I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 232

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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 232
Ep. 232
At the word “Ilgyeok” that suddenly spilled from the Hero’s mouth, Minkyoo broke into a cold sweat and forced an awkward smile.
“Well… haha, I see. However, we don’t have a reliable way to contact Ilgyeok yet. Moreover, it’s difficult for us to arrange a meeting.”
Minkyoo carefully chose his words, trying his best not to offend Erubein or the United States.
And truthfully, what he said wasn’t wrong at all!
Until now, the Management Bureau had made contact with Ilgyeok only twice.
In all those meetings, Ilgyeok had sent a proxy, and otherwise delegated matters to a representative named Deokhuun.
Would he even agree to meet if word reached him that the Hero wanted to see him?
Most importantly.
‘The Hero is ultimately an American Hunter. I have to unconditionally protect Korean Hunters. If it’s Ilgyeok, even more so…’
I couldn’t fathom why Erubein wanted to meet Ilgyeok.
But what if this was America’s reckless gamble to naturalize Ilgyeok to their country?
What if this was a gesture sent to say, “We boldly deployed the world’s number one ranked Hunter for you”?
In the worst case, a catastrophe could unfold where Ilgyeok defects to America.
As he spoke, Minkyoo carefully observed Erubein and the Manager’s expressions.
Even the smallest facial changes became crucial clues in a situation like this.
However, the other party was the Hero and his Manager.
The two of them maintained an unshaken composure with no sign of agitation.
The Manager let out a deep sigh.
“As expected. Chris, it seems the timing was too premature. Shall we head back? The government seems quite burdened by this.”
Was this subtle pressure being applied to him?
Minkyoo thought this as he listened to the Manager’s words.
Moments later, Erubein responded.
“That’s impossible.”
‘Indeed, it is pressure.’
Minkyoo sighed inwardly.
It seemed he needed to contact Seongnyun, the Personnel Manager of Talent Acquisition—his former classmate and close acquaintance.
The Management Bureau’s department handling contact with Ilgyeok was theirs.
If the Hero came like this and employed such a brazen strategy, Korea had to respond with an equally appropriate gesture.
‘Ilgyeok won’t meet the Hero anyway, so at least the burden will be lighter…’
As the situation seemed to escalate, Minkyoo, a civil servant concerned with both his own well-being and national stability, felt increasingly cornered.
As Minkyoo was contemplating various countermeasures, Erubein continued speaking.
Or rather, it wasn’t so much words as it was.
“I will naturalize to Korea.”
“!?!?!?!?!!!!”
It was practically a bomb.
‘You’re betting on this too? The gambling addiction hotline is 1336…!’
A bomb that was quite large, magnificent, and terrifying.
In that moment, Minkyoo and the Manager’s expressions aligned perfectly.
I opened my mouth as wide as I could, staring blankly at Erubein.
True to Minkyoo’s optimistic nature—always finding one glimmer of hope even in the worst situations—he managed to spot one reassuring detail now as well.
‘So he didn’t know either….’
This plan was undoubtedly Erubein’s unilateral decision.
Otherwise, no matter how much interest the United States held in Ilgyeok, how could they possibly come up with the idea of naturalizing their own Rank 1 and the world’s Rank 1 so abruptly?
Meanwhile, Erubein, who had plunged the civil servants of both nations into a maelstrom of shock and astonishment, smiled faintly without a care.
“I will personally enter Korea’s Main Tower and meet Ilgyeok.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Ihyeon, completely unaware of what was happening at Incheon Airport,
“From now on, I’ll be focusing on leveling up on the 86th Floor for a while. Of course, you don’t have to join me if you don’t want to.”
I had planned to dedicate myself to leveling according to my original strategy.
The members would naturally include Jia, Elsie, and Suyeon.
Since I’d be gaining quite a lot of stat points, I distributed all the accumulated 40 stat points as well.
I allocated 10 to Firepower and Stealth, 5 to the remaining stats, and cleanly filled 349 points that could raise Mana to Grade B with magic stones.
For the spirits, I distributed Jia’s stats focusing on defense, while Elsie received a balanced distribution including Mana.
Meanwhile, this time there was one new face joining us as well.
“Mm.”
“…So you’re agreeing.”
“Yes.”
It was Hwi-yeong, currently Korea’s Rank 2.
When I heard that Hwi-yeong had only faced three Dokkaebi clones on the 85th Floor, I briefly—very briefly—thought about not including her, but who was I?
A hunter of the world with universal love for humanity and respect for life as my motto, Ilgyeok!
…Well, not quite that grand, but I simply thought it would be better to clear with as many people as possible.
Though she was quiet, Hwi-yeong had never refused when asked to do something.
“I’m in! Leveling up faster is always better. I’ve been grinding experience through repeated clears several times a day anyway.”
In contrast, Suyeon was delighted, expressing her enthusiastic support for my plan.
It was common sense that leveling efficiency was maximized on the highest and most efficient floors possible.
From that perspective, the 86th Floor was truly the optimal location.
Moreover, with me around, she could succeed in clearing without much effort, making it a win-win situation.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Hwi-yeong, observing Suyeon’s unusually bright demeanor, raised one eyebrow ever so slightly and let out a questioning sound.
It was such a subtle reaction that most people wouldn’t even notice what she’d said unless they listened carefully.
“Why, why are you like that?”
Though things improved considerably when spending time with Ihyeon, Suyeon still felt quite shy around other people.
Hwi-yeong answered briefly.
“You seem lively.”
“?!”
‘Oh no! Did she think I was being too forward? But I said it because I thought leveling up would really go well with Ihyeon oppa… Should I be quieter from now on? Or….’
Suyeon’s mind instantly fell into chaos.
Without even looking closely, her expression said everything.
‘A fantastic combination.’
Ihyeon nodded as he observed them.
Hwi-yeong, so taciturn he rarely spoke more than five words, and Suyeon, who brainstormed worries that didn’t even need to be voiced—they made quite the pair.
They weren’t exactly an ideal conversational match.
Ihyeon clapped his hands once to clear the air.
“Let’s begin the clear. Since Hunter Suyeon and I have already succeeded, there’s no need to be overly tense.”
“Understood.”
And so we entered the 86th Floor.
There was nothing significantly different from the first attempt.
“The strategy is simple. If we eliminate all of those proliferating Lava Slimes, we succeed. If we fail to do so before this space fills completely, we fail.”
“Hmm…”
Hwi-yeong’s brief response carried a slightly extended tone.
Even for someone as taciturn as him, the absurdly proliferating Lava Slimes seemed to pose considerable pressure.
Upon hearing that sound, both Ihyeon and Suyeon smiled in similar fashion.
“But we’ve found a method.”
“We do it like last time?”
“Let’s try that.”
Ihyeon immediately created an outpost and began monitoring.
Suyeon prepared her attack using the triple-shot skill as before, searching for the Origin Lava Slime.
“It probably won’t be hidden in the same place. We need to think of it as scraping away as wide an area as possible.”
“Yes, sister!”
Hwi-yeong watched quietly, unsure what the two were doing.
He’d already grasped the technique; all that remained was applying it for an optimized clear.
Kuwowoowow———!!!
Three tempests born from Suyeon’s arrows swept through the space teeming with Lava Slimes.
But this time, the target differed from the first attempt.
Rather than aiming to eliminate slimes, the firing angle was widened to destroy as much wall area as possible.
Of course, countless Lava Slimes still burst from the aftermath regardless.
The process was vividly displayed on Ihyeon’s monitor.
Drrrrack—— Crunch!
‘Found it.’
Before Suyeon’s arrow had fully lost its momentum, a massive red dot appeared on Ihyeon’s monitor, just as before.
Indeed, it wasn’t in the same location as previously, as Elsie had predicted.
Rather, it existed in a far more unexpected place than during the first clear.
Ihyeon had to acknowledge that considerable luck had been on his side.
‘If Suyeon’s arrow hadn’t happened to strike the Origin Lava Slime’s location, an S+ clear would have been impossible.’
But luck, too, is a skill.
As a sniper, Ihyeon understood the weight of those words better than anyone.
No matter how perfectly you aimed, a sudden gust of wind could cause you to miss, or some obstacle might suddenly appear in an instant.
The reverse was equally true.
Human skill diminishes the power and role of fortune, but it’s impossible to eliminate it completely.
There was good reason why good fortune and misfortune could coexist.
“Found the location. Let’s begin.”
“Oh, but oppa, wait a moment.”
“Hm? Why?”
Whoosh—
Ihyeon casually drew the sniper rifle he’d kept holstered at his hip, then noticed Suyeon suddenly stopping him.
Suyeon answered with a rather uncomfortable expression.
“That… Hunter Hwi-yeong still doesn’t…”
“Ah.”
Only then did Ihyeon understand why Suyeon had done that.
Now that he thought about it, Hwi-yeong had no idea that Ihyeon used a sniper rifle at all!
They’d crossed paths a few times inside the Tower, but that was only on the common floors.
‘Still, considering Hwi-yeong’s personality, maybe he wouldn’t be that surprised?’
Realizing his mistake, Ihyeon turned to look at Hwi-yeong with an expression similar to Suyeon’s.
Hwi-yeong’s character seemed more than capable of such a reaction.
Whether Ihyeon used a sniper rifle or chopsticks, Hwi-yeong would probably just say “mm” and move on without finding it strange.
To some extent, Ihyeon’s prediction had been accurate.
“Uh, uh?!”
Hwi-yeong’s eyes widened at the sight of the long, large sniper rifle in Ihyeon’s hands, and his reaction was far more intense than usual.
For Ihyeon and Suyeon, who had never had much conversation with Hwi-yeong, it was certainly unusual, but if the Guild Members who knew him well had seen it, they would have been shocked beyond measure.
“That… is that a sniper rifle?”
In particular, if the Legend Guild Master, who had suffered greatly because of Hwi-yeong’s taciturn nature, had witnessed this, he might have wept tears of joy and thanked Ihyeon, saying “Thank you for changing our child!”
…In fact, the Legend Guild Master had already wept upon hearing through the administrative office that Ilgyeok and Shin Gung wanted to clear the 86th Floor together with Hwi-yeong.
‘It’s certainly surprising…’
In any case, Ihyeon nodded at Hwi-yeong’s fierce reaction, something he’d never expect to see even if Korea made it to the World Cup finals.
“That’s correct.”
“Then all this time… you’ve been clearing the Tower with that…?”
Hwi-yeong, who could be said to be experiencing the most turbulent period of his life since birth!
Of course, Hwi-yeong’s unusual reaction was quite surprising, but when you thought about it, Ihyeon had experienced this kind of situation quite often.
‘In cases like this, it’s best to just ignore it and do what I need to do.’
Seeing is believing.
Everyone who had ever seen Ihyeon’s sniper rifle had reacted this way.
And honestly, he was already tired of these reactions!
He couldn’t possibly respond to every person who was surprised by the sniper rifle indefinitely.
…That was the shameless thought Ihyeon held.

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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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