon’s shocking announcement, the Knights’ eyes blazed with fierce intensity.
Though they couldn’t speak aloud about their lord and captain, it essentially boiled down to something like, ‘How could you drop that bombshell now!’
The Knights already knew to some extent about the 84th Floor and the Volcano Worm.
“So…?”
“Operation codename: Midsummer Fishing. Welcome to the operation.”
“!!!”
The Knights’ suspicions instantly crystallized into certainty.
Moreover, the operation’s codename itself felt deeply unsettling.
Fishing?
Fishing naturally required bait, and who could that bait possibly be?
“Master, the monsters will be arriving shortly. Please vacate the area.”
“Got it. I’m counting on you.”
“As you wish.”
Between Ihyeon and the Spirits, everything had already been settled with remarkable efficiency.
Ihyeon and Elsie promptly withdrew from the location.
The Midsummer Fishing operation’s outline was remarkably straightforward.
Jia would provoke the monsters, then hold the line alongside the Knights of the Evil God.
Using the inflated numbers of the Knights and the sheer mass of monsters, they would draw out the Volcano Worm.
Once the Volcano Worm appeared, Ihyeon, waiting at a distance, would snipe it and finish the operation.
Since any stray monsters carelessly heading toward Ihyeon might prove bothersome, Elsie would pair up with him this time.
‘It’s truly a simple and brilliant plan.’
Even by Ihyeon’s assessment, it was perfectly optimized for conquering the 84th Floor.
Who would have thought the Knights of the Evil God could be utilized so effectively?
Of course, they’d done their part when facing Pulisto as well.
Ihyeon deliberately offered a word of encouragement to boost the Knights’ morale.
“I’m looking forward to it, especially since Roel blessed us not long ago.”
Even soldiers who’d been conscripted into the military out of necessity would feel their hearts swell when a division commander visited their unit, as if they’d met someone truly extraordinary.
How much more so would the Knights feel, having received such warm encouragement from their lord, who wasn’t even a division commander?
“…”
Indeed, the Knights didn’t even respond to Ihyeon’s words—they simply stared at him intently.
Concerned it might hinder the battle, Ihyeon promptly departed with Elsie.
‘…!!!!!’
Watching Ihyeon leave, flames blazed fiercely in the hearts of each Knight.
…Though what sort of flames they were remained unclear.
Rumble rumble rumble——
Meanwhile, Jia’s provocation skill worked remarkably well, and monsters now poured in from all directions in waves.
“Good heavens, I’ve never seen so many Volcano Drakes gathered like this before.”
“We’re lucky if it’s just Drakes. There are Golems everywhere too.”
“The Lava Lavas are particularly troublesome…”
Even the Knights, seasoned in group combat, would find this number exhausting.
Just the Volcanno Drakes visible before us—ten of them.
The golems numbered roughly twice that, and the Lava Lava were too numerous to bother counting.
Of course, I wasn’t so faint-hearted as to be frightened by the swarm of monsters bearing down upon us.
“Prepare for battle.”
Jia spoke in a low voice, gripping her shield and spear firmly.
“Battle stations, everyone!”
Nearly simultaneously, the Vice Captain barked the order.
The Knights of the Evil God.
For whom combat was their nature, and slaughter their virtue.
The Knights wielding shields, spears, swords, and crossbows moved with perfect unity, their blue eyes burning with fierce intensity.
“Shields forward!”
“Circle formation! Circle formation!”
“Brace your cores! Hold steady!”
The Knights of the Evil God, specialized in group warfare, functioned as a single living organism.
In mere moments, a formation took shape with flawless cohesion.
Upon the blood-red volcanic earth, a black and frigid square fortress materialized.
This happened before the monsters, led by the Drakes, could even approach.
“Hold! Don’t fire yet!”
Even as the monsters entered well within effective crossbow range, the Vice Captain withheld the order.
Hold. Simply hold.
Waiting to the absolute limit to achieve maximum lethality.
The Knights didn’t even swallow once, watching the massive monsters charge forward with terrible roars.
They merely waited for the command, as if by instinct.
One hundred paces.
Fifty paces.
Thirty paces.
Twenty paces.
Jia, quietly observing from outside the formation, raised her hand.
Ten paces.
Then she lowered it.
A harsh voice erupted from the Vice Captain’s mouth.
“Fire!”
Twiiiiing——!!!
Though incomparable to Ihyeon’s sniper rifle, roughly a dozen bolts from the Knights’ crossbows, emanating a desolate and dark light, left their bowstrings simultaneously.
Their targets: the Volcanno Drakes leading from each direction.
Thud——
The Drakes, charging at full speed without fear of anything, stumbled as bolts struck their necks.
The areas struck by the arrowheads began to blacken and necrotize.
This was partly the inherent effect of the Knights of the Evil God’s weapons, but also the result of Roel’s blessing layered upon them.
The largest Drake halted, and with it, the charge of the monsters behind it grew chaotic.
A Golem collided with the Drake, another Golem struck next, followed by the Lava Lava that had been directly behind—
Of course, compared to the entire flood of monsters pouring forward, their numbers were negligible.
‘Effective.’
Ihyeon, observing the Knights’ battle from a distance with his naked eye, nodded in approval.
Having been educated primarily in modern warfare and possessing actual experience in such combat, I couldn’t fully comprehend the Knights’ tactics.
That was also why I had entrusted command of the Knights to Jia.
Yet even at a glance, the Knights were exceptionally well-trained elite soldiers.
Well, they had been the mid-boss of the 75th Floor, so there was little more to say about it.
A single cohesive unit moving in concert could annihilate dozens of disorganized squads.
Against Pulisto, their prowess had appeared relatively diminished when facing one colossal absolute being, but this time it was purely a many-versus-many engagement.
At this rate, they seemed capable of exceeding my expectations.
The moment I thought so—
Clang—!! Whoosh—
At last, the Knights and monsters clashed.
The spear tips thrust forward pierced flesh as hard as basalt and blood as scorching as lava.
Actual molten lava splattered, hissing sharply against the Knights’ shields.
Even if they held better than expected, the overwhelming difference in physical mass remained.
Nearly simultaneously, the circular formation undulated greatly in the order the monsters first collided with it.
Yet that too was a calculated formation.
The impact propagated from comrade’s shoulder to shoulder like waves crashing.
Then from the opposite side, then the opposite side again—
The naturally-born warriors of the Knights understood how to skillfully absorb those fierce collisions.
Two were better than one, and three better than two.
And when all fought together, there was nothing more to say.
Once the collision entered a deadlocked state, it no longer pressed the Knights.
The formation retreated perhaps a single step overall.
There, the Knights held firm like a jagged reef jutting from an endless sea.
“Those guys are pretty good, aren’t they?”
Elsie, watching from beside me, couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Perhaps Elsie was the perfect antithesis to the Knights.
Unlike the Knights, who specialized in group combat, Elsie found protecting someone to be quite bothersome.
The sight of them clearly becoming each other’s strength and accomplishing what seemed impossible was incomprehensible to her.
“That’s why an army differs from a gang.”
Though the form was different, it was far too natural to me.

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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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